Free Republic

Six years after Martha Stewart said she was leaving Westport, Conn., the domestic diva really is bidding farewell to this wealthy seaside town -- if only someone will buy her house. Stewart has been trying for more than two months to sell her early-19th-century federal-style farmhouse for $9 million. Real estate experts say it's not unusual for luxury homes to take at least a few months to sell -- even those with Martha's famous touch. ``It's the most beautiful property I've ever seen,'' said Eileen Hill, president of the Mid Fairfield County Association of Realtors. ``Every blade of grass stands...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 8, 2006 – U.S. troop levels in South Korea will not drop beyond previously agreed upon levels, a senior defense official speaking on background said here yesterday. U.S. troop levels in South Korea will go from a previous 37,500 to around 25,000 by the end of 2007, but this won’t lessen the U.S. commitment to defending the country, the official said. Modern technology allows for more defense capability with fewer troops. The United States and Republic of Korea also have agreed to discuss changes to command relationships and the option of Korean wartime operational control of their forces,...

BISBEE — A new Bureau of Land Management report paints a bleak picture of the impact of illegal immigration and drug smuggling on public lands in Arizona, with estimates that as much as 25 million pounds of trash were left in the state’s borderlands during the 2000-2005 fiscal years. During the current year, however, the situation presents more of a mixed bag, BLM officials say. While conditions have improved markedly along the San Pedro River, for example, public land in the state’s central areas continue to suffer. Meanwhile, environmentalists suggest the increasing militarization of the border is becoming a greater...

South Africans told to stop 'whingeing' about crime Rory Carroll in Johannesburg Wednesday June 21, 2006 The Guardian Crime victims staged an angry protest in South Africa yesterday after a government minister suggested those who "whinged" about levels of murder and rape should emigrate. Demonstrators, who said the 51 murders and 151 rapes recorded daily were unacceptably high, were responding to the safety and security minister, Charles Nqakula, who told parliament this month that those who complained about crime were unpatriotic moaners. "They can continue to whinge until they're blue in the face, be as negative as they want to,...

TREASURER Peter Costello is promoting division and Islamophobia in remarks about Muslims and should be censured, a Muslim community leader said. Keysar Trad, president of the Islamic Friendship Association of Australia, said today he genuinely hoped Prime Minister John Howard would censure Mr Costello. Mr Costello delivered a speech yesterday in which he said if people wanted to live under Islamic sharia law, they should move to another country. "There is one law we are all expected to abide by," the Treasurer said. "It is the law enacted by the parliament under the Australian constitution. "If you can't accept that,...

SACRAMENTO – University of California leaders faced sharp rebukes once again by state senators yesterday, with some criticizing UC President Robert Dynes' leadership and others questioning whether UC's governing board is serving its purpose. In the second and final hearing scheduled by the Senate Education Committee on UC compensation matters, several senators said they were dissatisfied with how Dynes has worked to correct extravagant paid-leave arrangements and outside compensation for chancellors – none of which were reported to regents or the public. ----- Senators have also been troubled by a $248,000 undisclosed payout to UC San Diego Chancellor Marye Anne...

Riots in Nigeria leave many dead Police have struggled to keep a lid on the violence At least 20 people are believed to have died in a second day of violence in the southern Nigerian city of Onitsha. Groups of armed youths rampaged through the city attacking Muslims, in apparent retaliation for the deaths of Christians in riots in the north. Eyewitnesses spoke of streets "littered with bodies" as thousands of Muslims were said to be fleeing the city. Danish cartoon protests in the north led to sectarian clashes which have seen dozens of deaths in four cities. On Wednesday,...

Storm Victims Leave Hotels for Sofas, Cars Monday February 13, 2006 10:16 PM By RUKMINI CALLIMACHI Associated Press Writers NEW ORLEANS (AP) - About 12,000 families made homeless by last year's hurricanes began checking out of their federally funded hotel rooms around the country Monday after a federal judge let FEMA stop paying directly for their stays. The Federal Emergency Management Agency promised the evacuees from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita that they will still receive federal rent assistance that they can put toward hotel stays or other housing. But the agency will no longer pay for their hotel rooms directly....

US crops left to rot as Mexicans leave the fields for better-paid jobs Low pay, harsh conditions and security checks force immigrant workers into other sectors Dan Glaister in Calexico Saturday February 4, 2006 The Guardian (UK) Standing in the early morning darkness just 50 metres inside the United States, Roberto Camacho is doing his best to ward off the cold. Dressed in a black bomber jacket with a baseball cap pulled low over his brow, he shuffles from foot to foot as he waits for a lift to work. After 15 years working in the fields of California for...

WASHINGTON - The United Farm Workers union has left the AFL-CIO and will join a group of breakaway unions known as the Change to Win Coalition, in a move the UFW hopes will boost recruiting efforts, officials said Thursday. The UFW, with about 27,000 members, joins the Service Employees International Union, the Teamsters, the United Food and Commercial Workers, UNITE HERE and the Carpenters in forming the dissident Change To Win Coalition. The Laborers International Union of North America also is part of the new federation, but has not left the AFL-CIO. "We view this as a positive step in...

DETROIT - A Cleveland imam convicted of hiding terrorist ties has agreed to leave the United States, ending his deportation case, his attorney and government officials said Thursday. The agreement allows Fawaz Damra to resettle in Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Sudan, Egypt or the Palestinian territories, said Greg Gagne, a spokesman for the Justice Department's Executive Office for Immigration Review. A judge has approved the agreement with the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which will decide his destination. Damra is still in federal custody, said Robert Birach, a Detroit lawyer who negotiated for him. He declined to discuss more...

Cell phones prove deadly Contributor in 14 fatalities this year on Toll Road, police say By Joshua Stowe South Bend Tribune Posted on Sun, Dec. 25, 2005 ELKHART – Nick Vilders sees his cell phone as a lifesaver. The Orland man said he’s placed countless calls to stay awake while driving home after a day’s work as a building maintenance employee on the Indiana Toll Road. “I have a cell phone, I ain’t gonna lie,” Vilders said. Police and safety experts say Vilders’ attitude, while common, puts him at risk. They say it’s a mistake to think a person can...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 18, 2005 – U.S. forces need to remain in Iraq until their job is finished, particularly in light of progress already made, the commander of a Texas Army National Guard brigade that's wrapping up its deployment there told Pentagon reporters today. Army Col. James "Red" Brown, commander of the 56th Brigade Combat Team, spoke by videoconference from Logistics Support Area Anaconda, near Balad. Brown said he's seen steady signs of progress during his brigade's 11 months in Iraq. During that time, 3,500 members of the "Thunderbolt Brigade" have conducted 7,000 combat logistics patrols, escorting more than 150,000 logistics...

10/31/2005 - SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFPN) -- It was to deliver a message of inspiration and support that led five members of the famed Tuskegee Airmen to visit the members of the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing here Oct. 29. However, during a question-and-answer session here at their last stop in the region before returning home, the Tuskegee Airmen admitted they were as inspired by the troops as the other way around. “We were asked to bring inspiration to you. Instead, we found something extraordinary here on this trip,” said retired Col. Dick Tolliver, a second-generation Tuskegee Airmen who served from 1963-1989....

Top Dems leave as protest nears Party split between anti-war activists and prominent critics STEVEN THOMMA Knight Ridder Posted on Fri, Sep. 23, 2005 WASHINGTON - As the anti-war movement arrives in Washington this weekend, many Democrats are leaving. Nationally known Democratic war critics, including Howard Dean, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, and Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, Russell Feingold of Wisconsin and John Kerry of Massachusetts, won't attend what sponsors say will be a big anti-war rally Saturday in Washington. **SNIP** En route to Washington for the rally, anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan protested outside Clinton's New...

Scores of Mississippi National Guard troops in Iraq who lost homes to Hurricane have been refused even 15-day leaves to aid their displaced families, told by commanders there were too few U.S. troops in Iraq to spare them... Developing...

NEW ORLEANS - The last 300 refugees in the Superdome climbed aboard buses Saturday bound for new temporary shelter, leaving behind a darkened and stinking arena strewn with trash. The sight of the last person — an elderly man wearing a Houston Rockets cap — prompted cheers from members of the Texas National Guard who were guarding the facility. "I feel like I've been here 40 years," said Louis Dalmas Sr., one of the last people out of the arena. "Any bus going anywhere — that's all I want." Inside and outside the Superdome — including the concourse around it...

Ocala, Florida - Marion County authorities say an Ocala man made up a story about killing a hitchhiker and burying the body in the woods in an effort to persuade his wife to leave him. Teddy Akin has been charged with making a false report and petit theft. He is being held without bail. According to the sheriff's office, Akin initially told investigators he killed a hitchhiker he picked up when the two got into an argument over how far Akin would drive him. He told investigators that he dumped the body in a forest near a gun range, and...

MUSLIMS who resent the British way of life should leave the UK, regardless of whether they are citizens or not, a senior Conservative said last night in comments that have heightened already tense community relations. Gerald Howarth, the shadow defence minister, last night told The Scotsman that extremist Muslims who see the Iraq war as a conflict against Islam should be considered as treacherous as Soviet sympathisers during the Cold War. His remarkable claim shatters the tri-party consensus which Michael Howard, the Tory leader, sought to make with Tony Blair, the Prime Minister, and the Liberal Democrats. Mr Howarth said...

Confirmed: Sex minigame in PS2 San Andreas Cheat unlocks preexisting code in controversy-rocked Grand Theft Auto game, undermining Rockstar Games' claims of hacker mischief. This week saw a Grand Theft Auto game once again at the center of a nationwide controversy. The point of contention this time was the so-called "Hot Coffee" mod for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, which had everyone from anti-game crusader Jack Thompson to US Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) percolating with outrage and/or calls for federal game regulation. The Hot Coffee mod first surfaced last month, when the PC version of San Andreas was released. The...