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The government turned down a U.S. offer of technical help to cool overheating nuclear reactors in Fukushima Prefecture soon after last week's massive earthquake because it believed the offer was "premature," The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned. The reactors have since been hit by several explosions and radiation has leaked out. Some observers believe this could have been prevented if the government had accepted the U.S. offer.

To Japanese and Japan-based Freepers: What's the best, quickest way of getting aid to people on the ground directly -- via local groups, religious instutitons, etc. I'd rather not give it to an international bureaucracy like the Red Cross (Japanese website was confusing), other NGO's or government. This is being posted Front/Breaking because I imagine a lot of other Freepers want this info and, let's face it, it's an emergency over there and these people need quick, effective help as soon as they can get it. I've seen too many stories of waste, corruption and abuse (Haiti, Katrina, etc.) and...

Might you help in finding her? Marizela Perez was last seen in Seattle on Sat. March 5th... Click to enlarge downloadable MISSING notice: For obvious reasons it's the ongoing lead story  at Michelle Malkin.com -here- You can make a donation to the  Find Marizela search fund -here- Prayers across-the-miles to Marizela and her family at a difficult time... 

I have a problem where I can't view videos on YouTube- where earlier on the day it was working fine. Also, I updated my Adobe Flash Player about almost a month ago. Is it the site is doing some upgrade or it is just my computer?

I am working at getting my Very Conservative and very dedicated daughter through college. She's been accepted at five of them, and is most interested in a Christian private college that has some steep financial costs. Can anyone recommend scholarships from conservative sources? I would think she would be the exception to the rule in college...she's been raised right, and rolls her eyes every time the President shows up on TV.

Fox News says the United States has deployed some Marines and two amphibious ships to help with the evacuations in Libya. The news comes one day after the U.S. moved naval and air forces closer to Libya and said all options were open, including patrols of the North African nation's skies to protect its citizens from their ruler, Muammar Qaddafi. The Obama administration is demanding that Gadhafi relinquish power immediately. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton warned that Libya is at risk of collapsing into a "protracted civil war" amid increasingly violent clashes between the two sides. On Tuesday, U.S....

Dear FReepers, I'm looking for advice about taking the equity out of my vacation home. As I watch real estate plummet, is it time to cash out of that house while I can still get value out? After applying for a home mortgage; 30 years at 4.3% they are willing to give me 650K. Taking that money and putting it into commodities, I think I can grow my out of this economy. What do the rest of you guys think about this idea? I would also appreciate advice on where to invest this 650K? Thank You FReepers, my valuble brain...

Not content with backdooring the unequivocally unpopular cap-and-trade legislation through regulating carbon emissions, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has looked to further cripple American energy producers, manufacturers, and businesses by blanketing the industries in bureaucratic uncertainty. Last Thursday, the EPA revoked a permit it issued more than three years ago for the Spruce No. 1 Mine in Logan Country, West Virginia citing the Clean Water Act Mingo Logan, a subsidiary of Arch Coal, obtained the permit in 2007 after a decade of review and costly analysis determined the project to be in accordance with the CWA. Since obtaining the permit...

Freeppers? In the sixties late century I had my first English Course which was Eletronic Teacher (one of this boondozels pseudo-cientific thing that used bone induction subliminar learning techs...) and at end sixties Thomas Gefferson House in Brazilia - Brazil for two years... I do have great difficulty with the double letters in words, as pp, ll, ss and so on... Can you help me with a rule?

I need some help! Lately, I've been getting a vile pop up. Its far beyond any other ad I've encountered on the web. Appearing randomly, in the sidebars and ad spaces of completely innocuous websites, is an ad which says 'sl*ts of facebook', or some other offensive message, but always referring to facebook. In every ad is an uncensored image of a completely naked woman. I don't know is there's some virus on my computer; I've tried running spybot several times, with no result. If any other FReeper has faced such a problem, and/or knows how to stop it from...

Specially-trained Capuchin monkeys in the US are helping physically disabled people with the housework by performing tasks such as removing garbage, fetching the telephone or switching on the microwave. The furry companions are also helping paraplegics cope with loneliness. It's her small hands that make Minnie especially useful. Hairy and slender, with slim fingers and black nails, the Capuchin monkey's hands are just right for twisting open a bottle of juice or fetching the telephone. And when Craig Cook's head itches, Minnie comes and scratches it until he feels better. "She is more human than you would think," Cook says....

A glass vial stopped with a cork during the Civil War has been opened, revealing a coded message to the desperate Confederate commander in Vicksburg on the day the Mississippi city fell to Union forces 147 years ago. The dispatch offered no hope to doomed Lt. Gen. John C. Pemberton: Reinforcements are not on the way. The encrypted, 6-line message was dated July 4, 1863, the date of Pemberton's surrender to Union forces led by Ulysses S. Grant, ending the Siege of Vicksburg in what historians say was a turning point midway into the Civil War.

Robert Gibbs, President Obama’s press secretary, told reporters on Tuesday that he hopes the Comedy Central host can persuade enough Republican senators to vote for a 9/11 health bill so it can head to the president’s desk. Stewart has dedicated lengthy segments on “The Daily Show” to the legislation that would help the first responders on Sept. 11.

I've just noticed a question mark appearing after my signature, what's up? I have changed my email address, is that in question?Is this gonna be a hugh and series issue?

Sorry to post a vanity, but I am looking for some technical help having to do with photos. A good friend lost her only photos of her son and managed to pull a few off of Classmates.com, but sadly, they are that tiny thumbnail size. (Her ex has custody of the boy, she the girl & he hasn't allowed him to visit in 2 years so the photos mean a lot to her) I've tried basic stuff to enlarge the photos for her, but of course the larger they get, the blurrier they get. She knows less than I do...

I heard a strange sound as I was cleaning up a shed, and it was a hibernating bat. I need to move it. It is attached to the side of a sheet of OSB that I could carry to some other place. This is Ohio and its fairly cold. It is not heated where I found it. I could move it to another barn. I thought Ohio bats went south for the winter. Anyways, will it survive if I tote the sheet of OSB to a protected, but not heated, section of a barn? I could knock it off the...

Foreign firefighting crews have begun to arrive in Israel to help battle a massive forest fire out of control in the north of the country.Further global assistance is due to arrive later on Friday, as fire crews battled high winds driving the blaze towards the city of Haifa. > Aircraft from Bulgaria, Jordan, Greece and the UK have arrived, after Israel issued a rare request for foreign assistance. Planes from Cyprus, Turkey and Russia were on their way, while flame-retardant materials were being flown in from France, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said. "The Russians are sending and we are waiting...

Dear Fellow Conservative: Joe Miller, the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in Alaska, needs our help. He's in the race of his life against Senator Lisa Murkowski who ran as a independent write-in candidate after losing the Republican primary. With the race still too close to call, there are still tens of thousands of ballots that haven't been counted and there will be a recount to verify the integrity of the write-in ballots. Joe Miller can win this race but he's up against a well-financed legal team that is working for Lisa Murkowski. They will be fighting to bend the...

Conservative Recount Alert! — Etheridge Asks for Recount by renee on November 4, 2010 in Campaign Announcements Dear Supporters, http://www.reneeforcongress.com/landing-pages/help-our-recount-effort Election night, after the ten counties in my district had reported their votes, I led Bob Etheridge by 2,100 votes. (That number is crucial because under North Carolina law Congressman Etheridge is not entitled to an ‘automatic recount’ if he trails by more than 1% – or 1,888 votes.) Then, yesterday afternoon – unexpectedly – the vote totals changed. The State Board of Elections reported my lead had dropped to 1,600 votes. Two hours later Bob Etheridge announced he intended...