Free Republic

My thoughts - could Israel have convinced Syria to look the other way, just this once? Enemy of my enemy and whatnot? The “uncertainty” on the US’s part is either genuine (Israel may not have let us in on this) or convenient.

Here’s a start: stop subsidizing grains. The worst, cheapest foods are grain-based, and grain derivatives are used as flavorings and additives in tons of packaged foods. It is killing us. Also, stop telling us canola oil is healthy. It’s not. It’s an industrial lubricant.

Voigt, who is white, told school officials that what he actually told the teen was that he doesn't think the nation can afford another president like Barack Obama, "whether he's black or white."

If he had said the same thing about GBW, we'd probably feel he needed to keep his opinions out of the classroom (which he should). This could have been a good, non-partisan classroom discussion: "What has the president done that you like (or do not like)? What do you think the consequences of that have been?"

I feel very lucky to be spending Christmas in India this year. It is much more focused on Christ and less on the commercialism.

My husband wanted to get a tattoo. I told him he should join the military first and earn it. For myself, I never could get one. I would have instant regret. 34 and tattoo-free!

Where in Bombay are they? If all else fails, they can try to get an autorickshaw - they can move through traffic faster than a car. Prayers being sent! Bombay traffic is ridiculous. My in-laws live in Powaii, which is technically the suburbs, and even there it is mind-blowing.

I like Midsomer Murders - the first 13 seasons are available on Netflix streaming. Foley’s War was a great watch. Will have to check out Gently. Happy viewing!

This was where I went to college. I don’t know how the food is now, but it used to be so bad we would all end up eating cereal for dinner anyway.

Same thing happened at my company. We now have all the preventative care we could ever want, but a $4000/year deductible for anything NON-preventative (including prescriptions, doctor visits because of illness, emergency room, etc). After that, the insurance will pay 80% for in-network stuff. Needless to say, there are very few swing voters left in the office.

Time to call Max Hardberger!

The "red team analysis" the article refers to is here: A Crisis of Trust and Cultural Incompatibility This version is unclassified.

I knew Ryan Grim in college - from what I remember, he’s not the type who would pull this out of nowhere.

Glad to be spending my vacation money in Italy at this very moment!!!

Square groupers!

Thanks for sharing this. My golden retriever Kelso passed away in August a year after being diagnosed with lymphoma. (We did chemo.) His last year was the best year of our time together - I wouldn’t have done the chemo if the vet said he would be in pain. Fortunately, he went into remission almost immediately, but months after the chemo completed, hemangiosarcoma crept in,and we had to make the tough decision on the spot because his spleen was bleeding and chemo (again) and surgery would have been too much for him at age 11, and probably would have only gotten him a few more months - and they wouldn’t have been good months. That dog was my entire heart and I miss him terribly.

LOL, I thought of the same thing!

Where in Odisha are you? I was in Bhubanshwar this week and I noticed it has gotten more crowded. The city seemed much more well-kept three years ago. I’ve noticed that in India, infrastructure spending and new construction is done with much fanfare, but then very little upkeep is done. The mosquitoes were twice as bad this year, too.

My brother lives at the northern end of Lake Tahoe, and he said he can see evidence of the wildfires from there. Scary!

I think they’re drawing a lot of conclusions from finding two different kinds of footprints at the same place - all that means is that a boy was once in that cave, and a dog/wolf was once in that cave, but not necessarily at the same time. However, I don’t argue with the idea that humans and dogs have been cooperating for ages, each influencing the other for the better. There are several very interesting documentaries on available on Netflix that explore the relationship between humans and dogs.

Dear Mr. Charles Rogers, don’t forget that the Jack Daniels brand has been involved in the success of Lynchburg and the people of Moore County, not just the other way around. If Jack Daniels gets more expensive as a result of this proposed tax, I MIGHT still choose to buy it, but I would definitely think twice about visiting Lynchburg for a distillery tour, since the city apparently has such an envious ugly attitude toward one of its major businesses. Sorry, hotels and restaurants that may have benefitted from my visit!