Free Republic

Miami Dolphins linebacker Joey Porter had plenty to say when asked about New York Giants receiver Plaxico Burress' latest troubles, and Porter can speak from experience. ... "For a person to carry a gun, I mean, you're not carrying a gun to show that 'I'm tough.' It's safety, it's nothing but safety," Porter said. ... "When you get out of a situation like that and you've been in harm's way, the first thing that goes through your mind, I'd rather get caught and take the little penalty from the media, whatever the situation may be, than not have a chance...

The Tampa Bay Rays' playoff run turned into a hair-raising experience for a 12-year-old fan who got in trouble for adopting the team's signature playoff hairstyle -- and then wound up on the field with his major-league heroes. 12-year-old Zachary Sharples' Rayhawk haircut got him in trouble at school. But it also got him on the field before Game 2 of the ALCS with Jonny Gomes, left, and Gabe Gross, right.

DUSHANBE, Tajikistan - China and several Central Asian nations rebuffed Russia's hopes of international support for its actions in Georgia, issuing a statement Thursday denouncing the use of force and calling for respect for every country's territorial integrity.

JUNCTION CITY, Calif. (CBS) ― Nine people are missing and feared dead in a helicopter crash in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman said Wednesday. The crash happened Tuesday night as the helicopter was transporting firefighters battling a wildfire north of Junction City. FAA spokesman Ian Gregor said the helicopter was carrying 11 firefighters and two crew members when it went down. Four people have been taken to the hospital with severe burns. Two of the survivors were in critical condition at the University of California Medical Center in Sacramento, Forest Service spokesman Mike Odle said Wednesday,...

The tree-sit that has been going on for more than 18 months in the oak grove near Memorial Stadium may have reached its end now that UCPD officers are attempting to take the sitters out. In the latest of several developments, an arborist harnessed on the end of a crane was mobilized onto one of the trees where he was attempting to cut down a structure in the tree when a tree-sitter began hitting him with a plastic bottle. The workman was pulled out of the tree by the crane. Two cherry pickers are also on the site, one of...

WELLINGTON (Reuters) - Two New Zealand pilots whose plane ran out of fuel landed on a wing and a prayer, literally, local media reported on Wednesday. Grant Stubbs and Owen Wilson from Blenheim, at the top of the South Island about 50 kilometers (30 miles) south of Wellington, were in a microlight plane when the engine cut out. "When you're in a microlight if you crash, you usually die. I turned to O B (Wilson) and he said we had no fuel," Stubbs told the Marlborough Express newspaper. "I asked what we should do. He said: 'You just pray Grant.'"...

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - It's a happy Mother's Day for an Arkansas woman — she's pregnant with her 18th child. Michelle Duggar, 41, is due on New Year's Day, and the latest addition will join seven sisters and 10 brothers. There are two sets of twins. "We've had three in January, three in December. Those two months are a busy time for us," she said, laughing. The Duggars' oldest child, Josh, is 20, and the youngest, Jennifer, is nine months old. The fast-growing family lives in Tontitown in northwest Arkansas in a 7,000-square-foot home. All the children — whose names...

A woman who was a passenger in Cedric Benson's boat when he was pepper-sprayed and arrested Saturday night said the Chicago Bears running back did not seem intoxicated and did not resist arrest, according to the Chicago Tribune. Elizabeth Cartwright, 22, a senior at the University of Texas and a friend of Benson, said she called her father and asked him to call police about the way Benson was treated by officers of the Lower Colorado River Authority, which patrols Lake Travis, a man-made lake northwest of Austin, Texas. "I called my dad and told him, 'Call 911, my black...

Llewellyn Werner, a California investor, admits he is facing obstacles most amusement park developers never have to deal with. Such as insurgent attacks and looting. But when the amusement park you’re building lies in downtown Baghdad, those risks come with the territory. Mr Werner, chairman of C3, a Los Angeles-based holding company for private equity firms, is pouring millions of dollars into developing The Baghdad Zoo and Entertainment Experience, a massive American-style amusement park that will feature a skateboard park, rides, a concert theatre and a museum. It is being designed by the same firm that developed Disneyland. “The people...

BELGRADE (Reuters) - A Serb farmer used a grinding machine to cut in half his farm tools and machines to comply with a court ruling that he must share all his property with his ex-wife, local media reported on Thursday. Branko Zivkov, 76, told Belgrade daily Kurir he had been ready to give his wife Vukadinka her equal share of everything earned during their 45-year marriage, but was furious at being asked to give away half his farming equipment. Instead, he bought a grinder and cut in two all his tools, including large items such as cattle scales, a harrow...

Not only am I feeling lucky, I'm feeling optimistic. It feels good to be alive. I am grateful to God. I don't think it's impossible for you to win the lottery. It could happen. But if you think about it, we've all already won some sort of lottery. Let me get scientific with you for a bit. Ok, so here's the deal. So we all know (a) how babies are made and (b) where babies come from... ...in case you don't know: the answers are (a) extreme heat and excessive pressure and (b) imported from China. Seriously, though, after intercourse,...

MOSCOW - Just a month after the Soviet Union stunned the world by putting the first artificial satellite into orbit, it boasted a new victory — a much bigger satellite carrying a mongrel dog called Laika. The mission, 50 years ago Saturday, ended sadly for Laika but helped pave the way for human flight. As with other episodes of the Soviet space program, Laika's mission was hidden under a veil of secrecy, and only after the collapse of the Soviet Union could the participants tell the real story behind it. The satellite that carried Laika into orbit was built in...

PRAGUE (Reuters) - A Czech couple who decided to take a DNA test to squash persistent pub gossip and prove that their 10-month-old baby was their own got a nasty surprise. The couple, from the southeastern town of Trebic, had some doubts about the child as her hair was blonde and they both had dark hair. Fellow drinkers' suspicions got on their nerves. But the test showed neither of the parents had the same DNA as the baby, Czech news agency CTK reported Wednesday, suggesting a mix-up at the hospital. Authorities were looking into the case.

JERUSALEM - Israeli President Moshe Katsav agreed to resign Thursday in a plea bargain that drops rape allegations and the threat of jail time in return for pleading guilty to lesser charges. The deal was a dramatic reversal by Attorney General Meni Mazuz, who had announced in January that he planned to take Katsav to trial on charges of rape and other sex crimes — counts that could have landed him in prison for 20 years. Katsav's accusers, all former female employees, condemned the deal, which will impose no jail time for his guilty pleas to sexual harassment and obstruction...

FAA computer systems reported down across East Coast... Developing...

Azia Kim was like any other Stanford freshman. She graduated from one of California’s most competitive high schools last June, moved into the dorms during New Student Orientation, talked about upcoming tests and spent her free time with friends. Azia Kim allegedly climbed through this first-floor window in Okada to sleep during spring quarter. The 18-year-old was evicted after her ruse was uncovered Monday night. Azia Kim allegedly climbed through this first-floor window in Okada to sleep during spring quarter. The 18-year-old was evicted after her ruse was uncovered Monday night. The only problem is that Azia Kim was never...

LAS VEGAS – Diego Corrales, a former world champion boxer who scored one of the most memorable knockouts in boxing history, died Monday in a three-vehicle accident near his Las Vegas home. Corrales was driving a 2007 Suzuki 1000 motorcycle, traveling northbound on Fort Apache Road in the southwest part of the city, when it inexplicably struck the back of a 1997 Honda Accord, Las Vegas police spokesman Sgt. Tracy McDonald said. McDonald said the motorcycle careened into the southbound lane and, at some point, he was tossed off the bike. A 2004 Mercedes-Benz traveling in the southbound lane was...

McCain announces on Letterman tonight he is running for President, says source that sat through the taping... He was sitting in the chair when he told Dave and the audience. He was wildly applauded.... MORE...

Any other Freepers in the Bay Area just feel the small earthquake. According to early reports, it was a 3.4 on the Richter Scale. I'm in Berkerkely and felt a quick jolt but nothing too bad (considering I'm from LA).

Five NASA probes aimed at unraveling mysteries surrounding Earth's colorful auroras are set to launch Friday evening after a 24-hour weather delay. A United Launch Alliance Delta 2 rocket carrying the five probes that make up the Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions During Substorms (THEMIS) mission is scheduled to liftoff between 6:05 and 6:23 p.m. EST on Feb. 16 from Pad 17-B at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. The launch will set a new NASA record for the most number of scientific satellites ever launched into orbit aboard a single rocket. "We're complete through all of our...