Free Republic

Bobbie Nudie, who has died aged 92, was the self-proclaimed original Rhinestone Cowgirl, helping her husband to clothe Elvis Presley in gold lamé, and cladding cowboy stars and country singers such as Roy Rogers and Hank Williams in preposterous rhinestone costumes. The couple's Hollywood shop, Nudie's Rodeo Tailors, cornered a niche market in what Americans call "sparkly duds" from 1947 until the mid-1990s. As well as the celebrated rhinestone-studded "Nudie suit", Bobbie and her husband, Nudie Cohn, created pantsuits and dresses for women and - extending their range of cowboy chic - 18 gas-guzzling cars (mainly convertibles) complete with steer...

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend by the name of Common Sense who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. he will be remembered as having cultivated such value lessons as knowing when to come in out of the rain, why the early bird gets the worm and that life isnt always fair. Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (dont spend more than you earn) and reliable parenting stategies (adults, not kids, are...

A campaign to "buy" Simon Mann out of his Zimbabwean prison cell has been launched by wealthy friends who fear for the life of the Old Etonian former SAS officer if he has to serve the seven-year term handed out in Harare on Friday.