Free Republic

Common sense is very uncommon. Common sense is in spite of, not a result of education. Common sense is instinct, and enough is genius. Nothing is more fairly distributed than common sense: no one thinks he needs more of it than he already has. Common sense is the knack of seeing things as they are, and doing things as they ought to be done.

The Death of TCP/IP Why the Age of Internet Innocence is Over By Robert X. Cringely As events of the last several weeks have shown, Microsoft Windows, e-mail and the Internet create the perfect breeding ground for virus attacks. They don't even have to exploit Windows flaws to be effective. Any Visual BASIC programmer with a good understanding of how Windows works can write a virus. All that is needed is a cleverly titled file attachment payload, and almost anyone can be induced to open it, spreading the contagion. It is too darned easy to create these programs that can ...

Large-scale war games near Taiwan on China's Dongshan island have included the use of commercial ships for combat practice. U.S. intelligence officials told us three Chinese freighters took part in the recent war games, including one that had artillery mounted on the deck that fired on land targets. The use of commercial ships for military operations undermines the widely held view in the U.S. intelligence community and some parts of the military that China lacks military forces for amphibious attacks against Taiwan. The use of the commercial ships shows that China could mount an amphibious attack on the island using ...

    Wednesday August 1 8:28 PM ET U.N. to Review Refugee Operations By EDITH M. LEDERER, Associated Press Writer UNITED NATIONS (AP) - U.N. auditors plan to review the U.N. refugee agency's staffing of emergency operations after two audits of its work with 450,000 Kosovo Albanians in 1999 pinpointed sloppy management. Undersecretary-General Dileep Nair said in a report of the second audit released Wednesday that the U.N.'s refugee agency had made ``significant progress'' in addressing the ``serious shortcomings'' disclosed in the initial audit of the $56 million emergency program. In one positive result, UNHCR identified assets valued at ...

California Coho salmon being listed as endangered, George Carl, NapaNews, Thursday, August 2, 2001 The California Department of Fish and Game has initiated the first step, by announcing it will commence a status review of the Coho salmon that inhabit the coastal streams from San Francisco Bay north to the Oregon border. They have until April of 2002 to make their final recommendation for listing it as an endangered species. So, as of now, no Coho salmon can be taken in California waters. For local salmon fishermen it is no surprise, since the decline has been evident for some years. ...

Probably the surest way to understand the depth of dissatisfaction among many conservatives with the Republican Party is to be a conservative columnist who often defends Republicans. You wouldn't believe the passion in the e-mail I get from fellow conservatives who have long since abandoned the Republican vehicle, believing it no longer serves the causes in which they believe. Maybe if Republican mainstreamers could understand the reasons for conservative angst, they could alter their approach and prevent further defection from the party. A recent story in the Washington Post nicely illustrates the absence of commitment of too many congressional Republicans ...

Scoring Points For thousands of years, men have tried to understand the rules when dealing with women. Finally, this merit/demerit guide will help them to understand just how it works. Remember, in the world of romance one single rule applies: Make the woman happy! THERE ARE NO OTHER RULES! Do something she likes and you get points. Do something she dislikes and points are subtracted. You don't get any points for doing something she expects. (Sorry, that's the way the game is played) Here is a guide to the points system: SIMPLE DUTIES You make the bed.........................................+1 You make the ...

Spin control is crucial in this modern age of media hype and orchestrated public attacks. As a nation perpetually under siege, Israel has smartly hired one of New York City’s premier public relation’s firms, Rubenstein Associates, in NYC, in order to favorably mold world opinion, via media of all types including myriad print venues and broadcast news organizations. This beleaguered nation seeks to create a positive image and accompanying reputation, while simultaneously informing and persuading the international community, especially in relations to its conflict with the Palestinians. As a tiny sovereign entity surrounded by enemy Arab nations in the Middle ...

Probably the surest way to understand the depth of dissatisfaction among man

Some say it is the wheel, while others say it is fire. Some say it is the automobile, while others say it is the telephone. Some say it is space flight, while others say it is the personal computer. People are always debating the greatest achievement of man, searching for conclusive evidence that will, supposedly, place us a rung or two higher on the ladder of evolution than the other creatures strutting the hills and fields of planet earth.. Personally I have my doubts about man's long-term position in the evolutionary mural. To me, the human species falls far ...

Surprise Move Toft to go to psych centre instead of halfway house (CP) - Convicted pedophile Karl Toft will be released from prison as planned Friday, but is headed to a secure psychiatric hospital instead of an Edmonton halfway house. The Correctional Service of Canada recommended late Thursday that the former reform school guard who sexually abused at least 200 young boys in New Brunswick be sent to the facility in Saskatchewan. "(The service said) the offender should now reside at the regional psychiatric centre in Saskatoon, which is a secure treatment facility," Loretta Mazzocchi, a spokeswoman with the correctional ...

Acting New Jersey governor DeFrancesco has signed legislation to require parental consent before minors can be tattooed or have parts of their bodies pierced. Parlors could face penalties for non-compliance. The new law makes it a disorderly person offense in New Jersey to body-pierce or tattoo a minor, 17 years of age or under without a parent's prior consent. Conviction is punishable by a jail term of up to 6 months and a fine of $1,000. The sponsor, State Senator Joe Palaia, says the procedure is minor surgery and can result in permanent damage to the body. He says that's ...

JEFFORDS DIDN'T PAY ATTENTION DURING BUSH CAMPAIGN? WCAX-TV's Marselis Parsons conducted a far-reaching interview of Sen. Jim Jeffords (I-Vermont) that aired Sunday, July 29. During the interview, Jeffords acknowledged the fact that he hadn't paid enough attention to Bush's agenda even though he was honorary co-chairman of the President's campaign in Vermont. (When a national reporter asked Jeffords, after his defection announcement, about the chairmanship, he denied it.) Also of note from the interview was Jeffords's use of qualifiers when asked if he'd run for governor. Both times that Parsons asked Jeffords if he planned on staying in Washington, ...

I am sure that most people who consider themselves to be civilized, law-abiding citizens would agree that those responsible for the death of a child should, at the very least, be locked away for a long, long time. But how many of us would be willing to include those people responsible for the accidental death of a child? Judging from a recent incident in Minnesota, it seems there are quite a few. On July 10, Kevin Daley, a loan officer in Blaine, Minnesota, accidentally left his four-month-old son locked in a sweltering mini van for about eight hours while ...

I have watched everything I could find on various news outlets and read many articles both here and in different news papers. I remember originally when the "so-called" friend of Chandra Levy, a co-worker at the Bureau of Prisons was not making any statements...... Then he refused to take a polygraplh.... Why would he refuse to take a polygraph. Did he have something to hide....Of course he did. Now it is coming out.... He is kind of trashing her---backing up Condit's and his minions' fake story that she was a stalker---- They have gotten to him...Maybe he is the one ...

August 3, 2001 Talk about it Aide to Davis Gets Rid of Stock Power: Press secretary sells his of 300 shares in Calpine after being criticized for praising the firm. SEC seeks records from other advisors.        By MITCHELL LANDSBERG WALTER HAMILTON and DARYL KELLEY, TIMES STAFF WRITERS Gov. Gray Davis' chief spokesman said Thursday that he has sold his 300 shares of stock in a California power company in the face of criticism that his ownership constituted a conflict of interest. Meanwhile, in a sign that its insider-trading investigation may be intensifying, the Securities and Exchange Commission ...

As of this past July 9th, 2001, Meng vs Schwartz - 98cv2859 Judge Lamberth denied a motion to alter judgement, denied a motion to amend judgement and denied a motion for relief of judgement in the Loral Shareholders case. - As of today, July 19, 2001, I'm starting this Loral Shareholders 'Discussion' Thread to make sure this Loral case stays in the spotlight (Latest Posts) for discussion purposes and for all future FR.com posters and lurkers to easily find. I'm highlighting one of the key defendents, Terrance McAuliffe - because he is now Chairman of the DNC. Yesterday, on MSNBC ...

"White House Rigged Missile Test" reads the Hall of Shame online exclusive from the liberal American Prospect magazine. Jody Kent's story, which cribs heavily from Joe Conason's column in Salon, begins: "The Bush Administration had a lot weighing on this month's test of the missile defense shield. Two previous tests failed. Furthermore, Democrats -- not to mention the Russians and Chinese -- are dead set against the shield, with its $100 billion plus price tag." Say that again? "Furthermore, Democrats -- not to mention the Russians and Chinese -- are dead set against the shield, with its $100 billion plus ...

"But what happened, they got the willies, uh, they got the Buckwheats, uh, their knees wobbled and, um, um, we gave it up ..." — Dan Rather to WFAN-AM radio host Don Imus, July 19. On July 19, the morning after he reported (actually, misreported), for the first and only time on the Chandra Levy case, Dan Rather was a guest on Don Imus' syndicated morning show, where Rather strongly implied his bosses are cowards, said he would take the "hard news high road," and used colorful language to describe both his bosses and himself. (I wish to thank ...

The responses to my recent article taking issue, politely I hope, with Deroy Murdock´s call for "separation of marriage and state" have been fascinatingly varied and often quite thought provoking. Public opinion appears to be on my side, if polls are to be believed, but this is hardly monolithic even among those who are right of center. My basic position is that sexual and romantic relationships between consenting adults are private affairs, but marriage is a contractual agreement entered into by consenting adults for socially important purposes not limited to sex or personal affection. Chief among these socially important functions ...