http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/giant/ en-us Fri, 16 May 2008 04:54:51 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2016712/posts Giant pythons capable of swallowing a dog and even an alligator are rapidly making south Florida their home, potentially threatening other southeastern states, a study said. "Pythons are likely to colonize anywhere alligators live, including north Florida, Georgia and Louisiana," said Frank Mazzotti, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences professor, in his two-year study. The pythons thriving in Florida are mostly Burmese pythons from Myanmar that were brought over as pets and then turned loose in the wild. From 2002-2005, 201 of the beasts were caught by state authorities, but in the last two years the number... AP on Breitbart.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2016712/posts#comment Fri, 16 May 2008 04:54:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1964963/posts BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan, Feb. 4, 2008 – As millions of Americans gathered around their televisions to watch Super Bowl XLII last night, servicemembers here rolled out of beds, cots or sleeping bags to watch the big game in the early morning hours. The New York Giants and New England Patriots each had plenty of rooters here, but one soldier assigned to Combined Joint Task Force 82 took special pride in the Giants’ stunning 17-14 upset of the previously unbeaten Patriots. Before he joined the Army, Lt. Col. Nate Rivers, CJTF 82’s logistics maintenance chief, played in the National Football... Face of Defence http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1964963/posts#comment Mon, 4 Feb 2008 23:18:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1942995/posts "Skeleton of Giant" Is Internet Photo Hoax James Owen for National Geographic News December 14, 2007 The National Geographic Society has not discovered ancient giant humans, despite rampant reports and pictures. The hoax began with a doctored photo and later found a receptive online audience—thanks perhaps to the image's unintended religious connotations. A digitally altered photograph created in 2002 shows a reclining giant surrounded by a wooden platform—with a shovel-wielding archaeologist thrown in for scale. (Photo Gallery: "Giant Skeletons" Fuel Web Hoax) By 2004 the "discovery" was being blogged and emailed all over the world—"Giant Skeleton Unearthed!"—and it's been enjoying... National Geographic News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1942995/posts#comment Fri, 21 Dec 2007 23:02:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1909528/posts Islamists damage giant rock Buddha By Ben Quinn Last Updated: 2:11am BST 11/10/2007 Islamist radicals in Pakistan have attempted to destroy an ancient carving of Buddha by drilling holes in the rock and filling them with dynamite.The Buddha is thought to date from the seventh century AD The 23ft high image was damaged during the attack, which brought back memories of the Taliban's destruction six years ago of the giant Buddhas at Bamiyan, in neighbouring Afghanistan. The Buddha, in the Swat district of north-west Pakistan, is thought to date from the seventh century AD and was considered the largest in... The Telegraph (UK) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1909528/posts#comment Thu, 11 Oct 2007 01:30:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1908906/posts WASHINGTON, Oct. 9, 2007 – As part of its continued commitment to honoring troops and their families, software giant Microsoft Corp. announced today that it has become a corporate supporter of the Defense Department’s America Supports You program. The America Supports You program connects citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad. “As the demands of service continue to challenge and strain America’s armed forces, domestic efforts to support soldiers and their families grow increasingly important,” said Curt Kolcun, vice president of Microsoft’s Federal Division. “Joining America Supports You is a key part of... American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1908906/posts#comment Tue, 9 Oct 2007 23:24:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1905079/posts Giant-pumpkin growers at the Topsfield Fair broke the world record this weekend for heaviest pumpkin - twice. For just a moment, Bill Rodonis, of Litchfield, N.H., held the title with a 1,566-pound pumpkin. Then Joe Jutras, of Scituate, R.I., crushed it with a pumpkin weighing 1,689 pounds. Both men beat last year's record of 1,502 pounds, but only Jutras will make it in the Guinness Book of Records. "To be that much over the world record from last year is incredible," Jutras said. He also received a $3,500 check for first place and he will probably make double that amount... Salem News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1905079/posts#comment Mon, 1 Oct 2007 22:31:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1904253/posts Giant bones challenged 18th-century intellectuals By Dan Hurley Post columnist Today, the valley is dry, dusty and unremarkable, but 250 years ago it was one of the most fascinating spots ever discovered in the North America. From the very first time in 1739 that local Indians led a contingent of French explorers to the salt licks near the Ohio River in what is today Boone County, Ky., the spot raised intellectually troubling questions. European and American scientists understood the importance of salt licks and why thousands of modern buffalo, deer and elk beat broad paths to the marshy lick, but... Cincy Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1904253/posts#comment Sun, 30 Sep 2007 00:27:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1878517/posts AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - A giant, smiling Lego man was fished out of the sea in the Dutch resort of Zandvoort on Tuesday. Workers at a drinks stall rescued the 2.5-metre (8-foot) tall model with a yellow head and blue torso. "We saw something bobbing about in the sea and we decided to take it out of the water," said a stall worker. "It was a life-sized Lego toy." A woman nearby added: "I saw the Lego toy floating towards the beach from the direction of England." The toy was later placed in front of the drinks stall. Reuters on Yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1878517/posts#comment Thu, 9 Aug 2007 03:33:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1866037/posts Deep in the Congolese jungle is a band of apes that, according to local legend, kill lions, catch fish and even howl at the moon. Local hunters speak of massive creatures that seem to be some sort of hybrid between a chimp and a gorilla. Their location at the centre of one of the bloodiest conflicts on the planet, the civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo, has meant that the mystery apes have been little studied by western scientists. Reaching the region means negotiating the shifting fortunes of warring rebel factions, and the heart of the animals' range... The Guardian http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1866037/posts#comment Sat, 14 Jul 2007 21:51:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1829733/posts May 2, 2007—Jupiter's most turbulent moon, Io, is renowned among scientists for its flashy volcanic displays. But even experts were surprised when they saw this plume of gas vaulting nearly 200 miles (320 kilometers) over the moon's north pole. The giant frozen jet—about as tall as the state of New Hampshire is long—spewed from a volcano known as Tvashtar in February, just as NASA's New Horizons spacecraft was cruising by on its way to Pluto. The passing craft captured several images of the event, providing an unprecedented view of volcanism on Io, the most geologically active body in the solar... news.nationalgeographic.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1829733/posts#comment Mon, 7 May 2007 19:00:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1826005/posts A WOMAN'S email to the help desk of Telecom New Zealand was rejected by a computer system because her name was Gay and "inappropriate for business-like communication". Gay Hamilton, from the northern South Island town of Nelson, said while she was actually gay, she was concerned that the country's biggest public company was spending its time and resources on trifling issues, the Herald on Sunday reported. "If they do have to put content filters on, then maybe they should ensure that it only gets genuinely abusive words," she said. news.com.au http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1826005/posts#comment Mon, 30 Apr 2007 16:15:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1761495/posts NEW YORK — A quick-thinking commuter saved a teenager who fell on the subway tracks by pushing him down into a furrow between the rails, allowing an approaching train to pass right over them, police said. An 18-year-old man had some kind of medical problem Tuesday and fell onto the tracks, which are a few feet below platform level, police said. Wesley Autrey saw him fall, jumped down onto the tracks after him and rolled with him into the rut between the rails as a southbound train was coming in.- snip- Fox News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1761495/posts#comment Tue, 2 Jan 2007 23:57:13 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1757558/posts December 22, 2006—Like pulling a shadow from the darkness, researchers in Japan have captured and filmed a live giant squid—likely for the first time—shedding new light on the famously elusive creatures. Tsunemi Kubodera, a scientist with Japan's National Science Museum, caught the 24-foot (7-meter) animal earlier this month near the island of Chichijima, some 600 miles (960 kilometers) southeast of Tokyo (see Japan map). His team snared the animal using a line baited with small squid and shot video of the russet-colored giant as it was hauled to the surface. The squid, a young female, "put up quite a fight"... National Geographic News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1757558/posts#comment Sat, 23 Dec 2006 01:50:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1739912/posts Oil Sinks $2.50 for Lowest Level in Year Nov 16 4:26 PM US/Eastern By BRAD FOSS Associated Press Writer The price of oil sank by more than $2 a barrel Thursday, settling at its lowest level in a year as traders focused on the bearish aspects of conflicting market trends. OPEC is cutting output, but the U.S. economy is slowing; winter is near, but the country has an abundance of home heating fuels. These mixed signals help explain why crude futures have settled in a range roughly between $57 and $61 since the beginning of October. The retail price of... breitbart.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1739912/posts#comment Thu, 16 Nov 2006 22:34:13 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1686090/posts Biologists have discovered giant invasive oysters that could threaten efforts to restore native oyster species in San Francisco Bay. Government staffers and volunteers removed 256 of the exotic mollusks last week after searching the mudflats between the Dumbarton Bridge and the San Leandro Marina, biologists said Thursday. Scientists have not identified the species, which grow up to 9 inches long and in a variety of shapes. They don't know how the exotic oysters got here or how they could affect the bay if their population expands. Biologists are concerned the monster oysters could take over the best habitat and form... AP on Bakersfield Californian http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1686090/posts#comment Fri, 18 Aug 2006 20:32:49 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1672825/posts ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) - July 19, 2006 - A University of Illinois researcher had discovered a fourth copy of a rare letter Abraham Lincoln had written by to the nation's governors in 1861. The letter John Lupton found Tuesday in the Lehigh County Historical Society's holdings was one Lincoln wrote as part of an unsuccessful ratification process for a constitutional amendment Congress adopted during the term of his predecessor, President James Buchanan, that would have made slavery the law of the land. The president remembered for abolishing slavery had been willing to push the amendment as "kind of a carrot... AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1672825/posts#comment Wed, 26 Jul 2006 22:22:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1671604/posts Scientists said Monday they have found the first widespread evidence of giant hydrocarbon lakes on the surface of Saturn's planet-size moon Titan. The cluster of hydrocarbon lakes was spotted near Titan's frigid north pole during a weekend flyby by the international Cassini spacecraft, which flew within 590 miles of the moon. Researchers counted about a dozen lakes ranging from 6 miles to 62 miles wide. Some lakes, which appeared as dark patches in radar images, were connected by channels while others had tributaries flowing into them. Several were dried up, but the ones that contained liquid were most likely a... AP - Bakersfield Californian http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1671604/posts#comment Tue, 25 Jul 2006 01:56:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1656236/posts NEW YORK (AP) — Arif Mardin, the legendary Grammy Award-winning producer who worked with stars including Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan and Norah Jones, has died. Mardin, 74, died Sunday, said his publicist, Lydia Sherwood. He had been suffering from pancreatic cancer.Born in Turkey, Mardin came to the United States in 1958 after a meeting with Dizzy Gillespie and Quincy Jones convinced him to make music his career. He attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston, graduating in 1961. Mardin started working at Atlantic Records in 1963, subsequently became a producer and arranger, and ultimately a senior vice president. He... Staten Island Live & AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1656236/posts#comment Tue, 27 Jun 2006 06:25:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1618557/posts Japanese researchers find new giant picture on Peru's Nazca Plateau The new Nazca Plateau image discovered by the research team from Yamagata University. (Photo courtesy of Yamagata University)A new giant picture on the Nazca Plateau in Peru, which is famous for giant patterns that can be seen from the air, has been discovered by a team of Japanese researchers. The image is 65 meters long, and appears to be an animal with horns. It is thought to have been drawn as a symbol of hopes for good crops, but there are no similar patterns elsewhere, and the type of the... Mainichi http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1618557/posts#comment Thu, 20 Apr 2006 22:07:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1610611/posts When stars explode as supernova, they carve giant bubbles in space. Our own solar system is enveloped by such a structure from a long-ago explosion. Now scientists have shown that our bubble is being pinched and bullied backward by another expanding bubble forged from multiple supernovas. Our bubble is called the Local Bubble by astronomers. It’s shaped like an hourglass. The bully goes by the name of Loop 1 Superbubble; it’s the result of several exploded stars over the past few million years, researchers figure. Superbubble’s outer boundaries are marked by hot, expanding gas that radiates low-energy X-rays. Superbubble is... Space.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1610611/posts#comment Fri, 7 Apr 2006 00:51:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1562521/posts Merkel's 'small steps' bring giant leap in popularity By Tony Paterson in Berlin (Filed: 22/01/2006) Angela Merkel, Germany's Chancellor, has confounded her critics by emerging as the country's most popular leader for more than a decade - only two months after being elected. Dismissed only six months ago as a humourless and dowdy East German, Mrs Merkel is riding a wave of unprecedented public approval that last week placed her at the top of Germany's key opinion poll rating for politicians. Angela Merkel's image has changed for good The monthly survey conducted by the ZDF television channel found voters rated... The Telegraph (UK) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1562521/posts#comment Sun, 22 Jan 2006 02:25:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1511223/posts Giant crabs colonise Rome’s ancient ruins By Web Editor. Filed under Generalon October 28th, 2005 (ANSA) - A rare species of crab has taken up residence in one of the city’s most important archaeological sites and is not only thriving but also growing to abnormal proportions. The freshwater crab ‘Potamon fluviatile’ was already known to survive in small numbers in rivers and waterways from Sicily to Tuscany, where it generally grows to a length of about 4 cm. But according to three zoologists at the Roma 3 university, an isolated colony of the crabs is also doing very well in... Italy Magazine/ANSA http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1511223/posts#comment Fri, 28 Oct 2005 22:29:13 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1497441/posts Real Angry Over Real Estate Why a recent Supreme Court ruling has lots of homeowners hot under the collar By Silla Brush 10/10/05 Stan Dunn and his wife, Barbara, had just sold their home in California and were about to retire to the Buffalo suburb of Cheektowaga this spring when they heard the rumblings: A developer might tear down their new home--and more than 300 other nearby houses--in order to build a new complex of apartments, townhouses, and businesses to eliminate blight and boost the economy. And while town officials are excited at the prospect, the Dunns say they have... US News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1497441/posts#comment Thu, 6 Oct 2005 03:02:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1438650/posts TOLEDO BEND RESERVOIR, Texas - One biologist compares the persistent green weed to "The Blob," the title character in the 1950s sci-fi classic flick that grows and grows and consumes everything in its path. Other scientists describe the plant as looking like little heads of lettuce or squished green grapes. Then they use terms like noxious, invasive and just plain scary. Even the species name sounds sinister: salvinia molesta. No one has anything good to say about what's more commonly known as giant salvinia, a Brazilian tropical floating fern that's found a home in slow-moving streams and freshwater ponds and... AP on Yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1438650/posts#comment Fri, 8 Jul 2005 00:04:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1372776/posts President Bush, his brother Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and congressional leaders have all but abandoned their efforts to keep Terri Schiavo alive. But not Mary Porta and her giant spoon. When she heard on Sunday that religious activists planned to stage a protest in Washington on Monday, the Florida woman left the vigil outside Schiavo's hospice and checked herself -- and her five-foot-high Styrofoam spoon that says "Jeb, Please Feed Terri" -- onto a flight to the capital. The utensil was still wrapped in United Airlines plastic and tagged with a security seal from the Department of Homeland Security when... Washington Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1372776/posts#comment Tue, 29 Mar 2005 05:34:26 GMT