Free Republic

MUSLIMS in Bolton are being urged to consider avoiding drinking sacred water during Ramadan — due to dangerous ingredients including arsenic and nitrates. Zam Zam water comes from a special source in Saudi Arabia and under law cannot not be exported for sale. But liquid labelled Zam Zam is on offer in the UK, or has been brought here, and tests have shown it may contain high levels of the poisonous substances, including almost three times the legal limit of arsenic. There have been no reports of anyone in Bolton becoming ill but health chiefs are issuing a warning as...

Pop 'em if you got 'em. If we can't elect a conservative candidate we might as well be amusing for a couple hours.

Rep. Patrick Kennedy (news, bio, voting record) crashed his car near the Capitol early Thursday, and a police official said he appeared intoxicated. Kennedy said he had taken sleep medication and a prescription anti-nausea drug that can cause drowsiness. Kennedy, D-R.I., addressed the issue after a spate of news reports. His initial statement said: "I consumed no alcohol prior to the incident."'Later, however, he issued a longer statement saying the attending physician for Congress had prescribed Phenergan on Tuesday to treat Kennedy's gastroenteritis.Kennedy said he returned to his Capitol Hill home on Wednesday evening after a final series of votes...

TAMPA - A Seminole Heights man accused of giving illegal ``date rape'' party drugs to other men and then sexually assaulting them pleaded not guilty Wednesday and remains in jail with no bail set. Steven Lorenzo, 45, formerly of 213 W. Powhatan Ave., waived his right to appear in U.S. District Court, and a not- guilty plea was entered on his behalf. At the same time, documents show, a seventh person was added to the list of men Lorenzo is accused of sexually attacking between 2000 and 2003. Authorities also are investigating whether Lorenzo is connected to the Dec. 20,...

Actress and singer Liza Minnelli was taken to a hospital after falling out of bed and hitting her head in the early morning hours of December 27, 2004 People Magazine reported. 'She was sleeping and she rolled out of bed,' People quoted a police source as saying in an article on its Web site. Minnelli sings at a benefit near Cannes, France in this May 20 file photo. Photo by Vincent Kessler/Reuters

.Lo and Beyonce can take another bow. The booty-shaking stars have shaped the newest generation of mannequins, with hundreds of well-rounded plastic backsides appearing in shop windows across New York. Bootylicious figures clad in tight low-rise jeans have spilled from the city's street fashion stores into more established labels. "It's absolutely the trend," said Dwight Critchfield, creative director for mannequin firm Goldsmith. "These mannequins look great, and there is a real sex appeal about them." The recent pop culture fixation on large bottoms has been around since at least 1992, when rapper Sir Mix-a-Lot scored a hit with "Baby Got...

Double drink prices, urge doctors - By Celia Hall, Medical Editor (Filed: 05/03/2004) Doctors called yesterday for the price of alcohol to be almost doubled in an attempt to reduce the harm caused by excessive drinking. The Academy of Medical Sciences, an independent body of senior doctors and researchers, has concluded that attitudes to drinking need to change. Click to enlarge The best way to cut the amount people drink is to limit the affordability and availability of alcohol, they say. The doctors' leader, Prof Sir Michael Marmot, said: "Alcohol is a good friend and a bad enemy. We are...