Free Republic

In the 10 years of the BCS era, we've seen pretty much everything. Perhaps the only major development we've yet to see is a two-loss team in the BCS Championship Game. Later today, that one should become a reality. The million-dollar question is: Which two-loss team will it be? Jim Tressel has watched as other teams have helped Ohio State's title cause. At least seven teams, including once-beaten Ohio State and Kansas, are likely to receive second-place votes in the polls. If the voters rank teams based on perceived strength (who would win on a neutral field), any number of...

ATS 2007, SAN FRANCISCO -- Children of smokers who don’t show any signs of respiratory problems may still be experiencing damaging changes in their airways that could lead to lung disease later in life, according to a new study presented at the American Thoracic Society 2007 International Conference, on Sunday, May 20. "Everyone knows that children of smokers have more respiratory problems—more puffing, wheezing, cases of pneumonia—but until now we haven’t known if lung function is impaired in children of smokers who don’t have any respiratory complaints or diagnosed lung problems," says researcher Bert Arets, M.D., Ph.D., of University Medical...

Vines like poison ivy and kudzu snake through the back yard, girdling trees and strangling shrubs -- thriving, scientists say, on the same pollution they blame for global warming.From backyard gardens to the Amazon rain forest, vines are growing faster, stronger and, in the case of poison ivy, more poisonous on the heavy doses of carbon dioxide that come from burning fossil fuels such as gasoline and coal.Complaints about vine infestation have increased tenfold in a decade, said Carole Bergmann, forest ecologist for the Maryland-National Capital Parks and Planning Commission, which serves Montgomery and Prince George's counties in Maryland. Vines...

SPARTANBURG, S.C. - The North Carolina-based owners of an apartment complex say they will allow residents to continue holding their weekly Bible studies while they review whether the sessions violate the Fair Housing Act. The owners of Heritage Court had told residents this week to stop holding the Bible studies in a common area and instead hold them in a private apartment. The complex is privately owned by One Management of Raleigh, N.C., but many residents have their rent subsidized by federal vouchers. The course reversal comes after Attorney General Henry McMaster said his office would investigate whether the owners...

Two pedestrians were injured when they were struck by a teenage driver who had dropped her cell phone, St. Cloud police said. Police said the 17-year-old girl was searching for the phone when her car drifted out of the driving lane and struck two women Thursday evening. One of the pedestrians suffered a broken leg. The other had a bruised shoulder. Both were taken to St. Cloud Hospital. The driver was cited for inattentive driving and released to her parents.

My take on the State of the Union Address. If you can't handle criticism, don't read it....

Yaa, you repukes are not doing so well, huh? Imagine, you repukes control the presidency, both houses of Congress, and appointed 7 of the 9 Supreme Court justices. Yet the Supreme Court thre out sodomy laws in all 50 states and recognized the right of government to seize land for any reason. And you couldn't pass your Social Security changes could you? Sorry, that was your last shot. Come November, we're going to start seeing more Democratic faces in the House. It's the end for you guys. You guys are celebrating when Bush's numbers go *up* to 45%. Then Faux...

Gov. Pataki yesterday delivered his 12th and final State of the State message to a jointly convened session of the state Legislature. Highlights follow: "Blah, blah, blah . . . government that works . . . blah, blah, blah . . . empower the people . . . blah, blah, blah and blah, blah . . . unshakable resolve . . . blah, blah, blah . . . totality of our achievements . . . blah, blah, blah. "Blah, blah, blah . . . dare to transcend . . . blah, blah, blah. "Let's aim high . . . blah,...

Harriet Miers is not a "movement conservative." That's all one needs to know about President George W. Bush's new pick for the Supreme Court - why she is going to be confirmed and why many conservatives are nervous about her. Movement conservatives don't want to conserve the status quo; they want to change it, rolling back the last few decades in a quest for the good ol' days. In the words of movement leader Rush Limbaugh, "Women were doing quite well in this country before feminism came along." Feminism, along with liberalism, secularism, and multiculturalism, are among the "isms" the...

Never saw such a sight! She almost lost it when breaking in with the concession news...

Unlike some others on the Vote for Change tour, indie-rockers Death Cab for Cutie had never been a political band. That started to change this year, as guitarist Chris Walla's personal "tally sheet" started to lean against the Bush administration. "No politician is perfect ever, not even close," says Walla, who will perform with Death Cab on a bill with Pearl Jam at tonight's Vote for Change show at Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee. "I don't expect a president to be perfect, but for me, it's sort of a little tally sheet. He calls the band's inclusion on the partisan...

Sen. John Edwards on Monday chided the president for his handling of the Iraq war, but the brunt of his speech at a Bond Hill rally focused on domestic issues that resonate with the residents of this blue-collar, predominantly African-American neighborhood. The Democratic vice presidential nominee from North Carolina spent most of his 30-minute speech at the Bond Hill Recreation Center talking about presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry's plan to create jobs, provide health care for all Americans, and provide affordable, quality education. "We can do better," was Edwards' message to the crowd of about 300. The Democratic Party has...

Hours away from laying claim to the Democratic presidential nomination and making the most important speech of his career, John Kerry rehearsed a brief mock performance Thursday. "Can we do it now," he quipped looking out over a vast, nearly empty hall where he will try to convince Americans Thursday night that he can lead protect them from terrorists and improve their lives better than President Bush. Relaxed in an open shirt and blue blazer, Kerry arrived at the FleetCenter shortly before noon. "Great hall," he quipped, referring to what in other seasons is the home of the Celtics and...

DIANA LETTER SENSATION: 'THEY WILL TRY TO KILL ME' Oct 20 2003 WORLD EXCLUSIVE By Jane Kerr, Royal reporter   PRINCESS DIANA claimed there was a plot to kill her in a car crash in a handwritten letter only 10 months before she died. She gave it to her butler Paul Burrell with orders that he should keep it as "insurance" for the future.The princess predicted: “This particular phase in my life is the most dangerous.” She said "XXXXXXXXXXX is planning ‘an accident’ in my car, brake failure and serious head injury in order to make the path clear for...

Rep. Mike Thompson, D-California, left, and Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Washington, in Baghdad. Former congressman David Bonior "I think the president would mislead the American people." ~~ Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Washington McDermott said these words while standing on Iraqi soil.Contact these worthless scum and let them know what the majority of Americans think of their trip to Iraq.McDermott's websiteThompson's website Bonior 59 N. Walnut, Suite 305, Mt. Clemens, MI 48043-5677 (586) 469-3232 (not knowing if the email addy still works for Bonior, I called this number. They still answer, "Congressman Bonior's office", I left a message.) In case you're wondering where...

News broke last week that Beliefnet.com, an internet site that promoted every "religion" from Wicca to Islam to Christianity, went belly up in the stormy sea of nihilistic relativism. In words describing why the site dipped into bankruptcy, an autobiographical epitaph if you will, Belief com stated that they were the darling of the secular news media, who quoted them frequently in a world of user-friendly news. I can hardly imagine that beliefnet.com will be missed by anybody other that those adhering to the most marginal of, excuse me, beliefs. As of this morning their death experience was complete, the...