Free Republic

Update: I've lost fifty pounds. I eat less. I still don't like the hassle of beggars, but I can always say No. I eat very little popcorn: only that popped at home.

Usually the post office ranks right above the DMV as the least exciting place on earth, but imagine the joy you could offer to your fellow frustrated shippers with the gift of bacon, no skillet or greasy fingers required. That’s right, bacon lovers, crankiness at the post office could be a thing of the past if everyone stocked up on bacon-flavored envelopes. J&D’s sells a pack of 25 for only $6.99 and also features a wide variety of other bacon-flavored goodies like Bacon Lip Balm and Bacon Popcorn. Hmm, now if only the DMV could create bacon-flavored driver licenses.

OK FReepers. KV has hand picked his costume for this years contest in our area. He has not entered this particular contest in 7yrs since he won 2nd prize the last time. So he is on the comeback. His choice is. The Custom Purple Pimp suit w/necklass bling Adorning his WC is Lil Acorns. He will have some Good Cigars on board (yes they can smoke them where he is going) For some reason he chose to have a life size stand up attached to the back of his WC of a box of Popcorn. As his careprovider/mom I am...

The Marine Corps is moving to ban dogs with aggressive temperaments from Camp Pendleton and other bases under a policy developed after a 3-year-old boy at Camp Lejeune, N.C., was fatally bitten by a pit bull. The banned breeds are pit bulls, Rottweilers and wolf hybrids. Families moving into base housing are no longer allowed to bring those breeds. Families already in housing can keep their dogs until Sept. 30, 2012, but only if they receive a "good-dog" waiver.

Dean: Jones' Resignation a 'Loss for the Country' The former presidential candidate vigorously defends Van Jones, who resigned in the wake of criticism over his past statements and associations. FOXNews.com Sunday, September 06, 2009 Former Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean said Sunday that the resignation of White House green jobs adviser Van Jones is a "loss for the country." The outspoken Democrat and former presidential candidate vigorously defended Jones, who resigned in the wake of criticism over his past statements and associations -- including his past support for a group that believes the Bush administration may have been involved in...

Popcorn could help prevent cancer, research suggests. Scientists discovered the snack food contains 'surprisingly large' levels of health-boosting antioxidants called polyphenols. Polyphenols in fruit and vegetables are thought to help reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer and other diseases. The U.S. study was led by the chemist Dr Vinson from the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania. It is the first to establish that snack foods and some wholegrain breakfast cereals are a good source of polyphenols. He said: 'We really were surprised by the levels of polyphenols we found in popcorn. I guess its because it's not processed. You...

Dear Mr. Robinson: I've given the matter quite a bit of thought and have decided it is time to ZOT you. I was tempted when I noticed posters were allowed to insult anyone who disagreed with them; even more tempted when I saw new posters banned for asking questions, or expressing an opinion outside the mainstream - (though I must confess anyone adopting the screen name "Christ was killed by conservatives" was not going to last very long ! I'm sure he was referring to the Sanhedrin, but still...) When I saw your post today about getting "millions of people"...

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Famed Appalachian moonshiner Marvin “Popcorn” Sutton, whose incorrigible bootlegging ways were as out of step with modern times as his hillbilly beard and overalls, took his own life rather than go to prison for making white lightning, his widow says. “He couldn’t go to prison. His mind would just not accept it. … So I credit the federal government for my husband being dead, I really do,” Pam Sutton told The Associated Press in an interview Wednesday from the couple’s home in the Parrottsville community, about 50 miles east of Knoxville.

DES MOINES, Iowa - A federal jury Thursday awarded $7.5 million to an Iowa man who claimed his lungs were damaged by working with buttery flavoring used to make microwave popcorn.

Talk about extreme makeover: Popcorn is suddenly sprouting colors and flavors you never saw at the old Bijou theater downtown. At Vic's Corn Popper, 1616 Shipyard Blvd., in addition to the regular White Gourmet or Caramel, you can order popcorn in Jalapeno, Ranch, Red Hot Cinnamon, Pink Vanilla Cotton Candy, Peanut Butter Chocolate Caramel, plain old Chocolate Caramel or Fruitilicious, which "kind of tastes like Froot Loops," according to co-owner Susan Beauchamp.

Lawyers for embattled Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich want two key aides to President-elect Barack Obama and U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. subpoenaed, according to Chicago media reports. Blagojevich's legal team has asked the Illinois House panel that members of Obama's incoming administration testify before the House impeachment committee, including Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and Senior Adviser Valerie Jarrett, WBBM-TV and the Chicago Sun-Times reported late Wednesday. Ed Genson, Blagojevich's chief lawyer, said testimony from the aides will prove the governor's insistence that he did nothing illegal to fill Obama's now vacant U.S. Senate seat. The news comes days after...

Remember, nothing is final until the electoral college votes and the Senate certifies next month. With all of the lawsuits and challenges that are sure to come, along with the probable riots, this may be long and drawn out. Support your local Cub Scouts by buying some popcorn to support their mission and promise to "do my best, to do my duty to God and my country, to help other people, and to obey the Law of the Pack." They will be selling door to door, at shopping centers, at your work, etc. for immediate consumption, or for later delivery.

Next time, just stick with the $9 soda. A Manhattan judge has thrown out an Upper West Side man's lawsuit against a movie theater that sold him a bag of popcorn with an unpopped kernel inside. Steve Kaplan, 46, said he fractured his tooth when he chomped down on the kernel, causing $1,250 worth of dental damage. Kaplan popped off to the theater and demanded it pay for his dental work. "Confounding plaintiff's expectations, defendant refused to pay anything," said Civil Court Judge Matthew Cooper, who denied the claim, finding that Kaplan, an insurance broker, knew the risks when he...

A federal grand jury sitting in Chattanooga on Tuesday will hear the case of a UT student accused of hacking into the e-mail account of GOP vice presidential nominee, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. David Kernell, a 20-year-old University of Tennnessee student accused of the hacking, is the son of state Rep. Mike Kernell, D-Memphis. See tomorrow's Chattanooga Times Free Press for full coverage.

Los Angeles For anyone who has ever been on a movie set, the commotion inside Warner Brothers Studio 15 will be familiar: serious-faced actors and actresses quietly rehearsing their lines; the director of photography huddled with his assistants around two high-definition screens inside a small black tent reviewing the last scenes; extras lounging around the set trying both to stay out of the way and to get noticed; carpenters busily working to construct the set for the next scene; a frazzled first assistant director guzzling Red Bull and yelling instructions to anyone who will listen. "Rolling," he shouts. Others throughout...

State Representative Mike Kernell, a Memphis Democrat, made a statement to the Tennessean in which he identified his son, David Kernell, as the hacker who broke in to vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin’s email address and posted screenshots of the contents on the internet. Mike Kernell represents District 93, which covers the University of Memphis, and parts of south-east Memphis. He told the Tennessean on Thursday that it was indeed his son David who, using the handle Rubico, posted the original screenshots of Governor Palin’s e-mail account after using Yahoo’s password recovery service and a bit of research to find out...

(CNN) -- Sen. Joe Biden will make the case Monday that Sen. John McCain won't bring change to Washington, and Gov. Sarah Palin will step out on her own in her first solo event on the campaign trail. Aides say Biden will use his unique standing as McCain's decades-long Senate colleague to further accuse the Arizona senator of being a "sequel" to President Bush's two terms.

DETROIT – A judge ruled Thursday that Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick will no longer have to wear an electronic tether ordered as part of his bond in his perjury case and may travel to the Democratic National Convention in Denver, where he is a superdelegate.

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REV. JESSE JACKSON APOLOGIZES TO SEN. BARACK OBAMA FOR 'CRUDE AND HURTFUL COMMENTS' CAUGHT BY OPEN MIC... DEVELOPING...

The sun-dappled image from August 1997 shimmers in memory. The two great Democratic political dynasties had set sail on carefree waters. Aboard the Mya as the schooner maneuvered its way out of Menemsha Harbor on Martha's Vineyard were the reigning Clintons and the radiant Kennedys. The news photographs, which mesh with my memory, show the president and the ruddy white-haired Massachusetts senator, along with a waving Hillary Clinton and the extended Kennedy clan, including Rep. Patrick Kennedy and daughter-of-Camelot Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg. Last week, 11 years after that in-happier-times snapshot, the curtain began to descend on the Kennedys and Clintons...

I am more than willing to give Barack Obama props for having gone on Fox News Sunday to discuss campaign issues with Chris Wallace. As most political observers know, the folks on the other side of the partisan divide don't particularly like it when any of their own go on Fox--they seem to think that it would be best to boycott the station and let it suffer in the ratings and in the revenue department. The fact that this plan has failed thus far does not deter them, but in any event, if you really want to get your message...

Obama Tied to More Racists By Sher Zieve As the leftist media valiantly attempts to bury any additional and factual racist-related stories about their presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama (D-IL), new information regarding Obama’s ties to racism and anti-Americanism are still emerging. And just as Obama’s former self-admitted anti-American/anti-white people/anti-Semitic pastor Jeremiah Wright has skulked off the pulpit of the inaptly named “Trinity United Church of Christ”, another apparently racism-preaching minister—Otis Moss—is picking up where Wright left off. And there is, yet, another one—Minister James Meeks. But, let’s begin with Moss. During this year’s Easter sermon, Moss (I will not...

This is going to be FUN!

Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana, who backs Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton for president, proposed another gauge Sunday by which superdelegates might judge whether to support Mrs. Clinton or Senator Barack Obama. He suggested that they consider the electoral votes of the states that each of them has won. (SNIP) So far, Mrs. Clinton has won states with a total of 219 Electoral College votes, not counting Florida and Michigan, while Mr. Obama has won states with a total of 202 electoral votes.

Gordon Fischer, the former director of the Iowa Democratic Party and co-chair for Sen. Barack Obama's efforts in the Hawkeye State, is still very much involved in making sure Obama gets delegates as the caucus process continues. He's also quite fired up about former President Bill Clinton's comments in front of a North Carolina VFW Hall, which the Obama campaign took to be an impugning of Obama's patriotism. In his blog, Fischer writes: "B. Clinton questions Obama's patriotism. In repsonse (sic), an Obama aide compared B. Clinton to Joe McCarthy. This is patently unfair. To McCarthy. "When Joe McCarthy questioned...

After the tumultous events during the past week regarding Barak Obama and his mentor Reverend Wright, hundreds of questions have been asked and answered concerning Wrights comments and what they meant, by not only media figures and internet politivo guru's, but by Obama himself. The one question I have is where is the man best suited to answer these questions? Why has Wright escaped into the woodwork as Michelle Obama did after her "for the first time in my life..." comment? Why the secrecy, why has he been hid from the public and media? WHERE IS PASTOR WRIGHT?

On a conference call today, Mark Penn -- the senior adviser to Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-NY, declared that Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, can't win the general election. Penn says that Obama can't win Pennsylvania, a primary which is key to the general. "We believe fundamentally it provides a very test of who can really win the general election," Penn says. "We believe this will again show Hillary is ready to win and Senator Obama really can't win a general election." After a reporter presses for clarification, the Clinton campaign denied Penn made the statement and Penn clarifies, saying: "I think...

I have seen Freepers use popcorn eating avatars or as an image for years. I want one to use in debate and cannot find one now. Can anyone help?

The Obama campaign unloads on Hillary Clinton's "experience" with this memo by Greg Craig offering a point-by-point rebuttal of her claims: To: Interested Parties From: Greg Craig, former director, Policy Planning Office, U.S. State Department RE: Senator Clinton's claim to be experienced in foreign policy: Just words? DA: March 11, 2008 When your entire campaign is based upon a claim of experience, it is important that you have evidence to support that claim. Hillary Clinton's argument that she has passed "the Commander- in-Chief test" is simply not supported by her record. There is no doubt that Hillary Clinton played an...

Join your freeper friends for an evening of cokes, cracks, cocktails and comments as we enjoy a trip down memory lane with Margaret Mitchell's Gone With the Wind. Turner Classic Movies shows one of our favorites at 8 pm est, tonight. Made in 1939 and released in 41, the hit novel tells the tale of a manipulative southern belle who struggles after the Civil War, to return her family's estate to its original splendor. Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Leslie Howard, Olivia de Havilland.

Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama yesterday heightened the rancour of their Monday debate by attacking each other's record and style, bringing what has become a mean-spirited and negative campaign to a new low. At a hastily arranged press conference in Washington, Clinton accused Obama of desperation after his primary defeats, and of provoking the confrontation in Monday night's debate - the angriest yet between the Democratic candidates. "Senator Obama is very frustrated. The events of the last 10 or so days, particularly the outcome in New Hampshire and Nevada, have apparently convinced him to adopt a different strategy. He clearly...

'Popcorn Lung' Wants His Day in Court First Diagnosed Case of 'Popcorn Lung' Spurs Lawsuit A Denver man believed to be the only consumer to develop "popcorn lung" from regular servings of microwave popcorn filed a lawsuit Tuesday claiming injury from the artificial butter flavoring that previously sickened only popcorn factory workers. Wayne Watson's attorney, Kenneth McClain, said the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court names The Kroger Co. and two of its divisions: grocery store King Soopers' parent company, Dillon Companies Inc., and food distributor Inter-American Products Inc. A spokeswoman for Cincinnati-based Kroger said the company does not comment...

A fondness for microwave buttered popcorn may have led a 53-year-old Colorado man to develop a serious lung condition that until now has been found only in people working in popcorn plants. Lung specialists and even a top industry official say the case, the first of its kind, raises serious concerns about the safety of microwave butter-flavored popcorn. “We’ve all been working on the workplace safety side of this, but the potential for consumer exposure is very concerning,” said John B. Hallagan, general counsel for the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association of the United States, a trade association of companies...

Consumers, not just factory workers, may be in danger from fumes from buttery flavoring in microwave popcorn, according to a warning letter to federal regulators from a doctor at a leading lung research hospital.

It's the end of time, at least as far as AT&T is concerned. The brief note in customers' bills hardly does justice to the momentousness of the decision. "Service withdrawal," it blandly declares. "Effective September 2007, Time of Day information service will be discontinued." What that means is that people throughout Southern California will no longer be able to call 853-1212 to hear a woman's recorded voice state that "at the tone, Pacific Daylight Time will be . . ." with the recording automatically updating at 10-second intervals. "Times change," said John Britton, an AT&T spokesman. "In today's world, there...

CRAWFORD, Texas - Cindy Sheehan, the soldier's mother who galvanized the anti-war movement, said Sunday that she plans to run against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi unless she introduces articles of impeachment against President Bush in the next two weeks. ADVERTISEMENT Sheehan said she will run against the San Francisco Democrat in 2008 as an independent if Pelosi does not seek by July 23 to impeach Bush. That's when Sheehan and her supporters are to arrive in Washington, D.C., after a 13-day caravan and walking tour starting next week from the group's war protest site near Bush's Crawford ranch. "Democrats and...

This is an experiment to see how long it will take a freeper to mention illegals or immigration in a post that has nothing to do with illegals or immigration.

SEATTLE – At Seattle City Hall there are rules. No weapons, no animals, no loitering, no alcohol, no lying down, no smoking, no music, no fighting, no trespassing. Could the next thing be no microwave popcorn? "It can be a significant problem in the future," says Seattle Facilities Director Pedro Vasquez. The City Facilities Department has just issued a memo to all City employees. SUBJECT: Burnt microwave popcorn. The Justice Center has been evacuated eight times in three years, forcing the evacuation of more than 400 people. If the problem continues, it will result in a ban of all microwave...

In order for the Republicans to win the 2008 Presidential election we are going to have to get some crossover votes. The Evangelical Right is too immersed in the righteousness of social issues to deal with the hard facts of financial and international issues. In other words they will vote for a loser if he or she supports their social beliefs. I like Newt Gingrich. I do not believe he is electable because of his baggage…the media will use this baggage to destroy him. They did it before. He is liked by Conservatives but loathed by moderate Democrats and some...

D.C. Madame to Sell 10,000 Phone Records of High-End Washington Clients Deborah J. Palfrey is unhappy. And, if you know who Deborah J. Palfrey is—and especially if you know her by Jeane—you probably don’t want her unhappy. From 1993 until this past summer, Palfrey ran Pamela Martin and Associates, a “high-end adult fantasy firm which offered legal sexual and erotic services across the spectrum of adult sexual behavior,” according to a statement she put out today hoping to raise funds for her legal defense. The way she plans to raise those funds could reverberate through Washington’s power corridors. She is...

Alcee Hastings out as chair. Harman also out, accordingt to Fox. Second loss for Pelosi.

The U.S. occupation forces have stood silent and U.S. ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad carelessly ignored daily acts of kidnapping, torture and killing which ripped through Iraq in recent months, particularly following the massive attack on Samarra’s revered Shia Shrine in February 22, believed to be part of a well-planned plot to create schism between Iraq’s Sunnis and Shias. The U.S. occupiers, responsible for the current chaotic situation in Iraq, have stood silently watching the bloodbath that followed the attack on Samarra which resulted in the destruction of the Golden Dome Mosque of the Two Imams, and the wave of kidnappings and...

Senate Democratic leadership threatens Disney with legal and legislative sanctionsby John in DC - 9/07/2006 06:02:00 PM This letter was sent today by the entire Democratic leadership of the US Senate. This letter is such a major shot across the bow of Disney, it's not even funny. It is FILLED with veiled threats, both legal and legislative, against Disney. US Senators don't make threats like this, especially the entire Democratic leadership en masse, unless they mean it. Disney is in serious trouble. Read it, then read my analysis of it below:September 7, 2006 Mr. Robert A. Iger President and...

HUNDREDS of Palestinian security forces loyal to the president, Mahmoud Abbas, went on a violent rampage against the Hamas-led government last night, riddling the Ramallah parliament and cabinet buildings with bullets in revenge for attacks by Hamas gunmen.The security men shot out the windows of the parliament before storming the cabinet complex, where they smashed furniture, destroyed computers and scattered documents. Dozens of gunmen from the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, a pro-Fatah militia, joined the security men. No casualties were reported, but one building was set on fire. The rampage followed an attack in Gaza early yesterday by Hamas gunmen...

Air force launches missile strike at vehicle in Gaza Strip, killing commander of military wing of Popular Resistance Commitees; Palestinian sources report another 10 injured, 2 in critical condition; 'Our response will be swift, hard, merciless and relentless,' group spokesman says The Israel Air Force launched a missile strike Wednesday at a vehicle in the southern Gaza town of Rafah, killing the commander of the Popular Resistance Committees' military wing. Two other activists were also in the car at the time of the strike. Palestinian sources confirmed that Mahmoud al-Arkan, commander of the military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees,...

Preserving the Earth, One Joke at a Time By MICHAEL JANOFSKY Published: November 19, 2005 Jeffrey Tambor performing at the comedy show "Earth to America." Isaac Brekken for The New York TimesLAS VEGAS, Nov. 18 - Ice caps are melting. Oceans are rising. Villages are disappearing. Wild animals are not quite sure what is going on. Pretty funny stuff, eh? Well, on Thursday night it was, as a parade of comedians and a few serious actors joined forces here at Caesars Palace for two and a half hours of environmental consciousness-raising in a live show called "Earth to America," focused...

Police in the French city of Lyon have fired tear gas to break up groups of youths who hurled stones and bins hours before a curfew was due to begin. Police on the city's famous Place Bellecour square made two arrests in what state news agency AFP says is the first rioting in a major city centre.

Today we had to take my middle boy for surgery. Seems my 4 y/o decided to stuff a lego up his left nostril. I could not fish it out, our peditrician couldn't fish it out, so surgery was the only option. I guess it only is fair, as a 4 y/o I managed to plug my left ear with a piece of popcorn, that once swelled looked like a tumor.