Free Republic

First, I apologize for using the words “mounting” and “moose sex” in the headline. It was a juvenile thing to do. I accept full responsibility. (And I still think it was funny). Now that the first mea culpa of the day is out of the way, in the immortal words of Salt-N-Pepa, “Let’s talk about sex.” Not for you and me. For the moose. Earlier this week I learned that up north of the border — along the boundary that separates the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia — those wily Canadians are preparing for an influx of...

GREENSBORO — Six teens were arrested or cited Thursday night after a gun was fired near downtown Greensboro among a large group of teens. There were also fights breaking out amongst the group. Those charged or cited Thursday included: •Kenyon C. Jordan, 20, charged with carrying a concealed gun and discharging a firearm inside the city limits; •George McCoy, 16, charged with affray; •Steven Lloyd, 16, cited for disorderly conduct; •Shyquan Chavis, 16, cited for assault on a law enforcement officer and resist, delay and obstruct a law enforcement officer. •Two juveniles were charged on juvenile referrals for disorderly conduct....

My wife Becky and I experimented with radically cutting our food costs last week as part of a fundraising campaign created by a hunger charity. Under the "Live Below The Line" campaign sponsored by the Global Poverty Project, an Australian charity, for five days we spent $1.50 per person per day on food, which is the extreme poverty line globally, according to the World Bank. Living in New York, we typically spend about $140 a week on groceries for our family of four. What drew me to the campaign was seeing if we could shrink that amount drastically. It was...

Truckin' & Stylin'. Shooting Stars. Timeless Elders. Based on where you live, how much money you make and where you shop, you may be classified into one of these categories by one of the country's largest data brokers. (snip, excerpt required) Married Sophisticates: You're in your late 20s or early 30s, recently married and likely have a household income between $50,000 and $100,000. You probably own a home, most likely in an upscale suburban neighborhood. You're a fan of "green and trendy cars," shop at Banana Republic and The Gap and are a loyal Netflix Inc. subscriber. Truckin' & Stylin':...

FALMOUTH, Maine — Gubernatorial hopeful Steve Woods unveiled an economic strategy Tuesday that could result in the closure of more than 100 small Maine towns and redirect their state dollars — and potentially their residents — toward more urban centers. Woods said the state now invests too much maintaining infrastructure to reach a widely dispersed population and it’s unsustainable. In his report, Woods states that 108 Maine towns receive five times as much in state and federal subsidies as they generate in local taxes and fees. In short, the study contends the state’s “underlying problem” can be summed up as...

A few years back, a BDN colleague who shall remain nameless (for the next few sentences) told me a story that sounded a bit unbelievable. Loons were herding up … or flocking up … or forming up for battle (or something like that), and she’d spotted 13 of them on her favorite lake, all heading the same direction. I promptly dismissed the report and accused my BDN colleague of spending a bit too much time comparing the relative strengths of coffee brandy brands … or something like that. You see, at that point, I’d never heard of such a thing,...

The NCAA spelled out its punishments to North Dakota for resuming use of the Fighting Sioux nickname and logo in a letter addressed to the school’s provost, Dr. Paul LeBel, on Wednesday. The most pressing hockey-related concern is that UND won’t be able to host a women’s hockey NCAA quarterfinal game. The full text of the letter [.pdf] contains three sanctions that go into effect immediately. The full text of the letter is below: Dear Dr. LeBel: President Robert Kelly (sic) recently informed me that the University of North Dakota was resuming its use of the Fighting Sioux nickname and...

I used to think I was making a lot of money until I sat down and calculated how much I was really getting paid. Several years ago, I made the decision to leave my work-at-home writing career to work full-time at an office. When I crunched the numbers, I discovered I was not making as much as I thought due to hidden career costs. Just because I made $50,000 a year or $1,000 a week and worked 40 hours, did not mean I was making $25 an hour. It seemed to me I was practically paying to have the job,...

I was part of the wave that was aghast at the George W. Bush presidency and thanked God Almighty when that dissembler of democracy passed from office. He and his claque had done as much damage to the Constitution as was humanly possible in the span of eight years (where was the tea party then?) and I was one of millions who whooped to Barack Obama as much-needed remediation for a wounded nation expedited into two wars at the whim of its chief executive. I believe Bush’s successor, Obama, is at root a good man, an honest man. Until recently...

HERMON, Maine — A Hermon man who has been charged several times over the summer after exposing his buttocks and genitals to passing motorists was in trouble with the law again last week. Stephen Thibodeau, 52, was arrested Wednesday afternoon on a disorderly conduct charge after Sgt. William Burgess of the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Department was called to Thibodeau’s Route 2 home twice within less than four hours, Deputy Jay Hallett said Monday. The first visit occurred shortly after noon, after two passing motorists called police to complain that Thibodeau was standing in the doorway exposing his genitals, Hallett said....

You want the best for your family, and that includes great schools, affordable homes, low crime rates, plenty of jobs, and lots of parkland. So we crunched more than 8,000 bits of data in 84 categories to determine this year's top places to raise kids. Plus, see the complete list of Best Cities! 1. Washington, DC The history, the government, the breathtaking architecture and inspiring monuments—you don't have to be a child to get an amazing education in this city. Our nation's capital is also known for its plenitude of museums—in fact, there are 44, second only to the Big...

How do you explain to your kid that he can't have a summer vacation because of inflation? Instead, my family and I looked for meaningful ways to save on our summer activities. By doing some of the work ourselves, looking at money more rationally, and committing to stuff, not fluff, we plan to save $12,975 in summer 2011. Summer entertaining Garden parties, barbecues, and family reunions make summer special. To keep our menus rich while saving money, my sister and I agreed to serve ground beef instead of steak at all 10 of our family get-togethers. In this way, we...

The remake of "Charlie's Angels" that ABC is adding to its fall TV lineup is a masterpiece of subtlety. It takes at least 15 minutes before the three girls get wet. The "Playboy Club" pilot on NBC's schedule is also a stirring moment in feminism. Set in mobbed-up Chicago in the '60s, the script glories in "chasing Bunny tail" and opens panting: "The Door Bunny at the entrance to the Playboy Club. The ears. The tail. The satin. The breasts." Bunny Janie's "cleavage could pick up a salt shaker." Our leading lady, Maureen, a Cigarette Bunny in corset, fishnets and...

WASHINGTON (MCT) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy would merge under a bill introduced last week by U.S. Sen. Richard Burr. The merged agency would be called the Department of Energy and Environment. Burr, a North Carolina Republican, said the merger would result in $3 billion in savings next year. Critics counter that such a move would weaken the government's role in protecting the environment. Burr introduced the bill Thursday. It has 16 co-sponsors, all Republicans. Burr acknowledged Monday that the bill doesn't have a good chance being heard in committee, a required for...

GREENSBORO — A voter ID bill would keep young people and the elderly from voting, a group of college students and state legislators said Monday at Bennett College. Students from area universities have been working behind the scenes to protest the proposed voter ID bill that is currently in the House. They held a forum Monday morning to discuss the bill and followed it with a press conference to voice their concerns. “This bill makes it more difficult for me to exercise my vote and my voice,” said UNCG junior Caleb Patterson. “The voter ID bill would add one more...

When it comes to cutting back, the rich are learning a little secret the rest of us have always known: fast-food is cheap and good (if not good for you). Quick service restaurants, such as McDonald's and Subway, saw a bigger rise in spending by ultra-affluent consumers than any other restaurant type last year, according to the most recent data by American Express Business Insights. Lori and Santiago Riviere are among those that have recently been turned on to fast-food dining. They call themselves "dinks" -- as in dual income no kids. She's an attorney, he works in finance and...

LOS ANGELES/DALLAS (Reuters) – Chipotle Mexican Grill has a lot going for it -- an upscale burrito concept, a hip and eco-friendly image, expansion plans galore and a 500 percent-plus stock price gain in just over two years. And then it has something not going its way -- a federal crackdown on its immigrant labor force that has so far forced Chipotle to fire hundreds of allegedly illegal workers in the state of Minnesota, perhaps more than half its staff there. The probe is widening. Co-Chief Executive Monty Moran told Reuters on Friday that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)...

GREENSBORO — American Express said today it will close its customer service center in Greensboro, moving the work to other locations in the United States. The company has about 1,900 full-time employees at the Greensboro facility on Airport Center Drive. About 400 employees are expected to be set up to work from home after the service center closes by the end of 2011. The other employees will be offered jobs at one of the company's facilities in Fort Lauderdale, Phoenix and Salt Lake City. American Express cited a significant reduction in call volume as the main factor for the service...

OK, this is a complete vanity. I can fault myself, to a certain extent, for not reading all of the fine print when I signed up this past November for my Employer-sponsored health insurance. I just received an email, stating that I needed to fill out some sort of "Health Risk Assessment" survey form. (I've not logged in to their site to read it yet, trying to keep this thing at arm's length). After filling this out, I'm requested (it's really an order, but couched as a request) to sign up for a number of *extra* programs, such as exercise,...

NEW YORK (AP) -- TJX Cos. says it is shuttering its A.J. Wright discount stores by mid-February, cutting 4,400 jobs and converting some stores to other brands such as T.J. Maxx. Ninety-one stores will be converted into T.J. Maxx, Marshalls or HomeGoods stores, and 71 will close entirely, along with two distribution centers. About 3,400 staffers will remain employed at the converted stores.