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I am writing a novel set in Russia and need some help with airplanes. Does anyone you know the make of any Russian plane that would regularly fly into the coldest regions? I flew into Enta (Komi Republic) one time and landed on skis. (rear loading, about 15-20 pax) It was surreal. And cool, I mean cold! :-) Thanks for any help.

A petition for a writ of certiorari has been filed with the Supreme Court.  This is the infamous Woolard v. Sheridan case, where the Maryland District Court found the Maryland "may issue" law to be unconstitutional because it required a person to provide "good reason" for exercising their Constitutional right to bear arms outside of the home, on March 3rd, 2012. The District Court decision was reversed at the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals. It is now up to the Supreme Court to decide to hear the case or not.  The court might think that the time is ripe, given...

Hi, welcome to my vanity thread. I am having a problem downloading .pdf files on Firefox. If I click on a .pdf link all I get is a blank window in response. I am currently using Adobe Acrobat reader as my .pdf viewer, but Firefox seems to be oblivious to its existence. I have checked Firefox addons, and there seem to be hundreds of .pdf related addons, but I don't know which if any I should choose. Any advice on how to get Firefox to download/display/print/save .pdfs would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, you guys are the best.BTW: I have to...

About the recent Birmingham mosque stabbings of 4, including a policeman, the TV said that it is not considered as a hate crime. This simply means that the suspect, a man of Somali appearance, was not a non-Muslim, making him a Muslim (sounds a bit circumvoluted but this is what circumvoluted ways of thinking result in). But why? If you look at the way Muslims kill and massacre each other all over the world, especially those of rival sects, it looks like fellow Muslims are very much capable of hating a Muslim. On the other hand, a non-Muslim could very...

Note: Photos included. SNIPPET: The IRGC's point man in Peru, Edwar Quiroga "Hussein" Vargas is hard at work these days trying to breath life into not-so-large-or-widespread anti-government protests."

When liberty is taken away by force it can be restored by force. When it is relinquished voluntarily by default it can never be recovered. Dorothy Thompson

In Europe in particular, “human rights” have become dirty words. For that we have to thank supranational bodies like the European Court of Human Rights, that have given this concept a bad name through a never-ending proliferation of entitlements that often have very little to do with the concept’s original and true meaning. Parts of the European counterjihad have also started systematically attacking the idea of human rights. And there were some who did not sign the Brussels Declaration at the conference of July 2012 because they had problems with its human rights strategy. The phenomenon of so-called “judicial imperialism”,...

As Christ taught us on the cross: "Forgive them father for they not know what they are doing".

The end to animal experimentation seems to be nearer than we could previously imagine. In 2008 three US federal government agencies, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the National Toxicology Program (NTP), signed a "Memorandum of Understanding" with the aim of ending animal testing of drugs and chemicals for human use. The realization of this ambitious plan will take years, but it's a start of historic importance, especially considering that the three agencies involved have been among animal testing's biggest funding bodies.This momentous agreement followed a 2007 report released by the world's most prestigious...

Caveat Emptor- By: Larry Walker, II -Have you checked your homeowner’s insurance policy lately?I’ve been with the same insurer for over 10 years through two residences. Even with the previous company my homeowner’s rates stayed about the same from 1998 through 2007. During a recent review, I discovered that my basic coverage amounts (i.e. dwelling, private structures, personal property and loss of use) have been inflated by around 3.0% annually since 2007, or slightly higher than the general inflation rate, and although I sort of get that, albeit the cost to rebuild is now around 150 times current fair market...

“1984” Live! US Surveillance Scandal Is The Biggest Story Of Your Lifetime By Julio Severo “The (National Security Agency) NSA surveillance scandal is the biggest story of your lifetime” – that was, according WND, Michael Savage’s message all this week, as details emerged about the US government spying on Americans and people around the world. However, “They obviously weren’t spying on Muslims, or people known to have associated with terrorists,” Savage pointed out. Otherwise, the authorities would have prevented the Boston Marathon bombing. The White House assures that its massive surveillance is to stop terrorists, and yet it won’t...

Photo: Lance Cpl Greg Buckley, murdered by our Afghan "allies" The Obama Administration announced that it will meet with the Taliban in Doha for “peace talks.” The Taliban continue to orchestrate insider attacks, killing our soldiers. They continue to poison girls’ schools across Afghanistan, kidnap Red Cross workers, enforce the most brutal and extreme ideology on the face of the earth (the Sharia), and call for the defeat of American and coalition forces. These jihadists behead Afghan children, slaughter Afghans who dare to attend a party where dancing takes place, and mean to run Mullah Omar for President, despite the...

Solicitor General of Texas from 2003 - May 2008, Cruz was the first Hispanic Solicitor General in Texas, the youngest Solicitor General in the entire country, and had the longest tenure in Texas history.  Partner at the law firm Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, where he led the firm’s U.S. Supreme Court and national appellate litigation practice.  Cruz has authored 80+ SCOTUS briefs and presented 40+ oral arguments before The Court Cruz served as a law clerk to Chief JusticeWilliam Rehnquist. Cruz was the first Hispanic ever to clerk for a Chief Justice of the United States Described as a 'superb' constitutional lawyer, the man's considerable skills and laser-like focus were on display for...

Palestinian evangelical in “propaganda tour” of Brazil Christian leader questions Open Doors's sponsorship of 'anti-Israel' message Michael Carl A Christian leader in Brazil says he’s alarmed by what he regards as a campaign by evangelicals to spread pro-Palestinian and anti-Israeli propaganda. Julio Severo, a pro-family activist and blogger, told WND he’s concerned about a speaking tour in Brazil that features Bethlehem Bible College President Emeritus Bishara Awad in support of Open Doors, International. Severo told WND that at an event in Brazil, Awad spoke of “the Palestinian plight provoked by Israel.” “He did not mention anything about Muslim violence...

Vid at link

Si, buenas tardes?" Miriam Ceja chirped into the microphone at La Nueva Mix's studio in Glenwood Springs, Colo. It was 5 p.m., "prime drive time," on a Wednesday evening in late March. La Nueva Mix is primarily a music station, playing Norteño ballads and other Latin American tunes. But since its debut six years ago, program director Axel Contreras has also introduced talk shows on health, real estate and dealing with police encounters. By far the most popular, though, is Punto Legal, a weekly immigration law call-in. Ceja, an assistant at the law firm Hess and Schubert, is one of...

FReepers, want to know how you can prepare? Start rucking. But 101stAirborneVet, I was never in the military! What is "rucking"? Explained here, it is essentially walking quickly, over rough terrain, with a load on your back. But 101stAirborneVet, why in the world would I want to do that? How is that helping me to "prepare"? One of the basic tasks (if not the basic task) of a person who finds themselves in a combat situation is to move. That means getting from point A to point B, usually with supplies/ammo/weapons/correspondence/food/water, as quickly as possible. If you can’t get yourself...

Governor Palin tweeted an article over at Breitbart explaining that an audience member confronted Bill Maher for making fun of Trig Palin. Audience Member Confronts Bill Maher After Comic Slammed Sarah Palin's Special Needs Child shar.es/wLtXO via @breitbartnews— Sarah Palin (@SarahPalinUSA) June 13, 2013 Hey bully, on behalf of all kids whom you hatefully mock in order to make yourself feel big, I hope one flattens your lily white wimpy a#*.— Sarah Palin (@SarahPalinUSA) June 13, 2013 I'm in your neck of the woods this weekend, little Bill. Care to meet so I can tell you how I really feel?...

The government has sought to “reassure” us that it is only tracking “metadata” such as the time and place of the calls, and not the actual content of the calls. But technology experts say that “metadata” can be more revealing than the content of your actual phone calls. ... What [government officials] are trying to say is that disclosure of metadata—the details about phone calls, without the actual voice—isn’t a big deal, not something for Americans to get upset about if the government knows. Let’s take a closer look at what they are saying: They know you rang a phone...

We get it, Joe Citizen. You want your privacy. You want to be able to talk on the internet without everyone and their mother at the InsertAlphabetAgencyHere looking at it. You’re mad about the NSA snooping. You aren’t advocating a violent overthrow of the government. You’re not running a domestic terrorism group (well, there are those new DHS criteria…). You’re not even sending around emails about what a dismal failure President Obama’s administration is (THIS hour, anyway). You just want to be able to chat with friends, conduct your financial business, and argue with your spouse without Big Daddy Gummint...