Free Republic

The world’s largest battery reservoir can be found in Bolivia, with 23,000,000 tonnes of lithium having been found rather close to America. Below the salt flats is a resource that is central to the global energy transition. The reason that this has become all the more interesting and why all the attention has fallen on the Andes is due to the fact that the demand for electric vehicles has escalated. Salar de Uyuni is becoming a point of interest Salar de Uyuni is the largest salt flat that covers over 10,500 square kilometers, and hidden beneath the crust here is...

The designation highlights Italy’s long-standing communal foodways, from regional harvest traditions to daily cooking practices passed down through generations.Key points: -UNESCO officially recognized Italian cuisine as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, marking the first time an entire national cuisine has received this distinction. -The designation highlights Italy’s culinary traditions as a communal, daily practice rooted in seasonality, regional identity, and shared rituals that extend far beyond individual dishes. -Italian officials and experts say the recognition strengthens efforts to protect authentic Italian products from imitation while acknowledging the global influence and widespread popularity of Italian food. -Rome’s Colosseum glowed with...

WASHINGTON — The entertainment industry is mourning the loss of actors Rob Reiner and Anthony Geary following their respective deaths on Sunday. Geary and Reiner were both 78. Reiner, who had a breakout role as Mike in Norman Lear's 1970s sitcom "All in the Family," was found dead on Sunday alongside his wife, Michelle Singer Reiner. The couple's younger son, Nick Reiner, has been arrested for their murder.Geary, an Emmy-winning actor known for his longstanding portrayal of Luke Spencer in "General Hospital," died on Sunday following complications from an operation three days earlier, according to TV Insider. The two actors...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to brief US President Donald Trump that any expansion of Iran’s ballistic missile programme could pose a threat requiring swift action, NBC News reported on Saturday (Dec 20). The report said Israeli officials believe Iran may be rebuilding nuclear enrichment sites bombed by the United States in June, and are preparing to present Trump with options for renewed strikes targeting Iran’s missile capabilities.

A week before Christmas, veteran NASCAR driver Greg Biffle is making headlines for the most tragic of reasons: He was killed, along with his wife and two children, in a private plane crash in western North Carolina, according to news reports. But a little over a year ago, he was making headlines of a different kind: For heroism in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. According to WCNC-TV in Charlotte, North Carolina, Thursday’s fatal crash occurred about 10:15 a.m. near Statesville Regional Airport in Iredell County, north of Charlotte. .....

What To Know -Dave Chappelle responded strongly to Bill Maher’s criticism of his comments about free speech at a Saudi comedy festival in his new Netflix special. -Chappelle clarified that his remarks about freer speech in Saudi Arabia were made on stage and not intended for publication, referencing his own experiences with backlash in the U.S. over transgender jokes. -Bill Maher had publicly disputed Chappelle’s claim about free speech in Saudi Arabia, prompting Chappelle’s pointed remarks in his stand-up special. Dave Chappelle just sent a fiery message to Bill Maher after the late-night host slammed comments he made about free...

Stanford Medicine investigators have unearthed the biological process by which mRNA-based vaccines for COVID-19 can cause heart damage in some young men and adolescents — and they’ve shown a possible route to reducing its likelihood. Using advanced but now common lab technologies, along with published data from vaccinated individuals, the researchers identified a two-step sequence in which these vaccines activate a certain type of immune cell, in turn riling up another type of immune cell. The resulting inflammatory activity directly injures heart muscle cells, while triggering further inflammatory damage. The mRNA vaccines for COVID-19, which have now been administered several...

Arrested with two others for slavery, common assault, forced labor, zero MSM coverage. Sohail has voluntarily retired from county hall Green Party whip-hood "for personal reasons," but still has his post on local counsel. Islamic activist, age 29. Waves Pali flag with Green Party decal on side, Kashmiri flag, etc. Never Union Jack. Transcript linked below video.

Today is the Sabbath for Parshat Miketz (Genesis 41:1 - 44:17), which begins at the end of two full years when Pharaoh had a [doubled] dream.The parashah has the most letters (although not the most words or verses) of any of the weekly Torah portions in the Book of Genesis. It is made up of 7,914 Hebrew letters, 2,022 Hebrew words, 146 verses, and 255 lines in a Torah Scroll (סֵפֶר תּוֹרָה‎, Sefer Torah)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MiketzIn the printed books of the Torah, at the end of each parsha (comments re Pekudei) are mnemonic words or phrases (simanim) representing (via gematria) the number...

America has more than one "lost" generation of white men When I read Jacob Savage’s widely praised essay on “the lost generation” of young white men in America—a generation of men who, like himself, have lost out on prestigious jobs in media and academia for no reason other than the lightness of their skin and the equipment dangling between their legs—I couldn’t help but feel a tinge of recognition. More than a tinge, actually.You see, between 2015 and 2018, I was a DPhil student at the University of Oxford. My research was on the Reformation in England, the great schism...

Saturday 20 December 2025 20 December Church of Santi Vincenzo e Anastasio a Fontana di Trevi in Rome Readings at MassLiturgical Colour: Violet. Year: A(II).First readingIsaiah 7:10-14The maiden is with childThe Lord spoke to Ahaz and said, ‘Ask the Lord your God for a sign for yourself coming either from the depths of Sheol or from the heights above.’ ‘No,’ Ahaz answered ‘I will not put the Lord to the test.’ Then Isaiah said:‘Listen now, House of David:are you not satisfied with trying the patience of menwithout trying the patience of my God, too?The Lord himself, therefore,will give you...

The Whiteland Police Department is still searching for suspects after 350 pounds of cocaine were discovered in the trailer of a semi truck at a Pilot Travel Center in Whiteland, Indiana last June. While performing a pre-trip inspection, the driver of the truck noticed the seal had been tampered with and notified the police. When they arrived, they discovered 10 boxes had been added to the back of the truck. I just want to know how long the truck driver was in the truck stop for no one to see anything suspicious going on. Upon opening the boxes, the police...

The actions of one man charged with a heinous crime have derailed the lawful U.S. immigration applications of people from 19 countries, with more potentially added in the coming weeks. The crime, of course, was the horrific and targeted attack on National Guard members Sarah Beckstrom and Andrew Wolfe last month in Washington, D.C. It was unconscionable and caused Beckstrom’s death. Terrorism, hate, and barbaric acts of violence have no place in any civilized society. This is a universal truth held by billions of people around the world regardless of faith, nationality, gender, or culture. Like Americans, many Afghans –...

LOWERING DRUG PRICES FOR AMERICAN PATIENTS: Today, President Donald J. Trump announced nine new agreements with major pharmaceutical companies to lower prescription drug prices for Americans in line with the lowest prices paid by other developed nations (known as the most-favored-nation, or MFN, price). The nine manufacturers include Amgen, Bristol Myers Squibb, Boehringer Ingelheim, Genentech, Gilead Sciences, GSK, Merck, Novartis, and Sanofi. The agreements reduce prices on drugs that treat numerous costly and chronic conditions, including type two diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), hepatitis B and C, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and certain cancers,...

Long before Donald Trump ever had political aspirations, he was grabbing headlines as one of New York’s most talked-about real estate moguls. Trump’s penchant for partying -- and his numerous affairs -- often grabbed tabloid headlines, and they even inspired a Christmas song by AC/DC. In 1990, the Australian rock legends were prepping their comeback album, The Razor’s Edge. At the same time, Trump’s affair with Marla Maples was all over the news -- the future president had been cheating on his first wife, Ivana, with the model. While watching the scandal from afar, Angus Young and his bandmates suddenly...

Body-camera footage captures the terrifying moment a convicted felon attempts to execute a police officer inside a Walmart loss-prevention room A violent felon was caught on camera attempting to shoot a police officer in the head while inside a Walmart loss prevention room. The only reason the officer is alive today is because the criminal’s gun failed to fire and a brave Walmart employee jumped into action. The incident unfolded around 1:45 p.m. Thursday at a Walmart on Atlantic Boulevard NE in Canton, Ohio, FOX10 reported. An officer with the Canton Police Department responded to a shoplifting call and escorted...

Explanation: The word solstice is from the Latin for Sun and to pause or stand still. And in the days surrounding a solstice the Sun's annual north-south drift in planet Earth's sky does slow down, pause, and then reverse direction. So near the solstice the daily path of the Sun through the sky really doesn't change much. In fact, near the December solstice, the Sun's consistent, low arc through northern hemisphere skies, along with low surface temperatures, has left a noticeable imprint on this path to the mountain town of Peaio in northern Italy. The morning frost on the road...

Embattled Brown University president Christina Paxson recently took home a staggering 74% pay raise –as President Trump blasted the school for their lack of security measures after the deadly campus shooting. Paxson scored a salary of more than $3.1 million in 2023, a huge boost from the $1.8 million she raked in a year earlier, according to 2024 tax filings, the latest available, reviewed by The Brown Daily Herald. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Paxson, 65, has been at the helm of the prestigious Providence institution since 2012 — with her annual salary increasing 700% from her initial...

Assam train elephant accident | elephants killed by train | Assam wildlife tragedy | human wildlife conflict India | railway track elephant deaths | Assam forest news | elephant corridor India | conservation crisis Assam | train hits elephants | India wildlife news In a freak accident, 7 elephants were killed after a Rajdhani Train collided with a herd of elephants. The incident occured at 2:15 am in Assam. 1:43 VIDEO AT LINK............ VERY SAD....................

In this feature-length Special, Derek and Lawrence return to Thessaly in Central Greece for a summer of excavation. They join an international team – headed by archaeologists from Greece and Sweden – to investigate the remains of the ancient city of Vlochos. This season, the team are digging what is thought to be a temple from the Hellenistic era – a golden age of antiquity. But is all as it seems? The team have just three weeks to find out! The Big Ancient Greek Dig Time Team X Crew (Vlochos) | LIVE (currently 2:54 pm) Time Team Official | 350K...