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Just for purposes of curiosity: Do you plan to travel for the July 4th weekend? and why or wny not? Pesonally, i wasn't planning on it, but that's par for the course. It's been years and years since i sought to go anywhere but to the local fireworks celebration, and I think this has saved me much grief. But, if I were one to go to big amusement parks, or going to visit relatives, I still would likely not go this year, not because of panic, or being so short of funds that I could not literally buy the gas...

Mary Easley's 88 percent pay raise questionedWednesday, July 02, 2008 | 6:41 PM By Ed Crump Wife of N.C. Governor Mike Easley.RALEIGH (WTVD) -- There is more controversy surrounding First Lady Mary Easley in the wake of expensive taxpayer funded trips abroad by both the first lady and Governor Mike Easley. Eyewitness News has learned that Mary Easley got an 88 percent raise at her job at N.C. State University. Until this week, Mary Easley got paid $90,000 a year to recruit speakers to come to campus. Now her job duties have expanded to include directing a public safety program...

I am planning a trip to Memphis in a few weeks with my family and wanted to see any of my FR brothers can give me some suggestions. I plan on going to the Rendezvous Restaurant for ribs but also want to hit a few other local attractions. Also, I wonder if there is any particular place to go for a more traditional slow smoked barbeque meal. My son is into history so anything historical may also be nice. Please feel free to make any suggestions that may be family approriate. My kids are 8 and 2. Thanks

I just heard a report of a suicide at Disneyland tonight. the radio reporter(AM 640 KFI Los Angeles) stated that a man staying at a Disneyland hotel with a co-worker. The man climbed out on to the balcony turned and made a statement to his room mate and jumped to his death. Police would not say what his statement was they said that they were quite sure that it was suicide. Has anyone heard anything else? It was on the 1 am news, but mysteriously absent from the 1:30 news on AM 640 in Los Angeles Ca,

PITTSBURGH - Republican Sen. John McCain on Tuesday called for a summer-long suspension of the federal gasoline tax and several tax cuts as the likely presidential nominee sought to stem the public's pain from a troubled economy. Timed for the day millions of Americans filed their tax returns, McCain offered some immediate steps as well as long-term proposals in a broad economic speech. The nation's financial woes have replaced the Iraq war as the top concern for voters, and McCain, who has said economics is not his strongest suit, felt compelled to address the problems as he looks ahead to...

Police in Panama City Beach are still searching for an ex-felon accused of sexually assaulting a Tuscaloosa woman on spring break and pushing her from a sixth-floor hotel balcony. Police intend to charge Shawn Wuertley, a security guard at the Sandpiper Beacon Resort in Panama City, with attempted felony murder, sexual battery and false imprisonment. Indiana criminal records indicate that Wuertley, 29, served several years in prison on several felony charges, none of them violent. He was convicted of burglary charges in 1998, 1999 and 2004, car theft, theft and two charges of receiving stolen property in 1999. He was...

Spring break has turned violent and deadly in unrelated incidents on Galveston Island. A 16-year-old girl from Deer Park drowned amid strong winds and currents. Elsewhere, a number of fights capped a concert on East Beach. A dozen were arrested. At spring break destinations everywhere, these scenes are often repeated. Yet psychologist Laurence Abrams says teens are just trying to enjoy themselves and the alcohol, sex and trouble tend to come with that. "They're not trying to hurt themselves. They're trying to have fun. Sometimes they make mistakes, as we all do. I'm not in favor of it. Don't misunderstand...

HAVANA - Fidel Castro said Friday that he's relieved to be stepping down as Cuba's president, complaining that the process of selecting Cuba's next government "had left me exhausted." After nearly a half-century in power, Castro announced Tuesday that he wouldn't accept another term when parliament selects a new government on Sunday. "The night before, I slept better than ever," Castro wrote in a newspaper column. "My conscience was clear and I promised myself a vacation." The ailing 81-year-old said Tuesday that he's not well enough to continue as president. Most expect his brother Raul, five years younger, to step...

I will be going to New York City in March and would like some help from some New Yorkers or those who have been on things not to miss. My wife is going for business (training the guy taking her job) and I am tagging along since the hotel and her plane ticket is free. My days will be mostly to myself so let me know some things to do. Thanks

A family drove hundreds of miles with their dead grandmother in the back of their recreational vehicle to fulfill the ailing woman's wishes. They arrived in Hillsboro, Ore., on Sunday with the body and notified police. The 79-year-old woman, who likely died in Wyoming, was in poor health but wished to see family members in Arkansas before she passed away. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,322806,00.html More here: Update: Grandmother's last family trip ends in Hillsboro after her death in Wyoming by The Oregonian Monday January 14, 2008, 12:51 PM The woman was last seen alive by the family about 3 a.m. Saturday near Laramie,...

Hi, I am looking for any suggestions regarding where to stay while vacationing this February in Ixtapa. This is a 20th wedding anniversary celebration for my wife and me. She would prefer an all-inclusive. I would prefer excellent food ( I HATE buffets ). The number #1 priority is peace/relaxation and BEACH space.

Missouri monastery: Simple room, silence By MARIA SUDEKUM FISHER, Associated Press Writer 8 minutes ago   CONCEPTION, Mo. - Remember quiet? It's that sound of not much at all, a fall breeze over a still pond, a car on a gravel road, frogs. Conception Abbey, which sits among the hills and farms of northwest Missouri, a few miles east of where cell phone service dies, has that good kind of quiet, the kind that holds the promise of going on and on. The abbey, home to about 65 monks, is one of several Roman Catholic Benedictine monasteries around the...

Just returned from an eighteen day vacation in Europe. The wife and I went to Germany in a little town near the Swiss and Austrias border, went to Switzerland and Austira, than on to Rome, Florence, and Venice. We had an enjoyable time but it is great to be back in the United States. We took a beating with the dollar-Euro exchange rate but that's life. While there, I noticed one thing about European television. Here, we seem to have an abundance of home shopping channels. There, nearly everything is soccer. We also had the misfortune of getting our news...

Sarkozy, his country's celebrated new leader, is planning to get some rest and relaxation on the shores of Lake Winnipesaukee.

Lorenzago di Cadore, Jul 27, 2007 / 12:18 pm (CNA).- In an interview with the Italian daily Il Giornale, Pope Benedict XVI’s personal secretary, Father Georg Ganswein, revealed interesting details about the Pontiff’s vacation in the northern Italian region of Lorenzago de Cadore. Father Ganswein called the Pope’s time of rest and prayer, “a bit monastic and Benedictine,” and he said the Pope enjoyed encountering children during his afternoon walks.Many children the Pope ran into offered him flowers “that they quickly picked from the fields,” while the adults that crossed paths with him were often “timid and didn’t know what...

Storm-battered and abandoned in winter, Sweden’s harbor-side restaurants come alive in the summer. But two million boat lovers’ thirst for good food and seaside relaxation means tough work for the seasonal restaurant owners.

BENEDICT XVIANGELUS Lorenzago di Cadore (Belluno)Sunday, 15 July 2007 Dear Brothers and Sisters, I thank the Lord who this year has granted me the opportunity to spend a few days of rest in the mountains, and I am grateful to all who have welcomed me here at Lorenzago, in this enchanting setting with the peaks of Mount Cadore in the background, which my beloved Predecessor Pope John Paul II also visited several times. I offer special thanks to the Bishops of Treviso and Belluno-Feltre, and to all who in various ways have helped to assure me a peaceful stay...

In the July 9, 2007 Issue of National Review is a short piece on “Workaholics”. In it, the author makes the argument that Americans are preoccupied, actually obsessed, with work. He comes to this conclusion based on a number of factors. First, he points out that any increase in leisure activities over the past four decades is due to electronic appliances making our lives easier. Secondly, people living in Italy, France, Germany, the UK, Canada and Japan can take advantage of 10-28 more vacation days than the average 14 allotted to Americans. Most remarkable is that, on average, Americans, don’t...

Dear Brothers and Sisters, The Gospel today (cf. Lk 10: 1-12, 17-20) presents Jesus sending out 72 disciples to the villages he is about to visit in order to prepare the way. This is a particular feature of the Evangelist Luke, who stressed that the mission was not exclusive to the Twelve Apostles but extended also to the other disciples. Indeed, Jesus said: "The harvest is plentiful but the labourers are few" (Lk 10: 2). There is work for all in God's field. Christ, however, did not limit himself to sending out his missionaries: he also gave them clear and...

By his own admission, Christopher Doyle has “trouble disengaging from work.” Last year he didn’t take at least a week’s worth of paid time off due him from his job at American Century Investments. Welcome to the growing membership in the I’m-not-using-all-my-vacation club. Although about one-fourth of U.S. workers have no paid vacation days at all, most workers do. And a survey released last week by Yahoo HotJobs indicated that 46 percent of those workers didn’t use all their paid time off last year. Doyle, who leads the communications group at American Century, said the company’s generous holiday and paid-time-off...

Top of page PAID TIME OFF WITH 10 YEARS' TENURE Country/Region Minimum Paid Vacation Days Paid public holidays Total Australia 20 11 (avg.) 31** Austria 25 13 38 Belgium 20 10 30 Bulgaria 20 12 32 Canada 10 10 (avg.) 20 Cyprus 21 15 36 Czech Rep. 20 11 31 Denmark 25 10 35 Egypt 21 16 37 Estonia 28 10 38 Finland 30 14 44 France 30 10 40 Germany 24 10 34 Greece 25 12 37 Hong Kong 14 12 26 Hungary 23 (if over thirty-one yrs old) 10 33 India 12 19 31 Indonesia 12 13 25...

WASHINGTON — Congress may be divided on whether to keep U.S. troops in Iraq, but there is one area where lawmakers are finding common ground: They are furious that Iraqi politicians are considering a lengthy break this summer. "If they go off on vacation for two months while our troops fight — that would be the outrage of outrages," said Rep. Chris Shays, a Republican. The Iraq parliament's recess, starting this July, would likely come without Baghdad politicians reaching agreements considered key to easing sectarian tensions. Examples include regulating distribution of the country's oil wealth and reversing measures that have...

Is the rising cost of gas going to cause vacation plans to change? No, I’m just going to have work overtime so my children can ride The Big Bad Wolf at Busch Gardens. Please drill in ANWR (Artic National Wildlife Refuge). Yes, it looks like a week in the hammock in the backyard. Please drill in ANWR.

Iraq: Short stay of the chief Moqtada Sadr Shiite in Iran BAGHDAD - Iraqi radical the Shiite chief, Moqtada Sadr, shown by the United States to poke violences in Iraq, are in Iran for a short stay and will be back soon in the country, indicated to Thursday to AFP an adviser of Iraqi the Prime Minister, Nouri Al-Maliki. “A my knowledge, it makes a stay in Iran. It often went to Iran. It is in Iran for a short stay”, declared in AFP Sami Al-Askari by specifying that it “had been officially invited there”. Tuesday evening, several American...

as a soon-to- be visitor to your state for spring training,can you tell me where you can NOT carry (stadiums,bars,etc)

January 22, 2007 Boot Camps Gaining Popularity With Korean Parents, Not Kids By CHOE SANG-HUN POHANG, South Korea — Spitting plumes of white smoke, a wave of South Korean amphibious assault vehicles lands on the freezing cold beach. Inside the armored vehicles, schoolchildren huddle in oversize helmets and camouflage fatigues. Some look terrified, but one girl snaps open a hand-held mirror to check her face before the landing. A 14-year-old boy dozes all the way to the beach. “Some of these kids are hard cases to crack,” said Sgt. First Class Shim Sang-kyu, a crew-cut marine, shouting above the noise...

I am writing this week's column from Northern Australia and Papua New Guinea where I have been on a cruise ship lecturing to 75 listeners of my national radio show. Some thoughts: I have traveled outside of North America at least once a year for nearly 40 years. These travels have taken me to some 82 countries (yes, I admit to keeping count) and have taught me more about life than anything I learned up through Ivy League graduate school. That is why I so strongly advocate that high school graduates not go straight to college, but take a year...

(With schools closed between Christmas and New Year's, Mom and Dad are forced to find child care alternatives) Kids are on vacation this week, but many working parents aren't. School and work schedules misalign for snow days, teacher conferences, random holidays and, of course, summer, but the mismatch is at its worst between Christmas and New Year's. West Allis resident Jeanne Rohde considers herself lucky to be a regular at one of the few programs that bridges the gap - vacation camp at the West Suburban YMCA of Metropolitan Milwaukee in Wauwatosa. Daughters Stephanie, 10, and Michelle, 8, usually can...

Two ships returned to South Florida ports Sunday morning with passengers plagued with the norovirus, and a Royal Caribbean ship will not sail for two days after the Centers for Disease Control issued a ''no sail'' recommendation. The CDC issued the recommendation -- a rare occurrence, according to a spokesman -- for the Freedom of the Seas, the world's largest cruise ship, when the ship returned to port sick for the third consecutive time. The Freedom of the Seas docked Sunday with 99 passengers and 11 crew members on the 3,900-person boat sick with norovirus, which causes vomiting and diarrhea....

Japan native Yuki Kenjoh won't soon forget his souvenirs from the Lone Star State - a disappointingly small steak, a broken leg, a dislike for root beer, two black eyes, a scraped forehead and the end of a dream. On Friday night, the 22-year-old math student's three-month-long plan to cycle across America came to a crashing halt. Kenjoh was hit by a car between Ben Wheeler and Edom as he was pedaling eastbound down the dark shoulder of Texas Highway 64. Kenjoh managed to call 911 on his cell phone despite knowing little conversational English and losing consciousness. An ambulance...

(Griswold-AP, Oct. 31, 2006 5:35 AM) _ Sightings of foxes have forced Griswold schools to keep children indoors. School officials Monday banned all outside activity, including recess, gym classes, walks and after-school programs outdoors. The ban will stay in force until officials and experts can offer assurances on outdoor safety. Community groups that use the campus also were alerted and athletic games are being scheduled at other schools. Griswold schools are one campus adjacent to a wooded area. A spokesman for the state Department of Environmental Protection says the agency will send trappers to the area to catch the foxes...

SHIRAZ, Iran -- Honking horns. Gridlock. Crowded stores. In the United States, camping offers an escape from the sounds and hassles of city life. Here, families from surrounding villages and towns travel into this city of nearly 4 million to pitch tents right in the middle of the urban hustle. It's vacation, Iranian style. Increasingly popular among families seeking a change of scenery, but more and more irritating to city officials who must handle the influx, urban camping has changed the face of Iran's cities during the warmer months of the year. Earlier this month, brightly colored tents dotted the...

I am too busy working on INDICTING HILLARY and other business and cannot go on vacation this Saturday, Sept. 23 in Park City. Late summer is great there. I want to donate the time to some soldiers. Help me find the soldiers so that the week doesn't just go to waste. It is a one-bedroom, 2-bath unit and sleeps 4 comfortably. NOTE: the users will have to put up a credit card to guarantee that no damage is done. The time is currently on an auction site. If you know how to donate this immediately, I will pull that auction.

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day Free Republic made its debut in September, 1996, and the forum was added in early 1997.   Over 100,000 people have registered for posting privileges on Free Republic, and the forum is read daily by tens of thousands of concerned citizens and patriots from all around the country and the world. A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day was introduced on June 24, 2002. It's only a small room in JimRob's house where we can get to know one another a little better; salute and support our military and our leaders; pray for those in...

Takeaways Turkey is a buffer country between Europe and the Middle East Many Americans are afraid to travel to Turkey More Americans should travel to Turkey Did you know? Women have been voting in Turkey since 1934, and have already had a woman Prime Minister. Related Content - View all (5 total) A Day Without Immigrants Divides Am... Go Where the Sun Never Sets - Alask... Driving Cross-Country: On the Road... The American Character: How The Res... More by C Akdemirbey Vacations for Spiritual Meaning Back to School for Teachers Do You Need a One Wheel Bike Traile... READ LATER...

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day Free Republic made its debut in September, 1996, and the forum was added in early 1997.   Over 100,000 people have registered for posting privileges on Free Republic, and the forum is read daily by tens of thousands of concerned citizens and patriots from all around the country and the world. A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day was introduced on June 24, 2002. It's only a small room in JimRob's house where we can get to know one another a little better; salute and support our military and our leaders; pray for those in...

Take a holiday, companies tell worried American workaholics By Harry Mount in New York (Filed: 21/08/2006) Americans, who are already the hardest workers in the Western world, are taking fewer holidays than they have done for almost 30 years, a survey says. In a country where most employees only get two weeks off a year plus 10 public holidays, many people are now so ambitious or so terrified of losing their jobs that they have to be forced to take their meagre allowance. According to the Conference Board, a private research group, 40 per cent of American workers are taking...

Any ideas of places for me to visit while I am up there this weekend? I plan on seeing some of the main consititutional and revolutionary places while I am there, and finding Rocky's statue. Any suggestions on other places would be great.

Around 10,000 bags checked in by British Airways passengers have gone missing at airports since the UK security alert began, the airline says. It said half of them were still piled up at airports waiting to be delivered back to their owners. A war of words has erupted between BA and airport operator BAA over who is to blame for the misplaced luggage. Twenty-four are now in custody after another person was held under terror laws over the alleged plot on Tuesday. 'Unprecedented circumstance' And CCTV footage has emerged of one of the men being held, Tayib Rauf, at his...

President and Mrs. Bush continue their stay at Prairie Chapel Ranch in Crawford, Texas. Today's activities, per Tony Snow, included: "The President this morning received his briefings from his national security team. He did have a bike ride. He has had a private lunch. I don't know who it's with, because it's none of my business. And he has also been talking on the phones today with the National Security Advisor, the Secretary of State." Text of Tony Snow's press briefing today. It includes a lot of information on a variety of issues, particularly the numerous, serious international events in...

The theme of this weekend's thread is vacations or as we call them in Britain holidays. I asked my co host RCA2000 what in his opinion is a typical US vacation and current popular venues and also trends. Here follows his thoughts as to what is currently popular in the US There are several places that tend to be popular. Among those is Disney World, in Orlando ,Fl, Myrtle beach, in S.C, Hilton head, also in S.C, Hawaii (this tends to be a dream vacation for many), Alaska, The Grand Canyon, In Arizona, Las Vegas, and the Smokey Mountains, in...

WASHINGTON -- Heading for his Texas ranch, President Bush is taking his shortest summer vacation yet with turmoil in the Middle East and an uncertain future for his Republican Party in fall elections. Bush left Washington Thursday with a wave, but will return nine days later to tend to the problems abroad and at home that are weighing on his presidency. White House spokesman Tony Snow said the president will travel frequently during August _ a contrast to previous summers when he has spent more time on his ranch and based all his travels from Texas. The White House fought...

I am leaving in the middle of this week with my family and heading to the UK for two and a half weeks, in the midst of WW4 in the Middle East. We are doing the following on our trip: London - 6 days Brighton and environs- 2 days Bath and environs - 3 days Stratford - 2 days York - 1 day Edinburgh - 3 days (including the Tattoo) I know of most of the big tourist things to see, I've been to most of these places before, but I'm soliciting Freeper input on things that might be less...

Benedict XVI Begins Vacation in Alps Family-style Welcome Greets His Arrival INTROD, Italy, JULY 12, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Study and rest is what the Pope plans for his summer vacation in the village of Les Combes in the heart of the Italian Alps. On Tuesday, just over a day after his arrival from the closing of the 5th World Meeting of Families in Spain, Benedict XVI traveled by helicopter from the Vatican to Rome's Ciampino airport where he boarded a plane that landed in Aosta Valley's Saint Christophe airport shortly before midday. He will be in the Aosta Valley until July...

WASHINGTON (July 6) - President George W. Bush, still down in the polls and grappling with grave matters on the world stage, is breaking his summer vacation routine this election year to travel the country and boost the standing of his presidency and the Republican Party.

We are taking the stereotypical summer family driving vacation. We are heading to the southwest. I know - desert in the summer - there must be something wrong with us, but we want the kids to see the country and have to go when they are out of school. We have a pretty good itinerary set up, but I was wondering if anyone knows of something to see between Dallas and El Paso that is uniquely Texan that we shouldn't miss. Same question for Albuquerque - what can we do or see there that is a unique experience for that...

BORDERS, CULTURE, LANGUAGE, MORALS, SAVAGE, TRUTH

        ~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~Modern Times: The best city to visit is...?     Welcome to the FReeper Canteen! It's great to have you with all of us!! Thank you to all of our Troops, Veterans, and their families for allowing us to entertain you!          Your Opinions Please     Main Topic: The best city to visit is....? Simple question, right?     Have at it folks!!   

2 charged with filing fake obituary Pair submited obituary for son to newspaper Published: 04/10/2006 12:53 PM Updated: 04/10/2006 2:47 PM WATERLOO, IA - Two people who police say conspired to get off of work for a few days by filing a fake obituary with a newspaper have been arrested. James Ralph Snyder, 36, and Mary Jo Elizabeth Jensen, 33, both of Waterloo, participated in the scam by filing an obituary saying Jensen's 17-year-old son had died, police said. Snyder was charged with tampering with records. Jensen was charged with being an accessory after the fact. Snyder, claiming he was...

WASHINGTON - Congressional schedule-keepers had planned for a two-week sprint between vacations to produce weighty reforms on immigration, pensions and tax policy. But Friday, at the finish line, all of those measures were missing. The 16-day Easter break began just the same. "Most families do spend a little time together over Easter, so I don't think that it's an unusual time to do it," said Senate Democratic Whip Richard Durbin of Illinois. Durbin said he expects more questions from his constituents about the war in Iraq than Congress' schedule. As for those who wonder why Congress is taking a two-week...