Free Republic

Russian shipbuilders consider a possibility to create a universal sea complex (UMK) and a line of projects on a unified platform. The Nevsky Design Bureau told TASS about the project and its significance for the Russian Navy. After the Cold War, universal amphibious assault ships developed from support means of major Navy formations into independent units capable of combat and humanitarian missions. They demonstrate the flag, deliver troops, engage in patrol and support bigger warships. The Russian shipbuilding industry has focused on such naval hardware of late. One of the projects is Varan designed by Nevskoe Bureau. It is a...

Pope Francis has a curious understanding of the bible, according to him it’s a real book that contains stories that may or not be ‘mythical’, like the flood of Noah. He seems to be quite unsure of the veracity of the Genesis account, so he quotes secular experts who agree it’s mythical . I am guessing he does this so as to not offend the atheists. “And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the...

Amazon has adopted a rule against books that contain anything the company labels as “hate speech.” It appears there was no announcement of the new rule. It was only noticed by media after the online retailer recently banned a book that criticizes transgender ideology. It’s not clear what Amazon means by “hate speech” or even if it used that label to drop that particular book. In general parlance, Americans hold widely diverging views on what constitutes hate speech, a 2017 Cato poll found. Some tech platforms describe it as speech that disparages people based on characteristics such as race, gender,...

Dutch writer Marieke Lucas Rijneveld, who won the International Booker Prize in 2020, has withdrawn from a project to translate Black American poet Amanda Gorman's work following a backlash against the commission. Rijneveld, who is White and non-binary, announced they were to work on the project with publisher Meulenhoff on February 23, only to say they had handed back the commission three days later. "I am shocked by the uproar around my involvement in the spread of the Amanda Gorman's message, and I understand the people who feel hurt by Meulenhoff's decision to ask me," wrote Rijneveld.

Alumni of the University of Texas Austin are fighting back this week to try to save their historic school song from cancellation after it was found to have Confederate origins. UT Austin has a longstanding tradition that the school’s spirit song “The Eyes of Texas” is played after football games. Performed to the tune of “I’ve been working on the railroad,” the song was was historically performed at minstrel shows on campus.

Funny stuff

Genealogy company MyHeritage is putting deepfake technology to a creatively unsettling use with a new feature called Deep Nostalgia. The system animates photographs of long-deceased loved ones, turning old still portraits into uncanny blinking and smiling videos. Deepfake technology has been rapidly evolving over the past few years and generally stoking conversations over how close we are to completely losing faith in the veracity of the images we encounter. So far, the technology is still in its infancy but MyHeritage is presenting a novel use of deepfakes, bringing to life still photographs of dead relatives. Called Deep Nostalgia, the technology...

(WBMA) – A study found racial bias in a common lifesaving medical detection device, according to the FDA. The device is called a pulse oximeter and it's used to make important medical decisions for patients, especially in the pandemic. It is an electronic device that measures the saturation of oxygen carried in your red blood cells. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine shows the use of that type of device failed at getting a proper blood oxygen reading in more Black patients than white patients. According to the FDA, it’s likely the device is less accurate...

Tens of thousands are without power Tuesday as a weather system packing powerful winds and arctic temperatures continues to roar across Massachusetts, downing power lines and knocking a massive tree into a Westborough home. Winds routinely reached 50 miles per hour across Massachusetts Monday night and into Tuesday with some communities reporting 60 mile-per-hour gusts. The National Weather Service issued a wind advisory for most of the state that will remain in effect until 3 p.m. Tuesday.

Writers on the Left are trying to come to terms with the resistance of conservatives to accept their stolen administration, asking themselves why can’t we all be friends. To criminal liberal writers, the resistant militants are all white, Christians, and gun owners who were upset over the recent election results and are hateful bigots just because they don’t buy into the liberal narrative and agenda. While it’s true that most middle Americans are gun-owning patriots – most of them are pacifists. This can easily be proven by the fact that they let extremists infiltrate our institutions and try to destroy...

For years preachers have taught that something happens to America in order for Israel to be attacked. If America is Babylon, as I believe, then our end as a nation has come. China is going to attack us, and it’s much closer than you think. So is the return of Jesus. The President of the United States (eye roll) Joe Biden stated on national television that China’s death camps are simply a difference of cultural norms. He gave a pass to Xi Jinping’s death camps. Get that? The leader of the free world stated that what China is doing is...

CNN this morning mocked former First Lady Melania Trump for not publicly revealing that she and her husband received coronavirus vaccinations in January before leaving the White House. When New Day co-host John Berman complained out loud "how many lives could have been saved" if President Trump had revealed their vaccinations and promoted vaccinations to Americans, fellow host Alisyn Camerota interrupted to add, "and First Lady!" Berman obediently agreed: "and First Lady," thereafter making it a point to include Melania in the denunciation, even nodding to Camerota when he later mentioned her. At the end of the segment, Berman sarcastically...

Democrats, shrewdly describing election fraud as a “Big Lie,” are emboldened to get their way. In his first post-presidential address, Donald Trump again blasted the 2020 presidential election much to the delight of his most dedicated fans assembled at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) gathering in Florida over the weekend. “We have a very sick and corrupt electoral process that must be fixed immediately,” Trump told the cheering crowd in Orlando. “This election was rigged. Our election process is worse . . . than that of a Third World country.” SNIP Rigging the Vote Forever? Republican state lawmakers...

“March goes in like a lion and out like a lamb.” SNL’s Chief Meteorologist John Belushi reports on how other countries view the month of March.

(CNN)An SUV packed with people crashed into a semi-truck in Imperial County, California, on Tuesday morning, leaving 15 dead, hospital officials said. A vehicle was traveling westbound on Norrish Road near State Route 115 when it traveled "in the direct path" of a big rig truck traveling northbound on the 115, California Highway Patrol officer Arturo Platero said. The cause of the crash is under investigation

Detroit would not be the first city to have its sanctuary status come under scrutiny due to the actions of a criminal illegal migrant. Authorities sometimes respond by hiding migration status.To reverse former President Donald Trump’s immigration policies, President Biden is working with Democrats in Congress on “sweeping immigration legislation” that includes an eight-year path to citizenship for an claimed estimate of 11 million illegal immigrants. Such drastic reform must be supported by facts, which are hotly debated, and even purposely withheld.Democrats’ sunny population estimation falls in line with the Pew Research Center’s assessment that 10.5 million illegal immigrants resided...

President Creepy and his chip-off-the-old-block son Hunter... Giuliani: "I Turned Over Hunter Biden’s Laptop With Pictures Of “Underage Girls” To Delaware Police" by Ian Schwartz | RealClearPolitics | October 20, 2020 [excerpt] “Rudy Giuliani talks about ‘sensitive’ material on the laptop of Hunter Biden including “numerous pictures” of underage girls and an alleged text message exchange he had with his father where he admits to a relationship with a 14-year-old girl and creating an unsafe environment for his children. The former New York City mayor said he turned the laptop over to police in Delaware with Bernard Kerik because...

Richard D. Fain delivered a video message today with the hope of a better future, and patience, as the end is not quite here yet. He also talked about no decision yet on vaccine requirements for guests. The news of Odyssey of the Seas operating her maiden season in Israel was an incredibly positive step towards cruising resuming. However, the cruise line requires guests over 16 to be vaccinated onboard. News met with skepticism by avid cruisers, while others have been overjoyed by the prospect of being able to set sail. That is just a small part of the larger...

Colin Kahl opposed sanctions on IRGC, condemned killing of Iranian terror chief Republicans on the Senate Armed Services Committee are meeting privately on Tuesday morning to discuss their growing policy concerns about Colin Kahl, President Joe Biden's nominee for undersecretary of defense for policy at the Pentagon, according to sources close to the committee. Kahl, a former Obama State Department official, was a key architect of the Iran deal and has been at the forefront of a number of controversial moves, including, reportedly, the decision to remove a statement affirming Jerusalem as Israel's capital from the 2012 Democratic National Convention...

Despite claims that he had no income and “significant” debts, Hunter Biden in 2020 agreed to settle a paternity suit for $2.5 million and settle a $450,000 tax lien, a report said. Hunter Biden, 50, came to the arrangement with Lunden Roberts, 29, who he reportedly met at a D.C. strip club, The Sun reported. Hunter and Lunden’s baby daughter was born in August 2018. It is believed that Joe Biden has never met or even seen a photo of the unnamed 2-year-old, referred to in paperwork as NJR. Dominic Casey, a Florida-based private investigator who worked pro bono to...