Free Republic

ALBURQUERQUE, Spain - Spanish cuisine tickles the palate in a thousand ways: ugly but delicious creatures called goose barnacles; boiled octopus with a dash of olive oil and paprika; thick, mushy sausage made from pig's blood. Spaniards are nothing if not dedicated eaters. Now, hard-core foodies are drooling over the prospect of something truly superlative from Spain, at least in price: a salt-cured ham costing about $2,100 per leg, or a cruel $160 per pound. It's a price believed to make it the most expensive ham in the world. Don't grab your wallet just yet. And forget about asking for...

Ballot wars involving oil and tobacco interests, money from Hollywood and Silicon Valley, plus a governor's race, are shattering California campaign finance records, according to final pre-election reports released Thursday. Overall spending on statewide races, 13 ballot initiatives and legislative seats will likely approach $500 million, predicted Sonoma State University political scientist Dave McCuan, an expert on ballot initiatives. The previous high-dollar mark was set last fall, when forces arrayed on all sides of the special election spent more than $250 million. McCuan used to marvel that California's system of direct democracy was on steroids. ``It's bionic now,'' he said....

Wilma May Be Mexico's Costliest Disaster Friday October 28, 2005 4:31 AM By WILL WEISSERT Associated Press Writer ISLA MUJERES, Mexico (AP) - Mexico's Caribbean coastline took a beating from Hurricane Wilma, but the resort area's islands - famous for their diving and snorkeling - bore the brunt of the storm, with extensive damage to reefs and white-sand beaches. Mexican insurance companies said Thursday that Wilma was likely to be the country's most costly disaster ever, with payments topping the $1.2 billion the industry dished out for 1988's Hurricane Gilbert. A U.S. cruise ship was sent Thursday to the island...