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I love the smell of Joe Manchin in the morning … it smells like … victory. If you survey the charred ruins of the progressives' hopes and dreams, you will need to have a heart of stone not to burst into hysterical laughter at their pain. They were so close, so very close, and their heart's desire was ripped from them by a senator from a sane state who had zero desire to commit ritual, political suicide to please the brother-curious likes of Ilhan Omar. Cue the gif of a team of Joes carrying a coffin to that catchy EDM...

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At Mosaic Preparatory Academy in Harlem, New York, reading, writing and arithmetic are not the only subjects on the curriculum — so is being nice.... ...When 5-year-old King Ortiz was pulled out of class one day, he knew he'd earned something special — coupons for nice behavior that can be redeemed for tokens. "I learned to be nice," King said. Twenty-five coupons score students a shiny token for the vending machine. Tokens go in, but no chips or candy come out — only books drop....

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California’s state lawmakers recently failed to pass bail reform legislation, creating a case study in how fundamentally poor public policy will self-destruct if it’s exposed for what it is. On the face of it, there is a logic to the continuing argument that cash-based bail is unfair to people who have little or no money. But that simplistic premise is deeply flawed and has led to a huge increase in violent crime in California, as well as in other places that implemented the policy. Unfortunately, the grim repercussions are not just statistical. There is a human face to criminal justice...

In the early days of the vaccines, many of us, myself included, had high hopes that COVID would be a distant memory by now. We took President Joe Biden at his word last April when he promised the nation, “Getting together with friends, going to the park for a picnic without needing to mask up, we’re back to that place now as long as you get vaccinated.” Instead we see New York, among the most vaccinated states with 95 percent of adults receiving at least one dose and 84 percent of adults fully vaccinated, locking down yet again, Broadway shows...

The Taliban want to use the flights to send their own people abroad to earn desperately needed money. The Afghan economy is in tatters. The Taliban have halted all flights of Afghan evacuees for the past two weeks in a dispute about how the airport in Kabul is run and who is allowed on the evacuation flights, according to a congressional source, two refugee advocates and a source familiar with the matter. A State Department official involved in relocation efforts confirmed that flights have stopped.... ...The Taliban’s argument is that they run the country and that it is their airspace...

Fool's Ball Week 16 Your home for all things Fool's Ball! In Memoriam Danny Lee (BENDER2)

It seems some traditions are more cherished than others. Pagan Aztec dance ritual recently performed in St Mary of the Lake church in Chicago’s Uptown. ...

The recent world spike in Covid-19 prompted the NHL on Wednesday to back out the Beijing Olympics, removing the world's best hockey players from the one of the Games' showcase sports. The National Hockey League had built in a Feb. 6-22 break from action to send its top players to Beijing, but Covid outbreaks throughout North America have put the sport on hold. Fifty NHL games have already been postponed and Commissioner Gary Bettman said sending players to Beijing "is no longer feasible."... ...“Certainly, the players and hockey fans are quite disappointed," he continued. "But playing a full 82-game season...

Join with fellow FREEPERS to pray for AMERICA: For those in Authority in Government, Family, Military, Business, Healthcare, Education, Churches, and the Media. I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone: for kings and all those in authority that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. ~ 1 Timothy 2:1-2 Religion Forum Threads labeled [Prayer] are closed to debate of any kind. A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord...

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission and Backcountry Hunters & Anglers will offer a free online squirrel hunting webinar on Jan. 6 from 7-8 p.m. Topics will include species habits, habitats, scouting, essential equipment, effective shot placement, hunting strategies, cleaning, cooking techniques and dish ideas. The class will conclude with an interactive question and answer session. “The webinar is open to all skill levels,” said R3 Hunting Specialist Walter “Deet” James. “However, it’s especially intended for people who have never hunted and lack access to a hunting mentor.” Space is limited and pre-registration online is required. Participants will receive a Zoom...

What the local sheriff called a "major industrial accident" led to a huge fire early Thursday at an ExxonMobil refinery in Baytown, Texas, near Houston. Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez tweeted that "initial reports indicated some type of explosion occurred inside the plant." He said there were apparently four people injured. Three were airlifted out and one was removed by ambulance. Gonzalez said there didn't appear to be any need for anyone to evacuate or shelter-in-place. ExxonMobil said in a statement that its "fire teams are working to extinguish the fire" and it was trying to account for everyone who...

A potential vaccine that would prevent the most deadly and aggressive type of breast cancer — triple-negative breast cancer — is undergoing testing. The key protein for the vaccine, which would be a "holy grail" of cancer treatment, was found through "a matter of luck and tenacity in going through databases and looking for proteins," Dr. Vincent Tuohy said, almost like finding a needle in a haystack. The vaccine works by jumpstarting the immune system and attacking any tumors that contain a specific protein that should not be present unless a woman is lactating. "Once we've established that we can...

Musk cited one of the headlines of the Babylon Bee, arguing that he did not meet the perversion requirements of the news outlet.“I’m not perverted enough, I guess,” the Tesla CEO added.

Texas A&M, the only team to beat No. 1 Alabama in 2021, suddenly ended its season on Wednesday by backing out of the Gator Bowl, citing injuries and a Covid-19 outbreak. The Aggies had been set to play Wake Forest a week from Friday at the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl in Jacksonville before making the unexpected announcement..... ...“It is unfortunate, but we just don’t have enough scholarship players available to field a team,” A&M Coach Jimbo Fisher said. Aggies Athletic Director Ross Bjork called the decision "heartbreaking" for everyone associated with the famed 12th Man program....

Two new British studies provide some early hints that the omicron variant of the coronavirus may be milder than the delta version. Scientists stress that even if the findings of these early studies hold up, any reductions in severity need to be weighed against the fact omicron spreads much faster than delta and is more able to evade vaccines. Sheer numbers of infections could still overwhelm hospitals. Still, the new studies released Wednesday seem to bolster earlier research that suggests omicron may not be as harmful as the delta variant, said Manuel Ascano Jr., a Vanderbilt University biochemist who studies...

Just like panettone, torrone is a classic of Italy at Christmas, that you’ll find in every household. But while panettone is almost a synonym of Milan, torrone is more ubiquitous, even if many associates it especially with Cremona. As we shall soon see, however, this Lombardy town is far from being the only place in the country making traditional, delicious nougat. But let’s begin, as always, with some history. The word “torrone” comes from the Latin verb, torrere, to toast or roast, which leads directly to the main ingredient of it, toasted nuts. Traditionally, hazelnuts are used, but almonds are...

You’ve probably seen the famous footage of Bigfoot — that grainy film from 1967 showing an apelike creature ambling through the California woods, casting a brief, leisurely glance at the camera before disappearing off screen. What an Illinois man saw last month was rather different. The creature he says he spotted outside the small town of Chandlerville, northwest of Springfield, was fast, athletic and massive, covering a two-lane road in two quick strides. It had incredibly long limbs and was covered in shiny black hair, the man said, and was gone almost before he could register what was happening. “It...

HONG KONG — Under the cover of darkness early Thursday, authorities in Hong Kong tore down a public sculpture dedicated to the victims of the Tiananmen Square massacre, accelerating a campaign to erase the crackdown from public recollection and stamp out dissent in a city that until recently was one of Asia’s freest. The 26-foot-tall artwork, known as the “Pillar of Shame,” had stood at the University of Hong Kong for nearly a quarter-century and honored the hundreds, if not thousands, of students and others killed on June 4, 1989, when the Chinese military crushed pro-democracy protests....