Free Republic

Mohamed Alanssi slid the photos of his once-happy life across the table of a Union Station restaurant. The portrait of his wife with two of his six children. The picture showing the living room of the $1 million home he built in his native Yemen when he was a prosperous businessman. The 1970s snapshot of him as a low-level employee at the U.S. Embassy in Yemen, shaking hands with the U.S. ambassador. But that happiness ended after he made the mistake of becoming an FBI terrorism informant, Alanssi said tearfully in an interview three weeks ago. His cooperation had been...

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Tucked into last week's otherwise predictable California election results lay a cautionary tale about the election year's most uncovered issue: illegal immigration. Republican Rep. David Dreier, the 24-year Los Angeles-area veteran who chairs the powerful House Rules committee, won re-election to his House seat with just under 54 percent of the vote, down from 64 percent in 2002. His Democratic opponent, Cynthia Matthews, won almost 43 percent of the vote, despite spending just over $31,000 in her campaign, compared to more than $900,000 spent by Dreier. A Libertarian candidate won 3.5 percent of the vote. While...

Unknotting a tangled tale of towels Scientific tests have established that an icon, revered as an imprint of Christ’s face, is 13th century By Martin Bailey Tests on a painting, called the Mandylion, revered as a miraculous imprinted image of Christ, have revealed it to have been made in the 13th century. There are several early versions of the image, but the one in Genoa is the first to have been subjected to a thorough scientific examination. The results are being presented at an exhibition (until 18 July) in the city’s Museo Diocesano as part of the European Capital of...

HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. - Police are searching for a man who was naked when he picked up his fast food order this week at a drive-through window. The customer at Bojangles restaurant was described as a hairy, big-bellied man in his 30s with short curly black hair that was receding on the top of his head. He picked up an order at the window Monday morning. "He conducted his business at the drive-through wearing no clothing and he had to open his door to receive whatever they were passing out the drive-through window," said Capt. Ross Frederick of the Hillsborough Police...

THE Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade yesterday gave detailed account of what transpired in his palace on December 15 last year when the late Attorney General and Justice Minister, Chief Bola Ige was manhandled. The monarch also denied having anything to do with the brutal killing of Ige. At a press conference he addressed in his palace in Ile-Ife, Oba Sijuwade expressed regrets that most reports about the incident created undue fear in the minds of the citizens. "Instead of them to investigate the matter, everybody began to write what they want. Bola Ige was my good friend. His ...

The truth about an epic tale of love, war and greed (Filed: 24/03/2004) The legend of Troy has an enduring grip on the imagination. Aidan Laverty talks to the scientists who say they have proved that a siege really took place It's one of the greatest stories ever; the tale of a war fought over the love of Helen, the most beautiful woman in the world. Now as Hollywood breathes fresh life into the myth, archaeologists have uncovered new evidence from the site of Troy that brings us closer than ever to the truth behind this ancient legend. City scan:...

Mummy tells tale of infection Associated Press Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Chagas disease page Washington — Chagas disease, a deadly parasitic blood illness that recently has drawn attention in North America, has infected some South and Central Americans for at least 9,000 years, researchers said Monday. The Red Cross, alarmed about reports of Chagas disease in the United States, announced last year that it expects to begin testing donated blood for the disease. Seven cases, spread by transfusions, have been reported in the United States and Canada since 1986. Now a...

For California Republicans, whose fortunes are lower now than at any time since 1958, there is the best of news and the worst of news.The best of news is that eight years after 1958 Ronald Reagan swept the governor’s race, carrying virtually every constitutional office. The worst of news is that eight years is also the period between the election of the last Whig president and the demise of the Whig party. Both cases are important for Republicans to understand as they contemplate their party’s future.Reagan often urged Republicans to "paint our positions in bold colors, and not pale pastels."...

The Lies of Hillary exposed on The Big Show at 8pm Sunday with John Gibson.

Tale of sex and spies leaves FBI with a Chinese puzzle By Rupert Cornwell in Washington 30 April 2003 The tale is worthy of a new Cold War, featuring a glamorous Chinese-American businesswoman and FBI informer codenamed Parlour Maid who is suspected of being a double agent and may have supplied deliberate disinformation on the Chinese leadership to the desks of four American presidents. To put it mildly, Katrina Leung was a lady of many hats. Arriving from southern China at the age of 15, she became a successful entrepreneur and socialite, and later a donor and fund-raiser for political...

<p>A massive new computer project under way at the California State University system might be the latest example of the state's inability to wisely fulfill its own technology needs.</p> <p>A new audit of the CSU's systemwide software says the project was never properly justified by university administrators, might not have been necessary and may not even be accomplishing much of what the university set out to achieve.</p>

Dominick Dunne began telling his tale of Gary Condit, Chandra Levy, the horse whisperer and the Middle Eastern procurer sometime in the fall of 2001. It was tantalizingly baroque; Mr. Dunne, the Vanity Fair columnist, mesmerized a group of New England newspaper editors with it over lunch at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut in November 2001. He also spun the story for Laura Ingraham, the lawyer, conservative commentator and syndicated radio host, over lunch. Ms. Ingraham promptly invited Mr. Dunne to repeat it on her show, which he did. As chronicler of the crimes of the rich, Mr. Dunne has...