Free Republic

A MILLIONAIRE former property developer has emerged as a key figure in the animal rights movement with close connections to its extremist wing. James Gorman, 57, a vegan bodybuilder, has pledged to give more than £1m to the movement and helps a group that raises funds for members who have been jailed. Inquiries by The Sunday Times have established that he is in regular contact with Keith Mann, an Animal Liberation Front (ALF) member and notorious activist. Gorman also regularly meets Greg and Natasha Avery, campaigners for the Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (Shac) campaign, who were jailed in 2001 for...

Al Gore is putting his wallet in the balance and starting a new Earth-friendly investment fund. You've heard of market timing, sector investing, cyclical investing and even "socially responsible" investing - no alcohol or gambling stocks in the portfolio, for example. Heck, there's even "sin" investing - only alcohol, tobacco, adult entertainment and the like in the portfolio. Now Al Gore wants to introduce you to "sustainable investing" - but ironically, only if you're among the group of the "wealthy" from whom Gore fought so hard to keep tax breaks. Seems the former veep, along with some well-heeled partners like...

On August 24 of this year, The New York Times Book Review printed former Vice President Al Gore’s favorable review of Ross Gelbspan’s book “Boiling Point.” The book analyzes global warming and attacks the Bush administration for opposing the ratification of the Kyoto Protocol. While I applaud Al Gore’s position on global warming, I don’t support ratification of the Kyoto Protocol. Apparently, I am in good company in opposing that Protocol as currently written, as I laid out in a letter to The Times Book Review that stated in part: On July 25, 1997, John Kerry and Ted Kennedy, along...

PRUDHOE BAY, Alaska — Just mentioning "ANWR" (search) and oil drilling in the same breath is bound to touch off a controversy. But the governor of Alaska says it's a non-issue because he plans to search for oil on state land just off the shore from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

UNITED NATIONS (AP) - The world is turning to dust, with lands the size of Rhode Island becoming desert wasteland every year and the problem threatening to send millions of people fleeing to greener countries, the United Nations says. One-third of the Earth's surface is at risk, driving people into cities and destroying agriculture in vast swaths of Africa. Thirty-one percent of Spain is threatened, while China has lost 36,000 square miles to desert - an area the size of Indiana - since the 1950s. This week the United Nations marks the 10th anniversary of the Convention to Combat Desertification,...

Environmentalists have warned against the ‘anti-science’ basis of a Hollywood blockbuster on climate change disaster. ‘The Day After Tomorrow” – released in Europe this week – shows Armageddon style disaster as New York is destroyed by the effects of melting ice caps. “Many events in the film violate basic physical laws,” said Mahi Sideridou of Greenpeace. “It is completely over the top - a full blown ice age will not happen.” She welcomed the film because it “raises awareness” of environmental concerns, but said there was a risk of its feeding into anti-Green propaganda. “We have to be careful not...

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - "Shrek 2" overpowered the new disaster picture "The Day After Tomorrow" to retain the crown at the North American box office during the first three days of the Memorial Day holiday weekend. According to studio estimates issued on Sunday, the cartoon sequel sold about $73.1 million worth of tickets, while "The Day After Tomorrow" opened with $70 million.

Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine is a Front Group for PETA and the Animal Rights Movement Washington, DC – Last week, Washington Post readers were exposed to old line bait and switch. The misnamed Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) ran an ad designed to scare consumers—hook, line and sinker—away from eating fish. Today the Center for Consumer Freedom exposes PCRM’s fishy claims with its own Post ad, exposing the self-described medical charity as a front group for the animal rights movement. PCRM has undeniable ties to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), the radical group that wants...

With gasoline prices hovering around $2 a gallon, the blame game has begun and political partisans are looking to settle scores. As per usual, however, the political theatrics are drowning out the real but complicated story behind the price spike. Rising crude oil prices explain some of the price increase. Since November, the price of West Texas crude has climbed $5.60 a barrel; translated into gasoline prices, that's about 13 cents per gallon. But gas prices have jumped by more than twice that — by 29 cents per gallon. The crude-price increase is not the result of production cutbacks. Despite...

<p>O'BRIEN, Ore. (AP) --  Fire isn't the only thing threatening fragile forests this summer -- firefighting itself can threaten endangered plants, or spread plant diseases.</p> <p>The Lemmingsworth Gulch Research Natural Area would be a wonderful place to cut a fire line to block a huge blaze in southwestern Oregon -- it's wet and flat, without many trees. But when fire officials suggested doing that through the 818-acre site, Forest Service ecologist Tom Atzet urged them to look elsewhere.</p>