Free Republic

It's 10:30pm two days before 9/11. I'm getting home after a 3 week whirlwind trip to mid America. This airport, Salt Lake City, is a brightly lit aorta of activity with thousands and thousands of people coming, going, jamming the bright new shops, pubs and restaurants. Perhaps they are getting vital calories to endure the insanely long walk from the front curb to the B gates. Masks and distancing? Yes, but they come off and stay off at the drinking hole. Shop closures? Not here; it's hopping 24/7. Such a contrast to the dark and quiet rows of shops in...

Americans finally started spending again in February -- largely at discounters such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc. -- leading to the first monthly gain in retail-industry sales since September. Wal-Mart stood above other retailers, posting its best sales performance in nine months. Sales at stores open a year rose 5.1%, the company said, twice the rate that analysts had expected, and helped by strong demand for electronics. The world's largest retailer delivered a note of confidence by raising its annual dividend 15%. Shoppers are spending more on groceries, countertop appliances and cookware as they cut back on trips to restaurants,

GUINSAUGON, Philippines - High-tech gear detected "signs of life" Monday at the site of an elementary school buried under mud that swept down a hillside soaked by rain in the eastern Philippines, the provincial governor said. Sounds of scratching and a rhythmic tapping were picked up by seismic sensors and sound-detection gear brought in by U.S. and Malaysian forces, said South Leyte Gov. Rosette Lerias. Generator-powered lights were set up to allow teams of rescue workers to dig through the sludge during the night. "To me, that's more than enough reason to smile and be happy," Lerias said. "The adrenaline...