Free Republic

Conventions aren't that complicated, really. It's the beginning of the general election push, the formalization of a party's candidate and a chance for that candidate to make a pitch to a broad range of voters expected to come to the polls in November. It's four days of non-stop press attention, watched by millions of people. And yet another poll released on Monday suggests that Donald Trump blew it.

Are you called Gary? Your name could soon be extinct as fewer parents are choosing to call their tot it. Despite a wealth of famous Garys in the world (Neville, Oldman, Barlow and Lineker, to name a few), the name is dying out. The name 'Gary' is less popular than it's ever been before. Records have revealed that the name is on its way to becoming extinct – despite being really popular in decades gone by. Since it originated in 1880, the name has been given to both boys and girls but is now becoming a rarity. Stats show that...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Opening Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling could harm caribou, snow geese and other wildlife, a new U.S. government study said on Friday, despite the Bush administration's assurances that oil exploration would have little impact. The report, written by the Interior Department's U.S. Geological Survey, was published 10 days before the U.S. Senate is due to launch a contentious debate on whether to allow drilling in the pristine refuge on Alaska's northern coast. The remote refuge stretches over 19 million acres and holds up to 16 billion barrels of oil. President Bush, a former Texas...

LONDON (Reuters) - Sex, and plenty of it, not only increases the odds of getting pregnant, it can also help avoid problems that sometimes lead to miscarriages and stillbirths, New Scientist magazine said on Wednesday. Having sex early and often, even oral sex, with the intended father can reduce the chances of the mother's immune system rejecting the fetus. "According to reproductive biologists at the University of Adelaide in South Australia, far from being an exercise in futility, plenty of sex -- even a full year before conception -- helps guard against a litany of ailments," the magazine said. The ...

What to do if you happen upon a peace rally by stupid naive hemp-shirt-wearing college idiots, to teach them why force is sometimes needed: 1) Approach dumb rich ignorant student talking about "peace" and saying there should be, "no retaliation." 2) Engage in brief conversation, ask if military force is appropriate. 3) When he says "No," ask, "Why not?" 4) Wait until he says something to the effect of, "Because that would just cause more innocent deaths, which would be awful and we should not cause more violence." 5) When he's in mid sentence, punch him in the face as ...

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Reuters) - Florida became the 26th state to restrict lawsuits against gun makers on Tuesday when Gov. Jeb Bush signed into law a measure preventing local governments from suing manufacturers for gun-related injuries and deaths. Flanked by state lawmakers and a past president of the National Rifle Association, Bush said the law would protect companies that manufacture legal products from taxpayer-financed lawsuits. "This is not a question of local control or state control or federal control. This is a question of whether it is appropriate for municipalities to sue for political purposes," said Bush, brother of President Bush. ...

A salesman was traveling between towns in Florida and got a flat tire in the middle of nowhere. Checking the spare, he found that it was flat too. His only option was to flag down a passing motorist and get a ride to the nearest town. The first vehicle to stop was an old man in a van. He yelled out the window to the salesman, "Need a lift? "Yes, I sure do," replied the salesman. "You a Republican or Democrat?" asked the old man. "A Republican" replied the salesman. "Go to Hell!" yelled the old man as he sped ...