Free Republic

First it was a proposed ban on plastic bags. Now, a member of the influential Madison Plan Commission wants to ban the restaurant drive-through -- or at least restrict the ubiquitous symbol of America's auto-centric lifestyle.

"They Criticized Vista. And They Should Know. By RANDALL STROSS ONE year after the birth of Windows Vista, why do so many Windows XP users still decline to “upgrade”? Microsoft says high prices have been the deterrent. Last month, the company trimmed prices on retail packages of Vista, trying to entice consumers to overcome their reluctance. In the United States, an XP user can now buy Vista Home Premium for $129.95, instead of $159.95. An alternative theory, however, is that Vista’s reputation precedes it. XP users have heard too many chilling stories from relatives and friends about Vista upgrades that...

Deadly Ozone From Drive-Thru ManiaBy Kellie Hastings Edmonton's drive-thrus contribute 750 tons of Green House Gases into the atmosphere in one month alone. In one year that's 9000 tons from one city! Is it possible that the time has come for us to re-evaluate the importance of what we're actually breathing in here? Should we re-consider the consequences of this unnecessary convenience just to eliminate that simple walk? This alarming discovery was given immediate attention by CTV news and revealing these startling estimated statistics May 30 2007 the source came from the University of Calgary. Their research was based on...

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands - A non-profit corporation has purchased a large number of the buildings where prostitutes pose in windows in Amsterdam's Red Light district, the city said Thursday, in a deal that may lead to a third of the windows being shuttered. The move is intended to break a logjam in an multi-year effort by the city to cut back on the windows, which it says are a magnet for crime and money laundering. Mayor Job Cohen said the move was not intended to get rid of prostitution entirely, since it is part of the area's history and a major...

Last updated at 17:58pm on 8th August 2007 A homeowner has been arrested and quizzed by police after an intruder he confronted during a burglary fell out of a third floor window. The burglar, 43, was left fighting for his life after he tumbled up to 40 feet when he was disturbed rifling through through the flat. He is thought to have got up and tried to run off but collapsed on the pavement. Police, who received a 999 call, found him unconscious on the ground outside the smart Victorian appartment block in Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester. The burglar fell from this...

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8331843406629794310 5th story windows that is! It's 100 degrees in NYC right now so this clip seems fitting. **Do not ever attempt this!**

Source: University of Washington Released: Mon 07-Aug-2006, 15:10 ET Ancient Bison Teeth Provide Window on Past Great Plains Climate, Vegetation Scientists have devised a way to use the fossil teeth of ancient bison as a tool to reconstruct historic climate and vegetation changes in America's breadbasket, the Great Plains.The third molar from a bison jawbone grows to 3 inches in length and has several times more surface area than a quarter. Newswise — A University of Washington researcher has devised a way to use the fossil teeth of ancient bison as a tool to reconstruct historic climate and vegetation changes...

Ah, computer security training. Don’t you just love it? Doesn’t it make you feel secure to know that your alert IT department is on patrol against the evil malware that slinks in and takes the network down every now and then, giving you a free afternoon off? Look at all the resources those wise caretakers have activated to keep you safe! . . . In fact, this article started out as a simple expose on the somewhat insulting online training I just took. But one thought led to another, and soon I was ruminating on the Information Technology organization as...

If we've got a missile, let's fire it into George Bush's window, say N Koreans Sergey Soukhorukov in Pyongyang and Colin Freeman (Filed: 25/06/2006) In a land where anti-Western propaganda is the norm, one might have expected a triumphant state broadcast - or, perhaps, a rallying denunciation of "American lies". But last week, as North Korea created a diplomatic storm over claims that it was preparing to test fire a missile that could hit the United States, television sets in Pyongyang were tuned into a rather different drama. North Koreans have long been urged to hate the United States Instead...

BAGHDAD, June 16, 2006 – The next seven months are absolutely crucial to how Iraq will turn out, said a senior coalition official this week. Army Maj. Gen. Bill Caldwell, the deputy chief of staff for strategic effects, said during an interview June 13 that there is a window of opportunity right now to ensure Iraq will remain whole and become prosperous. All players -- the new Iraqi government, U.S. officials and international partners -- agree that with the new government there is a bright opportunity. "Everything we've done for the last three years has brought us to the present...

The Nurek optical-electronic space monitoring center (also called "Okno" or "Window") in Tajikistan is one of Russia's most valuable facilities abroad. Russia is by right proud to have it. Located at the height of 2,200 m above sea level, the center makes effective space monitoring possible, primarily in high elliptical and geostationary orbits (GEO). The geostationary satellite rotates at the same speed as the planet in a fixed position in relation to the Earth. This is perfect for maintaining round-the-clock communications, strategic radio and radio-technical surveillance, and identification of ballistic missile launches. The military prefer geostationary satellites because they...

FORT WORTH, Texas -- A chance to see the face of Jesus is drawing hundreds to a local apartment complex. As word spreads about the image, people are flocking to the window, looking for signs of a miracle. Many claim they are finding it. "I was just touching around to see if I felt anything, and I saw my hand," said Mary Castillo, who has been blind for years. "Then my husband went up there with me and I saw his hand." Castillo said that her vision has started to be restored. She said she saw her 9-year-old granddaughter clearly...

Jeanne Winds Blow Man Through Plate-Glass Window POSTED: 10:37 am EDT September 26, 2004 UPDATED: 8:43 pm EDT September 26, 2004 A man in Orange County, Fla., was injured Sunday when winds from Hurricane Jeanne lifted him off the ground and blew him through a plate-glass window, according to Local 6 News. CLICK HERE for more images from Hurricane Jeanne. Local 6 News videotaped the rescue moments after the man was tossed through the window of the Ambassador Lodge Hotel on Orange Blossom Trail. The victim was severely cut on both arms and was transported to a local hospital. There...

<p>QUINCY -- William J. Quarterone did not go back to sleep yesterday morning, too troubled after watching a bleeding man collapse in front of his home in the early hours. Minutes before, police said, the man had stolen some Play Station 2 video games, and was fatally wounded as he fled.</p>

As the MyDoom virus spread rapidly across the Internet on Monday, Bill Gates extolled the value of such attacks and warned against other operating systems' complacency Microsoft chief software architect Bill Gates took a side-swipe at rival operating systems on Monday, as he reiterated the importance of security for Windows; in particular its next version, which is codenamed Longhorn. As the latest mass-mailing worm spread across the Internet on Monday, infecting many tens of thousands of Windows PCs with a program designed to attack the servers of Unix vendor SCO Group on 1 February, Gates stressed the importance of...

BELLEVUE - The Washington State Patrol is out to catch drivers with windows that are tinted too dark. And the ticket-writing campaign is causing quite a bit of controversy. Window tinters and troopers are at odds over what the law means. Mary Tobin is one of the people caught in the middle. Tobin got a $101 ticket for her tinted windows, and she came right back to the place that applied the film. "Because when I came in to get my windows tinted, I said I wanted them as dark as they could be and the comment was they can...

A window of opportunity at the White House Amir Oren "The common flak jacket [protective vest] used in the infantry corps provides protection against the threat of shrapnel," writes Lieutenant Colonel Mordechai, head of the Personal Protection Branch, in the premiere issue of the General Staff's technological journal. But then he goes on to append some serious qualifications to this banal, seemingly obvious statement. While the jacket does serve its purpose in reducing the number of soldiers killed or seriously wounded by shrapnel from grenades, mines, shells, bombs and rockets, "thanks to its ability to slow down or stop shrapnel,"...