Free Republic

The history of the federal program is a cautionary tale about changing public behavior - even when the public agrees with the goals. It was created by former Minnesota Rep. Jim Oberstar in 2000. Oberstar was appalled at the steep increases in childhood obesity and diabetes. At the same time, he learned that 75 percent of children's trips away from home were in motor vehicles, up from 40 percent in the 1960s. "We have a generation of mobility-challenged children," he said.

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) agent Brian Newell continues to deny Operation Fast and Furious allowed for guns to be “walked” into Mexico. “Sir, in this investigation, we did not let guns walk,” Newell told House oversight committee chairman Rep. Darrell Issa, California Republican, at a Tuesday hearing. Newell was the lead agent in ATF’s Phoenix field office throughout Operation Fast and Furious. “You’re entitled to your own opinions, not to your own facts,” Issa responded. “But, there comes a point when I go, ‘Wait a second: 730 weapons bought by a man who had no money....

Podiatrists just love San Francisco, naming it the absolutely best walking city in the country. But those concerned about large government and wasteful, redundant spending--uh, useless spending even--may wonder about the price. San Francisco, CAWhy it made our list: The city government devotes 12 agencies to walking issues. Twelve agencies? For "walking issues"? Why not? San Francisco has many other agencies for other personal concerns. San Francisco's proposed crackdown on promotional toys in Happy Meals and other fast-food offerings aimed at kids will bolster the city's reputation as either an out-of-control nanny state or a bold watchdog for public...

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was said to no longer be capable of functioning in his position. Diplomatic sources said Mubarak's condition has rapidly declined over the last month and his schedule was severely restricted. They said Mubarak was avoiding meetings with most non-Arab leaders to prevent leaks of his true condition. "He is a walking corpse," a senior Arab diplomat who recently attended a meeting with Mubarak said In July, the sources said, Mubarak underwent a lengthy examination at a French military hospital outside Paris. They said the examination took place amid alarm by presidential aides and close relatives over...

Unlike President Barack Obama, I believe we are in for a long recession. I base this on three criteria. --Unemployment. It is rising fast, in both Britain and the U.S.--The public deficit. It is rising at a terrifying rate in both countries. The White House calculates that the deficit over the next ten years will be $9 trillion, which is $2 trillion more than estimated in February. The comparable figures in Britain are also bad, with deficits this year and next at more than £175 billion,... --Neighborhood shops. In my little network of streets in London, 28 shops have shut...

Scandinavians are known for their emphasis on safety. They invented the seat belt, the safety match, the paper clip, and the Nobel Peace Prize. Actually, though all of those are Scandinavian inventions, none are Danish. Danes are not going to be any less than their neighbors when it comes to safety, however. According to Copenhagenize.com, the council for increased traffic safety in Denmark and Trygfonden, a Danish insurance company, has started a new campaign under the catchy slogan “A walking helmet is a good helmet” (it’s catchy in Danish: En gå hjelm er en go-hjelm).

A little over 13 months ago, I was posting on here about the birth of our daughter, Kayleigh. I haven't done a real good job of keeping things updated, but today was a major milestone. We've been walking by holding hands, and standing alone for 20-30 seconds before crashing down. Today, though, we're walking on our own.

This is just what you need, in the aftermath of pumpkin pie and holiday parties: gross-out science about deep belly fat. In the annals of exercise research, increasingly the answer is "brisk walking." What's the question? Most people think it has to do with exercising the heart or getting rid of love handles and saddlebags. But scientists are finding it's about belly fat, also known as visceral fat, the interior kind that's snug up against your internal organs. Yeah, yuck. Put a glob of abdominal fat and a glob of thigh fat in a petri dish, add a little stimulation,...

In a bid to “kill two birds with one stone,” Democrats in congress have introduced the Transportation and Housing Options for Gas Price Relief Act of 2008. This bill calls for the federal government to issue every American a “good pair of walking shoes” and mandates that “large appliance boxes be set aside as temporary housing for those who lose their homes due to mortgage defaults.” “The beauty of this plan is that the housing will be portable,” said an enthusiastic Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore). “People will be able to live closer to jobs they can walk to. We will...

Surprisingly, nothing smells about this story… (A woman turning heads by taking her pet skunk for a walk on a lead has been told by a council that it may have to go, BBC Scotland can reveal. Hannah Chapman, 23, takes de-scented Ichi for walks in Aberdeen. People have been stopping her to take pictures of the unusual sight in the Rosemount area of the city. An Aberdeen City Council spokeswoman said Hannah did not have permission to keep a skunk in her council flat but should get in touch.) I think it should be pretty easy for the council...

CHICAGO - As Illinois secretary of state, Jesse White's usual domain consists of licensing drivers, registering corporations and publishing the state's blue book manual. But he recently turned his attention to people walking across the street in addition to those in automobiles. According to an article on WBBM Radio's Web site, White wants the state to pass a law prohibiting people from walking across the street while using a cell phone. A bill along those lines has already been introduced in the Illinois House.

>While more lawmakers are going hybrid-green, the Capitol's most powerful Democrat was rolling candy-apple red in a $38,600 Dodge Charger with 22-inch rims, yo. Turns out Perata, D-Oakland, was far from alone among state lawmakers -- and not even in the top 10 -- in his taste for gas-slurping automotive luxury at mostly taxpayer expense. More than half the senators who use state-leased cars opt for traditional gas vehicles that get 20 combined city/highway miles or less per gallon... The Assembly, which offers a lease break for members who choose hybrids, fares greener. Nearly two-thirds of the 72 members with...

RAMADI, Iraq, July 17, 2007 – This Anbar province city was once held up as a symbol of U.S. failure in Iraq. Al Qaeda in Iraq controlled Ramadi. It was enemy territory, and American servicemembers called it the Wild West of Iraq. Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, walks through Ramadi, Iraq, as he is briefed by Maj. Gen. Walter Gaskin, commander of Multinational Force West, July 17, 2007. Pace decided to visit the streets of Ramadi after a dust storm grounded his scheduled departure flight. Photo by Staff Sgt. D. Myles Cullen, USAF  (Click...

So there's this walking / biking trail not far from the house and I decided to start taking walks in the mornings. This morning I was walking along and I said "hi-ya" to the radically obese Indian guy that's ALWAYS sitting on the first bench to your right (he drinks Pepsi - a sh*tload of them - as evident by the pile of cans sitting next to him). We usually make small talk but didn't say much this morning. He just had this puzzled look on his face and he was motioning towards this small footbridge and creek around the...

/begin my excerptKim Jong-il in bad health, serious walking problem"Kim Jong-nam said to be involved in missile sales" (Kyungju = Yonhap News) Lee Seung-woo = Chung Hyung-geun, a Supreme Councilman of Hannara Party(conservative opposition) claimed, "Kim Jong-il has liver and heart problem, and is seriously diabetic, causing him to have a walking problem." Mr. Chung, a lawmaker on Intelligence Committee of National Assembly, made this comment while attending a dinner/conference at Ulsan branch of Hannara Party as one of the speakers, which was held at a resort in Kyungju. He went on to say, "As a result, Kim can only walk 20~30 meter at a time, and then take a...

'Fat Man Walking' nears end of cross-country trek Tuesday, May 9, 2006; Posted: 7:10 a.m. EDT (11:10 GMT) Steve Vaught walks along Route 201 in Vandalia, Ohio, on March 9. FAIRFIELD, New Jersey (AP) -- Steve Vaught may have lost more than 100 pounds on his walk across the country, but he says he's gained something else: peace of mind.

An 18-year-old woman was kidnapped and raped early Friday morning while walking home from a traffic stop in which Upland police impounded her ride, authorities said. Upland police allowed the woman to leave alone on foot around midnight near 14th Street and Euclid Avenue after they towed the car in which she was a passenger. She called police from the south part of the city about two hours later and reported that a man forced her into his car at gunpoint and raped her before she made it home. Police Capt. Jeff Mendenhall said that despite the obvious safety concerns,...

The fat man's walk across the United States has taken him from Oceanside to Ohio, and now on a detour to North Hollywood. The reason is simple: He isn't looking the part. Despite losing weight, Steve Vaught still has a prodigious gut. Vaught's walk has attracted worldwide media attention that promises to intensify as he approaches his destination of New York City. His book chronicling his quest to regain control of his life by crossing America on foot is scheduled to be published soon. Which he said means he needs to slim down – and fast. “Visual impact is everything,”...

Benedict XVI Points to Spiritual Side of Vacations Pope Benedict XVI smiles as he arrives prior to the Angelus prayer in Les Combes d'Introd, near Aosta, Italy, Sunday, July 17, 2005. 7/17/2005 ES COMBES, Italy, JULY 18, 2005 (Zenit) - More Time for Prayer, Reading and Meditation, He Says at Angelus. Benedict XVI proposed a holiday program which predisposes the heart "to receive more easily … the light of Truth and practice it in freedom and love." The Pope delivered that message today before praying the midday Angelus with some 6,000 people who came to the Alpine chalet where...

The walking forest machine is Plustech's best-known innovation. The goal of product development was to create a machine that has the best possible working stability and minimum impact on the terrain. The walking machine adapts automatically to the forest floor. Moving on six articulated legs, the harvester advances forward and backward, sideways and diagonally. It can also turn in place and step over obstacles. Depending on the irregularity of the terrain, the operator can adjust both the ground clearance of the machine and heigh of each step. The machine's nerve center is an intelligent computer system that controls all walking...