Free Republic

My favorite part of winter has always been coming in from the cold, pulling on thick socks, wrapping up in a fleece blanket, and settling in with a book, a cat and a mug of something warm. Hot drinks, especially those with liquor, warm us to the very core. If there's an upside to the wicked chill we've been enduring lately, it's these: piping hot cocoa, spiked with ancho chilies and sweet, dark Godiva; hot buttered rum topped with freshly grated nutmeg; and sweet-tart apple cider seasoned with allspice, cinnamon and cloves. Since this chill seems determined to stick around,...

Rep. Patrick Kennedy (news, bio, voting record) crashed his car near the Capitol early Thursday, and a police official said he appeared intoxicated. Kennedy said he had taken sleep medication and a prescription anti-nausea drug that can cause drowsiness. Kennedy, D-R.I., addressed the issue after a spate of news reports. His initial statement said: "I consumed no alcohol prior to the incident."'Later, however, he issued a longer statement saying the attending physician for Congress had prescribed Phenergan on Tuesday to treat Kennedy's gastroenteritis.Kennedy said he returned to his Capitol Hill home on Wednesday evening after a final series of votes...

MYSORE: The youth are now basking in the warmth of coconut groves and the pubs seem to be gradually losing their sheen.The neera (toddy) agitation launched by the farmers in Karnataka has come as a blessing in disguise for many youths who now choose to spend their weekends amid coconut groves sipping the latest `country drink' at cheaper prices.The students love to zip up 4-5 km on their bikes to farms and spend the whole day at makeshift pubs with farmers where they are provided with neera extracted from the coconut trees.``The business is flourishing so well that many farmers ...