Free Republic

There are few personal confessions more likely to alienate many Americans than to admit to smoking. Singles ads are filled with people who will never even go on a first date with someone who smokes. I strongly suspect that more women would date a millionaire who earned his money disreputably than a millionaire who smoked. Drinkers are far more highly regarded than smokers, as are playboys, gamblers, lawyers, politicians and almost anyone else except child molesters. So I have no doubt that some readers who until now have held me in esteem will lose respect for me when they learn...

If you smoke and have been thinking about quitting, here's one more good reason to do so: Secondhand smoke endangers your pets, too. Secondhand smoke, also called environmental tobacco smoke or ETS, has been associated with cancer, respiratory and cardiovascular disease in humans. Exposure levels in cats kept indoors may be higher than those in human family members, who often spend more time outside the home. A study done by Tufts School of Veterinary Medicine found "a strong correlation between ETS and an oral cancer, squamous cell carcinoma, in cats." The risk for this type of cancer doubled in cats...

NEW YORK CITY(Army News Service, Nov. 23, 2005) -- Holiday greetings featuring 30 deployed troops from the New York City area debuted Nov. 17 on Times Square. About 50 family members gathered at the “Crossroads of the World” to view the greetings on the 30-by-40-ft. screen that overlooks the site where the New Year’s Eve ball drops for millions of television viewers worldwide. Queens resident Evelyn Ponce came to see the greeting from her daughter, Spc. Jessica Alicea, who is deployed in Afghanistan and due to return at the end of December. “We’re very proud of her,” said Ponce. “She...

I remember reading several months ago about some drug they developed from a tree or plant in africa. When people take it they go through this introspective journey and meet with some sort of spiritual being that sets them straight...? No I dont buy it but a "friend" wanted to read it. Thanks

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - NBC's broadcast of the 2004 Olympics has gotten off to as bumpy a start as the U.S. Olympic team itself, with prime-time ratings for the first three days of the Summer Games down slightly from four years ago, according to figures released on Monday. NBC's prime-time Olympics coverage still towered over the usual summer sitcoms, reality shows and reruns offered on rival U.S. networks during the first three days of the Athens Games, posting a hefty household rating of 14.1 and a full quarter share of all viewers watching TV on those evenings. But compared with...