Free Republic

LOS ANGELES A woman is suing the J.C. Penney Co. after an alleged run-in with a store mannequin that she says left her with a cracked tooth, a bloodied head and recurring shoulder pain. Diana Newton, 51, of Westminster sued the Texas-based retailer last month in Orange County Superior Court, claiming she was cracked in the head by a legless female dummy at its Westminster Mall store. Newton said the incident happened nearly a year ago in the women's department, as she was shopping for a blouse. The only one in her size was on the mannequin. As a salesclerk...

Darwin smacked in new U.S. poll Whopping 69 percent of Americans want alternate theories in classroom -------------------------------------------------------- Posted: March 7, 2006 5:00 p.m. Eastern © 2006 WorldNetDaily.com A new poll shows 69 percent of Americans believe public school teachers should present both the evidence for and against Darwinian evolution. The Zogby International survey indicated only 21 percent think biology teachers should teach only Darwin's theory of evolution and the scientific evidence that supports it. A majority of Americans from every sub-group were at least twice as likely to prefer this approach to science education, the Zogby study showed. About 88...

MOSCOW (AP) -- A fight over gas prices between Russia and Ukraine turned ugly Wednesday, as Russia's natural gas monopoly said it would sharply increase prices for Ukraine in 2006, accusing Kiev of dragging its feet during negotiations. ADVERTISEMENT Gazprom's latest comments highlight a deepening chill in the neighbors' relations that set in with the election last year of Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko. He has pledged to bring his nation of 47 million closer toward Europe and away from Moscow's influence. "The talks with Ukraine have dragged on for more than nine months and, regrettably, no progress has been reached,"...