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I need some ideas from someone familiar with US military medals. I'm holding in my hand right now a medal that belonged to an officer in the Army of the Republic of China during WWII. As far as I can figure, the medal is a Purple Heart, but the ribbon is from a Silver Star. It does not have any obvious signs of having been altered in any way. If not some kind of fake or forgery, does anyone have any ideas what this might be? Thanks!

(New Haven-WTNH, Sept. 19, 2006 10:45 PM) _ A student's refusal to walk through a safety detector earns him a trip home. For some the installation of metal detectors in schools is to better protect those inside. One New Haven student is refusing to walk the walk, questioning whether his rights are being violated. The district says it is like the right to enter a courtroom or get on a plane. It's new policy to keep young people safe. For this New Haven student it's all about his fourth amendment right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures. Nick...

Thirty-seven years after Led Zeppelin's debut, their albums continue to sell in the millions, while their music inspires everyone from Aussie metalheads to Nashville punks The studded leather bracelets and Napoleon Dynamite merchandise at Hot Topic target customers between the ages of fourteen and twenty-two—kids who weren't born when Led Zeppelin broke up in 1980. Nonetheless, the all-time top-selling band T-shirt at the chain's 700-plus mall stores is Zep's Swan Song tee—the one bearing the image of a naked, winged Apollo. "It's not like with the CBGB or Ramones T-shirts, where it was a fashion trend," says Cindy Levitt, vice...

Ancient Metal Relics Discovered in Jiroft Jul 19, 2006 The police department of Jiroft succeeded in confiscating 41 metal relics belonging to the pre-historic and historic periods. The most ancient one is a Riton belonging to the third millennium BC. Riton is a kind of goblet with the head of an animal, usually in the shape of a lion, horse, ibex, or winged lion. "The police department of Jiroft found 41 bronze, copper, and silver relics. The most ancient one is a Riton with the head of a humped cow belonging to some 5000 years ago," said Nader Soleimani, archeologist...

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Jan. 26, 2006) Amidst the 800 shiny new cars at the 2006 Washington D.C. Auto Show, the Stryker stands out like a sturdy green oak in a flower garden. “We’re here in support of recruiting command and basically to show the taxpayers what they’re getting for their money,” said Randall R. Rankin, spokesperson for the Stryker display. “It’s big, it’s green, it’s got a gun on it, and it draws a crowd.” The purpose of the display is to showcase the Army’s newest capabilities, the Stryker family of vehicles being one of the newer vehicles in...

One man's relentless search for his missing son led him to uncover one of the most shocking crimes in post-war Italy - a tale of satanism and violence that has gripped the country for more than a year. In January 1998 Fabio Tollis and Chiara Marino, both just 16, disappeared. They had been drinking at a pub called the Midnight - the centre of the heavy metal scene in Milan - and they never came home. The police and many of their friends just thought they had run off together. But their parents refused to accept this. Michele Tollis, Fabio's...

They call him the Godfather of Metal, the Prince of Darkness and the Blizzard of Oz. Until recently, though, few considered Ozzy Osbourne the next Andrew Lloyd Webber. That may be about to change: for the past few years Osbourne, the former frontman of Black Sabbath and reality TV hero, has been writing a musical. It is based on the life of a historical figure who could be considered Osbourne's spiritual ancestor: Grigory Yefimovich Rasputin, the Russian mystic and favourite of Tsar Nicholas II's court. More rock and pop features Osbourne writes musical about Russia's greatest love machine

Poison guitarist sentenced to jail C.C. DeVille gets 80 days for DUI charge LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Poison guitarist C.C. DeVille was sentenced to 80 days in jail after pleading no contest to driving while intoxicated. The 43-year-old rocker known for his over-the-top antics hit a parked vehicle August 24 while he was backing out of the driveway of his girlfriend's home, prosecutors said. He allegedly rammed another parked car, deploying his vehicle's air bags and injuring his girlfriend.

Experts excavate oldest worked metal in Europe SOFIA (bnn)- Archaeologists found the oldest worked metal in Europe while excavating an early Neolithic village near the village of Dzhulyunitza in central Bulgaria, state TV reported Sunday. The 3 metal finds are 8,000 years old. The experts found signs of cold treatment during which the metal pieces were transformed into beads. The extraordinary find gives a new direction in the research of the prehistoric people who lived on Bulgarian territory. Only the worked metal pieces found in Anatolia, which is the Asian part of Turkey, is older (11,000 years) than the find...

Metal to medal? Military recruiters work the Ozzfest The U.S. Marines manning a recruiting tent at the music festival were wearing camouflage but they didn't exactly blend in. BY WILLIAM WEIR The Hartford Courant Posted on Sun, Aug. 14, 2005 POP CULTURE Commerce at the Ozzfest in Hartford, Conn., is plentiful and brisk, and tends toward the countercultural. Items for sale include marijuana-flavored candy, clothing with spikes, and Cat-in-the-Hat-style hats with pictures of pot leaves. The river of people that flows from booth to booth on a recent Sunday boasts a lot of fishnet and hairstyles that fully exploit the...

Henri Murray A young medical student is dead following a Great White shark attack reminiscent of "Jaws," the blockbuster Steven Spielberg film which premiered 30 years ago this month. Henri Murray, 22, was swallowed nearly whole yesterday while scuba diving and spear-fishing with a friend near Cape Town, South Africa. "It was incredibly fast," Dave Estment, a yachtsman who witnessed the onslaught, told the Scotsman. "The two spear fishermen were not far from the beach. Suddenly a huge shark surged from under the water taking the one diver [from his legs upwards] to his arms in its jaws." "It must...

"An almost hysterical antagonism toward the gold standard is one issue which unites statists of all persuasions. They seem to sense - perhaps more clearly and subtly than many consistent defenders of laissez-faire - that gold and economic freedom are inseparable, that the gold standard is an instrument of laissez-faire and that each implies and requires the other. In order to understand the source of their antagonism, it is necessary first to understand the specific role of gold in a free society. Money is the common denominator of all economic transactions. It is that commodity which serves as a medium...

"An almost hysterical antagonism toward the gold standard is one issue which unites statists of all persuasions. They seem to sense - perhaps more clearly and subtly than many consistent defenders of laissez-faire - that gold and economic freedom are inseparable, that the gold standard is an instrument of laissez-faire and that each implies and requires the other. In order to understand the source of their antagonism, it is necessary first to understand the specific role of gold in a free society. Money is the common denominator of all economic transactions. It is that commodity which serves as a medium...

A friend's cat appears to have eaten some reel to reel tape, said tape appears to be obstructing her digestive tract. Daisy, the cat, is now not eating, has been vomiting and is not drinking, and is lethargic. He, my friend, is taking Daisy to the vet this afternoon. Does anyone now if reel to reel tapes are toxic? Or if it breaks down in stomach acid to some horrific toxin? Also, Daisy is QUITE large. Has anyone out there ever had surgery on an overweight cat? And how did the cat fair? Thanks for any advice. I am glad...

14 years after Painkiller, Rob is back and so are the monster riffs and dual leads ...

In early 2004, a few visionary people in a small Underground Church in Mexico City began to plan a huge Christian music event called "The Revolution Metal Festival." Their vision was that this event would provide a powerful platform for a number of well established Christian artists to perform, to proclaim The Gospel of Jesus Christ and ultimately, to minister to thousands of people in Mexico City. These visionary people soon found themselves in the unfamiliar position of concert promoters. To solidify and confirm the event, the promoters soon issued generous invitations to U.S. bands Stryper and Saviour Machine, Narnia...

According to TotalRock.com, former IRON MAIDEN frontman Paul Di'Anno was attacked during his show in Tel Aviv, Israel on Friday (Dec. 10). A crazed fan apparently got onstage, and lashed out at the shaken singer. Fortunately, Di'Anno suffering only minor injuries, and was able to finish the gig. Di'Anno performed in Israel as part of the Heavy Metal Monsters melodic metal festival, which is scheduled to conclude tonight (Dec. 11) in Haifa, Israel. Di'Anno is reportedly playing a very long set consisting of 70 percent IRON MAIDEN songs and 30 percent his own material.

When I was thirteen, I had the best group of friends a kid could ask for. There was the goofball, the student, the lackey(s), the rich kid, and a few others who fit the various white suburban archetypes. As every other generation of the twentieth century, music was a large tie that bound us. The various groups of friends in junior high and high school were graphed according to their particular musical preferences, and ours was heavy metal. Not the fun metal of the 80's, but the dark, deep, and passionate metal of the early 90's. The forefront of this...

When I was thirteen, I had the best group of friends a kid could ask for. There was the goofball, the student, the lackey(s), the rich kid, and a few others who fit the various white suburban archetypes. As every other generation of the twentieth century, music was a large tie that bound us. The various groups of friends in junior high and high school were graphed according to their particular musical preferences, and ours was heavy metal. Not the fun metal of the 80's, but the dark, deep, and passionate metal of the early 90's. The forefront of this...

Only 2+ days to go my Metal/Freeper brethren ... here's some Iced Earth to get us stoked ... "Declaration Day" and the awesome Gettysburg Trilogy ... Rock hard and often people!