Free Republic

These Democratic officials see three steps to a compromise and they stress that the White House believes the first two steps are not necessarily that difficult, while the third one -- the trigger mechanism -- will be the flashpoint. Part One of the emerging compromise involves the spending cuts in the Boehner and Reid plans, which the Democratic officials note have some overlap and can be bridged relatively easy. Part Two involves the fact that both Boehner and Reid want to set up a special committee of Congress to come back with a second round of spending cuts -- and...

"'He is not running, and he is not cracking the door open even a little bit.' — Gov. Chris Christie’s spokesman Mike DuHaime" EXCLUSIVE President Obama's re-election campaign is trying to dig up dirt in the Garden State. Despite New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's repeated pronouncements that he will not seek the GOP presidential nomination, Obama operatives are compiling a dossier of what they call "opposition research" -- material that could be used to damage Christie if he changes his mind, The Post has learned. The Obama campaign is trying to keep its efforts from public view, concerned they...

WASHINGTON — The District of Columbia is becoming the first US jurisdiction to allow Internet gambling, in a bid to bring in millions of dollars in new revenue. Permitting the online games was part of the 2011 budget, and a 30-day period for Congress to object expired last week, said Councilman Michael A. Brown, who authored the provision. The gambling would be operated by Intralot, a firm based in Greece, and would be available only to those making bets within the borders of the district. Officials were not sure when the gambling would begin. Though other states have contemplated legalizing...

MOSCOW (AFP) – Iran is close to having the potential to build a nuclear weapon, President Dmitry Medvedev said on Monday in the clearest indication yet of Russian alarm over Tehran's atomic drive. "Iran is nearing the possession of the potential which in principle could be used for the creation of a nuclear weapon," Medvedev said at a meeting with Russian diplomats quoted by Russian news agencies. Russia, traditionally a diplomatic and economic ally of the Islamic republic, in the past took a milder line against Tehran than Western powers but recently noticeably hardened its position. Iran has over the...

Doctors 4Patientcare explain the potential dangers to your healthcare system if this program is passed. Click on the Source URL for video.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A new poll on Monday found signs of trouble ahead for President Barack Obama and his Democrats on national security issues such as the handling of terrorism suspects. The poll was conducted jointly by Democratic Corps, a Democratic organization, and Third Way, a progressive non-profit organization. It was done mainly to gauge voters' views on Democrats' handling of national security. The poll also found weaknesses for the Democrats on other issues ahead of November elections, in which they hope to defend their strong majorities in Congress. The poll found 60 percent of Americans believe the United States...

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Children who don't show normal fear responses to loud, unpleasant sounds at the age of 3 may be more likely to commit crimes as adults, according to a new study. Yu Gao and colleagues in the United States and the United Kingdom compared results from a study of almost 1,800 children born in 1969 and 1970 on the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius to criminal records of group members 20 years later. At age 3, the children were tested to gauge their level of "fear conditioning," or fear of consequences. The idea is that children...

The last time angler Mac Weakley saw Dottie, the 25-pound big bass that gained worldwide attention for its size, she was on the end of his hook. The legendary big bass, which was released after its 2006 capture, was found belly-up this week in Escondido's Dixon Lake. The Florida-strain largemouth bass had been dead about a day. Nicknamed Dottie for a distinctive birthmark spot below her jawline, the dead fish measured 29 1/2 inch long and weighed about 19-pounds. When Weakley caught Dottie two years earlier, she was bulging with eggs that significantly added to her weight. Weakly never officially...

Apple could do a lot more with all the sensors in the iPhone.Apple is known for its innovative gadget design, and with the release of the iPhone today, it continues to live up to its hype. But while people are fawning over features like the smart, multitouch screen and the advanced Web browser, there is important technology under the hood that will likely go underappreciated. The iPhone has tiny, powerful sensors--an accelerometer, an ambient light sensor, and an infrared sensor--that are able to pick up cues from the environment and adjust the phone's functions accordingly. Apple has decided to use...

A North Attleboro man faces financial ruin because he built a new home so close to dangerous high-voltage transmission lines that fluorescent bulbs inside the house light up without even being plugged in. The electric currents running through the two-story home are considered so potentially harmful that the town’s fire department has strung “caution” tape around the house while an electrical inspector has refused to issue a final permit out of fear someone might get electrocuted. The home’s metallic door knobs and exterior shingles give off mild electric jolts when touched, while flowing currents are strong enough to light up...

State responds to potential pandemic should bird flu wing our way Leslie Newell Peacock Updated: 8/31/2006 A visit to the World Health Organization’s pandemic alert website on Aug. 14 found this news: Avian influenza — situation in Indonesia — update 26 The Ministry of Health in Indonesia has confirmed the country’s 57th case of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus. The case is a 17-year-old male from a remote village in Garut district, West Java Province. He developed symptoms on 26 July and was referred to hospital on 9 August. At the hospital, medical staff suspected H5N1 infection...

Natural Selections: The Potential Pandemic You've Never Heard Of How the connections between pigs, bats, and people could threaten your health. By Mary C. Pearl DISCOVER Vol. 27 No. 09 | September 2006 | Medicine Budding particles of Nipah virus assemble near the surface of a cell. The mystery began when pigs on large farms in Malaysia began hacking so loudly that their owners called it a "one-mile cough." Nerve damage was also cropping up in some of the animals. No one knew why. Up to 5 percent of pigs in affected herds were dying, and the illness was spreading...

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - A crab species from China has been discovered in the Patapsco River, state authorities said Friday, prompting fears about the potentially invasive species' presence in the Chesapeake Bay. The crab, a mature male Chinese mitten crab, was collected at the mouth of the Patapsco several weeks ago by a commercial waterman using fishing crab pots. The species, scientific name Eriocheir sinensis, is considered a potentially invasive species, the state Department of Natural Resources said Friday. "This is the first confirmed recorded case for the Chesapeake Bay," Lynn Fegley, a DNR fisheries biologist said in a statement. "Only...

Judge: Unseal Jefferson raid paperworkSaturday, June 03, 2006 From staff reports A federal appeals court judge has ruled that The Times-Picayune should have access to legal paperwork that led to the Aug. 3 raid by federal authorities on the New Orleans home of U.S. Rep. William Jefferson, along with his car and the office of his campaign treasurer, Jack Swetland. The Justice Department has already released similar paperwork laying out its justification for the recent raid of Jefferson's congressional office as part of the same federal inquiry. **SNIP** A similar case is pending in a Maryland court regarding materials filed...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 28, 2005 – U.S. soldiers with 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, killed one enemy and detained two others who were to trying to plant roadside bombs today in the Waza Khwa district of Afghanistan's Paktika province, military officials reported. The soldiers were patrolling from a forward operating base toward the Terwa Afghan border police site when they came across four individuals. U.S. forces killed one of them when he tried to escape and captured two others. The fourth man escaped. The soldiers discovered two signal mirrors and blasting caps on the dead terrorist. They questioned the detained...

The Bush administration's push for quick democracy in the Middle East has an increasingly clear implication: if Islamist organizations such as Hamas are to be likely electoral winners, Western powers should stop classifying them as terrorists and instead come to terms with them. This conclusion follows from such efforts as those led by Alastair Crooke and his Conflicts Forum; the European Union's exploration of opening a dialogue with the Islamists; and an astonishing statement in which the White House spokesman referred to Hamas members as "business professionals." Before this whitewashing of Hamas proceeds too far ahead, it bears noting that...

If you were neglected as a child or if your parents paid more attention to your siblings, take heart. It might not be your fault. It might be because you're ugly. That's what Andrew Herrell's research at the University of Alberta suggests. Herrell, the director of the population research lab in the university's sociology department, studied parents' behaviour in grocery stores, where children often suffer minor injuries. He was trying to understand what factors contributed to those injuries. What he found would stun most fair-minded parents - ugly kids were neglected more often than attractive ones. "They'll deny it," said...

Pulling no punches, famed comedian Bill Cosby continued his one-man crusade to improve the futures of young African-Americans, telling parents at a San Francisco school that they have to work to educate their children before they wind up teenage moms, jail inmates, drug dealers – or dead. Pointing to what the San Francisco Chronicle called "hundreds of giggling students in a schoolyard, most of them black, Cosby asked: "Do you see in that yard any drug dealers? Do you see any teenage pregnant girls? Take a look at them, and put the future on them. Without love, education and care,...

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!

Built to thrill The top 12 must-visit new buildings, built in the past five years By Cathleen McGuigan Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel Updated: 6:24 p.m. ET Sept. 27, 2004 October issue, Budget Travel magazine - Ten years ago, the idea of cutting-edge architecture as a massive popular draw was ludicrous—it was the domain of private residences and the occasional corporate headquarters. Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim Bilbao changed everything: Now great buildings are popping up everywhere. What’s even more remarkable, many are open to the public. We’ve picked the 12 best of the last five years. • Auditorium Parco della Musica (Rome,...