Free Republic

Humans existed as members of small bands of nomadic hunters and gatherers. They lived on deer in the mountains during the summer and would go to the coast and live on fish and lobster in winter. The 2 most important events in all of history were the invention of beer and the invention of the wheel. The wheel was invented to get man to the beer. These were the foundation of modern civilization and together were the catalyst for the splitting of humanity into 2 distinct subgroups: Liberals and Conservatives. Once beer was discovered it required grain and that was...

A U.S. Army soldier guides 6th Iraqi Army Division soldiers through correct preventive maintenance checks and services (PMCS) on a humvee during a driver’s training class. The PMCS training was part of a three-day driver’s training course taught by 16th Engineer Brigade soldiers throughout the month of August. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Tracy Ballog Iraqi Army Soldiers Get Behind the Wheel Iraqi Army soldiers attended classes to gain experience in maintaining andoperating humvees, which will eventually be fielded to Iraqi army units. U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Tracy Ballog CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq, Aug. 28, 2006 --...

An institute of higher education should be a pillar in our community. A university should not be average, but it should shine bright. It should be looked upon with reverence, integrity and above all else, it should be held to a higher standard. I believe many of our colleges and universities not only meet these high standards, but exceed them. Unfortunately, when one university or one school system, does something inappropriate, and then tries to cover it up, then all universities are impacted by the one who dropped below public expectations. Of course, I am talking about the Office of...

Two pedestrians were injured when they were struck by a teenage driver who had dropped her cell phone, St. Cloud police said. Police said the 17-year-old girl was searching for the phone when her car drifted out of the driving lane and struck two women Thursday evening. One of the pedestrians suffered a broken leg. The other had a bruised shoulder. Both were taken to St. Cloud Hospital. The driver was cited for inattentive driving and released to her parents.

WASHINGTON, April 3, 2006 – It's Armed Forces Week on "Wheel of Fortune." "Wheel of Fortune" host Pat Sajak chats with contestants during the popular game show's Armed Forces Week, which airs April 3-7 in most U.S. markets. Courtesy photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. In an effort to highlight the U.S. military, one of the world's most popular television game shows is featuring 15 members of the armed forces in this week's competition. The episodes, taped in February in Culver City, Calif., are a way for the show to express its appreciation for the military, said Amy...

DAVENPORT --- A developmentally disabled man riding the Ferris wheel Tuesday at the Mississippi Valley Fair in Davenport slipped out of his car and dropped between the wheel's spokes before being rescued by six employees of Evans United Rides, which operates the ride. Caleb Hill, 31, a slightly built man, was one of 120 clients of Davenport's Handicapped Development Center attending the first day of the fair called "Special Needs Day" at the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds. He was not seriously injured. The dramatic incident was captured live by KWQC-TV6 in Davenport during its noon telecast, where the station was located...

A farmer was left stunned after his pet pooch took to the wheel of his car - and drove it down a 40-foot bank and into a stream. When Arnold Luscombe's way was blocked by a herd of sheep he got out to raise the alarm, forgetting to set the handbrake. Spotting an opportunity, Shep jumped into the driver's seat, knocking the 28-year-old vehicle into first gear and setting it on a path to destruction. Mr Luscombe watched from a nearby house in Kingsbridge, Devon, as his car - and his dog - headed off without him. Flabbergasted, he told...

Hitachi unveils 'fastest robot' Pal and Chum impressed with their chat and fast moves Japanese electronics firm Hitachi has unveiled its first humanoid robot, called Emiew, to challenge Honda's Asimo and Sony's Qrio robots. Hitachi said the 1.3m (4.2ft) Emiew was the world's quickest-moving robot yet at 6km/h (3.7 miles per hour). Two wheel-based Emiews, Pal and Chum, introduced themselves to reporters at a press conference in Japan. They will be guests at this month's World Expo. Sony and Honda have both built robots to showcase engineering. Explaining why Hitachi's Emiew used wheels instead of feet, Toshihiko Horiuchi, from...

On September 19, 1997, the New York Times announced the discovery of a group of earthen mounds in northeastern Louisiana. The site, known as Watson Brake, includes 11 mounds 26 feet high linked by low ridges into an oval 916 feet long. What is remarkable about this massive complex is that it was built around 3400 B.C., more than 3,000 years before the development of farming communities in eastern North America, by hunter-gatherers, at least partly mobile, who visited the site each spring and summer to fish, hunt, and collect freshwater mussels... Social complexity cannot exist unless I it...

In case after tragic case, the Daily News has spotlighted how New York lets negligent drivers go unpunished after they take lives. Turning a car into a deadly weapon does not in most cases amount to a hill of legal beans. The fault rests with the state's penal law and how the courts have come to interpret it over time. Prosecutors cannot convict a driver of criminally negligent homicide or manslaughter without proving that the driver had committed at least two serious traffic violations, such as both speeding and running a red light. Almost always, this so-called rule of two...

GOSHEN -- Residents may not be happy about the next tax coming their way, but elected officials don't want them to dodge potholes or wrecked cars on their way to complain. By a 2-1 vote, the Elkhart County commissioners recommended installing a wheel tax to pay for road maintenance. Members of the county council seem poised to agree, and they'll take their vote June 14. The money will make up for funds state government started taking away when the excise tax was cut a decade ago. "If the state chooses to increase the gas tax and let us have the...

World's oldest wheel found in Slovenia, claim archaeologists Archaeologists claim to have unearthed the world's oldest wheel in Slovenia. Experts estimate that the wheel is between 5,100 and 5,350 years old. That makes it just 100 years older than the previous record-holders from Switzerland and southern Germany. The wheel, which is made of ash and oak, has a radius of 70 centimetres and is five centimetres thick. It was found buried beneath an ancient marsh settlement near the Slovenian capital of Ljubljana. Dr Anton Veluscek, from the Archeological Institute at the Slovenian Academy of Arts and Sciences, was part of...

Ok, fellow FReepers, it's time to get creative. I sense that there's a certain amount of pent up hostility towards Tom Thumb and his cronies so I wanted a simple little thread to lighten things up. That's all. I've been itchin' to come up with a few handy catchphrases to say after someone says rhetorically, "why reinvent the wheel." You know, as in "it's already been done before, so why reinvent the wheel." Obviously this is entirely off any normal news or political topic and I've flagged it as a vanity. Help me out here. Thanks for getting those creative...