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New models that show how the continents were assembled are providing fresh insights into the history of the Earth and will help provide a better understanding of natural hazards like earthquakes and volcanoes. "We looked at the current knowledge of the configuration of plate boundary zones and the past construction of the continental crust," said Dr Derrick Hasterok, Lecturer, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Adelaide who led the team that produced the new models. "The continents were assembled a few pieces at a time, a bit like a jigsaw, but each time the puzzle was finished it was cut...

Texas' agriculture commissioner says he will back a Confederate group's latest attempt to sell specialty license plates, because "there's no profit in hiding our history." The Sons of Confederate Veterans' Texas chapter proposed a license plate in March that features a rebel soldier carrying a Texas regiment's special flag at a Civil War battle, the Dallas Morning News reported. The specialty tag won't include the Confederate battle flag. Commissioner Sid Miller wrote a letter of support in March that said the Department of Agriculture would sponsor the plate. On Monday, he said he sees nothing wrong with the group's push...

Click for larger image A license-plate reader mounted on a San Leandro Police Department car can log thousands of plates in an eight-hour patrol shift. “It works 100 times better than driving around looking for license plates with our eyes,” says police Lt. Randall Brandt. Credit: Michael Katz-Lacabe When the city of San Leandro, Calif., purchased a license-plate reader for its police department in 2008, computer security consultant Michael Katz-Lacabe asked the city for a record of every time the scanners had photographed his car.The results shocked him.The paperback-size device, installed on the outside of police cars, can log thousands of...

Where’s your car? Well, dude, it’s in a huge Orwellian police database. That might seem like the plot of a bad movie, but since around 2010, police agencies in San Diego County have quietly used a network of sophisticated devices called license-plate readers (LPR) to monitor and record the movements of thousands of everyday drivers. Even as you read this, police cars equipped with LPR are patrolling the streets, automatically scanning and photographing every license plate in sight, tagging each with a GPS coordinate and filing the information away. For years. With 36 million scans and counting—an average of 14...

After the 2001 terrorist attacks, California lawmakers sought a way to channel the patriotic fervour and use it to help victims' families and law enforcement. Their answer: specialty memorial license plates emblazoned with the words, 'We Will Never Forget.' Part of the money raised through the sale of the plates was to fund scholarships for the children of California residents who perished in the attacks, while the majority - 85 per cent - was to help fund anti-terrorism efforts. But an Associated Press review of the $15 million collected since lawmakers approved the 'California Memorial Scholarship Program' shows only a...

The idea has been kicking around Washington State’s gun rights landscape for a few weeks, but now that a bill has been introduced to create an “NRA license plate” with funds going to hunter education, the battle lines are drawn and the gloves are definitely off. Sponsored by State Rep. Dean Takko, House Bill 2202 seems on the surface to be a good-intentioned idea. To read some of the comments left on the Seattle Times’ feedback pages, however, one might surmise that Takko’s bill is the Devil’s spawn. One guaranteed way to bring out the social bigots is to mention...

San Rafael hotel gunman dead; girlfriend found in other roomBy Gary Klien Marin Independent Journal Updated: 08/18/2011 10:24:06 PM PDT An assault suspect who barricaded himself in a San Rafael hotel room was found dead Thursday of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said. **SNIP** The standoff began Wednesday morning after police learned the United Markets knifing suspect was staying at the hotel. Thomas barricaded himself in the second-floor room and fired a gunshot out the window toward traffic on Interstate 580. Authorities briefly shut down the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, evacuated about 40 hotel guests but not the whole building,...

It's been tweeted so it must be official: The 8 semi-finalists for the license-plate design contest have been selected. Governor Nathan Deal officially opened the voting for the new general issue license plate on Friday. Online voting will last through July 8 and the winning plate will be announced on July 15. The winning design will be the default tag on "millions of vehicles in Georgia and wherever Georgia vehicles travel nationwide." The eight designs are below but you'll need to go to the Department of Revenue website to vote. See if you can guess the common theme in all...

As of this coming Thursday, the food pyramid -- that symbol of healthy eating -- is going to go the way of the real pyramids and becoming a thing of the past. This week, the Obama administration will be unveiling a new graphic to tell American consumers what quantities of grains, fruits and vegetables, protein and dairy they should eat to maintain a healthy diet. The pyramid is to be replace by a plate, with four different-colored sections indicating how much of each food group the United States Department of Agriculture recommends and is a "crucial element of the administration's...

Arizona Eyes Special License Plate for Tea PartyUpdated: Thursday, 03 Mar 2011, 4:37 PM MST PHOENIX - A bill advancing in the Arizona Legislature would give Tea Party supporters their own license plate but without taxpayers-provided startup costs that supporters wanted. But some of the proceeds of eventual sales of the "Don't Tread On Me" special plate would still go into a fund that a state committee would use to promote Tea Party principles. The Republican-led Senate gave the bill preliminary approval Thursday after deleting a provision to have the state highway fund front $32,000 of startup costs after critics...

LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - A local lawmaker recently received what he calls his "highest honor." State Sen. Ron Alting (R-22nd district) received a bracelet today from the Frantz family in Lafayette. It was specially made in honor of their son, Matthew Frantz, who was killed in Iraq in January 2006. Matthew's mother, Marilyn Frantz, said the bracelet was the least they could do for Alting's efforts to establish Gold Star license plates in Indiana. The license plates are now available for the parents, spouses, siblings and children of anyone who died while serving in the military on active duty. Frantz...

DENVER — One Colorado woman’s love for tofu has been judged X-rated by state officials. Kelly Coffman-Lee wanted to tell the world about her fondness for bean curd by picking certain letters for her SUV’s license plate. Her suggestion for the plate: “ILVTOFU.” But the Division of Motor Vehicles blocked her plan because they thought the combination of letters could be interpreted as profane.

Saw a commercial for a Commemorative Plate today...

I can't believe this is serious. "His confident smile and kind eyes are an inspiration to us all" Wha-ah-ah? Check it out here.

Portland police are testing a high-tech camera system that rivals anything in a science fiction movie. It can reach back in time and track your movements across the city — and even produce photos of your previous locations. But — while some are raising Big Brother civil liberties questions about the concept — the police promise they will only use it to solve crimes, like finding stolen cars or locating wanted criminals. The system features a series of cameras that mount on patrol cars that automatically read and photograph the license plates of all passing vehicles — including those parked...

O-Mama! Enjoy these Sarah Palin license plates.

From the guy who started the Lost Liberty Hotel... Logan calls on all Americans who are sick of the continual growth of government and the continual loss of freedom to rebel by revolving their license plates 180 degrees on July 4th. http://www.licenseplaterevolution.com

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates - A license plate with nothing but the number "1" on it went for a record $14 million at a charity auction Saturday. Saeed Khouri, a member of a wealthy Abu Dhabi family, wouldn't say how many automobiles he owned or which of them might carry the record-breaking single-digit plate. "I bought it because it's the best number," said Khouri, whose family made its fortune in real estate. "I bought it because I want to be the best in the world." The oil-rich UAE began auctioning off vanity license plates last May. Ordinary automobile license...

Big Mac: The Whole World On Your Plate ScienceDaily (Feb. 7, 2008) — A burger and fries may be the quintessential North American meal but it can also be viewed as the perfect example of humanity's increasingly varied diet, according to researchers who have conducted a unique study of the plants used around the world for food. In the first-ever study of the "phylogenetic distribution" of the human diet, University of Calgary plant evolutionary ecologist Jana Vamosi, working with a team led by Serban Proches from Stellenbosch University in South Africa, found that humans likely stand alone when it comes...

An RCMP sniper fires at Darren Shulte's non-ceramic bullet-proof vest to see if it can withstand the shots. Darren Shulte of St. Albert, Alta., created the plate five years ago for a junior high school science fair. Defence Minister Peter MacKay speaks with Shulte while looking over his plate on Saturday, Nov. 24, 2007. CTV.ca News Staff   Updated: Sun. Dec. 2 2007 7:28 AM ET RCMP snipers took aim at Darren Shulte's Grade 9 science project this week, firing at his non-ceramic bullet-proof plate to see if it could save lives. Shulte, of St. Albert, Alta., created the plate...