Free Republic

All politics are local! The libs in Falls Church, VA are out in force! They oppose the conversion of a Post Office and vacant lot into a wonderful mixed use development, filled with rental apartments and a large Harris Teeter supermarket. Falls Church has the highest property taxes in Northern Virginia, in large part because of a lack of commercial properties. Visit FCNP.com and scroll down to the Question of the Week (right side) to cast your vote in support of economic development, free markets, and lower residential property taxes. Your support is appreciated!

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For Graduate School of Education professor Kathy Schultz, the allegations being leveled against University of Illinois at Chicago education professor Bill Ayers are "charges of McCarthysim." That's what caused her to join the more than 3,200 people - including eight others affiliated with Penn - in signing a recent national petition in support of Ayers. The education professor is currently under attack from Republican nominee John McCain's campaign for his connection to a group called the Weather Underground that conducted several bombings in the 1970s as part of the anti-Vietnam War movement. Recently, there has been a spate of blog...

FREEP this poll -- it's on the front page (middle) of the DailyPennsylvanian.com website. At issue is whether the University of Pennsylvania should set aside "women-only" hours at the gym to allow female Muslim students to exercise without their traditional burkas on. This policy was recently started at Harvard and may come to Penn. Related post: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1977204/posts

Engineering freshman Dara Elass wears long sleeves, pants and a burkha, a head scarf traditionally worn by Muslim women, every time she pays a visit to Pottruck. She follows traditional Islamic law, which requires that women cover up in the presence of men - even at the gym. But if Penn follows in Harvard University's footsteps, students like Elass might be able to shed their layers. Last month, Harvard implemented women-only hours at its Quadrangle Recreation Athletic Center in an effort to allow Muslim women to exercise in a more carefree setting. For six hours each week, only women are...

Looking to find a replay of tonight's GOP debate in New Hampshire, either online or on TV...anyone know of any venue that will be replaying it? I've poked around unsuccessfully. Thanks in advance.

FREEP this poll @ DailyPennsylvanian.com (middle of the page)... Was it necessary for Penn College Republicans to change the name of Islamo-Facism Awarness Week to Terrorism Awareness week upon the insistance of the Muslim Student Association?

Police say a Putnam County homeowner shot and killed a man who he thought was trying to break into his home while his family slept. State police charged Peter Guerriero, of Putnam Lake, with manslaughter Monday in the death of 32-year-old David Schachnow, of Southeast. They say the 42-year-old Guerriero shot Schachnow in front of his house early that morning on a walkway that leads up to the front door and a deck. Schachnow was pronounced dead at 3:58 a.m. at a local hospital. State Police Capt. Keith Corlett says that it does not appear that Guerriero intentionally caused Schachnow's...

FREEP this poll! (It's located smack in the middle of DailyPennsylvanian.com) In light of the recent visit of Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Columbia University's campus, do you think it would be appropriate for Penn to invite equally controversial figures to speak to students? () Yes () No

Was anyone watching Fox News Live at around 1pm EST today? The anchor was doing a report outside about a new automobile dating service. At the beginning of the news cast, an older woman rushed the anchor and was tackled by a man, appearing to be a security officer. Does anyone know what happened? Anyone have a clip of this?

Vanity question: today I was in the area of Union Station (Washington, DC) and noticed that all of the American and state flags around there were being flown at half-staff. A few blocks away I saw the same thing at a government building. I've looked online to figure out why this was, but I haven't come up with anything. Does anyone have any ideas?

Just on CNN International: French official seated next to Lebanese Prime Minister... Lebanese PM thanked France for its "support of Lebanon"

In northern Israel, 90 civilians injured, one killed, by dozens of Hizballah rockets against towns and communities within a 20-km radius from the border Thursday. The entire region placed on a war footing All residents, as far south as Carmiel, Safed, Rosh Pinah and Hatzor ordered to stay in bombs shelters for the second day. A volley of 7 rockets injured 19 civilians in Safed, three seriously, landing on a shopping center, outside City Hall and on a school and causing extensive damage to ancient Galilee town. Earlier, two Hizballah rocket barrages landed in Nahariya on the western coast, killing...

Greece on Thursday expressed "serious concern" over Israeli attacks in Lebanon, and urged neighboring countries to show restraint. Government spokesman Evangelos Antonaros also urged the Hizbullah to release Israeli soldiers held hostage. "Greece expresses its serious concern and is intensely troubled," Antonaros said. "It is vital, to stop the (situation) worsening, Hizbullah must immediately release the soldiers taken hostage," he said. "At the same time, Greece calls on the government of Israel to avoid the use of excessive and pointless force which cannot provide a solution to the problem." Greece has traditionally close ties with Arab countries but has also...

Penn joined the growing list of universities last week opening offices in the nation's capital in order to protect the interests of higher education. The Office of Federal Affairs -- previously located on Penn's campus -- was relocated to Washington last Wednesday in order to establish a more permanent, visible Penn presence, Vice President of Government and Community Relations Vanda McMurtry said. "It's a clear demonstration that Penn wants to play a broader role in Washington in national affairs and wants to be more vigilant than it's been in the past looking out for its own interests," McMurtry said. University...

IAF fighter jets bombed runways at Beirut International Airport early Thursday morning as part of a military campaign which it vowed would be harsh and quick against the Lebanese government and Hizbullah, which a day before killed eight IDF soldiers and kidnapped two others along the northern border. It was unclear whether there were any casualties in the IAF strike. Meeting in emergency session late Wednesday, the Cabinet approved plans by IDF echelons to target the airport and other strategic infrastructures inside Lebanon including power plants. Earlier Thursday morning, several Katyusha rockets, fired by Hizbullah from southern Lebanon, landed on...

IAF warplanes and navy gunboats struck a Palestinian terrorist base south of Beirut late Wednesday, Lebanese security officials said, in the closest raid to the Lebanese capital since fighting erupted in southern Lebanon after the kidnapping of two IDF soldiers. All residents along Israel's northern border from Nahariya in the west to Kiryat Shmona in the east were ordered into bomb shelters on Wednesday night. "This is a new situation. The residents of Israel need to know that we are going into a period that would require resilience," Minister Issac Herzog said after the emergency cabinet meeting Prime Minister Ehud...

On the 18th day since the abduction of Corporal Gilad Shalit, the picture has become all the more complex. From limited fighting on a single front (the Gaza Strip), the Israel Defense Forces is now approaching what might evolve into a near outright war on two fronts.

Three bomb blasts have been reported at Khar, Matunga and Mira Road railway stations on the Western Railway line. The first blast is believed to have taken place at 6.09 pm. It is not established whether there were any casualties. It is also not clear whether the blasts took place at the station or inside the local train. This is rush hour in Mumbai with most commuters heading north towards their residences. Further reports are awaited.

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