Free Republic

The head of AT&T’s wireless unit said Wednesday that the carrier is working to improve its network for iPhone and other smart-phone subscribers in New York and San Francisco. Manhattan and San Francisco, particularly the city’s financial district, “are performing at levels below our standards,” Ralph de la Vega, chief executive of AT&T Mobility, said at an investors conference. Those two cities see especially high smart-phone penetration, which has put pressure on AT&T’s data network. The company expects to see gradual improvements in New York and plans to replace some microcells in San Francisco, he said. “This is going to...

I would like to know is who thought this was a good idea? In this year’s NYT’s Annual Holiday Gift Guide there is a section devoted to “Of Color | Stylish Gifts.” From the intro to the section. Somali fashion, do-it-yourself henna kits, children’s books that draw inspiration from the lives of Barack Obama and Sonia Sotomayor: it’s not hard to find gifts created for and by people of color this holiday season. Here are some possibilities. I had to read that twice. Because really New York Times? NYTPicker, who was the first to note the addition thinks there’s no...

Who's hot for teacher? Looks like the other teacher. Two female Romance language instructors were tossed out of their Brooklyn high school after being caught "undressed" in an empty classroom, sources told the Daily News Tuesday. Students at James Madison High School in Midwood were watching a talent show in the auditorium while Alini Brito and Cindy Mauro were speaking the international language of love, sources said. A janitor stumbled on French teacher Mauro, 33, and Brito, 29, a married Spanish instructor, and tattled to school officials on Nov. 20. Both tenured teachers were removed from the classroom and sent...

It started like any other ride on the F train for Oraia Reid. She stepped into a packed car in Park Slope, clutching a magazine and her purse, and sailed smoothly to the West Village, where she was set to give a speech about women's rights against sexual assault. Little did she know she'd be going there with a bit of firsthand experience. Reid, 32 -- who yesterday testified before a City Council committee about the subway groping epidemic -- hopped off the train at West 4th Street and began climbing the crowded stairs to the street. As she hustled...

A 100-year-old sex offender, convicted of molesting children, has been released from prison. But authorities say don't let his age fool you. "He's an unrepentant child sexual abuser," said Erie County District Attorney Frank Sedita. This is Theodore Sypnier 10 years ago when he pleaded guilty to sexually abusing four children in the Town of Tonawanda. Now he's 100-years-old, out of jail on post-release supervision, and is still a big threat according to District Attorney Frank Sedita. Sedita said, "I want him away from society as long as possible. It doesn't matter to me that he's 100-years-old. He's evil. He's...

New York Times readers were treated to a rare dose of sympathy for Sarah Palin and her new book yesterday. Columnist Stanley Fish reviewed "Going Rogue", and cast it in a generally appealing light, while dispelling some of the most trumpeted criticisms of the former Alaska Governor's autobiography. Fish introduces his review with a humorous anecdote poking fun at some of the more deranged Palin-haters: Upon asking a customer service representative in a Manhattan bookstore where he could find "Going Rogue," the employee "looked at me as if I had requested a copy of 'Mein Kampf' signed in blood by...

Results from 34 swine flu victims in New York were released by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in a December 7 bulletin. The swine flu symptoms and effects on the lungs of the victims were similar to the effects of the 1918 Spanish flu, which had an extremely high mortality rate around the world. Other reports of H1N1 infections deep in the lungs have been reported around the world, including Ukraine, China, Brazil, Norway, and the United States, in Iowa and Utah. These infections have been linked to a change in the receptor binding domain of the virus. Swine...

Protesters rallied outside federal courthouses in Lower Manhattan's Foley Square over the weekend to demonstrate against the Obama administration's decision to try Sept. 11 terrorism suspects there, an action about which the Homeland Security secretary said she was never consulted. Secretary Janet Napolitano testified to a Senate panel last week that White House officials did not contact her to assess the security risk of holding the trials in New York City before announcing it publicly. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, Texas Republican, asked the secretary, "Were you consulted about the security issues that would surround such a trial before the attorney...

Following complaints to the Town Board about increased noise from the Kinderhook Sportsmen’s Club, officials and members of the club are speaking out about its roots and contributions in the community. Several neighbors told the board in October that the amount of shooting had risen markedly, and they wanted to know if the town could help find a compromise. The club, located on more than 50 acres off Fowler Lake Road in Ghent, was founded in 1954 and predates the town’s zoning laws. Club President Terence Toomey says that little about the club’s operation has changed recently. While a Wednesday...

Rudy Giuliani has just signed a major security consulting deal with the city of Rio de Janiero. Giuliani's company will be tasked with advising the government as to ways to provide security during the 2016 Olympics. Rio de Janiero is one of the most unsafe major cities in the world with 40 people dying in the month of October where drug wars played a significant factor.

If filmmaker Lawrence F. Brose goes to trial and wins an acquittal in his child pornography case, he will accomplish two firsts at Buffalo's federal court. He would be the first person ever arrested in a federal Internet child porn case to go to trial in Buffalo. He also would be the first person to emerge without a felony conviction. Every other person charged with such crimes in the federal courts of Western New York — including at least 189 men since October 2005 — has either been convicted or still has charges pending, according to court records. A few...

NEW YORK (CBS) --Audrey Johnson Was Longtime Companion Of Former Sixers Star World B. Free The longtime companion of a former NBA star was killed in Brooklyn while trying to stop an assault outside her family's home. The shooting happened right in front of 149 Clifton Place in Bed-Stuy. Police said 51-year-old Audrey Johnson had just come back home when she heard about a confrontation on the sidewalk in front of her home. She came outside to see what what happening. Her niece, Jeromeka Johnson, told CBS 2HD that the victim, who lives in East Orange, N.J., had returned to...

We converged on the House of Representatives in November with our Congressional House Calls – both in Washington, D.C. and their home districts – to let them know we don’t want this brand of health reform. We want reform that puts patients first. That bill passed by an extremely narrow margin, showing Congress is divided on this issue. Now the fight has turned to the Senate, and it’s down to the wire. We face hundreds of billions in escalating costs, new taxes, and government-forced health insurance backed by penalties of fines and jail time. We face the possibility of spending...

Congressman Eric Massa paid himself and his wife a total of $33,000 from his campaign funds during last year race for the 28th Congressional District.... federal records show Massa took a salary of $15,000 while his wife was paid $18,000 working as the campaign's treasurer. Massa raised $2.1-Million dollars for the 2008 campaign against former Congressman John Randy Kuhl.

Gay advocates will push to replace freshman Sen. Joseph Addabbo. Gay advocates are on the warpath after the state Senate killed same-sex marriage last week, and few Democratic senators who voted against the bill are safe from their wrath.After spending more than $1 million to help the Democrats retake the chamber for the first time in decades, powerful gay activists and donors say they'll support challengers against anti-gay-marriage senators in 2010. "It's going to be a bloodbath," one gay operative predicted. "We're going to use every single weapon in our quiver to take these people out. We either need to...

Franklin D. Roosevelt understood what it meant to be a core Democrat and maintaining his party’s ranks. He built winning coalitions around his policies by empowering previously suppressed groups, such as labor unions and urban ethnics. In the process, he created a 40-year dynasty for Democrats. Today’s bunch? Not so much. The problem for FDR’s party is that it hasn’t adapted swiftly enough to two realities – that jobs are the most important issue to the nation, and that the middle class (which Democrats claim to champion) is dissolving under its watch. It seemed that Democrats may be starting to...

Can't post libelous item itself, but here's the link to same. The left's shrill, hysterical panic, re: Sarah, continues.

Police say more than 1,500 protesters, including first responders and families of September 11th victims, spoke out in Downtown Manhattan Saturday against the decision to try alleged terrorists in the city. The 9/11 Never Forget Coalition held the protest in Foley Square to express opposition to Attorney General Eric Holder's decision to hold the trial in Manhattan Federal Court. 9/11 Victims' Families Protest City Terror Trials

NEW YORK, DECEMBER 5, 2009 — Several thousand protesters gathered at Foley Square in New York City to rally against Attorney General Eric Holder’s decision to try Khalid Sheikh Mohammad and 4 other 9/11 co-conspirators as civilians in federal court. Despite bitter cold, strong winds and heavy rain the crowd stayed through the 2-hour rally. The event was organized by the 9/11 Coalition to Never Forget and featured speakers representing 9/11 family members, first responders and our troops. See our full post-rally press release, plus videos, photograph and links to local and national news reports here at 911NeverForget.Us.

<p>Several hundred people rallied in the rain near Manhattan's federal courthouse complex to protest the plan to put major terrorism suspects on trial in New York.</p> <p>The demonstrators, including 9/11 families and their supporters, gathered in Foley Square, just blocks from the site of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks. They say a New York trial could again make the city a terrorism target.</p>

Abdulsalam Al-Zahrani has been charged with second-degree murder in the stabbing death of Binghamton University Professor Richard T. Antoun.

Can't post link. Story is here

NEW YORK — Several hundred people rallied in the rain near Manhattan's federal courthouse complex to protest the plan to put major terrorism suspects on trial in New York. Demonstrators included the actor Brian Dennehy and a number of people who lost friends and relatives in the 9/11 attacks. One person held up a sign calling Attorney General Eric Holder "disgraceful and despicable."

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Bill Zeiser at bill.zeiser@gmail.com (516) 448-5489 Website: www.911neverforget.us SPEAKER LIST FOR THE 9/11 NEVER FORGET COALITION DECEMBER 5 RALLY When: Saturday, December 5th, 2009 12:00 noon; Where: Foley Square, New York City; Who: The 9/11 Never Forget Coalition, a diverse group of 9/11 victims, family members, first responders, active and reserve members of the military, veterans, and concerned Americans, is holding a major rally on December 5th to protest Attorney General Eric Holder’s plan to bring the 9/11 terrorist conspirators to trial in New York City. Confirmed speakers list: DAVID BEAMER David Beamer is the father...

A group of 9/11 families and their supporters are rallying in front of Manhattan's federal courthouse to protest the plan to put terrorism suspects on trial in New York. The protesters plan to gather in front of the lower Manhattan courthouse at noon. They say a New York trial could again make the city a terrorism target, and that the five should instead face a military tribunal. Other victims of the 9/11 attacks disagree. Lorie Van Auken lost her husband at the World Trade Center. She says its fitting that the accused answer charges a short walk from ground zero....

Story here. The suspect is named Abdulsalam Al-Zahrani.Ironically, his victim, Professor Richard Antoun is described as "a caring and gentle man who spent his life trying to dispel stereotypes about different cultures, especially Middle Eastern cultures"

A Brooklyn woman has been busted in a twisted plot to kill the love child of her husband’s mistress — by duping her into taking medicine to induce an abortion, police said. Kisha Jones, 31, allegedly became enraged when she found out her unemployed hubby was cheating and had sired a baby with his lover, Monique Hutner, 25, of Flatbush, sources said. So in late October, Jones allegedly launched a scheme in which she obtained a doctor’s prescription pad and tricked the then-seven-months-pregnant Hunter into taking a drug used to cause abortions. Cops said Jones called Hunter with a device...

Thanks to a special freepmailer for pointing to this link. # SNIPPET: “”We are trying to ascertain whether the Moroccan was one of the women who could have helped guide the Mumbai terrorists during the attacks. Our investigations show that this woman had visited Mumbai on two occasions and met Headley during his stay here,” said an IB source.” SNIPPET: “Indian investigators say that Headley was not a womaniser but used women as a perfect cover for his operations. The IB says that this is contrary to the image Headley portrayed during his interrogation by the FBI. He came across...

..New York's attorney general and his celebrity girlfriend, Food Network shortcut-cooking queen Sandra Lee, are out for a private pleasure cruise. Upstate and out of the limelight, it's just "Sandy" and "Andy," as they call each other, alone on the open road... Lee often cooks Italian food for Cuomo, whose favorite meal is her simple lasagna, which she prepares with canned tomato soup, cottage cheese and ground chuck... But as talk of a gubernatorial run for 51-year-old Cuomo begins to intensify—he enjoys a 67 percent job approval rating, and the most recent polls show him trouncing David Paterson by a...

So the inept New York City Off-Track Betting Corp. finally filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy protection yesterday, officially becoming the first bookmaker that couldn't make a profit (See Page 8). Despite handling close to one billion dollars a year in wagers, the incompetent organization still can't break even, blaming others for its problems when NYCOTB is its own. OTB pushed for nighttime thoroughbred simulcasting, and got it, and now is paying for it dearly. It's the biggest mistake that NYCOTB made, thinking people would gamble on Penn National and Mountaineer like they wager on Aqueduct, Belmont or Churchill Downs. It...

"LAMBERTVILLE: Restaurant owner jailed on attempted homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault and other charges" 14 May 2009 | Uncategorized LAMBERTVILLE — SNIPPET: "Khalid Altawarh, 36, who also goes by the name David Shookby, took the woman’s Jeep Wrangler and fled the scene when she escaped into the arms of a friend who had stopped by to see if she was all right. She had failed to show up for work that morning, May 8, police said. Plumstead Township, Pa., police Chief Duane E. Hasenauer said Mr. Altawarh has been charged with attempted homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault and other related...

New York, NY (AHN) - Retail continues to lag behind other sectors of the American economy, with government and private reports indicating mixed results for November. Department stores added 8,000 jobs over the month, the Labor Department reported Friday, while jobs in the shopping center industry fell by 14,000, a trade industry group said Thursday. The International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) said a survey of 32 retail chain stores found that November sales dipped 0.3 percent from November 2008. Sales had been up the previous two months. Department stores had the most disappointing results, dropping 4.5 percent from a...

New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn got angry and tearful at a news conference Thursday when asked about the failure of the gay marriage bill in the state Senate. She took exception to questions that she could have done more to stop lawmakers from voting down the legislation. "There are 60-plus people in that room, and they're the ones with a job to do," she said, referring to the senators. "They are the ones who failed, not anyone else." Quinn is openly gay and says she looks forward to the day when she can marry her partner, but she...

In May 2009, a remarkably well-preserved extinct primate, nicknamed “Ida,” was hailed as one of the most important fossil finds ever. It had features that some interpreted as a link between two primate body forms. At the time, ICR News suggested that its evolutionary significance was far overblown, predicting that the scientific consensus would offer retractions. Those retractions came three months later, confirming that the fossil―called Darwinius―was really just an extinct lemur variety...

Eminent Domain: Four years after the Supreme Court told a Connecticut homeowner that no one's house is safe from developers, Brooklyn homeowners may lose their homes to a pro basketball team. On June 3, 2005, by a 5-4 margin, the U.S. Supreme Court effectively repealed the 5th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, deciding that your constitutional right to be secure in your home didn't matter if your state or community decided your property could produce more revenue as a shopping mall or condominium development. Pfizer coveted Susette Kelo's working-class neighborhood for an office park and condominium complex. The city fathers...

Paraguay named an undocumented U.S. immigrant to run its consulate in New York, discovering his illegal status only when the man returned home to get his diplomatic papers and was denied a U.S. visa. Paraguay's foreign ministry acknowledged Wednesday that it was a mistake to name Augusto Noguera as the consulate's "first official," but said President Fernando Lugo annulled the decision as soon as he was informed of the U.S. Embassy's visa denial. Vice Foreign Minister Manuel Maria Caceres told The Associated Press that the decision to name Noguera as a diplomat on Sept. 21 was made in good faith...

Wednesday December 2, 2009 NY Senate Hands Gay Activists Crushing Defeat on Same-Sex "Marriage" Bill Victory for Democrat Sen. Ruben Diaz, who led tireless campaign to defend natural marriage. By Peter J. SmithALBANY, December 2, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - On Wednesday afternoon, the New York State Senate voted overwhelmingly to reject legislation that would have legalized same-sex "marriage," handing a humiliating defeat to proponents of the legislation who told the Senate that a vote for same-sex "marriage" was a vote to stand on the "right side of history."The measure, which would have amended New York State's Domestic Partnership Law and...

The debate on the floor was heated and long. The disdain for the institution of marriage and desire to replace it was hidden in appeals trying to equate homosexual sexual acts and being African American. The use of the Civil Rights movement analogy is absurd but it is the rhetoric of the hour in this Cultural Revolution. The speeches were predictable and are beginning to sound scripted. However, one speech, given by Senator Ruben Diaz was different. He reminded his fellow legislators about moral values. He spoke the language of common sense. He pointed out that adherents of the world's...

... The [New York City] Council voted on Monday to ban the kind of security gates that completely shield commercial storefront windows and doors from view — ones that resemble old-fashioned auto garage doors, with narrow horizontal slats that rise up like a steely sort of curtain — while permitting the kinds of gates common in suburban shopping malls that allow passers-by to see inside. Along Court Street in the Carroll Gardens section of Brooklyn, a gentrifying commercial and residential strip in what remains an Italian stronghold, the gradual ban on solid gates — there are probably tens of thousands...

just got this info and wanted to Pass it on to my fellow Patriots. Please tell everyone you know about this rally please. We have to stop this madness. December 1, 2009 Exclusive: Rally in Foley Square: Stop the Terror Trial in NYC! The Editors For Americans angry about the decision to try terrorists in civilian court, the chance to make our voices heard has arrived. A rally will take place on Saturday, December 5th at Foley Square in New York City to protest the administration’s decision to try Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (KSM) and four other masterminds behind the 9/11...

If you are fed up with Barack Obama and Eric Holder’s constant attacks on what is good and right about America come to New York City’s Foley Square Federal Courthouse on this Saturday December 5, 2009 at 12 noon and let your voice be heard. The “Stop The Terror Trial in NYC Rally” is being sponsored by TEA Party 365 and the 9/11 Never Forget Coalition. Those on hand beside the 9/11 Families will be brother and sister New York City Firefighters and Police Officers representing the 343 Firefighters and 40 Police Officers who died that day. Moreover there will...

The State Senate defeated a bill on Wednesday that would legalize same-sex marriage, after an emotional debate that touched on civil rights, family and history. The vote means that the bill, pushed by Gov. David A. Paterson, is effectively dead for the year and destroys the optimism of gay rights advocates. The bill was defeated by a decisive margin of 38 to 24. The Democrats, who have a bare, one-seat majority, did not have enough votes to pass the bill without some Republican support, but not a single Republican senator voted for the measure. In a debate that in many...

ALBANY, N.Y. – New York lawmakers have rejected a bill to legalize gay marriage. The Senate decision Wednesday comes after months of delays and arm twisting of lawmakers sympathetic to the bill but representing conservative districts. It follows a referendum in Maine earlier this month that struck down a gay marriage law before it took effect. Advocates say they aren't surprised by the decision. Most, including Gov. David Paterson, say they at least wanted a floor debate and vote.

The GOP is apparently taking on Sarah Palin’s very personal vendetta against CBS evening news anchor Katie Couric. Palin, ever the victim, blames Couric’s “gotcha journalism” for her interview during the presidential campaign. Recently, Gawker Media posted some embarrassing pictures of Couric victory dancing at a party in 2006 soon after she was tapped for the top CBS spot. The dancing photos are reminiscent of Seinfeld’s Elaine’s ‘The Little Kicks” dance. During the episode, a horrified George said of Elaine’s dance: “It’s like a full body dry heave set to music.” Couric obviously was having fun with friends. But Republicans...

Fort Mill, S.C. – "I'm living the American dream," said Jack Sheppard. "I've got the No. 1 product in America." That would be guns, and the 42-year-old Sheppard, owner of Aim Right Guns & Ammo, is an expert. At his shop on Main Street in this small South Carolina town just over the state line from Charlotte, N.C., business was brisk. It was a Black Friday bonanza. For the second year, the 48 hours starting at 12:01 a.m. the Friday after Thanksgiving marked what's called "Second Amendment Weekend," at least by the Republican state legislator who sponsored the bill. To...

December 2, 2009 at 12:29 pm by Casey Seiler The Senate has returned to begin what’s sure to be an emotional debate over the legalization of same-sex marriage.The first to rise was the bills principal sponsor, Sen. Tom Duane, who spoke in a low-key manner about what he described as the simple matter of civil rights for all New Yorkers.Immediately following him was the bill’s most outspoken opponent, Sen. Ruben Diaz Sr., who complained that the arrival of the debate violated a commitment made to him, and that the passage of the measure would represent a tossing aside of...

MINEOLA, N.Y. — Thomas R. Suozzi conceded defeat on Tuesday in the race for the Nassau County executive, a harsh setback for Mr. Suozzi, the Democratic incumbent who was widely regarded as a potential candidate for higher office. He acknowledged his loss after a recount of the votes cast last month showed that his Republican challenger, Edward P. Mangano, a county legislator, had a 386-vote lead. Mr. Suozzi, speaking to reporters at a news conference, said he believed it was “mathematically impossible to win. I didn’t think it was fair to the public, my team or Mr. Mangano, and I...

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Albany, N.Y., Dec 1, 2009 / 01:05 pm (CNA).- Responding to reports that the New York Senate could vote on same-sex “marriage” today, the New York State Catholic Conference noted that opinion polls “routinely overstate” support for the redefinition of marriage. The Conference argued that New York citizens do not want the legislature to redefine marriage.The Conference’s executive director Richard E. Barnes issued a statement on Tuesday which noted the success of Maine’s Question 1, which overturned the Maine legislature’s approval of same-sex “marriage.”“Just last month in Maine, advocates for reinventing marriage outspent their opponents by two to one...

A couple of strong women and (mostly) popular figures, Kate Gosselin and Sarah Palin, lead Barbara Walters' list of the 10 Most Fascinating People of the year. The reality TV mother of eight and former governor / V.P. nominee are certainly fascinating. You just can't look away from what they do. Same is true of car wrecks on the other side of the highway, but no matter. Few get people talking like Kate and Sarah - or a certain new big name in music. Controversial American Idol alum Adam Lambert, whose music and sexually charged performances make him a tabloid...