Free Republic

London-based Daily Telegraph reports of mysterious blast in military convoy leaving Revolutionary Guards Base last weekend. At least 15 people killed in explosion, but Iranian authorities seeking to silence incident Was sabotage responsible for disrupting a shipment of arms from Iran to Hizbullah? The London-based Daily Telegraph newspaper reported Friday of a mysterious explosion which devastated an Iranian supply convoy intended to reach Hizbullah. According to the report, the strong blast took place in one of Tehran's suburbs as a military convoy left a Revolutionary Guards' ammunition storehouse. At least 15 people were killed in the explosion. Western sources reported...

Commodities Boom Recalls 70s Surge; Prices Not There Yet CHICAGO (Dow Jones)--Despite record highs that seemed unthinkable to many just a year ago, most commodities prices still have a long way to go before inflicting the pain global consumers felt in the 1970s. An analysis of 18 different commodities by Barclays Capital shows that only crude oil and heating oil have surpassed inflation-adjusted highs from almost 30 years ago. Of key food commodities, the closest to those highs is corn, which was still 42% below its inflation-adjusted October 1974 peak as of Thursday's close. Wheat was 57% below its 1970s...

Apache attack helicopters have fired the thermobaric weapons against fighters in buildings and caves, to create a pressure wave which sucks the air out of victims, shreds their internal organs and crushes their bodies. ...When it hits the target, the charge disperses the aluminium powder throughout the target building. The cloud then ignites, causing a massive secondary blast that tears throughout any enclosed space. The blast creates a vacuum which draws air and debris back in, creating pressure of up to 430lb per sq in. The more heavily the building is protected, the more concentrated the blast. ...When the American...

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — An explosion in the house of a Hamas militant killed him and wounded 16 of his relatives and neighbors, health officials said Saturday. Doctors say two are in critical condition. The Palestinian Interior Ministry says it's investigating the cause of the blast at the home of Hamas activist Nader Abu Shaban. Hamas officials say Abu Shaban was handling explosives just before the blast.

Eight militants killed in Bajaur blast Thursday, May 29, 2008 By Mushtaq Yusufzai PESHAWAR: At least eight militants, affiliated with regional militant commander Maulana Faqir Mohammad, were killed and two others seriously injured when a pick-up truck they were travelling in was blown up in the troubled Salarzai subdivision of Bajaur Agency on Wednesday morning. There were conflicting reports about the cause of the blast, as one report said a pick-up truck, carrying militants to Afghanistan's restive Nuristan province for attacks on the US-led Nato forces, was allegedly targeted by an American spy plane.Local residents said the moment they heard...

During the lead-in to the nightly summary "America's Nightly Scoreboard" - host David Asman mentioned John Bolton will be joining for comments about possible Syrian / NK nuke connection. Should be coming up in minutes.

DESPITE THE BEAR STEARNS BAILOUT AND THE FED'S rate cut, a sense of foreboding is still abroad on Wall and Main Streets. Few investors feel good with an economic slowdown gathering force, the dollar in the dumps and contagion threatening to hit financial sectors previously unscathed or not even suspected of being at risk. This in mind, we contacted James Finucane, a 67-year-old stock strategist who now works as a consultant in West Lafayette, Ind., home of Purdue University... ...To him, we're now at yet another extraordinary low, especially with the unprecedented actions taken by the Fed of late to...

The more things stay the same... the more they change, of course. The famous Halemaumau crater (formerly the site of an active lava lake) has had a couple of changes, and yesterday a new steam vent exploded violently, casting rocks about. Below is an image of the crater, half-size (click for full), with the new steam vent. The link below is to the images page, where you can see other pictures of what happened. In the first comment, the picture and link is from Stromboli Online, which recently visited Erta Ale in inhospitable Ethiopia, which hosts an active lava lake...

Record grain prices boost rural economy By ROXANA HEGEMAN, Associated Press Writer Fri Mar 7, 6:31 AM ET Record-high grain prices are fueling a rural economic boom in farm states such as Kansas. Farm equipment dealers have a backlog of several months in orders for new machinery. Cropland rents are rising, along with agricultural land prices. And with spring planting just weeks away, farmers are watching the volatile commodities markets as they decide which crops to grow in the coming season. While their city neighbors are struggling with foreclosures and fears of a recession, a lot more money is circulating...

<p>A HIT! A missile launched from a U.S. Navy ship in the Pacific hit the decaying U.S. spy satellite it was targeting 130 miles above Earth's surface..... Developing...</p>

Where is accused terrorist Adam Gadahn? That’s what Taliban sources along the Afghan-Pakistan border are wondering about the American-born al-Qaida member. Gadahn, known as Azzam al-Ameriki (Azzam the American), joined al-Qaida in 2003 and has appeared in several bombastic al-Qaida videos since then. Federal prosecutors indicted the Californian for treason in October 2006, and he's now on the FBI's Most Wanted List. U.S. intelligence officials have heard the same rumors, but tell NBC News that they have no information to suggest Gadahn is dead. They specifically deny that Gadahn was killed in the same Predator missile attack that killed al-Qaida’s...

Adam Gadahn - American al-Qaeda Killed In U.S. Strike? February 7, 2008 UNCONFIRMED: Following unconfirmed reports of killing of a high-profile al-Qaeda commander Abu Laith al-Libi, there are now rumours that an American al-Qaeda militant Adam Gadahn, also known as Azzam al-Amriki, had been killed in the alleged Predator attack by the US on a house in Mirali, North Waziristan, a few days back. 32-year-old Adam Gadahn, who is American citizen belonging to southern California, has been accused by the US of praising the perpetrators of September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington and attending al-Qaeda training camps...

Take your best guess as to where the 20,000 spy satellite (big as a bus!) will crash to earth. Winner gets lunch with Hillary. My guess... 1. SuperBowl Halftime!

U.S. commanders in Iraq have released dramatic video showing a car containing Al Qaeda operatives being blown up by hellfire missiles attached to Apache attack helicopters. The car was destroyed in the mission that military officials say demonstrates greater cooperation between locals and coalition forces in Iraq. One of the terrorists killed in the attack on Sunday is an insurgent who had been imprisoned on Nov. 11 but released shortly afterward. He conducted two attacks on U.S. and coalition forces, including one on Thanksgiving, before being killed, officials said. One of the "high value" individuals targeted "is believed to be...

The IDF released a video of a Islamic Jihad commander being sent to his virgins. Click the link to the article, scroll a little down and press play! Enjoy!

An Israeli airstrike on the Gaza Strip killed three Hamas activists overnight, medics said Tuesday. The attack targeted a Hamas training camp in the center of the territory, they said, according to AFP. The victims were all members of Hamas' armed wing, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades. Al-Aqsa hospital sources confirmed that Abed al-Rahman Abu Gaza, Sameer al-Dakran and Salman al-Hiuli were the victims. One of them died instantly and the other two died of wounds in hospital, they added. It should be mentioned that earlier this week, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak told ministers he had authorized military action in...

A revolution is playing out right before our eyes. Peter Gustaf has warned us for months now, since he took over as president of Wichita Area Technical College. Most of us are not paying attention, he says, and that has already cost us dearly. In the 1950s, 60 percent of the American work force was unskilled labor. Today, it is 15 percent unskilled. The technological revolution of the past half-century has made it so. What should have happened with such a dramatic change in the work force is a dramatic change in how we prepare our children for the world....

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - U.S.-led airstrikes hit a Taliban gathering in volatile southern Afghanistan and killed at least three senior figures of the militant group, government officials said Friday. The ministry said its intelligence reports indicated three militant leaders, including Taliban commander for Helmand province Mullah Rahim, were among those killed Thursday. The Taliban commander for all of southern Afghanistan, Dadullah Mansoor, was at the scene but his fate was not immediately known, Azimi said. A purported Taliban spokesman, Qari Yousef Ahmadi, denied Rahim was killed. The U.S.-led coalition would not confirm Azimi's account. But a coalition statement said it carried...

KABUL, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- About 100 Taliban rebels including five senior commanders were killed during an air strike in southern Afghanistan, Defense Ministry spokesman Zahir Azimi told reporters Saturday. Foreign troops carried out an air strike in remote Baghran district of Helmand province on Thursday when many Taliban militants were gathering to watch the execution of several persons accused of cooperating with the government, Azimi said. About 100 insurgents were killed in the bombardment, he said, adding five senior Taliban commanders including Mullah Rahim, top Taliban commander in Helmand, were among the killed.Azimi said Mansor Dadullah, top Taliban military...

Nato is reported to have killed at least two senior Taliban leaders in an airstrike north of Helmand as they were watching a public execution.The bombing took place in the northern district of Baghran on Thursday, a district entirely controlled by the Taliban.The Taliban's commander for southern Afghanistan, Mansoor Dadullah, was among those targeted, according to unconfirmed reports. advertisement The Afghan Defence Ministry said that the airstrike took place as Taliban leaders gathered to watch the public hanging of several alleged government spies. Dadullah replaced his older brother Mullah Dadullah Akhund after he was killed by the Special Boat Service...

I just hung up with a client located on the E40's in Manhattan. Tons of sirens to the point where he felt compelled to check on what was up. He came back to the phone and said there had just been a massive explosion near their building, and that they were evacuating. Any NYC Freepers have any information on this? Happened at 6 PM EDT or there abouts.

This video shows drug smugglers being shot down over the Colombian Amazon jungle. The Colombian air force had been trailing the drug smugglers in an Embraer Super Tucano, which is used to patrol borders, among other missions. The video presents a coordination between English speaking and Spanish speaking crews during the interception.

During the height of the real estate bubble, I wrote a column saying that the crash was coming and suggested selling any piece of real estate that was overpriced, questionable, or non-performing. As expected, I received angry replies. Today, I'm predicting the next crash, what I believe will cause it, and why it'll be a severe blow to the global economy. The signs are already here. Busts Beat Booms First of all, it's no big deal to predict booms and busts. All markets boom and bust. It's just easier to predict a bust because the signs are so obvious --...

/11/2007 - BALAD AIR BASE, Iraq (AFNEWS) -- Airmen assigned to the 332nd Civil Engineer Squadron's Explosive Ordnance Disposal Flight have a dangerous mission that keeps fellow coalition forces safe. It takes nerves of steel and a steady hand to do the work these Airmen do. After all, getting anywhere near an improvised explosive isn't something most people want to do. Airmen from the EOD flight put their extensive combat training and experience to the test every day in support Operation Iraqi Freedom. When they are not on a mission, they keep busy maintaining their equipment, vehicles and robots for...

Economy: A White House spokesman says in many respects the current expansion is healthier than the one under President Clinton. Of course, he's immediately ridiculed. But that doesn't make his claim less true. Given the media's failure to cover the ongoing Bush boom, it's no surprise that some would treat such an idea with disdain and outright disbelief. President Bush's economy better than Clinton's? Preposterous!

April 5, 2007 Population boom Just three Northeast metropolitan regions added more people this decade than the Lehigh Valley By Gregory Karp The Lehigh Valley smashed through the 800,000 population mark during 2006 and ranks among the very fastest growing regions in the Northeast, according to Census data to be released today. Population growth has caused a before-your-eyes metamorphosis of the region in a few years. Since the last full Census in 2000, the Lehigh Valley added 59,942 people, nearly the same as the Boston metropolitan area. The nearly 60,000 people are more than twice the population of Easton, and...

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The boom in ethanol fuels in the United States and elsewhere could have devastating effects on food prices and worsen world hunger, a new study argues. The study by C. Ford Runge and Benjamin Senauer of the University of Minnesota said the rush into ethanol threatens to divert massive amounts of corn and other food crops into biofuels. The researcher write in the May/June edition of Foreign Affairs that governments should stop incentives for ethanol until biofuels can be economically produced from sources other than corn and soybeans. "Resorting to biofuels is likely to exacerbate world hunger,"...

All Sonic, No Boom Eric Hagerman For a closer look at the QSST concept inside and out, launch the photo gallery.If you’re ever lucky enough to fly a Quiet Supersonic Transport between New York and Los Angeles, you’ll have just enough time to get through a movie—a short one. Instead of the usual six hours, it will be a 1,100mph, two-hour hop. The QSST, as the proposed luxury private jet is known, could be the first civilian supersonic plane approved for overland routes, thanks to aerodynamics designed to muzzle its sonic boom. Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works has been developing the...

Police in Pakistan say two people have been killed in the province of Punjab after the bomb they were carrying on a bicycle accidentally exploded. Police say they hit a road bump on the outskirts of a town in the province. Deputy Superintendent Bashir Ahmed said they did not know whether the two men intended to plant the explosives or to carry out a suicide attack. Correspondents say Pakistan has suffered a series of suicide attacks in recent weeks. The two men died near Chichawatni, 120km (75 miles) north of Multan. There is speculation that there were intending to...

<p>LAGOS (Reuters) - Hundreds of people were burned alive on Tuesday when fuel spilling from a vandalized pipeline exploded in Nigeria's largest city, Lagos, emergency workers said.</p> <p>"The number of dead is confirmed at 269. We have retrieved all the bodies," said Abiodun Orebiyi, secretary-general of the Nigerian Red Cross. Another 160 people were taken to two hospitals in Lagos suffering from burns, another Red Cross official said.</p>

Low crime, reasonable commute, and good schools—who says you can't find a nice house in a suburb without paying a fortune? Buying your first house? Fleeing the city for a life within your means? Here's a novel idea: Move to a suburb where you won't break the bank or get your car broken into. A community with reasonable home prices and decent schools. A suburb close to your city job, with a lively downtown of its own. For hedge-fund managers, plastic surgeons, corporate lawyers, and other people who earn millions a year, choosing a suburb is not about affordability but...

Something exploded in the distance, I can see fire in smoke.

A group of about 600 people, mainly composed of students, attended a discussion about U.S.-Muslim world relations, in which the four panel members mentioned that understanding one another is the first step to improving relations. “The first thing the United States should do is listen,” said Vincent Cornell, professor of Middle East and Islamic Studies at Emory University. “Since we’re talking about Islam and American foreign policy today, I think it’s important to point out Muslims feel they need to be seen more but I look at it slightly differently. I think Muslims sometimes are seen all too much and...

WASHINGTON -- The White House and Sen. John Kerry traded their harshest accusations since the 2004 presidential race on Tuesday, with President Bush accusing the Democrat of troop-bashing and Kerry calling the president's men hacks who are ''willing to lie.''The war of words came after Kerry told a group of California students on Monday that those unable to navigate the country's education system ''get stuck in Iraq.'' The two parties are searching for any edge amid indications Democrats could take back the House in next week's midterm elections. White House press secretary Tony Snow was asked about Kerry's comment at...

BEIJING (Reuters) - North Korea has agreed to return to stalled six-party talks on ending its nuclear programmes after holding an informal meeting with the United States and China in Beijing, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday. The three countries had agreed to resume talks at a time convenient for all six parties in the near future, the ministry said on its Web site. The other three countries are South Korea, Japan and Russia. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill was due to hold a news conference in Beijing at 1200 GMT, an American embassy official said.

Bank of Japan Governor Toshihiko Fukui said Friday that the Japanese economy's current expansion is likely to exceed next month the so-called "Izanaki" boom, the longest postwar expansionary period. At a press conference, Fukui said that the economy is likely to enjoy sustainable growth for the time being on the back of moderate increase in demand in Japan and abroad. The current expansion, which started in February 2002, is in its 57th month to match the "Izanagi" boom, the longest postwar growth period that lasted from November 1965 to July 1970, according to a government monthly economic report released Thursday....

AN Israeli missile hit the Gaza Strip home of a well known lawmaker from the governing Islamist group Hamas today in what the army said was an attack on a weapons factory. In the West Bank city of Nablus, Palestinian hospital workers said a civilian had been shot dead during an Israeli raid. The army said it believed it had shot a man who was planting a bomb. There were no reports of casualties in the strike in Gaza on the building of Mariam Farhat, better known as Umm Nidal, who has often voiced pride at the death of three...

Hydrogen: The clear alternative By Ralph R. Reiland Monday, October 9, 2006 The good news out of Munich is that BMW has come up with something that could do a better job than the CIA in defunding al-Qaida. The BMW Hydrogen 7, available next year in a limited series of a few hundred cars in the United States and other countries, runs on either gasoline or liquefied hydrogen. "Running in the hydrogen mode, the BMW Hydrogen 7 essentially emits nothing but odorless vapor," reports The Auto Channel. "And unlike fossil fuels and traditional gasoline, hydrogen is available in virtually infinite...

Four years after the government killed United Defense's Crusader contract and one year after the company was sold, life is good and getting better. The company, now a division of the British conglomerate BAE Systems, unveils its newest baby this morning in Fridley: a prototype 27-ton automated cannon that reduces the number of soldiers needed on the battlefield. The robotic "Non-Line of Sight" (NLOS) cannon took 400 workers and three years to build. Over time, the first-of-its-kind weapon technology is expected to reduce risk to soldiers, score $1 billion in BAE contracts by 2012 and catapult the Army into modern...

India is the world's fastest wealth creator Kounteya Sinha [ 22 Sep, 2006 2355hrs ISTTIMES NEWS NETWORK ] NEW DELHI: India has emerged as the world's fastest growing wealth creator, thanks to a buoyant stock market and higher earnings. More wealth also means more millionaires, whose number has grown over 15% between 2000 and 2005, keeping pace with China. And the boom is set to continue in the foreseeable future, with predictions that Indians will grow richer at a rate faster than anybody else on the planet over the next few years. Boston Consulting Group's just released Global Wealth 2006...

Two Iranian illegal immigrants were injured at noon on Monday by a landmine explosion, while attempting to pass from Turkey to Greece. They had entered a fenced minefield in the region of Nea Vyssa, at Evros prefecture. The explosion occurred at 12:10 p.m. Army officers and landmine-disposal experts sped to the minefield to pick up the two injured men and transported them to Didymoticho hospital. The minefield, where the explosion occurred, has notices with phosphoric placards writen in Greek and English and has a double fence. The two illegal immigrants, along with another seven of their compatriots, who were not...

TICABOO, Utah - The last U.S. uranium mill ever built, in this parched landscape near Lake Powell, shut down almost as quickly as it started operating as nuclear power fell into disfavor about two decades ago. Keith Larsen, chief executive for U.S. Energy Corp., picked up the mill 10 years later for practically nothing, banking it for better days. His patience paid off, making Larsen's company one of the few already taking profits out of a new uranium boom. Larsen's mothballed mill, once a liability, became a $90 million asset with mining claims — the deal he made to sell...

SINGAPORE (AFP) - The US economy is poised to soften gently but a housing crash is a potential threat and the Federal Reserve will have to stay vigilant on inflation, the IMF said. In its twice-yearly World Economic Outlook report, the International Monetary Fund forecast that US growth would reach 3.4 percent this year before easing to 2.9 percent in 2007. The IMF reiterated appeals for President George W. Bush's administration to show more ambition in putting the public finances in order and warned that mammoth US budget and trade deficits risk destabilising the world economy. It also noted that...

Watch at the link above, and see the very best car for terrorists...the Volkswagen Polo. Once you watch, you'll see what I mean.

TEHRAN (Fars News Agency)- Commander of Iran's ground force said military capabilities of his troops are at such a high level that the no air forces in the region has the needed capability to confront the Iranian army. Speaking to FNA correspondent in the operational zone of the extensive war games codenamed 'Zarbat-e Zolfaqar' (Blow of Zolfaqar), Brigadier General Mohammad Hassan Dadras said, "In the event of the occurrence of any kind of incidence in the region, the army embarks on identifying its soft and strong points in a bid to elevate its defense capabilities proportionate with the residing threats...

he Portland-area housing market has decisively cooled, resulting in a July median home price decline that bucks the three-year trend of relentlessly rising values. The area's median home price dropped to $274,700 in July, from $280,000 in June, according to data released Tuesday by the Regional Multiple Listing Service. Coming during the seasonally strong summer housing market, last month's decline marked the first time since 2002 that the June-to-July period recorded a median price decrease. Adding to the changing housing picture, the inventory of houses for sale rose in July to 3.5 months' supply, up from 2.6 months in June....

CALGARY -- The sheer number of Hummer urban assault vehicles crowding the roads -- reminiscent of the ostentatious Cadillacs of the heyday 1970s -- leaves little doubt that boom times have returned to Alberta. Gas guzzlers, mega-houses and lavish spending are signs of what several years of record oil and natural gas prices have done to Canada's oilpatch epicentre. In some ways, this is an encore performance after the first major oil boom 30 years ago, when events around the world and an inflexible oil supply sent prices soaring. "The cause of these current higher prices and energy boom, compared...

A Brazilian man died on Tuesday when he tried to open what police believe was a rocket-propelled grenade with a sledgehammer in a mechanical workshop on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. Another man who was in the workshop at the time of the explosion was rushed to a hospital with severe burns, a police officer told Reuters. The workshop was destroyed and several cars parked outside caught fire. Police found several unexploded army issue rocket-propelled grenades in the workshop. They believe the ammunition had been brought there by scavengers wanting to sell them as scrap metal, but they also...

TUCSON, June 21 (UPI) -- Raytheon has received a $42.7 million order for its Excalibur precision-guided artillery shells from the U.S. Army. The 155-millimeter Excalibur projectile uses satellite guidance and tailfins for pin-point attacks on distant targets with minimal collateral damage and less danger to close-by friendly forces. Analysts say the high-priced shells will reach Iraq and Afghanistan in the near future, where they will offer coalition forces a rapid, precision response to contact with the enemy. "The Army is anxious to get this capability to the troops, and this award is essential to sustain the anticipated Early Fielding program,"...

Sales of new homes in the United States unexpectedly rose in May to the highest level this year as buyers found deals in a market glutted with unsold homes. Purchases increased 4.6 percent to an annual rate of 1.23 million from 1.18 million in April, the Commerce Department said Monday in Washington. There were 556,000 homes for sale at the end of May, compared with a record 560,000 the prior month. Builders are offering incentives such as free country club memberships and luxury car leases to lure buyers put off by rising mortgage rates. The gain in sales confirms the...