Free Republic

Forty years ago Saturday saw the release of Jaws, an adaptation of a beach-read made by a promising but relatively untested young director, Steven Spielberg. Forty years later, Jaws‘ impact can be felt across moviegoing. The shark tale is perhaps most notable for its box-office success; Jaws became the top-grossing film of all time after its release (and did so more quickly than had its predecessors, with a marketing plan based on blanket advertising rather than a slow rollout). Jaws, with its technical mastery and ability to manipulate the audience into fearing something that for so much of the film’s...

President Johnson’s daisy petals and mushroom clouds TV ad targeting Barry Goldwater only aired once officially during 1964 campaign. But it’s now recognized as one of the most iconic campaign ads of all time — with its influence on political advertising clearly evident today. The story behind the ad reveals just how bold and transformative it was, Louisiana State University communications professor Robert Mann told ABC News’ “Top Line.” Mann is the author of “Daisy Petals and Mushroom Clouds: LBJ, Barry Goldwater, and the Ad That Changed American Politics.” “It was an unusual way to start a presidential campaign. It...

Hizbullah chief says during solidarity rally with people of Egypt, Tunisia that "protests will push out regime that has maintained peace with Israel." BEIRUT — Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah said Monday the unrest in Egypt will transform the Middle East by pushing out a regime that has maintained peace with Israel. Nasrallah predicted that whatever leadership emerges in Egypt after Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak will move away from Israel, leaving it more isolated. "You are fighting the battle of Arab dignity, the dignity of the Arab human being that was humiliated by some of its leaders in the past decades,"...

The election of former Congressman Ron Dellums as Oakland's mayor marks the revival of a black-progressive-labor coalition that many thought was on its last legs after eight years of Jerry Brown. Not only did the revived alliance win the mayor's slot, but the Dellums groundswell also helped the congressman's former aide Sandre Swanson win the Democratic primary for the East Bay's 16th Assembly District, now held by the soon-to-be termed-out Wilma Chan. "The power of the people beat the power of the machine," said former Alameda County Supervisor Mary King, now assistant general manager at AC Transit and herself an...

As I struggle with the mini screwdriver needed to turn the mini screw to open the battery packs of my sons' toys, I have to wonder if they are the result of liberalism and the nanny state.When I was a kid, you just popped open the back of a toy, put in the battery, and played. Now it's like performing surgery. I guess thousand of kids were eating batteries and I just was unaware of it. Thank God the guvmint stepped in and saved me and my children!(/sarc)Anyway - it got me to thinking...How has liberalism changed Christmas since YOU...

Ask any old-timer to name the singular event that changed Tucson like no other and all will give you a two-word answer: Pearl Harbor. Before Dec. 7, 1941, Tucson was a cowtown of fewer than 40,000 souls. Burros still grazed at what was then called Davis-Monthan Field. Following the Japanese attack that ushered in World War II for America, more than $3.5 million would be spent on improvements at D-M in 1942 alone. During World War II, close to 12,000 airmen would flow through the base, which became a major training field for bombing crews. One of those men was...