Free Republic

Skip the Krabby Patty, SpongeBob SquarePants is going veggie. Pictures of the happy-go-lucky sponge will appear on packages of carrots, spinach and citrus starting next month, under licensing deals with produce companies. Dora the Explorer and other Nickelodeon characters also will debut on fruit and vegetable packages, according to the network. SpongeBob already helps pitch a cart full of foods ranging from cereal to ice cream, but Nickelodeon executives say the foray into the wholesome fruit and vegetable market complements network programming attempts to coax kids to eat healthier. "If we can use our popular characters and help kids eat...

One winner of a recent American Airlines contest says he would have been better off losing. The contest, launched as part of the airline's We Know Why You Fly marketing campaign, awarded free tickets to travelers submitting the best videos, essays or photographs about their flying experiences. The grand prize winners were offered 12 round-trip restricted coach tickets for two from the U.S. to anywhere in the world American flies. In exchange, American has the right to use the winning materials for promotional purposes. The contest's fine print explains that winners must pay federal and state income taxes, where applicable,...

With a shortage of active-duty sergeants, the Army is allowing 19,000 qualified corporals and specialists to automatically be placed on the promotion list for sergeant, instead of having to wait for a commander to recommend them for advancement to that rank. The Army currently needs about 1,500 more sergeants from 31 specialties. Until now, soldiers who hoped to move to the E-5 level required a commander's recommendation to go before a promotions board of senior NCOs. From now on, soldiers will automatically be placed on the E-5 promotion list as long as they meet the minimum requirements. That means 19,000...

BERKELEY, Calif. - At the birthplace of the free speech movement, campus radicals have a new target: the faculty that came of age in the 60's. They say their professors have been preaching multiculturalism and diversity while creating a political monoculture on campus. Conservatism is becoming more visible at the University of California here, where students put out a feisty magazine called The California Patriot and have made the Berkeley Republicans one of the largest groups on campus. But here, as at schools nationwide, the professors seem to be moving in the other direction, as evidenced by their campaign contributions...

Long John Silver's President announces the company will give America free Giant Shrimp on May 10 to celebrate NASA's discovery of salt water on Mars Long John Silver's President Calls Discovery "One Small Step for Man, One Giant Leap for Giant Shrimp" NASA's March 23 announcement of evidence of the past presence of "a body of gently flowing saltwater" on Mars is big news for America, and giant news for seafood fans. In January, Long John Silver's offered to give America free Giant Shrimp if NASA found conclusive evidence of an ocean on Mars. To celebrate the success of NASA's...

<p>Shelbyville -- She's all smiles -- and drug free, too.</p> <p>With that, Ashley Allen didn't have to think long to find the theme of her drawing for Shelby County Prosecutor R. Kent Apsley's antidrug poster contest.</p> <p>"I was thinking about what I was going to do while Mr. (Eric) Sutton was explaining the instructions. I thought of it right away: I kind of, like, drew me. I wanted to draw a person like me.</p>

DES MOINES, Iowa (Dow Jones/AP) - Darden Restaurants Inc. Wednesday said it had replaced the head of Red Lobster, its biggest chain, after an all-you-can-eat crab promotion went awry. Darden President and Chief Operating Officer Dick Rivera will succeed Edna Morris as president of Red Lobster. Morris, who had been in that job just 18 months, left to pursue other interests, the company said. Darden executives said Red Lobster management had badly miscalculated how many times customers would refill their plates after paying $20 for an "endless" crab entree. Meanwhile, crab prices were going up, sending the profit margin crashing....

You can win a day of campaigning with John Kerry. Details are coming soon, so stay tuned to johnkerry.com and stay involved!

Idaho's Craig Reports Progress, Releases All Air Force Promotions By Scott Logan BOISE - No new C-130 aircraft are immediately headed to Gowen Field but Sen. Larry Craig thinks his well publicized blockade of Air Force promotions succeeded. "What is most important is that we've taken the issue of four aircraft at Gowen Field all the way to the White House now," said the Idaho Republican. "And it's being discussed in the Pentagon. There's only one way to resolve this, and that's with the delivery of the aircraft." Craig will meet Tuesday with White House officials and Deputy Secretary...

<p>WASHINGTON - Idaho Sen. Larry Craig cleared the way for the Senate to approve the promotions of 127 Air Force captains and majors, but will continue to stall promotions of higher-ranking officers in a showdown over planes for the Air National Guard in his state.</p> <p>Relenting to requests from the White House, Craig's staff processed paperwork releasing the 127 nominees Wednesday night and they were scheduled for a Senate vote Thursday, said Will Hart, a spokesman for the Idaho Republican.</p>

Senator Larry Craig (R-ID) is the spoiler when it comes to the promotions of 850 servicemen and women, some of whom have just served their country valiantly in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Why, you ask? It would seem that years ago there was an agreement between Sen. Craig and the Air Force to station eight C-130 aircraft at a National Guard base in Idaho and only four have been delivered. The question here is this; how can anyone deny our service men and women promotions so deserved because of politics? Washington DC has become the Mecca (sorry for the inference) for...

GOP Senator Hijacks Air Force for Pork A U.S. senator won't allow the promotions of 850 Air Force officers, including veterans of the Iraq war, and he won't relent until the Air Force gives a base in his state four C-130 cargo planes for the Idaho Air National Guard, according to the New York Times. Angry Pentagon officials said Sen. Larry Craig has single-handedly delayed the careers of hundreds of officers and stymied important Air Force business for a handful of commonplace planes for more than a month. They refuse to give into his demands, which they call "blackmail." "If...

WASHINGTON, June 8 — Senator Larry E. Craig of Idaho is blocking the promotions of more than 850 Air Force officers, including young pilots who fought in Iraq and the general nominated to bail out the scandal-plagued United States Air Force Academy, in a rare clash between the Pentagon and a senior Republican lawmaker. Mr. Craig's price to free the frozen promotions now awaiting final Senate approval? Four C-130 cargo planes for the Idaho Air National Guard. Pentagon officials express outrage that for more than a month Mr. Craig has single-handedly delayed the careers of hundreds of officers and stymied...

  ----- Original Message ----- From: ABC TV Stossel Reporting To: ABC TV Stossel Reporting Sent: Thursday, October 03, 2002 5:28 PM Subject: JOHN STOSSEL'S "GIVE ME A BREAK" THIS FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4,200210 P.M. EST This Friday's "Give Me A Break" is about an another accounting scandal. The accounting at an institution is so lax, employees used investors' money to buy engagement rings, Elvis photos, women's lingerie, jewelry, escort services, and breast implants. The "investors" in this case are you, because the "company" is the defense department. It happened because of the defense department's ludicrous policy of giving out...

"What, me sell out?" Apparently so. Alfred E. Neuman, the gap-toothed mascot of Mad magazine, has officially joined the Establishment. Dressed in a preppy blue polo shirt, he can now be found on the cover of a Lands' End catalog, hawking chinos, button-down Oxford shirts and tasseled loafers. He also had his teeth fixed for a new "Got milk?" campaign. And PepsiCo plans to plaster his lopsided mug on bottles of its SoBe drinks. The list goes on. Although Mad's founder, the late William Gaines, once vowed to teach kids not to believe in ads, his cartoon protege has chosen...