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Feverishly hot ocean surface waters potentially reaching more than 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius) may have helped cause the greatest mass extinction in Earth's history, researchers say. "We may have found the hottest time the world has ever had," researcher Paul Wignall, a geologist at the University of Leeds in England, told LiveScience. The mass extinction at the end of the Permian Era about 250 million years ago was the greatest die-off in Earth's history. The cataclysm killed as much as 95 percent of the planet's species. One key factor behind this disaster was probably catastrophic volcanic activity in...

Video of Garrett McNamara. from Haleiwa, Oahu has surfed what is considered to be the biggest wave ever. The Hawaiian big wave rider caught the huge monster in Praia do Norte, Nazaré, Portugal, during the ZON North Canyon Project 2011.

Journalists walk on the 450-meter (1,476 feet)-high observation deck of the Tokyo Sky Tree during a press preview in Tokyo Tuesday, April 17, 2012. The world's tallest freestanding broadcast structure that stands 634-meter (2,080 feet) will open to the public in May. (AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye)

Lon Feia didn't know how big a black bear he had until he saw the carcass. He knew there were bears on his property, which borders Willow River State Park in the town of Hudson, Wis., and started setting out bait in July. Soon he began getting "hits." "Then, finally, on Aug. 24, he started coming in," Feia said. "And in pretty short order he claimed the bait, so (all the other bears) went away." It was the evening of Oct. 9 when Feia took a shot that brought down the bear - an animal that measured 7 feet, 2...

Largest state unions won't seek recertification by Thursday deadline Madison - By the end of Thursday, the major state employee unions covering tens of thousands of workers will have effectively lost their official status. Top leaders for those unions say they won't seek to meet the high hurdle for keeping that current status laid out in Gov. Scott Walker's union bargaining law. With a deadline set for the close of business Thursday, so far only four smaller state unions have said they'll seek to keep their status by winning a difficult recertification election. Marty Beil, executive director of the 23,000-member...

Early Tuesday morning (August 9, 2011,) the Sun erupted with the largest solar flare of Cycle 24, registering as an X7-class flare. This flare had an X-ray magnitude of X6.9, meaning it was more than 3 times larger than the previous largest flare of this solar cycle – the X2.2 that occurred on Feb 15, 2011, NASA said. The source was Sunspot 1263 which is nearing the western limb of the Sun, and because of its location, scientists do not anticipate that this explosion will hit Earth directly. Therefore, the impact on communications and electric grids will likely (and luckily)...

The bill to increase the federal debt limit that has been put before Congress today would increase that limit by up to $2.4 trillion, which would be the largest increase in the debt limit in U.S. history by a margin of half a trillion dollars, according to records published by the Government Accountability Office and the Congressional Research Service. In fact, according to records published by the Congressional Research Service, if the current bill is passed and the debt limit is increased by $2.4 trillion, the two largest debt-limit increases in U.S. history would come in back-to-back years, both during...

Astronomers have discovered the largest and oldest mass of water ever detected in the universe — a gigantic, 12-billion-year-old cloud harboring 140 trillion times more water than all of Earth's oceans combined. The cloud of water vapor surrounds a supermassive black hole called a quasar located 12 billion light-years from Earth. The discovery shows that water has been prevalent in the universe for nearly its entire existence, researchers said. "Because the light we are seeing left this quasar more than 12 billion years ago, we are seeing water that was present only some 1.6 billion years after the beginning of...

The world's largest neutrino telescope – made from a giant cube of ice at the South Pole – aimed at detecting subatomic particles traveling near the speed of light has been completed, researchers announced today (Dec. 20). http://www.livescience.com/environment/south-pole-neutrino-observatory-construction-finished-101220.html

International pro-Palestinian groups are preparing a massive flotilla of ships to the Gaza Strip in the spring to coincide with the first anniversary of the Israeli operation to stop the Mavi Marmara in late May, organizers said on Monday. The convoy of ships will be named “Freedom Flotilla 2” and is expected to include delegations from close to a dozen different countries as well as ships, for the first time, from the United States and Canada. According to the organizers, the different groups are currently in the process of collecting funds, purchasing vessels and recruiting volunteers.

For decades, geologists have known that Vietnam is home to some of the world's most spectacular caves, many of them largely unexplored. Now husband-and-wife cavers have documented perhaps the world's largest: Hang Son Doong, big enough in places to accommodate a New York City block of skyscrapers. The cave in the Annamite Mountains contains a river and jungle (its name translates to "mountain river cave") and even its own thin clouds, and its end remains out of sight. It's part of a network of about 150 caves in central Vietnam near the Laotian border.

The largest reserve of natural gas, over 16 trillion cubic feet, has been discovered off the coast of Israel, and is estimated to be worth more than $95 billion, U.S. company Noble Energy Inc. announced on Wednesday. Noble Energy owns 39.66% of the prospective discovery, alongside Israeli partners Delek Group Ltd. units Avner Oil and Gas LP and Delek Drilling LP (22.67% each), and Ratio Oil Exploration (1992) LP with 15%. The reserve, Leviathon, is the largest amount of natural gas discovered in the world in the last decade and is located in approximately 5,400 feet (1,645 meters) of water,...

Chris Stevens, 32, of New Richmond, Wis., perfected the formula this summer and grew an orange gourd that weighed 1,810 and a half pounds and today shattered the previous world record of 1,725 pounds. "There's really no secret. It's a lot of luck and a lot of time," said Stevens, who started growing mega pumpkins 5 years ago. Stevens, a general contractor for Derrick Construction, lives with his wife Amy and their two daughters on 4.5 acres, south of New Richmond and has a 10,000-square foot pumpkin patch. As soon as Stevens set the world record at 2:05 p.m. at...

This is hugh. I'm series.

Fox Station exclusive report on board "A Whale" that just arrived in the Gulf, the ship is capable of skimming 500k barrels of oil a day...(Video)

The largest skimming ship in the world — known as an “A Whale” — is expected to arrive in the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday, but will be prevented from contracting with BP to help clean up the oil spill until the federal government decides that the vessel is “effective.” The Coast Guard will not clear the Taiwan-owned ship – which is reportedly the length of 3 football fields and 10 stories high – to join the clean-up until it undergoes a test. “The Coast Guard research and development center has a team of personnel that are ready to observe...

With five months to go before the general election, a new poll finds that Republicans have opened their widest lead yet when it comes to which party voters prefer this fall. Gallup's generic congressional ballot finds that the number of voters who say they will vote GOP has jumped to 49 percent, compared with 43 percent for Democrats. That's not only the biggest lead Gallup has recorded for the GOP this election cycle, it's the largest lead Republicans have ever had in the poll, which Gallup has run since 1950. Why are Republicans surging? According to Gallup, the GOP gained...

WASHINGTON – The economy got what it needed in April: A burst of hiring that added a net 290,000 jobs, the biggest monthly total in four years. The improving picture caused so many more people to pour into the labor force in search of employment that the jobless rate rose from 9.7 percent to 9.9 percent. The hiring last month of 66,000 temporary government workers to conduct the census added to overall job creation. But private employers — the backbone of the economy — contributed the most: A surprisingly strong 231,000 jobs, the most since March 2006, the Labor Department...

Europe's largest windfarm was shut down after a blade snapped off one of the huge turbines, operators said today. All 140 turbines at the Whitelee windfarm on Eaglesham Moor near Glasgow are being inspected by engineers following Friday's incident. ScottishPower Renewables said mechanical failure or a lightning strike could be to blame for the breakage, which it described as 'highly unusual'. The 150ft, 14-tonne, fibreglass blade broke off in the early hours in windy conditions and landed at the base of its tower.

Gelbaum said in a statement. "My investments in alternative, clean energy companies have placed me in a highly illiquid position as a result of the general credit crisis in the American and world financial systems." (Click link above for column) Oh goodness, I hope that someone else steps in and fills the gap because we desperately need someone to continue the desecration of everything we hold dear. We need more people to spit on the graves of our veterans by removing crosses that have served as war memorials for the past 75 years. We need someone to remove Christian symbols...

A plan for the building of a new settlement, Ma'aleh David, in the middle of an Arab neighborhood in East Jerusalem was filed for approval by the relevant municipal committee at the Jerusalem Municipality. The plan calls for the construction of 104 housing units on the land where the former headquarters of the Judea and Samaria police was housed in the neighborhood of Ras al-Amud. The new settlement is planned to be connected to an existing Jewish neighborhood, Ma'aleh Zeitim, and together will be occupied by some 200 families, forming the largest Jewish settlement in East Jerusalem

Hi Everyone. I'm looking for your help. I'm trying to compile a list of the world's largest news and information companies. (Things like AP, Reuters, CNN, Breitbart, Fox News, Sky News, etc.) Also, if you have any information for which one is the largest (maybe a top 10 list for info.) And I don't mean large as in how much money... I mean large as in their tentacles spread far and wide and they have reporters in every nook and cranny. All I ask is that you be honest, give me your best research (or guess) as well as any...

TUCSON, Ariz. - The world's most powerful optical telescope is now operating on southeastern Arizona's Mount Graham, capturing striking images of objects millions of light years away. The Large Binocular Telescope — two 8.4-meter diameter mirrors that together gather more light and have 10 times the resolution of the Hubble Space Telescope — took its first images using both mirrors late last year. The first images were released to the public on Thursday. There are huge telescopes that operate in other parts of the spectrum — from low-frequency radio waves to far beyond visible light — but no traditional telescope...

LAS VEGAS - A 150-inch high-definiton plasma TV unveiled by Panasonic is the world's largest to date, the Japanese consumer electronics company claimed Monday at the International Consumer Electronics Show. The plasma panel features an 8.84 million pixel image resolution. Its screen is the equivalent of nine 50-inch sets, with an effective viewing area of 11 feet, the company said. It's a step up from Panasonic's 103-inch version, which cost $70,000 when it launched. The company did not say in a news release how much the 150-inch panel will cost. Panasonic's other prototypes introduced at CES include a 42-inch panel...

WASHINGTON - More than 1,200 people were arrested in meatpacking plants in six states during raids that federal officials said amounted to the largest-ever workplace crackdown on illegal immigration. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said Wednesday the investigation uncovered a "disturbing front" in the war against illegal immigration, in which illegal immigrants are using the identities of U.S. citizens to obtain jobs. "Violations of our immigration laws and privacy rights often go hand in hand," he said. "Enforcement actions like this one protect the privacy rights of innocent Americans while striking a blow against illegal immigration." The raids at Swift...

The state reached a three-year contract deal with its largest employees union on Saturday, avoiding a threatened strike by thousands of Department of Motor Vehicle workers, accountants, prison cooks and others responsible for the day-to-day operations of government. The deal, which must be ratified by a majority vote of the union's members, would provide the first raise in nearly three years for the 87,000 members of Local 1000 of the Service Employees International Union. The preliminary deal includes an 3.5 percent raise this year and another raise of up to four percent next year tied to the Consumer Price Index....

What is the world's largest living creature? Scientists from the CSIC. the University of the Balearic Islands, Portugal, Carribean and the USA have discovered a Posidonia Oceanica, of more than 8 kilometers in length, and 100,000 years old. The 'Posideonia Oceanica' is, in layman's terms 'sea grass', and the wavy plains of this plant found off the coasts Ibiza and Formentera, have been, since 1999, part of the reason for the award to Ibiza as a 'Heritage of Humanity'. The huge plant was discovered between 'Es Freus' (the straits that separate Ibiza from Formentera) and the 'Ses Salines' beach....and quite...

The largest bond measures approved by California voters since 1972 have all come within the past decade: - Proposition 57, 2004: $15 billion for deficit financing, allowing the state to refinance its deficit and close future budget shortfalls. - Proposition 55, 2004: $12.3 billion to pay for new school buildings and upgrade existing ones. K-12 schools were eligible for $10 million, while higher education received the rest. - Proposition 50, 2002: $3.4 billion to fund water quality and safe drinking water projects, coastal protection and the CalFed Bay-Delta Program. - Proposition 47, 2002: $13 billion to fund construction of public...

A controversial proposal to build what would be the largest desalination plant in the nation along the Huntington Beach coastline was approved early today after months of raucous debate. The Huntington Beach City Council voted 4 to 3 to approve permits for Poseidon Resources Corp. to build a $250-million desalination facility next to the AES power station on Pacific Coast Highway at the city's southern edge. The desalination plant would produce as much as 50 million gallons of fresh water daily by tapping ocean water already pumped into the power station to cool the huge electrical facility. The plant still...

Kelly Wilson (left), Lynelle Johnson and Genna Griffith send their regards to troops at the "Love Our Troops" pavallion Feb. 7 on Times Square. Sgt. 1st Class Eric Reinhardt • Printer-friendly version New Yorkers send world’s largest digital Valentine to troops February 9, 2006 NEW YORK CITY (Army News Service, Feb. 9, 2006) – Operation Love Our Troops, billed as a “Guinness Book of World Records” attempt to create the largest digital Valentine for America’s troops, took center stage Feb. 7 in Times Square. The campaign has already received more than 10,000 messages from around the world since it...

Largest Ever Ancient Temple Discovered in Shabwa By Observer Staff Jan 21, 2006 - Vol.IX Issue 02 SANA’A- Archeologists in Shabwa governorate have discovered what is said to be the biggest temple ever discovered in the Arabian Peninsula, dating back to the 5th Century BC. The Italian archeological expedition, who have been digging in the ancient Royal Palace in Tamna’a city, say it is one of the oldest and most extensive temples ever discovered in the region. They found the temple on their recent dig, which lasted for 25 days. Khyran Mohsen Al-Zubairi, the Director of Archeology in Shabwa, told...

SACRAMENTO, United States (AFP) - Complete with proud smiles and self-conscious glances, Vladimir and Zynaida Chernenko's seventeen children were introduced to the world. Cradled delicately in Vladimir Chernenko's thick arms was his baby, David, whose birth on December 7 gave the Ukrainian-American family the largest brood in the United States, according to the Russian language newspaper The Speaker. "When we got married back in the Ukraine, for six month we had no children and thought we wouldn't have any kids at all," Vladimir told reporters at a celebration in Bethany Slavic Missionary Church in Sacramento. "I never thought I would...

ATLANTA - The whale sharks are kings of the 6-million-gallon tank, their presence palpable even before they emerge from the murky darkness like massive star cruisers in a science fiction film. But once visitors to the new Georgia Aquarium have seen Ralph and Norton — the only whale sharks on display outside of Asia — they will still have at least 99,998 more fish to go. When the aquarium opens Nov. 23, it will become the world's largest by virtually all major standards of the industry. It was bankrolled almost exclusively by a $200 million gift from Home Depot Inc....

WASHINGTON, Oct. 6, 2005 – Iraqi and coalition troops operating in and around Baghdad seized 31 weapons caches in September, constituting the largest monthly haul of ordnance in that area since May, when 54 caches were uncovered, military officials reported. Coalition forces patrolling Baghdad's Radwiniyah district on Sept. 28 were approached by an Iraqi citizen who told the soldiers about a large weapons cache. The soldiers found 175 sticks of dynamite, 109 grenades, 149 rockets, mortar and artillery rounds, two rocket launchers, 46 anti-personnel mines and 20 pounds of TNT. U.S. soldiers acting on a tip from another Iraqi citizen...

SANTA ROSA, Calif. - The largest private campground on the California coast could be forced to close one-third of its campsites after a report found its size is putting too much pressure on the nearby sand dunes and marsh environment. The environmental report ordered by Marin County also found that many facilities at the 180-acre Lawson's Landing are not up to health and safety codes. On peak days, the area draws 4,000 people to its 1,000 primitive campsites, 223 recreational vehicle sites and 200 day-use sites. Owners Nancy and Bill Vogler said they can't afford to upgrade the camp's aging...

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Sept. 16, 2005) -- President Bush promised "one of the largest reconstruction efforts the world has ever seen" in his speech to the nation Sept. 15 and just a few hours earlier, the Army Corps of Engineers awarded contracts totaling up to $4 billion for debris removal in areas hit by Hurricane Katrina. One contract was to clean up the state of Mississippi and another three were for Louisiana. Each of the four contracts had a value of up to $500 million, officials said, with the option to add an additional $500 million each. The Corps...

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Sept. 16, 2005) – Army engineers are using new technology to generate more than 100,000 gallons of potable water per day for the hospital in Biloxi, Miss., and area residents affected by Hurricane Katrina. An advanced Expeditionary Unit Water Purifier has been set up on the beach in Biloxi to provide water for the nearby Biloxi Regional Medical Center. After the hurricane hit, the hospital had been without water or relying on bottled drinking water for patients and staff. The Expeditionary Unit Water Purifier is the world's largest transportable desalination system, officials said. The relief mission...

The purpose of FreeRepublic.com's multiple message boards is to limit the topics for each board to particular topics. Posting the same message on all the boards defeats the purpose of multiple-boards for special topics. It is very annoying to see the same message on every bulletin board. PLEASE! DO THE READERS A FAVOR. STOP CROSS-POSTING YOUR MESSAGES!

SACRAMENTO (AP) - Most Democrats quietly sighed with relief last month when Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger revealed his budget plan, pleased that he had backed away from proposed cuts to health and social service programs that serve many of the party's core constituents. But not the Service Employees International Union, the nation's largest union that represents most of the state's 300,000 home health care workers. Schwarzenegger had targeted them with a big wage cut. Since then, the union has turned the proposed cut, which would have represented one-tenth of 1 percent of the state's $103 billion budget, into a show of...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Hispanic population has officially overtaken black Americans as the nation's largest minority group, according to estimates released by the Census Bureau on Wednesday. Hispanics are considered by the federal government as an ethnic group, so unlike African-Americans or Asians those who consider themselves of Hispanic origin may be of any race. When the Census bureau released estimates in January for 2001, Hispanics only outnumbered black Americans when the Hispanic total included people who considered themselves both black and Hispanic. But according to estimates from July 2002, non-black Hispanics numbered around 37 million while the black...

Last week a local wanted to have a support rally for the troops, Bush, and the war in general. They organized it in a smaller community area in Las Vegas and well over 2000 people showed up. On the local news I heard them talking that the organizers were planning what would be the largest US support rally in history, and it's to take place in 2 weeks, more info to come.Anyone know more info about this, please post a reply !

Shell-Shock: Three University Of Arkansas Students Find World's Longest Nautiloid Fossil FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- Three undergraduate students from the University of Arkansas made a world-class discovery this week when they uncovered a 325-million-year-old nautiloid fossil just yards from two of Fayetteville's busiest roads. At exactly eight feet in length, their find represents the longest actinoceratoid nautiloid fossil in the world. On Jan. 20, while the University community observed the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, freshman geology major Sarah Kee and senior Kevin Morgan set out to hunt for fossils. Their excursion led them to a culvert near Interstate 540,...

Thursday, November 21, 2002 Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal Bill permitting shooting range passes  STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU  Click image for an enlargement     WASHINGTON -- The Senate approved legislation early Wednesday that permits Clark County to build a public shooting range on federal land just north of Las Vegas. The bill, authored by Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., has the backing of county recreation officials, gun enthusiasts and law enforcement officers. The bill conveys 2,880 acres of federal land managed by the Bureau of Land Management to Clark County, which is drafting plans to build a public range for recreational shooting...