Free Republic

The two things I enjoy reading the most are report cards for either of my boys with straight-As, or a Democrat-friendly puff-piece in a major publication gone horribly wrong.Since report cards aren’t due for another three weeks, I guess we’ll just have to make do today with Sarah Baxter’s clueless revelation that Joe Biden isn’t up to the job of being president — and that he’s basically turned the job over to an appointee who didn’t even need Senate consent.Hell, Baxter’s Times (of London) article even puts “President Klain” right up top in the headline.“President… WHO?” I hear you ask.Before...

Humans love dogs more than their fellow man. Two major studies showed that mankind has more empathy for pooches in dire circumstances than suffering people, according to a report in the Times of London. A UK medical research charity staged two phony donation campaigns – one with a dog and the other featuring a man. Of course, the pooch drew more contributions. “Would you give pounds 5 to save Harrison from a slow, painful death?” the separate ads said, featuring a canine and human “Harrison.” Then a Northeastern University study showed that only a baby human could compete with man’s...

News Corp.'s board is set to decide Wednesday whether to proceed with a split of the media conglomerate into two companies, carving the bigger and more profitable entertainment businesses from the newspapers. If the board approves the split, News Corp. is expected to announce the restructuring Thursday morning, said a person familiar with the situation. News Corp. stock jumped 8.3% Tuesday to its highest level since 2007 after the company confirmed it was contemplating a split, without giving any details. News Corp. is mulling splitting its 20th Century Fox film studio, Fox broadcast network and Fox News channel from its...

Just when you thought a medical degree meant something, Ozzy Osbourne is now “Dr. Ozzy.” Crazy, that’s how it goes. The former pill-popping, pot-smoking, cognac-swilling ant snorter who was hit by a plane, treated for rabies, committed to a mental hospital and declared legally dead twice has a new gig - health columnist for the Times of London. What, Keith Richards wasn’t available? Writes Dr. Ozzy: “It makes perfect sense: I’ve seen literally thousands of doctors over my lifetime, and spent well over 1 million pounds on them, to the point where I sometimes think I know more about being...

Then again, in turn, his performance doesn’t seem quite so bad when compared with Mickey Rooney in the role of Mr Yunioshi, Holly’s bucktoothed, yellowface Japanese neighbour. Though the problem here is less with the acting than with the stereotypical nature of the role. “O me so sorry! Me love you long time!” It makes The Black and White Minstrel Show look like a government ethnic minority recruitment campaign. Apparently, director Blake Edwards subsequently expressed regret, saying “looking back, I wish I had never done it”, but this doesn’t change the fact that one of the most acclaimed films of...

HUG THEM CLOSE: Blair, Clinton, Bush and the 'Special Relationship', By Peter Riddell, 317 pages. Politico's. $19.95. President Bush's state visit to Britain this week highlights the paradoxical position Prime Minister Tony Blair has found himself in ever since the Iraq issue emerged on the international radar screen. Unlike other foreign leaders, who may have supported Mr. Bush rhetorically and in a few instances with token military support, Mr. Blair has stood shoulder to shoulder with America on this issue from Day 1. In so doing, he defied the wishes of much of his own public and many within his...

The Times has become the latest newspaper to admit it can't carry on giving away its web content for nothing with the announcement of a host of new paid-for services. The newspaper will also start charging overseas visitors to access the site."The free ride is over and the days of free content have gone," said Paul Hayes, the general manager of Times Newspapers. The move follows Pearson's announcement earlier this month that it plans to start charging users up to £100 a year for access to parts of the FT.com site. Times Online will follow a slightly different strategy, charging...