Free Republic

Last year as arctic sea ice melted to record levels, panic set in for many. But then, as the sea ice rebounded and froze again quickly in the 2007/2008 winter, making up for that record loss and reaching heights not seen for several years, many exclaimed that even though the ice areal extent had recovered, this new ice was “thin” and would likely melt again quickly. There were also many news stories about how the Northwest Passage was ice free for the first time “ever”. For example, Backpacker Magazine ran a story saying “The ice is so low that the...

In 1980, only 86 near-Earth asteroids and comets were known to exist. By 1990, the figure had risen to 170; by 2000, it was 921; as of this writing, it is 5,388. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, part of NASA, keeps a running tally at www.neo.jpl.nasa.gov/stats. Ten years ago, 244 near-Earth space rocks one kilometer across or more—the size that would cause global calamity—were known to exist; now 741 are. Of the recently discovered nearby space objects, NASA has classified 186 as “impact risks” (details about these rocks are at www.neo.jpl.nasa.gov/risk). And because most space-rock searches to date have been low-budget...

Oil executives today challenged lawmakers to open more areas to drilling and send a signal to the world about the United States' resolve to deal with its own energy problems. "If the nation set a goal of increasing domestic production by 2 (million) to 3 million barrels a day by opening up new sources of exploration and production, we could demonstrate to the world that we are in control of our own destiny," Shell Oil Co. President John Hofmeister told a Senate panel today.

Californians can be thankful the state held its presidential primary on the earliest day legally possible. And Hillary Rodham Clinton should be especially grateful. Clinton probably wouldn't even be in the race today if California had not rescued her candidacy way back on Super Tuesday, Feb. 5, by delivering a timely victory that helped keep her afloat. The Pennsylvania primary Tuesday likely would have been irrelevant.

In the first experiment of its kind conducted in nature, a University of British Columbia evolutionary biologist has come up with strong evidence for one of Charles Darwin's cornerstone ideas -- adaptation to the environment accelerates the creation of new species.

Aerospace giant EADS says it will need a production line of rocket planes to satisfy the space tourism market. The European company's Astrium division, makers of the Ariane rocket, has plans for a commercial vehicle to take ticketed passengers above 100km. Its market assessment suggests there would be 15,000 people a year prepared to part with some 200,000 euros (£160,000) for the ride of a lifetime. Astrium anticipates it be will be producing about 10 planes a year.

However, persons still operating legacy servers such as Windows 2000 were dismayed to learn that Microsoft was sticking to its guns regarding their Windows 2000 EOL(End of Life). Hotfixes were made available for Windows XP and Server 2003, but the Windows 2000 hotfix (which does exist) has not seen public release. In order to obtain it, one must order it from their Microsoft Account Manager. I believe the current list price is $4000 for a site license to use the hotfix - a large sum for a systems administrator looking to update a small amount of servers.

But with a race this exciting, why don't reporters just sit back and enjoy it? Instead, there's this undercurrent of angst: The race is insane. Three contests, three winners. It's a deep, dark mystery. This has never happened before in recorded history. How can this not be over by February 5 so we can all go on vacation? The party is in crisis, maybe even in therapy. How can there not be a front-runner???

WATERLOO, Iowa — Senator Barack Obama is seeking to capitalize on a moment of opportunity in the weeks before the Iowa caucuses to challenge Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s long dominance of the Democratic field, and in doing so, he now faces intensified questions about his vulnerabilities in a general election.

MAQUOKETA, IOWA -- It was an unusual question at the end of a long day. What, the fifth-grader asked Barack Obama, would you do as president if illegal immigrants staged a terrorist attack on the United States while you were pulling troops out of Iraq?

The six leading Democratic presidential candidates showed up for the Iowa Democratic Party's big Jefferson Jackson Dinner on Saturday night, and five of them gave very good speeches. Barack Obama's was excellent. It was one of the best of his campaign.

All my FR pages display fine except for PINGS. When I click on the link to PINGS, which displays all my comments and all comments made to me, the text no longer wraps. Each paragraph is a long line of text and the browser has a horizontal scroll bar. Is there a configuration setting in FR where I can fix this? It doesn't happen on any other website and no other FR page except the MY COMMENTS page. Thanks.

I've just watched the You-tube clip of a ten minute rant by National Embarrassment Bob Wexler at the House Foreign Affairs Committee show-trial of General Petraeus. I am ashamed that my country contains people that would elect a person like Wexler to Congress. He had more dignity defending the rape, sexual harassment and perjury of BJ than he does sniveling and yodeling for America's defeat by the Islamonazi terrorists. Isnt it funny that the worse Congressmen represent the richest districts; Wexler, Nadler, Pelosi, Waxman, McDermott and a rogue's list of the dumbest, most anti-American traitors come from silk-stocking upscale districts....

Yes, I was so outraged at the treatment of Gen. Petraeus by the House Foreign Affairs Committee Democrats yesterday that I wrote to my Congressman. Unfortunately my Congressman is the Stalinist woodchuck Henry Waxman. Now, Mr. Waxman was somewhere else yesterday, no doubt cooking up some new plot to destroy the economy or support the terrorists, but his heart was with the moveon.org ad entitled 'Gen. Petraeus or Gen. Betray-us'. Its disheartening to see a major political party sink so low. At what point do the dummies that vote for them catch on to how disgraceful and disgusting the Democrats...

The FBI is asking for the public’s help two identify two men who have been seen acting strangely aboard Washington State ferries recently. According to federal agents, passengers have seen the men on several occasions exhibiting unusual behavior. The FBI did not say precisely what that unusual behavior entailed. Anyone who knows the men or there whereabouts are asked to call the FBI at (206) 622-0460.

One of the central lessons of The Caine Mutiny is that when a human being possesses a fatally flawed character trait that is repeatedly displayed and then, as with Queeg, matched with considerable power, there can only be one outcome -- and that outcome is never good. Hillary Clinton is the only candidate in the 2008 race on either side who has already been in the White House for eight years. There is no speculation to be had on how she would respond under the pressure of the presidency. She has a record already, and is not shy about spinning...

The president won't fire Alberto Gonzales. He needs him to protect White House secrets, including the scheming roles of Cheney and Rove.

A women was stripped and brutally beaten with hot iron rods after she was branded a witch and held responsible for the death of a woman in a Jharkhand village, police said Monday. The incident came to light only after a week when the woman from Dadighagar in Hazaribagh district, about 130 km from here, approached some local reporters Sunday. Basdeo Manjhi said 45-year-old Chandmuni Devi had used black magic against his wife who died of snakebite on July 14. He complained to the panchayat that ordered that Chandmuni be stripped and beaten with hot rods and sickles. Chandmuni and...

During John Edwards’ remarks to an annual forum of his fellow trial lawyers in Chicago on Sunday, the former senator spoke passionately about civil justice issues, joked about “that little house that we have in North Carolina” and warned of “a very concerted, very orchestrated radical right agenda” to “hijack the jury system.” He also, ever so gently, made the political case for the viability of his presidential campaign. “It’s not enough for you to like a candidate,” said the former trial lawyer, tanned and comfortable in his sharp blue suit. “It’s not even enough for you to agree with...

BAGHDAD, Jan. 9 — More than 1,000 American and Iraqi troops, backed by Apache attack helicopters and fighter jets, battled insurgents all day Tuesday and late into the night in downtown Baghdad, in one of the most dramatic operations in the capital since the invasion nearly four years ago.