Free Republic

It's hard to resist the cuteness of a dog tilting their head when you talk to them or when they hear a strange sound. But this endearing trait may have a bigger purpose than merely looking adorable. Scientists are still trying to get to the bottom of exactly why dogs tilt their heads and there isn't a ton of research yet on the topic. But there are some theories about why dogs engage in this behavior and what their head tilts could mean.

SAN FRANCISCO — A 58-story luxury apartment building in San Francisco continues to sink and is tilting about 3 inches per year, the engineer responsible for fixing the troubled building said. At the current rate without a fix, the Millennium Tower in just a few years could reach a 40-inch tilt, which would be the point at which the elevators and plumbing may no longer operate, said Ron Hamburger, the engineer. Hamburger told the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in an update hearing last week that the building remains safe and that installing 18 steel piles to bedrock is the...

According to a Jan. 31 Associated Press report, the notion of eliminating or dramatically reducing state income taxes is gathering steam. The AP reported that in Idaho, Kansas, Maine, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma and South Carolina — all but one of which elected a Republican governor in 2010 — this idea is getting a serious look. Currently, only nine states lack an income tax. Until 1991, Connecticut was income-tax-free as well. Considering what has happened in the Constitution State since then, one really can't blame those considering repeal. In '91, Gov. Lowell P. Weicker Jr. and the legislature enacted Connecticut's first...

I wondered how long it would take after Saudi money was insinuated into Rupert Murdoch's empire before anti-Semitism hit the Fox News airwaves in the form of tug-at-your-heart, pro-Arab, mini-hit pieces against the State of Israel. It didn't take long. Did anyone notice Shepard Smith's passionate rant against Israel on behalf of the Palestinian Arabs a few days ago? I always thought Smith was just a smarmy, jock-type teeny-bopper. But he obviously knows which side his bread is buttered on, and he is fully capable of getting all lathered up over something about which he is absolutely ignorant. Today on...

<p>When Gov. Gray Davis suggested that he supports reparations to minorities for slave-era business practices, he took a risky position that could prove unpopular with many voters as he seeks re-election.</p> <p>Davis made the statements this week as the state Department of Insurance prepared to release a study detailing slave-era insurance-policy practices in California.</p>