Free Republic

Factories such as Tarter Industries are having problems meeting current production needs because of a critical shortage of workers. And, expansion plans for 2017 may have to be put on hold if workers cannot be found, said Travis Cox, vice president and general manager for Tarter Industries. “Lack of workers is now my No. 1 inhibiting growth factor, bar none,” said Cox. “My last shortage report shows we are about 75-80 people under full budget head count. That’s just trying to keep up, not growing and expanding.” Cox said TI is aggressively searching within two counties on each side of...

Just a Vanity here. My wife just told me that two of her friends on Facebook are reporting Snow today in Upstate New York and Ohio. May 15, 2016 Intellicast radar showed the 'blue' for snow. But I wanted to see/hear if anyone out there saw any. http://www.intellicast.com/National/Radar/Current.aspx?location=USNY0124

Tim Ralston has been the subject of a handful of Discovery Channel and History Channels spots, and was the inventor of the Chiappa X-Caliber as well as other firearms. His niche is survival or "bug out", and the ability to scavenge ammo is a top priority. The most common feedback from X-Caliber fans was "make it multi-shot!" In answer, Tim presents the Scavenger 6. It's a rifle that can fire 21 different calibers and swap between them in seconds . . .

Today is voting day for Governor and other high elected offices in Kentucky. I went to my local voting place after it had been open two hours already. Sad to say I was only the third person to vote so far. Mind you we are rural and most of us are still working to bring in the harvest but still...

Friends, like family, can really push your anger buttons. However, no matter how mad you’ve been at a friend for eating that leftover spaghetti you had stashed in the fridge, you probably didn’t beat them to a pulp. That’s what happened, sadly, to Atlanta resident Myriah Pointer after she allegedly sat on a hamburger. Heck, it was barely a hamburger. It was a Whopper Jr. Junior.

I just received an interesting phone call from "Credit Card Services". It wasn't the call that was interesting it was that they used my OWN phone number as the identifying number on the Caller ID. I'm not sure where this falls in the "legality' scale but from my own point of view if this company can use my own phone number on the caller ID to identify themselves then they or anyone else can use it also to conduct business that is truly illegal. Try explaining to the authorities that you didn't order that kilogram of 'drugs' when your home...

Change Blindness: In visual perception, change blindness is a normal phenomenon of the brain which show in light that the brain does not have a precise representation of the world but a lacunar one, made of partial details. Despite the name, this phenomenon does not affect the eyes but the brain, and as such is bound to happen to all the human senses. This phenomenon is still in research, but results suggests that the brain estimates the importance and usefulness of information prior to deciding to store them or not. Another issue is that the brain cannot see a change...

Utility customers who want to install rooftop solar panels or small wind turbines could face extra charges on their bills after legislation passed the Oklahoma House of Representatives on Monday. Senate Bill 1456 passed 83-5 after no debate in the House. It passed the Senate last month and now heads to Gov. Mary Fallin for her approval. The bill was supported by the state’s major electric utilities, but drew opposition from solar advocates, environmentalists and others. It sets up a process at the Oklahoma Corporation Commission to establish a separate customer class and monthly surcharge for distributed generation such as...

I just came back from the a trip to the Mail Box. One of the items was a single page letter With words FRAUD ALERT in BIG bold letters across it. It turned out to be a piece of directed political crap from the McConnell campaign aimed at Bevin. It had five points on it with a link to the website www.bailoutbevin.com. For those of you who lurk and are with the McConnell campaign; bad form gentlemen, bad form. In fact I will be sending in a donation to Mr. Bevin's campaign based solely on this letter/screed. On the other...

KNIFLEY, KY (WAVE) - The entire town of Knifley, Kentucky was evacuated early Thursday morning after a gas line explosion engulfed at least three houses, two barns and four automobiles in flames, which spread to a nearby wooded area. At least one person was injured. About 150 people live in the Adair County community. The explosion happened about 2 a.m. near Highways 551 and 71 in Knifley. The was no immediate word on the condition of the person who was taken to a hospital for treatment.

I recommend to all of you who are actively thinking about Obamacare the following Book. Written in 1974 by Alan E. Nourse is "The Blade Runner". http://www.amazon.com/Bladerunner-Prologue-Books-Alan-Nourse-ebook/dp/B00GTUYOV6/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1385295923&sr=1-1&keywords=bladerunner This book is was considered Juvenile Science Fiction and is nothing like the movie of the same name. It's about a future America where the Hospitals and Doctors ALL work for Uncle Sam and ALL healthcare is "free". Well it's "free" for a certain Price, once a person reaches a certain age, six or seven I think it was, if they got sick the price of treatment was sterilization. It was automatic, no...

How I saw it. Through the scope on my 30-30 I kept the reticule steady on the first of the insulators I was to destroy tonight. The Power lines leading away into the distance from the Niagara Power station to the Cities of the south were thin lines in the bright moonlight. I thought about what had brought me to this spot… Cold, hungry… Ah who am I kidding, I still had another twenty pounds of fat I could stand to burn through. My spotter hadn’t had a good meal in two days and I had given her my Jerky...

This is a Vanity thread. A simple question that arose through a conversation with my wife. If Obamacare and the huge projected increases in rates, copays and deductions goes through as currently scheduled. Will the Christmas Shopping Season be effected? My own off the cuff answer is YES! The statistical 'normal family' is stretched thin financially even in normal times and these times aren't normal by any stretch of the word. What I can see in my 'crystal ball' is that discretionary spending on Christmas presents is going to go down drastically perhaps 'crash' is another way of putting it....

Just a couple of question about what FReepers think would happen if McConnell, Graham or any of a bunch of the other GOPe politicians would do in the remainder of their terms if they were to lose their Primary Elections, especially if the lost to a TEA Party endorsed opponent. a.) They would be ticked off and do what they could to take revenge on the people who 'threw them out'. b.) They would start looking for a 'lobbyist' position so they could stay in D.C. c.) They would do nothing for the rest of their term and just vote...

<p>BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — A federal aviation official says a large UPS cargo plane has crashed near an airport in Birmingham, Ala.</p> <p>Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen tells The Associated Press that the A300 plane crashed on approach to the airport before dawn Wednesday.</p>

A shooting target company is now providing “realistic” targets depicting pregnant women, elderly men, young women, and children. An interview with a company representative revealed that the targets were made available upon request by law enforcement agencies. The company has to date received $5.5 million in contracts from DHS. pregnant woman target

This Wingnut Conspiracy Theory Has a Point This might be a good rule of thumb for presidential policy: if the factual truth of what you are doing is so gob-smackingly ridiculous that it makes whacko conspiracy theories about it sound reasonable, it's probably bad policy. Digby: I suppose it was inevitable: What do you get when you combine the president's ability to secretly kill American citizens and the recent push to restrict gun access? One of the most bizarre anti-Obama conspiracy theories ever—and it takes a lot to win that prize. Various tea party activists, libertarian websites and other conspiracy-minded...

The question that arises in my mind now is this: When will the "Entitlements Crash" occur? First off by "Entitlements" I mean those programs that the Government has labeled as such. Social Security in it's myriad forms, Medicare, Medicaid, ObamaCare/Health care mandates, and a all of the rest of similar programs. Next a "Crash" is like the stock Market Crash of 1929. As I see it we will probably see the "Entitlements Crash" in mid 2014 and at the latest by early 2016. Why then? Well I expect that the U.S. will see at least 70% to 80% of the...

Just a quick Question: So, How long before we see the next big wave of Lay-offs. Second Question: Christmas Shopping Season, what will retailers discover, Boom or Bust?

My wife and I were discussing how our Farm Store business was doing, (Not all that well). The fleece from our Alpacas and the products that can be made from it are the focus of what we are doing while we build up the numbers of our Herd. The big sellers are ready made items like stuffed toys, Finger puppets and some clothing. But what we are both surprised at is how few, (very, very few), people today do "crafty" things in their spare time. Things like knitting, crocheting, sewing, etc. So that got me to thinking and here I...