Free Republic

There is a national tragedy sweeping across America, and it promptly needs to come to an end. For some inexplicable reason, American entertainment outlets think male consumers are entertained by “plus-sized” models. They’re not. Trust me when I say that there’s a reason men read the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit magazine, and it has nothing to do with the seemingly unending supply of bigger models. Naturally, I’m not suggesting that obese women are bad people. Obviously that’s not the case, and it’d be a lazy critique of my argument to even attempt to boil it down to that. My point is...

For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use. A small chain of restaurants in northern Japan has started serving whale burgers. The chain said it hoped to increase whale meat's popularity among locals. The new dish coincides with Japan's failure to overturn a ban on commercial whale hunting at a meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC). Japan has said it will double the number of whales it kills for scientific research, a move that was opposed by an IWC vote on Wednesday. The chain of restaurants, on the island of Hokkaido, said the burgers were selling well. A...

The wife of Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards said Monday that Republican criticism of Sen. John Kerry for mentioning Mary Cheney's sexual orientation was a distraction from more pressing issues. Campaigning in Denver, Elizabeth Edwards also argued that President Bush has tried to politicize the issue of gay rights in pressing for a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage. ``I believe the president has tried to use the constitutional amendment as a wedge issue, instead of addressing things like health care or real reform and attention to our veterans' issues,'' Edwards said. Mrs. Edwards also said she was upset...

AT the same time they posed for pictures chomping down on fast food at Wendy's, John Kerry and John Edwards — the wealthiest presidential ticket of all time — had gourmet box lunches waiting for them in their bus. The Kerry/Edwards photo-op campaign stop at Wendy's in upstate Newburgh, N.Y., last Friday included lots of blue-collar flesh-pressing and autograph-signing — but very little eating. The reason? A member of the Kerry/Edwards advance team had ordered much fancier fare the night before from posh Nikola's Restaurant at the Newburgh Yacht Club at a cost of about $200, the Mid-Hudson News reports....

<p>"NEW YORK — McDonald's Corp. (MCD) Thursday dismissed as "senseless" the filing of an amended lawsuit in New York alleging the fast-food chain sells foods that are more hazardous than customers expect."</p> <p>"The reaction from the world's largest restaurant chain came a day after new court papers were filed in a previously dismissed suit that had blamed the company's Big Macs, fries and Chicken McNuggets for obesity in children. The papers were filed in U.S. District Court in Manhattan late on Wednesday, according to several news reports"</p>