Free Republic

Pella is located in the eastern foothills of the north Jordan valley, around five kilometres east of the Jordan River in the modern-day Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. It overlooks the north/south road that runs up the Jordan Valley, as well as the east/west trade route west down the Jezreel Valley to the coast at Haifa. Verdant agricultural flatlands stretch away to the north of the site, and broken uplands well suited to horticulture rise sharply to the east. The high cone-shaped largely natural hill of Tell Husn dominates the southern approaches to the site. ... The landscape surrounding the main...

Obviously we’ve seen our share of media lies, but the latest fabrications circulated take a big slice of the cake. The UK Daily Mail reports that I was “in tears” as Todd “rages over Hollywood stars ripping” me in the new film “The Undefeated.” Huh? Really? The beautiful town of Pella, Iowa, was flooded with an army of media covering the premiere of this film. You’d think someone would have caught those tears and rages on tape, right? Well, here’s a video of the remarks I made at the Pella Opera House right after viewing the film. The emotion clearly...

Pella — Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin was welcomed by hundreds of media and fans as she made her way into the Pella Opera House for the premiere of a documentary based on her political career, "The Undefeated." The film is currently playing to a crowd of over 300 inside the historic opera house. Members of the media were not allowed inside the screening, nor are they allowed inside the enclosed barbecue area on the Mulengracht. Palin arrived in jeans and a button-down shirt with husband, Todd, in tow. She made her way through the hundreds of onlookers, signing autographs...

...Palin was amazing in Pella yesterday. As she and Todd made their way though various shops in the downtown area, onlookers would stop to say hello, ask to take a photo, or get an autograph. Palin took it all in stride. Even though she is a huge media sensation, she is somehow able to remain grounded. Nothing illustrated that more than the bug splattered Chevy Malibu that they drove to Pella. The media couldn’t help but try and compare Palin to Michele Bachmann, who officially launched her presidential campaign on Monday. They both connect to people, and both have star...

Coverage by Dave Davidson, TEApublican blogger for the Iowa Republican.

I attended this evening's premiere of The Undefeated in Pella, Iowa with several of my friends. I thought it might be beneficial to provide my firsthand account of the night's events. We arrived in Pella about 3:30pm, which gave us a little time to kill before doors were to open. We decided to visit the famed Jaarsma Bakery, known for their Dutch Letters and other pastries; some of us wanted to purchase goodies to take home. There were quite a few people milling around, and there was a line clear out the door of the bakery; given its reputation we...

...Even so, crowd members kept approaching her and urging her to run, and after seeing the film, those feelings seemed only to intensify. There can be little doubt that if she does decide to run, Palin won't lack for committed Iowans. Several that I spoke to were skipping the barbecue to attend Tea Party caucus training sessions. One of them, Craig Bergman, a burly, cowboy-hatted gentleman from Des Moines, was plainly inspired by what he saw. He sought out Palin's aide, Rebecca Mansour, and, grinning widely, exclaimed, "Now all she has to do is run!" I asked if he thought...

I was laying in bed yesterday morning after a storm had passed through, listening to the radio before I had to get up for work. In the haze I heard that Sarah Palin was going to Pella, Iowa for the premiere of her documentary, " The Undefeated". My heart lept- Pella is my mother's hometown. A small, obscure community in south central Iowa. What a coincidence, I thought. I came to FR a little over a year ago, attracted by the discourse I has first seen before the last election. Only a few places were actively taking on the president-elect's...

I hope the statute of limitations is up… oh well. I have told this story to strangers before, figuring that degrees of seperation and time are substantial enough to make the person’s identitification implausible, if not downright impossible. This is obviously a bit different though! Regardless, it has been at least ten years so… First you must know what I have done for a living for the last 25 years: I am a mover. Now, my company would prefer that I call myself a “relocation specialist” I’m sure, and even though you now have two definitions some people are still...

Sarah Palin's camp is reaching out to activists and operatives in Iowa about setting up meetings while she's in the state Tuesday for the screening of a documentary about her - including with Chuck Laudner, a former Iowa GOP executive director and prominent conservative. Laudner confirmed to POLITICO he'd gotten a call from Palin's advisers either Friday or over the weekend asking about meeting with him while she's in Pella for the screening of "The Undefeated."

Sarah Palin appears to be designing her impending visit to Iowa to be as low-key as possible. The former Alaska governor is slated to arrive in the small Iowa town of Pella on Tuesday to attend the premiere of "The Undefeated" -- a flattering documentary that highlights her accomplishments in office and bangs the drum for a potential insurgent campaign for the Republican presidential nomination. Though she is never lacking for attention, Palin's trip figures to be scrutinized especially closely, since it will mark her first appearance this year in the nation's first voting state. Politico reported on Monday that...

If you can help or have ideas as to how to help make the Pella event a successful one, contact Peter Singleton at Organize4Palin at iowa@organize4palin.com.Here is what he is looking for: We are looking for folks who will help during the afternoon, during the showing itself–as there will be plenty of people continuing to arrive–and during the cookout. There are a number of volunteer roles which we are working out now. The bottom line is go to Pella, Iowa if you can go to Pella, Iowa on Tuesday. I understand that there is a dispute as to the significance...

Recent finds at Macedonian site of Pella reveal a city beneath the city The archaeological site of Pella. To the right of the asphalt road is the agora of the ancient city. Also visible are the old museum at the crossroads, the workshops and storerooms of the site. By Iota Myrtsioti - KathimeriniPrehistoric cemetery yields evidence of an Early Bronze Age Exciting new finds at the archaeological site of Pella have opened a new chapter in Macedonian history. Beneath the ruins of the ancient capital of the Macedonian kingdom is a large prehistoric burial ground that has yielded the first...

Archaeologists have unearthed a massive tomb in the northern Greek town of Pella, capital of the ancient kingdom of Macedonia and birthplace of Alexander the Great. The eight-chambered tomb dates to the Hellenistic Age between the fourth and second century B.C., and is the largest of its kind ever found in Greece. The biggest multichambered tombs until now contained three chambers. The 678-square-foot tomb hewn out of rock was discovered by a farmer plowing his field on the eastern edge of the ancient cemetery of Pella, some 370 miles north of Athens, archaeologists said. "This is the largest and most...

ATHENS, Nov 19 (Reuters) - A group of Greek lawyers are threatening to sue Warner Bros film studios and Oliver Stone, director of the widely anticipated film "Alexander," for suggesting Alexander the Great was bisexual. The lawyers have already sent an extrajudicial note to the studio and director demanding they include a reference in the title credits saying his movie is a fictional tale and not based on official documents of the life of the Macedonian ruler. "We are not saying that we are against gays but we are saying that the production company should make it clear to the...

"Upper Macedonia" Suggested for State Name Politics: 11 November 2004, Thursday. The leader of Macedonia's Democratic Alternative Party Vassil Tupurkovski suggested the name Upper Macedonia to replace Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. He was quoted saying by MPA news agency that his country should adopt a name that would contribute to the good cooperation between Greece and Macedonia. Macedonia needs a partner in the face of Greece, Tupurkovski stated, on the small Balkan state's path toward the European Union. He ruled out the direct role of the US in the conflict over Macedonia's official name, after Bush's administration officially recognised...