Free Republic

Jon Tennett loves to tinker in his garage. It's not an uncommon pastime for an 81-year-old man, but what is unusual is the city's response. Because Tennett fixes his neighbours' lawn mowers and other small machines, the City of Pickering has charged him with operating an illegal business - even though he's never charged a penny for his work. "They could get a lot of revenue elsewhere than looking at an old 81-year-old man trying to keep his mind busy," he points out. On the same street, a retired nurse is facing a similar problem. Janice Saroop has a lush...

Media regulator Ofcom has fined MTV £255,000 for broadcasting "highly offensive language and material" pre-watershed. These included the pre-9pm broadcast on MTV Networks Europe's UK channel TMF of an Aphex Twin video featuring offensive words including "motherf***er" and a daytime trailer for a Jodie Marsh reality show featuring the phrase "f***ing wanker". Ofcom has imposed the hefty fine for "widespread and persistent" breaches of its broadcasting code by MTV Networks Europe channels MTV UK, MTV France, MTV Hits and TMF. The regulator said MTV had, in some cases, "repeatedly" broken the pre-watershed content ban. [snip]In determining the fine Ofcom took...

SACRAMENTO -- State Sen. Carole Migden has been fined $350,000 by the California Fair Political Practices Commission, the largest penalty ever levied against a state office candidate, for dozens of violations including failing to disclose seven years' worth of political expenses that she paid with credit cards, the watchdog agency said today. The agency's investigation was prompted in part by a complaint filed last fall by fellow San Francisco Democrat Mark Leno, an Assembly member who is one of two Democrats trying to unseat Migden in the June primary. The agency's initial probe concerned $397,000 in credit card expenses from...

The question of just how long it should take to eat fast food is being answered by the burger giant McDonald's, which is making customers finish within 45 minutes or face a charge of £125. Motorists who care to linger over their McMeals for any longer at some drive-throughs are receiving demands from a private company that manages car parks for the burger chain. If they do not pay, the fee rises steadily and customers are threatened with court action and approached by bailiffs. A spokeswoman for McDonald's said the 45-minute restrictions had been introduced at about 40 restaurants because...

Banana producer Chiquita will pay a $25 million fine and serve five years' probation for once paying millions of dollars to groups in Colombia considered by the U.S. to be terrorist organizations, a Department of Justice spokesman said Tuesday.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa agreed Thursday to pay a $5,200 fine for violating multiple campaign finance laws stemming from his 2003 race for the City Council. --snip-- In all, Villaraigosa violated 30 aspects of city campaign finance laws, according to a proposed agreement that he signed Thursday. --snip-- Villaraigosa's campaign lawyer, Stephen Kaufman, downplayed the significance of the violations, calling them common mistakes that other campaigns have made. "These are administrative errors, but nonetheless they should not have happened," Kaufman said. "The mayor has taken steps to make sure this does not happen again." --snip-- Villaraigosa could have faced...

SACRAMENTO — People who refuse to obtain health insurance could be tracked down by the state or a private contractor, enrolled in a plan and fined until they pay their premiums under one proposal Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration is considering as part of his vision for covering all Californians. The proposal, which administration aides said was one of many the governor was considering, was presented at a meeting Tuesday with representatives from insurers, hospitals, doctors, business groups and consumer advocates. It drew immediate criticism from critics of the central tenet of Schwarzenegger's healthcare approach, which is to require all Californians...

November 16, 2006 FEC fines Sierra Club By Jim Snyder A Federal Election Commission settlement with the Sierra Club will likely put new limits on how explicit outside groups may be when trying to influence voters. The environmental group agreed to pay a $28,000 fine to settle charges that it had paid for a brochure that expressly advocated the election or defeat of candidates in the 2004 presidential and Senate races from its corporate treasury. Because the Sierra Club brochure was found to contain express advocacy, it was determined to be an independent expenditure. Campaign finance laws prohibit money from...

Over the weekend, we had an opportunity to interview Rochelle Olson from the Minneapolis Star Tribune, who wrote a rather amazing article about the Republican candidate for Minnesota's Fifth Congressional District, Alan Fine, a little over a week ago. The interview exposed the thinking behind the editorial decisions of the local media, in the stories they cover and the stories they do not, and the facts they decide to publish and those they do not. We'll come back to that story in a moment. Today's Front Page Magazine article provides an example of the sins of omission in the local...

In the reprehensible Sunday Star Tribune story by Paul McEnroe and Rochelle Olson on the expunged 1995 arrest of Republican Fifth District congressional candidate Alan Fine, the reporters omitted relevant facts. Fine was charged by his then wife with domestic assault, but the police report (quoted by the Star Tribune) indicated only that Fine had been attacked. What's the rest of the story? The charge was dropped and Fine was never prosecuted for the incident. In 2004 Fine's arrest was expunged by court order -- a court order that was apparently violated by someone who supplied the police report to...

Alan Fine, the south Minneapolis congressional candidate who had his 1995 criminal record of domestic violence expunged in 2004, demanded Saturday that the Star Tribune retract its story outlining his arrest and details of alleged attacks against his first ex-wife that are contained in the couple's divorce file. "...The newspaper obtained an expunged copy of a June 1995 Minneapolis police report that stated Fine was arrested and booked into Hennepin County jail after officers were called to his home following a domestic abuse call from his then-wife, Rebecca Wexler.

The watchdog group that first provided the FBI with suspicious e-mails from then-Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.) said yesterday that FBI and Justice Department officials are attempting to cover up their inaction in the case by making false claims about the group. Law enforcement officials said the allegations by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) are without merit, and they stood by allegations that the group had refused to provide some information to the FBI. The dispute is the latest controversy this week for CREW, a liberal-leaning group that has come under attack from House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert...

AN Ankara court fined an elderly man 10,000 lira ($8929) for criticising Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan in a visitors' book at the former home of Kemal Ataturk, revered founder of modern Turkey. Fethi Dorduncu visited the house in the Greek city of Thessaloniki in May and wrote in the visitors' book that Mr Erdogan was a "traitor" bent on destroying Ataturk's secular republic and building an Islamic state in Turkey. Mr Erdogan ripped the page from the book in anger when he later visited the house, which is now a museum, in the city where Ataturk was born in 1881...

KENNETT SQUARE, Pa., Sept. 19 (UPI) -- Kentucky Derby champion Barbaro continues to gradually improve from injuries suffered in the Preakness, veterinarians in Pennsylvania said Tuesday. Barbaro suffered injuries to three bones in and around his right hind ankle at the start of the Preakness on May 20. It was feared the horse, which had won the Kentucky Derby by 6 1/2 lengths, would have to be destroyed. But Barbaro has been making progress while at the Intensive Care Unit of the University of Pennsylvania's George D. Widener Hospital, where veterinarians said the horse's improvement was gradual. "He had an...

City of Louisville, Kentucky Proposes Strict Limitations on Hunting Dog Ownership- (08/14) Kentucky Join our e-mail alert list A recently proposed municipal ordinance imposes strict limitations on hunting dog ownership within the city of Louisville, Kentucky. The ordinance, which unnecessarily burdens hunting dog owners, modifies Section 91 of Louisville city code. Among other restrictions the ordinance prevents a dog owner from tethering a dog during the day. The proposal also requires anyone who raises a litter of puppies to purchase a $300 animal dealer’s license. The ordinance seeks to also limit the number of dogs able to be owned by...

A court has upheld the jaywalking ticket issued to an 82-year-old Sunland woman who slowly crossed a busy boulevard, but waived the $114 fine - a Solomonic compromise in a case that drew outrage from around the world. Mayvis Coyle of Sunland captured the attention of senior-citizens advocates - and pedestrians everywhere - after she was ticketed Feb. 15 for crossing busy Foothill Boulevard against a light. At the time, she was loaded down with groceries and walking with the help of a cane. Superior Court Commissioner Jeffrey Harkavy of San Fernando issued his ruling June 20 after reading written...

WASHINGTON - Despite the national spotlight on immigration reform, the federal government has virtually abandoned financial sanctions as a way to punish employers for hiring illegal immigrants, choosing instead to pursue criminal penalties, according to officials and documents. Dean Boyd, spokesman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said fines against employers were ineffective as a deterrent to hiring illegal immigrants, with some companies simply considering the penalties a cost of doing business. So beginning in 2003, he said, the agency dramatically decreased the number of fines imposed, while increasing its criminal prosecutions. "We have found that to be a far...

Group says huge blow to organized labor WASHINGTON, April 18 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The National Alliance for Worker and Employer Rights today praised Judge Jones historic decision protecting the security and right to work for all New Yorkers enforcing the Taylor Law against TWU Local 100 illegal strike.

MIAMI, FL -- Russian Maria Sharapova, the 2004 Wimbledon champ who on Thursday powered her way to the NASDAQ-100 Open final in Miami, revealed the secret, or perhaps hindrance, to her tennis success -- six toes on each foot. Seen changing her shoes and socks Friday courtside before a practice session, Sharapova was caught and then spoke of the not-so-secret (at least in Russia) genetic abnormality that has propelled her to success, or is possibly the cause of her sometime-suspect movement during matches. "It is an old story in Russia, there are a couple Russian players who have known since...

NY’s junior senator is in full fundraising mode for other Dems and her own possible ‘08 presidential bid WASHINGTON -- What's in a name? About $50 million for Democrats who have used Hillary Rodham Clinton's money-making moniker to raise cash for their campaigns since 2001. New York's junior senator has drummed up at least that much for Democrats around the country simply by lending her name to "Dear Friend" fundraising letters or appearing at events on their behalf, according to a new estimate of Clinton's fundraising clout compiled by her campaign. She's raised $1.2 million for Senate and House hopefuls...

America Online Inc. agreed to pay a $1.25 million fine and change its practice of discouraging consumers from canceling service, after New York Attorney General Eliot L. Spitzer started an investigation into the company's behavior. Spitzer's office received about 300 customer complaints since 2000 and found that AOL's customer service personnel were given a financial incentive to prevent subscribers from leaving the service.

LOS ANGELES (AP) - A retired FBI agent who pleaded guilty to lying about his affair with a suspected Chinese double agent was sentenced Monday to probation and fined $10,000 after apologizing for his behavior. "I have nobody but myself to blame for being here today," James J. Smith said. "I stand before you ashamed and humiliated by my actions, and all I can do is apologize." Standing before Judge Florence-Marie Cooper, Smith added, "I apologize to your honor, to the court and to the citizens of the United States." Smith, 61, at one time faced up to five years...

The article follows... Hi everybody. Have been following the Commercial art=Bad art thread for a couple of days and wanted to throw in my two cents. On the topic of 'commercial illustration=bad art' and Rockwell, Parrish, and N. C. Wyeth, et al. be damned: I can't say I agree. If one has to say that the damning detail of the art was the fact that Rockwell had to accept guidelines as to what he was to paint (i.e. paint Santa having milk and cookies for our December issue of The Saturday Evening Post) so then his art isn't art, but...

The F.B.I. missed at least five chances in the months before Sept. 11, 2001, to find two hijackers as they prepared for the attacks and settled in San Diego, the Justice Department inspector general said in a report made public on Thursday after being kept secret for a year. Investigators were stymied by bureaucratic obstacles, communication breakdowns and a lack of urgency, the report said. The blistering findings mirror those of the independent Sept. 11 commission last summer and a joint Congressional inquiry in 2002 but they also provide significant new details about the many bureaucratic breakdowns that plagued the...

Cop faces charges for slapping foreigner MAEBASHI -- A police assistant inspector faces charges for repeatedly slapping a male foreigner feigning sleep while in detention, police said. Documents accusing the 39-year-old assistant inspector of abusing his position as an officer have been forwarded to the Maebashi District Public Prosecutors Office. The assistant inspector has also been fined 10 percent of his monthly wage for one month. He admits to the allegations. "I've done something terrible," he said. Police said the assistant inspector slapped a Brazilian man in his 30s four or five times to the head while the suspect was...

Last week I posted some of Senate Democrat Leader Harry Reid's ethics problems. Today it looks like House Democrat Leader Nancy Pelosi has joined the fray. According to the National Legal and Policy Center: The Federal Election Commission (FEC) has fined two leadership PACs associated with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) in response to a Complaint filed by the National Legal and Policy Center (NLPC) on October 25, 2002. The FEC also has fined three campaigns that failed to return excessive contributions from Pelosi’s PACs within 60 days, as required by law. Under conciliation agreements reached with the FEC,...

I was a bit careless this past weekend. And, in the spirit of confession being good for the soul, I’d like to tell you about it. Normally on the weekend, I like to sleep. A lot! One of my colleagues, a former paramedic, has informed me without any doubt or hesitation that there is no way to “make up” for lost sleep. Well, call the Mayo Clinic (and hold the ham on rye) because I do it every single weekend. I’m talking serious snore time here. But not this past weekend. No, I decided to take a quick trip over...

Bill Clinton's national security advisor (predecessor to Condoleezza Rice) has pled GUILTY to stealing classified documents and destroying some of them. Notwithstanding his initial claims the incident in which he secreted documents in his pants and socks was an "honest mistake," Sandy Berger copped a plea and got a dainty slap on the wrist. Berger's theft and lying were neither honest NOR a mistake. He willfully, with malice of forethought, and full knowledge of the severity of his crime, stole classified documents and destroyed some of them. The act is outflippingragous. The arrogance of Berger in presuming he could (and...

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) -- Two-time Oscar-winning actress Hilary Swank has been fined for bringing forbidden fruit into New Zealand, after getting a thumbs down from judges in an appeal, a court said Wednesday. Swank was issued notice of a fine for breaching New Zealand's strict quarantine laws when she failed to declare an apple and an orange while arriving at an airport on January 15 on a flight from Los Angeles, but appealed the penalty to a court. The Manukau District Court on Wednesday advised the country's Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry that Swank's appeal had been rejected and...

PARIS (AFP) - EU authorities could fine US software giant Microsoft 5 million dollars (3.8 million euros) per day if the company is unduly slow to apply measures imposed a year ago. The European Commission, which took action against Microsoft for abusing a dominant market position, would decide in two weeks' time on what to do, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday. It had powers enabling it to apply a fine of up to 5.0 percent of average daily sales throughout the world, equivalent to about 5.0 million dollars, the newspaper calculated. The report quoted EU competition spokesman Jonathan Todd...

Democrats launch counter-Bush road trip By Associated Press Thursday, March 3, 2005 WASHINGTON - The Democrats' battle for the hearts and minds - and wallets - of voters worried about Social Security hits the road Friday, with its first stop at a New York City college. On the same day President Bush visits Westfield, N.J., to tout his plan for personal accounts within Social Security, Senate Democrats will bring their opposing effort to Pace University. The Pace event, featuring former presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry and New York's two senators, Charles Schumer and Hillary Rodham Clinton, kicks off a swing...

The Los Angeles Ethics Commission on Tuesday imposed a record $270,000 fine against Westside developer Mark Alan Abrams after the panel concluded that he hatched a scheme to launder political contributions to benefit James K. Hahn's 2001 mayoral campaign and the campaigns of two Hahn allies. The fine is the largest penalty assessed against an individual by the ethics panel in its 15-year history. "The actions of Mr. Abrams here really strike at the heart of democracy," said Gil Garcetti, president of the Ethics Commission. "It's simply not right." No one has said that Hahn knew the contributions were tainted,...

Lesbian says she's happy with city's fine over discrimination complaint DANIEL YEE Associated Press ATLANTA - The woman who filed a complaint against an Atlanta country club that refused to extend spousal benefits to her domestic partner said the city's fine against the Druid Hills Golf Club sends out a strong anti-discrimination message. Mayor Shirley Franklin's decision to fine the club up to $90,000 for violating the city's human rights ordinance came as a "pleasant surprise," said Lee Kyser, one of the club's two gay members who filed complaints with the city in January challenging the club's policy. It is...

LOS BANOS, Calif. (AP) - City officials here must decide whether to charge an 87-year-old man for damage caused when he tried to erect a fence in the middle of a street bordering his property. Bernard Gardner said he was trying to reclaim property the city of Los Banos took from him for a street-widening project in the 1940s, when he was off fighting in World War II. The street was damaged when one of Gardner's neighbors used a jackhammer to dig three post holes in the middle of West L Street. He was stopped by city crews in Los...

Ben Roethlisberger might be 9-0 as a starting quarterback for the Steelers, but he's 0-2 with the NFL's uniform police. Roethlisberger was warned to cease and desist or pay a $5,000 fine if he continues to write messages on his white Nike game shoes. Roethlisberger has written the No. 40 on the sides of his shoes this season in honor of late Arizona Cardinals safety Pat Tillman, and written the initials "PFJ" on the toes of each shoe. The initials stand for Play For Jesus, a message Roethlisberger has carried onto football fields since he was a high school sophomore...

MEXICO CITY (AP) -- A woman who fumbled a few phrases of Mexico's national anthem while singing the song before a soccer game in Guadalajara has been fined $40 for the blunder.

BURLINGTON, Iowa -- A psychiatrist who police say smeared excrement on dollar bills used to pay a parking ticket has been charged with harassment of a public official. Ronald Preston McPike, 52, was arrested Sept. 30 at his office in Burlington. He pleaded not guilty to the charge, a misdemeanor, and was released on $125 bond pending a Dec. 8 court appearance. Officers received an envelope in July labeled "Foreign brown substance on bills." The envelope contained several dollar bills and a parking ticket made out to a vehicle registered to McPike, police said. Tests indicated the brown substance was...

A senior executive at Finland's third largest bank Sampo was handed a fine of 14,624 euros (17,951 dollars) for speeding by the Helsinki appeals court, Finnish media reported...In Finland fines are given according to one's salary. (editing mine)

A Bend-area developer who demolished a local landmark before getting the necessary permit will have to pay a $100,000 penalty, a De-schutes County Circuit judge has ruled. Judge Michael Adler found that Crown Investment LLC skirted the legal process when it leveled a well-loved 67-year-old mill without the permission of the city or the court. Adler said the $100,000 award must be used by the city to construct a memorial to the crane shed. excerpt

Senator Kerry, as your tour over "Flyover Country" is now spinning out of control, it must be really hard on your stomachs. You and the missus are used to the finest cuisine and now have to look like you are eating like the locals. All the little people are so impressed! I know you must have been embarassed by the revelation that you ate on the bus at stop and threw the local food in the garbage. We all saw that you really didn't eat at Wendy's. I mean, everyone thought you were eating at Wendy's, but then you had...

TITLE 47--TELECOMMUNICATION COMMISSION (CONTINUED) PART 73_RADIO BROADCAST SERVICES--Table of Contents Subpart F_International Broadcast Stations Sec. 73.731 Licensing requirements. (a) A license for an international broadcasting station will be issued only after a satisfactory showing has been made in regard to the following, among others: (1) That there is a need for the international broadcasting service proposed to be rendered. (2) That the necessary program sources are available to the applicant to render the international service proposed. (3) That the production of the program service and the technical operation of the proposed station will be conducted by qualified persons. (4) That...

Howdy. Senator Kerry, as your tour over "Flyover Country" rolls on, it must be really hard on your stomachs. You and the missus like the finest cuisine and now have to look like you are eating like the locals. All the little people are so impressed! I know you must have been embarassed by the revelation that you ate on the bus at stop and threw the local food in the garbage. Gosh, maybe that's what you and the missus had a spat over recently: stayed in separate rooms. She might have even said "shove it". We all saw that...

Bonsoir! Senator Kerry, as your tour over "Flyover Country" continues, it must be really hard on your stomachs. You and the missus are used to the finest cuisine and now have to look like you are eating like the locals. All the little people are so impressed! I know you must have been embarassed by the revelation that you ate on the bus at stop and threw the local food in the garbage. We all saw that you really didn't eat at Wendy's. I mean, everyone thought you were eating at Wendy's, but then you had some take out at...

Senator Kerry, as your tour over "Flyover Country" continues, it must be really hard on your stomachs. You and the missus are used to the finest cuisine and now have to look like you are eating like the locals. All the little people are so impressed! I know you must have been embarassed by the revelation that you ate on the bus at stop and threw the local food in the garbage. We all saw that you really didn't eat at Wendy's. I mean, everyone thought you were eating at Wendy's, but then you had some take out at a...

Senator Kerry, as your tour over "Flyover Country" continues, it must be really hard on your stomachs. You and the missus are used to the finest cuisine and now have to look like you are eating like the locals. All the little people are so impressed! I know you must have been embarassed by the revelation that you ate on the bus at stop and threw the local food in the garbage. We all saw that you really didn't eat at Wendy's. I mean, everyone thought you were eating at Wendy's, but then you had some take out at a...

Well, Senator Kerry, the flyover tour continues it must be just so hard on your stomachs. You are getting smarter though! You and the missus didn't even show up to that stupid Milwaukee Dairy Queen or that grubby Leon's BBQ place to throw your food away! Hey, I know you said you'd go, but you cleverly ducked that one and ate some fine cuisine at Pieces of Eight on the lakefront. Pretty slick my friend. It was a scenic location and the missus probably approved of that one. We understand that you and the missus are used to the finest...

Senator Kerry, as your tour over "Flyover Country" continues, it must be really hard on your stomachs. You and the missus are used to the finest cuisine and now have to look like you are eating like the locals. All the little people are so impressed! I know you must have been embarassed by the revelation that you ate on the bus at stop and threw the local food in the garbage. We all saw that you really didn't eat at Wendy's. I mean, everyone thought you were eating at Wendy's, but then you had some take out at a...

Now Senator Kerry. I know you must have been embarassed by the revelation that you ate on the bus at stop and threw the local food in the Trash. We all saw that you really didn't eat at Wendy's. I mean, everyone thought you were eating at Wendy's, but then you had some take out at some fancy place uptown so you and missus wouldn't have to eat all that "flyover country" garbage that the little people call food. I know that a wealthy "Uber" class person such as yourself wants to really eat the way you are used to....

Hey Senator Kerry. I know you must have been embarassed by the revelation that you ate on the bus at your last stop. We saw that you really didn't eat at Wendy's. I mean, everyone thought you were eating at Wendy's, but then you had some take out at some fancy place uptown so you and missus wouldn't have to eat all that "flyover country" garbage that the little people call food. I know that a wealthy "Uber" class person such as yourself wants to really eat the way you are used to. So, as a service to your campaign,...

An organization working on behalf of Israel's Arab citizens is calling for legislation making the mere discussion of "transfer" illegal. INN spoke with one of its representatives about the "transfer" of Jews from Yesha. The release of a new report today by the Mossawa Advocacy Center for Arab Citizens in Israel regarding the treatment of Israeli Arabs was covered extensively in the Israeli press. The report's authors accuse Israeli authorities, the police and the judicial system of creating a climate of violence and racism against Arab citizens of Israel. Mossawa’s report comes days after Transportation Minister Avigdor Lieberman (National Union)...