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NEW YORK (Dec. 13) -- A Muslim man jumped to the aid of three Jewish subway riders after they were attacked by a group of young people who objected to one of the Jews saying "Happy Hanukkah," a spokeswoman for the three said Wednesday...

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — The University of North Carolina system is considering whether to offer undocumented immigrants in-state tuition at its 16 university campuses. In-state tuition ranges from $1,500 to $3,700 while out-of-state students pay between $10,000 and $20,000. System President Erskine Bowles said illegal immigrants already are in the state, and he said creating another permanent underclass isn't the right thing to do. The policy's costs and benefits are being studied by a 28-member commission of business, community and academic leaders. Last week, a controversy erupted over a new policy that mandates all state community colleges admit students regardless...

What if you had to choose whether to release a child molester into your neighborhood, or else release a murderer. Which would you choose to unleash on your neighbors? What if the choice were a kidnapper versus a rapist? One of them must be given permission to live among the innocents in your town, and you‘re the one who must choose which it will be. What if you had to make impossible choices such as these every day? That’s the situation faced by deportation officers (DOs) in their jobs, as described in The Deporter, written by former deportation officer Ames...

ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Two days after naming its mascot "PorkChop," the Philadelphia Phillies' new Triple-A affiliate abruptly dropped the moniker after receiving complaints from Hispanics that it was offensive. The Lehigh Valley IronPigs, whose mascot is a large, furry pig, had selected PorkChop from more than 7,300 fan submissions. The team, which begins play in 2008, announced Monday that the mascot will be named "Ferrous" instead. General Manager Kurt Landes said he heard from several Hispanics who said PorkChop was derogatory.

A highly decorated Arab-American sergeant in the US army, who is currently serving as a paratrooper in Afghanistan, faces deportation on his return to the United States because of an irregularity in his immigration papers.

After a sheet metal plant in Connecticut ordered its employees to speak only English on the job because of safety concerns, five Spanish-speaking workers decided to take the company to court. The employees, who are legal immigrants, say the rule amounts to discrimination and actually makes the workplace more hazardous. "I can think of no good reason for them to institute this policy," said Steven Jacobs, the lawyer for the workers who are suing GC Industries in Deep River, Conn. "It's offensive to people who speak Spanish and is potentially dangerous. It inhibits them from communicating in their native tongue...

It is one of Emory University's most environmentally friendly buildings, a hallmark of the institution's efforts to "go green." To hear John Wegner describe it, it's also a slaughterhouse. The pretty reflective glass on the Mathematics and Science building at Emory University is an 'aviary slaughterhouse, says John Wegner.' It kills dozens of birds who confuse the reflective woodsy view with the actual forest. The school puts up netting during the migratory season. "The building killed 60 birds in the first year," said Wegner, Emory's chief environmental officer. "It was the wall of death." Wegner, a professor in Emory's Department...

Women are being given controversial "virginity repair" operations on the NHS, it emerged last night. Taxpayers funded 24 hymen replacement operations between 2005 and 2006, official figures revealed. And increasing numbers of women are paying up to £4,000 in private clinics for the procedure apparently under pressure from future spouses or in-laws who believe they should be virgins on their wedding night. Doctors said most patients are immigrants or British of ethnic origin. The trend has been condemned by critics as a sign of social regression driven by Islamic fundamentalists. Some countries have made hymen reconstruction operations illegal. ...Tory health...

Acrimony with racial overtones has plagued the advisory council. The key issue: whether meetings in Spanish should be allowed.For months, parents on a Los Angeles Unified School District advisory council have disagreed over whether their meetings should be conducted in Spanish or English. Such arguments became so abusive that district officials canceled meetings for two months and brought in dispute-resolution specialists and mental-health counselors. But Friday morning's gathering of the District Advisory Council proved dysfunctional in any language. By one vote, parents censured their own chairman for alleged bad behavior, leading to a walkout of most Spanish-speakers. The rebuked chairman,...

ST. LOUIS — To the Roman Catholic Church, the ceremony was not an ordination. In fact, it wasn't even Roman Catholic. But to two women and the approximately 600 people who came to cheer them on, history was made Sunday in St. Louis as the two became the first women ever in the city to be ordained as Catholic priests. And the first ever, perhaps in the world, to be ordained in a synagogue. Rose Marie Hudson, 67, of Festus, and Elsie Hainz McGrath, 69, of St. Louis, were ordained as priests by an organization called Roman Catholic Womenpriests, which...

The world-famous Red Arrows have been banned from appearing at the 2012 London Olympics because they are deemed 'too British'. Organisers of the event say that the Arrows military background might be 'offensive' to other countries taking part in the Games. The display team have performed at more than 4000 events worldwide, but the Department of Culture, Media and Sport have deemed the display team 'too militaristically British'. Red Arrows pilots were said to be 'outraged', as they had hoped to put on a truly world class display for the Games, something which had never been seen before. Being axed...

STATEMENT This bill would clarify that “airsoft” guns constitute firearms and therefore are subject to this State’s strict laws regulating the sale, possession, and use of firearms. Airsoft guns are replica firearms used primarily for sporting and recreational purposes, including military games. They use compressed-air, gas, or spring or electric-operated pistons to shoot non-metallic pellets or balls. Because these guns shoot plastic rather than metal pellets, it is not clear under current law whether they are considered firearms similar to “BB” guns. Therefore, the bill revises the definition of a firearm by specifying that any air gun, spring gun, gun...

Santa is being told to shift the pounds before Christmas - because the obese saint is failing to set a "good example" for children. The traditional children's hero, best known for feasting on mince pies left out on Christmas eve, has always sported a bulging midriff. But shopping centre bosses are giving the well-wisher his marching orders - to the nearest gym - to tackle the increasing problem of obesity. The revelation comes after a medical report earlier this month stated that by 2050 more than 50 per cent of Brits will be obese. Santa has been told he must...

It was a rich decade, and car buyers rewarded themselves. After generations of being the exclusive domain of wealthy families, successful businessmen and professionals, luxury vehicles went mainstream in the mid-1990s. Between 1997 and 2006, luxury-brand sales grew 82 percent. Detroit's Big Three missed the party. A Plain Dealer analysis of data provided by the credit research firm Experian Group shows that domestic luxury brands failed to keep up with their Japanese and German counterparts. Once-successful near-luxury brands such as Mercury, Buick and Oldsmobile all but disappeared. Toyota's Lexus division more than tripled its sales, while Ford's Lincoln brand fell...

Pharmacies across the city routinely fail to help non-English speakers understand their prescriptions, raising the chances that customers could harm themselves by taking medicines incorrectly, immigrant advocacy groups charge in a discrimination complaint that they plan to file today with the New York attorney general’s office. The complaint names 16 pharmacies in Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island, most of them operated by chains. It argues that federal civil rights law and state health regulations require pharmacies to provide linguistic help to guarantee that people who speak little or no English receive equal access to health care. That assistance should include...

Quebec legislature bans word 'weathervane' Speaker says its hurtful and a slur after Charest called Dumont a weathervane one too many times October 16, 2007 THE CANADIAN PRESS QUEBEC – Politicians in Quebec's legislature will have to come up with a new way to slag their opponents now that the word "weathervane" has been added to the list of unparliamentary language. Speaker Michel Bissonnet judged the word to be "hurtful" as the legislature resumed Tuesday after the summer break. Premier Jean Charest has called Opposition Leader Mario Dumont a weathervane on numerous occasions recently, elevating him on Tuesday to "national...

A car repair firm has been taken to court accused of infringing musical copyright because its employees listen to radios at work. The action against the Kwik-Fit Group has been brought by the Performing Rights Society which collects royalties for songwriters and performers. At a procedural hearing at the Court of Session in Edinburgh a judge refused to dismiss the £200,000 damages claim. Kwik-Fit wanted the case brought against it thrown out. Lord Emslie ruled that the action can go ahead with evidence being heard. The PRS claimed that Kwik-Fit mechanics routinely use personal radios while working at service centres...

WAPPINGERS FALLS, N.Y. (CNS) -- In late July, carloads of curious Catholics caravanned north from their church to a mosque in the next county. Three dozen Catholics who regularly attend Mass at the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement's Graymoor Spiritual Life Center in Garrison accepted a Muslim visitor's invitation to attend services at Masjid Al-Noor, his mosque in Wappingers Falls. Entering the two-story white frame building, the visitors placed their shoes alongside their host's on wire racks lining one wall of the foyer. The women, already modestly covered from chin to ankle, pulled on scarves to cover their hair. The...

Breda - The Dutch Roman Catholic bishop Tiny Muskens is urging the faithful of all religions to call God Allah in order to foster mutual understanding. The bishop of the city of Breda says God does not mind what he is called and points out that Allah is the Arabic word for God. The bishop, who is retiring in a few weeks, added he did not expect his ideas to find immediate acceptance. He expects it could take 100 or 200 years. Bishop Muskens has previously defied the Vatican by calling for the acceptance of married priests and the use...

A British homeowner was arrested after a burglar fell 30 feet from the balcony of his apartment and later died in the hospital. Police say that "following an exchange of words," the 43-year-old intruder, whose name was withheld to protect his privacy, smashed through a fourth-floor window in an attempt to escape after being confronted by the homeowner, Patrick Walsh, aged 56. Walsh was subsequently arrested for “assault causing serious bodily harm.” If convicted he could face a life sentence. A spokesman for the Greater Manchester Police said that even though the common person might assume that the homeowner is...