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The usual horde of tourists queuing to climb the Eiffel Tower was missing. Instead, armed officers barred the way to the deserted monument as, earlier this week, Paris was gripped by the latest al Qaeda terror scare. Elsewhere, soldiers helped police to guard other potential targets in the French capital, ranging from the Arc de Triomphe and Louvre to the Gare du Nord, where hundreds of British visitors arrive daily on the Eurostar.

Amity Regional School District officials say it just doesn’t make sense: Why is the district being punished for having too many white autistic kids? And it’s the federal government’s punishment that is raising tempers — cutting the crucial funding used to educate the autistic students. It’s a thorny issue for all sides. When one racial group — black, white or otherwise — appears to be getting a disproportionate amount of special education funding, red flags go up at the federal Department of Education. But local educators said they are powerless to control the racial makeup of their community and who...

MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan, May 13, 2009 – A simple suggestion earned $10,000 for an engine maintainer here and saved the Air Force thousands more. Air Force Staff Sgt. Jerome Latham receives a $10,000 check from Air Force Col. Robert Craig, 35th Fighter Wing vice commander, at Misawa Air Base, Japan, April 27, 2009. Latham earned the reward for an idea that saves Air Force money and resources. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jamal Sutter   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Air Force Staff Sgt. Jerome Latham, an engine craftsman with the 35th Maintenance Squadron, suggested...

I just got back from an invitation only event with Governor Palin in Pittsburgh, PA this morning. She was announcing the McCain Palin pollicy regarding special needs kids. They will fully fund the federal mandates of IDEA and work to improve programs for special needs kids. I got to meet her and shake her hand. I also got to see her in action... she was incredible with these special needs kids. She took time to talk to them, not just pose for a quick pic and move on. I laft after about 45 minutes after she ended her speech and...

FIREBASE NAWA, Afghanistan, Feb. 19, 2008 – Police and other law enforcement officers in the United States are regarded as well-trained professionals and role models by the public. Army Sgt. Ronald K. Burke, a squad leader for 3rd Platoon, Company B, 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, practices clearing rooms with fellow noncommissioned officers before going through the training with his soldiers and Afghan National Police officers in Nawa, Afghanistan. Photo by Spc. Nathan W. Hutchison, USA  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Army Sgt. Ronald K. Burke, a squad leader for...

Okay, so this evening was like a glass of cold water hitting me in the face. The GOP is on its way to nominating McCain as our Presidential candidate. If this happens, I WILL NOT vote Republican this Presidential election. Here is my question, could Huckabee or Romney drop out, and endorse the other candidate, and request their delegates to join them in that support? Could a VP promise from either of these men, with egos set aside, save the conservative vote? I am willing to vote for EITHER of those two men for POTUS, and am willing to bet...

Holiday Shopping: Putting Our Money Where Our Mouth Is Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah FRiends! This is the time of year that is special because is engenders the spirit of giving and selflessness of its sacred origins. Each of us, in his or her own way, has a special place in our heart for this joyful time. As we put others' needs and desires first, as we look forward to the expression of surprise and delight on our loved ones' faces as they receive our gifts, as we peruse the ailes, let us consider the economic import of our duty. Some...

DEMING, N.M., Dec. 1, 2006 -- The National Guard Bureau chief got a look this week at how the forward operating base concept used for U.S. military operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere around the world can work for domestic missions, too. Forward Operating Base Border Wolf in Deming, N.M., offers a support base for National Guard troops supporting Operation Jump Start without overtaxing the local community. Photo by Sgt. Jim Greenhill, USA  '(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Army Lt. Gen. H Steven Blum toured Forward Operating Base Border Wolf, a new support base within this border town’s...

W. Douglas Pritchard just wanted to send a book as a Christmas gift for a friend serving in Iraq. Now, it looks as if Pritchard could be helping to send potentially hundreds of books to service personnel in Iraq in the coming months, with the support of a Central Tucson bookstore. The project, tentatively dubbed the "Tucson Book Caravan," began to germinate a few weeks ago when Pritchard asked his friend Mark Ballis what he could send as a gift to Ballis' son, 19-year-old Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Morgan Ballis, who is serving in Ramadi. Pritchard, 66, a retired University...

Yahoo just takes a Pelosi Press Release (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) and posts it as news. While clearly marked many people will assume that this is news. Full release at the link.

Children With Diabetes Sue School Districts, State For Assistance; Denial of Glucose Monitoring and Insulin Administration During the School Day Challenged Unprecedented Class Action Civil Rights Complaint Filed In Federal Court Four elementary school-age students, along with the American Diabetes Association, filed an unprecedented civil rights complaint today in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California seeking class action relief against the California Superintendent of Public Schools, the California Department of Education, members of the California Board of Education, the San Ramon Valley Unified School District, the Fremont Unified School District, and their Superintendents and Boards of Trustees....

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AFPN) -- The first test was in an outhouse. Saddled in the middle of Baghdad -- where temperatures are reaching at least 120 degrees -- that outhouse had all the qualities Capt. James Ross needed to test his idea to cool off flightline logistics workers from the stifling heat. His idea -- a “cool vest.” The captain, a bioenvironmental officer with the 477th Air Expeditionary Group here, is hoping to add something to help Airmen battle 150-plus degree temperatures as they work behind running aircraft engines. “The situation there is too hot, and it hurts them,” he said....

UNITED NATIONS (AP) - The plea heard from the conference floor, from nation after nation, seems simple: Since we don't have nuclear weapons, please guarantee you won't use yours on us. It's the U.S. response - no - that isn't so simple, entangled as it is in the secret plans and dark visions of nuclear strategists. Demands for a treaty enshrining such guarantees are a major issue before the U.N. conference that opened this week to review the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, the 1970 pact by which more than 180 nations renounce atomic bombs forever in exchange for a pledge by...

For all of us who feel only the deepest love and affection for the way computers have enhanced our lives, read on. At a recent computer expo (COMDEX), Bill Gates reportedly compared the computer industry with the auto industry and stated, "If GM had kept up with technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving $25.00 cars that got 1,000 miles to the gallon." In response to Bill's comments, General Motors issued a press release stating: If GM had developed technology like Microsoft, we would all be driving cars with the following characteristics: 1. For no reason...

SACRAMENTO — While declining in popularity and blasting Democrats, Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger left the way open Wednesday to put a huge seismic-safety bond before voters this year for the Bay Bridge and other needs statewide. The governor's comments came in the wake of Senate leader Don Perata, D-Oakland, acknowledging that he was considering the tactic but had not approached the governor. On learning of the governor's remark, Perata said he planned to huddle with other legislative majority Democrats, aides said. During wide-ranging questions after an address to the Sacramento Press Club, Gov. Schwarzenegger — asked specifically if he supported...

Placing Special Education Students in the Regular Classroom Can Be Detrimental to All by Steve Leadley 08 December 2004 The new trend of "inclusion" refers to the placement of special education students in the "regular" education classroom. A new trend has emerged in today’s educational environment. It is called “Inclusion.” For those not familiar with this term it refers to the placement of special education or “classified” students in the “regular” education classroom. The main motivation for this change in policy is the decision to place students’ self-esteem at the top of school objectives. Placing the classified student in with...

Celebrities, Parents, Legislators and Civil Rights Groups Win Victory for Children's Rights with Passage of the "Prohibition on Mandatory Medication Amendment" Los Angeles - Celebrities Lisa Marie Presley, Kelly Preston, Kirstie Alley, Jenna Elfman and Juliette Lewis joined the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), a mental health watchdog established by the Church of Scientology, in applauding Congress for passing precedent-setting legislation that bans school personnel forcing parents to drug their children for classroom or behavioral problems. In order to receive federal funds under the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA), the "Prohibition on Mandatory Medication Amendment," was signed...

The purpose of FreeRepublic.com's multiple message boards is to limit the topics for each board to particular topics. Posting the same message on all the boards defeats the purpose of multiple-boards for special topics. It is very annoying to see the same message on every bulletin board. PLEASE! DO THE READERS A FAVOR. STOP CROSS-POSTING YOUR MESSAGES!

State and local governments will be barred from taxing connections that link people to the Internet for the next three years under legislation signed Friday by President Bush. The measure blocks taxation of all types of Internet connections, from traditional dial-up services to high-speed broadband lines. "I cannot envision any time in the history of our country when it would make sense to be imposing taxes on broadband or the Internet, no matter where one is or who one may be," said Sen. George Allen, R-Va. The new law, which remains in effect until Oct. 31, 2007, will help ensure...

Someone needs to pull the new director of the Department of Motor Vehicles over and stop her from speeding heedlessly into the future. Joan Borucki wants to put global positioning devices in cars to track the mileage they travel. The idea is to more closely tie gas taxes to where cars go, the routes they take and the mileage they rack up, rather than the fuel they use. The problem inspiring this potentially Orwellian notion is that as more new and fuel-efficient cars take to the state's highways, the less the state gets in gas taxes to maintain highways. As...