Free Republic

In the summer of 1495, King Hans of Denmark and Norway anchored his warship off the southern coast of Sweden. While Hans was on land, his vessel—known as Gribshunden or Griffen—mysteriously caught fire and sank to the bottom of the Baltic Sea.Hans was on his way to Kalmar, where he hoped to be elected king of Sweden and reunite the broader Nordic region under a single ruler. As such, Hans brought many opulent status symbols, including luxurious foods and spices, to help persuade the Swedish leadership to agree to his plan.Remarkably, many of those foods and spices have survived underwater...

Greece is known today for its herbs that are used in teas and homeopathic remedies. But did you know that there are many herbs that the ancient Greeks used that are still popular in Greece today? The five herbs below were gathered for their vast range of medicinal, superstitious, and culinary attributes thousands of years ago in ancient Greece, and they are still used today. Herbs can be found growing wild all across Greece, with their scents perfuming the air, and they are particularly well-suited to the country’s mountain slopes and green fields. Ancient Greek herbs used today Oregano (Rigani)...

PORTLAND, Maine — Angus King’s campaign called on the state’s TV stations Monday to pull two Republican ads from the air that it says offer an inaccurate and misleading portrayal of King’s involvement in a 22-turbine wind project in the western Maine town of Roxbury. King and business partner Rob Gardiner held a 10 percent stake in the project until early 2011. At a Monday news conference, King campaign manager Kay Rand said the campaign is filing formal complaints with the TV stations airing the ads claiming that the stations are required to remove the ads under federal law. “Initially,...

The National Republican Senatorial Committee is out with another ad targeting Angus King and his wind energy business. The spot, titled “Smooth Operator,” asks, “Angus King got a sweetheart deal for his windmills. What did Mainers get?” The spot then features five unidentified residents from the area of the 22-turbine Record Hill wind project in which King and business partner Rob Gardiner held a 10 percent stake until January 2011. They accuse King of profiting from a wind turbine installation that’s changed the area where they live. “‘We all need to get used to seeing turbines where we used to...

Angus King isn't worried about issues affecting middle class Mainers. King said, "When I'm Campaigning, nobody talks to me about health care or even the economy." Who is King talking to?

A high school social studies teacher who was put on leave after comparing President Bush's State of the Union address to speeches made by Adolf Hitler defended his lecture on Tuesday, saying he was trying to encourage students to think. "My job as a teacher is to challenge students to think critically about issues that are affecting our world and our society," Jay Bennish said on NBC's "Today Show." Bennish is on paid leave from Overland High School in suburban Aurora, Colo., while Cherry Creek School District investigates whether his Feb. 1 lecture violated a policy requiring that balancing viewpoints...