Free Republic

New technology met ancient weaponry in Palo Alto this week when local park rangers used cell phone images and Wikipedia to identify an unexploded artillery shell discovered Wednesday in Foothills Park. The artillery shell is the latest in a long line of mysterious hazards that have periodically surfaced at Foothills Park since its official opening in 1965, offering another glimpse into its secretive history. Residents were alerted to the most recent episode Wednesday afternoon, when the city sent out a community notice warning that an unexploded World War I artillery shell had been discovered on the 3200 block of Alexis...

(New York - WABC, June 18, 2007) - A large steam explosion struck Midtown Manhattan on the east side Wednesday evening. Subway service through Grand Central is affected. There have been 12 confirmed injuries. It happened near 41st Street between 3rd and Lexington Avenue. The entire area from 41st Street to 47 Street in and around Third Avenue and Park Avenue has been evacuated and closed. The NYPD says a steam pipe exploded at 6:10 p.m. People were seen running from the scene, screaming and shouting amid an enormous roaring sound and a plume of steam and flying rubble. It...

A major dust storm has developed on the red planet, blocking sunlight and prompting Mars mission managers to keep a close eye on it, SPACE.com has learned. It is not known how large the storm might grow, but already it is thousands of miles across. If it balloons, as dust storms have done in the past, it could hamper operations of NASA's Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity. For now, officials don't think the storm will threaten rover operations, however. In fact, the windy conditions on the planet have blown off large amounts of dust from the rovers' solar arrays, giving...

Huge mosque stirs protests in Cologne By Harry de Quetteville in Cologne Last Updated: 12:39am BST 25/06/2007 The construction of one of Europe's biggest mosques near to a globally famous Christian landmark has sparked a furious row in Germany. Immigration and integration are hugely sensitive questions in Germany, which is home to a Turkish community of several million. But almost within the shadow of Cologne Cathedral, political correctness has now been replaced by bitter confrontation as the city's Muslims begin to build a 2,000-capacity mosque with twin minarets that will reach 170ft. "Muslims have been here for 40 years, yet...

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Filmmaker Michael Moore, facing a U.S. government probe into a recent trip to Cuba, lashed out at the Bush administration on Friday, declaring he did nothing illegal by visiting the communist-ruled island. "I have broken no laws, and I have nothing to hide," the maverick director wrote in a letter to U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson posted at the Daily Kos Web site. A day earlier, Moore, whose 2004 documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11" skewered U.S. President George W. Bush for his actions following the September 11 attacks, released a letter from the Treasury Department that warned Moore...

A Kenosha millionaire who had spearheaded a proposed $808 million Indian casino was charged Thursday with illegally funneling $100,000 in contributions through his children to the campaign of Gov. Jim Doyle and other political funds and then lying about it to the FBI. Dennis Troha, 60, who made his fortune in trucking, is charged in an eight-page federal indictment with fraud and making a materially false statement to investigators. If convicted of both charges, Troha could face up to 25 years in prison and a $500,000 fine, but under federal sentencing guidelines likely would get a much shorter sentence.

Huge Underground "Ocean" Found Beneath Asia Richard A. Lovett for National Geographic News February 27, 2007 A giant blob of water the size of the Arctic Ocean has been discovered hundreds of miles beneath eastern Asia, scientists report. Researchers found the underground "ocean" while scanning seismic waves as they passed through Earth's interior. But nobody will be exploring this sea by submarine. The water is locked in moisture-containing rocks 400 to 800 miles (700 to 1,400 kilometers) beneath the surface. "I've gotten all sorts of emails asking if this is the water that burst out in Noah's flood," said the...

Huge storms sweep northern Europe Huge waves pound the port of Wimereux, northern France At least 25 people have been killed as violent storms lashed northern Europe, causing travel chaos across the region. Britain was the worst hit with nine people killed as rain and gusts of up to 99mph (159km/h) swept the country. Hurricane-force winds battering Germany have claimed at least seven lives. The other deaths were reported in France, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands. The severe weather has forced hundreds of flight, rail and ferry cancellations and prompted road and school closures. Meteorologists at London's Met Office...

FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. - A giant wild hog boasted to be bigger than the near-mythical "Hogzilla" caught in southern Georgia a few years ago has been killed in a suburban Atlanta neighborhood. The hog hung snout down from a tree Friday in William Coursey's front yard, not far from where the avid hunter said he shot the beast. He said he hauled it to a truck weight station, which recorded the hairy hog at 1,100 pounds. The Department of Natural Resources did not know whether the hog was a record for the state. "We don't keep records on hogs," said Melissa...

CORPUS CHRISTI — Officials were trying to nurse a manatee back to health in an aquarium today, the day after using a net and crane to hoist it from warm waters near a Citgo refinery. It was the first time one of the endangered animals was rescued by wildlife officials off the Texas coast, far from the warm waters they usually frequent off Florida and Mexico. "I would say it was in probably critical condition," said Allan Strand, field supervisor for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in South Texas. "It was not difficult to rescue. It was hugging the...

Huge 'launch ring' to fling satellites into orbit 16:00 03 October 2006 NewScientist.com news service David Shiga A ring of superconducting magnets fires a projectile off a ramp at 8 kilometres per second, fast enough to reach orbit (Artist’s conception: J Fiske/LaunchPoint) A cone-shaped shell would protect the payload during its passage through the atmosphere into space, and includes a rocket at the back end to adjust its trajectory (Illustration: J Fiske/LaunchPoint Technologies) An enormous ring of superconducting magnets similar to a particle accelerator could fling satellites into space, or perhaps weapons around the world, suggest the findings of a...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 21, 2006 – Amid national debate about whether or not to stay the course in Iraq, President Bush today firmly placed himself in the “stay” category. It’s imperative America continues to support the new Iraqi government in its struggle against an insurgency that seeks to divide and topple it, Bush told White House reporters here. “A failed Iraq would make America less secure,” Bush declared. The end of democracy in Iraq, he said, would provide a haven for terrorists and extremists in the heart of the Middle East. Bush acknowledged that some Americans are saying it’s time...

BAGHDAD -- Soldiers from 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, Multi-National Division – Baghdad, detained two suspected terrorists and seized a large weapons cache in a warehouse during a search of Nur and Ghazalyia Friday in support of Operation Together Forward. The weapons and munitions seized included more than 580 mortar rounds, about 39,000 rounds of small-arms ammunition, more than 100 rocket-propelled grenades, more than 270 rockets, two landmines, a shape charge, a crater charge, 11 fragmentation grenades, several machine guns, ammunition drums, 5,000 feet of detonation cord, mortar tubes and bipods, land mines, more than 50 rocket motors and...

Pakistan launches huge nuclear arms drive · Satellite images reveal major building site· US and China embroiled in buildup of rival arsenals Randeep Ramesh, Julian Borger in Washington Tuesday July 25, 2006 The Guardian (UK) A satellite image showing Pakistan's Khushab plutonium production reactor. Photograph: EPA Pakistan appears to have embarked on a dramatic expansion of its nuclear arsenal with the construction of a new heavy water reactor capable of producing enough plutonium for up to 50 warheads a year, according to a report released yesterday by a US thinktank. The report by the Institute for Science and International Security...

Scores dead as huge tsunami slams into Java By Marianne Kearney in Jakarta and Sebastien Berger (Filed: 18/07/2006) An undersea earthquake sent a tsunami crashing into the Indonesian island of Java yesterday, killing at least 86 people and flattening homes and beach huts in resorts and villages along its south coast. An Indonesian survivor searches for his relatives among 41 bodies at Pangandaran health centre in West Java Scores more people were missing last night and the toll was expected to rise after areas of the densely-populated shore were destroyed by waves several yards high. Thousands fled to higher ground...

Democrats rip GOP on Social Security planBy MIKE WILSON, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 21 minutes ago DES MOINES, Iowa - The Republican plan to privatize Social Security could cause huge debt for decades, a Democratic candidate seeking a House seat in Iowa, a state with a high concentration of elderly residents, said Saturday. "If the Republican plan is allowed to pass, future generations both here and across the country will be saddled with decades of debt and no guaranteed retirement security," Bruce Braley said in the Democrats' weekly radio address. Braley, 48, a lawyer from Waterloo, faces Republican Mike...

New Trojan asteroid hints at huge Neptunian cloud 19:00 15 June 2006 NewScientist.com news service Kelly YoungThe four known Neptune Trojans are shown in their position 60 degrees ahead of Neptune. The known clusters of Trojan asteroids on either side of Jupiter are also shown (Illustration: Scott Sheppard) A newly discovered asteroid in Neptune's orbit indicates the existence of a much larger, but as-yet-unseen, cloud of rocks in that region. The asteroids in Neptune's orbit might even outnumber those in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, the new research suggests." The asteroid was discovered by Scott Sheppard of...

The Dixie Chicks appear to be more popular than the president these days. President Bush's approval rating has plummeted, but the Chicks are on top of the pop and country charts with their first album since publicly criticizing Bush three years ago. They did it without the support of country radio, which largely ignored the Dixie Chicks after lead singer Natalie Maines told a London audience in 2003 that the group was ashamed Bush was from their home state of Texas. The new album, "Taking the Long Way," took the No. 1 spot Wednesday on the country albums chart and...

A gaping security flaw in the latest versions of Symantec's anti-virus software suite could put millions of users at risk of a debilitating worm attack, Internet security experts warned May 25. Researchers at eEye Digital Security, the company that discovered the flaw, said it could be exploited by remote hackers to take complete control of the target machine "without any user action." "This is definitely wormable. Once exploited, you get a command shell that gives you complete access to the machine. You can remove, edit or destroy files at will," said eEye Digital Security spokesperson Mike Puterbaugh.

SAN DIEGO -- An American teenager was caught sneaking two illegal immigrants in the trunk of a stolen Acura in September 2004. Chances are he wasn't too worried: It was the third time in two weeks he had been caught smuggling migrants, one or two at a time. After that, the 19-year-old might have given up smuggling, but a fourth arrest two months later suggests he simply got better at it, or luckier. Again, he was released without criminal charges. "This is an example of a kid who knows the system," states an internal Border Patrol document that decries the...

WASHINGTON, April 24, 2006 – The steps taken last week to form a unified Iraqi government were a huge accomplishment, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said here today. "This is THE government of Iraq," Rumsfeld told Pentagon reporters. "It's their government in a sovereign nation. And it's a thrilling accomplishment." Four months of tough negotiations and politicking bore fruit April 22, when the Iraqi parliament elected several high-ranking officials, including its president, Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, who then named Jawad al Maliki, a Shiite, as prime minister-designate. The new leadership has a month to pull together an Iraqi cabinet that...

Australia bears onslaught of huge cyclone 11:22 20 March 2006 NewScientist.com news service Emma Young, Sydney A devastating tropical cyclone has ripped through north-eastern Australia, injuring people and destroying homes with gusts of up to 290 kilometres (180 miles) per hour. And another cyclone – the Southern hemisphere's hurricane equivalent – is on its way.The first cyclone, named Larry, reached maximum (Category 5) intensity at about the time of landfall. It hit the coast at the town of Innisfail, about 100 kilometres (62 miles) south of Cairns, at 0700 Eastern Standard Time (AEST) on Monday. Larry is now weakening as...

Meehan leads US House with campaign funds Representative Martin T. Meehan has gained national exposure in recent years as a champion of efforts to reduce the influence of money in politics. Now, the Lowell Democrat is poised to achieve a new distinction: He is days away from becoming the only House member in the nation with a campaign war chest that tops $5 million, with an eye on a possible run for the Senate. some $2 million more than any of the other 434 House members, and $2.7 million more than any of the nine other representatives from Massachusetts.... With...

Scientists have discovered a huge crater in the Saharan desert, the largest one ever found there. The crater is about 19 miles (31 kilometers) wide, more than twice as big as the next largest Saharan crater known. It utterly dwarfs Meteor Crater in Arizona, which is about three-fourths of a mile (1.2 kilometers) in diameter. In fact, the newfound crater, in Egypt, was likely carved by a space rock that was itself roughly 0.75 miles wide in an event that would have been quite a shock, destroying everything for hundreds of miles. For comparison, the Chicxulub crater left by a...

Bush plans huge propaganda campaign in Iran · Congress asked for $75m to fund programme · Rice to visit Gulf states as nuclear crisis deepens Ewen MacAskill and Julian Borger in Washington Thursday February 16, 2006 The Guardian (UK) The Bush administration made an emergency request to Congress yesterday for a seven-fold increase in funding to mount the biggest ever propaganda campaign against the Tehran government, in a further sign of the worsening crisis between Iran and the west. Condoleezza Rice, the US secretary of state, said the $75m (£43m) in extra funds, on top of $10m already allocated for...

BAGHDAD (Army News Service, Jan. 13, 2006) — While conducting an air-insertion mission into the village of Shakaria, Iraq, Task Force Ironhorse Soldiers killed several insurgents, detained one and discovered a significant weapons cache Jan. 11. As part of Operation Falcon Sweep, Black Hawk helicopters landed near Shakaria Wednesday morning and Soldiers of the 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment swept the village to identify terrorists. The 2-502nd Soldiers received small arms and indirect fire from insurgent forces at approximately 10:45 a.m. The Soldiers returned fire, killing six terrorists and wounding one other. Following the firefight, Soldiers discovered two dead insurgents...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 30, 2005 – Iraqi and U.S. forces have removed more than 4,200 mortar rounds from a major weapons cache found Nov. 27 outside of an abandoned military base near Kirkuk, Iraq, military officials reported. Iraqi soldiers discovered the buried rounds that morning. The soldiers removed about 800 mortar rounds before realizing the cache was much larger than originally thought. U.S. soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division's 1st Brigade Combat Team were called in to help excavate the munitions and secure the area. The ammunition was buried under concrete blocks with dirt mounded on top. All ammunition removed so...

News Tip: Upcoming Supreme Court Case 'Huge' for Abortion Rights, Law Professor Says “The question in this case isn’t whether Roe v. Wade is going to be overturned, but whether it is going to be severely undermined,’’ says Neil Siegel Monday, November 28, 2005 Durham, N.C. -- On Nov. 30, the U.S. Supreme Court will consider a challenge to a New Hampshire law that could significantly affect abortion rights, a Duke University law professor says. In Ayotte v. Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, the Court will consider, among other things, how courts should analyze abortion restrictions and whether a...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 29, 2005 – The U.S. commander in chief today dismissed talk of any major withdrawal of American troops from Iraq before victory over insurgents there is achieved. "We've heard some people say pull them out right now. That's a huge mistake. It'd be a terrible mistake," President Bush told reporters during a visit to U.S. Border Patrol headquarters in El Paso, Texas. Bush said a precipitous withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq would damage military morale, encourage the enemy, and send a bad message to the Iraqis. "And I want our troops to come home, but I don't...

HUGE HOARD OF IRON AGE COINS FOUNDBy Gavin Foster THE LARGEST hoard of Iron Age coins ever found on the Island has been unearthed by metal detectors. The haul of nearly 1,000 base silver coins was dug up over two weeks at a secret West Wight location by members of the IW Metal Detecting Club. But this week it also emerged the find is unlikely to be bought by the IW Museums Service for local display. County museums officer Dr Mike Bishop said his budget was empty and unless new funding was found, the service could not afford the many...

MARIPI, Colombia - Colombian troops raided a sprawling clandestine drug laboratory run by a paramilitary group that was capable of producing 10 tons of cocaine a month, officials said Tuesday. "This is the biggest cocaine processing factory we've found this year, it contained a large quantity of chemicals used to process the drugs," Gen. Gustavo Matamoros, commander of the army's 5th Division, told The Associated Press. In a separate operation, the military announced Tuesday that it had seized six tons of marijuana allegedly belonging to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, the country's main leftist rebel group. The...

I heard today on Hannities program an AP article about oil reserves in America being more the the Saudis!!Can anyone point me to that direction??I also want a bumper sticker that reads IF YOU LOVE $3 A GALLON FOR GAS, THANK A TREE HUGGER!!

please read in second paragraph "...an analyst said iPod sales were not a "huge deal" for HP." instead of "...a spokesman said iPod sales were not a "hugh deal." Corrects attribution. In last paragraph please read "...Apple currently sells its iPods in 25,000 retail outlets..." instead of "...Apple is currently sold directly in 25,000 retail outlets..." Also fixes garble in paragraph 12 to read "...hardware, software and computer services..." instead of "hardware software and software products and computer services offerings..." By Duncan Martell and Eric Auchard SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Computer maker Hewlett-Packard Co. will stop selling Apple Computer Inc....

NASA is preparing to launch the largest spacecraft ever sent to Mars. The behemoth will skim relatively close to the Red Planet's surface - beaming back more data than all previous missions combined - and scout out landing sites for future Mars missions. The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) is scheduled to begin its six-month journey to Mars on 10 August 2005. It will blast off on an Atlas 5 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, US. "MRO is really the gateway to the future of Mars," says Jim Garvin, NASA's chief scientist. "It is a reconnaissance engine...

Firefighters May Picket During Hillary Clinton's Visit Clinton Visited Providence Two Years Ago POSTED: 7:50 pm EDT May 3, 2005 UPDATED: 8:01 pm EDT May 3, 2005 PROVIDENCE -- New York Sen. Hillary Clinton may see both dignitaries and protestors when she comes to Providence for a fundraiser Friday. Because Mayor David Cicilline is one of those invited dignitaries, the Providence Firefighter Union plans a showing. The total people turnout could be huge. Organizers hope to put more than $100,000 into the political coffers of Hillary Clinton for her 2006 re-election bid for the Senate. The small fundraiser will be...

A 10-million-ton pile of radioactive waste that has been polluting the Colorado River for decades will be moved under a plan announced yesterday by the U.S. Department of Energy. The decision comes after years of heated and emotional debate over what to do with the pile, which sits 750 feet from the river near the tourist town of Moab, Utah. The decision is being hailed as an environmental victory that will safeguard the drinking water of more than 25 million people, including most San Diego County residents. Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman notified the department's Office of Environmental Management of his...

SACRAMENTO - Doris Matsui, the widow of the late U.S. Rep. Robert T. Matsui, took a huge early lead Tuesday night in the race to fill the remainder of the term left vacant when Robert Matsui died Jan. 1. A victory by Doris Matsui, a lobbyist and former Clinton White House official, would make her the nation's 45th congressional widow since 1923 to assume the seat of her late husband. She would be the third to win in California under such circumstances since 1998. With the early absentee votes counted, Matsui had 72 percent of the overall and 91 percent...

Franco Aleman, of Barcepundit.com, provides us shocking suggestive evidence that the massive fire which destroyed a thirty-two story skyscraper in Madrid may have been the result of foul play. A videotaper caught what appears to be people with flashlights on lower floors of the building as the fire burned above. While far from conclusive evidence, this would be consistent with arsonists doing their work. The building housed the biggest accounting firm in Spain and a prestigeous law firm, so it might be a target for anti-capitalist thugs.

HUGE WIN FOR W AND FREEDOM HISTORIC IRAQI ELECTIONS   CONTENDERS   BIG LOSS FOR THE BLUES AND NAYSAYERS  

Astronomers have recorded the most powerful eruption of energy yet observed in the universe. It comes from a gigantic black hole, a billion times more massive than our sun, which is swallowing vast amounts of material from its surrounding galaxy. The eruption was discovered with the Chandra X-ray observatory operated by Nasa, the US space agency, and is reported in the journal Nature. Brian McNamara of Ohio University, the study leader, said he had previously observed vast cosmic bubbles of hot gas extending outward from "supermassive" black holes in distant galaxies, but "what literally almost knocked me off my chair...

6.2 Aftershock Jolts SumatraU.S. Military Relief Effort Panned Relief workers and tsunami survivors got an unwelcome reminder Thursday as a 6.2-magnitude aftershock shook tsunami-stricken Indonesia, CBS News reports.(CBS/AP) The U.N. official coordinating relief efforts on Sumatra island complained Thursday that the U.S. military's aid mission was failing to coordinate and provide critical information to other relief organizations struggling to help survivors of the tsunami. Michael Elmquist said that while American helicopters were speeding relief supplies to villages isolated by the Dec. 26 disaster, their crews were not spending enough time on the ground to assess survivors' needs. "They don't stop...

No No, All of the people in the picture survived. This due to quick acting by-standers who immediately helped two people with mouth2mouth but all others did not need help, but rather minor medical attention to cuts and bruises. The cameraman on the van/truck survived as well.

I am starting a grammar thread at the behest of Xenalyte and TheMom. Post your most irritating pet peeves of grammar or usage here.

Cuba's armed forces have begun their biggest military exercise for nearly 20 years, involving hundreds of thousands of troops and civilians. The exercise, called Bastion 2004, is a response to "the continued aggression and threats" of the US, Cuba says. The manoeuvres are being led by Defence Minister Raul Castro - brother to President Fidel Castro and second in the Cuban hierarchy. The US said the drill was an attempt to "distract" Cubans from daily hardships. The exercise will involve exercises with Cuban air force MiG-29s, anti-aircraft units and elite troops. Two days of civil defence exercises at the end...

CINCINNATI - A woman who weighed more than 300 pounds noticed something strange happening to her body. As she lost more than 60 pounds over several weeks without going on a diet, she said she could feel a large mass growing inside her. "It didn't feel normal," Grace Radtke said. "It was like a long pregnancy." After being encouraged by family members, she finally went for medical help that led to the removal of a 66-pound non-cancerous, ovarian tumor from her abdomen on Dec. 3 at University Hospital.

It's a furious fight to the finish and the White House is on the line. What are the campaign's last-minute plans? We'll be joined by Elizabeth Edwards (search), wife of vice presidential candidate Sen. John Edwards, and Liz Cheney (search), senior adviser on the Bush-Cheney campaign and daughter of Vice President Dick Cheney.

Yes, Dan Rather, the most trusted man at CBS, will have an exclusive interview with the author of the "Howard Hughes Diaries", Clifford Irving! But first, Bob Shieffer with his book review of "The Hilter Diaries" translated from Der Stern for tonight's broadcast... Are those clowns at CBS morons or what? CBS now stands for Clowns Been Snookered.

Garden's set to rock Final touches in place for one huge party BY MAGGIE HABERMAN DAILY NEWS CITY HALL BUREAU Madison Square Garden is ready for a Republican party. The star-spangled balloons are blown up and bagged; the cherry-red carpet is nailed in place; the blue delegate seats are nailed to the floor, and the confetti with pictures of GeorgeW. and Laura Bush is set to go. There's one stage for the speakers and a separate, hydraulic platform for the entertainers. Then there's a secret stage for the President himself that won't appear until Thursday night. That was the view...

CARACAS, Venezuela - Voters turned out in huge numbers Sunday to decide whether to keep populist President Hugo Chavez in power or oust him and his social revolution that critics say has sidelined the middle class and fueled tensions between rich and poor. Activists on both sides set off huge firecrackers and played recorded bugle songs to wake voters hours before dawn. Voters turned out in droves, waiting in line for five hours or more to cast ballots in the historic vote. It was the first time in Venezuela's history that a referendum on cutting short a president's term in...

The woman in the yellow shirt stood up and told of her life-long struggle against being fat, a fight that she had clearly lost. She was enormous. 'Every time I dieted I ended up larger,' she said as she broke into tears, 'If I were anorexic or bulimic, I would get sympathy. It is so frustrating.' She was applauded by 100 other very fat men and women. 'Here, you are in an island of sanity,' said Professor Paul Campos, author of The Obesity Myth and speaker at this annual meeting of the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance (Naafa) -...