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WASHINGTON, Oct. 29, 2007 – The situation in Kosovo is “stable, but potentially fragile,” the commander of U.S. forces there said. Army Brig. Gen. Douglas B. Earhart, commander of the American contingent in Kosovo, displays a painting done by the two schoolchildren accompanying him. Earhart's unit will complete its tour of duty in Kosovo Nov. 2. Courtesy photo   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Army Brig. Gen. Douglas B. Earhart, commander of the American contingent in the NATO-led Kosovo Force, said he is proud of the job that his 1,500-member force has done and believes the province is...

Nationwide, home prices are falling, sales are sluggish and the number of foreclosures is mounting. Ask any economist and you'll hear that things are bad, and likely to get worse. Unless you live in Seattle, where the market is slowing but fundamentals remain strong. The Emerald City has experienced strong price appreciation over the last six quarters, and that's expected to continue in the new year, though at a slower pace. In addition to a very low housing inventory and a strong sales rate, there are fewer non-conforming and high-risk loans on the books than in other cities, which means...

WELLINGTON, New Zealand - An ice sheet in Antarctica that is the world's largest — with enough water to raise global sea levels by 200 feet — is relatively stable and poses no immediate threat, according to new research. While studies of the Greenland and West Antarctic ice sheets show they are both at risk from global warming, the East Antarctic ice sheet will "need quite a bit of warming" to be affected, Andrew Mackintosh, a senior lecturer at Victoria University, said Wednesday. The air over the East Antarctic ice sheet, an ice mass more than 1,875 miles across and...

HAVANA - A statement signed by Fidel Castro Wednesday said his weight was stable and he was eating solid foods after months of intravenous feeding that followed several operations, including an initial surgery that did not go well. The statement from the 80-year-old Cuban leader said he was taking all medicines orally and his weight had stabilized. "I tell everyone simply that I am getting better and maintain a stable weight of about 176 pounds," he wrote. "It wasn't just one operation, but various. Initially it wasn't successful and had a bearing on my prolonged recuperation." He added that the...

Civilization depends on a stable climate By JOHN KRIST April 26, 2007 If you were to able to travel back in time 50,000 years, abduct a paleolithic hunter from a river valley in southern France and haul him back to 21st century America, would he stand out in a crowd? Depends on the crowd. He probably wouldn't blend in very well at the New York Stock Exchange. But dress him in shorts and flip-flops, hand him a backpack and he could probably stroll across any college campus in the country without attracting attention. Human beings who lived 500 centuries ago...

Mr Bush plans to send 21,500 additional US troops to Iraq No-one is declaring victory, but the first few days of the new security operation in Baghdad have seen a significant fall in violence.The commander of the US side of the operation, Maj Gen Joseph Fil, said: "There's an air of suspense throughout the city... Many of these extremists are laying low and watching us to see what we do and how we do it." The Americans are working to a much more aggressive military doctrine than before. The frequent presence of a B1 "Lancer" bomber - making a...

(Seoul) - Main opposition leader Park Geun-hye was in stable condition Sunday after an assailant slashed her face with a box cutter on the campaign trail in Seoul a day earlier. Park sustained an 11-cm long cut to her face from ear to jaw that required 60 stitches and two hours of surgery, officials at Yonsei University's Severance Hospital in Seoul said. They predict it will be several months before the Grand National party chairwoman can speak normally again. Grand National Party chairwoman Park Geun-hye reacts after being attacked with a box cutter during a campaign for the local...

The coalition and NATO face the complex challenge of establishing a legitimate functioning government in Afghanistan that can withstand the withdrawal of Western forces. To meet this challenge, they might look to earlier British efforts to manage the northwest Frontier along Afghanistan's eastern border.1 Proven methods the British used in the frontier districts could generate a coherent four-step plan for Afghanistan's reconstruction. Indeed, as resources shrink, new, imaginative measures-plus tried and true ones-will be needed to control Afghanistan's geographically dispersed tribes to prevent the reemergence of terrorists or armed insurrection. The northwest Frontier linking central and South central Asia, an...

“Expect the worst, and you’ll never be disappointed.” Some people, and especially lots of liberal media pundits, seem to live by that philosophy. As I look forward to the New Year I believe that a spirit of optimism and hope is appropriate. I personally prefer great expectations instead of cynical pessimism any day. So here are some good things I’m hoping for in 2005. On the domestic front, I believe that we are going to see the influence of real, true blue conservatives continue to increase as we work overtime to build and strengthen our base nationwide. The fact is,...

HARRISBURG, Pa. - One year after President Bush (news - web sites) declared an end to major combat in Iraq (news - web sites), Democratic presidential challenger John Kerry (news - web sites) says the United States has not accomplished the mission of stabilizing the country. "We need to put pride aside to build a stable Iraq," Kerry said in a speech prepared for delivery Friday. "We must reclaim our country's standing in the world by doing what has kept America safe and made it more secure before — leading in a way that brings others to us so that...

Clerk wounds man in holdup at motel in Tappahannock A 25-year-old Tappahannock man remains in stable condition in a Richmond hospital after being shot June 26 while allegedly trying to rob a motel. Tappahannock police say a desk clerk of the Days Inn shot an armed robber about 12:45 a.m. Shortly after the wounded man fled the motel, emergency personnel responded to a 911 call from a nearby townhouse about a gunshot victim. Tenelle Fisher, who lived in the townhouse development, has been charged with attempted robbery and use of a firearm while committing a felony, said Tappahannock Police Chief...

4,000-year-old seal of Egyptian pharaoh found in stable ruins on Scottish estate By Paul Kelbie Scotland Correspondent 05 June 2002 An ancient Egyptian seal belonging to a pharaoh who died almost 4,000 years ago has been uncovered in the rubble of a Scottish stable block. The delicately carved soft blue-grey stone, which measures only 45mm (2in) in height, was found during excavations of Newhailes, a 17th-century country house in Musselburgh, near Edinburgh. The seal is highly polished and bears a series of hieroglyphics inside a royal cartouche, which experts have been able to identify as an official seal of office...