Free Republic

August is the month when parents bid farewell to not only their college-bound youngsters but also a sizable chunk of cash for tuition. More than 18 million students attend our more than 4,300 degree-granting institutions. A question parents, their college-bound youngsters and taxpayers should ask: Is college worth it? Let's look at some of the numbers. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, "when considering all first-time undergraduates, studies have found anywhere from 28 percent to 40 percent of students enroll in at least one remedial course. When looking at only community college students, several studies have found remediation...

Remembering the Indian Soldiers Who Helped Liberate Jerusalem 100 Years Ago Indian Lancers guarding Turkish prisoners in Jerusalem in December 1917 Welcome Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and thank you for the sacrifices made by your country’s soldiers who saved the Jews of the Land of Israel 100 years ago and eventually led to the Jewish state’s creation. An idyllic fenced park is located in the middle of the Talpiot neighborhood in Jerusalem, just a four-minute Waze-directed detour from Hebron Road. This cemetery, which I visited for the first time last week, is the burial site for 79 Indian soldiers...

It seems there is no such thing as too much of Vladimir Putin's bare chest. For the second time in three days, the Kremlin has released video of the Russian president's recent macho holiday adventures in Siberia — with even more hunting, boating and underwater spearfishing — and plenty of new scenes of a shirtless Putin enjoying the outdoors. The first round of photos and videos was released Saturday morning in Moscow and played unrelentingly on Russia's main state television channels all weekend. They also featured prominently online and in the country's major newspapers. Putin, 64, is well-known for his...

Buried in the credits of An Inconvenient Sequel, former vice president Al Gore and filmmakers make it clear they paid to make up for carbon generated during production. That’s part of Gore’s greenwashing of his documentaries through purchases of carbon offsets from Native Energy. Presumably, this was an effort to preempt critics of Gore’s hypocrisy since the movie could easily be mistaken for an episode of “Where in the World is Al Gore?” The film constantly shows Gore sitting on airplanes or visiting disparate locations including Greenland, Miami, Tennessee, NYC, Beijing (China), Washington, D.C., Delhi (India), Manila (Philippines), Paris and...

Well, this is certainly odd. A mining company that was poised to begin work a silver mine in Guatemala was shut down by the nation’s supreme court for not consulting with the indigenous peoples in the area. That seems standard. Even in the U.S., the Keystone Pipeline had to go through consultations with local Native American tribes to ensure their sacred burial sites would not be disturbed. They protested anyway, but that’s a story for another time. The halt in production torpedoed the stock of the mining company—Tahoe Resources—and threatens the jobs for the thousands of workers who ventured to...

In 2013, the US military lifted its ban on women serving in combat. Shortly after, the Marine Corps began what it calls an “unprecedented research effort” to understand the impact of gender integration on its combat forces. That took the form of a year-long experiment called the Ground Combat Element Integrated Task Force, in which 400 Marines — 100 of them female — trained for combat together and then undertook a simulated deployment, with every aspect of their experience measured and scrutinized. All branches of the military faced a January 1, 2016 deadline to open all combat roles to women,...

Monday marks Melania Trump’s first 200 days as first lady, and in that time she’s been redefining fashion while in office. Trump has become a shining example of the greatness of the United States of America at home and around the world, stunning everywhere she goes with her elegant and classic style. The first lady has also brought name recognition to those designers who didn’t let Trump’s political views stop them from the honor of dressing her. French Designer Hervé Pierre has been responsible for numerous looks including the gorgeous red, white and blue dress she wore during her trip...

In no uncertain terms, Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin said he isn't going to toe the party line on every policy issue, just because he's up for re-election. "I don't give a sh*t, you understand? I just don't give a sh*t," he told the Charleston Gazette-Mail Sunday. "Don't care if I get elected, don't care if I get defeated, how about that. If they think because I'm up for election, that I can be wrangled into voting for sh*t that I don't like and can't explain, they're all crazy." He continued: "I'm not scared of an election, let's put it that...

Well, finally we are getting that "summer of recovery." The July jobs report released Friday was a blockbuster -- solid job gains across the economy, the lowest unemployment rate in more than a decade and a nice bump in wages. This was a report that transcends spin. You just have to tip your hat to American businesses and say, "Well done." Will Donald Trump get any of the credit? Even though nearly every poll for the past six years tells us that Americans care most about jobs and the economy (with terrorism occasionally taking over first place), the media...

Things Not to Say to a Cop 1. I can't reach my license unless you hold my beer. 2. Sorry, officer, I didn't realize my radar detector wasn't plugged in. 3. Aren't you the guy from the Village People? 4. Hey, you must've been going about 125 mph to keep up with me. Good job! 5. Are you Andy or Barney? 6. I thought you had to be in relatively good physical condition to be a police oficer. 7. You're not going to check the trunk, are you? 8. I pay your salary! 9. Gee, officer! That's terrific. The last...

The Democratic Party is regional. It’s mostly confined to the urban areas and states that touch salt water. That spells certain doom for a healthy party that’s incapable of winning rural areas. It’s not impossible. They’ve done it before, though it was before the toxic ethos of political correctness and identity politics were thrown into the mix. Now, the party’s hard left turn on immigration and abortion is starting to make moderate to right-leaning Democrats, ones who can win in these regions, difficult to find, let alone support. To complicate matters, there are still healthy numbers of Democrats who think...

Numerous individuals alleged to be members of Google’s management team have been caught bragging about forming blacklists to impact the careers of colleagues with different political beliefs.

Tesla’s new Model 3 has finally arrived, and not a moment too soon. The critics seem to love it, and Tesla management says it’s already received deposits for 500,000 of the vehicles. Perhaps now Elon Musk can finally get his hand out of U.S. taxpayers’ wallets? Musk is, to be sure, an ideas man. Private, commercial space travel? Check. Washington to New York in less than half an hour in what he calls a “hyperloop” train that will travel at 800 miles per hour? Check. A new kind of tunneling engineering? Check. Solar energy? Check. Electric cars? Check, check. As...

The NYPD has intensified its boycott of the coffee and baked goods chain Dunkin’ Donuts after an employee reportedly refused service to police officers, The New York Post has reported. When asked for directions to the nearest store by a member of the public, one police officer said: “I’m not allowed to do that.” Meanwhile, another sergeant was spotted walking into his local police department with a tray full of generic, non-branded coffee. “No D&D in the 7-3,” he announced. Last week, a police union called for a boycott of the chain after an employee allegedly denied service to two...

In 2011, for the first time in more than two decades, suicide began killing more teenagers than homicide. And according to research presented in a recent article in The Atlantic, excerpted from a book written by Jean Twenge, a psychologist at San Diego State University, smartphones and social media may deserve a lot of the blame. "As teens have started spending less time together, they have become less likely to kill one another," Twenge wrote, "and more likely to kill themselves." Over the past decade, psychologists have come to see a picture in which young, developing brains are pitted against...

The Google employee behind a ten-page viewpoint diversity manifesto that went viral online has been fired. James Damore, whose manifesto criticizing the politically correct corporate culture at Google prompted outrage from left-wing employees and social justice warriors online, revealed that he had been fired in an email to Breitbart Tech on Monday evening. In his email to Breitbart Tech, Damore claimed, “They just fired me for ‘perpetuating gender stereotypes.'” Damore’s writing has revealed a divided Google, in which some employees agree with his outlook, but are afraid to speak out for fear of repercussions from social justice warriors in the...

White House National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster served at a UK-based think tank that is heavily bankrolled by multinational corporate firms doing billions of dollars in business in Iran. The business deals are up for regulation by the U.S. government and the transactions are in direct jeopardy by the possibility of the Trump administration further sanctioning Iran or declaring Tehran in violation of the international nuclear accord. The past affiliation may raise conflict-of-interest issues for McMaster, who is serving in a position of direct influence over U.S. policy with regard to Iran. Already, McMaster has been accused of purging the...

Word For The Day, Tuesday August 8, 2017 In order that we might all raise the level of discourse and expand our language abilities, here is the daily post of "Word for the Day". surfeit [sur-fit] -n1. excess; an excessive amount: 2. excess or overindulgence in eating or drinking. 3. an uncomfortably full or crapulous feeling due to excessive eating or drinking. 4. general disgust caused by excess or satiety.[1250-1300; (noun) Middle English sorfete, surfait < Middle French surfait, surfet (noun use of past participle of surfaire to overdo), equivalent to sur- sur-1+ fait < Latin factus, past participle of...

It’s another “you’re on your own, just make sure you behave yourself” days as I’ve got appointments all day.Summer Rhapsody by Alice PopkornJust bear in mind that it’s already July August, and behave accordingly.Posted from: MOTUS A.D.

Elon Musk is a very creative guy. We all know it, and often admire it. He’s the guy who’s going to colonize Mars, the guy who’s going to roof your house with solar shingle and pave highways with solar pavers. He’s also the guy who is now bringing us the Tesla 3 electric motor car, his new, more compact and sporty model for which he claims to have already received 500,000 orders. It’s all so wonderful, and his giant PR operation issues about 27 press releases a week bragging about his every move. Well, ok, not quote every move. Here’s...