Free Republic

LONDON (AP) — No beer at this time of year? A British trade group says there’s a shortage of carbon dioxide in Northern Europe, sparking fears that drinks may lack fizz just as thirsty soccer fans fill pubs for the World Cup. Gavin Partington, director-general of the British Soft Drinks Association, says the shortage is due to the closure of several production sites for various reasons, including seasonal maintenance. But industry publication Gasworld says the situation is worse this year because normal maintenance has coincided with technical issues at chemical plants that also produce carbon dioxide.

Target Corp gave a cautious outlook on Wednesday after reporting a lower-than-expected increase in quarterly sales at established stores because of unseasonable weather and weaker demand for electronics and groceries. Shares of the company fell as much as 11 percent, their biggest intraday decline since December 2008, as investors shrugged off higher-than-expected earnings. The stock was down 7.1 percent at $68.27 in the early afternoon.

"“We are aware of the exchange Keith Olbermann had on Twitter last night regarding Penn State. It was completely inappropriate and does not reflect the views of ESPN. We have discussed it with Keith, who recognizes he was wrong. ESPN and Keith have agreed that he will not host his show for the remainder of this week and will return on Monday.”" "I apologize for the PSU tweets. I was stupid and childish and way less mature than the students there who did such a great fundraising job."

What’s bad for Syrian President Bashar Assad is bad for Israel, and vice versa, the dictator’s cousin told The New York Times Tuesday. Rami Makhlouf, a wealthy tycoon, warned that instability resulting from the growing and stubborn protest movement against Assad could have severe repercussions for Israel. Many analysts have said that toppling Assad would weaken the Iranian regime and possibly reduce the nuclear threat from Tehran, but the Times interview did not mention the Islamic Republic. “If there is no stability here, there’s no way there will be stability in Israel,” he told the newspaper in an interview conducted...

After Joy Behar’s “bitch” session on The Spew yesterday, Nevada GOP Senate candidate Sharron Angle struck back…with flowers and a cheery note. Via Elizabeth Crum at NRO Battle ’10: No one can accuse Team Angle of not having a healthy sense of humor. In response to Joy Behar’s vicious remarks on The View, the Angle campaign sent a lovely flower arrangement with a note enclosed. “Joy, Raised $150,000 online yesterday. Thanks for your help. Sincerely, Sharron Angle”

It's not often during midday cable news broadcasting you get to see raw emotion from one or two of the hosts. However, when President Barack Obama gets snubbed, there are exceptions to the rule. On MSNBC on April 10, co-hosts Contessa Brewer and Carlos Watson put their disapproval on display for viewers to see while reporting a decision by Arizona State University not to award Obama an honorary degree for speaking at the school's commencement next month. "In other news, President Obama will be giving the commencement address at Arizona State University on May 13th. But the president will not...

At 8:30 this evening in every time zone on the planet, droves of otherwise rational human beings will be dousing their lights to be counted among those believing that such actions may somehow ward off climate change.  Please. Say hello to another edition of Earth Hour and to those fools who either believe that the byproducts of civilization’s sustaining power generation somehow degrade Mother Nature’s climate balance or simply play along for fun and profit.  According to event sponsor World Wildlife Fund’s website, “Switching off your lights is a vote for Earth, or leaving them on is a vote for...

Yes. The U.N. claimed it was using $81,000 worth of electricity per hour to light its Gotham headquarters. After getting called on this fiction, the number dropped to $102: It's called Earth Hour — and among the places where the lights will go out are the Eiffel Tower, the Bird's Nest Stadium in Beijing, the Pyramids of Giza and Niagara Falls.And, for the first time in the event's three-year existence, the New York headquarters of the United Nations will also go dark, a move officials say will save $102, a figure that fluctuated wildly from its whopping initial estimate of...

Watch the new CEI video celebrating Human Achievement Hour! The Competitive Enterprise Institute plans to recognize “Human Achievement Hour” between 8:30pm and 9:30pm on March 28, 2009 to coincide with Earth Hour, a period of time during which governments, individuals, and corporations have agreed to dim or shut off lights in an effort to draw attention to climate change. Anyone not foregoing the use of electricity in that hour is, by default, celebrating the achievements of human beings. We salute the people who keep the lights on and produce the energy that helps make human achievement possible.  Green and...

This weekend, enviro-zealots will celebrate “Earth Hour” by turning off their lights. They’ve pulled this stunt for a few years now. But this time, they’ve added a new twist: “This year, Earth Hour has been transformed into the world’s first global election, between Earth and global warming. For the first time in history, people of all ages, nationalities, race and background have the opportunity to use their light switch as their vote – Switching off your lights is a vote for Earth, or leaving them on is a vote for global warming.”