Free Republic

In Britain, defending your property can get you life. Celebrity news from the United Kingdom: In April, Germaine Greer, the Australian feminist and author of The Female Eunuch, was leaving her house in East Anglia, when a young woman accosted her, forced her back inside, tied her up, smashed her glasses, and then set about demolishing her ornaments with a poker. A couple of weeks before that, the 85-year-old mother of Phil Collins, the well-known rock star, was punched in the ribs, the back, and the head on a West London street, before her companion was robbed. “That’s what you...

Cambridge University has named the man who will succeed Professor Stephen Hawking in one of the world's most prestigious academic positions. The celebrated physicist, who has motor neurone disease, completed his last day as Lucasian Professor of Mathematics on 30 September. The university said Professor Michael Green had been elected as the 18th person to take up the position.... ...The Lucasian Professorship was established in 1663 and previous holders have included Isaac Newton.