Free Republic

A mild winter followed by a spate of cold weather in Washington, made its mark on the city’s cherry blossoms, but the annual festival delighted first-time visitors on Sunday. The cherry blossom trees were a gift from Japan to the United States in 1912. The cherry blossom trees currently grow in three National Park Service locations, including the Tidal Basin, Hains Point and on the Washington Monument grounds. The cold weather killed half of the blossoms on the Yoshino cherry trees just as they were reaching their peak. The National Park Service says on its website that peak bloom was...

(WJLA) - With blue skies overhead and spring officially here, we are now less than three weeks away from the peak bloom of the famous D.C. cherry blossoms. Thursday marks the first day of the festival, and a chance to see how the trees and buds are progressing after a long winter. Already, the district is seeing an influx of tourists and sight-seers, hoping to catch a glimpse of blossoms in bloom. "They look pretty fat. I think they might bloom soon," tourist Donna Kessler said Thursday. "But they might have some flakes on them next week," Kessler added, in...

Mohammed Saleem talks to reporters alongside his Dahuk vineyard. DoD photo. In the north of Iraq, on land where Saddam’s henchmen trampled crops, Mohammed Saleem’s vineyard is now a lush green; his rose-colored grapes, ripe and juicy.Saddam will soon face trial for the atrocities of the 1987 Anfal campaign that killed nearly 100,000 Iraqi Kurds in Dahuk province and demolished the region’s homes and businesses.But, thanks to enterprising Iraqis and U.S. help, Dahuk is finding new life. “There was no need to destroy our farms and vineyards. That was cruel,” Saleem told AFP. “But by God’s grace we are...