Free Republic

Warriors of the special unit "Group 13" of the Defence intelligence of Ukraine destroyed the missile corvette "Ivanovets" of the russian Black Sea Fleet. As a result of a number of direct hits to the hull, the corvette was damaged, rolled to the stern, and sank

Austria's WIFO institute slashed its 2023 forecast on Friday, saying record inflation rates resulting from the war in Ukraine are steering the economy towards stagflation. Austrian gross domestic product is expected to grow by 0.2% in real terms in 2023, WIFO said, slashing its June prediction of 1.6% growth. With inflation remaining high in 2023, Austria's economy is heading for stagflation for the first time since the 1970s, said the think tank in its statement.

1.Blonde: What does IDK stand for? Brunette: I don’t know Blonde: Why doesn’t anyone know! 2.Why can't a blonde dial 911? She can't find the eleven. 3.How come it takes so long to build a blonde snowman? Because you have to hollow out the head. 4.What did the blonde say when she saw the Cheerios box? "Omg, donut seeds!" 5.Two blondes fell down a hole. One said, 'It’s dark in here isn’t it?' The other replied, 'I don’t know; I can’t see.' 6.What can strike a blonde without her even knowing it? A thought. 7.Why did the blonde stare at...

The amazing Martinez It was the first day of school and a new student named Martinez, the son of a Mexican restaurateur, entered the fourth grade. The teacher said, "Let's begin by reviewing some American history. Who said "Give me Liberty, or give me Death?" She saw a sea of blank faces, except for Martinez, who had his hand up. "Patrick Henry, 1775." "Very good! Who said 'Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth'"? Again, no response except from Martinez: "Abraham Lincoln, 1863.", said Martinez. The teacher snapped at the class,...

Oh Holy Night

If you haven’t seen the clip of Ohashi’s performance, go watch it right now. It’s barely a minute long. I’ll wait right here. OK, are we good? That was something, wasn’t it? I think there are a number of reasons why tens of millions of people are responding so positively—and emotionally—to this. First of all, Ohashi is an incredible athlete—she does about 20 things in this routine that if an ordinary human like you or me ever did, we would never stop talking about it for the rest of our lives. She makes extremely difficult maneuvers like tumbling passes look...

There I was sitting at the bar staring at my drink when a large, trouble-making biker steps up next to me, grabs my drink and gulps it down in one swig. "Well, whatcha' gonna do about it?" he says, menacingly, as I burst into tears. "Come on, man," the biker says, "I didn't think you'd CRY. I can't stand to see a man crying." "This is the worst day of my life," I said. "I'm a complete failure. I was late to a meeting and my boss fired me. When I went to the parking lot, I found my car...

Today a man knocked on my door and asked for a small donation towards he local swimming pool. I gave him a glass of water.

Scientists have stumbled across the first example of a photosynthetic organism living inside a vertebrate's cells. The discovery is a surprise because the adaptive immune systems of vertebrates generally destroy foreign biological material. In this case, however, a symbiotic alga seems to be surviving unchallenged — and might be giving its host a solar-powered metabolic boost. Algae cohabit with salamander embryos in their eggs — and inside their cells.T. LEVIN/PHOTOLIBRARY.COM The embryos of the spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) have long been known to enjoy a mutualistic relationship with the single-celled alga Oophila amblystomatis. The salamanders' viridescent eggs are coloured by...

photos click here

NEW YORK, Nov. 13, 2007 – For thousands of servicemembers and their families, the “75th Celebration of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular” at New York’s Radio City Music Hall last night lived up to expectations and then some. Air Force Capt. Scott Perkins, a C-5 pilot, and his wife, Shelly, get their photo taken in front of Radio City Music Hall in New York City, Nov. 12, 2007. Perkins and other servicemembers received free admission to the 75th Celebration of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. Photo by Tech. Sgt. Adam M. Stump, USAF  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available....

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, April 24, 2006) – It can leave a person overwhelmed with stress and anxiety, but military families must endure it over and over – moving. One Army spouse claims she’s developed techniques that relieve some of the stress and make moving enjoyable. “It’s time to take a different look at PCSing,” said Sandee Payne, a freelance organizer and decorator who has relocated seven times in 10 years to follow her husband’s military career. “From now on, think of it as your ‘positive change of surroundings.’” Payne has compiled her hard-earned knowledge into “That Military House: Move...

The key issue at stake in the battle over the twelve Danish cartoons of the Muslim prophet Muhammad is this: Will the West stand up for its customs and mores, including freedom of speech, or will Muslims impose their way of life on the West? Ultimately, there is no compromise: Westerners will either retain their civilization, including the right to insult and blaspheme, or not.More specifically, will Westerners accede to a double standard by which Muslims are free to insult Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism, and Buddhism, while Muhammad, Islam, and Muslims enjoy immunity from insults? Muslims routinely publish cartoons far more...

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (Jan. 20, 2006) -- Marines from Camp Pendleton enjoyed a day of rest and relaxation during an afternoon, lakeside barbecue here Jan. 20 as an impending deployment to Iraq creeps up on them in the coming weeks. With so much focus on training and preparing for combat operations in Iraq, the Marines from Brigade Service Support Group 1, 1st Marine Logistics Group, took time out of their busy schedules to play hard after working hard for so long. "(The barbecue) gives single Marines and families a chance to interact and have some social time...

Study: Men Enjoy Seeing Bad People Suffer Wednesday, January 18, 2006 NEW YORK — Bill Clinton said he felt others' pain. But a new brain-scanning study suggests that when guys see a cheater get a mild electric shock, they don't feel his pain much at all. In fact, they rather enjoy it. In contrast, women's brains showed they do empathize with the cheater's pain and don't get a kick out it.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 19, 2005 – The people of Afghanistan successfully voted in new leaders Sept. 18. Limited violence was reported near only a handful of voting stations, military officials said. Afghan National Army, Afghan National Police and international military forces ensured more than 12.5 million registered voters had an opportunity to participate in the National Assembly elections in a relatively safe and secure environment. "It's a historical day that we have today. ... It will be good for our future, and we will have a good future," Jahwedolah, an Afghan police patrolman, said. The election results will not be known...

MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO, Calif. (August 19, 2005) -- Lance Cpl. Jason L. Johnson jumped off the stage and into the moonwalk. His popping moves, gyrating hips and captivating smile prompted laughter from the crowd as he unconsciously danced to Michael Jackson's 'Thriller.' He tossed his hat to the side, flared his leg, popped his hips and stood on his toes. He smiled into the audience he didn't realize was there. The hypnotized victims of Paul LeBlanc's demonstration were guests at the depot's annual Marine Corps Community Services-sponsored Bayfest 2005, Saturday. During the demonstration, volunteers performed dances for...

On June 8, 2005, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan visited President Bush in the White House. Among the topics the two discussed were freedom, democracy, and the rule of law. Speaking from the Oval Office, Bush declared Turkey's democracy to be "an important example for the people of the broader Middle East."Turkey remains an important ally of the United States despite recent bilateral tensions over the Iraq war and its aftermath. Both Republican and Democratic administrations have valued Turkey not only as a strategic military partner in the Cold War but also, in recent decades, as a democratic outpost...

Conversational Terrorism All of the techniques listed in this document have actually been witnessed, told to us by someone else, or dreamed up. They are described in first person for clarity of motive. The intent of detailing and naming these insidious tactics is so that the reader may AVOID USING THEM, to quickly recognize if someone else is using them, and for fun. There is much humor in the way people (consciously or unconsciously) conversationally cheat. It is hoped that exposing these tactics will help muzzle the growing abuse in our conversational landscape. Give copies to both perpetrators and victims...

The purpose of FreeRepublic.com's multiple message boards is to limit the topics for each board to particular topics. Posting the same message on all the boards defeats the purpose of multiple-boards for special topics. It is very annoying to see the same message on every bulletin board. PLEASE! DO THE READERS A FAVOR. STOP CROSS-POSTING YOUR MESSAGES!