Free Republic

LONDON (AP) - Oxford, Cambridge and other British universities said Tuesday that the government's plan to cut hundreds of millions of pounds (dollars) from their funding would put their world-class reputations in jeopardy. Unlike most elite institutions in the United States, Britain's top schools rely almost exclusively on taxpayers keeping them going. But strapped for cash, the government has slashed its higher education budget by 600 million pounds (nearly $1 billion) over the next three years—a figure British media say comes to a 12 percent reduction when combined with other cuts.

<p>Intel, a pillar of Silicon Valley's high-tech revolution and 40-year pioneer of the semiconductor business, is closing its last local chip plant later this year.</p> <p>The plant closing reflects how the changing dynamics of the industry continue to push the development and production of semiconductors to other parts of the world.</p>

LEWISBURG — A Millheim man accused of indecent exposure and open lewdness waived his right to a preliminary hearing Thursday in the office of District Judge Leo S. Armbruster. Paul S. Shreckengast, 38, was charged after an incident at 5 p.m. Jan. 21 in White Deer Township. Police said he exposed himself to an Amish family while engaging in inappropriate sexual contact with himself. He allegedly followed the family, which was in a buggy, along the White Deer Pike from a stop in Clinton County near the Pit Stop Restaurant to the water treatment facility in White Deer Township. According...

The Wal-Martification of AmericaI don't expect you to shed any tears about Aron's closing. Unless you grew up in L.A. as I did, you've probably never even heard of it. Aron's was this used record and CD store that I discovered 30 years ago. It was a quirky place, an audiophile heaven where there was never any telling what offbeat treasure you might find. More to the point, it was “my” place, a store where I spent endless hours browsing for rarities and oddities you could never find elsewhere. To this day, no trip back to L.A. is complete without...