Free Republic

Culture ministry says it will press charges against activists for damage to world heritage site as UN climate talks began in Lima Greenpeace has apologised to the people of Peru after the government accused the environmentalists of damaging ancient earth markings in the country’s coastal desert by leaving footprints in the ground during a publicity stunt meant to send a message to the UN climate talks delegates in Lima. A spokesman for Greenpeace said: “Without reservation Greenpeace apologises to the people of Peru for the offence caused by our recent activity laying a message of hope at the site of...

Tonight, a gripping British made-for-tv film about the true story of the massive Jewish revolt and overthrow at Sobibor, one of the Nazi death camps inside Poland. Adam Arkin, Rutger Hauer, and Joanna Pacula star.

About an hour ago the wife and our dog Lucy were in bed. I was up reading FR when I thought I heard a noise outside. I get up from my chair and open the front door and the porch light is on, it has a motion sensor. I thought that was unusual when Lucy came barreling out from the back door( she has a pet door, comes and goes as she pleases) to the front door to the woods across the street barking like hell. The 4 wheeler was parked in front of the house and that is a...

NANJING, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said Saturday that denial of the Nanjing Massacre will not be allowed by the Chinese people or peace-loving people anywhere in the world. The Nanjing Massacre, committed by Japanese aggressors, was one of three major massacres during WWII. It was an atrocious anti-human crime and a dark page in the history of humanity, Xi said while addressing a state ceremony for China's first National Memorial Day for Nanjing Massacre Victims. "Anyone who tries to deny the massacre will not be allowed by history, the souls of the 300,000 deceased victims, the...

ISIS: Enslaving, Having Sex With 'Unbelieving' Women, Girls Is OK By Greg Botelho, CNN December 12, 2014 ISIS produces a document, "Questions and Answers on Taking Captives and Slaves" It has been posted online, and armed men distributed it to residents of Mosul In it, ISIS claims the Quran justifies taking non-Muslim women and girls captive It also says they can be sold as "property," and that sex with captive girls is permissible (CNN) -- Can you take non-Muslim women and children captive? Yes, says ISIS. Can you have sex with them, even prepubescent girls? Yes, according to the Islamist...

The so-called Stormpocalypse did little to wash away the rage or concern or fear or opportunism or whatever it is that's compelling thousands of Bay Area residents to take to the streets as of late. San Francisco police officers have had their scheduled off-days canceled this weekend in anticipation. The San Francisco Police Department is anticipating a full weekend of protest events, with no fewer than three scheduled for Saturday alone. At 12:15 p.m. tomorrow, police are expecting a "March Against Racist Police Brutality" to convene at Union Square. Within the department, SF Weekly is told, the worry is that...

There are many stereotypes about animals that just aren’t true, but when it comes to the one about cats wanting to do only as they please (regardless of what their human may think) then … well … we think this video sort of speaks for itself.

Radio Interview on Andrea Shea King's show of the incomparable Ann Barnhardt. Link here: http://www.barnhardt.biz/2014/12/12/one-hour-interview-with-andrea-shea-king/ Direct MP3 link here: http://blogtalk.vo.llnwd.net/o23/show/7/174/show_7174343.mp3

A small group of men and women once set its principles of charity and temperance against the prevailing values of the age—and in so doing altered the course of civilization. Because the early Christians’ belief had a specific content of truth and morality based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, they could not simply go with the flow. Jesus was both God and man. They could not worship, or pretend to worship, a mere human being who claimed to be God because he was Caesar. And this seemed to non-Christians to be an unpardonable stubbornness and perversity. Marriage...

Every now and then, news breaks in the Obama administration that is so stereotypical, it is actually depressing. You might want to sit down for this. Attorney General Eric Holder, made infamous by Operation Fast and Furious, is currently arguing before the Supreme Court that United Nations treaties trump the United States Constitution. That’s right. The sitting Attorney General, charged with upholding and defending the Constitution, is arguing before the highest court that international law is in fact the law of the land. The case in question, Bond v. United States, is actually pretty ridiculous. The defendant is charged with...

OTTAWA, Dec 12 (Reuters) – The Royal Canadian Navy on Friday imposed an almost total ban on sailors drinking at sea, after a warship had to be recalled from an international exercise because inebriated crew members got into trouble. Sailors had hitherto been allowed to drink off duty. Now, they will only be able to sample alcohol on special occasions such as Christmas, if the captain gives permission.

Obama's Daughters Enjoy Gourmet Lunches at Posh School 11 Dec 2014 By James Morrisson While many public school students complain about lunchtime mush that meets White House calorie guidelines, President Barack Obama's daughters are dining on gourmet meals at a posh private school in Washington. School kids have been moaning about tasteless fare local governments adopt to comply with first lady Michelle Obama’s war on the waistline and posting photos of the mystery meals online. The Sidwell Friends School, the $36,000-a-year private academy attended by Malia and Sasha Obama, also posts its menus on the Internet. Editor's Note: Seniors Scoop...

After hours of debate on the massive government spending package, the Senate adjourned until Saturday, pushing a fight that dominated Congress for days into the weekend. The Senate is expected to vote Monday on the $1.1 trillion package, which has already passed the House, Sens. Mitch McConnell and Barbara Mikulski said late Friday. Members from both parties in the Senate are trying to make last-minute changes to the bill. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid made a procedural move Friday that would set up a vote on final passage in the Senate no later than Monday. In a surprise development, the...

Natural temperature swings in the ocean, not global warming, are driving California’s extreme drought, according to a new government study. Researchers said sea surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific Ocean set up an atmospheric roadblock off the West Coast that diverted winter storms away from California. The state relies on winter rain and snow for most of its yearly water. The roadblock is a persistent ridge of high pressure that first formed in 2011 during a La Niña event. Even though La Niña broke down after the 2011-2012 winter, the western equatorial Pacific Ocean remained a warm water bull’s-eye, a...

December 12, 2014 It Sure Looks Like Jeb Bush Isn't Running For President By Thomas Lifson Forget about all those speeches, meetings with donors, and campaign appearances for others before the election. Money talks. Bloomberg reports (via The Weekly Standard): "Documents filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Nov list Bush as chairman and manager of a new offshore private equity fund, Global Aviation, which raised $61million in September, largely from foreign ­investors. In November the fund ­incorporated in the United Kingdom and Wales­—a ­structure, several independent finance lawyers say, that operates like a tax haven by allowing...

The collapse of the oil price has snared its first West Australian victim with Red Fork Energy losing the support of its major lender. The Perth-based company drills shale rock onshore in the United States, producing oil and gas. But it is completely exposed to the US shale industry, which analysts say has become unviable at current oil prices. The oil price has tumbled 40 per cent in recent months, dragging down the value and margins of oil and gas producers. Red Fork's major lender, Guggenheim Corporate Funding, called in the receivers this week

Watch Cristina Gatti lend her classic voice to a true Christmas classic...so classic, that some might even call it, "The Christmas Song." Special thanks to Hum Music for the studio space, and to Eddie the dog for making a cameo. The Band: Cristina Gatti - vocals http://www.facebook.com/cristinagatti... http://www.instagram.com/cristinagatt... Allen Hunter - bass Chip Thomas - drums http://www.instagram.com/chipfunky Eddie - dog Rook - bartender Scott Bradlee - piano http://www.instagram.com/scottbradlee http://www.facebook.com/scottbradleem... PMJ on FB: http://www.facebook.com/postmodernjuk... Twitter / Insta: @PMJofficial Postmodern Jukebox Tour Dates: Jan 19 - The Birchmere; Washington, DC Jan 22 - House of Blues; San Diego, CA Jan 24 -...

It is a curious phenomenon that magazines in doctor’s waiting rooms are always out of date. Now a study has discovered the reason. The more recent the publication, the more likely it is to be filched by light-fingered patients. Researchers at the University of Auckland found that GP waiting rooms generally contain older magazines no matter how hard staff try to keep supplies up to date. And patients hoping to find something light-hearted to take their mind off a tooth or tummy ache are also likely to be disappointed. For the magazines that get left behind are not only out...

PIERRE, S.D. — South Dakota officials have canceled a public safety campaign to raise awareness about the dangers of jerking the steering wheel on icy roads, saying it's too risque. The Department of Public Safety has pulled the "Don't Jerk and Drive" ads, which played on the double-meaning of the word "jerk."

President Barack Obama on Friday urged the Senate to ratify a $1.1 trillion, House-passed spending bill that has roiled his Democratic Party, judging it an imperfect measure that stems from “the divided government that the American people voted for.” One day after House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi publicly chastised him for supporting the bill, the president said there were provisions “I really do not like.” At the same time, he said there were other portions that “fund health insurance, early childhood education, the fight against climate change and expand manufacturing hubs to grow jobs.” …