Free Republic

October 12, 2008 Is this the end of the American era? Paul Kennedy A few nights ago, having read far too much about the alarming drop of share prices on Wall Street, I fell asleep trying to remember those lines from Shelley’s Ozymandias that were drummed into my skull at school long ago: . . . Two vast and trunkless legs of stone Stand in the desert . . . And on the pedestal these words appear: “My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!” Nothing beside remains. Round the decay Of that...

SYDNEY (AFP) - Western nations must prepare for a future dominated by China and India, whose rapid economic rise will soon fundamentally alter the balance of power, former World Bank chief James Wolfensohn has warned. Wealthy countries were failing to understand the impact of the invevitable growth of the two Asian powerhouses, Wolfensohn said in the 2006 Wallace Wurth Memorial Lecture at the University of New South Wales at the weekend. "It's a world that is going to be in the hands of these countries which we now call developing," said Australian-born Wolfensohn, who held the top job at the...

The futuristic F-22A "Raptor" fighter jet, designed to dominate the skies well into the 21st century, joined the U.S. combat fleet on Thursday, 20 years after it was conceived to fight Soviet MiGs over Europe. The Air Force said "initial operational capability" had been achieved at the 1st Fighter Wing's 27th Fighter Squadron at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. Pilots in the squadron, the Air Force's oldest in continuous operation, have been training on the F-22, the Air Force's most advanced weapon system, for about a year. "If we go to war tomorrow, the Raptor will go with us," Gen....

This week, President Bush visits the People's Republic of China. As with all such high-level diplomatic missions, he will doubtless be tempted to accentuate the few, putatively positive aspects of the Sino-American relationship, and gloss over the increasing number of negative ones. In that happens, history may record this as a moment when the failure to speak truth to the Chinese communists condemned the two nations to conflict later.

Tuesday Nov. 15, 2005, United Nations: Painting a grim picture of the situation in Iraq, the United Nations has alleged that military operations by the multinational forces, including aerial bombings, negatively affected human rights. "Ongoing military and security operations by multinational forces and the Iraqi troops aimed at restoring law and order, including resort to aerial bombing, negatively affect human rights and have devastating effect impact on civilians," the UN assistance mission in Iraq warned in a five-page report. It said the "price paid by civilians.. during military activity...calls for further reflection on the nature and conduct of the conflict...

1 J. Havlicek and others Male dominance and odour attractiveness Biol. Lett.   Biol. Lett.doi:10.1098/rsbl.2005.0332Published online Women’s preference for dominant male odour: effects of menstrual cycle and relationship status Jan Havlicek(1),*, S. Craig Roberts (2)and Jaroslav Flegr (3)(1) Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Humanities, CharlesUniversity, Husnikova 2075, 155 00 Prague, Czech Republic (2)Evolutionary Psychology and Behavioural Ecology Research Group,School of Biological Sciences, University of Liverpool, LiverpoolL69 3BX, UK (3)Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, Charles University,Vinicna 7, 127 44 Prague, Czech Republic*Author for correspondence ( jan.havlicek@fhs.cuni.cz) Body odour may provide significant cues abouta potential sexual partner’s genetic quality,reproductive status and health....

Wearing red increases the chance of victory in sports, say British researchers who clearly do not follow the Cincinnati Reds. "Across a range of sports, we find that wearing red is consistently associated with a higher probability of winning," Dr. Russell Hill and Dr. Robert Barton, researchers in evolutionary anthropology at the University of Durham, wrote in a paper that appears today in the journal Nature. The research began a year ago with a hunch based on observations in the animal kingdom, where red coloration is often associated with male dominance, Dr. Barton said in an interview. Zebra finches fitted...

For several years, conservatives have complained bitterly about the liberal bias in the media. That such a bias exists isn't even denied any longer. Rather, the liberal media has begun its own counter-offensive, complaining about the prominence of conservative talk radio and the conservative-leaning "new media". Instead of the former practice of the liberals dominating and the conservatives complaining, the trend has become a contest of complaints. Both sides whine like spoiled children about the opposition's dominance. Whether conservatives have the edge, or liberals, is immaterial. Nothing has ever been accomplished by complaining. There has been a change in the...

FREMONT -- In his first town meeting since being re-elected in November, Democratic Rep. Pete Stark wasted no time in decrying the partisan enviroment that prevails over Congress. Stark said that House Speaker Dennis Hastert has made it clear that Democrats would not be invited to help craft legislation. "It makes our job one of a constant critic," he said. About 50 people came to Saturday morning's meeting at the Senior Center, to hear what the Fremont Democrat had to say about the upcoming congressional session. It will be Stark's 17th term in the House, since first being elected in...

<p>The March 2 primary election indicates the spirit of the Gray Davis recall is alive and well. The recall of the unpopular Democratic Davis and the combined 62 percent of the vote captured by Republicans Arnold Schwarzenegger and Tom McClintock upended assumptions that Democratic dominance of California politics was part of the natural order of the universe. Last week's primary election is further evidence that the electorate is refusing to abide by its image as the "Left Coast," and contains strong messages for Republicans and Democrats alike.</p>

CALIFORNIA Governor poses new threat for Democrats -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- His popularity may cause party to lose dominance in Legislature, state offices By Bill Ainsworth STAFF WRITER January 25, 2004 SACRAMENTO – Some Democrats are defiant. Some are conciliatory. Many are just a little nervous. But nearly all state Democratic officeholders in California say they have to adjust to the new threat that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger poses to their dominance of the Legislature and statewide offices. After winning a stunning recall election in October, Schwarzenegger has revived the Republican Party in California, persuading donors to write generous checks to the state GOP...

<p>Granted, there is upheaval in the world and there are battles where a great deal is at stake -- life itself. All the more precious, then, the minor skirmishes on the home front that mean a great deal in a small way and remind us of how lucky we are to feel innocent hatreds, from summer to summer, at the ballpark.</p>