Free Republic

hen Richard Saukko galloped his chalk-white Arabian horse named Traveler around the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum almost 56 years ago, it was supposed to be a one-time stunt. Instead, the brief performance before USC kicked off its season against Georgia Tech turned into one of college football’s iconic traditions. A succession of white horses named Traveler have followed — Traveler IX debuts this fall — trotting out of the tunnel as “Conquest” plays and the costumed Trojan warrior atop the horse waves a sword. But during a rally earlier this week to show solidarity in the aftermath of the violence...

Actor Gary Sinise took a “brief second” to thank United States servicemen and women while presenting the award for Best Country Album at the 58th annual Grammy Awards Monday night.

Phoebe probably distant traveller Cassini's images of Phoebe Images of Saturn's moon Phoebe from the Cassini spacecraft suggest it may be a relic of objects that formed billions of years ago in the outer Solar System. The pictures seem to show ice in its craters, boosting the theory that it is more similar to comets and very distant Solar System objects than to asteroids. Scientists think Phoebe migrated inwards and was probably captured by Saturn's gravity billions of years ago. Several tiny Saturn moons may have been blasted out of Phoebe by space impacts. "Battered and beat-up as [Phoebe] is,...

Why do Americans continue to remember their past? Maybe because it was a simpler and slower time. It was a time when truth was spoken. Men and women took their stand to give us the freedoms we now enjoy. God bless those who today do their duty around the world for freedom.With all the good things, there are things that do not make sense. We remember our past heroes, yet efforts are under way to change streets and schools named after such men as: George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.Let America not forget Jan. 19, 2004, the 197th anniversary of the...

Traveller must battle termination shock January 07 2004 at 01:07PM Popular MechanicsNasa’s seemingly unstoppable Voyager spacecraft is about to depart our solar system for interstellar space. This composite image shows the veteran spacecraft against the backdrop of the Sombrero galaxy, photographed by the Hubble Space Telescope. Nasa's veteran traveller, Voyager 1, is about to make history again as the first spacecraft to enter the solar system's final frontier, a vast expanse where hot wind from the sun blows against thin gas between the stars. However, before it enters interstellar space, Voyager 1 must pass through the termination shock, a violent...

I sometimes travel on long distance flights as a part of my work. The last time I did, I was lucky enough to have an empty seat beside me. But no sooner had I settled in, and was dozing off, than the flight attendent came to speak to me and asked me to change seats. She explained that there was a guy in a seat up front who needed extra room, as he is very big. I did give up my seat for him, and moved to his, which was one of those very narrow seats at the front of...

Sorry for the one day delay of the discussion of the next book on the Freeper Reading Club list---Traveller, written by Richard Adams who also wrote Watership Down. I was busy yesterday putting together the FR Comedy Hour Broadcast set for tomorrow. Anyway, did anybody read both of those Adams' books? If so, how did Traveller compare to Watership Down?