Free Republic

(Reuters) - Al Gore's Current TV has bigger problems to deal with than a potential lawsuit from fired news anchor Keith Olbermann - namely not getting kicked off Time Warner Cable for low ratings. According to three sources with knowledge of the situation, Time Warner Cable Inc's carriage agreement with Current TV stipulates that, if the left-leaning political news network fails to meet a minimum threshold for overall viewers in a given quarter, financial penalties such as Current TV being required to increase marketing and promotion spending on the cable operator's systems are triggered. If Current TV misses the audience...

It was only three weeks ago that the Los Angeles Times reported that Al and Tipper Gore had bought new digs. The couple purchased an $8.8 million ocean-view villa in the gated community of Montecito, California. The 6,500-square-foot villa tucked on one-and-a-half acres of grounds includes a swimming pool, a spa, fountains, five bedrooms and nine baths. That can now be added to the lists of things the Gores have to split if they officially call it quits. The couple told friends Tuesday they planned to separate after 40 years of marriage. This comes after the Gores' kids -- Karenna,...

Al and Tipper Gore, whose playful romance enlivened Washington and the campaign trail for a quarter century, have decided to separate after 40 years of marriage, the couple told friends Tuesday. In an “Email from Al and Tipper Gore,” the couple said: “We are announcing today that after a great deal of thought and discussion, we have decided to separate. “This is very much a mutual and mutually supportive decision that we have made together following a process of long and careful consideration. We ask for respect for our privacy and that of our family, and we do not intend...

In a move that critics may cite as his own inconvenient truth, former Vice President Al Gore and his wife, Tipper, have added a house in secluded Montecito to their real estate holdings. The couple spent $8,875,000 on a gated ocean-view villa on 1 1/2 acres with a swimming pool, spa and fountains, according to real estate sources familiar with the deal. The Italian-style house has high ceilings with beams in the public rooms, a family room, a wine cellar, terraces, six fireplaces, five bedrooms and nine bathrooms in more than 6,500 square feet of living space. Montecito has long...

Ancient DNA retrieved from extinct horse species from around the world has challenged one of the textbook examples of evolution - the fossil record of the horse family Equidae over the past 55 million years. The study, published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, involved an international team of researchers and the Australian Centre for Ancient DNA (ACAD) based at the University of Adelaide. Only the modern horse, zebras, wild asses and donkey survive today, but many other lineages have become extinct over the last 50,000 years. ACAD Director Professor Alan Cooper says despite an excellent...

Sheldon's new book, blasting "elites" and "phonies" in Dem Party who were too cheap to help start Air America Believe it or not, I am not trying to offend anyone with my posts. ... many criticisms have been directed at me for the “problems” that Air America has had during its “birth pangs.” Almost 5 years ago I started the Air America project and invested over $3 Million on the start of a liberal radio network. In fact, Arianna invited me to her house in November, 2002 to present some of my ideas with a group of Hollywood elites trying...

W A S H I N G T O N, Dec. 12 — Former Vice President Al Gore might be able to tap as much as $7 million in unrestricted campaign cash now gathering dust in an obscure account from his 2000 race, giving his candidacy a potentially significant boost should he decide to seek the Democratic presidential nomination. The funds could vault Gore to the top of the money race, in which he now lags behind several other Democratic presidential hopefuls. Last week, Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts transferred $3.1 million to his presidential exploratory committee. And Sen. John...