Free Republic

Customers say they didn't know they were part of CoolCurrent, an energy saving program which allows their air conditioning could be turned off by DTE DTE Energy sent out an email Tuesday notifying many of its customers they were part of an energy saving program called CoolCurrent. The email explained to customers that their air conditioning could be cycled on and off during periods of peak energy demand. Many customers like Sergio Montanez said they were unaware they were part of the program. The CoolCurrent program involves actually stopping the air conditioner at the source 15 minutes on, 15 minutes...

Can you buy a nuclear fusion reactor for less than $5K? It turns out you can! If you have a few thousand dollars spare, his homemade nuclear fusion reactor could be yours today. Or perhaps you could just spend the money on something you actually need? A former student at Marlborough Boys College in New Zealand recently made the news after attempting to sell a homemade nuclear fusion reactor. The inventor, Samuel Lee, even offered the reactor with a vial of 20 grams of deuterium oxide. The listing includes details of what is included and reassures potential buyers that the...

It is thought that some of the weapons being resold — including a component of an anti-aircraft defense system — were looted from Libyan state custody after the death of the country’s ruler Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi in 2011

The Virgin Group of Richard Branson is on track to become the world's first commercial spaceline, with suborbital flights for space tourists due to start in 2008, the British billionaire has said. In an interview in Dubai, where his Virgin Atlantic airline began flights from London this week, Branson said other companies offering space travel had not matched the progress made by the Virgin Galactic venture. "A number of companies around the world are offering space travel but they haven't tested and built any space ships. They certainly haven't had test flights into space," Branson said on Wednesday. "Virgin is...

SACRAMENTO -- Here we go again. Scandals are popping out in Washington, D.C., like blossoms on the cherry trees. On their heels come the inevitable calls for reforms to stop whatever it is the bad guys are doing. House Republican leaders are talking about new laws to keep lobbyists like Jack Abramoff from buying votes with everything from a free lunch to a consulting contract for a congressman's wife. But before we let the politicians start trying to reform the political system, it would be useful to remember some painful history lessons. When politicians fool around with political reform, the...

<p>Like doughnuts or deodorant, politics is about selling. And what sells a product isn't so much what the product does, but what the buyer thinks it does. Take Proposition 56. It doesn't really matter if it actually reforms the budget, because as long as people think they are getting budget reform, they will vote for it.</p>