Free Republic

Democrats say they feel bullied by Republican rule WASHINGTON – California's two senators may have voiced delight about the Monday compromise that averted a showdown on the filibuster, but the GOP's threat to abolish one of the most potent political weapons available to Democrats clearly left sore feelings toward Republicans and the White House. "Today, there is not really active consultation by this administration in most cases," Sen. Dianne Feinstein told her colleagues this week. "Instead, there appears to be a kind of disregard for the opinions of all Democratic senators." Sen. Barbara Boxer had similar sentiments, telling her colleagues...

University Park, Pa. -- A Penn State analysis of the diets of a nationally representative sample of U.S. preschoolers, ages 2 to 5, shows that more than three-quarters of the children are not getting enough fiber. Children who consumed the most fiber also had the most nutrient-rich diets. However, all children in the study ate fewer dairy servings than recommended by the Food Guide Pyramid. "There is clinical evidence that children with low fiber intakes are at risk of chronic constipation," said Sibylle Kranz, assistant professor of nutritional sciences who led the study. "However, there are also other reasons to...

US Democratic Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts, who had hoped to replace George W. Bush as president yesterday, instead sat in the cold and clapped as the Republican began a second four-year term. Iowa Democratic Senator Tom Harkin patted Senator Kerry on the back shortly before the inauguration Senator Kerry had hoped would be his. As Mr Bush delivered his inaugural address, Senator Kerry, about 10m away on the steps of the US Capitol, joined other lawmakers and the crowd in repeated applause. Senator Kerry looked relaxed, at times wistful. He frequently smiled, able to hide any disappointment over what...

Man Fined for Allegedly Using Foul Bills BURLINGTON, Iowa - A psychiatrist who police say smeared excrement on dollars bills used to pay a parking ticket has been fined $250. Ronald Preston McPike, 52, of Bonaparte, was charged with harassment of a public official after officials received an envelop in July labeled "Foreign brown substance on bills." The envelope contained several dollar bills and a parking ticket made up to McPike, police said. Tests indicated the brown substance was fecal matter that had been smeared on the bills. McPike told police the money fell into a toilet and was retrieved...

Mfensi (Ash), Nov 17, GNA- The persistent defecation in the classrooms and on the school premises of Mfensi Basic School, in the Atwima District of the Ashanti Region, by some unknown persons, compelled the teachers and pupils to embark on a street protest on Tuesday. Mr Thomas Kyei, Head teacher, who led newsmen to inspect some of the affected classrooms, said the problem started five years ago and all efforts by the school authorities to address it have proved futile. Blackboards, furniture and the walls have all been smeared with human excreta, while some teaching and learning materials have also...

BURLINGTON, Iowa -- A psychiatrist who police say smeared excrement on dollar bills used to pay a parking ticket has been charged with harassment of a public official. Ronald Preston McPike, 52, was arrested Sept. 30 at his office in Burlington. He pleaded not guilty to the charge, a misdemeanor, and was released on $125 bond pending a Dec. 8 court appearance. Officers received an envelope in July labeled "Foreign brown substance on bills." The envelope contained several dollar bills and a parking ticket made out to a vehicle registered to McPike, police said. Tests indicated the brown substance was...

Teacher Accused Of Putting Feces In Student's Backpack Educator Suspended From Gabe Allen Elementary School DALLAS -- A Dallas public school teacher has been suspended, accused of sending an elementary school student home with feces in his backpack. Article

Sewage spills after storm defy cleanup; officials look for ways to avoid repeats By MARIE ROHDEmrohde@journalsentinel.com Posted: May 12, 2004 Whitefish Bay - Lynne Belcher was strolling along the beach at Big Bay Park Wednesday morning when she spotted a huge slick of what she described as a field of feces, just 20 feet from the shoreline. Recent Coverage 5/11/04: Sewers overflow to waterways A small crowd had joined her on the beach, she said, and all had the same thought: "I knew right away it was that stuff that was dumped up in Bayside," Belcher said, referring to the...

<p>Each morning, as a Quincy mother and her severely autistic 11-year-old son waited for a school van, a neighbor walked past with a barking dog, knowing it frightened the boy and made him shriek and wet his pants, according to the attorney general's office.</p>

<p>WATERFOWL hunters got some good news this week with the announcement that the daily bag limits for Canada geese hunting during September have been increased in almost all of New York's waterfowl hunting zones. The increase, from five geese per day to eight, will help local authorities reduce the numbers of these birds, who have become numerous and a nuisance in many parts of the state.</p>

<p>Thousands of resident Canada geese that have been fouling Union County's public parks and golf courses with their unhealthy and unsightly droppings will be destroyed this week, officials said.</p> <p>The county is moving into this drastic stage of its geese management efforts only after years of "exhaustive" alternative methods of controlling the burgeoning population of the nonmigratory birds failed, said Charles Sigmund, the county's parks and recreation director.</p>

LONDON (AP) - New scientific findings indicate that feces may be a more important method of spreading the SARS virus than originally thought, the World Health Organization said Sunday. Although coughing and sneezing remain the chief means of spreading the infection, research conducted by government scientists in Hong Kong has found that the virus can stay alive for at least four days in diarrhea. The research adds weight to the theory that leaky sewage pipes could have been a source of infection in a particularly nasty outbreak at a Hong Kong apartment complex, where more than 300 people became ill....

SUMPTER TOWNSHIP, Mich.-- In addition to trucking garbage across the border to Michigan, Toronto soon may be shipping its human waste as well. The Carlton Farms landfill in Wayne County's Sumpter Township and the Ontario capital city are completing a four-year deal to accept Canadian human waste, according to published reports. But the owners of the landfill and Toronto officials say sewage sludge from Detroit is already being trucked to the landfill site, about 30 miles southwest of Detroit. The deal with landfill owner Republic Services is expected to go before a Toronto City Council committee on Wednesday. The proposal...

News in Science 2/4/2003 Caterpillars fling faeces afar to fool foes [This is the print version of story http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/stories/s822336.htm] [photo] Above: a skipper caterpillar lays down a silk guy-wire for its leaf shelter. Below: adult skippers make some more (Pics: M Weiss, C Williams) Caterpillars shoot their faeces more than a metre from their homes to protect themselves from predators, an American ecologist has discovered. Dr Martha Weiss of Georgetown University in Washington, wondered if animals gain an evolutionary advantage by developing sophisticated strategies to manage their waste. In the current edition of Ecology Letters, Weiss reports on experiments with...

It was just reported on the Al Rantel show in Los Angeles by an associate at KGO in San Francisco that a peace protestor actually defecated in the street by a federal building. In addition, they are apparently drinking sour milk and forcing themselves to puke in the street. Yep, these peace pukes are really a class act.

FRANKFORT, Ky. - A woman who slipped on dog feces and hurt her ankle while she was shopping at a Petsmart store deserves a jury trial, the Kentucky Court of Appeals ruled Friday. The Boone Circuit Court granted Petsmart a summary judgment in September 2001, and dismissed Vickie Jenkins' claim that store owners were negligent in her fall. Jenkins had testified in the original case that she shopped at the store at least once a week for about six years, and never encountered animal feces or urine on the floor. She told the court that on April 23, 1999, she...

LEONIA, N.J. -- There's a dispute going to court in New Jersey over what can politely be called the disposal of canine waste. Rick Heckman is accused of trespassing with his dog Shiner on William Ramos' narrow strip of grass in front of his home. Shiner apparently left a calling card behind. Ramos says there is an ordinance in Leonia that a dog owner must get the property owner's permission before the dog is allowed to do what it needs to do. Heckman says the strip of grass is a public right-of-way. A prosecutor says there is some logic...

Man goes to prison for post office assault with buckets of feces Wednesday, March 13, 2002 By Barton DeitersThe Grand Rapids Press An unrepentant James Beal will spend 18 months in federal prison for throwing three 5-gallon buckets filled with porcupine feces, worms and parasites at workers in the Empire Post Office. The 62-year-old pleaded guilty in December to three counts of assaulting federal employees for the Oct. 18 incident, which occurred the day after he was fired for unsatisfactory work. U.S. District Judge Gordon Quist heard from victims Tuesday who told of the horror and disgust of being soaked...