Free Republic

Lampreys from Great Lakes destined for queen's pie DETROIT — A few unwanted, invasive sea lampreys from the Great Lakes have been shipped to England for use in a traditional pie for Queen Elizabeth II. The Detroit Free Press reports (http://on.freep.com/IdmZkP) the City of Gloucester, which has given the pie as a gift to the monarch since the Middle Ages, requested the eel-like creatures from the Great Lakes Fishery Commission because they're a protected species in England. The pie is for June's Diamond Jubilee, the 60th anniversary of the queen's ascent to the throne. Commission spokesman Marc Gaden shipped 2...

LONDON, -- A group of British legislators want to rename one of London's most famous landmarks, Big Ben, to honor Queen Elizabeth II. In an early day motion, 23 members of Parliament said renaming the east tower of the Houses of Parliament the Elizabeth Tower would be an appropriate gesture in her Diamond Jubilee Year, The Guardian reported. They pointed out that the west tower was named after Queen Victoria in 1860 and paid tribute to the reigning queen's "energy, wisdom and grace." Most of the group are Conservatives, although Jack Straw, a Labor foreign secretary, endorsed the proposal. While...

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper will play host to Mexico President Felipe Calderón and U.S. President George W. Bush later this summer as the three North American leaders put their heads together in a Quebec resort to discuss their ongoing plans to closely integrate the continent. Founded in 2005 by U.S. President Bush and mired in controversy after it was discovered that the three leaders were meeting in secrecy, the official purpose of the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America was created in an effort to secure the continent against the threat of terrorism and to enhance the security,...

NEW YORK -- Four luxurious passenger ships, including the Queen Mary 2 and the Queen Elizabeth 2, will abandon Manhattan's Hudson River piers and begin docking in Brooklyn next year. Carnival Corp. will move the berths of the four ships to a huge pier the city is redeveloping in the Red Hook section, city and company officials said. The city hopes the shift will create thousands of jobs, spur retail and tourist-industry development and breathe new life into what was once a bleak warehouse district, and bring 250,000 more passengers to the city each year on top of the...

Bob Brown, a former Black Panther and co-director of Pan-African Roots, filed a 183-page class-action lawsuit yesterday, claiming that 71 defendants owe reparations for slavery. The suit names: The King of Spain, the Queen of England, the Pontiff, President Bush, and Jaques Chirac; the governors of Illinois, Virginia, Louisiana and Texas; nine ports; several major sugar, gun, tobacco, and railroad companies; many, many banks and even Bacardi Rum. The Chicago Tribune pointed out that Brown will have difficulty with such a suit, considering that "slavery was legal, as well as the difficulty Brown and those he represents face in proving...