Free Republic

First of all, please forgive yet another vanity in a time when there isn't a bonfire big enough to consume all the ones so far. I consider the people here on FreeRepublic to be some of the most intelligent and also just downright decent people I know. Thus I feel I can trust your thoughtful opinions on most things. I'm still kind of young (24), and there's a lot I don't know about life. Right now, I need some relationship advice. I have a girlfriend right now who I deeply love. We met online through another message board, and have...

ANTHONY — A year ago, this dusty patch of land near the New Mexico border contained little more than dirt and the odd sprig of alfalfa. Today, it is home to a $3 million laboratory that is crackling with activity. The hi-tech lab was built for a peculiar but possibly revolutionary purpose: to explore ways algae can be used to reduce the world's dependence on oil. An arid stretch of West Texas might seem like a strange place to study the tiny water-borne plants, but the work is more than just a big idea. The two companies behind it, El...