Free Republic

The racist “antiracist” madness has now come home to my alma mater, Louisiana State University. Before we go further, I should point out that this is the flagship public university in a very red state governed by a Republican legislature and a conservative Democratic governor. The LSU Faculty Senate has a proposal before it — one that a source within the university tells me is fully expected to pass.

Today, President Donald J. Trump announced his intent to appoint the following individuals to key positions in his Administration:Pam Bondi, of Florida, to be a Member of the Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.Edward McMullen, Jr., of South Carolina, to be a Member of the Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.Paolo Zampolli, of New York, to be a Member of the Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.Hope Charlotte Hicks, of Connecticut, to be a Member of the J. William...

The 2009 A(H1N1) pandemic had devastating economic implications in Mexico, just as COVID-19 is having on the global economy. In 2008, Mexico’s gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 1.14 percent. A year later—after the A(H1N1) crisis—its GDP growth fell to -5.28 percent. Moreover, the A(H1N1) outbreak coincided with the effects of the 2008 financial crisis, when Mexico lost a significant amount of exports to the United States. Former President of Mexico Felipe Calderón wrote in his memoirs that government officials feared that the A(H1N1) could have had the lethality of avian influenza: around 60 percent. By early April of that...

Democratic Presidential candidate Joe Biden counts high-level staffers – Senior Spokesman for Biden Inaugural Committee Matt Hill and Director of State Communication Meira Bernstein – as alumni of the Global Strategy Group: a consulting firm that represents Chinese Communist Party-linked drone company DJI. In contrast, the Trump administration had moved to blacklist the firm from operating in the U.S. alongside a host of Chinese Communist Party-linked companies. Since 2017, China-based DJI has been identified by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as “selectively targeting government and privately owned entities within these sectors to expand its ability to collect and exploit...

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem is inviting Minnesota bar owners to relocate to her state after a COVID-19 restrictions crackdown. “Come to South Dakota! We respect your rights. We won’t shut you down,” the Republican governor wrote Monday on Twitter. Noem, 49, is widely seen as a Republican rising star and is an outspoken advocate against lockdowns.

The Maryland Department of Transportation said a tractor-trailer overturned on Interstate 495 in Montgomery County and spilled some of its load of 20,000 pounds of cheese balls onto the roadway. Photo by Willis Lam/Wikimedia Commons ============================================================ Dec. 22 (UPI) -- Transportation officials in Maryland said a tractor-trailer hauling 20,000 pounds of cheese balls overturned on the interstate, spilling snacks across lanes of traffic. The Maryland Department of Transportation's State Highway Administration said the tractor-trailer was involved in a crash at 2:23 p.m. on Interstate 495 in Montgomery County and spilled cheese ball snacks into the roadway. The crash also resulted...

A $10,000 reward is being offered after a 7-year-old was rushed to a hospital Monday night after being shot while riding in a relative’s vehicle near Phipps Plaza in Buckhead. The victim’s aunt drove straight to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite, where the child was immediately sent into surgery and Atlanta police were called about 9 p.m. The child was shot in the back of the head, police said Tuesday during a news conference. According to police, the aunt told responding officers she remembered hearing several gunshots as she drove past the luxury shopping center on Peachtree Road....

With many people stuck indoors, visiting many of Earth’s wonders is no longer possible – at least not in person. As a replacement, however, France’s Ministry of Culture is bringing one of the most important archaeological sites in the world to your home with a virtual tour of Chauvet Cave. Filled with some of the best-preserved cave paintings in the world, this free tour guides you through its many chambers, explaining the paintings and their historical relevance throughout. Not only is the tour fascinating, it is also a great way to learn about how our ancestors lived around 25,000-40,000 years...

Shoppers amass in a popular street in Mexico City. (Reuters)MEXICO CITY – The abruptness of the Mexican Government's red alert announcement produced exactly the opposite reaction it was seeking.Millions of people dropped everything and rushed headlong to go shopping, with huge, close-proximity crowds everywhere.The Federal Health Ministry announced more than 12,000 Covid-19 cases on Friday, which is the second highest daily total since the pandemic first hit Mexico in February. Mexico City Hospitals are struggling with 85 percent occupancy, and the adjoining State of Mexico has 78 percent. Capacity for hospital beds is nearing maximum. As of Saturday, only supermarkets...

A German geneticist says that people who refuse to take the COVID-19 vaccine should be denied emergency medical treatment. Wolfram Henn, a member of Germany’s Ethics Council, told Bild newspaper that vaccine refusniks should not be able to access ventilators and other emergency measures. “Whoever wants to refuse the vaccination outright, he should, please also always carry a document with the inscription: ‘I don’t want to be vaccinated!'” said Henn. “I want to leave the protection against the disease to others! I want, if I get sick, to leave my intensive care bed and ventilator to others,” he added. Henn...

A source close to the Vatican has reported that Pope Francis will be stepping down from the Papacy before the end of the year. There is “no doubt” the Pontiff “will resign in 2020”, the source confirmed. Pope Francis became head of the Catholic Church following the unexpected resignation of Pope Benedict XVI in 2013 and has been unpopular among U.S. Catholics for his radical stances on same-sex marriage, illegal immigration, and global warming as well as his support for Black Lives Matter.

What are your favorite Christmas movies? Please include heartwarming family-friendly movies even if they are not specifically Christmas-oriented. I would include a recent classic, Christmas Oranges, and favorites from better eras like The Bishop's Wife, Christmas in Connecticut, Miracle on 34th Street, A Christmas Carol, Its A Wonderful Life, Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer, Santa Claus Is Coming To Town, Frosty The Snowman, and A Charlie Brown Christmas. What would you add to that list?

(Partial recap of SCOTUS docket re: Republican Party PA. Please use the link to read in full)DateProceedings and OrdersSep 28 2020Application (20A53) for a stay, submitted to Justice Alito.Sep 29 2020Response to application (20A53) requested by Justice Alito, due Monday, October 5, by 3 p.m.Nov 06 2020Order issued by Justice Alito: All county boards of election are hereby ordered, pending further order of the Court, to comply with the following guidance provided by the Secretary of the Commonwealth on October 28 and November 1, namely, (1) that all ballots received by mail after 8:00 p.m. on November 3 be segregated...

Tuesday on Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) weighed the pros and cons of the federal government spending passed by Congress a day earlier. However, Graham warned the price tag could be a lot worse if Democrats win the two U.S. Senate seats up in Georgia next month.

It is deeply insulting to assume black men in general are less attuned to their own political interests than any other group is. But that’s what leading Democrats keep doing. Democrats spent the weeks before the 2020 election ridiculing black men considering voting for President Trump as sellouts who could derail Joe Biden’s presidential bid. Biden himself said as much with his “you ain’t black” comment. Some Biden supporters went even further. One professor claimed black men just wanted proximity to the patriarchy and power structures white men have maintained for generations. Once the media announced Biden crossed the 270...

Google and Facebook deny wrongdoing in their accords on digital advertising cited in a reported draft of an antitrust complaint Google and Facebook worked together to help fend off an antitrust investigation into the two tech giants which dominate digital advertising, according to a media report citing a draft of a state lawsuit. The Wall Street Journal, which cited a draft version of the complaint filed by 10 US states without redactions in the public version, said Tuesday the two firms agreed to "cooperate and assist each other" in responding to an antitrust probe. The case filed last week was...

San Francisco Mayor London Breed and Health Director Dr. Grant Colfax are giving an update on the city's COVID-19 response and stay-at-home order. The press conference is scheduled to start at noon. Check back to watch live and read updates. Both Breed and Colfax have been pleading with San Francisco residents to stay home and avoid socializing over the holidays. People traveling into San Francisco from outside the Bay Area are also being told to quarantine for 10 days. San Francisco is also under a stay-at-home order through at least Jan. 4. It could be extended even further.

People in France who refuse to take the COVID-19 vaccine will be banned from using public transport and engaging in other activities under a newly introduced law.The law, which is set to be submitted to parliament, mandates that citizens have proof of a negative COVID test or “preventative treatment, including the administration of a vaccine” in order to “access transport or to some locations, as well as certain activities.”The law has sparked “angry protests from opposition politicians,” according to AFP.France’s vaccination program, which is set to get underway on Sunday, will not be mandatory, but a whopping 55% of citizens...

A top Russian scientist who was working on a Covid-19 vaccine has been found dead in suspicious circumstances in St Petersburg, adding one more to the list of people engaged in coronavirus research dropping dead mysteriously. Alexander ‘Sasha’ Kagansky, 45, was reported to have fallen in his underwear from a 14th floor window of a high rise flat – and was found with stab wounds. The Russian biologist had close links to Edinburgh University and had been working in the city for 13 years until at least 2017. The Russian Investigative Committee has opened a murder probe and a 45-year-old...

An integrated biorefinery approach utilizing agriculture waste biomass to produce renewable biomethane along with other co-products (for soil amendment, nutrient recovery, and transportation biofuels). Credit: Nazih Kassem, with images from Cornell University, Department of Energy ================================================================== Cornell University is developing a system to extract energy from cattle manure to meet the campus's peak demands for heat in the winter months. In the Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy, scientists involved with the project give a detailed analysis of the issues required to make this work, including scientific, economic, and energy policy considerations. The university is already involved in an initiative...