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CNN) -- To project elections, CNN and its election experts use scientific statistical procedures to make estimates of the final vote count in each race. CNN will broadcast a projected winner only after an extensive review of data from a number of sources. CNN editorial policy strictly prohibits reporting winners or characterizing the outcome of a statewide contest in any state before all the polls are scheduled to close in every precinct in that state. CNN will receive information from the following sources: The Associated Press: The Associated Press will provide vote totals for each race. The AP will be...

There was a gigantic turn toward John McCain in the two weeks immediately after the GOP convention. In large part this was due to the Sarah Palin nomination, and the tremendous miscalculation by the Democrats in attacking Palin — particularly on issues important to women, such as her caring for her children. That backfired massively. The anti-Palin attack by the Democrats showed a cultural disconnect with America that is remarkable.

An exhaustive, eight-year Media Research Center study of the Big Three TV networks’ coverage of Barack Obama shows that their favorable spin on the Democrat gave him his margin of victory in the primaries, according to MRC president Brent Bozell. The MRC notes that this year saw the closest nomination contest in a generation, with just one-tenth of a percentage point — 41,622 votes out of more than 35 million cast — separating Obama from Hillary Clinton when the Democratic primaries ended in June. “But Barack Obama had a crucial advantage over his rivals this year: the support of the...

Lonely whales are 'losing the will to live' due to over-hunting By Daily Mail Reporter Last updated at 4:57 PM on 02nd July 2008 The steeply declining number of whales in the world's oceans is causing the remaining creatures to suffer loneliness and 'lose the will the live', a leading expert has claimed. The psychological impact of over-hunting on the highly intelligent and sociable animals has been identified as the latest threat to the survival of the species. The whale population has already fallen dramatically over the past few centuries because to culling by Japan, Norway and Iceland, and the...

Sen. John McCain will choose businessman and former Massachusetts Governor, Mitt Romney as Vice President, in his bid for the White House this November, a source closely connected with the McCain campaign, who asked to remain anonymous, told us earlier this afternoon.Though others were close in the running, the choice ultimately came down to the money–not the man. According to our source, the campaign narrowed their Vice Presidential options to Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney, the two most successful opponents of McCain in the bid for the Republican nomination. But despite Huckabee’s sway with far Right conservatives and evangelical voters,...

ScienceDaily (June 19, 2008) — New research suggests that ocean temperature and associated sea level increases between 1961 and 2003 were 50 percent larger than estimated in the 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report. The research corrected for small but systematic biases recently discovered in the global ocean observing system, and uses statistical techniques that “infill” information in data-sparse regions.

Washington—After years and years of taking it in the shorts by moderate Republicans, John McCain has decided to pick Joe Lieberman as his Vice Presidential running mate. This move breaks a long standing history of Republican tradition, and throws the Republican Party into utter chaos. The move, made after months of pandering to the left, is all part of the McCain strategy to reach out to Democrats and feed his out of control ego. The McCain camp had thought long and hard about selecting Hillary Clinton, but agreed that making that move might be going too far. So, the Lieberman...

Source: Iowa State University Date: August 6, 2007 Researchers Work To Track North American Climate Change Science Daily — Gene Takle begins talks about climate change with some strong statements. This image shows how much daily summer high temperatures are expected to increase from the 1990s to the 2040s, according to a climate model prepared by the Iowa State University Regional Climate Modeling Laboratory. The model suggests summers will be warmer across the U.S., but the central part of the country will warm less than the rest of the country. (Credit: Image courtesy of Iowa State University) "There is no...

Scientists on the US Pacific coast are increasingly observing emaciated gray whales in what they fear is a sign that global warming is wreaking havoc in the whales' Bering Sea summer feeding grounds. The scientists fear that the same phenomenon is cutting back reproduction in the Pacific whale population to the point it could be facing a new crisis, after recovering in the mid-1990s and graduating from the endangered species list. "The gray whales are migrating later, not going as far north, and are producing fewer calves," Steven Swartz, head researcher with the National Marine Fisheries Service told AFP. Swartz,...

This is the fifth in an occasional series of exclusive articles in which leading conservatives who served in the Reagan Administration explain how they believe the principles of Reagan conservatism ought to be applied today and in the coming years. This week, Edwin Meese, who was Reagan’s first presidential counselor and then attorney general, addresses immigration. What would Ronald Reagan do? I can’t tell you how many times I have been asked that question, on virtually every issue imaginable. As much as we all want clarity and certainty, I usually refrain from specific answers. That’s because it is very difficult...

The 2006 Senate Races, with state, Senator, party, 2005 ACU rating (American Conservative Union), current outlook. 4 Republicans likely to be defeated, Burns MT, DeWine OH, Santorum PA, and Chaffee RI. 1 NJ, Menendez, D, 0, leans D 2 MO, TALENT, R, 84, leans R 3 CT, Lieberman, D 8 primary, leans D 4 MD, Sarbanes. D, 0, retiring, leans D 5 MN, Dayton, D, 16, retiring, leans D 6 VT, Jeffords, I, 8, retiring, leans I (D) 7 TN, FRIST, R, 92, retiring, leans R 8 CA, Feinstein, D, 12, safe D 9 DE, Carper, D, 8, safe D...

In the 1993 movie Jurassic Park, one human character tells another that a Tyrannosaurus rex can't see them if they don't move, even though the beast is right in front of them. Now, a scientist reports that T. rex had some of the best vision in animal history. This sensory prowess strengthens arguments for T. rex's role as predator instead of scavenger. Scientists had some evidence from measurements of T. rex skulls that the animal could see well. Recently, Kent A. Stevens of the University of Oregon in Eugene went further. He used facial models of seven types of dinosaurs...

PASADENA, Calif. - California residents wondering if tomorrow's forecast will be sunny now can find out if there's also a chance of afternoon tremors. For the first time, they can check a daily earthquake forecast on the Internet just as easily as they check the weather. The Web site, maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey, is updated hourly and calculates the probability of strong ground shaking at specific locations over a 24-hour period. The program is not meant to predict when the "Big One" will occur nor serve as a warning signal for residents to evacuate. Most of the maps...

When temperatures plummet, most people bundle up in thick sweaters, stay cozy indoors and stoke up on comfort food. But a provocative new theory suggests that thousands of years ago, juvenile diabetes may have evolved as a way to stay warm. People with the disease, also known as Type 1 diabetes, have excessive amounts of sugar, or glucose, in their blood. The theory argues that juvenile diabetes may have developed in ancestral people who lived in Northern Europe about 12,000 years ago when temperatures fell by 10 degrees Fahrenheit in just a few decades and an ice age arrived virtually...

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The link below is to the article in the FR "chat" section, which is where all discussion, voting, and commentary should bed posted. I always provide this link so that interested FR who may not be on my ping list can find the Geology "Picture of the Week". Geology Picture of the Week, Oct. 31-Nov. 6, 2004: VOTE for the Best U.S. Cave (+WhereIsIt?)

Bigger breasts for free: Join the Army Reuters Posted online: Friday, July 23, 2004 at 1315 hours IST New York, July 23: The US Army has long lured recruits with the slogan "Be All You Can Be," but now soldiers and their families can receive plastic surgery, including breast enlargements, on the taxpayers' dime. The New Yorker magazine reports in its July 26th edition that members of all four branches of the US military can get face-lifts, breast enlargements, liposuction and nose jobs for free -- something the military says helps surgeons practice their skills. "Anyone wearing a uniform is...

Too many Washington sources are telling us this, so it may be imminent. Israel is set to attack Iran's nuclear facilities, fearing that the Islamic regime will use atomic weapons on the Jewish state. Israel has long assumed the right of pre-emption -- that is, the right to attack and even make war with Arab states that are developing nuclear weapons. "They are ready to go," a top former American diplomat with close ties to Israel tells a source close to NewsMax. There have been mutterings that time is short and Israel will do to Iran what it did to...

Link post: to alert FR members to the post in the FR 'chat' section, where any discussion (and guesses) should be posted: Geology Picture of the Week, April 4-10, 2004: A WhereIsIt? Challenge

(Click on link below) Guess the Dictator and/or Television Sit-Com Character Here are the rules: Pretend to be a dictator or television sitcom character. I'll try to guess who you are by asking simple yes/no questions. If you're not sure of the answer to a question, answer "No". If you forgot who you were pretending to be, go take a nap, you're obviously under too much stress. Also, drink plenty of fluids.

Link post: Geology Picture of the Week, February 23-March 1, 2003 (WhereIsIt? stumper)