Free Republic

In a documentary brimming with sociopolitical messaging, this American Experience film goes back to the hot July night of 1977 that saw New York City suddenly go dark, then erupt in a widespread orgy of violence, looting and arson—the most extensive in East Harlem, Brooklyn and the Bronx. The film diligently traces the cause of the blackout—a lightning strike in Westchester County, and a resulting chain reaction that ended with total power loss for almost all all of New York City. But it’s clear virtually from the outset of “Blackout” that the power that concerns the filmmakers doesn’t have much...

(CNN)Connecticut police have recovered the body of a 7-month-old baby, who died after his father allegedly jumped off a bridge with him. Aaden Moreno was found Tuesday evening in the Connecticut River near the town of East Haddam, miles downstream from where Tony Moreno leaped from the Arrigoni Bridge in Middletown, police said. Moreno was listed in critical condition at Hartford Hospital. Authorities said he was alert and stable. No charges have been filed against him, but Middletown Mayor Daniel Drew told CNN that the state's attorneys office is investigating and charges are expected.

UCSON, AZ (Tucson News Now) - Nogales city officials said they believe Sunday afternoon's sewage flood was caused by a possible drug tunnel. Officials were able to stop the flowing water, after it began flowing out of a home. As of Monday morning, the home and a nearby business were without gas and power. A section of Morley Avenue is also still shut down as the cause of the flooding is investigated. Nogales City Manager Shane Dille said they found oxygen tanks and pumps inside the home, which led them to believe the cause was drugs, but police can’t confirm...

"In response to increased terrorism and abuse of social programs by aliens, Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) today introduced the first and only comprehensive immigration reform bill in Congress. Currently, an alien living illegally in the United States often pays no taxes but receives unemployment, welfare, free medical care and other federal benefits. Recent terrorist acts, including the World Trade Center bombing, have underscored the need to keep violent criminals out of the country. Reid's bill, the Immigration Stabilization Act of 1993, overhauls the nation's immigration laws and calls for a massive scale-down of immigrants allowed into the country from approximately...

If you don't yet have a copy of this Special Report, 'The First 15 Things You Must Do Immediately After an EMP', you can download it to you computer by clicking http://thesurvivalmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/One-Second-After-the-Lights-Go-Out-Special-Report-5-11.pdf Feel free to share this important EMP survival information!

Back in the day, leisure time was not thought of as a chance to “veg out,” but as opportunity to pursue one’s passions and interests, an outlet for the sides of a man that were not stimulated in one’s career. Unfortunately, we now often spend our leisure time camped out in front of the TV or computer. We say that modern life has become too stressful, that when we have free time, laying on the couch is all we can manage. The truth is that spending our leisure time in satisfying pursuits, “fun work,” will refresh us far more than...

Fighting soldiers from the sky Fearless men who jump and die Men who mean just what they say The brave men of the Green Beret Silver wings upon their chest These are men, America's best One hundred men we'll test today But only three win the Green Beret Trained to live, off nature's land Trained in combat, hand to hand Men who fight by night and day Courage deep, from the Green Beret Silver wings upon their chest These are men, America's best One hundred men we'll test today But only three win the Green Beret Back at home a...

Turns out, there are a few savvy (and super-easy) keyboard tricks that can do just that. Your desktop, browser, Gmail, and even Facebook all have simple keyboard-based shortcuts you can press to more quickly accomplish things you do all the time — things like creating a new tab in Chrome or favoriting a tweet. We’ve rounded up 10 super-handy keyboard hacks that will help you zip through your daily grind, so you can spend more time on things that matter — or at least save your index finger from repetitive stress syndrome. And, we've organized them from the most basic...

Discount retailer’s web site crashed several times as fashionista's collection went on sale Target was hoping for a smooth launch for one of its most highly anticipated designer collaborations in years. Instead, the discount retailer’s web site was overwhelmed in the early hours on Sunday as legions of fashionistas who had been up overnight tried to snap up Lilly Pulitzer’s fashions, only to encounter delays in the colorful beachwear line’s availability on Target.com and in many case, end up empty-handed. The incident has raised questions as to why the retailer wasn’t fully ready for the onslaught.

Bad news today for HBO, which is attempting to marry the recent debut of their HBO Now streaming service with season 5 of Game of Thrones. As of last night, the first four episodes of the new season, nearly half of the ten total episodes, have been leaked online to various torrent sites. After appearing online yesterday afternoon, the episodes have already been downloaded almost 800,000 times, and that figure will likely blow past a million downloalds by the season 5 premier tonight.

The fifth season of HBO’s Game of Thrones is upon us. Winter is still coming. Millions will tune in for more of Tyrion’s witty ripostes and for some more smoldering romance between Jon Snow and his Wildling paramour Ygritte. Wait, Ygritte is still alive, right? Honestly there’s been so much carnage on this show I don’t even remember. What ever happened to that hunk who befriended Arya? Didn’t Bran have a younger brother? Where did we leave off on the Hound, exactly? Test your knowledge with this quiz.

Excerpt: "When in the service do we sing, 'Over the Rainbow'?"

<p>Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) – the first Republican hopeful to put his name forward – has long maintained that only by mobilizing the conservative grassroots can the GOP hope to reclaim the White House in 2016. He has explicitly said that primary-goers looking for a candidate that will toe the party line, and buckle to the whims of the establishment, should look elsewhere. As a result, he has pledged not to fund his campaign with funds obtained from lobbyists or crony capitalists, and therefore must tap into the generosity and support of ordinary Americans to get his campaign off the ground.</p>

It may not have been the Japanese who came up with the saying “cleanliness is next to godliness,” but the Land of the Rising Sun certainly has its share of neat-freakiness. After all, the word for “pretty” in Japanese, kirei, also means clean. This cultural obsession with keeping things tidy has resulted in the development of some uniquely Japanese habits regarding one of the more delicate aspects of daily life: the bathroom. For anyone planning a trip to Tokyo who doesn’t want to be caught with their pants down when nature calls (or anyone just looking for a little bathroom...

CUERNAVACA, Mexico — Some unusual guests showed up to pay their respects at a recent funeral in Mexico – a pack of stray dogs. According to BuzzFeed, Margarita Suarez of Merida loved animals and fed 20 cats a day. She also took care of stray dogs, her daughter, Patricia Urrutia, told Norte Digital. “Every time she saw a dog in the street, [that] meant going to her house in order to feed it," Urrutia said. When Suarez died in March, family members gathered for her funeral in Cuernavaca, about 830 miles away from Suarez's home in Merida, the Huffington Post...

Despite the French president calling for “unity” in the light of the Charlie Hebdo massacre, an almighty row broke out on Thursday after the National Front were not invited to Sunday’s Republican rally. France’s politicians were not able to show their new found unity for long. Just a day after the Charlie Hebdo shooting left 12 dead and had politicians calling for the country to unite, a row between politicians broke out after the National Front were not invited to take part in Sunday’s rally for “national unity” in Paris. For her part Marine Le Pen was furious that the...

This is a conversation between Amedy Coulibaly and one of the hostages inside the Paris kosher market. CNN's Jim Sciutto has more.

Historian and documentarian Larry Schweikart will be at the theater for the 7:30 show, which happens also to be a freebie. So come and meet him and local conservative talk host Charles Heller, both who will go out for coffee after the screening with myself and a few others. Schweikart's movie is about the effect of rock and roll on the destruction of the Berlin Wall. You may also know him for his books, The Patriot's History of the United States.

Rockin' the Wall Studios began when noted history professor and best selling author Larry Schweikart contacted Hollywood filmmaker Marc Leif about producing a documentary based on a chapter of Professor Schweikart's then forthcoming book, Seven Events that Made America, America. The result was Rockin' the Wall, an independent documentary feature about how Rock 'n Roll helped bring about the fall of the Iron Curtain. The film was completed one year after that first conversation and in distribution about six weeks after that; an absolutely astounding record for an independent film. Immediately after came the start of the sequel, Other Walls...

PEST FREE During a family vacation and faced with an unexpected storm, we decided to rent a small unfurnished cabin at a state park. As soon as we had our sleeping bags spread on the floor, our pillows fluffed, and the room dark, a million feet started crawling over our faces and legs. Oh, the horror when we switched on the lights. Every conceivable, imaginable creature had crawled out of the woodwork. I had never seen so many bugs in one place. On top of that, we had several raccoons circling around the cabin. Then I remembered our tent. Not...