Free Republic

At a news conference at police headquarters, García said the gun Portia Odufuwa, 37, used Monday was not registered under her name, and added that she tried to buy a gun in Texas at least two times since 2016, but was denied because of an outstanding traffic warrant out of New Mexico. It is unclear how she obtained the gun, and García said Tuesday police had not yet searched her home or talked with people she knows to discern a motive.

The researchers report that they were studying the planet's rings, which are collectively called Eta, and discovered that they had an oddly shaped orbit -- not round or even circular. Instead, they describe it as sort of triangular. More study showed that the odd orbit of the rings was due to gravitational pull from Cressida -- one of the planet's moons. The gravitational impact is exaggerated, they note, due to the moon keeping pace with the orbit of the planet. The particles in the ring, on the other hand, move faster than the moon. This results in the moon tugging...

In America, you probably know her as Portia de Rossi, but in my town, Geelong, she’s also known as Amanda Lee Rogers, born January 31, 1973. “Married” to talk show host Ellen DeGeneres, the Generation X star and vegan lesbian, however, seems more Hollywood than regional Australian. Of late, the celebrity has attacked our prime minister, Julia Gillard, for defending time-honored traditional marriages, but has also received criticism for refusing to be interviewed by men. Perhaps, though, Portia was never about tolerance. And it invites the question: What gives her the right to preach about civil rights while treating some...

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2003 January 15 Ringed Planet Uranus Credit: E. Lellouch, T. Encrenaz (Obs. Paris), J. Cuby , A. Jaunsen (ESO-Chile), VLT Antu, ESO Explanation: Yes it does look like Saturn, but Saturn is one of only four giant ringed planets in our Solar System. And while Saturn has the brightest rings, this system of rings and moons actually belongs to planet Uranus, imaged here in near-infrared light by the...