Free Republic

Enlarge Image Future food? Cellulose from switchgrass and other nonfood plants might be converted into edible starch to feed the hungry. Credit: Peggy Greb/ARS/USDA The main ingredient of wood, cellulose, is one of the most abundant organic compounds on Earth and a dream source of renewable fuel. Now, bioengineers suggest that it could feed the hungry as well. In a new study, researchers have found a way to turn cellulose into starch, the most common carbohydrate in the human diet. Ethanol is today's most common biofuel used to power vehicles. It's typically made using sugars from crop plants such...

The EU would have to halt multi-billion-euro payments to the bloc’s poorest regions without an extra €11 billion ($14.8 billion) for the EU budget, MEPs were told Monday (15 April). Speaking at a hearing of the European Parliament’s budget committee in Strasbourg, Polish budgets commissioner Janusz Lewandowski admitted that the the commission had “cash flow problems” and would struggle to make cohesion payments in the second half of 2013. According to figures distributed to MEPs in Strasbourg, the commission needs an extra €11.2 billion to cover payments for projects across the EU in 2013. Of this, €9 billion ($11.9 billion)...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam said Tuesday the federal government has launched a criminal investigation into rebates offered by the truck stop chain owned by his family, including his brother, Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam.

Baby boomers are easing into retirement, but some may find their golden years are haunted by student loan debt that could follow them until they die. It's not their children's debt, however -- it's their own. Many boomers returned to graduate school during the recession to bolster their skills, reports the Chronicle of Higher Education. Student loan debt is actually growing fastest among people over 60, the report notes. More than 2 million Americans over 60 owe student loan debt, with the average balance standing at about $19,500, up from just under $11,000 in 2005, according to the Federal Reserve...

The state's gun manufacturers say Gov. Dannel P. Malloy is creating a hostile work environment and essentially driving them out of the state with comments they view as "offensive'' regarding their industry. The clash had been simmering for weeks but reached a flash point on April 7 when Malloy gave a TV interview on CNN with anchor Candy Crowley. In the interview, Malloy said, "What this is about is the ability of the gun industry to sell as many guns to as many people as possible, even if they're deranged, even if they're mentally ill, even if they have a...

According to a new poll from the Washington Post and ABC News, the latest budget proposal from Barack Obama has about as much support as his previous two proposals. Only 52% of Democrats approve of his budget, which turns out to be twice as many as do independents: President ObamaÂ’s courtship of Republicans hit a critical point last week when he unveiled a budget proposal pitched as an effort at compromise. But a new Washington Post-ABC News poll finds AmericansÂ’ initial reactions to the framework tilting negative, with broad opposition from Republicans and little public support for a key idea...

RUSH: Senator Elizabeth Warren wanted to get in on the big press conference in Boston this morning that happened about 10:30. The first words out of her mouth were praise for Obama and government. "The president of the United States has pledged his full support in all efforts, both to keep the city safe, and to find the person who did this. We did not have to reach out to the president; the president reached out to us," Warren said. He called the governor. He called the mayor. He called the members of congressional delegation because the president is actively...

Damage to South Bay substation triggers power alert About 10,000 gallons of oil began leaking Tuesday morning from a transformer at a San Jose PG&E substation, which authorities said was vandalized, possibly damaged by gunfire. The damage prompted the California Independent Service Operator to issue a "Flex Alert" Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. for Silicon Valley because of the heavy damage at the substation on Metcalf Road. The agency asked everyone in Northern California, but especially in Silicon Valley, to conserve energy as crews are working to fix the substation's damaged equipment. Power is being rerouted as the work is being...

It seems the debate is getting a bit testy in the land of watercress sandwiches and doilies*.“Man-made global-warming hypothesis is dead in the water” says Godfrey Bloom MEP, but it gets better, he points a finger at the chairman and shouts “denier”.Watch.h/t to Tom Nelson* Some people thought I was referring to Belgium. No, I was referring to the EU Parliament in Brussels. I had lunch service there in a roomful of skeptics while Climategate raged in my mind, and I couldn’t say anything until it was verified. I recall the lunch service because it seemed to heighten the...

Residential construction shot up significantly in March as homebuilders broke ground on the most multi-family homes in seven years, a report from the Commerce Department showed Tuesday. Housing starts rose 7 percent from upwardly revised levels reported in February to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of about 1.04 million units, according to the Commerce Department, almost 47 percent higher than levels reported in March 2012. Construction activity significantly outpaced projections from economists polled by Bloomberg, which put starts closer to 930,000. Starts reported in March also inched toward what economists consider a more normal level of about 1.5 million annual...

After hitting record lows back in January, there was a plan to prop up the EU carbon market. That worked…for a while. Then the backloading plan was rejected, and the real market forces took over.From: Environmental leader: EU Carbon Prices Plunge to Record LowsCarbon prices hit record lows today after the European Parliament rejected an emergency plan to boost the ailing EU carbon market.In a 334-315 vote, with more than 60 abstentions, lawmakers rejected a proposal to postpone — or backload — the auctioning of 900 million EU Emissions Trading Scheme allowances from the years 2013-2015 to 2019-2020. This...

A new paper that recently replaced the old paper that settled the science of global warming is now out - and not a moment too soon, either. Because the new paper essentially says: “Um, guys? Never mind.” :/). Ok, they don't really say that, but actually they really do.  “Sea level rise is one of the big issues of global warming. It could potentially swamp coastal cities or make them far more vulnerable to storms, such as Hurricane Katrina,” says Science World Report, apparently a wholly owned division of Wayne’s World Publishing, operating under the motto “It Certainly Does Suck.”...

Documents obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request revealed that agents for the Internal Revenue Service are bypassing warrants and sifting through the email and other electronic communications of American citizens. Those documents disclosed that "agents were told they didn't need a warrant to root through emails, texts or Facebook pages of people (the IRS) is investigating," according to Fox News. Despite the fact that IRS email surveillance is a clear affront to privacy and civil liberties, last week, the IRS categorically stated that it has done nothing wrong. The agency denies countrywide accusations that it is violating the...

Monday’s crash in the gold market has been a long time coming. Buying opportunity? Only if you enjoy pain. And a few of you do. I know it. I could hear the howling from the mercantile exchanges. I don’t want to write I told you so, but I did. Many of us warned against the modern gold rush. But we weren’t looking at a crystal ball, it was history talking.

WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s a political role reversal: Republicans are blasting a plan by President Barack Obama to consider selling the Tennessee Valley Authority, a New Deal-era agency long targeted by conservatives as an example of government overreach. Obama’s budget proposal calls for a strategic review of the TVA, the nation’s largest public utility with 9 million customers in seven states from Virginia to Mississippi. Obama says selling the U.S.-owned power company could reduce the federal deficit by at least $25 billio

In the last two days gold has plunged so deep that it’s being called the worst drop — at least in percentage terms — in 30 years. That brings us back to the early Reagan period, when falling gold was regarded as a good thing. ... The reality is that all those quantitative easing reserves from the Fed never circulated through the economy. Most of them are on deposit at the central bank. And because everyone is still risk-averse, the demand for cash is so high that the turnover, or velocity, of money keeps falling. Last I looked, the M2...

Scientists are struggling to explain a slowdown in climate change that has exposed gaps in their understanding and defies a rise in global greenhouse gas emissions. Often focused on century-long trends, most climate models failed to predict that the temperature rise would slow, starting around 2000. Scientists are now intent on figuring out the causes and determining whether the respite will be brief or a more lasting phenomenon. Getting this right is essential for the short and long-term planning of governments and businesses ranging from energy to construction, from agriculture to insurance. Many scientists say they expect a revival of...

President Barack Obama’s second term has so far been a story of high liberal hopes and scant liberal achievements. The president has been re-elected, demographic trends favor the growth of his coalition, his party has a technological edge, and his opposition is confused and divided. One might therefore expect Obama to be enacting the legislative agenda of that rising coalition. Yet the White House has to be disappointed, whatever it says, by the way the second term has been going. The president’s poll numbers have been falling since December, for one thing. His average job-approval rating, compiled on Pollster.com, has...

On the surface, today's Housing Data was good. Yes, there was a miss in the housing permits number, which declined from a downward revised 939K to 902K, on expectations of a strong 942K print, but let's ignore that: after all bad news is good news (although as the chart below shows even this number was highly skewed due to seasonal adjustments and the NSA number hasn't really budged in the past year). But look at the housing starts: what a whopper: at 1036K, this was the highest print since June 2008 - great news, right? Not really, because the one...

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (www.incnow.tv) – Confidentiality is the idea behind Gun Amnesty Day, an event coming up next weekend where FWPD will collect guns. The Fort Wayne Police Department (FWPD) is teaming up with the Fort Wayne Urban League, NAACP Fort Wayne Chapter, and Men of Action for Gun Amnesty Day. Next Saturday (April 20), you can head to 2135 S. Hanna Street, at the Urban League parking lot, and turn in any ammunition and or guns, no questions asked. There will also be a tip box on site for people to anonymously leave crime tips. Police say the goal...