Free Republic

HOPKINTON, R.I. - The house is for sale well below its assessed value, has four bedrooms and sits on more than a half acre of land. It's also got lots of vultures, and that's made it a tough sell. The trees around the Hopkinton house are a year-round nesting ground for turkey and black vultures. The previous owners blamed the birds for polluting their well, scaring their children and causing various illnesses. But real estate agent Patrick Murray said he's optimistic it could make a good home for the right buyer. It's listed at $189,900, below the assessed value of...

Kyoto and Our Adaptive Capacity By Dominic Standish MILAN, Italy -- A cloud is hanging over Milan as delegates from 188 countries are discussing climate change here. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is holding its ninth conference of the Conference of the Parties (COP 9), ending on 12 December. Many fear that confirmed Russian scepticism towards the Kyoto Protocol means it will not be enforced. The Kyoto Protocol aims to reduce greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere and it was signed by 172 countries in 1997. But the Protocol will only be approved when 55 signatories have...

New arm of ELF formed PORTLAND - Two men say they've founded a new organization committed to taking action against the U.S. political system. Both are former spokesmen for the radical environmental group known as the Earth Liberation Front or ELF. The FBI has busted the ELF several times in the past for acts of sabotage. The new group called "Arissa" says they'll take more direct, strategic and severe action in the U.S.