Free Republic

In 1945, Robert Sherman invented the modern portable, in-window air conditioner (Patent # 2,433,960 granted January 6, 1948). It was subsequently "appropriated" by a large manufacturer who made hundreds of millions of dollars on it. Sherman did not have the resources to fight the big corporation in court (they reportedly promised to "break him" if he tried) and thus never received a dime. He died in 1962. Recognition of his contribution to heating/air conditioning is long overdue. Click

America has been greatly blessed by God and has stood as the greatest country in the history of the world for over 200 years. America has many foreign and domestic enemies that are seeking her destruction. This thread is a daily call and reminder for people of faith who believe in God and in the power of prayer to make a commitment to intercede for America at this critical time in her history. 2 Chronicles 7:14if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then...

Road workers in a small New Zealand town got their wish granted when a woman stripped saying she was fed up with their wolf-whistles.

All-Star promo with David Ortiz as Babe Ruth irks NY OAKLAND, Calif. - Touchy, touchy, touchy. Like a colicky baby who’s also battling diaper rash, the 2008 Yankees can’t seem to stop bawling. Besides a good burp, they also need to grow up. As if sitting in last place in the AL East were not bad enough, the Bronx Bombers discovered on Thursday that after years of planning for this summer’s All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium, they were the last to discover that a new “Call Your Shot” insurance-company promotion would feature the Red Sox [team stats]’ David Ortiz [stats]...

New red spot appears on Jupiter Feature may be an indicator of global climate change on the planet. In what's beginning to look like a case of planetary measles, a third red spot has appeared next to its cousins — the Great Red Spot and Red Spot, Jr. — in the turbulent jovian atmosphere. This spot, which is a fraction of the size of the two other features, lies to the west of the Great Red Spot in the same latitude band of clouds. The new spot was previously a white, oval-shaped storm. The change to a red color indicates...

PITY the mothers and grandmothers. Visible bra straps, glaringly obvious roots — these are but a few of the grooming no-nos that have become yes-yeses in recent years. Now there is another stylistic tic that would have been unthinkable on a proper lady in your Aunt Beatrice’s day. Over the last few years — since the era of the skull print scarf, let’s say, or the (metaphorical) rise of the Olsen twins — having streaked, chipped or just plain grotty nail polish no longer suggests drug addiction, manual labor or pure laziness. Like untied high-tops, thread-worn jeans and bedhead, it’s...

In October 2007, when gold was USD 750/oz and a US dollar fetched 7.5 Chinese renminbi yuan [RMB], I published an article titled “Gold and RMB – Last Shoe to Drop for the dollar”, in which I said: For a US family that spends $300 to $500 a month on Chinese goods, a further 40% appreciation of the RMB will translate into a $100 to $200 monthly cost increase. The logic of asking the Chinese to revalue their currency upwards is no different from asking the Saudi’s to jack up their oil price further, which is no logic at all...

There used to be a place you could turn in Gas Stations if you thought they were charging to much. Is that still out there???

Hey, freep the reddit entry by clicking on the "up" arrow to the left of this article entitled "Your SUV is causing climate change --- On JUPITER (now don't you feel guilty) plz buy carbon credits" The fact that "scientists" say Jupiter is undergoing climate change is PRICELESS....I guess the Jupiter soccer moms must be driving hummers!!! Keep clicking - help drown out the brainless drivel!

Tune: Pink Floyd The Wall We don't need no education We don’t need no thought control No dark sarcasm in the classroom Teachers leave them kids alone Hey! Teachers! Leave them kids alone! All in all it's just another brick in the wall. All in all you're just another brick in the wall. We don't need no education We don’t need no thought control No dark sarcasm in the classroom Teachers leave them kids alone Hey! Teachers! Leave them kids alone! All in all it's just another brick in the wall. All in all you're just another brick in the...

Help bring this up on the radar. go to http://reddit.com/search?q=stretched+the+facts click on the up button (you may have to register to get reddit to allow you to vote). Freeping it will bring it up in the list at www.reddit.com Make you voice heard - let's return the favor to the bush bashers!

Congratulations to the Detroit Red Wings and the Pittsburgh Penguins! Two great teams who have earned the chance to hoist Lord Stanley's Cup! There are a multitude of stories on the NHL website - http://www.nhl.com/ And on the Red Wings website - http://redwings.nhl.com/ And on the Penguins website - http://penguins.nhl.com/ This promises to be one of the greatest series in NHL history! Something for those who don't usually watch! So spread the word, and do your part to recruit a new fan or two!

Regardless of how one might feel about Savage, that's a terrific talk radio topic: should a career politician's past sins be cleansed because of a cancer diagnosis? Kennedy killed a young woman with his car. Has that now been erased from history? Certainly, tactful boundaries ought to exist when it comes to discussion of a US Senator with cancer. Between the mainstream media lionization of Kennedy and talk radio's new fear of even mentioning his name, however, Savage's points deserve urgent public attention.

Trading in gas guzzler may cost you By Terry Jackson • Bankrate.com Like a lot of people, you may be watching the price at the pump soar and wondering whether it's time to dump your current, less-than-efficient SUV, truck or car. It's tempting to simply haul your 15 miles-per-gallon vehicle down to the dealership and drive out in something that gets 30 mpg or more. But that may not be smart, at least from a financial point of view. People thinking of going this route need to take several factors into account. For starters, your gas guzzler is worth considerably...

America has been greatly blessed by God and has stood as the greatest country in the history of the world for over 200 years. America has many foreign and domestic enemies that are seeking her destruction. This thread is a daily call and reminder for people of faith who believe in God and in the power of prayer to make a commitment to intercede for America at this critical time in her history. 2 Chronicles 7:14if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then...

This Day In Civil War History May 23rd 1861: - Virginia voters approve secession by a vote of 97,750 to 32,134. - Union Gen. Benjamin Butler declares three runaway slaves "contraband of war" establishing a precedent for slaves to escape behind Union lines. - Confederate Gen. Benjamin Huger takes command at Norfolk, VA. 1862: - Confederate forces under Gen. Thomas Jackson surprise and rout a Union outpost at Fort Royal, VA. The action threatens the rear of Union Gen. Nathaniel Banks army forcing him to race Jackson's army back towards Winchester. 1863: - Confederate secretary of war John Seddon...

Many people observe this holiday by visiting cemeteries and memorials. A national moment of remembrance takes place at 9 p.m. US Eastern time. Another tradition is to fly the U.S. flag at half-staff from dawn until noon local time. Volunteers place an American flag upon each gravesite located in a National Cemetery. The U.S. Air Force's "101 Critical Days of Summer" begin on this day as well. Some Americans use Memorial Day to also honor any family members who have died, not just servicemen.        In addition to remembrance, Memorial Day is also a time for picnics, barbecues, family...

This is good and oh so true!!!!!!!!!!!! Subject: A Billion How many zeros in a billion? This is too true to be funny. The next time you hear a politician use the word 'billion' in a casual manner, think about whether you want the 'politicians' spending YOUR tax money. A billion is a difficult number to comprehend, but one advertising agency did a good job of putting that figure into some perspective in one of its releases. A. A billion seconds ago it was 1959. B. A billion minutes ago Jesus was alive. C. A billion hours ago our ancestors...

Invoking the Red Scare of the 1950s, some environmentalists claim the federal government is committing something similar against the green movement of the 2000s. Of course, it could simply be vigorous enforcement of laws against violence and property damage. According to court documents, Briana Waters, convicted in the 2001 arson at the University of Washington Center for Urban Horticulture, is afraid that by remaining in prison she will lose her deep connection with her three year old daughter, Kalliope. She has justification to be worried about her sentencing on Friday, May 30. Throughout the grand jury process, the indictments,...

A family road trip can be a great way to bring everyone together. However, it can also lead to squabbles over seat space, fights over how to drive and the wrong kind of family interactions. But the right vehicle might ease some of those tensions. Gabriel Shenhar, auto program manager for special publications for Consumer Reports gives a sneak peak at Consumer Reports' annual list of the top 10 vehicles for family travel. Shenhar said he and his colleagues compiled the list based on test scores which identified certain characteristics that would make the perfect family road trip vehicle. A...