Free Republic

The most remarkable thing about the title of this column, “Cornell student presents senior thesis in her underwear” is that not one reader thinks it’s a joke. That, my friends, is further proof of the low esteem in which most Americans hold our universities. The left has rendered our universities, in the description of Harvard Professor Steven Pinker, a laughingstock. As reported in the Cornell Sun and then around the world, this is what actually happened last week at Cornell University, one of our “Ivy League” universities: Letitia Chai, a Cornell senior, presented a trial run of her college scholar...

A Florida man told South Carolina police Monday that a dancer at a strip club struck him four times after he told her she needed to lose weight. Kyle Yeomans, 23, said the dancer, who worked at Derriere's Gentlemen's Club in Myrtle Beach, was "annoying him" and the dancer "kept trying to talk to him and he was tired of it," TV station WMBF reported. WMBF said Yeomans told the dancer that "she should go to the gym and lose weight," which is when she struck him. He told police that his intoxication level was an "11 out of 10"...

Dieters desperate to get rid of that spare tyre can finally let it all hang out. That muffin-top could actually help to regulate the immune system and provide a first line of defence against infection and viruses. A hard-to-shift beer belly could even help regenerate damaged tissue after an injury. The fatty membrane in the belly, called the omentum, has never seemed to serve much of a purpose. But now the research by scientists in Chicago has shown it can be a health benefit - and their discovery could lead to the development of new drugs for organ transplant patients...

Obesity is a major problem in Britain OBESITY can be “caught” as easily as a common cold from other people’s coughs, sneezes and dirty hands, scientists will claim today. Researchers believe that an airborne “adenovirus” germ could be causing the fat plague that is blighting Britain and other countries. As many as one in three obese people may have become overweight after falling victim to the highly infectious cold-like virus, known as AD-36. It is known to cause coughs, sore throats, diarrhoea and conjunctivitis but has now also been found to make fat cells multiply, leading to weight gain....

BUTT SERIOUSLY By ORLA HEALY June 27, 2005 PEEK-A-BOO g-strings - divine! Runaway bra-straps - sexy! Lumps of puckered lard cascading over the chafing waistbands of skin-tight skirts - absolutely fabulous! Whether it's thunder thighs bursting out of keister-cupping shorts, blubbery bellies drooping over belt lines or deflated bosoms languishing under form-fitting tops - New York is boldly redefining its celebrated status as the nation's fashion capital. The carb-friendly look that's spreading like a pair of child-bearing hips across the city lends itself to creative interpretation, as you'll see in our investigation on the following pages. Never mind that pesky...