Free Republic

Al-Qa'eda steps up propaganda war with bloodthirsty DVDs By Isambard Wilkinson and Imtiaz Ali in Miran Shah (Filed: 11/03/2006) Al-Qa'eda is flooding the unruly border region of Afghanistan and Pakistan with propaganda DVDs, in a media campaign designed to win recruits and sympathy. The films, sold for 40p each in local markets and distributed throughout Pakistan and across the Afghan frontier, depict Taliban forces attacking American, Pakistani and Afghan soldiers. Punishment killings and damage inflicted by American and Pakistani forces on both Islamic fighters and local civilians are also portrayed. The cover of 'Holy War and Nothing Else' To the...

Merkel's 'small steps' bring giant leap in popularity By Tony Paterson in Berlin (Filed: 22/01/2006) Angela Merkel, Germany's Chancellor, has confounded her critics by emerging as the country's most popular leader for more than a decade - only two months after being elected. Dismissed only six months ago as a humourless and dowdy East German, Mrs Merkel is riding a wave of unprecedented public approval that last week placed her at the top of Germany's key opinion poll rating for politicians. Angela Merkel's image has changed for good The monthly survey conducted by the ZDF television channel found voters rated...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 15, 2005 – In 1957, Jack Taylor, a decorated World War II fighter pilot, founded a car rental company and named it after the USS Enterprise, one of the carriers off which he flew. Today, Enterprise Rent-a-Car maintains its rich military history by providing unique support to its employees who serve in the National Guard and Reserve. Enterprise was one of 15 employers to receive the 2005 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award in October for its policies and programs that assist National Guard and Reserve employees and their families. The company has about 500 employees who...

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!

DIAMOND BAR, Calif. (AP) - Southern California air quality regulators took the first steps Friday toward regulating pollution from refinery flares - plumes of flame seen at the top of tall stacks in refineries and other facilities. The South Coast Air Quality Management District's governing board ordered its staff to develop a proposed rule for reducing emissions from the flames used to relieve pressure and prevent fires or explosions. The governing board intends to vote on the proposal once it is complete. Refineries have voluntarily worked to reduce emissions from flares for several years, district executive officer Barry Wallerstein said...

Mahdi army flees shrine as US steps up offensive Luke Harding in NajafWednesday August 25, 2004 The Guardian (UK) Mahdi army fighters loyal to the Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr had largely abandoned Najaf's Imam Ali shrine yesterday before American forces launched a massive offensive, which was under way last night. Sources inside the resistance movement said the majority of the militiamen slipped out of the complex after a secret order by Mr Sadr five days ago. The cleric was no longer in the area immediately around the shrine, which was encircled by American tanks, they said. "He is 100% not...

SACRAMENTO (AP) - Most Democrats quietly sighed with relief last month when Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger revealed his budget plan, pleased that he had backed away from proposed cuts to health and social service programs that serve many of the party's core constituents. But not the Service Employees International Union, the nation's largest union that represents most of the state's 300,000 home health care workers. Schwarzenegger had targeted them with a big wage cut. Since then, the union has turned the proposed cut, which would have represented one-tenth of 1 percent of the state's $103 billion budget, into a show of...

Are you just four steps away from a genius? 5 February 2004Belle Dume The world of science is a small one, according to a new statistical analysis by a US physicist. Mark Newman at the University of Michigan studied the collaboration patterns between researchers and found that most scientists are separated from each other by only about 4 to 7 links. He believes this and other results that he has unearthed could have implications for the way science is practised in the future (Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci to be published) Collaborative networks - such as the patterns of links between...

Bush's Steps in December Boost Prospects 1 hour, 56 minutes ago By DEB RIECHMANN, Associated Press Writer CRAWFORD, Texas - A little luck and some pre-emptive moves before the new year began have allowed President Bush to muffle Democratic criticism on a host of political issues, from Medicare to mad cow disease, the CIA leak to Saddam Hussein. Democrats can no longer criticize Bush about failing to find the Iraqi leader. Got him. The prescription drug benefit Bush promised? Done, although only time will tell if seniors really think it's a good deal. The sluggish economy? Upticks in financial indicators...

<p>Trying to rein in skyrocketing workers' compensation costs, the state Senate approved legislation Wednesday to control prices charged by outpatient surgery centers and pharmacies to treat injured workers.</p> <p>The 90-year-old system, which treats job-related injuries, has been rocked by cost increases that have more than doubled average workers' comp insurance rates required for most businesses.</p>

Navy steps up al-Qa'eda anti-terror patrols By Michael Smith, Defence Correspondent (Filed: 26/11/2002) The Royal Navy is stepping up its patrols off the coast of Britain and in the Mediterranean to protect shipping against attacks by al-Qa'eda terrorists, the First Sea Lord said yesterday. Adml Sir Alan West said he wanted to see more heavy machineguns put on board vessels to allow the Navy to defend shipping against attacks from small boats packed with explosives. The stepping up of patrols follows the broadcasting by al-Jazeera, the Arab television network, of a tape of Osama bin Laden naming Britain as among...