Free Republic

Jack Nicholson joins the NBAMay 11, 2003AMERICAN Actor Jack Nicholson apparently got swept up in the playoff drama between the San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Lakers, stepping onto the court and screaming at a referee during a Western Conference game. Nicholson reacted last night shortly after Lakers star Shaquille O'Neal was called for his third foul in the second quarter, yelling at Mark Wunderlich during a break in the action. "I pay a lot of money for this seat," Nicholson said at halftime. "This is the NBA, you can't tell me to sit down." Nicholson said nobody from security...

Monday May 12, 2003 Deadly central Athens gunfight An Albanian crime suspect was killed and another two arrested during a central Athens shootout with police early yesterday in which two officers and a passer-by suffered gunshot wounds. The fight, in the densely populated Kypseli area, followed a police stakeout outside a bar on Kefallinias Street, where an Albanian suspected bank robber, Suleyman Dervis, 25, was drinking with another four Albanians. Police believe Dervis headed a gang that carried out a string of eight armed bank robberies, two of whose members have been arrested. The suspect was located late on Saturday...

Hope for reform in the Islamic Republic of Iran is "dying out," the brother of President Mohammed Khatami and key reform campaigner was quoted as saying Sunday by the student news agency ISNA. "The last glimmers of hope that existed are dying out following the recent decisions taken by the Guardians Council and the judicial authorities," said Mohammed Reza alluding to the powerful conservative-dominated bodies. The council, Iran's constitutional watchdog, rejected Friday a second bill passed by parliament aimed at boosting the authority of Khatami and enabling him to challenge as unconstitutional rulings by the Judiciary. The move was seen...

The battle for concealed carry by Mark Zdechlik, Minnesota Public Radio May 12, 2003 Hamline University Law Professor Joe Olson formed Concealed Carry Reform NOW! in 1996 in his effort to make it easier for Minnesotans to legally carry handguns. (MPR File Photo) The recent signing into law of Minnesota's Personal Protection Act marks a victory in a years long gun lobby battle to make it easier to carry handguns in Minnesota. It is also the second high profile, controversial piece of legislation to reach Gov. Tim Pawlenty's desk after bypassing conventional Senate debate. And even some lawmakers who voted...

Connecticut financial services firm to cut 1,500 jobs, stop insuring insurance companies Monday May 12, 2003 HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) The Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. announced a major restructuring Monday, saying it will cut 1,500 jobs and is getting out of the business of insuring other insurance companies. The company made its decision after studying its potential exposure to asbestos claims, Ramani Ayer, chairman and chief executive officer, said in a news conference. Because of concerns over asbestos liability, Ayer said, the company also announced it is boosting its reserves by $3.91 billion to $5.9 billion, and is taking...

ICONOCLAST DAILY NOTEBOOK.... Misunderstanding Evil .... May 11 2003: Today's recommended reading is brief essay on the City Journal Web site by Theodore Dalrymple. The piece is entitled The Morality of Terror. Basically, Dalrymple sums up his thesis in two cogent opening paragraphs: At the recent meeting of the Organization of Islamic Conference in Malaysia, the Malaysian Prime Minister, Dr. Mohammed Mahathir, said 'the causes of bitterness and anger . . . of terrorists should be identified and removed.' He added that people would not be willing to blow themselves up and kill others if they did not have a...

May 12, 10:53 AM EDT Source: No Evidence of Derby Cheating By By RICHARD ROSENBLATT AP Racing Writer LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- Churchill Downs stewards pored over scores of photos and videotape of jockey Jose Santos this weekend, but were unable to find any evidence he cheated in winning the Kentucky Derby aboard Funny Cide, a racing official said Monday on condition of anonymity. The stewards also searched the racetrack and turf course where Funny Cide and Santos crossed for postrace ceremonies and did not find any illegal device, the source said. Santos met 90 minutes Monday morning with stewards...

DES MOINES, May 11 (AP) — Former Gov. Howard Dean of Vermont will unveil details on Tuesday of a health care plan that his aides argued would cost less than half of one offered by Representative Richard A. Gephardt of Missouri, a fellow Democratic presidential candidate. They also said it would bring more Americans into the system. Dr. Dean's plan would expand programs that offer health coverage to children of the working poor; provide a new private insurance benefit, with a tax credit, for people who cannot afford even reduced premiums; and give tax incentives to businesses that offer coverage....

Heretofore, since at least FDR, most of our American Presidents have been typically staid, except for the notable exception of John F. Kennedy when he appeared formally and repeatedly sans hat. Henceforth the exposed male head was an overnight fad. With a bad back and Addison’s Disease, Kennedy nevertheless exuded physical vitality to us----he was young, fit, trim and daring (he would sail a boat bare-handed in the open ocean for a magazine photo-op)---furthermore, he exposed his bare head in all settings, even the most formal. Long-established haberdasheries collapsed shortly after Kennedy’s inauguration because of the ensuing world-wide trend of...

The United States and Iran held several meetings in Geneva, Switzerland, in an effort to ease friction between the two countries, a senior U.S. official said Monday. The meetings focused on a wide range of issues, including postwar Iraq, in which the Bush administration is attempting to deter Iran from trying to influence the formation of a new government in Baghdad. Secretary of State Colin Powell, during a news conference here after a meeting with Egyptian officials, said the administration opposes a fundamentalist regime as not being in the interest of the Iraqi people. Powell echoed a similar statement weeks...

May 12, 2003Monday of the Fourth Week of Easter Psalm: Monday Week 22 Reading I Responsorial Psalm Gospel Reading IActs 11:1-18 The Apostles and the brothers who were in Judeaheard that the Gentiles too had accepted the word of God. So when Peter went up to Jerusalemthe circumcised believers confronted him, saying,"You entered the house of uncircumcised people and ate with them." Peter began and explained it to them step by step, saying,"I was at prayer in the city of Joppawhen in a trance I had a vision,something resembling a large sheet coming down,lowered from the sky by its four...

PHOENIX -- State lawmakers are moving to give members of boards and commissions the same protections they have against unfair outside pressure. Sen. Dean Martin, R-Phoenix, is introducing legislation today to make it a crime for anyone to improperly seek to influence the vote of any board member by contacting that person's regular employer. Violators would be guilty of a misdemeanor, facing six months in jail and a $2,500 fine. Martin admits his legislation is in direct response to the actions of Mario Diaz, a top aide to Gov. Janet Napolitano.Diaz, seeking to get the state Board on Geographic...

New Fox talk show has a Vester'd interest Linda Vester, a regular anchor on the Fox News Channel's daytime rotation, is getting her own gig. She'll begin as the host of "Dayside with Linda Vester," today at 1 p.m., putting her at the helm of the network's first studio audience program. Think: CNN's now-canceled "Talkback Live" done the Fox way. Call 1-800-FOXTKTS for tickets. Vester, a former MSNBC anchor, will do the show from Fox's brand-new studio on W.47th St., in the former home of the Dish of Salt restaurant.

<p>On May 5 the Missouri legislature overwhelmingly passed right-to-carry legislation, which will allow honest adults age 23 and older to obtain a permit to carry a concealed firearm. Right-to-carry means that if you fulfill the requirements (training, fingerprints, no criminal record, pay the fee, etc.) you will be issued the permit. You cannot be denied just because the sheriff doesn't like you for supporting his opponent - or thinks only police should be able to protect themselves, as occurs in states with discriminatory concealed carry, like New York and New Jersey. Gov. Holden has threatened to veto this bill.</p>

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - Not bad for a sportswriter from Queens. Ray Romano has struck a deal that will make him the highest-paid actor in television with a nearly $50 million salary for the upcoming eighth season of "Everybody Loves Raymond," sources said. At the same time, CBS has quietly struck a deal to renew the show for an additional two seasons at a hefty license fee of nearly $6 million an episode. After lengthy negotiations, sources said Romano has come to an agreement with CBS and "Raymond" producers Worldwide Pants and HBO Independent Prods. for a one-season deal...

<p>STUART, Florida (AP) -- A woman was arrested for dousing herself with perfume, spraying the house with bug killer and disinfectant, and burning scented candles in an attempt to seriously injure her chemically sensitive husband, prosecutors said.</p> <p>Police charged Lynda Taylor, 36, with aggravated battery Thursday.</p>

Drop-In to Albania Stirs Balkan Rivalries By Al Kamen Monday, May 12, 2003; Page A17 It seemed like a fine idea, just a little cameo appearance, when Secretary of State Colin L. Powell dropped by Albania the other day en route to Syria. Croatia, Macedonia and Albania had signed on to something called the Adriatic partnership, a sort of minor league training group for entry into NATO. And the Albanians were key members of the coalition of the willing, sending about 70 troops to guard mosques and such. So everyone was grateful for the stop? Not really. At a news...

'I love this city,' former president tells crowd The crowd rose to its feet, cheered and clapped as former President Bill Clinton walked side-by-side with Syracuse University Chancellor Kenneth ''Buzz'' Shaw across the Carrier Dome floor Sunday. Shaw and Clinton walked with their arms around each other's backs, chatting and laughing, as they neared the stage set up for the university's 149th commencement. Instead of the traditional mortar board, Clinton wore a black Nike baseball-style hat like the ones worn by the SU Orangemen after they won the 2003 NCAA basketball championship. He waved to the crowd and shook hands...

Reports of garbage not being picked up and police officers refusing to go to work for fear of running into thugs are rampant in Iraq these days along with the incessant reports of Iraqi protesters railing against the United States and the coalition forces for not having a fully functioning government and public services established just weeks after the most successful military campaign in the history of the world. So, what needs to be said about this? How about shut the hell up and get your butts back to work! There are a few things that the Iraqi people have...

NIAGARA FALLS, Ont. -- A seven-year-old boy wandered 10 kilometres into the U.S. without being noticed by border officials, leaving his father and police puzzled as to how the child crossed unchecked during a period of heightened border security. Mitchell Hernder was reported missing Saturday afternoon after leaving home on his sister's bicycle, a Toronto CTV affiliate reported Sunday. The mildly autistic boy was found two hours later, standing in the middle of a street, 10 kilometres from the border in Niagara Falls, N.Y. "It's a good thing he knew his name, or he wouldn't have got home,'' the boy's...