Free Republic

The new anti-Biden slogan of "Let's Go Brandon!" has truly taken the country by storm, as a more polite way of saying "F*ck Joe Biden!" A Southwest pilot recently signed off using the phrase, as Colleen Long reported for the Associated Press. On Friday morning on a Southwest flight from Houston to Albuquerque, the pilot signed off his greeting over the public address system with the phrase, to audible gasps from some passengers. Southwest said in a statement that the airline “takes pride in providing a welcoming, comfortable, and respectful environment” and that “behavior from any individual that is divisive...

Controversy will unfortunately be the story of Saturday’s marquee Michigan–Michigan State clash if the Spartans come back and win this afternoon’s game. Late in the second quarter, Michigan linebacker David Ojabo strip-sacked Michigan State quarterback Payton Thorne. The ball rolled into the end-zone before Wolverines star Aidan Hutchinson recovered it for a touchdown to make it a 26-14 Michigan lead. The refs reviewed the play to check whether or not Thorne was down before he fumbled the ball. Replay appeared to confirm it was a clean fumble before Thorne hit the ground. The replay center somehow saw otherwise. The officials...

Joe Biden met Pope Francis on Friday, October 29, in the US President's official visit to the Vatican since his inauguration. Biden is the second Catholic president in US history and is in Rome to attend the G20 summit which took place on October 30-31. Biden arrived at the Vatican’s San Damaso Courtyard at 12 pm on October 29. Msgr Leonardo Sapienza, the regent of the papal household, as well as Gentlemen of His Holiness, welcomed Joe Biden and his wife, First Lady Jill Biden. Shaking hands with the lay dignitaries, Biden said, “Thank you, it’s good to be back....

The US and EU have agreed to end a festering dispute over US steel and aluminium tariffs imposed by former president Donald Trump in 2018, removing an irritant in transatlantic relations and averting a spike in EU retaliatory tariffs, US officials have said. Commerce secretary Gina Raimondo told reporters on Saturday that the deal would maintain US section 232 tariffs of 25% on steel and 10% aluminium, while allowing “limited volumes” of EU-produced metals into the US duty free.... ...EU trade chief Valdis Dombrovskis confirmed the deal, writing on Twitter that “we have agreed with US to pause” the trade...

They are often seen wearing a red armband patrolling residential neighbourhoods of Chaoyang, the biggest district of Beijing, which is home to nearly 3.5 million people. On a sunny late autumn afternoon, they will sit with a group of retirees in the sun and chat away. But when an individual of interest turns up, their attention quickly diverts to them.... ...For years, volunteers in the Chinese capital have become a part of its daily social fabric. They help run their neighbourhoods by picking up litter and guiding those who are lost. They also observe, listen and follow every clue that...

There were about half a dozen prisoner of war camps in Tennessee during World War II — the best known of which was Camp Crossville, in Cumberland County. We know a lot more about Camp Crossville than the others because of Gerhard Hennes. Hennes was a German officer captured in North Africa in May 1943. Five months later, he entered the gates of Camp Crossville, where he was interred for two years. After World War II, Hennes would become an American citizen, and in 2004 he published The Barbed Wire: POW in the USA. In it he gives a detailed...

The Taco Bell Cantina in Pacifica is widely known as the most beautiful Taco Bell in the Bay Area, if not the world. But despite its breathtaking beachside location and Taco Bell’s penchant for marrying people, no one has hosted their wedding reception there. Until now. Analicia Garcia and Kyle Howser, high school sweethearts from Sacramento, wanted to keep their wedding low-key and fun. “When we got engaged, I think we both knew we didn't want to do a big, huge traditional wedding,” said Garcia. “... I saw on TikTok that the Las Vegas Taco Bell Cantina does weddings. How...

The Wolf Man tries to warn a dimwitted porter that Dracula wants his brain for the Frankenstein monster's body.

The Fresno Nightcrawler — often described as walking, ghostly pants — is known far beyond California's central San Joaquin Valley. It's become a darling of the cryptids — creatures typically described as mythological in nature, whose existence are widely considered unproven. "It's up there with Chupacabra, the Mothman and Bigfoot," said Michael Banti, founder of Weird Fresno, about the Fresno Nightcrawler's popularity. "It's very niche. It seems to be bigger outside of Fresno than inside."

Monsters and ghosts may be Halloween icons, but true spirit chasers know most of them are mere child’s play compared to those told in Latino folklore. That’s because tales of the supernatural have intrigued and enriched Hispanic culture throughout history — especially on holidays like Dia de los Muertos (the Day of the Dead), coming on the heels of Halloween on Nov. 1, and through the haunting legends that find their way into pop culture all year round. Thanks to depictions in films and shows ranging from Supernatural and Disney’s Coco to episodes of South Park and The X-Files, folks...

Last week, the discovery of the oldest known piece of artificially colored jewelry in Japan was unveiled. Although the Mainchi reported that the 23,000-year-old bead was actually unearthed five years ago, the finding was made only made public this month in anticipation of its debut at the Okinawa Prefectural Museum and Art Museum in Naha, Japan. The bead, which is considered a prime example of early creative development, is expected to provide valuable information about Paleolithic culture. The bead was carved from a tusk shell and painted with a red pigment, only of which traces remain in the groove of...

As California prepares to roll out COVID-19 vaccines for children ages 5 through 11, a new survey shows notable hesitancy among parents to get their kids the shot. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, 27% of families surveyed said they plan to vaccinate their young children as soon as possible while 66% cited concerns over the vaccine impacting their child's future fertility. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there is no evidence that any of the COVID-19 vaccines cause fertility problems. Still, the reluctance to vaccinate is strong. "The little research I have done, yeah, I don’t...

Multi-billionaire and Microsoft founder Bill Gates celebrated his 66th birthday in Turkey in the company of fellow tycoon and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos on Friday. Bezos was among the 50 guests invited to Gates' private party beside the Mediterranean. It's not clear whether any of Gates' family helped him celebrate at his exclusive bash. Gates - once the richest man on earth who has dropped to fourth on the Forbes Rich List ranking with $124 billion - transported his guests by helicopter from his $2million-a-week rental yacht 'Lana' to the Sea Me Beach club in Fethiye. Lana boasts a gym,...

MONTEREY — In the days leading up to Halloween, a rare all-white dolphin named “Casper” has been frequenting the Monterey Bay. But sighting the perplexing creature isn’t a trick of the eyes, or just a spooky Halloween treat. The dolphin actually visits the region quite often, according to Nancy Black, a marine biologist with Monterey Bay Whale Watch.... ..Black and other scientists think the dolphin is around 9 years old — still a juvenile since Risso’s can live up to 35 years. Casper frequently travels with his mother and has been seen as far north as Davenport, with pods of...

“Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction. Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy” (Proverbs 31:8-9).

ATLANTA – A guy who spent most of the season in the minors kept the Braves in it. Then the offense finally came to life. Just like that, Atlanta is one win from its first World Series title in 26 years. Dansby Swanson and pinch-hitter Jorge Soler connected for back-to-back homers in the seventh inning Saturday night, propelling the Braves to a 3-2 victory over the Houston Astros and a commanding 3-1 Series lead. Game 5 is Sunday night. The Braves can wrap up the championship on their home field, just as they did two stadiums ago when they beat...

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) visited Stony Brook University on Long Island to highlight the need for more workforce development programs in the medical field. She said the pandemic has been hard on hospitals and other healthcare facilities. In a letter to her congressional colleagues, she wants $67 million in federal funding for healthcare workforce development programs. “They desperately need reinforcements. Staff are physically and emotionally burnt out and hospitals across the entire state have been working with skeleton crews. More than 5 million New Yorkers live in primary care health professional shortage areas,” said Gillibrand. “If we don’t act,...

Standing in front of a judge at 17, Veronika Granado said she felt numb as she asked him to grant her a judicial bypass, which would allow her, as a minor, to get an abortion without parental consent or notification. For Granado, who had just graduated high school, terminating the pregnancy would allow her to continue her education without being a young mother at the same time. "My future was on the line," Granado said. "He could have easily said no, and that would have been devastating." Now 22 and a third-year student at the University of Texas at San...

Alec Baldwin told the paparazzi he is not allowed to talk about the details of the shooting that occurred on the set of his latest film, "Rust," but he had some things to say about the woman who died, cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. In a video posted on TMZ's website Saturday, Baldwin and his wife Hilaria Baldwin appeared on camera from "Manchester, VT, where he and his family have been laying low since the fatal incident."

Explanation: If you see this as a monster's face, don't panic. It's only pareidolia, often experienced as the tendency to see faces in patterns of light and shadow. In fact, the startling visual scene is actually a 180 degree panorama of Northern Lights, digitally mirrored like inkblots on a folded piece of paper. Frames used to construct it were captured on a September night from the middle of a waterfall-crossing suspension bridge in Jamtland, Sweden. With geomagnetic storms triggered by recent solar activity, auroral displays could be very active at planet Earth's high latitudes in the coming days. But if...