Free Republic

American civilization as we know it appeared to be in grave peril a quarter century ago. When Arab nations cut off oil shipments to the United States during the 1973 war in the Middle East, gasoline prices abruptly rose 40 percent and panic ensued. Motorists idled in long lines at gas stations, where creeping tensions led to fights and even occasional shootings. Automakers scrambled to retool their assembly lines to manufacture miserly compacts rather than gas-guzzling behemoths. Entrepreneurs poured millions into upstart solar-energy and wind-power companies. Politicians pontificated about the need for collective belt-tightening and offered income tax credits to...

Fox News Alert just read a wire that stated from the USCG that the "Top Kill" method is working.....BP expected to announce in a press conference shortly.

BP has released an infographic showing the current state of the Relief Well, the “final solution” in resolving the Gulf Oil leak caused by the Deepwater Horizon, that shows the current progress (As of yesterday) as well as the proposed design of how they plan to intersect the previous pipe.

ON THE GULF OF MEXICO – Underwater robots positioned a giant 100-ton concrete-and-steel box over a blown-out well at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico on Friday as workers prepared to drop the device to the seafloor in a first-of-its-kind attempt to stop oil gushing into the sea. A spokesman for oil giant BP PLC, which is in charge of the cleanup, said the box was suspended about 200 feet above the main leak Friday and was being moved into position, though it could be Saturday before that happens. Several undersea cameras attached to the robots were making sure...

In my earlier post on the Horizon capping efforts, and the gov't lackluster reponse, I noted there are "talkers" and there are "do'ers". In that, I highlighted the extreme contrast between how the Obama admin responded, while industry experts were working round the clock to stop the gusher. It leaves one pondering - just what the heck did the O'admin do besides lay the groundwork for litigation against BP, and schedule hearings? Now we know.... Under public pressure of just what has been done "since day one", the O'administration decided to issue a timeline of their events. Seems they couldn't...

'We'll evacuate 23 outposts very soon'

on all cable news channels....to start in uh uh about 30 minutes.

A new oil well in Dunn County is creating a lot of interest. Continental Resources Inc. says its new oil well produced an average of about 700 barrels of oil a day during its first week of production last month. The well was drilled underneath the Bakken shale rock formation in western North Dakota. The well rivals production of the company's top-producing wells in the Bakken.

Aromatherapy May Make You Feel Good, But It Won't Make You Well, Study ShowsOne of the most comprehensive investigations done to date on aromatherapy failed to show any improvement in either immune status, wound healing or pain control among people exposed to two often-touted scents. (Credit: iStockphoto/Liv Friis-Larsen) ScienceDaily (Mar. 4, 2008) — One of the most comprehensive investigations done to date on aromatherapy failed to show any improvement in either immune status, wound healing or pain control among people exposed to two often-touted scents. While one of two popular aromas touted by alternative medicine practitioners – lemon – did...

FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER — The students of a girls’ school in Narhwan now have fresh water to enjoy in between lessons. A local contractor completed a well project at the school, funded by the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Dec. 6, 45 days after breaking ground on the project. The ribbon-cutting ceremony was attended by Lt. Gen. Abud, the commander of the BaghdadOperations Center, Maj. Gen. Abdul Kareem, the commander of the 1st National Police Division, and several leaders from the 3rd Infantry Division. “This project will directly impact the 3,500 students who attend the three schools...

Gauguin’s teeth found in well Bovril jar, perfume and morphine also discovered Martin Bailey | 29.11.07 LONDON. An archaeological dig on the remote Marquesan island of Hiva Oa has uncovered the secrets of the water well used by Paul Gauguin. The buried objects range from a New Zealand beer bottle to four human teeth. Gauguin lived in the village of Atuona from 1901 until his death two years later. He built his own Maori-style hut, “la Maison du Jouir” (house of pleasure), and dug a well just outside. The Marquesans did not use wells, but springs, and after Gauguin died...

BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan, Oct. 25, 2007 – Children line the streets during the short ride to the village. Adults with noticeable disabilities and young children who may have never had professional medical assistance look curiously at the visitors, probably wondering why they have come. Despite this lack of professional medical care, one of those visitors has been making a positive difference for local villagers. Tech. Sgt. Joy Flumerfelt (left), an Air Force medical technician with 455th Air Expeditionary Wing, provides medical care in a small village outside of Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, on Oct. 4, 2007. Photo by...

COULD THIS BE ST PETROC'S ANCIENT WELL? 11:00 - 14 July 2007 The discovery of an ancient well on a Cornish estate has led to speculation that it is the legendary well of St Petroc. The discovery was made by amateur archaeologist Jonathan Clemes while searching for a secret tunnel in the grounds of Prideaux Place, an Elizabethan manor house at Padstow. Mr Clemes regularly works with TV's Time Team and carries out a lot of excavations on the Prideaux estate. He said: "I knew I was on to something when I found a papal bulla in the field close...

After the Korean War, the Army gave up pack animals for trucks, planes and choppers to transport troops and equipment. But recently -- remember those folks on horseback routing the Taliban in Afghanistan? -- it's become clear that Special Forces might find themselves needing horses, mules and donkeys, and perhaps the occasional camel or llama, to move around. But who remembers how to deal with these critters? No problem. Couple years ago the Army put together a 225-page field manual -- "Special Forces Use of Pack Animals" -- that provides a comprehensive overview on the care and feeding and uses...

We have well water and the pressure is low. Hubby is away on an extended business trip and I don't know anything about wells. What should I do?

It may well take 20 years. But al-Qaeda's days are numbered Five years after 9/11, Osama bin Laden waits in vain for a Muslim 'awakening'. The lure of the West is just too powerful a force Jason Burke Sunday September 10, 2006 The Observer (UK) Tomorrow will mark five years since the attacks of 11 September 2001. If one generation knew where they were when mankind first walked on the moon, another knows where they were when the Twin Towers crumbled. And they know where they were when coalition troops first entered Iraq. And when the bombs exploded in London...

Things look a bit tough out there right now. I have been hardening my house for a while and actually have a thread out about it. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1615796/posts I have a deep well 400 feet. I have a well pump. My question is how do I make the well pump run on alternative source of energy like batteries/solar. Is it doable? I have searched the net for days with no answer. Your input would be appreciated.

WASHINGTON, June 29, 2006 – Thanks to the work of Japanese defense forces in Iraq, Iraqi security forces are now ready to take control of the province where Japanese troops worked, President Bush said here today. "The people of Japan can be proud of the contribution their self-defense forces have made in the war on terror, and Americans are proud to serve alongside such courageous allies," Bush said at an arrival ceremony for Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi at the White House. Koizumi announced June 20 that Japan would withdraw its roughly 550 soldiers, engaged in reconstruction and humanitarian...

Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro continues to please veterinarians with his progress in his recovery from surgery to repair his shattered right hind leg sustained in the Preakness Stakes on May 20. The colt remains in intensive care at the George D. Widener Hospital for Large Animals at the University of Pennsylvania's New Bolton Center in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. "Barbaro continues to improve; he is maintaining his weight and his coat looks good," said Corinne Sweeney, D.V.M, executive director of the Widener Hospital. "I would say he is a happy, healthy horse."

We'll quit if bribe inquiry halted, say US law chiefs By Francis Harris in Washington (Filed: 29/05/2006) Three of America's top law officers, among them the head of the FBI, have threatened to step down over alleged attempts to halt an investigation into congressional corruption. Alberto Gonzales, the attorney general, Paul McNulty, his deputy, and Robert Mueller, the FBI director, informed President George W Bush through intermediaries last week that they would resign rather than let the inquiry be blocked. Their stand marked the latest twist in a saga which began when 15 FBI agents raided the offices of William...