Free Republic

There are misleading reports asserting the blackouts were caused by large numbers of natural gas and coal plants failing or freezing. Here’s what really happened: the vast majority of our fossil fuel power plants continued running smoothly, just as they do in far colder climates across the world. Power plant infrastructure is designed for cold weather and rarely freezes, unlike wind turbines that must be specially outfitted to handle extreme cold. The blackouts, which have left as many as 4 million Texans trapped in the cold, show the numerous chilling consequences of putting too many eggs in the renewable basket....

A metal structure that mysteriously appeared on a roundabout in the Democratic Republic of Congo has been destroyed over fears about its origins. People in the capital, Kinshasa, stoned and torched the 12ft (3.7m) triangular prism that looked like other metal monoliths that have cropped up around the world over the last few months. It had begun to draw selfie-takers, which fuelled rumours on social media. Some feared it was satanic or put there by aliens or by a secret cabal.

New York City’s Health Department is now recommending that Big Apple residents wear two face masks instead of one to fight back against the spread of COVID-19. “We know that even as the vaccine is here the need to keep wearing a mask is paramount, it’s crucial. It’s amazing of how all the things that we’ve learned in this crisis, maybe the most profound is the power of a mask,” de Blasio said during a City Hall press briefing Thursday as the new mask guidance was announced.

According to CNN Mitch McConnell “laughed off” Trump’s attacks and plans on “ignoring the president at all costs.” CNN reported: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell had an instant reaction when seeing the lengthy attack he endured from former President Donald Trump. He laughed about it, according to a source familiar with the matter. The reaction underscores how McConnell plans to navigate the post-Trump era: Focus squarely on winning back the Senate majority — while ignoring the former President at all costs. Indeed, amid their fallout following the deadly US Capitol riot at the hands of Trump supporters, McConnell has made...

The White House called a lid for Joe Biden on Thursday, after an inch of snow and sleet fell in Washington, DC. Calling a “lid” informs reporters the president will not appear in public or travel anywhere for the rest of the day. The lid was called by White House staff at 8:00 a.m. Thursday morning. A few inches of snow and sleet are forecast to fall in Washington, DC, for the rest of the day. White House press secretary Jen Psaki held her daily 12:30 p.m. briefing over the phone. Wednesday night, officials announced they postponed Biden’s trip to...

A private tropical island and house in the Bahamas, with 20 acres of land, 1.3 acres of waterfront and two beaches — plus some major celebrity cachet — has hit the market for $35 million. The property, named L’île d’Anges, meaning Isle of Angels, lies in the Exumas island chain in crystal-clear waters and features a 6,500-square-foot house a stone’s throw from its beaches, lush, wild vegetation and palm groves. The island went on sale with Knight Frank on Monday. The island’s white-stucco mansion lies on its highest part and resembles an Ibizan farmhouse fused with local Bahamian elements.

It’s Time To Build Our Own Economy The problem with the American Populist movement is that it was centralized. Centralized movements give the enemy a central attack vector to target and overcome. One man, who took on the weight of the world, became the sole focus of both the enemy and of the American Populist movement itself for over five years. The oligarchs removed that one man from the entire internet, then they removed him from office. Everyone knows this, we all watched it happen. What no one has clearly defined is where American Populism goes from here. The oligarchs...

Here's some running commentary leading up to the landing. If there are other links that are better please post for the forum.

The problem with the American Populist movement is that it was centralized. Centralized movements give the enemy a central attack vector to target and overcome. One man, who took on the weight of the world, became the sole focus of both the enemy and of the American Populist movement itself for over five years. The oligarchs removed that one man from the entire internet, then they removed him from office. Everyone knows this, we all watched it happen. What no one has clearly defined is where American Populism goes from here. The oligarchs believe that they have destroyed American Populism...

About ERCOTThe Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) manages the flow of electric power to more than 26 million Texas customers -- representing about 90 percent of the state’s electric load. As the independent system operator for the region, ERCOT schedules power on an electric grid that connects more than 46,500 miles of transmission lines and 680+ generation units. It also performs financial settlement for the competitive wholesale bulk-power market and administers retail switching for 8 million premises in competitive choice areas. ERCOT is a membership-based 501(c)(4) nonprofit corporation, governed by a board of directors and subject to oversight by...

Former President Donald Trump has largely been quiet since leaving office Jan. 20, but he is reportedly considering getting involved in a California gubernatorial election later this year if the efforts to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom are successful. On Wednesday, Bloomberg TV's Kevin Cirilli reported that Trump is "carefully eyeing and weighing" whether he should "inject some of the Trump political machine into a potential California governor runoff election."

One of the immutable rules when it comes to Washington politicians addressing important policy issues, is that they consistently ignore the law of unintended consequences.A recent example is the little noticed effort by congressional Democrats to change a key component of federal funding regulations for higher education called the “90/10 rule.”Under the rule, proprietary colleges and universities may derive no more than 90 percent of their revenues from federal student aid programs, with 10 percent coming from non-federal funding.Liberal activists who are determined to drive proprietary colleges out of business want to change the equation. They claim that student veterans...

Democrats are growing concerned over the White House’s plans to overhaul the Trump administration’s policies on immigration. Politico reported that Democrats in states where immigration is a key issue fear that President Joe Biden is walking into a political buzzsaw by moving too quickly to change former President Donald Trump’s immigration policies. Some say the party’s messaging and policy proposals are too much, too soon. “The way we’re doing it right now is catastrophic and is a recipe for disaster in the middle of a pandemic,” said Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas. “Our party should be concerned. If we go off...

One of the two major Republican candidates running in the likely California gubernatorial recall election is investing another $1 million of his own money into his campaign. Fox News has learned that businessman John Cox on Thursday will make a second personal contribution of $1 million into his campaign. Cox is hoping to succeed embattled Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, who faces a possible recall over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Cox, the 2018 Republican gubernatorial nominee in California, formally declared his candidacy earlier this month, going live with a new campaign website and spending seven figures to run a...

President Joe Biden’s “Build Back Better” agenda is morphing into an even bigger spending plan of action, as his administration seeks to spend $3 trillion more on Green New Deal-like policies after Congress finalizes his $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief legislation.

Actual call center conversations Customer: 'I've been calling 700-1000 for two days and can't get through; can you help?' Operator: 'Where did you get that number, sir?' Customer: 'It's on the door of your business.' Operator: 'Sir, those are the hours that we are open.' ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Samsung Electronics Caller: 'Can you give me the telephone number for Jack?' Operator: 'I'm sorry, sir, I don't understand who you are talking about.' Caller: 'On page 1, section 5, of the user guide it clearly states that I need to unplug the fax machine from the AC wall socket and telephone Jack before...

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis took aim at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in a fiery speech in which he highlighted his state’s commitment to keeping schools open. “What the CDC put out, 5:00 p.m. on a Friday afternoon, I wonder why they would do it then, was quite frankly a disgrace. It would require, if you actually follow that, closing 90% of schools in the United States,” DeSantis said. “We are open, we remain open, and we are not turning back.” The updated CDC guidance features a color-coded system that recommends basing school opening decisions on the extent...

As federal relief money flowed into local governments to help cover the costs of responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, several police departments in Minnesota spent emergency funding on riot gear, Tasers, body cameras and other "civil unrest equipment." 5 INVESTIGATES identified the purchases in a review of more than 1,400 spending reports from cities, towns and counties, which detailed their use of funding received through the Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Those expenses could potentially be flagged during upcoming audits since the federal government made it clear that such funding could only be used to cover "expenditures...

Over a week after lawmakers and Gov. Gavin Newsom said they were approaching a deal on school reopening, negotiations over how to return California's students to classrooms have yet to yield any results. "People want their lives back and they want their kids to go back to school," said Matt Rexroad, a California political consultant and former Yolo County supervisor. "We are making progress, and it is stubborn," the governor said of talks. But teachers and some parents say schools shouldn't reopen until it's safe. The emergence of new variants could pose significant risks, CTA members say. The CTA this...

In July of 2015, China’s state media aired footage of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducting a simulated special forces operation. Generally, for an authoritarian regime to display its military might is not out of the ordinary — it’s a means of deterring a state’s adversaries abroad and its own citizens from dissent. However, this was no generic military footage. Those watching from Taiwan couldn’t help but notice a crucial detail: the building that the PLA is assaulting looks identical to the Presidential Office Building in Taipei. Satellite imagery of the Zhurihe Training Base, situated deep within Inner Mongolia, later...