Free Republic

In a surprising development, the struggling ABC Network has let its option for future installments of its The Mole reality franchise expire, making the program a "free agent" eligible to be picked up by other broadcast networks. According to Daily Variety, given the relatively strong ratings performance of the just-completed Celebrity Mole Yucatan edition -- which tied for first in its timeslot in the desirable Adults 18-34 demographic and improved the network's previous time period average by 43% -- the decision befuddled other Hollywood executives. While at first glance the network's decision to refuse to quickly commit to another Mole...

I am currently getting about 20 emails a day with the W32.Swen.A@mm virus, which Norton is heading off at the pass, but it's still annoying because everytime it happens, Norton A/V covers up most of my screen with a billboard proudly announcing that it's nipped a virus in the bud and would I like to quarantine it. It says ON the billboard, "We recommend that you let us quarantine all of the infections automatically," but there is no way to make the process automatic. You have to manually approve each quarantine. This virus, which I don't recall seeing anything about,...

(The following is an exchange that occured between Aaron "Errin'" Brown and Jeff Greenfield last night after a report from Dana Bash, their appropriately-named White House correspondent on Bush's tax proposals and the Dem's criticism with the usual "tax-cuts-for-the-rich" mantra --- BASH in this transcript is her last paragraph before the studio segment.) BASH: And Aaron, now comes the hard part, which, of course, is going to be selling the plan. Administration officials will fan out across the country to do that this week. But the toughest sales job will be in Congress. And, yes, the president has a Republican-...

Do We Have to Call You Al? By FRANK RICH "Tomorrow night Liza Minnelli returns," said Larry King on Wednesday night. But while America held its breath, Al Gore was getting more airtime than "The Bachelor." You could wake up to him and Tipper on the "Today" show. You could drift off to dreamland watching him with Charlie Rose. The man who went AWOL in defeat was back — to sell not one but two new books (Mr. Gore can leave no lily ungilded) and, of course, himself. The books celebrate The Family, the one cause every Democrat feels compelled...

Middle TN Freepers, would any of you care to refer me to a good investment broker of a friendly persuasion? I need someone conversant in SEP's, Roth IRA's, etc. Need to be able to contact via email as well as phone, and the need is immediate. Michael

America West Airlines today unveiled its "new-look" cockpit, featuring several "enhancements" to make the "cockpit experience more enjoyable." Especially notable are the new, more familiar throttle and flap controls, making them more in line with the style pilots are accustomed to.

Webbers Falls I-40 Bridge Opens Ahead Of Schedule Careful planning, fast action and hard work combined to allow the reopening of the I-40 bridge at Webbers Falls even earlier than the contractor’s ambitious estimate. After a brief ceremony on July 29 that included remarks from transportation and government officials and a moment of silence in memory of the victims of the accident, traffic began rolling in both directions. It was more than a week earlier than the deadline date set in the construction contract. “Everyone connected with this project has given a maximum effort from the very beginning,” ODOT Director...

Has anyone else tried to access Fox News' website today? I'm not having any luck in getting thru to ANY Fox site except the sports one that's Lycos-hosted. The URL above returns a "Contacting Site - (and the digital address)" and eventually either a "Cannot make contact" alert OR a Timeout after "Website found, waiting for reply." Where I am there's no FNC, so I can't look at the screen to see if they've said if their website is down... Anyone? Michael

I just got the most disturbing notice in the mail. A government agency in Detroit is trying to dredge up an old legal case that I settled with the complainant almost 18 years ago - and to try to milk it for more money. This one, knowing the legal machinery in Detroit, is one I probably cannot win pro se. Here's the capsule verion: 1968. Youthful indiscretion. I father a child out of wedlock, have no defense, wind up paying some nominal sum of child support ($15 a week or so). Sometimes I pay, sometimes I don't. My job moves ...

SOME THINGS YOU JUST DON'T WANT TO CHANGE Michael Wright No matter how hard technology tries, there are some things upon which it simply cannot improve. Yes, we can get just about any shred of information available from anywhere in the world right off the 'Net. But there are some things I just don't want to get that way. Take recipes, for example. A lot of good, serviceable (and occasionally unique) recipes appear in various newspapers. As an old kitchen hand, I can usually tell just by reading it exactly what a recipe will taste like without lifting a spoon. ...

A word of caution to Freepers running IE4.0 and possibly some other browsers. There are two Barbara Olsen book review threads running, and BOTH of them contain scripting that will not only crash IE4.0, but completely freeze the system - allowing no recovery other than a power-down and reboot. &#60flamebait=on&#62 And all because of the laziness of some posters. Instead of copying and pasting the text and then formatting it, these posters copy the entire source code - which frequently includes extraneous items like ads, sidebars, broken links, etc. - which can also contain source code that if not closed, ...

DES MOINES, Iowa- Powerball mania is certain to intensify in the coming days as players across the country get another chance Saturday at winning a jackpot that could approach $300 million. The unofficial prize for Saturday's drawing is $280 million, Joe Mahoney of the Multi-State Lottery Association said Thursday. "And that's a conservative estimate at this point," he added. No tickets matched all six numbers in Wednesday night's highly anticipated draw, worth $193.5 million. Mahoney said that while no one won the jackpot, more than a million people will get prizes for matching some of the winning numbers: 2-28-30-36-39 and ...

The latest Tropical Storm Advisory shows that Chantal remains a Tropical Storm, with maximum sustained winds of 50 knots, moving just about due west at 21 knots. The current storm track will take the storm a fairly safe distance to the south of Jamaica, before a turn to the north occurs in 24-36 hours. At that time, forecasters are predicting that the storm will strengthen into a Cat. 1 Hurricane and that landfall will occur at Cozumel / Cancun, Mexico about 5pm Central Time on Monday. You can view the latest storm track HERE! For you weather buffs... Michael

ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, AUGUST 17, 2001, 11:20 A.M. (16:20 UTC) -- Steve Fossett's mission has ended and the balloonist has landed 25 to 30 miles south of Bage, Brazil, close to the border of Uruguay. Although he has some scrapes and bruises, he is otherwise in good health. The envelope is deflated and local authorities are traveling to the site to aid Fossett at the end of his mission. At an early morning news conference at mission control at Washington University in St. Louis, Fossett's team said Fossett made the decision after they had conferred about bad weather conditions that ...

I've seen a number of long-running threads, a lot of self-righteous posters, a lot of biblical quotations, and not ONCE have I seen anyone get to the heart of this matter. Embryonic Stem-Cell Research does not show up on ANY public opinion poll. No one knows what it means. It's an issue that leaves 90% of the public (my estimate) yawning. They understand NFL Football, bad air in airplanes, salmonella in food and a $600.00 check in their mailboxes. But Embryonic Stem-Cell Research? Give me a freakin' break. This is a totally manufactured issue pumped to the high heavens by ...

Right to bear arms still prevails, rally told By JIM EAST Staff Writer The right of Americans to arm themselves still works in the United States, a University of Tennessee law professor told gun advocates yesterday on the steps of the state Capitol. ''People believe in it,'' Glenn Reynolds said of the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. ''If you don't believe it works, just ask Al Gore.'' That comment, met with laughter and applause from a crowd of about 75 people, apparently referred to Gore's 2000 presidential loss to George W. Bush, who won the support of gun ...

If you saw brief snippets on the TV news last evening of this liftoff, you'd probably be interested in seeing the full, unedited video taken from a video cam (actually two) mounted on the side of the Odyssey vehicle. Most of the video is shown from the downward-looking camera. To see the video (in Real Media format) PUNCH THIS or click on the Source URL above. This takes you to the Chronicle's Space Archive, and the Odyssey video is front and center. Just click to get it. Video runs 7:17:09. It starts just 15 seconds prior to engine start on ...

Here's the place for all your reactions to today's Sunday Screaming Face Shows: Press The Meat, Deface The Nation, This Week Still Without David Brinkley and Fox Snooze Sunday. Have at it! Michael

I just received this gag via email and thought it might tickle your humerus: ----------------------- Texas version of "Survivor" Contestants must travel from Amarillo through Witchita Falls, Fort Worth, Dallas, Longview, Beautmont, Houston, San Antonio and back to Amarillo through San Marcos and El Paso, Midland/Odessa & Lubbock. All contestants must drive a Volvo with a bumper sticker that reads: "I'm gay. And I'm here to take your guns" First one to make the round-trip safely is the winner!

My wife and I were sitting around last night in front of our big-screen (muted) having a political discussion, which is a prescription for marital disaster (since my wife detests, abhors politics in general and presidential politics even more). Sensing that, perhaps, there was something more fun to talk about - and since we're both dedicated dog lovers - we decided to speculate upon the premise that dogs could do a better job running the government than people. The question then becomes, which jobs in government would be best suited to the different breeds? You wouldn't want a Bassett as ...