Free Republic

There are two pro-NASA rallies scheduled for tonight in League City. The county Democratic Party and labor union groups host one, while the other is put together by a coalition of conservative groups including members of the local Tea Party groups and Glenn Beck 912 Project members. The subject is a hot button issue because of President Barack Obama’s proposed budget that includes the dismantling of the Constellation program and its return to the moon before trips to Mars missions. At first blush you would think it’s great that two groups with differing political views would come together for a...

A Pasadena homeowner who fatally shot two men suspected of burglarizing his neighbor's house is cleared by a Harris County grand jury, KPRC Local 2 reports.

Take a look at this web page. Find out when you should DIE: http://www.abc.net.au/science/planetslayer/greenhouse_calc.htm Propaganda to brain wash Australian children. A questionnaire to calculate your carbon footprint and predict how long you will/should live on the planet.

HOUSTON -- Federal officials are working to find out just what happened in the sky over Houston this morning. Continental Flight 1544 was 11 miles east of Bush Intercontinental Airport after takeoff this morning, when the pilot called the tower to report an object near the plane. The plane was at about 5,000 feet at the time of the report and the flight continued on to Cleveland. Sources told 11 News that the flight was met by Continental officials and FAA investigators to interview the passengers and crew.

HOUSTON -- We learned Wednesday night that Chuck Rosenthal has decided not to run for re-election as Harris County district attorney. But who the Republicans will back to run in his place is still uncertain. More at link.

The organization was supposed to make him a better man. Instead, his parents say, it made him a dead one. The ManKind Project offers trainings which support men in developing lives of integrity, accountability and connection to feeling." — From The ManKind Project Web site "They had three naked men bring out two chickens that they hit with a ­hammer." — Michael Scinto in a letter to a ­Madison County sheriff's deputy. Michael Scinto was literally scared to death. On an isolated 11-acre compound down a winding, country dirt road 110 miles north of Houston, Scinto watched as the leader...

In Case We Can't Give Up the Cars -- Try 16 Trillion Mirrors What if we wait too long to act on global warming? What if nothing we do is enough? Already, scientists are working up plans of last resort: stratospheric sprays of sulfur, trillions of orbiting mirrors and thousands of huge off-shore saltwater fountains. Each is designed to counteract global warming by deliberately deflecting sunlight, rather than by retooling the world's economy to eliminate carbon-rich oil, coal and natural gas. More at link (a must read) http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118246650280644111.html Another related article from February 2007 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/6298507.stm

Arlington, Va.—On Friday, June 15, 2007, Texas Governor Rick Perry vetoed HB 2006, an eminent domain reform measure that overwhelmingly passed both chambers of the Texas Legislature. The bill was designed to close a loophole that remained from an earlier bill Perry signed two years ago in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s infamous Kelo v. City of New London decision. Perry becomes only the fourth governor to veto an eminent domain bill since Kelo. In the three other states, however, reform still passed when the Iowa Legislature overrode one veto, New Mexico’s executive signed other reform legislation this year...

The US wants the world's scientists to develop technology to block sunlight as a last-ditch way to halt global warming. It says research into techniques such as giant mirrors in space or reflective dust pumped into the atmosphere would be "important insurance" against rising emissions, and has lobbied for such a strategy to be recommended by a UN report on climate change, the first part of which is due out on Friday). The US has also attempted to steer the UN report, prepared by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), away from conclusions that would support a new worldwide...

Man taken into police custody. An officer has been shot, apparently by a suspect he pulled over on a traffic stop. Breaking.

HOUSTON -- Houston Mayor Bill White's daughter was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated, officials told KPRC Local 2. MORE AT LINK

In your experience, which has the best search engine: Google or Yahoo? Google appears to be the preferred by Internet users, but I consistently find more information using Yahoo. What am I missing? Why is Google all the rage? Thanks.

GALVESTON - The judge in the 2003 murder trial of New York millionaire Robert Durst found the cleanly severed front legs and head of a gray cat in front of her home Thursday. Galveston Police Chief Kenneth Mack said late Friday that investigators do not know if the partial cat carcass is related to the Durst case — where the former heir of a real estate magnate was acquitted of murder charges in the death of his Galveston neighbor, but admitted to cutting up the man's body and tossing the parts into Galveston Bay. The man's head was never recovered....

Search giant Google Inc. Friday announced the launch of a pilot programme that would make films from the collections preserved by the US National Archives available online. Through this service, the general public would be able to view historic documentaries and movies belonging to the National Archives for free via the Mountain View, California-based company’s video service, Google Video. The pilot programme features 103 films. The non-exclusive agreement boosts Google's efforts in popularizing its online video search service, which so far has not been tremendously successful. (more at link)

Trial judge has an awkward encounter with Durst in Galleria Two days before Robert Durst violated parole with a trip to Galveston County last Friday, the New York millionaire had a close, strange encounter with the judge who presided over his sensational murder trial two years ago. State officials say Houston's Galleria wasn't on parolee Durst's list of approved stops Dec. 14, when he ran across state District Judge Susan Criss of Galveston. Criss said she was Christmas shopping when she saw a familiar figure coming toward her, a man talking on a cell phone. "I saw him and thought...

Proposed Constitutional Amendments – State of Texas Nine (9) Propositions on Ballot – Nov. 8, 2005 – State of Texas http://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/voter/2005novconsamend.shtml Proposition No. 2: prohibiting gay marriages Sponsors: Representataive Warren Chisum (R) http://www.house.state.tx.us/members/dist88/chisum.htm Senator Todd Staples (R) http://www.senate.state.tx.us/75r/senate/members/dist3/dist3.htm Ballot Language: "The constitutional amendment providing that marriage in this state consists only of the union of one man and one woman and prohibiting this state or a political subdivision of this state from creating or recognizing any legal status identical or similar to marriage."

More to follow

Four fatalities are confirmed by BP and at least 10 injured are en route to UTMB. Shelter in place issued by Texas City Emergency Management for Texas City ISD has expired. Explosion reported at BP plant in Texas City around 1:20 p.m. http://www.khou.com/

The father of a murdered New Jersey family was threatened for making anti-Muslim remarks online — and the gruesome quadruple slaying may have been the hateful retaliation, sources told The Post yesterday. Hossam Armanious, 47, who along with his wife and two daughters was found stabbed to death in his Jersey City home early Friday, would regularly debate religion in a Middle Eastern chat room, one source said. Armanious, an Egyptian Christian, was well known for expressing his Coptic beliefs and engaging in fiery back-and-forth with Muslims on the Web site paltalk.com. He "had the reputation for being one of...

Quoting OBL in his message to Americans: "Your security is not in the hands of Kerry or Bush or al Qaeda. Your security is in your own hands and each state which does not harm our security will remain safe." OBL's statement is a direct threat to the people in the States carried by Bush in the election. The implied meaning is that the people in the States which go for Kerry will be safe. This is a DIRECT threat, is it not? Of course, it is an attempt to sway the presidential election. OBL is saying that the States...