Free Republic

Now that it's already set a dubious standard for high-fashion knockoffs, China is busy extending its sincerest form of flattery to cars. Depending on where they live in the world, consumers can get a clone of a BMW X5 for about $38,000, to perfectly complement, say, a nicely counterfeited Rolex and a faux Armani suit. The entire ensemble of watch, suit and vehicle would cost under $40,000, compared to $52,000 for the real items, including about $46,000 for the Beemer. In the Orient, sports car lovers can snag a Chinese "Ferrari" for about $10,000 to $30,000, not the normal $120,000...

A seemingly small-time drug ring busted this week in Los Angeles was actually targeted for funding the Lebanese terror group Hezbollah, the Daily News has learned. Prosecutors left out the terror tie when they announced Tuesday that federal agents and local cops had arrested a dozen people for allegedly peddling cocaine and counterfeit clothing in Bell, Calif. But several sources familiar with the investigation said the predominantly Arab-American gang was believed to have smuggled its crime cash to the Iranian-backed terror group. "This was a classic case of terrorism financing, and it was pretty sophisticated how they did it," a...

Woodstock Creator Tells DA That Funds Have Gone Missing A $40 Million Shortfall Where did Norman Hsu get his money? That has been one of the big questions hanging over the prominent Democratic fund-raiser, as reports have surfaced about hundreds of thousands of dollars he made in political donations, plus lavish parties, fancy apartments and a $2 million bond he posted to get out of jail earlier this month. New documents reviewed by The Wall Street Journal may help point to an answer: A company controlled by Mr. Hsu recently received $40 million from a Madison Avenue investment fund run...

U.S. Seen Cracking Down on North Korea's Exports Thu May 15, 8:23 PM ET Add World - Reuters to My Yahoo! By Carol Giacomo, Diplomatic Correspondent WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Bush administration, aiming to increase pressure on North Korea (news - web sites) to abandon nuclear arms, intends to crack down on narcotics and missile exports that earn hard currency for Pyongyang and may agree on a plan in the next few weeks, U.S. officials said on Thursday. They also said the United States would soon ask the U.N. Security Council to again consider adopting a statement demanding that North...

WILLARD SPERRY Willard Sperry Shows his dislike for the gospel of John in the following statement. "Some of these sayings, it is true, come from the Fourth Gospel (John), AND WE DO NOT PRESS THAT GOSPEL FOR TOO GREAT VERBAL ACCURACY IN ITS RECORD OF THE SAYINGS OF JESUS."244

Anyone who has ever played a game, been involved in any type of competition, or conducted any type of scientific investigation knows that "ground rules" must be established at the beginning. It is far better to know the rules before beginning the investigation rather than try to establish them as you go.