Free Republic

Oakland has a poop problem. The city, like others nationwide, is home to thousands of Canada geese, which have found the region's temperate climate and lush parks make it a wonderful place to spend the year. At some points during the year, as many as 2,000 Canada geese might be found at Lake Merritt, basking in the sun and gorging themselves on the bread and other treats offered by park goers. That's a lot of geese, which means that's a lot of poop. "Each bird produces about a pound of poop a day -- that's literally a ton each day,"...

Warner — A couple who lived with five children among animal waste, rotting food and loose insulation have been convicted of 10 counts of child endangerment. Henniker District Court Judge Brackett Scheffy said Wendy and Byron Ruff’s Warner home was “deplorable.” “It is not a difficult matter to keep a home free of non-domesticated and non-house-trained animals,” Scheffy wrote in his ruling Monday. “It does not require even an ordinary level of intelligence to know that the waste products of a variety of animals, many of which were in poor and diseased condition, are dangerous to the well-being of children...

When she noticed the human waste on the floor of the trendy women's shoe boutique she manages, Lindsay Foret suspected looters had soiled the store out of spite. "I was like, 'This is horrible. There's brand new bathrooms and they couldn't even go there?"' Foret said. "I went back to the bathrooms and they were perfectly fine." As she spoke to fellow merchants along trendy Magazine Street, on the edge of the Garden District, Foret quickly learned she wasn't the only one who found such unseemly messes while trying to reopen a looted store. Around the city, merchants returning after...

A Dallas cab driver is in big trouble for getting caught on tape sprinkling dried feces on pastries. 49-year-old Behrouz Nahidmobarekeh is on trial for allegedly throwing fecal matter on pastries at a Fiesta grocery store. Police said they found a pile of human feces by his bed. He would dry it, either by microwave or just letting it sit out and grate it up with a cheese grater and then sprinkle it at the store, officials said. Neither attorneys in the case is clear about a motive or why the defendant would resort to something so repulsive. Prosecutors will...

Does someone have a right to live in squalor? Under New Hampshire law, the answer is yes — but only to a point. Two recent cases, in which town officials took action against homeowners in Warner and Andover, have garnered front-page headlines, and led some to ask why someone didn't step in earlier. But the reality is that New Hampshire's laws allow folks to pretty much live as they choose, so long as their lifestyle doesn't threaten their own health or that of others. Elliott Berry is a housing expert at New Hampshire Legal Assistance, which has represented homeowners in...

Many argue that communism will never be possible because of "human nature". The essence of this false argument is the belief that a communist society would consist of an all-powerful central government that would tell everybody what to do--and would therefore undermine the creative initiative of individuals and the search for happiness. • This argument is based on two false assumptions: (1) It assumes that a communist society will look like the former Soviet Union, or the current China, North Korea, etc (ie: corrupt police states with a feudal-style ruling class) (2) It assumes that people will only work in...

Here is the list so far for sponcers to this hate America fest: ANSWER Code Pink UFPJ NION Al Awda World Workers Party Ruckas Revolutionary Communist party Moveon.org ACORN Campus Antiwar Network International Socialist Org Greens Party Muslim Student Association CPUSA

BEAR, Del. -- A former pediatric nurse has been charged with trying to poison her toddler son by injecting human feces into his bloodstream. Stephanie McMullen, 29, was charged Thursday with assault and reckless endangerment counts and released on bail. Doctors at the hospital where McMullen worked alerted police that her 22-month-old son had been hospitalized six times since he was four months old for "serious, potentially life-threatening illnesses," acting police chief Lt. Col. Scott McLaren said. During one examination, doctors found E. coli, a bacteria found in feces, in the boy's bloodstream, and said the only way it could...

WASHINGTON, (AP) -- A major source of chemical contamination in the Arctic turns out to be bird droppings. Wind currents and human activities long have been blamed for fouling the pristine Arctic. But a study by a group of Canadian researchers found that the chemical pollution in areas frequented by seabirds can be many times higher than in nearby regions. Researchers led by Jules Blais of the University of Ottawa studied several ponds below the cliffs at Cape Vera on Devon Island in the Canadian Arctic. Scientists report in Friday's issue of the journal Science that the ponds, which receive...

We should not be fighting the Islamicists but joining forces with them. As a conservative who does not drink or smoke, believes the body is the Lord's temple, and that women should be submissive to their husbands, I find the Islamic message to be a breath of fresh air. We need to welcome the Islamicist lifestyle to turn America away from the debauchery of today and return us to the puritanical society we are meant to have.

Nothing spoils a day at the beach like these two dreaded words: swim ban. Summer only officially started last week, and the Chicago Park District already has hoisted the red flag that renders beaches off limits for swimming 23 times. Trying to pinpoint the source of these bans often turns into an environmental whodunit. We know the weapon is E. coli, bacteria that are typically harmless but serve as a clue that fecal contamination — and the disease-causing microorganisms that go along with it — might be lurking nearby. When E. coli levels get too high, the "No Swimming" signs...

Dear Friend, Just hours after learning about an outrageous speech delivered by Karl Rove, President Bush's most senior advisor, I went to the Senate floor -- and I spoke from my heart. I want to share those words with you -- not as a Democrat or Republican, not as a liberal or conservative -- but as an American. I've attached part of my speech to the end of this email. But, before you read what I said, look again at what Karl Rove said: Perhaps the most important difference between conservatives and liberals can be found in the area of...

KELLER — Four Keller High School cheerleaders were sent home early from camp after allegedly putting human feces on a pizza and trying to frame rival cheerleaders for the deed. Cheerleaders from rival Fossil Ridge High School had sent the pizza to the Keller squad on the last night of a four-day camp at the University of Texas at Arlington. Less than an hour later, some Keller cheerleaders took the pizza to the Fossil Ridge sponsor, claiming that Fossil Ridge cheerleaders had doctored the pizza with feces.After questioning, four Keller cheerleaders were sent home, cheerleaders and parents told the Fort...

This article contains graphic and explicit language. Four Keller High School varsity cheerleaders put human feces on a pizza during a cheerleading camp, then returned it to the Fossil Ridge High School squad, claiming that Fossil Ridge had done the disgusting deed, district officials confirmed this week. Federal laws bar officials from discussing the girls' discipline, but such an incident would be considered "serious misconduct," district spokesman Jason Meyer said. Punishment could include sending the girls to the district's disciplinary alternative high school. They could also be removed from the cheerleading team, he said. The Fossil Ridge squad sent the...

June 8, 2005 ADVERTISEMENT VANCOUVER (CP) -- The ripe stench of human excrement is getting stronger in downtown lanes, curling the stomachs of workers who no longer want to relax by the back door for smoke breaks. "We're getting to the point where the need for public toilets is getting serious," said Charles Gauthier, executive director of the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association. "There's a burgeoning entertainment district, a growing homelessness problem and people have nowhere to go. "I've been with the association for 15 years and it's just becoming more and more of an issue for more of our...

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...