Free Republic

Today’s Campaign Update (Because The Campaign Never Ends) Some free advice for Beto O’Rourke. – I suppose that I should preface this long piece by reminding readers that I have no love for Irish Bob O’Rourke. In fact, what I really hold for him more than anything else is contempt. The substance-devoid empty suit from El Paso finds himself today in a predicament of his own making, a situation in which his once-promising presidential campaign is mired in weak also-ran status in a crowded field that is occupied by more capable and more-clever candidates. Irish Bob’s situation is compounded by...

An international team of anthropologists and bioarchaeologists has found the primary ingredients of ayahuasca — a plant-based drink that is reported to induce hallucinations and altered consciousness — in a 1,000-year-old leather bundle from a rock shelter in the Bolivian Andes.

May 20 2019 « May 19 | May 21 » Monday of the Fifth Week of EasterLectionary: 285 Reading 1 Acts 14:5-18 There was an attempt in Iconiumby both the Gentiles and the Jews,together with their leaders,to attack and stone Paul and Barnabas.They realized it,and fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbeand to the surrounding countryside,where they continued to proclaim the Good News. At Lystra there was a crippled man, lame from birth,who had never walked. He listened to Paul speaking, who looked intently at him,saw that he had the faith to be healed,and called out in a...

An international team of researchers led by Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research and the U.S. Department of Agriculture- Agricultural Research Service has created a pan-genome that captures all of the genetic information of 725 cultivated and wild tomatoes, establishing a resource that promises to help breeders develop more flavorful and sustainable varieties. The team found 4,873 new genes and identified a rare version of a gene that can make tomatoes tastier.

Today’s Cryptogram XIG MBU RGZA KUUHUB, RGZA VBIMKUB, RGZA VBNQADUB DAMO MOX NKUM XIG ZIGCK AMEU IT XIGBPUCT. ---AMBBX HMCRUB Today’s CG is courtesy of the Arkansas Gazette. You can find this little fun word game, to combat early dementia and senility in us baby boomers, in several daily publications. I’m posting the best of them. The way it works is a letter stands for another letter. For example: AXYDLBAAXR is LONGFELLOW (does not apply to today's cryptogram). Beware, the game is very addictive. If this is your first time, don't be intimidated. PLEASE DO NOT post the answer in...

In the new John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, Keanu Reeves' is getting a badass vixen backup in the form of Halle Berry’s Sofia. This actress is no stranger to action franchises, see her in the X-Men movies and Swordfish. For John Wick3, Halle Berry had to up her game for the role and that meant going through some seriously intense firearms, hand-to-hand training which you can see in the video. Halle Berry was quick to say that she learned some serious skills training for John Wick3. Watching her performance out on the range, you can tell she had been...

An international team of paleontologists has found a piece of amber containing the beautifully preserved ammonite, several marine and land organisms that lived 99 million years ago (Cretaceous period).The 99-million-year-old piece of amber from northern Myanmar. Image credit: Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology.

Seveven medical conditions drivers must report in UK

Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg said Sunday that governments shouldn't stand in the way of women who want to seek abortions in the final three months of their pregnancies. The South Bend, Indiana mayor allowed that women who are six, seven or eight months into their pregnancies have 'perhaps chosen a name' or 'purchased a crib.' But Fox News Channel moderator Chris Wallace found no flexibility in his pro-choice stand. 'As horrible as that choice is,' Buttigieg said, 'that woman – that family may seek spiritual guidance, they may seek medical guidance – but that decision's not going to be...

I am a Vietnam Era Vet. At age 75, I feel in good general condition. My PTSD is not related to any notable physical trauma. The more significant injury with ongoing pain & suffering is the lack of empathy from the leadership who conduct the affairs that use resources for their personal interests in spite of the national interests that we have sworn to support & defend. What we are becoming increasingly aware of, are the organized behaviors of individuals who seek power & wealth by any means regardless of the health or life of the very ones who provide...

The news headlines are full of articles about parents refusing vaccines for their children. Now some of those children are infecting others with measles and other contagious diseases. We’re in the middle of the worst measles outbreak in 25 years. But do these parents have valid concerns, that the vaccines could cause harmful side effects? The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that allergic reactions and other serious side effects of vaccines are “very rare.” Vaccines prevent hundreds of thousands of cases of a deadly disease — but it’s true that it may come at the expense of a smaller...

“‘“Your kingdom come’’” (Matthew 6:10). “Kingdom” is not so much a geographical territory as it is a sovereign dominion. When Christians pray “Your kingdom come,” they are asking God to rule through Christ’s future enthronement, His coming reign over the earth. The Greek for “come” indicates a sudden, instantaneous coming and here refers to the coming millennial kingdom (Rev. 20:4). Jesus is not speaking of some indirect effort by human good works to create a godly society on earth. God’s coming kingdom will be a kingdom on earth but not a kingdom of this present world system. Jesus told Pontius...

Google’s move to stop licensing its Android mobile operating system to Huawei could deal a huge blow to the Chinese tech giant’s ambitions to become the top player in smartphones globally. The U.S. tech conglomerate has suspended business activity with Huawei that involves the transfer of hardware, software and key technical services. Google made the move in order to comply with Washington’s decision to put Huawei on the so-called “Entity List,” meaning American firms need to get a license to sell products to the Chinese firm.

An emotional Emilia Clarke paid tribute to Daenerys Targaryen, her former cast-mates and her late father on Sunday evening as fans digested the dramatic finale of HBO’s long running fantasy drama, Game Of Thrones. Millions stayed up late to watch as the show came to an end after nine years, eight season and hundreds of brutal deaths, but many were underwhelmed by its final episode, which included plenty of shock moments and one unfortunate editing gaffe.

Democratic 2020 presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg admitted during his Sunday town hall on Fox News that when he talks about “fair taxes,” what he means is “higher taxes.” The South Bend, Indiana mayor took a question early in the evening about fiscal responsibility. New Hampshire state director of the Concord Coalition Tyler Sweeney asked, “We reached $22 trillion in national debt. What would a President Buttigieg do to restore fiscal responsibility?” Buttigieg began by attacking the Trump tax cuts, saying, “You don’t blow a hole in the budget with an unnecessary and unaffordable tax cut for the wealthiest. Part of...

This past week I’ve spent an inordinate amount of time finding myself in discussions about “suburban women” and 2020.My bride, a broadcaster I consult, angry feminists on Twitter, journalists from three separate but significant publications, and contributors to my show all somehow snagged me into giving opinions about the specific demographic.That surprised me somewhat.Surprised me on two levels. That it’s such an “urgent” discussion now.That I hadn’t looked at the data better before now. So I’ve done a lot more of the latter. Turns out it’s a somewhat fascinating demographic.Suburban women aren’t really considered suburban. Oh many of them are,...

oregon-wr-lowe-stops-armed-student Great story! Need more stories like one when it comes to school shootings

A recent business trip to the liberal-run capital city of Texas left me impressed with the food, music, and overall quirky “weirdness” that is Austin, but it also left me generally disenchanted at the difficulty its working citizens must have in enjoying ANY of it. Why? Just take a walk, anywhere, and you can’t miss them - sleeping in the streets, sitting on sidewalks and benches or wandering aimlessly about. Stop for a second and, like clockwork, one will probably approach you, begging for some “spare change” or “a couple bucks” to “get home” or “buy something to eat.” If...

PHILADELPHIA—If the new rules of politics post-2016 were to hold up, the official launch rally Joe Biden held here on Saturday would mean that he is in trouble: The crowd wasn’t huge, was largely white and older, and, for the most part, only really got into it when he mentioned Barack Obama or Donald Trump. Yet Biden’s high-and-getting-higher poll numbers, the early fundraising success that has surprised even his own aides, and the enthusiastic responses I heard from supporters who came out on a hot afternoon to see him don’t show a candidate in much trouble at all. Biden’s campaign...

ts Swingin' Monday and we have Milton Brown & His Musical Brownies with their 1934 recording of Oh, You Pretty Woman. These are the guys who pretty much got it all started (Milton Brown-v, Derwood Brown v-g-x, Ocie Stockard v-g-bj, Wanna Coffman-b, Cecil Brower-f, Fred Calhoun-p). THE WESTERNER https://thewesterner.blogspot.com/