Free Republic

FREDERICK, Md. - A new radio system at Fort Detrick will improve communication with the Pentagon. The downside: some people may have to open their garage doors the old-fashioned way. The Land Mobile Radio system will allow Fort Detrick and 10 other Army installations in the Washington region to communicate with the Pentagon and civilian emergency personnel by hand-held radios. In a suburban sacrifice to emergency preparedness, Frederick residents could experience a rash of dead door openers in coming days, as the Army's Fort Detrick begins using a new radio system linking local and federal government emergency personnel. The new...

Internet noise threatens emergency radio 10:31 14 January 2005 Exclusive from New Scientist Print Edition Barry Fox After the tsunami hit Sri Lanka on 26 December, Victor Goonetilleke, head of the island's amateur radio society, delivered a short-wave radio set and two 12-volt car batteries to the prime minister's emergency headquarters in Colombo. At the same time, three of his friends drove through the devastation to Hambantota, on the hard-hit south-east coast, where they set up another battery-powered short-wave radio. For two days, while the military struggled to restore electricity supplies and phone lines, the prime minister was able to...

Out of the mouth of children, as they say, comes some heartbreaking truths. This time it was high school students. But never mind, the concept holds. Also, apparently all American Government classes are not taught by socialist leaning teachers. There was a class of forty students. The students were broken down into four groups of ten. Each group was to have a few days to work on a "special" project and not to consult with anyone in any other group until the results were presented in class. What the four groups did not know is that each group was provided...

WASHINGTON - The Bush administration cautioned Iran on Wednesday against trying to influence the outcome of Iraq (news - web sites)'s election, reacting to fears that Tehran is trying to produce a Shiite-dominated Islamic government in Baghdad. Bush talked about Iran in meetings Monday with Jordan's King Abdullah II and Ghazi al-Yawer, the interim Iraqi president, both Sunni Muslims. Iran and Syria joined other nations at an international conference on Iraq last month at the Egyptian resort of Sharm El-Sheikh in pledging to contribute to Iraq's stability and to prevent terrorists from coming into Iraq, White House press secretary...

Recent history has seen the emergence on the world stage of two transnational groups which have committed, aided and abetted terror worldwide: Osama Bin Laden’s al Qaeda and Kofi Annan’s United Nations. Because the UN has been cloaked with an aura of legitimacy it should not enjoy, it has been granted or greedily assumed powers it should never possess. The United Nations has been so completely been shaped by the failures of its presiding leader Kofi Annan that this octopus-like amalgamation should be characterized as Annanistan. A requirement of world peace is that Annanistan be not just contained, but that...

The Tucson sector is the only area in the Southwestern United States where Border Patrol agents are not allowed to set up permanent checkpoints. Instead, agents rotate to various locations in the sector. "That takes time. That means we're gonna be down for certain periods of time," says agent Andy Adame. The idea behind these temporary checkpoints is to catch smugglers by surprise, but critics say this doesn't work because smugglers usually have someone driving a few miles in front of them, to radio back the location of the checkpoint. The sector's new chief, Mike Nicley, says the solution is...

London: The Queen has made a rare intervention in world politics by warning the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, of her grave concerns over the policy of the United States towards global warming, a newspaper said. The Observer reported yesterday that the Queen is understood to have asked Mr Blair's office to lobby the US after observing the alarming impact of Britain's changing weather on her estates at Balmoral and Sandringham. "There has been dialogue between Downing Street and Buckingham Palace on all issues relating to climate change including the US position and the latest science," said one of Britain's...

WASHIGTON, D.C. – Billionaire investor, donor to radical causes and political activist George Soros, speaking at the last hurrah event of his whirlwind anti-Bush tour, told a luncheon audience at the National Press Club: “Now that I am at the end of my tour, I am not reassured... The race is too close for comfort.” “I embarked on the tour because I was worried that the dramatic deterioration in Iraq did not produce the decisive lead for John Kerry I had confidently expected,” Soros conceded. Asked what he will do if George W. Bush wins another term, Soros lamented, “I...

Know Your Body Shop. Body Shop Founder and executive, Anita Roddick, has some choice words to say about President Bush and his Administration in her continuing efforts to influence the US Election in Kerry's favor.

I just watched that hack Bob Shieffer try and deflect criticism for the sorry picture posted on Drudge of Terrrrrreza Hienz quaffing beer at a recent rally. She looked drunk. Good ole Bob claimed "Why don't politicians let it all hang out once in awhile, it may do everyone some good." Sad sack.....

FCC commissioners yesterday unanimously approved rules for broadband over power line (BPL) technology, which policymakers hope will provide the elusive third broadband access line into most U.S. homes and reduce—or eliminate—the need to regulate the broadband industry. Certainly the most outspoken opposition to BPL has come from the amateur radio community, which has claimed that BPL will create interference with its operations. FCC Chairman Michael Powell called amateur radio operators “an important resource” and expressed hope that the rules the FCC has created will protect them, but he said obstructing the deployment of BPL is not an option. “The potential...

My fellow non-Americans ... The result of the US election will affect the lives of millions around the world but those of us outside the 50 states have had no say in it - until now. In a unique experiment, G2 has assembled a democratic toolkit to enable people from Basildon to Botswana to campaign in the presidential race. And with a little help from the folks in Clark County, Ohio, you might help decide who takes up residence in the White House next month. Oliver Burkeman explains how Get the name of a US voterOliver BurkemanWednesday October 13,...

Ah, the travails of a tiny country caught at the crossroads of greater powers. Sound familiar? Lithuania? Armenia? Israel? There have been so many holocausts that we could easily pick one out of a hat and discuss it. But because of recent developments in Damascus and Beirut, we’ll discuss Lebanon today. In a move I found quite surprising, the U.N. Security Council voted Friday in, support for a free and fair electoral process in Lebanon's upcoming presidential election, conducted according to Lebanese constitutional rules devised without foreign interference or influence. The new U.N. resolution also called for, the restoration of...

WASHINGTON - U.S. filmmaker Michael Moore sounded off Wednesday on Canada's election, warning voters not to elect a Conservative government. Moore, in Washington for the official American premiere of his movie Fahrenheit 9/11, said he hopes his film will convince Canadians to bypass Stephen Harper. "You've got four days after it opens, to get people out to the polls to make sure that Mr. Harper doesn't become your next prime minister," he said. "We're trying to get rid of our conservative, you know. We're going one way, you guys shouldn't be going the opposite direction," said Moore, whose new documentary...

FCC Extends BPL Reply Comments Filing Deadline NEWINGTON, CT, May 27, 2004--The FCC has extended the deadline to file reply comments in its broadband over power line (BPL) proceeding, ET Docket 04-37, from Tuesday, June 1, to Tuesday, June 22. The Commission released its BPL Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) February 23, and the initial comment deadline passed May 3. The FCC acted on a request from the National Antenna Consortium and the Amherst Alliance (NAC/Amherst) for a much longer filing deadline extension. The NAC/Amherst petition cited the anticipated release of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Phase...

Parents upset by school talks about family Administrators back programs about smoking, drinking at home By SCOTT WILLIAMS Muskego - It started out as typical small talk with her 8-year-old son. But it left Michelle Kagan feeling invaded. Asked what he did in school that day, her third-grader reported that he met with other students to talk about whether his parents drink too much. Her son was part of a counseling program known as Concerned Others that is intended to help children deal with worrisome family issues. But Kagan and other parents say the program goes too far with group...

President Bush is leading steady progress toward a more rational, realistic and responsible approach to a host of environmental and resource issues close to the hearts of all Idahoans. For three years, the Bush administration has been encouraging stewardship, engaging those who know and understand the issues best. The idea is that people most influenced by federal policies should play a larger role in developing them. The president is committed to being a partner with local folks in the best interest of people and the resources on which they depend. President Bush is working to roll back policies from eight...

February 12, 2004 Justice Dept. Demands Abortion Records By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Filed at 11:23 p.m. ET NEW YORK (AP) -- Under fire from abortion-rights groups, Attorney General John Ashcroft insisted Thursday that doctor-patient privacy is not threatened by a government attempt to subpoena medical records in a lawsuit over the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act. At stake are records documenting certain late-term abortions performed by doctors who have joined in a legal challenge of the disputed ban. President Bush signed the act into law last year. Critics of the subpoenas accuse the Justice Department of trying to intimidate doctors and...

MIDI - TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALLGAME Take me out to the Cubbies...I scored wonderful seats If a foul ball should be coming near...I will grab me that great souvenir 'Cause these tickets cost a whole paycheck...I have a warning for you No one had better get in my way...so watch out, Alou

MIDI - WINDY - keep scrolling down to find the midi) Who's the new goat in our Windy City...who is the bonehead in the Cubs hat? He screwed it up, and it wasn't pretty Everyone knows...............it's Stevie Who is the guy who kept the curse going...who is the guy who's dumb as a rock? Just like the wind on our lake, he's blowing Everyone knows...............it's Stevie Hey, Stevie, your life is through...now what are you gonna do? That play was there for Alou It's time to move...it's time to move Who's the new guy in Witness Protection...who is the...