Free Republic

When the White House released its latest plan to stimulate – er, improve – the economy, everybody knew there would be a fresh round of spending to bail out government schools. But there’s another motive too: dues for the teachers unions. By my estimates, about three quarters of unionized teachers are represented by the National Education Association.  Every member pays dues, including $166 per year that goes to the national union, according to a secret union document posted on PublicSchoolSpending.com.  The White House says up to 285,000 teaching jobs – that is, dues payers – could be saved. Given these...

Clark Gable's Grandson Accused Of Shining Laser At Chopper Gable Faces Felony Charge By Michael Martinez CNN POSTED: 4:24 pm EDT July 30, 2011 UPDATED: 7:32 am EDT July 31, 2011 LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- Clark James Gable, 22, the only grandson of legendary actor Clark Gable, was playing with a laser when police arrested him, charging him with a felony this week, his manager told CNN Saturday.

WEDNESDAY, March 30 (HealthDay News) -- Even though most Americans might believe that "senior" dog food is formulated differently than food for young adult dogs and pups, experts say that brands can vary widely in their ingredients and there are no requirements for what goes in foods for older canines. Click here to find out more! A new survey finds that most Americans think that senior dog foods are lower in protein, sodium, fat and calories. "But when we actually looked at the diets, there was an incredible range," said Dr. Lisa M. Freeman, co-author of a paper appearing in...

The Next Stop In Obama's Political Suicide Tour: Announcing Social Security Cuts During State Of The Union Address Obama's latest quid-pro-quo with the republican party over a doubling down on fiscal stimulus in the form of mutual back scratching, funding by yet another trillion in debt, may have well be the start of his toxic spiral to the the bottom of political insignificance. According to Politico, "The tax deal negotiated by President Barack Obama and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky is just the first part of a multistage drama that is likely to further divide and weaken Democrats."...

Food bank mistakenly gives out dog foodPublished: July 18, 2010 at 2:39 PM CLEARWATER, Fla., July 18 (UPI) -- A food bank in Clearwater, Fla., distributed a can labeled as a "superfood" that turned out to be a can of dog food, the recipient said. On Social Security, retired Air Force veteran Frank Viscido made his weekly trip from his home in Largo to the Religious Community Services Food Bank in Clearwater for free food, The St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times reported. Viscido was given the can labeled, "Senior Holistic Superfood" by a volunteer who noticed he wanted products for better...

Boy, did I start an argument yesterday ...

LINCOLN, Neb. — Nature's Variety has expanded its recall of chicken-flavored pet food because of concerns over salmonella.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning consumers not to use certain beef dog treats distributed by Merrick Pet Care because the treats might be contaminated with salmonella. To this date no illnesses have been linked to the recalled products, but the FDA is advising consumers in possession of these items not to handle or feed them to their pets. The affected Merrick Beef Filet Squares for dogs have a “best buy” label of 111911. The agency recommends that consumers who are unable to determine the “best by” date discontinue use of the product. They were distributed nationwide...

School Lunches = Pet Food? Many of you may be quite picky about what you feed your children. So many parents these days, in a hissy fit of Whole Foods-fueled hippie-ness, boycott the likes of a Happy Meal. State governments, much like our own here in California, rail against ye olde fashioned childhood snack time staples like candy bars and sodas, banning schools from vending all things that aren't dried fruit and Nutri-Grain bars. And parents these days, in their infinite laziness and longing to be "one of the kids," push their children toward video games in lieu of real...

Pâté or dog food? Either could be yummy. That's because you probably wouldn't be able to differentiate which is which in a blind tasting, according to a study scheduled to be released today by the American Assn. of Wine Economists. Researchers provided 18 volunteers five food samples to try in a blind taste test. Only three were able to identify the canine fodder. "We have this idea in our head that dog food won't taste good and that we would be able to identify it, but it turns out that is not the case," said Robin Goldstein, a co-author of...

The Food and Drug Administration continues to caution consumers about a potential connection between dogs becoming ill and the consumption of chicken jerky products (also described as chicken tenders, strips or treats) imported from China. The FDA issued a warning in September 2007 but does not have the authority to demand a recall. At least one firm in Australia has recalled its chicken jerky product, and the recall notification said the chicken jerky product was made in China. Symptoms include decreased activity, vomiting, diarrhea (sometimes with blood) and increased water consumption and urination. Although most dogs seem to recover, some...

It is one of the biggest issues the American Horse Council is dealing with and Dave Howell, chairman of the American Horse Council’s State Horse Council Advisory Committee tells Brownfield it is really big. “So today we are facing over 212,000, documented starving horses in the United States,” said Howell. Brought about by the horse slaughter ban, the issue is one that no one seems to have an answer for - not even the American Horse Council. “We have cases where they have been turned loose in parks, they’ve been turned loose in coal mine areas, they’ve been turned loose...

(LITTLE ROCK, ARK.) - Tests of two Chinese brands of dog treats sold at Wal-Mart stores found traces of melamine, a chemical agent that led to another massive pet food recall in March, a spokeswoman said Tuesday. Wal-Mart quietly stopped selling Chicken Jerky Strips from Import-Pingyang Pet Product Co. and Chicken Jerky from Shanghai Bestro Trading in July, after customers said the products sickened their pets. Company spokeswoman Deisha Galberth said 17 sets of tests done on the products found melamine, a contaminant that's a byproduct of several pesticides. "There were very small amounts of melamine found," Galberth told The...

An empty gourmet dog food can taken from Paris Hilton's trash fetched $305 in an eBay auction. The bidding that ended Sunday had reached $1.5 million, but some of the bids were retracted or canceled because the wrong amount was entered or they were not legitimate, according to the eBay Web site. The sellers were from the Web site HollywoodStarTrash.com, which also listed several other Hilton items for sale on eBay, including a used toothbrush that also sold for $305; two envelopes sent to her while she was in jail that sold for $510; and a Coke can for $51....

A company announced Wednesday that it would be recalling some of its dog food sold exclusively at Wal-Mart because of possible salmonella contamination. The recall by Brentwood is unrelated to recent pet food recalls connected to tainted Chinese proteins. A single batch of Ol' Roy Complete Nutrition dog food is being recalled. The dog food was produced at a plant in Manassas and distributed to 69 Wal-Mart stores in Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Ohio. Forty of the stores are in Virginia. The company decided to recall the food after salmonella was detected. People who handle the...

Menu Foods has posted claims information on its Web site for pet owners whose pets were killed or injured by contaminated feed. The Canadian-based company in March recalled more than 60 million containers of melamine-tainted pet food -- linked to the deaths and illnesses of thousands of dogs and cats nationwide -- and now says it will “address any reasonable expense incurred by pet owners that we can identify as being caused by contamination of Menu Foods’ products.” The company also advised pet owners of the ramifications of settling directly with Menu Foods instead of joining one of the more...

Pet food insider sold shares before recall CFO calls sale a 'horrible coincidence' Keith McArthur Toronto Globe and Mail (Business Section) Tuesday, April 10, 2007 The chief financial officer of Menu Foods Income Fund says it's a "horrible coincidence" that he sold nearly half his units in the troubled pet food maker less than three weeks before a massive recall of tainted pet food. Insider trading reports show that Mark Wiens sold 14,000 units for $102,900 on Feb. 26 and Feb. 27. Those shares would be worth $62,440 today, based on yesterday's close of $4.46 a unit. That represented...

The March 16 recall of 91 pet food products manufactured by Menu Foods wasn't big news at first. Early coverage reported only 10-15 cats and dogs dying after eating canned and pouched foods manufactured by Menu. The foods were recalled -- among them some of the country's best-known and biggest-selling brands -- and while it was certainly a sad story, and maybe even a bit of a wake-up call about some aspects of pet food manufacturing, that was about it. At first, that was it for me, too. But I'm a contributing editor for a nationally syndicated pet feature, Universal...

I think we need a thread on making our own dog/cat food, in light of the current recalls of pet food. While there are several threads on these recalls, these threads become bogged down with posts that go off in so many directions it is confusing. Since reading all these threads I have decided to start feeding my animals homemade food. I have clicked on several links in posts and read a great deal about what is in pet food, and have come to the conclusion I won't be feeding my animals this horrific stuff anymore, even if it is...

WASHINGTON - A major manufacturer of dog and cat food sold under Wal-Mart, Safeway, Kroger and other store brands recalled 60 million containers of wet pet food Friday after reports of kidney failure and deaths. An unknown number of cats and dogs suffered kidney failure and about 10 died after eating the affected pet food, Menu Foods said in announcing the North American recall. Product testing has not revealed a link explaining the reported cases of illness and death, the company said."At this juncture, we're not 100 percent sure what's happened," said Paul Henderson, the company's president and chief executive...

A torturous debate left the Los Angeles City Council sharply divided by race Tuesday as members weighed whether to restore a settlement offered to a black firefighter whose dinner had been laced with dog food... ... At their lawyer's recommendation, council members initially voted to pay $2.7 million to keep it from going to trial. But last week — amid a storm of public reaction — Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa vetoed the action, setting the stage for Tuesday's council session. ...With a decision expected today, all three black members — Bernard C. Parks, Jan Perry and Herb Wesson — said they...

A black firefighter who was served dog food in his spaghetti by fellow firefighters will be paid more than $2.7 million to settle a lawsuit alleging racial harassment within the Los Angeles Fire Department...

Has CNN’s reporting on food gone to the dogs? The audience of the August 5 edition of “In the Money” might suspect as much. On that program business contributor Andy Serwer narrated a “Brainstorm” segment looking at the “latest trends and innovations the food industry has in store for you” such as “foods you can eat along with your pet.” Foods you can scarf down with Skippy while channel-surfing past CNN on your way to Animal Planet? Tell me more. “For a look at some hot new products appearing on a store shelf near you, we recently headed to a...

Dogs Keep Dying: Many Owners Unaware Of Toxic Dog Food Even though Diamond, Country Value and Professional brand dog foods have been recalled for containing highly toxic aflatoxins, they have caused at least 100 dog deaths in recent weeks, say Cornell University veterinarians, who are growing increasingly alarmed. Some kennels and consumers around the nation and possibly in more than two dozen other countries remain unaware of the tainted food, and as a result, they continue to give dogs food containing a lethal toxin. To better screen affected dogs so they can be treated as soon as possible, Cornell veterinarians...

Fungus Forces Recall of Dog, Cat Food ALBANY, N.Y. — A pet food company has advised retailers to stop selling some of its dog and cat food that may be contaminated with toxic fungus after several dogs got sick and some died. The fungus produces poisonous aflatoxin. Symptoms of aflatoxin poisoning include lethargy, loss of appetite, yellowish eyes and gums, and severe or bloody diarrhea. The 19 recalled varieties of dog and cat food were made by Diamond Pet Foods and sold in New York and 22 other states and under the brand names Diamond, Country Value, and Professional.

Please sign the online petition to stop the killing of pets in New Orleans. Conflicting reports abound, regarding whether orders have been given to shoot abandoned pets. But just in case it is or becomes true, please sign the online petitions below to STOP the killing: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/366281507?ltl=1126417990 And the following petition adds the words "and their pets" to the order to evacuate people from New Orleans. Please sign it also: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/840979272?ltl=1126071044

JOIN the National Organization for Women (NOW), Wednesday, July 20th at 10:00 am for a demonstration against the nomination of anti abortion rights John Roberts to the United States Supreme Court! Dirksen Senate Office Building - Senate Swamp Constitution and First St SE 10:00 am The United States Senate must NOT confirm John Roberts. Let's show our support for women's rights.

Okay, it’s not everyday dining fare, I agree. But, tell someone you’re having horse steaks for supper, grilled to perfection and garnished with plenty of fresh herbs and vegetables, and you’re likely to get the same reaction as if you had casually mentioned you’re serving up your own leg. But is setting the table with horse meat really that offensive an idea? There is a ferocious ongoing debate in the U.S. over the right or wrong of hippophagy (or making a meal out of Ol’ Lightnin’). But the reality is that people have been eating horse meat for as long...

Britney's mis-steak By Metro Britney Spears has treated her pet chihuahua to a £93 steak. The singer ordered the prime cut of meat when she took Bitbit out for a gourmet meal at the Picasso restaurant in the Bellagio Hotel, Las Vegas. Master chef Julian Serrano usually only prepares food for the rich and famous and was unaware he was cooking a dog's dinner. 'Talk about an insult - Julian is one of the top chefs in the US,' said a colleague. 'The idea of him having to cook for a chihuahua is ridiculous. Just as well no one told...

TACOMA - Several parents are outraged that preschoolers at Northeast Tacoma Elementary School ate dog food in class. Parents say teaching assistant Terry Atkinson let a role-playing exercise go too far on Monday. Parents say Atkinson brought dry dog food into the class, put it on paper plates, put the plates on the floor and told the early-education class to get on their hands and knees and act like dogs. Four-year-old Kiara Wallis thought that meant to eat the kibbles. "At school, I ate dog food and it tasted yuck, and I spit it out into the trash" says Kiara....

Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 197 November 19, 2004 No.197 Anti-American Ba'th Activities in ParisBy: Dr. Nimrod Rapaheli* Introduction With the defeat of the Saddam Hussein regime on April 9, 2003, the Ba'th ruling party was outlawed and a committee for the de-Ba'thification of Iraq was established. [1] However, the Ba'th's propaganda machine appears to have found a new abode in Paris, France, whence threats to the U.S. are issued regularly in three languages - English, French, and Spanish. Not surprisingly, the Ba'thist propagandists use the word "resistance" (in French, "la resistance") to underscore the association with the...

Translation from Hebrew to English by me Mohamed El-Masry, a professor at a Canadian university and the president of the Canadian Islamic Congress will not be punished for his words against Israel, the university has said. El-Masry said during a TV program that every Israeli over the age of 18 is a legitimate target for terror. Prof and president of Islamic congress won't be disciplined: university http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2004/11/17/718908-cp.html WATERLOO, Ont. (CP) - A University of Waterloo professor who is also the president of the Canadian Islamic Congress won't be disciplined for controversial comments he made about Israelis, the university announced Wednesday....

As many as 1,600 insurgents in Fallujah were killed so rapidly that streets were littered with 'alarming' number of bodies...(no article linked yet)

The Israeli Cabinet has decided in principle to allow Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat to be buried in Ramallah. Three earthmoving trucks arrived at the Mukata on Wednesday afternoon to prepare for his burial. Interior Minister Avraham Poraz said Israel would permit a "respectful" funeral and be careful not to "upset" Palestinian feelings. "We have no desire to provoke the Palestinian street or the Arab world, or the rest of the world," Poraz said. "So when the man dies, we have to allow them to mourn him. In their eyes he's a hero." A farewell ceremony for Arafat will be...

Israel: Ramallah burial not ruled out, but Gaza preferred By KHALED ABU TOAMEH Although Palestinian Authority leaders insisted Tuesday night that Yasser Arafat was still clinging to life, PA officials have already announced their decision to bury the chairman in Ramallah. On Tuesday, officials said Arafat will be buried in his Mukata compound, expressing hope that he would later be reburied in Jerusalem. The choice of the Ramallah headquarters appears to defuse possible confrontation with Israel, as Israel had said in past days it would not allow a Jerusalem burial. Continuehttp://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1099973628375

In this very important time in the run-up to the election ... can I please have your dog food recommendations?

Family pet was eaten, police told BY MICHAEL FRAZIER Posted on Saturday, June 14, 2003 Police were looking for two men Friday in the gruesome killing of a 5-year-old dog that authorities suspect was grilled and eaten. Capt. Scott Roper of the Jonesboro Police Department would not confirm a police report that indicated a man ate the 50-pound chow, whose paws and other body parts were found simmering on a grill. "How could they be so cruel to an animal that we’ve had since he was a baby," said June Kemp, whose 20-year-old son, Jared, owned the rust-colored chow named...

Gore being interviewed (on tape) by Leslie Stahl, announces he will not run for the 2004 democratic presidential nomination.Those of you on the West coast, be sure to see the beginning when Bill Clinton is featured in a teaser for anothe story--the sore on his mouth is frightening!

<p>December 5, 2002 -- MAYBE it's just wishful thinking, but the December buzz among Dems is starting to be that maybe, just maybe, Al Gore will bow out of the 2004 presidential race and deprive Republicans of their dream race - a Bush-Gore rematch.</p>

<p>SAN FRANCISCO (AP) --  Al Gore harshly criticized President Bush's push for war against Iraq, saying Monday that it weakens America's effort to combat terrorism and forever could damage the nation's standing in the world.</p> <p>"After Sept. 11, we had enormous sympathy, goodwill and support around the world," Gore said. "We've squandered that, and in one year we've replaced that with fear, anxiety and uncertainty, not at what the terrorists are going to do but at what we are going to do."</p>

Al Gore. State election officials ultimately declared George W. Bush the winner by a margin of 537 votes, but during and after the election dispute, questions remained about the uncounted ballots of 175,010 voters, ballots that had been rejected by error-prone tabulating machines employed in many Florida counties. Confusion and conflict, much of it generated by partisan intrigue, prevented these ballots from being counted during the election controversy. However, in 2001 every uncounted ballot was carefully examined in a scientific study by the University of Chicago, which concluded that when all the votes were counted, more votes had been cast...

<p>SEN. JOE LIEBERMAN, D-Conn., is worried about former Vice President Al Gore. Lieberman thinks that Gore came across as too anti-rich when they ran for the White House in 2000. And he thinks Gore is overly hostile toward business now, as they're eyeing each other and a new bid for the White House in 2004.</p>