Free Republic

Investigators still have no motive, witnesses or suspects in the slaying of a powerhouse Hollywood publicist Ronni Chasen but details in an initial coroner's report reveal that the shooter appears to be an expert marksman. Chasen, 64, who represented A-list movie stars and promoted some of Hollywood's top films, was driving home Nov. 16 after attending the premiere party for the movie "Burlesque" when she was gunned down. According to the preliminary coroner's report, which is now under security hold, "there were three apparent gunshot wounds to the right side breast/chest area.

OSLO (Reuters) – Flowers picked up to 150 years ago in Victorian England show that old collections of pressed plants around the world can help the study of climate change, scientists said on Wednesday. Ecologists compared samples of early spider orchids, held in collections with notes showing the exact day in spring when they were picked in southern England from 1848-1958, and dates when the same flower blossomed in the wild from 1975-2006. "Warmer years were associated with earlier flowering ... In both cases flowering was advanced by about six days per 1 degree Celsius (1.8 Fahrenheit) rise in average...

WASHINGTON - Intelligence experts scouring the latest video of Osama bin Laden for clues warned on Saturday that his message offers hints that Al-Qaeda is planning another attack on US interests. In his first video appearance in three years, the elusive Al-Qaeda chief mocks the United States as "weak" and vows to escalate fighting in Iraq, all the while using language similar to the kind used ahead of other past attacks. At times, bin Laden speaks directly to Americans, using plain language that "appears to be crafted in a way as to be understood by the average person on the...

Archaeologists explore ocean floor for clues to early coastal settlement by Cindy Weiss - April 23, 2007 Anthropologists in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences are identifying new sites to study archaeology that are fathoms, not feet, under the surface. Anthropology professor Kevin McBride and doctoral candidate David Robinson are scoping out early coastal human settlement sites, now under water, that could reveal clues to how the Americas were settled. McBride says early submerged sites may yield evidence of how the earliest coastal residents lived and how they got here. McBride, who is also director of research at the...

Anthrax investigator Ross Getman gave me permission to quote this article in full. The Code Used In The Anthrax Letters By Ross E. Getman Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell told a recent conference in Washington, D.C.: "People often ask me what keeps you up at night; what do you worry about? If someone were to have a sophisticated attack on our financial services system, let's just say cyber networks broadly, at the same time that they mailed through U.S. mail, FedEx, and UPS the equivalent of letters sprinkled with anthrax throughout the country, it would have a devastating impact....

Sandy clues to ancient climate Sid Perkins The orientation of these dunes in north-central Nebraska provide a clue that the climate there a millennium ago was much different than it is today. The Nebraska Sand Hills have been frozen in place by vegetation for 800 to 1,000 years, says David B. Loope, a geologist at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. Loope and J. Mason The 12-to-15-meter-tall dunes, which run from west-northwest to east-southeast, couldn't have been formed by modern wind patterns, which bring plant-nurturing moisture to the region from the Gulf of Mexico in the springtime. Loope and his...

WASHINGTON - Buoyed by the killing of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, U.S. government officials hope the exposure of his radical network through hundreds of raids across Iraq will help them eliminate key tentacles of the amorphous al-Qaida organization. These officials say the raids have led to solid insights into al-Qaida in Iraq and provided new clues about how the group trades information with Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida central. They also are learning who is connected to whom and how external support is funneled through Iraq from across the Middle East, including Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Iran. Several officials requested anonymity...

Gritty CluesHow soil can tell stories of the past Aimee Cunningham At the base of Monticello Mountain, just below Thomas Jefferson's historic estate in Charlottesville, Va., sits a 90-meter-long greenstone wall. The Rivanna River runs on one side. On the other, earth has piled up to the wall's top. Built up from sediments washing down the mountain for centuries, this soil holds clues to history. But rather than bits of tools or pottery, the clues are chemical elements in the soil. The soil at Monticello Mountain in Charlottesville, Va., contains clues about Thomas Jefferson's agricultural practices on those slopes. Archaeologists...

Expedition seeks clues to lost Bronze Age culture By Richard C. Lewis Thu Jun 1, 4:11 PM ETReuters Photo: Deep-sea explorer Robert Ballard speaks at the National Geographic Society in an undated file photo.... PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island (Reuters) - An underwater explorer who found the Titanic and a team of international scientists will soon survey waters off the Greek island of Crete for clues to a once-powerful Bronze Age-era civilization. The expedition about 75 miles northwest of Crete aims to learn more about the Minoans, who flourished during the Bronze Age, and seeks to better understand seafaring four millennia ago,...

LOS ANGELES - Scientists think they have solved the mystery of how planets form around a star born in a violent supernova explosion, saying they have detected for the first time a swirling disk of debris from which planets can rise. The discovery is surprising because the dusty disk orbiting the pulsar, or dead star, resembles the cloud of gas and dust from which Earth emerged. Scientists say the latest finding should shed light on how planetary systems form. "It shows that planet formation is really ubiquitous in the universe. It's a very robust process and can happen in all...

Clues lead to a shared past / Newly discovered 4th-century ceramics show Korean influence Kazuya Sekiguchi and Hiroshi Tanaka / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writers The recent discovery of Sueki unglazed ceramics at an archaeological site in Uji, Kyoto Prefecture, has experts rethinking the chronology of early exchanges between Japan and the Korean Peninsula. The discovery revealed that the production of Sueki wares began in Japan in the late fourth century, 20 to 30 years earlier than archaeologists had believed, indicating that people from the Korean Peninsula who produced the ceramics arrived in Japan around the same time. Horseback riding and...

Pottery offers clues to origin of Chinese characters www.chinaview.cn 2006-03-22 21:10:18 HEFEI, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Chinese archaeologists claim that pottery utensils dating back 7,000 years ago which bear inscriptions of various symbols are probably one of the origins of Chinese characters. They made the conclusion on the basis of several years' study into the symbols carved on over 600 pottery ware items unearthed from the New Stone Age site in Shuangdun village, Xiaobengbu town of Bengbu, a city in East China's Anhui Province. The symbols include rivers, animals and plants, and activities such as hunting, fishing and arable farming,...

Ancient clues to ocean currents By Jonathan Amos BBC News science reporter, San Francisco Foam marks points where samples have been extracted from the core. (Image: Tom Kleindinst, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) The close link between temperatures in the North Atlantic and the strength of ocean circulation is underlined by a new analysis of sea-floor sediments. The sediments were drilled from Blake Outer Ridge off the US east coast. They contain traces of naturally occurring radioactive atoms in ratios that are a giveaway for the speed of ocean waters going back 60,000 years. The work by a team from the...

Ancient Roman puzzle yields clues By Vanessa Collingridge Presenter, Rebuilding Rome The map provides a unique insight into ancient Rome (pic: Stanford University) For more than 500 years scholars have been wrestling with an ancient Roman puzzle that would test even the most cunning of quiz-masters. How do you put together a giant stone jigsaw when 80% of the pieces are missing and you have even lost the lid? Now with a joint Italian-US team on the case using a hi-tech approach the answer might finally be within reach. The Forma Urbis, or Severan Marble Plan, is a giant map...

Whenever a crowd gathers, the entrepreneurs shift gears and set up to sell their wares to the rubes. The early birds in Columbus, Ohio are even now rehearsing their pitch, "Clues! Getcher clues here. Fresh clues, buy one, get one free...Get -em while yer clueless..." We expect business to be brisk. You see, the Democrats are coming to Columbus. We will hide from the national press cameras so that no one knows that we live in this...mecca of the gentler party. But first, get to know Columbus. We have a Democratic city council, and a Democratic Mayor, Michael Coleman, who...

Tantalizing clues in ancient mounds 05/04/2005 The Asahi Shimbun SAGA-Ancient mounds here may be among the nation's oldest and prove that the original owners were pretty inventive for their day. Recent excavations at the Higashimyo archeological site indicate the shell mounds date back 7,000 years-to the early Jomon Period (8000 B.C.-300 B.C.). Higashimyo has western Japan's largest such mounds. They are believed to have been created by the dumping of shells and other refuse. Remains of more than 40 baskets, hand-woven from thin strips of wood, have been found there. Experts say they may be the oldest so far discovered....

CUATRO CIENEGAS, Mexico (Reuters) - With cobalt waters harboring eerie, coral-like formations, this archipelago of lakes in Mexico's searing Chihuahuan desert has always had an other-worldly appearance. Now top researchers at the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration say the calcified clumps of primitive bacteria lurking in its pools could provide important clues in their search for extraterrestrial life. The network of 170 cactus-ringed lagoons around the town of Cuatro Cienegas have intrigued evolutionary biologists for decades because their fish, snail and turtle species rival the Galapagos Islands in their uniqueness. Scientists from NASA's Astrobiology Institute have begun studying the...

Police Seek Clues After Fetus Cut From Slain Woman's BodyAmber Alert Issued For Missing Fetus POSTED: 7:05 am EST December 17, 2004 UPDATED: 10:19 am EST December 17, 2004 SKIDMORE, Mo. -- A 23-year-old woman who was eight months pregnant was killed Thursday and the fetus was taken from her body, authorities said. Stinnett home in Skidmore, Mo. Sheriff's deputies were investigating the afternoon killing of the woman and they were searching for the baby, who they believed could have survived. Nodaway County Sheriff Bill Espey said, "Someone was wanting a baby awful bad." The sheriff issued an Amber Alert...

Saxon find brings clues to history December 11, 2004 00:01 A NUMBER of ancient artefacts discovered by a metal detecting enthusiast have given vital clues to Suffolk's history. Six gold and silver fragments discovered in a Witnesham field have given historians the chance to confirm details about life in Suffolk around 1,500 years ago. At a treasure trove inquest on Wednesday, Great Suffolk Coronor Dr Peter Dean confirmed the artefacts met the criteria for treasure. A treasure trove inquest is held when an object of at least 300 years old containing a substantial amount of silver or gold is found...

FALLUJA, Iraq, Nov. 21 - In one house hung a black banner with the words "One God and Jihad" and a distinctive yellow sun, terrifyingly familiar as the backdrop to videotaped beheadings by the group of that name. In another house there was a cage large enough to hold a human and a wall marked with Arabic writing and what appears to be a fingerprint in dried blood. Before the doors to these houses in Falluja were thrown open to two reporters on Sunday, soldiers and intelligence officers had already carried away other items from them, handcuffs, shackles, militant propaganda,...

Allah Pundit makes a compelling case that the author of the CBS memo surfs anti Bush websites.Why?Well, the memo includes the wrong acronym 'OETR.'People familiar with military technology suggest that the acronym the author of the memo meant to use was 'OER'--an abbreviation for 'Officer Effectiveness Report.'An anti Bush website (found courtesy of Google) called 'The AWOL Project' lists a bunch of related documents under the title, 'The OETR Scam.'Were sure it's just a concidence..

New book offers clues to male brainResearch, anecdotes address questions about male psyche These PET scans indicate that an emotional film sparked activity in the left amygdala of female brains, but in the right amygdala of male brains. The amygdala processes memories for emotions, but it's not clear whether the left-right split makes a difference. Updated: 6:22 p.m. ET Oct. 31, 2003LOS ANGELES - It’s the universal question on many women’s lips. “What could he be thinking?” she shrieks, or sighs or sulks at her husband, boyfriend or son. What is it with men and cars? Why doesn’t he notice...

Contact: Mark Shwartz mshwartz@stanford.edu 650-723-9296 Stanford University Volcanic soils yield new clues about the emergence of powerful chiefdoms in Hawaii When the first Europeans arrived in the Hawaiian Islands in 1778, they found a thriving, complex society organized into chiefdoms whose economies were based primarily on farming. On the islands of Kauai, O'ahu and Molokai, the principal crop was taro – a starchy plant grown in irrigated wetlands where the supply of water was usually abundant. But on Maui and the Big Island of Hawaii, the main staple was the sweet potato – a more labor-intensive crop planted in relatively...

Rat DNA clues to sea migration This carving shows Pacific rats on the face of a Polynesian ancestor Scientists have used DNA from rats to trace migration patterns of the ancestors of today's Polynesians. People are thought to have arrived in Polynesia, comprising the Pacific islands of Fiji, Tonga and Samoa, by boat some 3,000 years ago. Rat data suggests the journey was more complex than the popular "Express Train" theory, which proposes a rapid dispersal of people from South Asia. Details appear in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Elizabeth Matisoo-Smith and Judith Robins from the University of...

FALLUJAH, Iraq, April 11 -- When the American troops entered the abandoned factory shed Sunday, they found a hastily abandoned campsite full of jumbled clothing and bedrolls, scattered sneakers and gym bags, broken eggs and dirty cooking pots. But there were other, less innocent objects half-hidden in the gloom. Sacks full of chemical-coated rocks. Leather belts stuffed with explosive putty, and one smeared with dried blood. Boxes of batteries with wires taped to them. A recipe for making bombs.

Researchers scour Cuban records for clues to Calusa By KRISTEN ZAMBO, klzambo@naplesnews.com March 14, 2004 After years of belief to the contrary, the once mighty Calusa Indians, who lived centuries ago in Southwest Florida, may not be extinct after all. Nicknamed "The Fierce Ones," the Calusa Indians lived in Southwest Florida from around A.D. 100 to the early 1700s, when they were believed to have been killed off by invading Native American tribes, Spanish soldiers and foreign diseases such as smallpox. Their largest settlement in Florida was on Pine Island at Pineland, now the site of the Randell Research Center,...

<p>The man was found wrapped in a tarp, floating gently in the Sudbury River. His killing was a mystery, and so was his identity. There was just one clue: the letters "PK" tattooed on his right shoulder.</p> <p>For nearly a year, the Framingham case grew colder and colder. Then last spring, Bobby Lingoes happened across a description of the dead man and his tattoo. Lingoes posted the details on the Doe Network, a website for volunteers like him who search for missing people in their spare time.</p>

Source: Brigham Young University Released: Fri 09-Jan-2004, 17:30 ET Mesoamerican Relic Provides New Clues to Mysterious Ancient Writing System A previously unknown ancient mask from southern Mexico contains an inscription that shows the language used there prior to the Maya civilization remains undecipherable, according to a new study by Stephen Houston and Michael Coe. Newswise — A previously unknown ancient mask from southern Mexico contains an inscription that shows the language used there prior to the Maya civilization remains undecipherable, according to a new study by Brigham Young University archeologist Stephen Houston and Yale University professor emeritus Michael Coe. Translating...

Viking queen may be exhumed for clues to killing Sun 7 December, 2003 05:17 By Alister Doyle OSLO (Reuters) - The grave of a mysterious Viking queen may hold the key to a 1,200 year-old case of suspected ritual killing, and scientists are planning to unearth her bones to find out. She is one of two women whose fate has been a riddle ever since their bones were found in 1904 in a 22 metre (72 feet) longboat buried at Oseberg in south Norway, its oaken form preserved miraculously, with even its menacing, curling prow intact. No one even knows...

LONDON (Reuters) - Cyber investigators are scouring the World Wide Web for clues on any future suicide bomb attacks, deploying satellites and other high-tech wizardry to hone in on suspicious Web surfing activity. Intelligence officials had warned some kind of attack would occur in Saudi Arabia before Sunday's suicide bomb blast in Riyadh after finding evidence on anonymous postings on Arabic Web sites and other forms of Internet chatter. The strike killed at least 18 people and wounded 120 others. "The Internet is a very useful open source for investigators. But as with any unattributable piece of information, tips must...

Source: Ohio State University Date: 2003-11-07 Ice Cores May Yield Clues To 5,000-year-old Mystery COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The latest expeditions to ice caps in the high, tropical Peruvian Andes Mountains by Ohio State University scientists may shed light on a mysterious global climate change they believe occurred more than 5,000 years ago. They hope that ice cores retrieved from two tropical ice caps there, as well as ancient plants retrieved from beneath the retreating glaciers, may contain clues that could link ancient events that changed daily life in South America, Europe and Asia. Something happened 5,200 years ago that was...

DUBAI (Reuters) - Two Arab-language newspapers placed Saddam Hussein and his son Qusay in Baghdad last week on the day U.S. tanks drove to the heart of the capital and Iraqis toppled a massive statue, symbolically ending his 24-year rule. Al-Jazeera on Thursday showed what was thought to be Saddam's hastily-abandoned last abode in Baghdad. A half-filled glass of water and a stained cup stood on a desk next to crudely sketched military plans in an office where Jazeera said the Iraqi leader taped messages entreating his people to fight U.S. invaders. A suitcase was left next to an unmade...

<p>SPACE CENTER, Houston -- Investigators into the space shuttle disaster still believe important clues might be found in west Texas and points even farther West -- even though no debris has yet been found.</p> <p>The reason for their faith in the absence of evidence is a wealth of credible photographs, video recordings and eyewitness reports from California, Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico. More than 1,500 photographs and videos of Columbia's re-entry have poured in to NASA.</p>

<p>NASA investigative teams were headed Tuesday for San Jose and other West Coast locations where new reports of possible shuttle debris could provide crucial information about what caused Columbia to break apart on its descent Saturday morning.</p> <p>Just hours after more than 10,000 mourners gathered to honor Columbia's fallen crew, NASA officials said the newly discovered debris could show the spacecraft started breaking up over California -- possibly earlier than was previously believed.</p>

Myths Studied for Tsunami CluesUniversity of Washington Scientist Probes Indian Myth for Tsunami Clues S E A T T L E, Aug. 12 — When scientists figured out that sea water drowned groves of tall trees up and down the coast of Washington state the same year a tsunami hit Japan, they theorized that a massive earthquake in the Pacific most likely triggered both events. Based on Japanese records, scientists were able to pinpoint a date Jan. 26, 1700 and estimate that the rupture of a long stretch of sea floor had caused a magnitude 9 quake, which would be...

Clues to missing pagodas found AKSHAYA MUKUL TIMES NEWS NETWORK [ SATURDAY, JULY 06, 2002 11:49:09 PM ] NEW DELHI: Submerged structures found off the coast of Mahabalipuram in the Bay of Bengal could well solve the mystery of seven pagodas dating back to the Pallava Period (7th Century AD). The Archaeological Survey of India’s Underwater Archaeology Wing (UAW) has discovered three walls and a number of carved architectural members of ancient temples running north to south and east to west. Also found are seven big submerged rocks 500 metres off shore. According to UAW in-charge Alok Tripathi, who undertook...

Don't you think it's time you followed through with your reservations?  It won't be the same without you at FRiva Las Vegas.See details below.All those who finish tonight's contest will have achieved Sleuth Status.Only one Super Sleuth will emerge.  Good luck to each of you!The FRiva Las Vegas Registration Fees are within reach for several of you. Good evening Sleuths:  Tonight's the night.  One of you will become a super-sleuth.  Others have continued just for the participation.I am glad you have enjoyed the contest.Now, on with the show.Here's that pesky clue.  Elvira Von Pantington  Here we are just moments...

Don't you think it's time you followed through with your reservations?  It won't be the same without you at FRiva Las Vegas.See details below. Well, I see you're back at it!  With a few days off, you're all gung ho to leave the others in the dust.Well, good luck to each of you.  Lacretia Vampmore  Day six is here, wouldn't you know.  Here's clue one, now off you go.Clue code: 456 Don't forget, you must copy this code. Write this down."Clue one: Code 456"Key Words: block head(Set preferences to "match all words" and "order by post time".) (The thread...

Don't you think it's time you followed through with your reservations?  It won't be the same without you at FRiva Las Vegas.See details below. Good evening folks:  I see determination in your eyes.  Or is that animosity.  I have a hard time telling the difference.I guess I better give that clue before you string me up.  Able Wrongrighter  Never one to be a bore.  Here's clue one for day four.Clue code: 389 Don't forget, you must copy this code. Write this down."Clue one: Code 389"Key Words: submarine(Set preferences to "match all words" and "order by post time".) (The thread...

Don't you think it's time you followed through with your reservations? It won't be the same without you at FRiva Las Vegas. See details below. Oh look, they're baa-aaack!  Well you guys must be pretty tough.  Here's the scoop.  You're on your way for a brand new day.There's danger ahead so watch your step.  Victoria Famine  Let me see, which shall it be?  Oh look, it's clue one for day three.Clue code: 496 Don't forget, you must copy this code. Write this down."Clue one: Code 496"Key Words: paper tiger(Set preferences to "match all words" and "order by post time".) (The...

Don't you think it's time you followed through with your reservations?  It won't be the same without you at FRiva Las Vegas.See details below. Well hello!  So you've come back for more?  I thought we would have worn you out by now!Well, here's your clue anyway.  It won't be long now.  There's a bad omen following you around.  Delia Kanthaverless  Shhhhh!  I have a clue for you.  It says right here, the first clue for day two.Clue code: 500 Don't forget, you must copy this code. Write this down. "Clue one: Code 500"Key Words: hillary again(Set preferences to "match...

Hello there.  Aren't you the mysterious one. Thank you for joining our Freeper FRiva Feva contest.  May the most mysterious person win.  Smedley Backstep  Here's your first clue.Clue code: 282  Don't forget, you must copy this code. Write this down. "Clue one: Code 282"Key Words: clinton, haircut(Use the search engine top right.) (Set preferences to "match all words" and "order by post time".) (Right thread will be in the first five choices. Use this clue.)Clue: What's hair today may be gone tomorrow.  With costs much less no need to borrow. You should be able to follow these directions without more...

The Case of the Freeper FRiva Feva In just a few hours The Case of the Freeper FRiva Feva begins.  Who will find the clues the fastest? You will find a the first thread under the name: The Case of the Freeper FRiva Feva - Thread One (...two, three, four, five...)  These threads will go up between 6:00 and 8:00 p.m. p.d.t. each day. These threads will pop up until the evening of July 2nd.  After that evening's Final Target is found, we'll tally the results.  The winner will be announced the next day. The winner will have his...