Free Republic

A spectacularly preserved new Chinese fossil reveals a previously unseen stage in the early evolution of flight. Called Eoconfuciusornis, it is a missing link between the oldest known bird, Archaeopteryx, and more advanced birds that have been discovered in the Yixian geological formation in China. The Yixian deposits have yielded remarkably diverse fauna that have revolutionised avian palaeontology, but they are limited to a period from 125 to 120 million years ago – too narrow a time span to show much evidence of evolution within bird lineages

WASHINGTON - John McCain's latest campaign angst, this time over his ties to lobbyists, is putting the Republican in conflict with his carefully honed, decades-old reformer image. It's also giving Democratic rival Barack Obama an opening to paint him as nothing more than a creature of Washington. "The fact is, John McCain's campaign is being run by Washington lobbyists and paid for by their money," Obama argued Monday in Billings, Mont. — far from the Beltway. "I'm not in this race to continue the special interest-driven politics of the last eight years, I'm in this race to end it." McCain,...

New Zealand in flap over plans for new flag By Nick Squires in Sydney Last Updated: 1:56am BST 01/10/2007 Union flag or rugby ponga? New Zealand's prime minister, Helen Clark, has suggested removing the Union flag from her country's national flag. Ms Clark said that removing the British emblem would "New Zealandise" the flag, leaving it as a stylised Southern Cross on a blue background. New Zealanders have agonised for years over whether to change their national emblem, with some recoiling at the inclusion of the Union flag and wanting it replaced with a Maori-influenced design. The most favoured alternative...

University of California President Robert C. Dynes said Wednesday "overactive secrecy," helped create a situation where millions in perks were quietly doled out to top executives. Fallout over the extra compensation intensified with some calling for Dynes to resign. But it was unclear whether he had lost the confidence of UC's governing Board of Regents the only people with the authority to fire him. Regents met behind closed doors Wednesday to discuss Dynes' role in approving violations of UC pay policies and board Chairman Gerald Parsky said he would have no comment on UC leadership until Thursday. Concerns about how...

Facing widespread criticism over secret and lucrative executive payouts, University of California President Robert Dynes is considering a reorganization plan that would hand over day-to-day administrative operations of the 10-campus system to someone else. He and UC Regent Chairman Gerry Parsky are in the early stages of crafting a proposal for restructuring the Office of the President, one that would augment Dynes' academic background with a chief operating officer's administrative skills. The chief operating officer could operate “not quite parallel” with Dynes, Parsky said yesterday. “Let's leave open the possibility that someone could be in charge of administrative matters and...

ROSELAND -- Battles over zoning and permits appear to be a common problem lately in the small town of Roseland. But residents now have a complaint that's not just about small town ordinances. It's about the nation's Constitution and its First Amendment, freedom of speech. This week, some residents have pitched signs in their yards, urging the two married members of the three-person Town Council, David and Dorothy Snyder, to resign. In return, residents have received warnings or tickets from the town, telling them they are breaking the law. "We don't have freedom of speech. We can't say what we...

SYDNEY (AFP) - Residents of a small Australian town are up in arms over a family who decided to fly a Nazi flag in their backyard because the colourful banner amused their four-month-old daughter, local media reported. Darren Mackay and Jenni Duncombe, from Mannering Park in New South Wales state, say they bought the swastika-bearing flag at a local market for 10 dollars (7.80 US) "as a bit of fun" and did not realise its significance until neighbours began complaining, Sydney's Daily Telegraph reported. The couple now refuse to haul the flag down, with Duncombe quoted as saying her four-month-old...

Berger flap was overplayed Tuesday, August 3, 2004 Last modified Tuesday, August 3, 2004 1:03 PM PDT So the Berger affair apparently was just another Washington flap, drummed up to make political points and blown out of proportion because the press had a slow day. The Wall Street Journal reported on the matter last Friday, although hardly anybody else mentioned it. An e-mail from Portland pointed it out to the D-H. As you'll recall, a couple of weeks ago Samuel "Sandy" Berger, the former national security adviser in the Clinton administration, was accused of having taken classified material home from...