Free Republic

Harry’s older cousin Oliver got as much pleasure from helping to give the present as he did from receiving his own. As for Harry – the monkey never left his side….

Until a few weeks ago our son and his family lived in a street like this in South London. Now they lives in a country cottage in the west of England

An intriguing item here from the dogged Kevin Rennie of the Hartford Courant that highlights a classic example of why ordinary citizens become cynical about politicians and the way business in Washington is conducted. Silver-haired Senator Christopher Dodd, chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, has already been getting a lot of heat for his two 2003 VIP mortgage loans from Countrywide, one of the major actors in triggering the current financial crisis. Seeking Senate re-election in 2010, the 2008 presidential candidate (he dropped out on the first day of voting after finishing seventh in Iowa, where he had moved with...

Katrina Cottages, kit-of-parts houses designed for hurricane-affected residents of the Gulf region, will finally be available to the public. The hardware superstore chain Lowe?s will sell the systems in its Louisiana and Mississippi stores in late fall (see BW.com, October 19, National Design Award Winners). The bungalow-style cottages range in size from 544 square feet to 936 square feet, and some can be expanded to 1,200 square feet. Featuring Hardy Plank siding, wood framing, and metal roofing, they were developed as cheaper, more durable, and more attractive alternatives to the trailers that FEMA has dispensed throughout the area: The homes...

BERLIN (Reuters) - A fire that destroyed a cottage near Bonn and injured a 77-year-old man was probably caused by a meteor and witnesses saw an arc of blazing light in the sky, German police said on Friday. Burkhard Rick, a spokesman for the police in Siegburg east of Bonn, said the fire gutted the cottage and badly burned the man's hands and face in the incident on October 10. "We sought assistance from Bochum observatory and they noted that at that particular moment the earth was near a field of meteoroid splinter and it could be assumed that particles...

The news seemed odd: Cottage Grove Police Chief John Mickelson crashed his Ford Explorer in Lakeville in the middle of the night, left the scene and didn't meet with law enforcement officers until half a day later. Yet Mickelson's attorney maintains the chief needed medical help and was justified in going to the hospital before meeting in person with investigators.

Hillary Rodham Clinton's family cottage damaged by fire April 3, 2004, 12:42 PM EST LAKE WINOLA, Pa. (AP) _ A lakeside cottage owned by U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's family was slightly damaged in a fire that destroyed an adjacent home. The fire at a ranch home in this small vacation community about 115 miles north of Philadelphia broke out Friday morning. The home was fully engulfed by the time firefighters arrived. The Rodham cottage sustained heat damage on the side and water damage inside after several windows were broken, firefighters said. Tony Rodham, Clinton's brother, was notified at his...

LAKE WINOLA, Pa. (AP) A lakeside cottage owned by U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's family was slightly damaged in a fire that destroyed an adjacent home. The fire at a ranch home in this small vacation community about 115 miles north of Philadelphia broke out Friday morning. The home was fully engulfed by the time firefighters arrived. Three children and a baby sitter were home when the fire started but escaped unharmed. The cause remains under investigation. The Rodham cottage sustained heat damage on the side and water damage inside after several windows were broken, firefighters said. Tony Rodham,...