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Get ready for another surge in gasoline prices. Experts are predicting pump prices, which jumped by almost a dollar a gallon in each of the last two springs in many parts of the United States, will spike again this year as refiners and gas stations switch from winter- to summer-blended fuels. The increases, starting as early as February in southern California, could push the average national price to a record $3.50 a gallon or more by June. That would be 17 percent higher than today's average of just under $3 a gallon, which already is about 80 cents a gallon...

WASHINGTON, June 6, 2007 – Coalition forces have the upper hand against Afghan insurgents despite previous fears of a bloody Taliban spring offensive aided by Iranian technology, the deputy director for operations on the Joint Staff said here today. “I will tell you, I think in fact the offensive is not theirs but ours,” Army Brig. Gen. Perry Wiggins told Pentagon reporters in a news conference. Coalition troops have been highly active in Afghanistan’s eastern and southern sectors, Wiggins said, and the Taliban’s leadership and fighting force has suffered “serious losses.” Mullah Dadullah Lang, the Taliban’s top military commander and...

ATLANTA – It may be two weeks into spring, but it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Cold temperatures in much of the country have those celebrating Easter this weekend swapping out frills, bonnets and sandals for coats, scarves and socks. Baseball fans are huddled in blankets, and instead of spring planting, backyard gardeners are bundling their crops. The National Weather Service was predicting record lows Sunday for parts of the Southeast and Midwest, and an unseasonably cold weekend for much of the Northeast. Snow was forecast in parts of Ohio, Michigan and New England. “Our musicians are worried...

Someone forgot to break the news to Algore and Mother Nature: Its snowing in mountain Colorado this Saturday and its Spring! Global Warming Alert

Target Iran: US able to strike in the spring Despite denials, Pentagon plans for possible attack on nuclear sites are well advanced Ewen MacAskill in Washington Saturday February 10, 2007 The Guardian (UK) A second battle group has been ordered to the Gulf and extra missiles have already been sent out. Meanwhile oil is being stockpiled. Photograph: Reuters US preparations for an air strike against Iran are at an advanced stage, in spite of repeated public denials by the Bush administration, according to informed sources in Washington. The present military build-up in the Gulf would allow the US to mount...

The tree as a metaphor for personal growth. Tom was about to collapse. Three days of trekking through the desolate desert had taken its toll: fatigued and parched from a thirst that only a barren stretch of wilderness could produce. The sun blazing overhead was making his head spin. His stomach constantly reminded him of how empty it was. How long had it been since he had partaken of a decent meal? Just when he could barely take it anymore Tom noticed something looming ahead on the horizon. Could that really be a fruit tree? It must be a mirage...

PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. - A new pair of hands pulled Punxsutawney Phil from his stump this year, so it was only fitting that the groundhog offered a new prediction. Phil did not see his shadow on Friday which, according to German folklore, means folks can expect an early spring instead of six more weeks of winter. Since 1886, Phil has seen his shadow 96 times, hasn't seen it 14 times and there are no records for nine years, according to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club. The last time Phil failed to see his shadow was in 1999. More than 15,000 revelers milled...

Iraq's government will have command of its own armed forces by the middle of next year, a US general said, revealing details of a deal between the US president and the Iraqi prime minister. US military spokesman Major General William Caldwell said Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and President George W. Bush had agreed on an "accelerated timetable" for Iraq to take charge of its own security. The announcement came on the eve of a much-anticipated report from a panel of US experts which is expected to recommend that US forces in Iraq do exactly that, in order to disengage American...

Hatch helps spring Austin from Dubai jailBy The Associated Press Sat Jul 8, 5:50 PM ET Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, sits at a piano in his Capitol Hill office in this May 6, 1997 file photo. Hatch, a musician in his own right, helped secure the release of Atlanta R&B producer Dallas Austin from a Dubai jail after a drug conviction, his office confirmed Saturday July 8, 2006. (AP Photo/Cameron Craig, File) SALT LAKE CITY - U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah, a musician in his own right, helped secure the release of Atlanta R&B producer Dallas Austin from a...

After the long, dark cold of winter, many people look to spring to bring them bright sunshine, warmer weather - and non-stop sneezing, runny nose, and itchy eyes. According to the American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI), seasonal allergic rhinitis, also known as "spring allergies" or "rose fever," is one of the most common allergic conditions in the United States, affecting approximately 36 million people (www.aaaai.org).

Millions of Americans will lose an hour's sleep Saturday night, as daylight savings time returns. Officially clocks should be moved ahead one hour at 2 a.m. Sunday, but most people will change their clocks before going to bed Saturday night. The lost hour will return October 29 when clocks fall back to standard time. Congress has passed a law changing the dates of daylight-saving time, from March 11 to November 4, but that doesn't take effect until 2007.

3/31/2006 - KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. (AFPN) -- “Service Before Self,” one of the Air Force’s core values, is on the minds of 135 U.S. Air Force Academy cadets who are working during their alternative spring break in areas damaged by Hurricane Katrina. The project is part of the Cadet Service Learning program which centers on community involvement. “CSL takes this core value from theoretical concepts of the classroom and a training environment,” said Maj. Eric Ecklund, of the academy’s Center for Character Development. “It allows cadets to put it to the test in real situations, meeting the needs...

UNH Scientist Announce New Beginning of Natural Spring The sun will still cross the equator on March 20th marking the vernal equinox and the official start of spring, but Mother Nature is increasingly getting a jumpstart on the celestial movements. Over the last 150 years, scientific measurements show that events signifying the beginning of spring have all shifted. These events now happen about a week earlier on average in the northeast United States, according to a new report, Evidence of Early Spring, from the group Clean Air-Cool Planet (CA-CP), which today announced the new, first day for "natural spring," March...

Scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) have found evidence in eastern North America that the snow is melting and running off into rivers earlier than it did in the first half of the 20th century. According to a USGS study published in the most recent issue of Geophysical Research Letters, winter-spring flows in many rivers in the northern United States and Canada are occurring earlier by 5-10 days. "We studied rural, unregulated rivers with more than 50 years of USGS and Environment Canada river flow data," explained Glenn Hodgkins, lead author and hydrologist at the USGS Maine Water Science...

The mercury is rising, the flowers are blooming and the beach season is about to begin. Spring is here -- known as one of the more pleasant times to be in the Lowcountry. It's not too hot, not too cold and the tourists aren't quite in full force. But the change of the season has ushered in a slew of unwelcome guests -- and no, they're not from Ohio. They are those tiny black critters that attack in swarms and chew holes in human skin, causing itchiness, welts and overall aggravation. Commonly referred to as no-see-ums, sand gnats, sand flies,...

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day Free Republic made its debut in September, 1996, and the forum was added in early 1997.   Over 100,000 people have registered for posting privileges on Free Republic, and the forum is read daily by tens of thousands of concerned citizens and patriots from all around the country and the world. A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day was introduced on June 24, 2002. It's only a small room in JimRob's house where we can get to know one another a little better; salute and support our military and our leaders; pray for those in...

In this photo provided by Steamboat Ski & Resort Corp., Michelle Baxter tackles some of the more than 400 inches of snow that have piled up during the season on the roof of Patrol HQ, at the Steamboat Ski Area in Colorado, Thursday, March 16, 2006. This is the fifth time the resort has reached the 400-inch cumulative snowfall milestone in the past 27 years and the first time since the 1997/98 ski season, according to the resort. (AP Photo/Steamboat Ski & Resort Corp., Larry Pierce)

Schools close as week-long Arctic storm takes hold By Auslan Cramb Scottish Correspondent (Filed: 01/03/2006) More than 150 schools were closed yesterday and dozens of roads were blocked by snow as Arctic weather hit parts of Britain. Walkers brave the elements at Scarborough, North Yorks, where a severe weather warning had been issued While many central areas enjoyed uninterrupted winter sunshine, the north of Scotland and the East Coast experienced some of the heaviest snowfall of the winter. The northerly air stream, which is expected to last for most of the week, hit Orkney and Shetland, where all schools were...

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (NNS) -- Viewers and listeners of the American Forces Network (AFN) may experience brief programming interruptions from Feb. 28 through March 12 as the spring "sun outage" period occurs. These seasonal outages, which take place each spring and fall, affect all satellite communications, including the AFN radio and television services distributed by the AFN Broadcast Center from the Defense Media Center (DMC) at Riverside, Calif. Sun outage-related programming interruptions are characterized by a complete loss of signal for as much as several minutes. The interruptions occur when the sun's position aligns with broadcast satellites and Earth-station receivers. The...