Holidaymakers are being warned to protect themselves against malaria following a dramatic rise in deaths from a fatal form of the virus.   Deaths from the infection have risen over a third in the past 20 years, with almost 7,000 Britons falling victim to the disease and returning into the country with the infection.

In a lot of ways, choosing the Bush administration's 10 greatest moments -- disastrous failures, all -- is about as pointless as picking out your 10 least favorite hemorrhoids: There are entirely too many of them, and taken together they all add up to a throbbing mass of pain. But unfortunately, history demands that we at least make the effort so that future generations will understand why we perform voodoo rituals cursing Bush's memory before we go to bed every night.

Silly Muppets 4th of July vid.     Happy 4th of July all.

There’s been lots of speculation this week about whether Sen. Barack Obama has an Iraq problem. He does now.     His comments Thursday, saying that he will “continue to refine” his plan to withdraw combat troops from Iraq inside of 16 months, seems likely to leave the campaign on the defensive on this issue for days or weeks.     And it increases the likelihood that his trip to Iraq later this month will not turn out like Obama wants it to.

Archeologists are opening a cave sealed for more than 30 years deep beneath a Mexican pyramid to look for clues about the mysterious collapse of one of ancient civilization's largest cities.

One of the most vivid symbols of global warming used by scientists and campaigners to spur society to curb climate-warming emissions is photography of gushing rivers of meltwater plunging from the surface of Greenland's ice sheet into the depths.     Recent studies have shown these natural drainpipes, called moulins, can speed up the slow seaward march of the grinding ice by lubricating the interface with bedrock below. The faster that ice flows, the faster seas rise.     Now, though, a new Dutch study of 17 years of satellite measurements of ice movement in western Greenland concludes that the speedup of the ice is a transient summertime phenomenon, with the overall yearly movement of the grinding glaciers not changing, and actually dropping slightly in some places, when measured over longer time spans.

-- Larry Harmon, who turned the character Bozo the Clown into a show business staple that delighted children for more than a half-century, died Thursday of congestive heart failure. He was 83.

The Molossian Nation was founded on May 26th, 1977 I. Known at that time as the Grand Republic of Vuldstein, James Spielman was declared King James I, and Kevin Baugh was declared Prime Minister. After a short period of sporadic activity the nation entered into a period of dormancy. King James I, though still monarch, ceased to be active in the kingdom at that time. The Kingdom continued on, without the direct participation of the King, and continued to be developed by the Prime Minister. In 1980 III it was renamed the Kingdom of Edelstein, and in 1988 XI it was renamed again, this time as the Kingdom of Zaria. The Kingdom existed as a nomadic government, without a home. Carried on by the Prime Minister, the Government traveled to Europe. While in Europe, and after its return from Europe in 1992 XV, the Kingdom prospered and grew culturally.     In 1995 XVIII, the Kingdom was transplanted to the State of Nevada, USA. In 1998, land was purchased that our nation could call home, and upon which the government was formally and officially established. In June 1998 XXI, the Kingdom was renounced in favor of a provisional Communist government. In September 1998 XXI, Molossia sacrificed its sovereignty and joined the United Provinces of Utopia as a province of that nation.       Ever want your own nation? Be like this guy.

Metropolis is situated on Interstate 24 halfway between Nashville, Tennessee and St. Louis, Missouri, while Paducah, Kentucky is only 10 miles away. Metropolis is full of history. We are proud to be the home of the oldest state park in Illinois. Fort Massac State Park became the first official state park in 1908. The park provides picnicking, camping, hiking, boating, fishing, skiing and hunting within its 1,540 acres of beautiful Southern Illinois landscape.      

A gas used in the making of flat screen televisions, nitrogen trifluoride (NF3), is being blamed for damaging the atmosphere and accelerating global warming.     Almost half of the televisions sold around the globe so far this year have been plasma or LCD TVs.     But this boom could be coming at a huge environmental cost.     The gas, widely used in the manufacture of flat screen TVs, is estimated to be 17,000 times as powerful as carbon dioxide.