Free Republic

The 1970s did not lack for sex symbols. That, the ubiquitous Farrah Fawcett poster made sure of. Fawcett, the feather-haired founding member of TV's Charlie's Angels and pin-up icon whose second act was marked by bids to showcase her acting chops and whose third act was marred by on- and off-screen problems, died this morning at a Los Angeles hospital, some two-and-a-half years after being diagnosed with anal cancer. She was 62.The actress passed away at 9:28 a.m. Ryan O'Neal, Fawcett's longtime leading man, and friend Alana Stewart with her, per a rep at Rogers & Cowan, Fawcett's publicity firm....

New restaurant's logo described by some as demeaning When the owners of Quickie Burger and Dogs chose their logo, they thought it would make patrons crave an order of chili cheese fries. But the logo, a busty woman in a tight shirt straddling a hamburger, has drawn criticism from campus groups. The newest addition to the South State Street landscape has caused a stir on campus with its brightly colored logo, which some believe is offensive. The restaurant, which opened two weeks ago, sits south of campus at the intersection of State and Hill streets. Adorning the blue awning above...

A news report from 1996 about Hillary Clinton's trip to Bosnia and then see her speech from March 18, 2008 where she answers a question about the trip. Video

SAN DIEGO – It turns out the beloved 1965 Ford Mustang coupe Judy Smongesky has had since high school graduation nearly 38 years ago doesn't really belong to her. The vintage vehicle had been reported stolen two weeks before her father bought it as a present when she was 18. The Mustang actually belongs to Eugene Brakke, who is retired and lives in the Los Angeles area. Police notified him this week that his long-lost car has been recovered. He has not decided whether he wants it back, said Smongesky of City Heights. Smongesky and her dad, who lived in...

A few weeks ago we, along with our friends at PickupTruck.com, were given exclusive access to a vehicle whose return we've been anticipating for what seems like forever. Today our prayers to the General have been answered -- the El Camino is back! In January we reported this re-bodied Holden Ute would be called the 2010 Pontiac G8 ST, and like a Phoenix rising screamin' from the ashes of a bygone era of car-platformed trucks, this new heir to the truck-car throne would emerge from the over-built and over-spec'd world of modern haulers. Just like the Phoenix, this business-up-front and...

I posted this a year ago and some saw it then but I think it's time for a re-post. With all that's gone on this week in the news from Obama/Wright and the Spitzer scandal, I think we need a small break from it all. At least for a minute. Take a moment to relax and view these cool pictures. Be sure to turn up the volume. Click

Muslim prisoners who were offered ham sandwiches during the holy month of Ramadan have received a letter of apology from the Government. Officials said sorry to the 200 Muslim inmates of HMP Leeds believed to have been offered the meat, which is forbidden by Islam. Jack Straw said in a letter that a "regrettable administrative error" led to the blunder and apologised for any offence caused to the Muslim community. The Justice Secretary has ordered staff at the category B facility to be more diligent and prison officers will be re-trained to consider inmates' cultural and religious needs. In October...

Despite a state order in his favor, a hearing-impaired Westbury teenager was barred Tuesday morning from bringing his service dog to school.John Cave, 15, his mother, his twin sister and a family attorney were met at the entrance of W. Tresper Clarke High Scool in East Meadow by principal Timothy Voels, who refused to allow the dog inside the school. The Caves and attorney Paul Margiotta then left, and John Cave did not return to school. The incident was the latest salvo in a year-long battle between the Cave family and the East Meadow School District over John Cave's desire...

They Never Even Recouped Their Aqua Net Expenses#20 As grunge dawns, one label bets on hair metalIn 1989, with hair metal reaching its zenith, the A&R department at MCA Records finally decided to get in on the act—by tossing a rumored $1 million at L.A. band Pretty Boy Floyd, who at the time had played only eight shows. The band’s debut, Leather Boyz With Electric Toyz, peaked at No. 130 on the Billboard charts, and the  Floyd blew another mil or so of MCA’s money before the label finally dropped them in 1991 … right around the time the suits...

"We Are The Ones (Video)

Parents owe $14,460 in case of mistaken paternity, judge saysJustice was also shortchanged, the judge said, because Mr. Samuels had been paying child support all of those years. Last month, Judge Roper ruled that Jamie Hope, the child's mother, and Oba Wallace, the child's biological father, would have to repay Mr. Samuels $14,460 in child support he had paid since 1997. Such an order is unusual, but not unique. "We have seen it happen before," said Sandra Jarrett of the state's Child Support Recovery Unit. Usually there is no intent to defraud, Ms. Jarrett said. Mothers who have had relationships...

The rap star Juvenile is "shocked and devastated" by the shooting death of his young daughter, the girl's mother and another child, his manager said Saturday. The 32-year-old rapper is still trying to cope with the death of 4-year-old Jelani; her mother, 39-year-old Joy Deleston; and the woman's daughter Micaiah, 11, whose bodies were found Thursday night in their home, said manager Aubrey Francis. "It really shocked him and devastated him to the point where I've never seen him before," Francis said. "Right now he is relaxing and trying to grasp everything of what has happened." Meanwhile, 17-year-old Anthony Tyrone...

A rare female Amur leopard cub, born 18 November 2007, taking her first steps outside her den at Marwell Zoological park in Hampshire, Britain, 28 February 2008. She was bred as part of a European conservation breeding program, to mother leopard 'Ascha'. The cub is yet to be named. EPA/JONATHAN BRADY

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A $100 million lawsuit claiming that NBC prompted the suicide of a former Texas prosecutor who was caught up in its popular sting series "To Catch a Predator" is moving ahead after a ruling by a U.S. federal judge on Tuesday. Louis Conradt, a 56-year-old assistant district attorney, shot himself in November 2006 after he was confronted at his Terrell, Texas, home by police officers. They were accompanied by an NBC news crew that was there to film his arrest."To Catch a Predator," a segment of NBC's "Dateline" newsmagazine program, lures men to a house with...

Tampa, Florida – Prejudice against pretty?That's the claim from a pair of 18-year-old best friends from Oldsmar who were escorted off a Southwest Airlines plane.USF student Nisreen Swedberg and friend Sarah Williams claim the flight crew was rude to them from the moment they stepped onto the plane at Tampa International Airport on February 14.Swedberg said she asked a flight attendant for a bottle of water and was told she could wait until the rest of the flight was served.“And I patiently waited and then when they came around with water, they skipped me,” Swedberg said.At one point, Williams had...

The Mafia Name Generator

Direct Deposit Expected To Be More Common VERO BEACH, Fla. -- The nation's first baby boomer received her first Social Security retirement benefit Tuesday in Vero Beach, Fla., local station station WPBF is reporting. Kathleen Casey-Kirschling was born one second after midnight on Jan. 1, 1946. The 62-year-old retired teacher who lives in Earleville, Md., and Vero Beach applied for her benefits online, and received her payment by direct deposit. "Like many of her fellow boomers, Kathy leads a full and busy life," said Jim Courtney, Social Security deputy commissioner for communications. "By choosing direct deposit, Kathy's benefit is safely...

BISBEE — Some energetic individuals are being recruited to help collect trash along an illegal immigrant trail in Cochise County later this month. The cleanup effort will be held in Ash Canyon on Feb. 18, according to event organizer Steve Willsey. “Plan to hike and pick up water bottles, tin cans and old backpacks along a steep trail up a ravine to the saddle. It will be a short but difficult one-mile hike up and then back down with a bag of trash,” says a flier on the event. He estimates there is enough trash for about 30 people to...

For those FReepers that need a break today from all the political hoopla these links will take you to some beautiful photographs. Here and here. On the main page, here, you can click on either photo to see more.