Free Republic

Oakland University in Michigan has denied the appeal of a student who was barred from campus, suspended for three semesters, and required to undergo "sensitivity" counseling for authoring a class assignment in which he stated that he found his instructors attractive. While the assignment specifically permitted students to write creatively about any topic, the university bizarrely classified his "Hot for Teacher" essay as "unlawful." Joseph Corlett came to the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) for help. "Oakland University made up its own definition of the 'law' in order to punish a student for his creative writing," said FIRE...

The Tebow mania sweeping the nation sacked a group of Long Island high-school students who were suspended for mimicking the quarterback’s famous prayer pose. Twin brothers Tyler and Connor Carroll of Riverhead HS and classmates Jordan Fulcoly and Wayne Drexel were hit with one-day suspensions for kneeling and bowing their heads like Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow does when he scores a touchdown. Administrators said the weeklong “Tebowing” craze was a distraction and a hallway hazard after dozens of classmates followed their lead. “It was basically just a tribute to Tim Tebow,” Carroll Connor, 17, who planned the prank with...

(APPLAUSE) CAIN: Thank you, my friends. Well, you all are great. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I love y'all, too. CROWD: Gloria, Gloria, Gloria, Gloria! CAIN: Well, let me first say that as usual, the Cain supporters are not warm weather supporters. And I can't thank all of you enough for what you've done, how far we have come, and the things that we have done, the things that we have been able to achieve. You know, I chose to run for president because the politicians in Washington, D.C. wouldn't do their jobs. That's why I chose to run....

About 15 percent of black students in St. Paul were suspended at least once last year, compared with 3 percent of whites. To address the problem, the district decided in 2009 to spend about $450,000 of $58 million it received through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to institute the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) program. The program requires administrators and teachers to periodically evaluate their school rules and determine which ones call for suspensions and which call for lesser punishments. They're also encouraged to be more explicit about what is expected of students in order to be successful...

Tenure must go. And so must Professor’s unions. If you don’t agree with me then perhaps you have yet to familiarize yourself with the case of Professor Edward Larkin. This tenured psychopath will keep his job despite exposing himself in public in front of a 17-year old girl and her mother. The University of New Hampshire (UNH) did the right thing when they tried to fire him. But then the Professor’s union got involved. And that led to arbitration. The arbitrator’s decision was based on a single line in the contract with the UNH Professor’s union, which says a professor...

The Arab League on Monday rejected a push by Saudi Arabia and its Gulf Cooperation Council allies to suspend Syria's membership in the body over Bashar al-Assad's brutal seven month crackdown, Arabic daily al-Hayyat reported. Instead, Qatari Prime Minister Hamad Bin Jassim Al Thani said, the Arab League will seek to bring Assad's regime and Syria's nascent opposition National Council to the negotiating table. "We will call all of the parties of the opposition and government to hold a dialogue within 15 days," Arab League Secretary General Nabil Al-Arabi said after an emergency meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Cairo....

WKOW reported yesterday that an investigation is ongoing to determine the veracity of more than 1000 doctor excuses that have been handed in by Madison teachers in an attempt to justify their absence from teaching duties that ultimately resulted in the closing of school for four consecutive days. The results of this inquiry will result in teacher suspension. "A new contract with Madison teachers says fraudulent excuses will result in a letter of suspension but won't require suspended teachers to be off from work." How is that for punishment! I mean really, if this is the ultimate result of any...

While Olbermann has managed once again to shove egg in his own face for doing exactly what he criticizes others for doing, I find the circumstances surrounding his recent suspension intriguing. Does the policy at MSNBC actually prove the lengths in which they will go to support Democrats over Republicans? Is MSNBC so universally known for its left-leaning bias that it is simply trying to save face? Or is it something else altogether?

NEW YORK -- The NFL could soon start suspending players for dangerous helmet-to-helment hits, vice president of football operations Ray Anderson told The Associated Press on Monday. A day after several scary collisions in Sunday's games, Anderson acknowledged the league might need to do more than fining players to prevent such hits. "There's strong testimonial for looking readily at evaluating discipline, especially in the areas of egregious and elevated dangerous hits," he said in a phone interview. "Going forward there are certain hits that occurred that will be more susceptible to suspension. There are some that could bring suspensions for...

TROPHY CLUB, Texas - Administrators at Byron Nelson High School in Trophy Club suspended a 16-year-old boy on Tuesday because his eyes were bloodshot and they thought he might have been smoking marijuana.The teen said he was not high. Instead his eyes were red because he had been grieving the loss of his murdered father.Kyler Robertson’s father was stabbed to death on Sunday. His mother honored his wishes and let him go to school on Tuesday to be with his friends.“I am sure he had a lot on his mind going to school. I had asked him not to go...

Sacramento - Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman said Wednesday that she probably will vote against a November ballot initiative that would suspend AB32, California's landmark greenhouse gas reduction law. Whitman, appearing on the conservative John and Ken radio show on KFI in Southern California, said, "In all likelihood I will vote no on Prop. 23," adding that she still backs a one-year moratorium that she would impose if elected. Proposition 23 would suspend AB32 until unemployment drops to 5.5 percent or lower for a year. Whitman had been pressed on the issue but had not stated her position on the...

Matthew Whalen's suspension will stand. On Wednesday night, the Lansingburgh Central School District board of education rejected Whalen's appeal of the punishment and decided not to expunge the blemish on the record of the Eagle Scout suspended for having a pocketknife in his car while the vehicle was on the grounds of Lansingburgh High School. Whalen received a 20-day suspension in September after he turned over to school administrators a 1 1/2-inch knife that he kept in his glove box as part of a car survival kit. He returned to school in October. Whalen has said he does not know...

JEFFERSONVILLE, IN (WAVE) - The parents of a Kentuckiana seventh grade student say their young daughter was suspended from school for doing exactly what she's been taught to do for years - to just say no to drugs. ...

ESPN has suspended TV commentator Tony Kornheiser for remarks about fellow ESPN personality Hannah Storm, according to multiple reports Tuesday. Kornheiser, the popular host of the show "Pardon the Interruption," is known for making sports figures the subject of his humorous criticism, but in a recent show he aimed his commentary at Storm's wardrobe.

In the spirit of Christmas officials at Lowell M Maxham Elementary School In Taunton Massachusetts apparently believe that Jesus’ death on the cross was violent. Apparently they also believe that someone should be punished for it. So after a 2nd grade teacher asked student’s in class to sketch something that reminded them of Christmas one little 8-year-old boy responded by sketching a picture of Jesus’ death on the Cross as what he was reminded of when he thought of Christmas. (see picture above) (see story) Maxham School principal Rebecca Couet and the 2nd grade teacher, whose name is being withheld,...

November 26, 2009 Dubai World and properties built on sand David Wighton: Business Editor’s commentary The world’s tallest building will open in Dubai in just five weeks’ time and visitors to its observation deck on the 124th floor will be able to look down on the half-finished buildings and empty construction sites that now litter the Gulf emirate. Dubai’s once-booming economy has deflated and its property sector, with its ludicrous architecture and record-breaking buildings, has collapsed. An estimated 400 projects worth more than $300 billion (£180 billion) have been cancelled, shut down or are on a go-slow as developers try...

Manny Ramirez has tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs and will be suspended 50 games starting today, The Times has learned. The test result and suspension is expected to be announced later today.

N. Korea keeps radars off, shies away from rocket launch: officials By Sam Kim SEOUL, April 4 (Yonhap) -- North Korea has set up recording equipment but kept its radars switched off as it refrained Saturday from shooting its rocket on the first day of its official launch window, South Korean officials said. North Korea said earlier in the day through its state media that it had completed its preparations to send a satellite into orbit and would go ahead with the launch "soon." The launch, which Pyongyang professed would come between Saturday and Wednesday, did not occur, prompting neighbors...

Romero said he went to the store to look for a supplement in July, the time of year he typically starts weight training again. He went to the shelf where his usual supplement was stocked and noticed a new product, 6-OXO Extreme, next to it. Because the familiar supplement required him to take eight large pills a day, he was intrigued by the other product. The Major League Baseball Players' Association has told players that supplements purchased in U.S. retail stores should be safe and within the guidelines of baseball's drug-testing program. The union acknowledged giving that advice in a...

Bank shares set 'to be suspended' as Government hammers out ₤35bn bail-out of RBS and HBOS By Andrew Leach and Dan Atkinson Last updated at 3:03 PM on 12th October 2008 Banking shares could be suspended tomorrow while the Government agrees a ₤35billion lifeline for some of Britain's biggest banks The Treasury and bank chiefs are understood to be locked in talks today over a bail-out of several household names. Royal Bank of Scotland, HBoS, Lloyds TSB and Barclays, whose share prices and balance sheets have been crushed by the credit crunch, are expected to be first in the queue...