Free Republic

A thoughtless adolescent joke is being investigated by local police as a hate crime. If you need proof that hate crimes and state-run schools are two government projects that should never mix, look no further than Lewiston, Maine. According to the Maine Sun Journal, "On April 11, a white student placed a ham steak in a bag on a lunch table where Somali students were eating." The Somali students were Muslim and believe pork to be unclean. The offender, who is now being investigated as the perpetrator of a hate crime — albeit a calloused and thoughtless one — was...

Study: 209 Animals Sexually Abused May 2, 11:01 PM (ET) STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) - More than 200 animals, mostly horses, have been sexually abused in Sweden since the 1970s, the country's animal protection agency said Friday in its first report on bestiality. The government commissioned the study after reports that sexual abuse of animals could be on the rise in Sweden. Most of the cases were reported by veterinarians and police after 2000, the study said. But it was not clear if sex with animals had become more common or if people had become more likely to report it, it...

O'Donnell, Rosie 1962 -- Actress, comedienne, talk show host. Born March 21, 1962, in Commack, Long Island. Her father designed cameras for spy satellites and her mother was a homemaker. When Rosie was 10 years old, her mother died of pancreatic and liver cancer, leaving Rosie and her four brothers and sisters to fend for themselves emotionally. Rosie often sought the comfort of movies and television; finding idols and role models in Lucille Ball, Barbra Streisand, Carol Burnett, and Bette Midler. Rosie caught the acting bug when she imitated Gilda Radner’s character “Roseanne Rosannadanna” for a high school skit--inciting...