Free Republic

DENVER, CO - The American Association of Entomologists has adopted the term 'fire mites' for Trombicula alfreddugesi, a small, parasitic arachnid barely visible to the naked eye. The pests, formerly known as 'chiggers', have tormented outdoor enthusiasts with itchy welts for centuries. Recently, however, the creature's former name had come under scrutiny as being offensive to some ethnic groups. "We recently buried a word almost identical to that one." said Isaiah Herman, Executive Director of the National African-American Coalition of People. "We applaud the AAE for taking steps to keep that word dead." The measure sparked a lively debate among...

Rockville, Mary. – A study conducted by researchers at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) reports that an overwhelming majority of 100 percent of all newborn infants display symptoms normally associated with clinical adult depression and in fact suffer from a medical condition known as Infant Depressive Disorder (IDD). "A baby suffering from Infant Depressive Disorder will exhibit many of the same warning signs as depressed adults: frequent bouts of crying, weight gain, disrupted sleep patterns and so on," said Dr. James Redab, who headed up NICHD's three-year study. "Parents, do not dismiss your infant's behavior...

MIAMI, Okla. ? In the midst of a "Holy Spirit" revival meeting at Full Gospel Temple Saturday night, Barry Munrow, 58, suffered a heart attack and went unnoticed for three hours because dozens of people were "slain in the Spirit" around him. "I thought he was overcome by the power of God," says associate pastor Kevin Toomey, 35, who saw Munrow fall into the aisle during the visiting evangelist's sixth impassioned altar call. An usher laid a modesty cloth over Munrow and various people prayed for him throughout the evening. The evangelist came by at one point and touched Munrow's...

The Democratic National Committee issued a statement alleging that the scandal surrounding Rep Mark Foley (R-Fla) demonstrates a “lack of leadership” in the Republican Party. “You didn’t see people resigning in disgrace for these kinds of scandals when the Democratic Party was in the majority,” Howard Dean, Chairman of the DNC, said. “We kept things under control.” The statement went on to list people who were able to avoid resigning in disgrace when Democrats held the majority: Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass), Rep Gerry Studds (D-Mass), Rep. Jim Bates (D-Calif), Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass), and Pres. Bill Clinton (D-Ark). “The careers...