Free Republic

THE CITY HAS always been an engine of intellectual life, from the 18th-century coffeehouses of London, where citizens gathered to discuss chemistry and radical politics, to the Left Bank bars of modern Paris, where Pablo Picasso held forth on modern art. Without the metropolis, we might not have had the great art of Shakespeare or James Joyce; even Einstein was inspired by commuter trains. (Yuko Shimizu for the Boston Globe) And yet, city life isn't easy. The same London cafes that stimulated Ben Franklin also helped spread cholera; Picasso eventually bought an estate in quiet Provence. While the modern city...

THINGS THAT ARE DIFFICULT TO SAY WHEN DRUNK: 1. Innovative 2. Preliminary 3. Proliferation 4. Cinnamon THINGS THAT ARE VERY DIFFICULT TO SAY WHEN DRUNK: 1. Specificity 2. Anti-constitutionalistically 3. Passive-aggressive disorder 4. Transubstantiate THINGS THAT ARE DOWNRIGHT IMPOSSIBLE TO SAY WHEN DRUNK: 1. No thanks, I'm married. 2. Nope, no more booze for me! 3. Sorry, but you're not really my type. 4. Taco Bell? No thanks, I'm not hungry. 5. Good evening, officer. Isn't it lovely out tonight? 6. Oh, I couldn't! No one wants to hear me sing karaoke. 7. I'm not interested in fighting you. 8....

Read email before watching video These are some examples of the fight in Afghanistan.. These video shots are not made through the shooter's telescopic sight... they are made looking through the spotter's scope. The spotter lies right next to the sniper and helps the sniper to find and home in on the target. The sniper is using a 50 caliber rifle. A 50 cal. round is about 7-8 inches long and the casing is about an inch in diameter. The bullet itself is one-half inch in diameter and roughly one and one-half inches long. Pay close attention to the beginning...

WASHINGTON — Iran is not only covertly developing nuclear weapons, it is already testing ballistic missiles specifically designed to destroy America’s technical infrastructure, effectively neutralizing the world’s lone superpower, say U.S. intelligence sources, top scientists and western missile industry experts. The radical Shiite regime has conducted successful tests to determine if its Shahab-3 ballistic missiles, capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, can be detonated by a remote-control device while still in high-altitude flight. Scientists, including President Reagan’s top science adviser, William R. Graham, say there is no other explanation for such tests than preparation for the deployment of electromagnetic pulse...

More than half a billion people - nearly double previous estimates - were infected by the deadliest form of malaria in 2002, scientists reveal in a report out today. They calculate that one in three in the world - a total of 2.2 billion people - are at risk from the mosquito-borne parasite Plasmodium falciparum. The discovery that malaria is far more prevalent than anyone had realised is a jolt to public health chiefs the world over. The disease claims 1 million lives a year in sub-Saharan Africa alone, most of them children under five. Of the four malaria parasites,...

<p>A senior pentagon official has confirmed to Fox News on Sunday that coalition forces have discovered a "huge" chemical weapons factory near the Iraqi city of An Najaf, which is situated some 225 miles south of Baghdad.</p> <p>Coalition troops are also said to be holding the general in charge of the facility.</p>

KELOLAND News projects Governor Bill Janklow will win the South Dakota U.S. House Race. Political expert, Jim Meader projects a 53% to 47% win over Stephanie Herseth.

Scientists create pre-plucked chicken by George Wright A new breed of "naked" chicken created by scientists in the search for tastier, healthier poultry has angered animal rights campaigners. 'Monster': the featherless chicken Despite its bizarre appearance, the red-skinned broiler could become a supermarket success because it is designed to grow faster and contain less fat than normal chickens. It will also be cheaper to produce since its lack of feathers means there is no need to pluck it before it hits the shelves. The new, genetically modified breed was reared by Israeli genetics expert Avigdor Cahaner, of the Rehovot...

An Israeli software firm has discovered a flaw in Netscape and Mozilla software that allows code hidden in a Web page to read files from the user's PC. The bug is a more serious variant of one patched in Microsoft's Internet Explorer in February. GreyMagic Software reported that the problem affects XMLHttpRequest, which allows Web pages in the browser to send and receive XML data via HTTP, the standard Web transfer protocol. XML is an Internet language for describing just about any sort of data. According to the report, verified by other developers, XMLHttpRequest doesn't properly check the security settings...

<p>Most businesspeople spend a great deal of time away from their workspaces. Juggling business trips, formal meetings, and casual confabs with coworkers, people never seem to be at their desks—or at their computers. Although lots of folks carry their PDAs with them, most don't take laptops wherever they go.</p>

WASHINGTON, April 25 — The House overwhelmingly agreed to abolish the embattled Immigration and Naturalization Service on Thursday and create two new agencies to handle enforcement and immigration services.THE BILL PASSED the House 405-9 just hours after Attorney General John Ashcroft made a special trip up to the Capitol to endorse the legislation. House Republicans and Democrats both got behind the bill. “I am convinced it is time for reform,” said House Democratic Leader Dick Gephardt, D-Mo. “We will have taken a big step in helping the federal government manage immigration,” said Rep. John Linder, R-Ga. However, Ashcroft said the...

A few minutes ago, John Walsh (Americas Most Wanted) was profiling the security at the Super Bowl during the pre-game show. After the piece, Walsh was taking questions from the crew and Terry Bradshaw prefaced a question with “as the next Governor of the great state of Louisiana” followed by a question concerning the cost of the security. I have heard Rush mention that Bradshaw may run, and as a republican. Hard to believe he would run as a republican considering the “kind” words he has given clinton, including the dedication of his award show last year to clinton.

Apple Computer on Monday introduced a new desktop computer with a flat-panel display attached to the 22-pound system unit by a short articulating arm, allowing the screen to be moved into a variety of positions. That's the news--at least the unvarnished gist of it. And now that you've heard it, let me ask you this: Did it blow you away? I'm betting it didn't. Yet that is precisely what got Apple a Time magazine cover with the headline "Flat-Out Cool!" I HATE TO CONTRADICT America's most-respected newsmagazine--well, it used to be, anyway--but the cover looks to me like it has ...

Some Republican leaders have criticized Senator Tom Daschle, calling him an "obstructionist". Do you agree?Located at the bottom of the page, we are losing. 47% Yes 53% No.

Police warn all male clubbers, party goers and unsuspecting bar regulars to be more alert and cautious when accepting a drink offer from a female. There is a date rape drug going around called "beer" and it appears in a liquid form. The drug is being used by female sexual predators at parties to persuade male victims to have sex with them. "Beer" is available anywhere. All females have to do is persuade a guy to consume a few units of "beer" and simply ask him home for no-strings- attached sex. Men are rendered helpless against such attacks. After several ...

First post of the New Year?

Didn't see Hardball last night, but on highlights on MSNBC this morning, Chris Matthews had Christopher Hitchens (Vanity Fair) on. Hitchens was saying that he had information that Osama bin Laden with Al Qaeda and Taliban support was going to stage a "Silent Coup" of the Pakistan government. That would in effect give control of the Pakistan Army AND that nations nuclear weapons to Al Qaeda. He also stated that the 911 attacks and the subsequent response of the US has since (Obviously) wrecked those plans.

Ruth Fremson/The New York Times G.I.'S IN KANDAHAR Americans on their way to camp on Wednesday in the former Taliban stronghold.

CNN anchor Paula Zahn carries the Olympic Torch on Day 1 of the Olympic Torch Relay in Athens, G.A., Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2001. Starting in the last U.S. city to hold the Olympics, the Summer Games in 1996, the relay will involve 11,500 people lugging the 3-pound torches and their symbolic fire more than 13,500 miles before the Feb. 8 ceremony. (AP Photo/CNN, Edward M. Pio Roda)

KABUL, Afghanistan (news - web sites) (AP) - Tribal fighters battled Taliban forces near the airport at Kandahar on Friday, as they closed in on the Taliban's last stronghold in Afghanistan. U.S. warplanes bombed Taliban defenses near the airport. In Germany, U.N.-sponsored talks on Afghanistan's future stalled after the northern alliance's political leader demanded elections to choose an interim government and objected to an international security force. Gen. Peter Pace, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in Washington that the situation around the southern city of Kandahar was ``fluid,'' with U.S. aircraft giving air support to anti-Taliban ...