Free Republic

Yes, the Naga Viper, the latest claimant to the world's-hottest-pepper crown, outdistances its predecessor, the Bhut Jolokia, or "ghost chili," by more than 300,000 points on the famous Scoville scale of tongue-scorching chili hotness.

Have you ever stood in the produce aisle of a supermarket, wondering how hot the chili peppers are? Are they mild? Are they blistering hot? How can you tell? There are many varieties of hot chili peppers, some long and some short, some green and some red. Which ones will add just the right amount of spice? Which ones will have you dialing 911?

Bottom Line: Davis Guggenheim tells some inconvenient truths about public education in compelling new doc.

Researchers say that rising rates of syphilis along HIV among young gay men suggests risky sexual behaviour was to blame.. Public messages and campaigns about the dangers of unsafe sex do not appear to be getting through to men who have sex with men, the researchers say – particularly the young ones.

A founding member of ELO has been killed in a freak accident when a giant hay bale rolled out of a field and landed on his van. Cellist Mike Edwards died instantly when the 50-stone cylindrical bale careered down a slope, flipped 15ft over a hedge and smashed on to the roof of his van. Mr Edwards, 62, was known for unconventional cello playing including plucking the strings with an orange or grapefruit and his bizarre customs which became a major ingredient of ELO, the Electric Light Orchestra.

NEW YORK — In the latest in a spate of anti-Muslim incidents over the last two days, an intoxicated man entered a mosque in Queens on Wednesday evening and proceeded to urinate on prayer rugs, New York police officials said.

The Massachusetts congressman "caused a scene" at the ferry to the Pines last Friday when he apparently wasn't granted a $1 senior discount fare.

SAN FRANCISCO -- San Francisco became the first city in the nation to restrict cell phone sales Tuesday after the city’s board of supervisors approved a new law that requires stores to provide details on phone radiation. Overcoming strong lobbying efforts from cell phone companies, the city’s board of supervisors approved the new law 10-1, which will go into effect February 2011.

Police said a man who allegedly kicked, beat and hanged his pit bull from a pole was booked for investigation of animal cruelty and cultivation of marijuana. Hawthorne police said 19-year-old Ricardo Salvador Plascenia was arrested Monday and the dog, named Mary Jane, was taken to the vet.

People who carry a lot of weight around their middle are at increased risk of developing dementia, say researchers.

A 7-month-old girl was found dead in Antioch after being left in her family's car overnight, police said today.Sofia Wisher of Antioch was pronounced dead after she was found in her car seat outside the In Shape Sports Club on Lone Tree Way shortly after 2 p.m. Sunday, authorities said.

By Christmas of 1964, nowhere was safe for thirty-four-year-old Sean Connery. It started with the fan letters — fifteen hundred per week. Then came the mobs rushing gates at movie premieres and personal appearances — screaming, fainting, tearing at his clothes, all demanding time, autographs, kisses, and more. Soon, even walking down the street incognito or taking his family out to dinner became perilous endeavors.

Moran, a thickly built Virginian with a temper that runs hot on occasion, was summoned from his inner office by the noise of angry protesters interacting with his staff, according to the congressman's account. He confronted the protesters, prompting staff to step between them and the activists to ask whether Moran needed "bodyguards" to protect him. "We're not protecting him from you, we're protecting you from him," a staffer explained.

SEATTLE -- The mother of a Ballard High School student is fuming after the health center on campus helped facilitate her daughter's abortion during school hours. The mother, whom KOMO News has chosen to identify only as "Jill," says the clinic kept the information "confidential."

For these crazy times, The Daily Beast decided to rank America’s craziest cities—more specifically, the 57 largest metropolitan areas—using four criteria: psychiatrists per capita, stress, eccentricity and drinking levels.

Walmart is raising eyebrows after cutting the price of a black Barbie doll to nearly half of that of the doll's white counterpart at one store and possibly others.

We did some public records searches (thanks to the help of Gawker's John Cook) and found Sikes and his wife Patty found themselves, like many in the California real estate business, on the bursting side of the real estate bubble last year. The two declared bankruptcy in June of 2008 and have a combined liability of over $700,000 dollars in debt.

Swiss voters will go to the polls on Sunday to decide on a proposal to appoint state-funded lawyers across the country to represent animals in court. Supporters of the initiative say such lawyers would help deter cases of animal cruelty and neglect..

Smoker: Albert 'Dick' Whittamore He died aged 85 on February 16 in William Harvey Hospital in Ashford following a heart attack and was buried today. He blamed his ill health on his addiction to tobacco in his youth.

According to the report, the victim alleges that Officer Craig Nash picked him her up on the morning of February 25, handcuffed him her, told him her to lie down in the back of the car, then drove him her to another location and sexually assaulted him her before dropping him her off.