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Mums help chicks if dad was ugly 29 September 2006 From New Scientist Print Edition. Evolution holds hope for ugly males. Females appear to invest extra energy in getting their poorer-quality offspring off to a good start, at least among house finches (Carpodacus mexicanus). Female birds can deposit different amounts of health-promoting compounds in their eggs, depending on social and environmental conditions. Previous studies on zebra finches showed that females were more likely to invest in eggs fertilised by high-quality males. Kristen Navara, now at Ohio State University in Columbus, expected to see the same pattern with house finches, in...

Poland on Thursday committed 1,000 new troops for NatoÂ’s force in Afghanistan, after a formal meeting of the alliance on Wednesday failed to meet an urgent military request for hundreds of extra soldiers. The Polish troops will join the 100 already on the ground in Afghanistan but are unlikely to arrive until February 2007. The push for reinforcements put the spotlight on NatoÂ’s struggle to help establish a stable government in Afghanistan and on its long-term prospects as a military alliance. At an emergency meeting on Wednesday, NatoÂ’s 26 member countries came up with no commitments for any new soldiers...

Nationalist camp leaders warn that the right-wing had better not make the same mistake twice. "This time," they declare, "we have to say, 'We told you so.'" Nationalist camp commentator and journalist Haggai Segal and the Rabbi of Ofrah, Avi Gisser, are the first to send out the message. Segal, broadcasting on his Knesset Channel TV show and writing in his weekly column in B'Sheva, says the right-wing must not be as modest as it was when the PA broke out the Oslo War in late 2000. "The right-wing at the time," Segal writes in B'Sheva, "criminally decreed upon itself...

The band known as "The Right Brothers" sing how President George W. Bush is right on all of the decisions that he has made. Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, Al Qaeda's leader in Iraq WAS DEAD WRONG!

Was fig first fruit of man's agricultural endeavours? By Roger Highfield, Science Editor (Filed: 02/06/2006) The dawn of agriculture may have come with the domestication of fig trees near Jericho some 11,400 years ago, archaeologists report today. The discovery of ancient carbonised figs suggests that fruit, rather than grains that are traditionally thought to have heralded agriculture, may yield the earliest evidence of purposeful planting. The figs date back roughly 1,000 years before wheat, barley and legumes were domesticated in the region, making the fruit trees the oldest known domesticated crop, a team reports today in the journal Science. Nine...

Bird flu swan was from outside UK AREA ON ALERT * Poultry owners within wild bird risk area must keep birds indoors or, if not possible, ensure they are kept away from wild birds * Bird transport within 6 mile (10km) surveillance zone will be curbed * Poultry within 1.8 mile (3km) protection zone must be kept indoors and will be tested A dead swan found in Fife which tested positive for the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu was a whooper swan, DNA tests by government scientists have found. The breed originates from outside the UK but it was...

FORT PIERCE, Fla. - Paul Kuschel would have been better off naked _ like many of the folks at Sunnier Palms Nudist Park. Instead, he was wearing a pair of nylon shorts Sunday when a generator he was working on backfired and sprayed him with starter fluid, setting him ablaze. "I would have been better off wearing nothing on at all," Kuschel told Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers. The fire seared his shorts to his backside. "It's a good thing I wasn't wearing a shirt," he said. Kuschel, 43, suffered second-degree and third-degree burns. He was taken to a hospital with...

January Was America's Warmest on Record Wednesday February 8, 2006 12:16 AM By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID AP Science Writer WASHINGTON (AP) - Recording the warmest January on record allowed Americans to save on their heating, but like all good things, last month's mildness seems to have been too good to last. The country's average temperature for the month was 39.5 degrees Fahrenheit, 8.5 degrees above average for January, the National Climatic Data Center said Tuesday. The old record for January warmth was 37.3 degrees set in 1953. On the other hand, while much of the United States was basking in...

It's not just you: yesterday really was depressing By Catriona Davies (Filed: 24/01/2006) If you woke up yesterday feeling gloomy and found that, from then on, things got worse, there may be an explanation. According to one academic's calculations, yesterday was the most depressing day of the year. Cliff Arnall, a psychologist at Cardiff University who devised the formula, blamed a combination of debts, failed New Year's resolutions, the cold, grey weather and the length of time since Christmas. "For most people, there's a realisation by the third week of January that spending on sales items needs to be stopped...

OAKLAND, Calif. - Anthony Sheppard shocked his mother this week with a telephone call, a day after he was reported dead. "When he called me I thought I was talking to a ghost," said Verna McCowan. Oakland police on Tuesday bungled the identification of a man shot to death after finding Sheppard's identification card on the victim. Authorities alerted his mother of the shooting, and released the details to reporters. Sheppard, 23, said he was shocked when he walked up to a group of friends on Wednesday who were crying while reading a newspaper account of his death. The dead...

Actor Bruce Willis wanted to serve his country as far back as the Gulf War. His friends laughed at him, telling him he was too old. Undaunted, Willis looked into himself – only to find out they were right. He was too old. So the star of "Die Hard," "The Sixth Sense," "Hostage" and dozens of other movies, did the next best thing. He traveled to Iraq with his band, the Accelerators, to entertain troops with the USO. He is also planning to join returning troops at Fort Lewis in Washington state Nov. 5. "The idea of serving my country...

NEW ORLEANS - A retired elementary teacher who was repeatedly punched in the head by police in an incident caught on videotape said Monday he was not drunk, put up no resistance and was baffled by what happened. Robert Davis said he had returned to New Orleans to check on property his family owns in the storm-ravaged city, and was out looking to buy cigarettes when he was beaten and arrested Saturday night in the French Quarter. Police have alleged that the 64-year-old Davis was publicly intoxicated, a charge he strongly denied as he stood on the street corner where...

GOSHEN -- Four SUR 13 gang members and one of their friends wanted some respect Saturday night. An associate had been attacked a few days before by a member of a rival gang, and the SUR 13s wanted to get even. So when they saw members of the Vatos Locos at the fairgrounds, they decided to go get a gun. When they got back to the fairgrounds, the victim of the earlier attack was in another car. He pointed out a car carrying four VLs. The SUR 13s chased that car, and one of them opened fire, pumping several shots...

ANDERSON, Ind. (AP) -- A judge ordered that an Evansville man charged with making methamphetamine in a motel room be held in jail under a $1 million cash bond. Robert E. Espy, 41, faces felony charges of possession with intent to deal methamphetamine, manufacturing methamphetamine and other drug charges. "I've read (the charges) and I just don't agree with any of it," Espy said during a court hearing Thursday. Madison County Magistrate Stephen Clase raised Espy's bond from $20,000 to $1 million cash after reading the probable-cause affidavit. "You rented a room in a motel in Madison County to manufacture...

US President George W Bush declared today that he had signed a rare presidential decree canceling any further expenditure of Federal funds on the US Space Shuttle program. "We cannot find any justification to continue deficit funding of a program that has no application other that proving that with enough money America can do anything," said Bush. "The whole world knows that already, so why keep spending money on it," he added. The announcement was made during an even rarer press conference with Whitehouse press corps, at which the President started proceedings by handing out Easter Eggs, quipping, "it might...

Officers feared abuse of Iraqi civilians by British soldiers 'was widespread' By Michael Smith in Osnabruck (Filed: 20/01/2005) Evidence of more widespread abuse of Iraqi civilians emerged yesterday at the court martial of three British soldiers accused of involvement in the physical and sexual abuse of prisoners. British military commanders were so concerned at the number of allegations that British troops were mistreating civilian detainees that they issued fresh guidelines warning soldiers about mistreatment of prisoners. L/Cpl Darren Larkin standing on a prisoner The incidents in which the three defendants were allegedly involved have been shown in several photographs released...

EVERY other Sunday afternoon since April 2003, advocates of animal rights have gathered with bullhorns across from 279 Central Park West, near 88th Street. They are there to protest Huntingdon Life Sciences, a product-development company that does scientific tests on animals, and its chief executive, Andrew Baker, who lives in the building. Or does he? Months ago, residents heard that he had moved out. And so, they wonder, why don't the protesters stop? "Someone would first of all have to provide really good proof that he's not in the building," said Camille Hankins, who organizes the events for the group,...

Slain soldier spoke of his deathHe was filled with foreboding on recent visit home, family says.By YONIKA WILLISTribune Staff Writer Joyce Adcock, of rural Goshen, reflects Monday on the life of her son, Staff Sgt. Marvin Lee Trost III, who was killed in Iraq early Sunday morning when an individual explosive device struck his vehicle.Tribune photo/JIM RIDER Trost Staff Sgt. Marvin Lee Trost III, seen here with his wife and children in a photo provided by his family, was killed in Iraq Sunday when an individual explosive device struck his vehicle. His wife, Sherry, sons Levin, 3; and Gabriel, 3...

The purpose of FreeRepublic.com's multiple message boards is to limit the topics for each board to particular topics. Posting the same message on all the boards defeats the purpose of multiple-boards for special topics. It is very annoying to see the same message on every bulletin board. PLEASE! DO THE READERS A FAVOR. STOP CROSS-POSTING YOUR MESSAGES!

I was just thinking about the Jeremy Glick episode. O'Reilly may be moderate politically, but that doesn't mean unbiased these days. His problem is that he isn't neutral when it comes to the United States. He is pro-American. To the left, that's biased.

WASHINGTON — A U.S. Marine being investigated for allegedly killing an unarmed, wounded Iraqi was acting under extreme combat stress, comrades said yesterday. It was also disclosed that the Marine had just returned to duty after being shot in the face the previous day. [snip] Marines interviewed yesterday said the shooting wasn't a scandal, but evidence of how soldiers react under extreme circumstances. "I can see why he would do it," said Lance Cpl. Christopher Hanson. "He was probably running around being shot at for days on end in Fallujah. There should be an investigation, but they should look...

Where was Atlantis? Sundaland fits the bill, surely! by Dr. Sunil Prasannan Dr. Sunil Prasannan takes a brief time-out from his NMR spectroscopic studies to suggest a Southeast Asian location for Atlantis as described in Plato's dialogues Timaeus and Critias. OK, so I'm an orthodox scientist, but don't let that bother you - I'm really an OK guy! As I have already explained on the Mysteries message board, I don't intend this to be an exhaustive essay, but as I have been asked for more detail, I will gladly provide it. Neither do I wish to pretend I am the...

BOSTON (Oct. 22) -- Boston Mayor Thomas Menino said he was considering banning alcohol sales near Fenway Park during the World Series, following rowdy celebrations of the Red Sox's league championship that turned deadly when a police officer shot a projectile into a crowd. Menino planned to meet with bar and nightclub owners on Friday and also said he would press universities to expel students found guilty of criminal conduct in the melee. "Since people won't accept responsibility, I, as mayor, will take it into my own hands," Menino said. Emerson College student Victoria Snelgrove, 21, died on Thursday, hours...

Yellowcake: Joe Wilson Skating on Thin Ice By Andrew L. Jaffee, July 14, 2004 Home   Search   Forum   Terms Remember President Bush’s State of the Union Address in 2003? During his speech, Bush spoke of Iraqi attempts to buy uranium oxide -- now infamously known as “yellowcake” -- from Niger. The President’s assertion about a Nigerian uranium connection was attributed to British, not American, intelligence. Now, do you remember Joseph C. Wilson IV, the one-time CIA operative in Niger? He told the Washington Post that President Bush ignored his warning that it was “highly unlikely” that Iraq tried to buy yellowcake from Niger....

Rice testifies before 9/11 Commission [Transcript of Rice’s testimony at the NY Times.]Report by Roger Wm. Hughes... National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice testified before the 9/11 Commission after the White House had worked out the difficulties of preserving the issue of "separation of powers." Her testimony was controlled, in charge and solid as a rock. She also placed doubts on Richard Clarke’s testimony. One large area of conflict between Rice and Clarke came towards the end of her testimony, when Rice was asked as to why Clarke did not brief the President as Clarke says he requested: RICE: ......

John Kerry's (search) campaign has said he -- "never, ever" attended a 1971 meeting of the Vietnam Veterans Against the War that debated a plan to assassinate pro-war congressmen, insisting Kerry had resigned from the group months earlier. But it now turns out Kerry was being followed by the FBI at the time, and newly released FBI records indicate Kerry was in fact at that November meeting in Kansas City. Kerry reportedly rejected the assassination plan, and then resigned shortly afterward -- not months earlier. Kerry's campaign now says he -- "had no personal recollection of this meeting ... [but]...

CHICAGO, March 11 /PRNewswire/ -- In yet another step toward R. Kelly's legal vindication, a Florida judge today threw out the evidence that had been the basis for child-pornography charges filed 14 months ago against Kelly by authorities in Polk County, Florida. "I've always had faith in our system of justice, and I do believe justice was done here today," said Kelly. "As I've said before, I am confident that when all the facts are brought out, people will see that I'm no criminal." Kelly, who was at home in Chicago when the Florida judge issued his ruling, got news...

The Mediterranean Was a Desert Alan Feuerbacher In the past three decades convincing evidence has been found that the Mediterranean Sea has completely dried up at least once, and probably many times. The first solid evidence came in the summer of 1970, when geologists aboard the deep sea research and drilling ship Glomar Challenger brought up drill cores containing gypsum, rock salt, and various other minerals that could only have been formed by drying up of seawater. What was remarkable was that these minerals were found on the ocean floor, one to three kilometers deep, buried under as much as...

Was this the mother of all misjudgments?David Blair (Filed: 26/09/2003) If Saddam destroyed all his weapons of mass destruction under pressure from the US, it was a mind-boggling error, says David Blair. During Saddam Hussein's last fevered weeks in power, his increasingly desperate aides regaled the world's press with their official line on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. "Those programmes were completely removed in 1991," said General Amer al-Saadi, Saddam's British-educated weapons adviser. "Iraq does not have a single one of these weapons any more." For all his persuasive charm, Gen Saadi's words sounded hollow. He had, after all, spent...

he computer program that helped NASA mistakenly decide that the shuttle Columbia had not been deeply harmed by a piece of falling foam would have predicted serious damage if used properly, said the retired Boeing engineer who developed the program. The engineer, Allen J. Richardson, said the program, known as Crater, was never intended to be used in a mission to predict damage, as it was in Columbia's fatal flight. Members of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board, which is expected to release its final report on the disaster tomorrow, have disparaged Crater as a flawed tool. But Mr. Richardson said...

Total Disbelief’ Penis Removal Just Latest In Series of Surgical Mistakes, But Patients Can Protect Themselves Aug. 11— After 67-year-old Hurshell Ralls went into surgery for bladder cancer, he came out of surgery missing more than he ever expected. His penis and testicles were gone "My wife had to hold my hand in the bed there. And she said 'Honey it's over. They got all the cancer.' And she waited a few minutes and then said 'But they had to remove your penis.' And I was one mad dude, you know," Ralls said on ABCNEWS' Good Morning America. Ralls, a...

NEW YORK — A federal appeals court has ruled that New York City was justified in dismissing a high school teacher who was found to be a member of the North American Man/Boy Love Association. The former teacher, Peter Melzer, had the constitutional freedom-of-association right to be a member of the organization, but his membership caused sufficient disruption to the school to warrant the firing, the 2nd Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals found. Melzer, who had been a science teacher at the Bronx High School of Science for more than 25 years, was dismissed in 2000 by the Board of...

Was 0 a good year? June 21 2003 at 09:45AM Beijing - Aged wines don't get much older than this. Archaeologists in western China discovered five earthenware jars of 2 000-year-old rice wine in an ancient tomb and its bouquet was still strong enough to perk up the nose, the official Xinhua News Agency reported Saturday. Xinhua said five litres of the almost clear blue-tinged liquor was found, enough to allow researchers their best opportunity yet to study ancient distilling techniques. Archaeologist Sun Fuzhi was quoted saying the tomb dated from the early Western Han dynasty, which held sway over...

This intricate mosaic floor, featuring a masked young man from the Greek comic theater, is one of more than 100,000 artifacts uncovered by archaeologists at the ancient Israelite seaport site of Dor. (Credit: Gabi Laron) How great was Alexander? By Kathleen Maclay, Media Relations | 12 June 2003 BERKELEY – Alexander the Great may not have been so great after all. A University of California, Berkeley-led group of researchers is challenging the common history that credits the Macedonian king with initiating the spread of ancient Greek culture throughout the Middle East during his conquest of the region during the...

Farrakhan says sniper suspect was a member of Nation of Islam Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan says suspected sniper John Allen Muhammad is a member of the religious group. But Farrakhan says Muhammed will be thrown out of the group if he is convicted of the series of shootings that left 10 people dead and three wounded. The Nation of Islam leader says he "grieves for the senseless loss of life" caused by the sniper shootings. Farrakhan said: "He has not formally been kicked out of the Nation of Islam, but certainly if he's found guilty of something like...