Free Republic

I didn't mean to, if I did. The other day, while in town, I noticed the local grocery store had its usual springtime inventory of starter plants out front on the sidewalk. Now, I don't plant things. I simply let all the flora at this place out in the middle of nowhere grow as it wishes, when it wishes. The William Rivers Pitt, for example, grows lavishly with "volunteer" tomatoes and catnip, and given the nature of the William Rivers Pitt, it's usually a darker green than similar foliage on the ordinary soil here. Where, for about 110 years, there...

I'll grow marigolds on the moon, says scientistBy Roger Highfield, Science Editor Last Updated: 4:01pm BST 17/04/2008 Marigolds could be growing on the moon by around 2015, if an ambitious effort by scientists pays off. In what marks an important step towards helping lunar colonists grow their own food, a Ukrainian team, working with the European Space Agency, ESA, has shown that marigolds can grow in crushed rock very like the lunar surface, with no need for plant food. Marigolds were shown to survive in crushed rock The research was presented at the European Geosciences Union meeting in Vienna, by...

Gold bugs' only problem on Monday was trying to find which of a myriad of bullish factors to pick to explain yet another move to fresh 25-year highs. The usual suspects -- inflation, geopolitical tensions, and a weak dollar -- were all present at the open of trading after a three-day weekend. Most visibly, crude oil topped $70 a barrel amid heightened concerns about Iran's nuclear ambitions. In recent action, crude was gaining 68 cents to trade at $70 a barrel. Gold for June delivery was recently up $13 at $613.80 an ounce, off an earlier 25-year high at $614.30....

Dan Rather will be on Larry King in a few minutes to gin up interest in his full-hour interview with former pres. Clinton (7:00 sunday, cbs) "Veteran newsman Dan Rather discusses the beheading of an American hostage, and his interview with former President Bill Clinton. Tune in at 9 p.m. ET. "