Free Republic

On January 10th, WKCR celebrates the anniversary of the birthday of peerless jazz icon Max Roach, born in 1924. As a drummer, he was an integral part of nearly every jazz movement from bebop onward, accompanying such giants as Charlie Parker, Clifford Brown, and Cecil Taylor. As a bandleader and composer, he created some of the most socially aware records of the tumultuous civil rights movement in the 1960s. As an educator, he gave his time and ear to countless musicians who have since passed on into the contemporary world of the music he helped bring about. Listen in as...

Thought New York City’s Pizza Rat was majestic? Enter cigarette cockroach, a bodacious bug that was observed scurrying about an undisclosed residence in the Big Apple with a cancer stick in tow, smoking out all vermin competition. A video of the tiny tobacco toker is currently blowing up on Instagram as urban wildlife enthusiasts marvel at what could be the animal kingdom’s newest celebrity sleazeball. “Roach just trying to have a smoke in peace,” reads the caption to the uproarious clip, which was uploaded a day ago by the popular Instagram account WhatIsNewYork.

A debt dispute between a restaurant owner and a criminal ring may be behind a bizarre cockroach attack at the Taipei restaurant Monday night while it was hosting a police gathering, according to Taipei Police Commissioner Chen Jia-chang. Chen said the preliminary findings of the police investigation into the case at G House Taipei suggest that the unusual act may have been directed at the restaurant's owner, who allegedly owes money to the Bamboo Union, an organized crime ring. Chen said the suspects were Bamboo Union members, and that there was no evidence indicating that the cockroach attack was targeted...

Full analysis of Video from Biden at Event shows there was previous reference to “ROACHES,” but Biden went there. “Former Vice President Joe Biden is refusing to explain what he meant when he used the term “Roaches” in a Video. Bizarre Behavior by Biden around every turn.

Last year, my husband and I purchased our first house. Lucky for us new homeowners, the house needed minimal work. [snip] Last month, in the middle of the night, I woke up startled. It felt like someone had placed a chip of ice in my left earhole—but it was something way worse. I shot up out of bed, disoriented, and stumbled to the bathroom. I could feel that my ear was not right. I grabbed a cotton swab and gently inserted it into my ear to see what was up and I felt something move. When I pulled the cotton...

A blaze that ripped through a problem-plagued Chinatown building in New York on Thursday — injuring a dozen people, two critically — was apparently sparked by roach bombs being “improperly used,” a police source said.

Cockroach crawls all over NBC reporter during live shot - and he doesn't even flinch 'Don't move' is the all too familiar advice when it comes to creepy crawlies, and that is exactly what an NBC reporter did when a large red cockroach crawled over his back and shoulders during a live shot. Robert Kovacik was reporting from West Los Angeles when the disgusting bug appeared on his left shoulder, disappeared behind his back and the reappeared again on his right arm. Unflinching, the journalist carried on with his piece about a Manson-related murder spree as the cockroach climbed up...

Edward Archbold was willing to do anything to win an exotic python — even eating bugs both crunchy and slimy. His competitive spirit ended in tragedy. After downing more than 20 giant creepy-crawlies, Archbold vomited, collapsed and died. The grand prize has been put aside in his name and will be given to his estate. Friday night’s contest at a Deerfield Beach reptile store started with a party atmosphere, with food and drink – besides the bugs. The insect-eating began with an eye on the prize: a female Ivory Ball python that sells for $700. Archbold, 32, wasn’t a “snake...

It didn’t go to the Moon, but it sure looks like it did. A 1967 Chevrolet Corvette once owned by Neil Armstrong is being auctioned on eBay. The blue coupe sat unused in a garage since 1981, before being purchased by its current owner in February of this year. It’s in barely running condition, but is mostly original. Aside from a new carburetor, water pump, muffler and wheels, the only major modification is a set of poorly done fender flares. The fully-documented ‘Vette has a 390 hp 427 cubic-inch V8 running through a four-speed manual transmission and, fitting of a...

Link only - Leaping Cockroach Gets Around on Spring-Loaded Knees

NEW YORK (Reuters) – In what is described as the perfect Valentine's Day gift, New York's Bronx Zoo is offering the chance to name a Madagascar hissing cockroach after that special someone in your life. "Flowers wilt. Chocolates melt. Roaches are forever," the zoo said on its website about the name a roach gift, which was also billed as a limited Valentine's Day offer. More than 1,000 people chose the cockroach option for their Valentine in the first 24 hours of the offer this week, a zoo spokesman said. The recipient of the present gets a certificate explaining that there...

I just heard on WLS radio in Chicago that the Illinois Court of Appeals (the second-highest court in the state) overturned the recommendation of the electoral panel and ruled that Rahm Emanuel may NOT be on the ballot for Mayor. They ruled that he did not meet the statutory residence requirement nor did he meet any of the statutory exceptions. Wow.

Murtha-tied Company Wins Sole-Source Vaccine Contract Michael Goldfarb January 4, 2010 Several months ago we warned that Tara O'Toole who recently became Under Secretary for the Science and Technology Directorate at the Department of Homeland Security would reward her friends resulting in millions of dollars in gifts to John Murtha cronies who supported her nomination. And it now appears the Murtha/O'Toole favor factory has begun production. In February 2008, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a request for proposal (RFP) for a second-generation Anthrax vaccine. This RFP was issued to be a re-procurement for a contract that...

Republican businessman Eric Roach announced he would be "standing down" in the 50th District Congressional race and stop campaigning for the seat to try to ensure a Republican victory. “Maintaining the Republican majority in Congress is a vital goal this year, and a loss here in the 50th Congressional district to a liberal Democrat like Francine Busby would send the wrong signal across our great nation,” he announced in a statement read to reporters in a conference call. Roach did not speak in the call; instead Stan Devereux, his communications director, read his statement and answered questions. In the statement,...

A parade of prominent national Republicans traipsing to San Diego County to raise money for Republican congressional candidate Brian Bilbray begins today with a visit by House Speaker Dennis Hastert. Bilbray is locked in a tight runoff campaign race with Democrat Francine Busby to fill the remainder of Republican Randy “Duke” Cunningham's term. Cunningham resigned and was sentenced to federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy and tax evasion charges related to accepting bribes. Hastert, of Illinois, will be the featured attraction this morning at a Bilbray fundraising reception at the La Jolla Marriott. Vice President Dick Cheney will highlight...

Federal lobbyist and former Congressman Brian Bilbray, the Republican, is LOSING to liberal school teacher Francine Busby, the Democrat in a “safe” GOP seat as conservatives nationally, and in this coastal San Diego County district are fed up with ‘big government’ Republicanism. I just got off of the phone with Bill Hauf. The overwhelming majority of FR readers will be unfamiliar with who that is – Hauf is one of the conservative candidates who ran in the large field to replace ‘Duke’ Cunningham in Congress. Hauf, who ran a principled campaign on the issues, didn’t fare as well as he...

SAN DIEGO - The baroque process of picking a replacement for jailed Republican Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham has made California's 50th Congressional District inscrutable. It will be deciphered by the evening of June 6. On April 11, the district voted on 18 candidates - 14 of them Republicans. If one had received more than 50 percent, he or she would have Cunningham's seat, at least until this November's election. Democrat Francine Busby, 55, a women's studies lecturer who in 2004 won 36 percent running against Cunningham, finished first, but with only 43.7 percent, about what Bill Clinton, Al Gore and...

Friends, I wanted to write to you and thank you in the aftermath of the Special Election for the 50th Congressional District. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, we were unable to claim victory in this past Tuesday’s Special Election. The good news is that we managed to keep the anti-war liberal Democrat, Francine Busby, below 50% - and therefore kept her from winning this seat outright. Spending over a million dollars in the final few weeks, the liberal, anti-war extremists were dealt a stunning blow. There will now be a runoff election in June between the top two finishers....

The Republican Party's choice to replace jailed former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham remained up in the air Wednesday, with the two leading candidates separated by less than 900 votes and neither side claiming outright victory. With 100 percent of the precincts counted, lobbyist and former GOP Rep. Brian Bilbray had 19,366 votes or 15 percent of the vote in California's 50th District. Eric Roach, a venture capitalist who poured at least $1.8 million of his own money into the race, trailed with 18,486 votes or 14 percent. County officials said 10,000 last-minute absentee and provisional ballots were being tallied, with...

A school board member running for Congress led in early results Tuesday of a special election to fill the unfinished term of former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, now in prison for bribery. Democrat Francine Busby moved a step closer to the congressional office she first sought in 2004, when she lost badly to Cunningham. But the self-described soccer mom appeared to fall short of the majority she would need to stage an upset in California's 50th District, where Republicans outnumber Democrats 3-to-2. In absentee voting, Busby had 27,332 votes, or 42 percent, to lead all 18 candidates in the nonpartisan,...