Free Republic

SALMON, Idaho (Reuters) – A trio of top solar scientists said on Wednesday they had solved the mystery behind the disappearance of sunspots, a phenomenon that has stumped astrophysicists worldwide for more than two centuries. The research, which will be published on Thursday in the journal Nature, shows that unusually weak magnetic fields on the sun paired with reduced solar activity cause sunspots to disappear. Sunspots appear to the human eye as dark spots on the sun, some as wide as 49,000 miles, according to NASA. They are caused by intense magnetic activity, or storms, on the sun's surface, which...

I'm fairly certain if I were to submit a manuscript titled, "Ann Coulter Is Destroying America" I'd have a six figure book deal tomorrow; such is the public fascination, or alternatively horror, with the what-will-she-say-next shtick that Coulter's been playing in the media to promote her new book, 'Godless'. David Carr, in The New York Times, looks at the current controversy in light of his previous article on Coulter, noting the transfixing dichotomy between the package and the message. Coulter's act, as we've previously noted, is the same kind of over-the-top, calculated, "look at me" stuff we've seen here previously...

Neither Random nor Mandatory Drug Testing Were Used in the military until 1981. Therefore President Bush was not likely avoiding tests that were not yet given. www.grassboots.org

Bush's Steps in December Boost Prospects 1 hour, 56 minutes ago By DEB RIECHMANN, Associated Press Writer CRAWFORD, Texas - A little luck and some pre-emptive moves before the new year began have allowed President Bush to muffle Democratic criticism on a host of political issues, from Medicare to mad cow disease, the CIA leak to Saddam Hussein. Democrats can no longer criticize Bush about failing to find the Iraqi leader. Got him. The prescription drug benefit Bush promised? Done, although only time will tell if seniors really think it's a good deal. The sluggish economy? Upticks in financial indicators...