Free Republic

“Happy is the man that feareth alway: but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief” (Proverbs 28:14).

China announced plans to merge three of its main rare earth metal companies, Minmetals Rare Earth, Chinalco Rare Earth & Metals Co, and China Southern Rare Earth Group Co into a yet-to-be-named company. Rare earths are elements which are critical for the manufacture of electronic components and high-tech alloys necessary for civilian and defence applications. They are not rare per se, but they are often found in combination with other elements, with the extraction process being expensive and polluting. Presently, China enjoys a near-monopoly of rare earths, as in 2019 it produced 90% of the world’s rare earths, alloys, and...

The current crop of engines will apparently be Hyundai's final fuel burners. The electric push is on as manufacturers race to position themselves for an EV future. Many companies have made verbal commitments to going all-electric, but Hyundai could be taking a bold step by ending the development of future internal combustion engines right now. That's the word in a report from Business Korea. In an article that dropped just before Christmas, the report claims Hyundai Motor Group officially cut its engine development department at the company's Namyang Research Institute south of Seoul. The report also states the automaker's powertrain...

Los Angeles County reported 7,425 new cases of Covid and nine additional deaths on Monday. But those numbers were artificially low due to reporting delays from the holiday weekend. The region’s test positivity rate — which is considered a more accurate indication of infection spread because it is an average and also a percentage, rather than a raw number — told a different story. Last Monday, L.A.’s 7-day average test positivity rate was 3.4%. Today, that same 7-day average has risen more than 300% to 12.4%. That’s a shockingly steep rise over the course of 8 days in a data...

“AGWN,JFEENH REWEYE PSJNG.” --TVFVP RVPQGP

Real men have each other's backs. This is especially true in situations where nasty women have misjudged their assertive charisma as "harassment" or "assault." This bond, which is particularly strong among the male scions of powerful men, should be celebrated rather than condemned. Accordingly, we are proud to honor the brothers Cuomo as Free Beacon Men of the Year. No pair of siblings was treated more unfairly in 2021 than Andrew and Chris Cuomo. This is not to say the Cuomos are perfect men who aren't deserving of public scorn. Far from it. As governor of New York, the elder...

How is it possible to survive a nation with inflation rates of 20%/month and 1700%/year? The answer? The underground economy. This is the level of hyperinflation we have found ourselves with here in Venezuela, and considering the spread of inflation worldwide, it would be well worth the prepper’s time to glean what we can learn here. Virtually everything you read dictates inflation on this scale necessitates civil war. Yet Venezuela hasn’t seen this. Why not? Why are the streets not being taken by armed civilians? While the main reason revolves around 20 years of disarmament and anti-self-defense teachings, I would...

Apple has temporarily closed all of its New York City stores to in-person shoppers as coronavirus cases soar in the Big Apple. Apple’s massive Fifth Avenue flagship — as well as its Grand Central, SoHo and World Trade Center stores and smaller outlets across the five boroughs — are all closed to shoppers, according to the iPhone maker’s site.

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, have purchased 110 acres of a former sugar plantation reservoir on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. The agricultural land includes most of the earthen Ka Loko Reservoir, which tragically dumped over 400 million gallons of water when one of its walls failed in 2006, killing seven people... The new land grab adds to Zuckerberg’s already sizable estate on the island, most of which lies on protected agricultural and conservation land surrounding the couple’s Hawaiian home, Ko‘olau Ranch, according to the Star-Advertiser. Zuckerberg had previously purchased about 700 acres for $100 million...

ROME – As Europe rolls out its vaccination campaign for young children this week, a top Vatican official has endorsed the move, saying children have been uniquely impacted by the pandemic, and must be protected and cared for. Speaking to Crux, Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, president of the Pontifical Academy for Life, said, “The pandemic has not only affected elderly people, in Italy and around the world, but also children and adolescents.” Younger generations have mainly been affected through school closures, presenting challenges not only in terms of ensuring an adequate education, but also building and maintaining social relationships and the...

The ancient church of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Syrian province of Daraa, almost totally destroyed by terrorists, will be rebuilt with support from the Russian Federation Ministry of Defense. “Some parts of the church are 1500 years old, and some of its most ancient stones date back to 1700 years ago,” said Mashur el Emkhann, the rector of the church. “We also know that before our Lord Jesus Christ was born, this was already a place of worship. People came here to pray. That means that this has been a sacred place for several millennia. The Divine services...

Trans Antifa rioter charged with felony has federal case dismissed after 30 hours of community service A Portland-area serial riot arrestee charged over assaulting officers in August 2020 at an Antifa riot had a federal case dismissed after completing just 30 hours of community service. A serial riot arrestee charged over assaulting officers in August 2020 at a Portland riot had a federal case dismissed after completing 30 hours of community service. Male to female trans #Antifa rioter Joshua "Eva" Warner, who was federally charged over assaulting officers in August 2020, had her case dismissed after completing just 30 hours...

All they did was meet together for worship in obedience to the Word of God. Then the government started fining them. Now, officials have shown up with a warrant and are interrogating their employees. The worst part of all is that the Supreme Court has twice ruled in favor of Calvary Chapel San Jose, yet still state and local governments are harassing them. First it was California Governor Gavin Newsom (D), who clung to one of the nation’s strictest lockdowns far longer than science or prudence could justify. Eventually, the Supreme Court intervened to end what had been nearly a...

A female Delta passenger was arrested by the FBI after she was captured attacking an elderly man on a flight for not wearing a mask - even though she wasn't wearing one either. Patricia Cornwall was on a Thursday flight from Tampa to Atlanta when the altercation took place, after she took exception to her 80 year-old male target taking off the face covering to eat and drink while at his seat. The pair exchanged a volley of foul-mouthed insults, which ultimately descended into physical violence, with at least one crew member and multiple other passengers reportedly injured while trying...

Chicago's grim crime-ridden year continued its familiar path over the Christmas weekend and into Monday, with three people fatally shot and 22 injured in a city run by woke Mayor Lori Lightfoot. Murders are at a 25-year high, with 793 recorded so far in a city with 2.7 million people. By comparison, New York City, which has a population of more than eight million, has had 479 murders to date. On Christmas Day, 24-year-old Giovanni Lozano was found dead with a gunshot wound to his head in Logan Square on the Northwest Side at 10:40pm. On December 26, Clifford Jeffrey,...

Students can already pick a ‘health justice’ trackGeorgetown University will add a new track to its seven current options for medical students. The School of Medicine’s “Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion” track joins Health Justice Scholar Track, Healthcare Leadership Track, Literature and Medicine Track, Medical Education Research Scholar Track, Population Health Scholar Track, Primary Care Leadership Track and Environmental Health and Medicine Track as concentrations for aspiring medical professionals. Professors and co-directors Ann Jay and Tamara Wilson have not responded to two emailed requests for comment on the curriculum sent in the past month by The College Fix. Completion of the...

In Brendenburg, around 9,000 took to the streets in 16 locations on the Monday after Christmas. There were protests and riots across the country. Potsdam-In numerous cities in Brandenburg, critics of the corona measures and suspected vaccine opponents took to the streets Monday evening... Despite the cold and black ice, people also demonstrated in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: In Rostock, the officials counted 6500 participants at the top... In Schwerin according to the police, about 2,700 people marched through the city center in the evening. Above all, the legal obligation to vaccinate, which was considered by politicians because of the still inaedquate...

Fires erupted in Syria's Latakia Port's container storage area following an Israeli missile attack, Syrian state media reported on Tuesday. The attack, the second in December, damaged facades of a hospital, some residential buildings and shops "The Israeli "aggression" caused big materialistic damages and assessing its results is still a work in progress", the Syrian defence ministry said in a statement. Israel has mounted frequent attacks against what it has described as Iranian targets in Syria, where Tehran-backed forces including Lebanon's Hezbollah have deployed over the last decade to support President Bashar al-Assad in Syria's war. Live footage aired by...

This is the moment a so-called Karen trespassed into a family's home in Chicago to complain about the noise of their Christmas party - only to be quickly thrown out by furious family members. The video, posted on TikTok by user Katy Ileana, shows a family delighting in Christmas celebrations as they open presents in their kitchen on the evening of December 24, as is traditional for many Hispanic Americans. Suddenly, a grey haired, bespectacled woman enters through the kitchen door with her arms in the air and says: 'Can I ask you guys to shut it down? 'It's about...