Free Republic

If the Democrats take one lesson from Iowa, it should be that simple, dependable technology is better than flimsy, new technologyAs I write this sentence I have no idea which candidates prevailed in the Democratic caucuses held in Iowa on Monday. That’s fine with me. We don’t know the results because the Iowa Democratic party fell into the same mania that has twisted the American economy, culture and political world for almost 40 years: the thoughtless pursuit of immediate gratification through the expensive installation of complex, fragile technological systems. We call it “smart” technology to mask how stupid we have...

Plans to put ten million electric vehicles on the road within ten years and rip gas central heating from every home are unveiled today. Energy regulator Ofgem has outlined how the nation will have to change the way it travels and heats homes to meet the Government’s target of net zero carbon emissions by 2050. The radical scheme to ‘greenwire’ Britain will be built around plans for a four-fold increase in electricity from wind farms around the coast. But the proposals will largely be paid for by families and businesses, adding billions of pounds to bills over the next 30...

A new trends analysis shows a significant increase in the number of patients diagnosed with stage-IA pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) in recent years and a decrease in the average age at diagnosis. These patients are also living longer. "Survival for patients with stage IA pancreatic cancer is much better than people realize and it has gotten better in recent years," Dr. Michael Goggins of The Sol Goldman Pancreatic Cancer Research Center at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions in Baltimore, MD, told Reuters Health by email. Dr. Goggins and colleagues analyzed trends in newly-diagnosed stage-1A PDAC between 2004 and 2016 using the...

CNN White House correspondent John Harwood called President Donald Trump psychologically damaged Thursday after the president railed against his detractors. “This was a very disturbing tableau for the country,” Harwood said after the president’s remarks addressing the Senate’s vote to acquit Trump. . . . He added: “It was dark because he’s made clear that his mind is dark. This is somebody in deep psychological distress right now.

The repatriation of 565 Japanese citizens from Wuhan, China, in late January offered scientists an unexpected opportunity to learn a bit more about the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) raging in that city. To avoid domestic spread of the virus, Japanese officials screened every passenger for disease symptoms and tested them for the virus after they landed. Eight tested positive, but four of those had no symptoms at all, says epidemiologist Hiroshi Nishiura of Hokkaido University, Sapporo—which is a bright red flag for epidemiologists who are trying to figure out what the fast-moving epidemic has in store for humanity. If many infections...

Dee Snider did not like what he saw during Sunday’s Super Bowl halftime show. The Twisted Sister frontman criticized Jennifer Lopez and Shakira for what he considered too sexy performances for the NFL’s family-friendly audience, and insisted a rock band would have brought a different vibe. “Beginning to pole humping, ass slapping, ass shaking end. If that’s the requirements for a half-time show, none of the rock bands I know can or will do that. #justsayin,” Snider tweeted Sunday night. Dee Snider ✔ @deesnider Beginning to pole humping, ass slapping, ass shaking end. If that's the requirements for a half-time...

A Rasmussen poll released Thursday finds American voters tend to say President Donald Trump has made America “stronger” and that they are more “optimistic about the nation’s future than they have been in years.” According to the survey results, 46 percent of likely U.S. voters think the nation has grown stronger since the president’s election in 2016, while 41 percent say Trump has made the country weaker. Additionally, 50 percent of those surveyed say America’s best days are in the future, a drop since April 2019’s record high of 54 percent, but, as Rasmussen notes, “still higher than it has...

Certain foods that are considered traditional dishes or delicacies in some countries—such as horse meat, foie gras, or shark fins—are actually banned in the United States or certain states. Some foods are verboten because of ethical concerns regarding animal welfare. Still, other foods are prohibited due to concerns over potential health risks to people. Here are six foods banned by Uncle Sam due to health concerns in humans. Ackee is the national fruit of Jamaica. This tropical fruit is eaten when fully ripe and is used in an assortment of jams, drinks, and candies. When it’s unripe, however, ackee contains...

Rick Stengel was being facetious . . . right? Then again, given the authoritarian proclivities of the left, who knows? On Nicolle Wallace's MSNBC show this afternoon, Stengel — the former Time editor turned Obama aide turned MSNBC analyst — appeared on Thursday's Deadline White House and said: "Voters should be forced to listen to an entire Trump press conference because then I think it’s impossible to vote for him."Get the rest of the story and view the video here.

Why, when women earn the majority of college degrees and make up roughly half the workforce, do so few occupy the chief executive job? Women today lead 167 of the country’s top 3,000 companies. That’s more than double the share a decade ago, but still under 6%. For many, the barrier isn’t only a glass ceiling at the very top, but also an invisible wall that sidelines them from the kinds of roles that have been traditional stepping stones to the CEO position. A Wall Street Journal study of executives at the top companies, the biggest publicly traded firms by...

Starting in May 2010, The Washington Examiner reported, drawing on emails obtained by Citizens United, “Clinton Foundation staff pushed Hillary Clinton’s State Department to approve a meeting between Bill Clinton and a powerful Russian oligarch as her agency lined up investors for a project under his purview.” His name was Viktor Vekselberg of Renova (a Clinton Foundation donor) and the project under his purview was the Skolkovo Innovation Center, which is being built near Moscow. The following month, Bill Clinton would receive $500,000 for a speech in Moscow from a Renaissance Capital, a Russian investment bank with ties to the...

Guest host Chris Jansing began by lamenting the tone of the event, recalling to Washington Post White House correspondent Anne Gearan, "I took note of some things the president said about opponents, Anne. Sleazebags, leakers, liars, stone cold crazy, loathsome, dirty cops compared to his supporters who he called warriors." She contrasted this with Clinton, "If we thought somehow that the 90 seconds where Bill Clinton came out and apologized after he was acquitted on articles of impeachment might in any way be reflected today, well we were sorely mistaken

How dare you!

Attorney General William P. Barr Delivers the Keynote Address at the Department of Justice's China Initiative Conference Washington, DC  ~  Thursday, February 6, 2020 Remarks as Prepared for DeliveryThank you, Jim Lewis, for that kind introduction, and thank you for hosting this event. My original career goal was to go into the CIA as a China expert, and so I focused on Chinese studies for my BA and MA at Columbia University.  I remember in one of my Government classes, we were having a debate as to which foreign adversary posed the greatest long-term threat – Russia or China.I recall the observation...

A man who police say was the victim of a beating at the hands of MS-13 members in 2018 was found dead in New Cassel earlier this week. -snip Police say Rodriguez was one of three victims of a gang assault over a year ago. According to the Nassau District Attorney’s Office, Rodriguez was protecting someone who was being bullied in 2018 when he was beaten and stabbed by MS-13 gang members known to police as the “Gang of Nine.” Rodriguez was a witness set to testify in a 2018 MS-13 assault case, according to police. The DA’s office says...

I explore Surah 83, and explain how Muhammad continually lied to his followers-as well as his enemies-in order to advance his the banner of Islam.

Bastrop Daily Enterprise - Bastrop, LA ‘It was a total mess’: Caucusing is over, but Iowa still doesn’t have a winner By Brianne Pfannenstiel, Posted Feb 3, 2020 at 4:09 PM Updated Feb 4, 2020 at 6:19 AM The chaos unfolded slowly Monday night as it became clear that the delay in results was not due only to new rules that required more numbers to be released. The Iowa Democratic Party said it expected swift results, thanks to a new smartphone app designed to help precinct leaders report numbers back to the party. But some Iowa Democrats said they were...

  Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Thursday, February 6, 2020 Hosting Service Contained Over 8.5 Million Images of Child Exploitation Material A dual national citizen of the United States and Ireland pleaded guilty in federal court in Maryland to conspiracy to advertise child pornography.Eric Eoin Marques, 33, of Dublin, Ireland, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang to conspiracy to advertise child pornography.  In his plea agreement, Marques admitted that between July 24, 2008, and July 29, 2013, he conspired to advertise child pornography by operating an anonymous web hosting service (AHS). Marques was extradited to...

Not long after the star witness in Harvey Weinstein's rape trial testified about a traumatizing sexual encounter with the Hollywood producer and another woman, defense attorney Donna Rotunno approached the lectern for her cross-examination. She presented the accuser, Jessica Mann, a 34-year-old hairstylist, with copies of an unpublished blog post that prosecutors recovered from her phone. "You told the jury the threesome was horrifying because it was something you didn't want to do," Rotunno said. "I would like you to read the note from your phone to the ladies and gentlemen of the jury." "Do I have to?" Mann asked,...

A Rasmussen poll released Thursday finds American voters tend to say President Donald Trump has made America “stronger” and that they are more “optimistic about the nation’s future than they have been in years.” According to the survey results, 46 percent of likely U.S. voters think the nation has grown stronger since the president’s election in 2016, while 41 percent say Trump has made the country weaker. Additionally, 50 percent of those surveyed say America’s best days are in the future, a drop since April 2019’s record high of 54 percent, but, as Rasmussen notes, “still higher than it has...