Volatile fuel and fertilizer prices, national security threats, economic instability and global warming are just some of the challenges we face because of our dependence on oil and other fossil fuels. So we must rely on foreign energy sources, many of them from unstable or hostile regimes, to provide us with our economic lifeblood and quality of life. Our ability to heat our homes, run our cars to get us to work, operate our industry, grow our food and even power our military depends on a...

Every time there is a tragedy involving guns, like the recent Virginia Tech massacre, the gun control people come out of the woodwork with their ideas that guns are dangerous and need to be controlled by our government. My grandfather always kept a loaded 410 inside the house, but he drilled it into us that we should never go near that shotgun. While nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and other nutrients are necessary for a healthy lawn, misapplication of fertilizers wastes money, ruins...

Energy officials say the plant has been used as a template for other clean coal proposals, including a process called integrated gasification combined cycle, or IGCC, for electrical generation. It was built in response to the energy crisis of the 1970s to make natural gas from lignite, a low-grade coal abundant in North Dakota. That process involves converting coal to a synthetic gas that is typically of a lower grade than the natural gas produced at the Beulah plant. Synfuels Plant now...

Cost: Garden admission applies; visit www.norfolkbotanical garden.org for a discount coupon. For a complete list of plant names and prices, visit the plant sale corner at www.norfolkbotanicalgarden.org Nancy's Revenge elephant ear Botanical name: Colocasia esculenta Description: Huge leaves up to 3 feet long develop on plants that can grow to 6 feet tall with plenty of sun, water and fertilizer. For a complete list of plant names and prices, visit the plant sale corner at...

Security Council agreed to a watered down statement expressing "grave concern" and calling "for an early resolution of this problem, including the release of the 15 personnel. Britain had wanted a tougher stance, but after hours of negotiations, Russia blocked a statement that would have demanded an immediate release of the British crew. The worlds natural gas exporting countries will gather in Doha on April 9 for a forum that may set the grounds for a new natural gas cartel built on the...