Free Republic

Local news announcement: ========================== Islamic Community is inviting local political and religious leaders as well as the general public to a special Mosque Open Doors program from 5 to 8pm Saturday, Sept. 29, during the upcoming Ramadan season. The program, which is co-sponsored by the Council on American-Islamic Relations, is part of an effort since Sept. 11 to acquaint the public with Islamic practices. The event will highlight talks by representatives of Muslim organizations and by dignitaries. Special invitations are being extended to clergy and their congregations. The evening will include question-and-answer time about an exhibit of plans for the...

Jane Kay, Chronicle Environment Writer Thursday, September 20, 2007 A group of heavyweight environmental organizations is asking the federal government to crack down on air fresheners, products that scientific studies show can aggravate asthma and pose other health risks. In response to the groups' petition filed Wednesday with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Consumer Product Safety Commission, Walgreen Co. quickly pulled three of its air fresheners off the shelves of its 5,850 stores nationwide. The Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, Alliance for Healthy Homes and the National Center for Healthy Housing filed the petition asking the agencies...

4:14 p.m. Eastern By Jerome R. Corsi © 2007 WorldNetDaily.com In a complex set of transactions, Dubai is moving to acquire 19.9 percent of the Nasdaq in New York, placing the Arab government in an ownership position of the key U.S. stock exchange and raising concerns in Congress. As a result of the transaction, Dubai also will acquire 28 percent of the London Stock Exchange, one of the oldest and largest in the world. The transaction is being made through Borse Dubai, a holding company 100-percent owned by the government of the Emirate of Dubai and controlled by Mohammed bin...

Wednesday, September 19, 2007 A group calling itself Defend the Honor is staging a four-city protest Sunday against filmmaker Ken Burns and his PBS documentary "The War," on the grounds that the 15-hour series did not initially include interviews with Latino or American Indian veterans of World War II. Armando Rendon, who will be leading the San Francisco protest at 2 p.m. outside KQED's studios on Mariposa Street, acknowledged that Latinos felt vindicated in April when Burns and PBS agreed to include additional footage focusing on both ethnic groups, but said it was not enough. "That was definitely a victory,...

Trinidad - In a country where there is almost one firearm for every man, woman and child, there is actually a shortage of craftsmen who know how to make and repair them. Enter Trinidad State Junior College's 60- year-old gunsmithing program, where the quiet little labs on campus - bedecked with donated equipment from the gun industry and attended by professors who are former gunsmiths - are churning out people each year who have their pick of jobs around the country.

'User' Sites Choose Different News Than Mainstream Outlets By Joe Strupp Published: September 12, 2007 12:05 AM ET NEW YORK Mainstream media outlets may not be offering up the stories online users most want to read, according to a new survey that found user-generated news sites like Yahoo give top billing to different stories than mainstream organizations...

-snip- "...Almost 90% of all robberies reported to the police were committed by gangs, not individuals. “When we are in the city and robbing we are waging a war, waging a war against the Swedes.” This argument was repeated several times. “Power for me means that the Swedes shall look at me, lie down on the ground and kiss my feet.” The boys explain, laughingly, that “there is a thrilling sensation in your body when you’re robbing, you feel satisfied and happy, it feels as if you’ve succeeded, it simply feels good.” “It’s so easy to rob Swedes, so easy.”...

By MIKE GLOVER (AP) Iowa (AP) - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is calling for the immediate withdrawal of all U.S. combat brigades from Iraq, with the pullout being completed by the end of next year. "Let me be clear: There is no military solution in Iraq and there never was," Obama said in excerpts of the speech provided to The Associated Press. "The best way to protect our security and to pressure Iraq's leaders to resolve their civil war is to immediately begin to remove our combat troops. Not in six months or one year - now," the Illinois...

Actor-turned-director Sean Penn refrained from smoking during his return to the spotlight at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sunday, but could have used something to calm his nerves as he repeatedly lashed out at media for distracting him during a news conference. The intense movie star sucked on ice cubes and swore as he met with dozens of reporters to discuss his riveting new film, "Into The Wild," featuring a tour de force performance by newcomer Emile Hirsch.

" McDonald's in Sidney, Mont., said he tried advertising in the local newspaper and even offered up to $10 an hour to compete with higher-paying oil field jobs. Yet the only calls were from other business owners upset they would have to raise wages, too. Of course, Francis' current employees also wanted a pay hike." " "The only economic development we used to get was the creation of more economic development offices." "And workers have benefited. Utah workers saw a 5.4 percent average wage increase in 2006,Knold said. "

Ron Mallia wants to build eight apartments and condominiums on an empty parking lot next to his Mission District auto shop and rent some of the apartments to his mechanics. ..."They don't want any development at all in the Mission because any development makes the area better. ... They don't want that because they believe that by improving the area, the cost of housing might go up," said Mallia, who has owned gas stations and car repair shops in the Mission for 25 years. ...More than 50 pending projects were halted in April 2006, when the Anti-Displacement Coalition persuaded the...