Free Republic

LONDON - Brian May, rock star and astrophysicist, has been appointed chancellor of Liverpool John Moores University. May will be installed as the university's figurehead leader early next year, it was announced Monday. The 60-year-old Queen guitarist said the appointment was "a great honor and a great new challenge." He is an honorary fellow of Liverpool John Moores University, which has a well-known astrophysics research institute. "Brian May is an intensely talented individual who achieved global success with Queen," said the university's vice chancellor, Michael Brown, in a statement. "In this age of celebrity culture, it is rare to find...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Imagine last year's tsunami, last month's earthquake in Pakistan, and Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma all rolled into one -- and then some. If nations can't handle those calamities, what's going to happen when an asteroid collides with Earth? In 30 years, there is a 1-in-5,500 chance that a smallish asteroid will land a bull's eye on our planet. At 360 yards wide, it could take out New York City and much of the surrounding area. Fortunately, experts believe further observations of the asteroid, 99942 Apophis, will almost certainly rule out an impact in 2036. Nevertheless,...

**Fri 08 Jul 05** THE BOMBINGS IN LONDON Q: What is the definition of an idiot ? A: Someone who keeps on doing the same thing, and expects a different result. I sense there is a mood of quiet resolve among the people I speak to. We are feeling that we must not go any further down the road of escalation .... this is old stuff, but I personally feel that in the wake of 9/11 an opportunity was missed .... to seek understanding rather than revenge. The Nelson Mandela way. I do not subscribe to this "War on Terrorism"...

XXX LIVE SUNDAY NIGHTS XXX9:30 PM TO 1:00 AM EASTERN WABC 9:30 PM Simulcast: Quick ClickLISTEN ONLINEWINDOWS MEDIA PLAYER/MISC PROPRIETARY: WABC...New York, NY (Liquid Compass)WFLA...Tampa, FL (Liquid Compass)KPRC...Houston, TX (Liquid Compass)WJNO...West Palm Beach, FL KFI...Los Angeles, CA (Liquid Compass)WIOD...Miami, FL WGST...Atlanta, GA (Liquid Compass)KOGO...San Diego, CA (Liquid Compass) REAL PLAYER: WNTK...New London, NH Drudge on the DialCALL IN 1-866-4-DRUDGE...XM: channel 166AIM: mdrudgePlease notify lainie of ping list preferencesComment on what you hear here!

[Body of thread held due to copyright notice: NOT TO BE COPIED OR REPUBLISHED. YOU'RE WELCOME.] Please see http://www.brianmay.com/brian/brianssb/brianssbjun05.html#29

On 26 May, JPL's unique orbital calculation software determined that Comet Catalina was on what could possibly be a collision course with Earth, though the odds of such an impact were small: just 1 chance in 300,000 of a strike on June 11, 2085. Based on the 980-metre size estimate, that would produce a 6-gigaton impact - equivalent to 6 billion tonnes of TNT. Astronomers expected the addition of further observations to the calculations to rule out any possibility of a collision, as happens with most newly-seen objects. But that did not quite happen. The comet's predicted pathway actually drew...

Ok, I know. She's losing in a two person Democrat contest. But hey, it's something to smile about anyway.

<p>FORT KENT, Maine — Gov. Paul LePage said Thursday that talks with nurse Kaci Hickox had broken down and that he is ready to exercise the "full extent" of his authority to force her to adhere to a 21-day quarantine aimed at Ebola health workers.</p>

As some might know, Beyonce performed at the MTV awards. In the background was the word "Femninist." Just want to remind Y'all of her song where she sings the words "Bow down bitches."

Not surprising: that a 30-something man who appears to have recently gained weight, smokes heartily, and is probably perpetually stressed out from his dictatorial duties might have physical issues. Surprising: that that man is Kim Jong Un—and that state media showed him apparently exhibiting one of those physical issues today. Footage aired on state television showed North Korea's "supreme leader" limping onto the stage at a 20th anniversary tribute for his deceased grandfather, Kim Il Sung.

Before you sigh and repeat the worn old mantra that Alaska’s lone Congressman Don Young, its longest serving republican is unbeatable in this state, don’t discount the potential power of this energetic, smart, savvy young man with considerable Alaska credentials going for him. Forrest Dunbar, a 29-year-old attorney who calls Cordova home, is running as on the democratic ticket to unseat longtime U.S. Rep. Don Young (R) in the November 4th General Election. Dunbar, who has the endorsement of the state’s Democratic Party, introduced himself to local residents at the Resurrect Arts Coffee Shop and Gallery in Seward Thursday, June...

For five full years, we watched Democrats and the mighty force of the mainstream media do everything in their power to "call into question" President George W. Bush's leadership as commander-in-chief while tens, and even hundreds of thousands of troops were "in harm's way." Back then, it was a vicious media blood sport and unrelenting. Today, however, if just one person, like former Defense Secretary Robert Gates, dares to do the same to President Obama, suddenly NBC's Matt Lauer is wondering if such a thing is "dangerous or dishonorable": (video at link) (snip) Lauer then follows up by expressing concern...

Researchers from Michigan have scoured websites, search engine results and social networks dating back as far as 1996 in search of people who discussed select events before they happened. They even asked time travellers from the future to tweet using a specific hashtag. Yet despite comprehensive analysis of thousands of records, they were unable to find any evidence time travellers existed.

Everyone saw this coming. Dianne Feinstein, the Democratic Senator from California and co-sponsor of the USA PATRIOT Act extension, has been rumored to be meeting with ATF officials in the past few days and trying to come up with an outline for her next attempt at passing a new assault weapons ban. It seems like she does this once a year anyway, but in the wake of the Obama re-election people are on high alert for anything gun control related. And this time, it seems like all that practice of introducing failed legislation is leading to a more disturbing version...

A fake Twitter account tried, and briefly succeeded in, spreading the word that former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher had died. Continue reading Thatcher, dubbed the "Iron Lady," remains alive, though. Just after 3:30 p.m., a Twitter account called @OfficialSkyNews tweeted 10 times that Thatcher had passed away. However, that account has no official tie to Sky News, and the 10 tweets that the user sent out were the only ones affiliated with the account. Shortly thereafter, the @OfficialSkyNews Twitter feed changed its username to "John Pennington," then "Dean Sutton." On the third change, the user protected his or her...

. . . I get the strong sense from a few anecdotal stories about Roberts over the past few months and the way he has written this opinion that he very, very much was concerned about keeping the Supreme Court above the partisan fray and damaging the reputation of the Court long term. . . . Second, in writing his case, Roberts forces everyone to deal with the issue as a political, not a legal issue. . . Third, while Roberts has expanded the taxation power, which I don’t really think is a massive expansion from what it was, Roberts...

What in God's name is that?!? Visit the link.

In an effort to gain support for the payroll tax cut extension, the Obama administration launched a Twitter campaign using the hashtag #40dollars that asks what people can buy with the additional amount every paycheck. The amount is the weekly average that Americans would save under the current payroll tax cut bill and would affect about 160 million Americans. On Tuesday, the House rejected a Senate compromise that would have expanded the tax cut for 2 months.

<p>WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican political figure and tea-party favorite Christine O’Donnell says she’s backing Mitt Romney’s presidential bid.</p> <p>O’Donnell cites executive experience as part of her reason for endorsing Romney. She announced her decision Tuesday night during an interview on Fox News Channel.</p>

Too-long answers, questions from familiar foes instead of regular folks—the president’s much hyped social-media meeting was even less interesting than a regular town hall, says David A. Graham. The hour-long event proved to be even less interesting than the average town hall. Just like Obama’s April 19 town hall with Mark Zuckerberg, the event featured the president facing a younger entrepreneur; this time, however, there was the added annoyance of Twitter as simplifying middleman. It all started off well enough. After brief remarks by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, the president ambled in, stepped up to a laptop adorned with a...