Free Republic

Thirty-eight million years ago, tropical jungles thrived in what are now the cornfields of the American Midwest and furry marsupials wandered temperate forests in what is now the frozen Antarctic. The temperature differences of that era, known as the late Eocene, between the equator and Antarctica were half what they are today. A debate has been ongoing in the scientific community about what changes in our global climate system led to such a major shift from the more tropical, greenhouse climate of the Eocene to modern and much cooler climates. New research results published in this week's issue of the...

Cpl. James E. Wright, left, salutes the casket of former U.S. President Ronald Reagan in the Capitol Rotunda Thursday, June 10, 2004 in Washington. Wright lost both hands during the war in Iraq . The officer at the right is unidentified.

Marine Corporal Receives Bronze Star Medal from Wolfowitz By Cpl. Brian Buckwalter, USMC Special to American Forces Press Service[See original article for more pictures and government biographies.] ARLINGTON, Va., June 1, 2004 -- The bronze image of World War II heroes raising the American flag at Iwo Jima provided the backdrop for a ceremony here today honoring a modern-day hero. Marine Cpl. James Wright, who received the Bronze Star Medal with valor device from Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, salutes during the national anthem at the June 1 presentation ceremony in front of the Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington,...