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Owners of pit bull terriers and four other breeds of dog will face heavy fines for breeding, selling or giving them away under laws planned by the State Government. All pit bulls, American pit bulls, Japanese tosas, and Argentinian and Brazilian fighting dogs, now restricted to owners aged over 18, will have to be desexed. "We want to breed these dogs out of existence," the Premier, Bob Carr, said yesterday. "They are killing machines on a leash." But pit bull owners and breeders have attacked the crackdown. Colin Muir, president of the American Pit Bull Club of Australia, said: "This...

Critics like to give Hollywood a hard time for debasing American culture. While some flotsam does make it into theaters, I think moviemakers can pack an astonishing amount of wisdom into their products when they put their minds to it. Look no farther than the current sensation over The Incredibles, an animated film that manages not only to entertain, but to celebrate family solidarity and attack the leveling instinct towrad mediocrity that pervades our society. In this case, though, I have in mind an older film. Last weekend American Movie Classics presented a marathon of war movies in honor of...

I waited far too long to see Sideways, the latest film of Alexander Payne (the director of Citizen Ruth, Election, and About Schmidt). It is so good that I am kicking myself for having procrastinated. Gratification for the mind, the eye, the heart, and the sense of humor, unnecessarily delayed. Sideways initially opened on just three screens, in New York and Los Angeles, to allow word of mouth and critical reaction to spread, and build an audience from the ground up. The strategy seems to have worked well, with Sideways currently on 497 screens, and a very respectable per screen...

I have read several comments by FReepers about the slaugthering of Theo van Gogh and see a lot of half truths about it. Therefore I will write this short report from Utrecht (The Netherlands). Theo van Gogh was a very famous film maker and columnist in The Netherlands. His movies were about several topics including a remake of Romeo and Julia with a Dutch girl and a Morrocan immigrant. He was a very generous guy as all his friends mentioned at the funeral and a good citizen (working for his son's sportclub). His other side was his fun in provoking...

June 3, 2004 -- Excerpts from President Bush's remarks at yesterday's Air Force Academy graduation ceremony. IN some ways, this struggle we're in is unique. In other ways, it resembles the great clashes of the last century — between those who put their trust in tyrants and those who put their trust in liberty. Our goal, the goal of this generation, is the same: We will secure our nation and defend the peace through the forward march of freedom.

This morning my stepson woke me at 4 AM saying my car alarm was going off. I shucked on a pair of pants and went out. Mine had stopped but others were activated nearby. After a quick look around, and seeing my window shattered, I called 911. Lafayette and Orinda police and Contra Costa Sheriffs literally SWARMED into the area in a well oiled vehicular response and NAILED the loser who was looting cars throughout the area in a stolen Toyota SUV. The thing was filled to the ceiling in the cargo area and back seat with the booty of...

The all knowing, all caring, all feeling, all sensing Maha Rushie was kicking ass and taking names again today. He's back. He's not taking any crap either. If anybody thought that this rehab changed his ideology then they should listen to today's show. When Rush starts to speak louder and with more passion I'll highlight and enlarge the lettering. Here is part of Rush's show this morning. He kicked ass. He was talking about the "Hate Bush" meeting. ""You know this group of people. This actor Harold Ickes. These actors, the actors wives, and this whole bunch. Ron Emmanuel's brother...

The Fascist Epithet Mack Tanner Epithets are always good political weap- ons. If they are well chosen, they paint the opponent's reputation so black that further discussion is no longer required. If an opponent is inherently evil, then one has no reason to expect that rational discussion and debate would produce any useful result. Therefore, once a political opponent has been appropriately labeled, that person can be shouted down and driven from the po-dium without the need of further discussion. Using epithets is obviously not engaging in logical political discourse, but politics isn't about logic, it's about winning and...

Bin Laden in 'excellent health' months after Sept 11 attacks A Pakistani doctor says he saw Osama bin Laden last November and that the al-Qaida leader was in excellent health. Dr Amer Aziz has been released after being held for one month and questioned by US security officials. Aziz, a British-trained orthopedic surgeon, said he was summoned to a meeting in November, 2001 in Kabul, the Afghan capital. He was asked to treat top al-Qaida leader Mohammed Atef. Bin Laden and his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, were present. Dr Aziz said bin Laden showed no signs of the kidney failure that...