Free Republic

She created a look that defined a generation, has served as a muse to Jean Paul Gaultier and starred in campaigns by designers including Louis Vuitton and Dolce & Gabanna. Now Madonna, 51, is set to design her own clothing range - for children. Not content with singing, modelling and acting, the diva is keen to turn her hand to designing. With help from daughter Lourdes,13, the queen of pop is collaborating with U.S. based Iconix Brand Group to create new venture MG Icon. The first collection, 'Material Girl', available at 200 Macy stores and online, will comprise of back-to-school...

Back when The Price is Right first aired, Americans were eating fewer than 20 pounds of chicken per year. Flash forward 54 years and our annual chicken poundage has jumped closer to 60. That’s an increase of more than 300 percent. So what accounts for the hike? Obesity, heart disease, diabetes—you name it. As studies began linking fatty diets to a litany of maladies, meat eaters started looking for an alternative to beef, and chicken farmers began cranking out the birds. Not long after, pork was relegated to its inferior position as “the other white meat.” [...] #1: WORST CHICKEN...

For the last 25 years, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, has aided in the search for missing children. In conjunction with all levels of law enforcement, children's organizations and John Walsh's America's Most Wanted, 492 (at last report) children have been recovered. Through the daunting tasks involved in these cases, searchers, law enforcement, and the observant citizens, work tirelessly to either bring home the missing, or provide closure.

With five seats on the State Board of Education up for grabs this year, education advocates say how children learn about evolution hangs in the balance -- and who voters choose could affect Kansas' national reputation. A frequent flip-flop between moderate and conservative majorities on the 10-member board has resulted in the state changing its science standards four times in the past eight years. Conservatives have pushed for standards casting doubt on evolution, and moderates have said intelligent design does not belong in the science classroom. In 2007, a new 6-4 moderate majority removed standards that called evolution into question....

The End of the Secularist Age By Michael Novak An Interview with Michael Novak by Robert Royal RR: The name of your new book is No One Sees God. What do you mean by that title? MN: When I was in high school and, after, in the novitiate, studying for the Holy Cross Fathers, I read a lot of St. Therese of Lisieux, St. Teresa of Avila, and St. John of the Cross, all of whom wrote movingly of the “dark night” of silence and isolation in prayer often experienced by the seasoned believer. Gone are the sweet consolations of...

The commonly cited case for intelligent design appeals to: (a) the irreducible complexity of (b) some aspects of life. But complex arguments invite complex refutations (valid or otherwise), and the claim that only some aspects of life are irreducibly complex implies that others are not, and so the average person remains unconvinced. Here I use another principle autopoiesis (self-making)-—to show that all aspects of life lie beyond the reach of naturalistic explanations...

NESS CITY, Kan. | Law officers in western Kansas are investigating the bizarre case of a woman they say sat on her boyfriend’s toilet for two years. Ness County Sheriff Bryan Whipple said the boyfriend called his office late last month to report that something was wrong with his girlfriend. The sheriff said the woman’s muscles had atrophied and that medical personnel had to remove her from the toilet because she was bound to it by “natural means.”

You can't fix stupid... ONE I was checking out at the local Wal-Mart with just a few items and the lady behind me put her things on the belt close to mine. I picked up one of those 'dividers' that they keep by the cash register and placed it between our things so they wouldn't get mixed. After the girl had scanned all of my items, she picked up the 'divider', looking it all over for the bar code so she could scan it. Not finding the bar code she said to me, 'Do you know how much this is?'...

I am an American citizen. I was born in South Florida. My parents were Cuban immigrants. I am a conservative. I'm a strong believer in free-market capitalism. I'm a supply-sider. I believe in limited government and in balancing the budget. I am against abortion and gay marriage. I don't believe global warming is real (if the Earth is warming, it has nothing to do with CO2 emissions) but rather something environmentalists invented to get us to de-industrialize. I think crime is out of control. I support stronger enforcement and penalties for violent and property crimes. I strongly support the war...

We live overseas and don't own a TV. We have heard there is a screenwriter's strike. Is that the reason we are not receiving some of our TV shows that we purchased from iTunes, or is it the seasonal shows that are taking the place of regular programming?

After the AFA contacted Loews Home Improvement about some issues with its use of the term Christmas (or lack thereof) Loews responded: "Lowe's has contacted the AFA and assures us that it is proudly committed to selling Christmas trees this year, as it has done for more than 60 years. The company apologized for the confusion created in its 2007 holiday catalog when it headlined the page of Christmas trees "family trees." The error was not caught before the publication was distributed, and Lowe's says it is disappointed in the breakdown in its proofing process. Lowe's assures us that they...

Sometime in the next few days, Barry Bonds will become the all-time home run leader in major league baseball history, surpassing Henry Aaron. He already holds the single season home run record of 73. The Giants slugger has won 7 MVP awards, a major league record. He has the 5th highest career slugging percentage in baseball history, and the 6th highest career on base percentage. For the combination of the two, the SLOB or OPS, Bonds rank 4th for his career. Bonds has the 3rd lowest number of at bats per home run in baseball history. As for single season...

This is the third time I've run across this argument on some moonbat chat board in the last few weeks: The most likely outcome of World War I sans our misguided participation would have been a stalemate with both sides exhausted from 5 years of trench warfare. The rise of Hitler and Mussolini probably would have been precluded. Thus there never would have been a second world war. Playing with counterfactuals is always pointless as no logical conclusion can ever be drawn from them (since, by definition, one of the premises is false). Despite the lack of historical or even...

KOTA BARU: A woman bomoh at Jalan Pantai Cahaya Bulan here has been alleged to dance in the nude with young men as part of her “treatment for patients”. The woman, who is said to be a practitioner of deviant teachings, has been drawing followers through her peculiar style of traditional healing. Her modus operandi was uncovered when a teacher brought his sick wife to the bomoh, who danced in the nude with some of her “kept” men, who were in their 20s and 30s, while treating her. Mokhtar Mohd Noor, 53, alleged that the bomoh first gave his wife...

This is my photo essay of how the Liberal Democrats celebrated Flag Day!

In calm reflection, I believe this video best represents my feeling about the Kyl-Kennedy Senate immigration bill, given that I did read much of it and became familiar with its provisions after Bush's gentle prompting that I, and others, might not have been aware of what the bill actually offers for America. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5SjoT8ci-s

There is a French Bulldog, in Chicago, in need of a ride to Omaha. ASAP. There is a French Bulldog, in Chicago, in need of a ride to Omaha. ASAP. It is being surrendered to one of the Breed Rescue Groups that I volunteer for. He has been allowed to become the Alpha of the house. He has become Over Protective of and Too Possessive of the Lady of the House. They want him to come to a foster home, with a good record of instilling Better Habits and Attitudes. Sue and I, and our Boxer "Taz" should be able...

SURGE TROOPS TO LEAVE VIA SYRIA President Bush announced today that US troops would be leaving the area through the Syrian port of Lattakia. US Marines will secure the port of Lattakia in preparation for the arrival of US armored forces. In addition, the US Air Force has instituted a No-Fly zone for all of Syria until further notice. In a tactic reminiscent of Sherman's March to the Sea, US Central Command issued orders for armored forces to marshall in Northern Iraq in preparation for their exit from the theater via Syria. The US Navy is stationing both aircraft carriers...

Jack Bauer Doesn't Jump - More's the Pity Previously on "24' the show made sense. But Monday night's finale, when we sat through 90 minutes of set-up, waiting for the usual slam bang finish, only to have a touchy-feely episode of "Grey's Anatomy'' break out, was the end. The big finish, with Jack Bauer standing on coast, looking moodily out to sea, was some kind of weird Hallmark card for secret agents. I kept waiting for the cliff to blow up, or a black helicopter to appear on the horizon, but no, it was just our Jack, alone with his...