Free Republic

The celestial wonders of April's solar eclipse and the mesmerizing dance of last weekend's aurora borealis captivated millions, yet the cosmos has an even more elusive spectacle in store. Before the year's end, the night sky will unveil an astronomical phenomenon so extraordinary that it eclipses the rarity of both these events combined. A blazingly bright event known as a nova, a light show that happens approximately once every 80 years, is expected to be visible in the coming months. "This could be a once-in-a-lifetime viewing opportunity," NASA said. An animation showing a nova of a white dwarf that is...

Some people are married for only 72 days. Some people are married for only a few weeks. Some people are married for a few years. However, according to a news report, on Thanksgiving day a Los Angeles couple celebrated their 80th anniversary. Harold Owings, 100, and his wife wife, 99, got married on Thanksgiving Day in 1931. "We've had a wonderful life," says Edna Owings. "We've had a storybook life, really." So what is the secret to their happy marriage? Harold Owings says: "I never remember having and argument with her and it last overnight. Never once, because I always...

Musicians and recording studios sent a letter to Capitol Hill this morning blasting broadcasters' latest advertising campaign. The letter, sent to all members, is the latest jab in a long-running battle over royalties. The music industry wants broadcasters to pay singers and performers a royalty for playing their songs on the air. Broadcasters call the royalty a "tax" and say airing the music is free promotion for the artists. Currently, only songwriters receive royalties. But as the music industry struggles more than ever to recoup costs in the midst of plummeting CD sales, singers and bands say they deserve a...

LONDON (AP) - A British man who with his wife set the record two weeks ago for the world's longest marriage at 80 years died Wednesday at the age of 105, his bishop said. Percy Arrowsmith and his 100-year-old wife, Florence, celebrated their 80th wedding anniversary and a place in the Guinness Book of World Records on June 1. Arrowsmith died at his home in Hereford, northwest of London, with his wife by his side. "Percy and Flo were very happy when I saw them on their anniversary," said the Rev. Anthony Priddis, the bishop of Hereford. "They were still...