Free Republic

Tomorrow is the make-it or break-it day for America's royal Highness to ascend to the throne. I bet she's got the glycerin ready!

DALLAS -- Security details at Barack Obama's rally Wednesday stopped screening people for weapons at the front gates more than an hour before the Democratic presidential candidate took the stage at Reunion Arena. The order to put down the metal detectors and stop checking purses and laptop bags came as a surprise to several Dallas police officers who said they believed it was a lapse in security. Dallas Deputy Police Chief T.W. Lawrence, head of the Police Department's homeland security and special operations divisions, said the order -- apparently made by the U.S. Secret Service -- was meant to speed...

SYED SOHARWARDY Special to Globe and Mail Update February 15, 2008 at 12:50 AM EST Recognize my name? Lately, Ezra Levant of the now-defunct Western Standard has been doing his best to demonize me in interviews and blogs. Mr. Levant probably had never heard of me until I filed a complaint with the Alberta Human Rights Commission against his decision to reprint the Danish cartoons that sparked a wave of violent and destructive protests across Europe and the Muslim world in 2005. The reprinting of the cartoons wasn’t about free speech. The originals are readily available on the Internet for...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Astronauts aboard the International Space Station apparently have access to a gun. Russian Cosmonauts carry a gun on their Soyuz space capsule, which is attached to the space station. Every spacecraft carries survival gear for crash landings, and the Russian Soyuz has a kit that includes the gun. A photo of a space tourist using one version of the weapon is posted on his Web site. But although the gun has been there for as long as the space station has been in orbit, its existence is kept quiet. NASA and Russian officials won't talk publicly...

More in-depth article at this link: www.charlotte.com/local/story/472742.html CHARLOTTE (AP) — Five high school students in Charlotte face punishment for creating an online message board that falsely accused a teacher of being a pedophile. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools officials said one of the students faces a misdemeanor cyberstalking charge for creating the site. The other four will face school punishment for distributing inappropriate information about school personnel. School district law enforcement officer Kenny Lynch said the prank postings included "derogatory and offensive comments" about a teacher and photos taken without the teacher's consent. One of the students included a link to a fake...

Adult working students are not given a fair chance at an education. The majority of adult students attending college work full time and many have children and family obligations. As a working student, I have only been offered financial aid in the form of student loans, which require repayment. Ten percent of UNCG's student enrollment is adult students. Throughout my college career, I have come in contact with students privileged enough to not need to work while attending school. Most, however, do not and will not have that opportunity. I have also noticed that certain minorities often get offered financial...

Compare Foods agrees to pay $40,000 to former employees replaced by Latinos. Eugene Gates Jr. is a self-proclaimed “meat man.” The 57-year-old Charlotte native started slicing meat when he was a high school student in 1965. He had almost 40 years of experience by the time new owners of the grocery store where he’d been working on North Tryon Street converted it to Compare Foods in January 2004. So he said he was outraged when his hours were cut in half and a young Latino employee was brought in to take his shifts. Gates said he was told that the...

DETROIT (AP) — The company that developed one of the first mid-sized sport utility vehicles and brought you an ad campaign with a fibbing salesman says it will stop selling new passenger vehicles in North America. Isuzu Motors Ltd. said Wednesday it will end distribution of its sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks starting Jan. 31, 2009. The Japanese company blamed the move on General Motors Corp. ceasing production for Isuzu of the Ascender sport utility vehicle and i-290 and i-370 pickup trucks. "It has always been our intention to remain in the U.S. market," Terry Maloney, Isuzu president and...

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Around noon on January 10, the massive Tata Motors pavilion at the Pragati Maidan would be the place to be, if you are a chronicler of history or an industry specialist or just a plain automotive enthusiast. At that time Ratan Tata will take the covers off the Tata people's car which has been dominating mindspace both inside and outside the industry for its sheer concept and execution since the better part of a decade. The obvious need to provide a more stable, safe and protective set of basic transportation at an affordable price point to the Indian masses who...

GREENSBORO — Don't be alarmed if you see sharpshooters poised on rooftops at UNCG on Monday. In the shadow of last April's attack at Virginia Tech, UNCG will host an exercise that will simulate a gunman attacking the campus. Hundreds of local law enforcement and public safety officials, university employees and volunteers from the community will participate in the training, which will test the university's ability to respond to this type of emergency. "There are a lot of systems that we want to practice so we know how to do the right things," said Bruce Griffin, assistant vice chancellor for...

A $490-million plant will clean effluent to state standards, then inject it into the groundwater basin for further filtration. As a hedge against water shortages and population growth, Orange County has begun operating the world’s largest, most modern reclamation plant — a facility that can turn 70 million gallons of treated sewage into drinking water every day.

"Governor Huckabee is no conservative"- Rush Limbaugh.

Can't handle anymore until next year.

Just a reminder to everyone to keep a lid on the New Year's celebrations for the sake of the planet. Co2 emissions from champagne bubbles, pollution and carbon from fireworks and BBQ grills, Carbon emissions from auto exhaust from traveling to parties, especially in SUVs and airplanes are detrimental to the planet. Also, think of the massive hog farm waste pollution that happens because of the surge of people eating jowls with their black-eyed peas, not to mention the pesticides used in harvesting the peas. We're all in this together. Have a happy and safe New Years and lets make...

Litterbox is in town and will kick your pointy heads!

Madison, NC based Remington Arms Co. Inc. will acquire Marlin Firearms Co. in a deal that brings together two firearms companies founded in the 19th century that serve a range of customers from police to hunters. Remington manufactures guns and ammunition for hunting, law enforcement, security, government and the military. Marlin, which is based in North Haven, manufactures long guns, including shoulder arm designs and lever action rifles. Marlin's lever action .22 repeater, now the Model 39, became the favorite of many exhibition shooters, including Annie Oakley. Frank Kenna III, chairman of Marlin, said finding a buyer for the 83-year-old...

President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela said Wednesday that three hostages held by Colombian rebels could be freed with hours. Chavez said he ruled out a military operation to free the hostages. Chavez said his forces had airplanes and helicopters ready to retrieve the hostages at a moment's notice.

VANCOUVER, Wash. -- A man accused of pulling out a gun at a Vancouver convenience store has a rock star alter ego. The man, who called himself Ozzy Osborne, pulled out a gun and threatened to shoot a convenience store clerk on Christmas Eve, according to police. The clerk also said the man had been harassing customers at the store over the course of several hours. According to the clerk, the man has caused problems at other nearby businesses.