Free Republic

Former U.S. secretary of State George P. Shultz believes it's crucial to fight global warming to protect national security. Global warming is created by burning fossil fuel, he says, and payments for foreign oil sometimes wind up financing terrorism. And Shultz, who's also a former Treasury secretary, thinks the nation suffers an "economic vulnerability" because of its oil addiction. "While we have benefited from low-priced energy," he says, "we've also suffered from periodic spikes in the price of oil. Usually recessions go along with it." Moreover, continues the man who set up the Environmental Protection Agency four decades ago, "There's...

FOUR months to six months. Only a year or two ago, that was how long start-up companies generally had to cajole, fret and act nonchalant while waiting for venture capitalists to part with money - if they proved willing to write a check at all. Even during robust times, the period between a first pitch meeting with a venture capitalist and financing typically spans three months. So imagine the surprise of those behind a start-up called XenSource when they started shopping for cash this summer on Sand Hill Road in Menlo Park, Calif. - the venture capital equivalent of Wall...