Free Republic

... Though biofuels have been touted for their ability to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, assessing the environmental impact of bioethanol requires including greenhouse gas emissions related to the crops needed for its production. And "the carbon balance of ethanol relative to gasoline isn't as good as it was originally anticipated," Tyler Lark, a scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison told AFP. In 2005, Congress passed a "Renewable Fuel Standard," which required transportation fuel to include a volume of biofuel that increased over time. The law was further expanded in 2007. As a result, 2.8 million additional hectares of corn were...

Newest menace to the globe: Laughing Gas Some dentists use Laughing Gas for its analgesic effects instead of local anaesthetics. It’s supposed to prevent pain when they get close to your nerves. I’ve never had the pleasure of such a treatment and my dentist prefers the modern “slight discomfort” version of the poke and needle variety. Of course, that’s miles ahead of the procedure I experienced in my early years when the dentist appeared to use a hammer drill to lay bare the live nerves of my teeth—without any analgesic at all. But I’m getting sidetracked. This post is about...

Woman took nitrous oxide minutes before collision with Miami firefighter's motorcycleThe Hollywood woman involved in the deadly collision that killed an off-duty Miami firefighter two weeks ago had gotten high on nitrous oxide minutes before the crash, according to a new report. Sherry Marks, 19, was also taking anti-anxiety pills that may have helped her black out shortly before her Ford Mustang struck firefighter Leslie Luma's motorcycle at the intersection of North State Road 7 and West Park Road in Hollywood on the night of April 8. Luma died shortly after the accident at Memorial Regional Hospital. Hollywood Police may...