Free Republic

Citing pollution and threats to marine life, La Jolla's Herringbone and Searsucker in the Gaslamp and Del Mar pledge to end giving out the plastic sippers.

Lawmakers Want To Know How Much CSU Stanislaus Is Paying For Sarah Palin VisitSACRAMENTO - The California State University Foundation has released its contract with former Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin that shows the speaker's request as well as compensation for a fundraiser dinner conducted in June. According to the contract released Thursday afternoon, Palin was compensated $75,000 to appear at the event and requested two bottles of "unopened still water" with "bendable straws" placed "in or near the wooden lectern." A private plane, more specifically a Lear 60 jet, was required for Palin under the contract, though the contract...

Sarah Palin discussed civic education, freedom of speech and the infamous "bendable straws" demand at California State University, Stanislaus Friday night. Palin poked fun at the controversy sparked by the announcement she would appear and the outcry over her confidential contract, a portion of which students said they found in a university Dumpster. "Do I have my straws?" she said, adding that she felt sorry for the Washington Speakers Bureau, which on her behalf negotiated "with the entire state of California." And she took a shot at those who have launched an investigation into the university Foundation's finances in response...

Straw's veil comments spark anger Mr Straw says covering faces makes good community relations difficult Jack Straw, the ex-foreign secretary, has angered Muslim groups by suggesting women who wear veils can make relations between communities more difficult. The Blackburn MP says the veil is a "visible statement of separation and of difference" and he asks women visiting his surgery to consider removing it. The Islamic Human Rights Commission said the Commons leader's request was selective discrimination. But the Muslim Council of Britain said it understood Mr Straw's discomfort. Muslims make up about a quarter of the population of Blackburn, and...