Free Republic

ODU overcomes scary scene involving teammate in win at Georgia State STATESBORO, GA (WAVY) – Members of the Old Dominion men’s basketball team watched in shock, and many held back tears, as their teammate Imo Essien had to be tended to by training staff from both ODU and Georgia Southern on Saturday. Essien, a sophomore guard, appeared to become weak, then collapsed during play in the first half of the contest. After a few tense moments, Essien, who did not appear to lose consciousness, was helped to his feet and walked off the court with the help of the trainers....

WASHINGTON (AP) — The monarch butterfly fluttered a step closer to extinction Thursday, as scientists put the iconic orange-and-black insect on the endangered list because of its fast dwindling numbers. “It’s just a devastating decline,” said Stuart Pimm, an ecologist at Duke University who was not involved in the new listing. “This is one of the most recognizable butterflies in the world.” The International Union for the Conservation of Nature added the migrating monarch butterfly for the first time to its “red list” of threatened species and categorized it as “endangered” — two steps from extinct.

...From December 1 through March 1, the public is encouraged to report monarch sightings in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas using the partnership's online data portal at JourneyNorth.org/sightings. ...Last winter, volunteers from across the Southeast and Gulf states provided more than 5,800 observations of monarch butterflies.

NORFOLK, Va. (Harry Minium, ODUSports.com) - Sonny Allen, who won Old Dominion University's first national championship, built the foundation for ODU's successful Division I basketball debut and integrated Virginia college basketball, passed away peacefully this morning in Reno, Nev. Allen, 84, had suffered for years from Parkinson's Disease and his son, Billy Allen, said the disease had worsened in recent months. Allen's wife, Donna, and four children, including daughters Jackie Eldrenkamp, Kelly Marcantel and Jennifer Allen, were in Reno when he passed, as were step children Jimmy Warner and Tedi Holdmann. Allen is also survived by eight grandchildren and five...

Her Royal Highness, Leonor, Princess of Asturias, was born 31 October 2005 and is number one in the line to the Spanish throne as the oldest child of King Felipe. When Leonor ascends the throne, she will be Spain’s first queen regnant since Isabella II, who reigned from 1833 to 1868. Among the Spanish population, there is considerable support for Leonor as Spain’s future Queen. That is the result of the poll conducted by the Spanish newspaper La Razon. The result is that 63.4% of Spaniards wish to see Leonor as their future Queen while only 19% do not want...

There is no joy in Wrigleyville. Mighty Ernie has checked out. At 83. Cub fans aren't the only ones in baseball's world who think that, for Ernie Banks, it's still too young to go. Winning with class is easy compared to losing with grace, good humor, and the inner peace of knowing you did the best you could with what you had. But then there was Banks. The prototype of the power-hitting shortstop whose knees turned him into a first baseman who could still hit but had to prove himself every spring, anyway, his sunny nature couldn't be killed by...

I am quite certain that this is not the protocol, and is most unbecoming a President of the United States. Update (for the doubters who claim this was not a bow). Here is a video of the unmistakable bow: (hat tip: Michelle Malkin) Update: See Miss Manners on the protocol. Americans do not bow to foreign monarchs because that act signified the monarch's power over his subjects. Here is the protocol from the Queen of England's website -- which applies even to her own subjects: "The Queen meets thousands of people each year in the UK and overseas. Before meeting...

World history, as most Westerners interprets it, very much revolves around nations like France, Russia/Soviet, Britain, Italy and USA. These corners of the Earth, undeniably, have played major roles in the development of mankind. BUT, there seems to be a gap in the historical knowledge of several, otherwise well educated, Westerners concerning what took place during the period of approximately 1620-1720 on European soil. A lot of people seem aware that Britain at that time was not really, yet, the world's leading power and that France, Spain, Austria and Holland excersised much of influence over world affairs. However, during this...

Eight people were detained by police in Lund on Friday during demonstrations to mark the anniversary of the death in 1718 of King Karl XII. Two people were formally arrested for violent resistance. One of those arrested is also suspected of attempted assault. Six others were detained. A few dozen people were involved in the march, according to police. Demonstrators from the '30th November Association' gathered outside Lund Cathedral at lunchtime on Friday. The association is made up of nationalist groups from the university town and was founded following the First World War. Counter-demonstrators met in the Lundagård park. A...

TOKYO - A government panel discussing imperial succession decided Monday to propose allowing female members of the royal family to ascend to Japan's throne. Panelists agreed that Japan's succession law should be changed to give the first-born child the right to ascend regardless of gender, said committee head Hiroyuki Furukawa, a former Tokyo University president. "If the priority is given to a male heir, it would make an unstable system that could involve a long wait for the birth of a boy in an uncertainty," Yoshikawa said. "It's not desirable." The advisory panel has been meeting since January to study...