Free Republic

TURLOCK -- A Turlock woman who posted inflammatory comments on Facebook about President Barack Obama has been fired from her job and reported to the U.S. Secret Service.

Last Lecture author Randy Pausch has passed away.

"Before I converted to Christianity, I was a Jehovah's Witness. In 1993, my mother was dying from diabetic complications. My sister was heavy into drugs, and we would have to go and get her from crack houses. I was in a very physically abusive relationship. I was sleeping with a lot of guys and had more abortions than I would like to count. I had very low self-esteem and just wanted to die. I felt if someone killed me, it wouldn't even make a difference. But God showed me that it would make a difference," she told the glossy.

A MAN almost died when he stopped for a roadside toilet break and was bitten by a deadly snake - on the end of his manhood. The poisonous brown snake darted between his legs and dived at his penis as he crouched on the roadside near Cairns, Australia, before fleeing.

HOUSTON—Marche Taylor’s prom night experience wasn’t what you would call “the norm.” That’s because instead of a night of dancing and hanging out with friends, the Madison High School senior ended up in a confrontation with school officials and escorted out in handcuffs. Officials said her dress was inappropriate for the prom. “I actually like the dress. Everybody else likes my dress,” Taylor said. Madison High’s prom took place at the Sugar Land Marriott, but Taylor only got as far as the lobby. When she tried to enter the ballroom, an official stopped her.

A New Jersey police officer facing sex assault charges can add animal cruelty to the list after officials said he performed multiple sex acts with cows. Robert Melia Jr., an officer with the Moorestown Police Department, was charged Tuesday with four counts of animal cruelty, MyFOXPhildelphia.com reports. Authorities said Melia engaged in sex acts with the bovines between June and December 2006.

"Raging Rosie Bullies Her Boy" shouts the headline of a new article in The Globe that runs alongside photos of Rosie O'Donnell having a seemingly heated conversation with her son, Parker, on March 30. But the article's description of the mother of four as abusive and claim that she forcefully manhandled her 12-year-old have her camp fighting back.

A SOUTH Australian father and daughter have revealed they are a couple, and have had a child together. John and Jenny Deaves reunited 30 years after Mr Deaves separated from Jenny's mother.

CUMMING, Ga. -- A Forsyth County man ran over and killed his girlfriend with a half-ton truck, according to police. Mark Jones, 42, of Cumming is accused of hitting Chrissy Newton, 34, on Shiloh Rd. Sunday after an argument. She died Wednesday of her injuries. Police arrested Jones on DUI charges on Sunday, but now he could be facing more serious charges. He was released from the Forsyth County detention center Sunday after posting a $1,375 bond, a jail spokeswoman said.

JACKSON, Missouri (CNN) -- Debbie Shank breaks down in tears every time she's told that her 18-year-old son, Jeremy, was killed in Iraq. Debbie Shank, 52, has severe brain damage after a traffic accident in May 2000. Even though the 52-year-old mother of three attended her son's funeral -- she continues to ask how he's doing. When her family reminds her that he's dead -- she weeps as if hearing the news for the first time. Shank suffered severe brain damage after a traffic accident nearly eight years ago that robbed her of much of her short-term memory and left...

Two of America's top authors, John Irving and Stephen King, made a plea to J.K. Rowling on Tuesday not to kill the fictional boy wizard Harry Potter in the final book of the series, but Rowling made no promises. "My fingers are crossed for Harry," Irving said at a joint news conference before a charity reading by the three writers at New York's Radio City Music Hall. The author of "The World According to Garp" and a string of other bestsellers said he and King felt like "warm-up bands" for Rowling, who is working on the seventh and last book...

ET has confirmed that RENEE ZELLWEGER and country crooner KENNY CHESNEY have filed to anull their marriage of just over 4 months. The two tied the knot in a surprise ceremony back in May on the beautiful island of St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands, where the singer has a home. In a short, 15-minute ceremony performed by a female preacher in front of a small group of family and friends, the bride wore CAROLINA HERRERA, one of her favorite designers, while the groom was reportedly barefoot. The two met at the Concert of Hope tsunami relief effort last...

McLEAN, Va. - An infant born last month to a severely brain-damaged woman died Monday after emergency surgery to repair a perforated intestine. Susan Anne Catherine Torres, born prematurely on Aug. 2 after her mother was on life support for three months, died of heart failure at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, a family statement said. The infant's condition had deteriorated rapidly during the weekend, according to the family. The baby's prematurity led to an intestinal disorder and an infection that overwhelmed her body, and she died just after midnight, the hospital said. Cancer patient Susan Rollin Torres, a...

The twosome, who are expecting their first child together this fall, married Wednesday at the Parrot Cay resort in the Caribbean islands of Turks and Caicos, Us Weekly reports. Affleck's publicist, Ken Sunshine, declined to confirm the report. "I do not comment on my clients' personal lives," he said. Garner's rep, Nicole King, was not immediately available Thursday morning. The newlyweds have been dating since last year. They met on the set of 2003's Daredevil, in which they starred as superhero lovers Daredevil and Elektra. In April, Affleck reportedly flew the Alias star's nearest and dearest out to California for...

June 29, 2005 — A jury decided today that Marcus Wesson deserves the death penalty for the murder of his nine children. Wesson was convicted earlier this month of killing nine of his own children — seven boys and girls ages one to nine, one 17-year-old girl, and one 25-year-old woman. They also found him guilty of 14 counts of sexually abusing his daughters and nieces. Several of the victims were children he fathered with his young daughters. The sentencing recommendation brings some closure to the worst murder case ever seen in this agricultural town in the heart of California's...

Oprah Winfrey may be the world's most powerful celebrity, as well as the reigning Queen of Daytime, but apparently those titles hold little sway with Hermes. The luxury goods retailer has issued a red-faced apology after refusing the talk-show host entry to one of its Paris boutiques last week. According to a statement from Hermes, Winfrey and "an entourage" tried to enter the Hermes boutique on the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore at about 6:45 p.m. on June 14. Though the store's normal closing time is 6:30 p.m., many high-end retailers routinely make exceptions for celebrities and other VIPs. However, according...

Brooke Shields has officially engaged with Tom Cruise in what is fast becoming a celebrity war of the words. After Cruise criticized Shields' use of antidepressants as "irresponsible" during an interview with Access Hollywood last week, Shields has suggested the leading man keep his opinions to himself. "Tom Cruise's comments are irresponsible and dangerous," Shields said in London last week. "Tom should stick to saving the world from aliens and let women who are experiencing postpartum depression decide what treatment options are best for them." Shields recently published Down Came the Rain, a personal chronicle of her struggle with depression...

ANKARA, Turkey - Mehmet Ali Agca, who shot and seriously wounded Pope John Paul II in 1981, said from his Turkish prison Monday that he was mourning the death of his "spiritual brother" and wanted to attend his funeral. Agca's lawyer Mustafa Demirag said he would put the request to prosecutors Tuesday but admitted there was little chance Turkey would allow a maximum-security prisoner to attend the funeral of a man whom he had shot. "We don't have much hope," Demirag said. In a written statement in Italian faxed to The Associated Press through his lawyers, Agca repeated his claim...

Friday March 25, 2005 10:00 PM ET Britney Spears and her husband of seven months, Kevin Federline, are expecting a baby, Star can exclusively and definitively reveal! The 23-year-old singer is three-months pregnant, according to sources close to the couple, and an official announcement confirming the happy news is expected to be released this weekend. Sources say Britney has canceled all her future work engagements and is busy preparing for her new job - motherhood - when the baby arrives this fall. Brit's made no secret of her desire to start a family since her marriage to Kevin Federline on...

When friends of Ashton Kutcher gathered recently for a night out at the new Hollywood hot spot he owns, the Geisha restaurant, they were astounded when the 27-year-old star dropped a bombshell: Demi Moore, 42, his beautiful girlfriend of almost two years, is pregnant! "Halfway through the meal, he told us there was a baby on the way," says a stunned source. In fact, Star has learned that Demi is eight-weeks pregnant, with a due date some time in October. Demi received the happy news March 4, at an appointment at the Beverly Hills clinic, Woman's Care. She sat there...