Free Republic

January 1, 2010: By this date there would be complete ban on the production and import of R22 and R142b. However, there is exception for the on-going servicing needs of the existing plants and equipment. January 1, 2015: By this date there would be ban on the sale and use of R22. There is exception for certain cases, including the serving needs of the existing refrigeration and air conditioning equipment. January 1, 2020: By this date there would complete ban on the production and import of R22 refrigerant. The gas would not be available even for servicing of the existing...

Michelle Obama Goes Glam For State Dinner (with a dress by little-known designer Naeem Khan) [Pic in URL] by Jennifer Romolini, Shine staff Looking glamorous in an elegant strapless gown by Indian-American designer Naeem Khan, Michelle Obama welcomed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his wife Mrs. Gursharan Kaur to the White House Tuesday night and ushered in the Obama administration's first official state dinner. Though she's become known for her (sometimes controversial) high-fashion risk-taking, tonight Mrs.Obama chose a dress with a classic floor-length cut in a subdued gold fabric and paired it with a light shawl. Her makeup was kept...

Frustrated with delays, rejections and computer-system crashes, several New Hampshire auto dealers are making car buyers pledge to cover rebates if the federal government doesn't come through with checks under the Cash for Clunkers program. Auto dealers say they are doing so because the federal government is a clunker when it comes to sending out rebate checks of $3,500 or $4,500 per car. The New Hampshire Auto Dealers Association created the draft agreement earlier this month and sent it to members, said President Peter McNamara. Some dealers aren't using the agreement. Others are negotiating the agreement into the deal. McNamara...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Toyota Corolla remained the top-selling vehicle under the Cash for Clunkers program, according to data released Friday by the government. Asian automakers also continued to increase their share of sales under the government incentive program that offers car buyers rebates on new vehicle purchases of $3,500 or $4,500 in return for turning in older, less fuel efficient vehicles. Toyota vehicles accounted for 19.2 percent of the 489,269 sales recorded through Friday morning, while General Motors had the second spot at 17.7 percent.

There's been a big fuss this week because Michelle Obama wore shorts. She's worn shorts before - to walk the dog, do stuff around the White House. But the photos of her wearing them in that iconic descending-from-Air-Force-One-onto-the-tarmac setting proved too much for the media. Obamas? Check. Summer news doldrums? Check. Controversy? Close enough. It was a story. And people reacted. The Today Show's poll on whether she should have shown that much thigh got one of the show's biggest responses ever, with 83% pro-shorts. Local papers found "experts" to discuss the implications of the shorts for the Obama White...

This is a true story. This could only happen in America! In 2001, I wanted to buy a SUV and I purchased a used 1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4×4 Limited with 80,000 miles for $7000 cash. I named my Jeep “Clyde” after the previous owner. This is a Southern thing. We like to give names to our things! Now, being the Capitalist, I decided to research “Clunkernomics” to see if this new ObamaEcon model might be a good program after all since the liberals, the American media, and Obama supporters keep talking about how this is the greatest President since...