Free Republic

Yes, the 2016 race for the White House has already gotten started -- and it looks like Dr. Ben Carson is first in the ring. Carson, a famous pediatric neurosurgeon and conservative political star, will air a nearly 40 minute-long ad introducing himself to the American people this weekend, an aide to Carson confirms to ABC News.

In an administration defined by scandal, none have dogged Barack Obama longer or more persistently than the secrecy surrounding his past. While the left tries to discount those who question his life story with insulting pejorative, there has been little legitimate response to the genuine concerns of so-called “birthers.” In a recent American Thinker report, one specific aspect of Obama’s childhood is explored in detail, resulting in the conclusion that at least one of the president’s biographical timelines is inaccurate. Citing media reports released over the past 14 years, Jason Kissner highlights a discrepancy that seems to put a young...

He roamed the University of Cincinnati campus with a loaded gun. When his rage overflowed, the brainy microbiology major would open fire inside empty buildings, visualizing a wall clock or other object as a person who had done him wrong. By the mid-1970s, Bruce Ivins had earned his doctorate and was a promising researcher at the University of North Carolina. By outward appearances, he was a charming eccentric, odd but disarming. Inside, he still smoldered with resentment, and he saw a new outlet for it. Several years earlier, a Cincinnati student had turned him down for a date. He had...

Part of the mystery behind an 'alien' book no one can read has at last been unraveled. Found in a chest of books outside Rome by a dealer in antique books, the Voynich manuscript is among literature's great mysteries. The book of aging parchment is written in alien characters, some resembling Latin letters, others unlike anything used in any known language, and arranged into what appear to be words and sentences -- except they don't resemble anything written or read by human beings. And for decades, the manuscript has mystified scientists. "Is it a code, a cipher of some kind?"...

A message in a bottle delivered to a Confederate general during the American Civil War has been deciphered, 147 years after it was written. In the encrypted message, a commander tells Gen John Pemberton that no reinforcements are available to help him defend Vicksburg, Mississippi. "You can expect no help from this side of the river," says the message, which was deciphered by codebreakers. The text is dated 4 July 1863 - the day Vicksburg fell to Union forces.

CAN YOU CRACK A CODE? Try Your Hand at Cryptanalysis Last year, we challenged you to crack a code created by the “cryptanalysts” in our FBI Laboratory, who are experts in breaking ciphers of all kinds. Tens of thousands of you did so. Are you ready for round two? We hope so. But bear in mind, this year's code is slightly more difficult. Once again: if you want a primer on basic cipher systems and how to break them, see the article "Analysis of Criminal Codes and Ciphers." And if you’re a youngster, we suggest you start with the code...

SPYING is big business, and avoiding being spied on an even bigger one. So imagine if someone came up with a simple, cheap way of encrypting messages that is almost impossible to hack into? American computer engineer Laszlo Kish at Texas A&M University in College Station claims to have done just that. He says the thermal properties of a simple wire can be exploited to create a secure communications channel, one that outperforms quantum cryptography keys. His cipher device, which he first proposed in 2005, exploits a property called thermal noise. Thermal noise is generated by the natural agitation of...

“I am deeply saddened to hear of the death of Terri Shiavo. I know that you join me in praying that Terri finds a warm welcome in eternity with Our Lord. I ask you, as well, to keep Terri's family in your prayers. The many years during which Terri was incapacitated took a great toll on Terri's family and loved ones. It was my sincere hope that while Terri was still in nursing care her family members would find a way to put their differences aside, and come together in agreement about Terri's on-going care. At this time, now that...

Documentary filmmaker Michael Moore discusses ``Film and Foreign Policy'' at the Los Angeles World Affairs Council Monday, Dec. 6, 2004, in Beverly Hills, Calif. Moore, most recently known for 'Fahrenheit 9/11, ' a film that shattered box office records and blasted President Bush his administration and the Iraq war, spoke on the long-term effects controversial films have on American consciousness and the way we shape and implement our foreign policy(AP Photo/Reed Saxon)