Free Republic

On a clear August morning in southeastern Pennsylvania, more than a dozen adults and children stood in a park pavilion, listening to mealworms sizzling in a hot pan. They were learning about entomophagy — the human consumption of insects — from Lisa Sanchez, a naturalist with the Lancaster County Department of Parks and Recreation, who has taught the practice for 25 years. Suddenly, one mealworm sputtered out of the pan. Six-year-old Adaline Welk — without prompting — popped it into her mouth. The crowd cheered for the newly minted entomophagist. “It’s not that bad!” she exclaimed. “It kind of tastes...

The new acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives announced a major shake-up of his agency Wednesday and urged Washington insiders to “calm down” about the latest revelations surrounding a controversial ATF gun operation. B. Todd Jones said calm is needed as he begins rebuilding the beleaguered agency, including shuffling top personnel. He made his comments as his boss, Attorney General Eric J. Holder Jr., came under fire this week from Republican lawmakers, with one calling for a special counsel to investigate Holder’s role in the Fast and Furious gun-trafficking operation.

Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry appears to have raised more money than his GOP rivals in the first six weeks of his campaign, suggesting that the Texas governor remains competitive despite a series of major stumbles that have hurt his standing in the race. Perry's campaign said it will report raising at least $17 million during the fundraising quarter that ended in September, an unexpectedly strong total that is likely to put him ahead of Mitt Romney and other GOP candidates for the same period. Perry did not announce his candidacy until mid-August, giving him half as much time as...