Free Republic

"The debate over whether Die Hard is a Christmas movie or not rages anew every December. Fans of the Bruce Willis action classic will likely litigate this until the end of time. That debate extends to the cast and crew, as well. Recently, another star of the film weighed in to say yes, Die Hard is as Christmas as It’s a Wonderful Life. De’voreaux White, who played Argyle, John McClane’s limo driver, recently wrote a piece for Newsweek about his time on the Bruce Willis classic and how he landed the gig. About halfway into the column, White lays the...

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...

"Producers for “The View” are struggling to find a new Republican woman to co-host the show nearly six months after conservative commentator Meghan McCain left, Politico reported Monday. Producer Brian Teta has booked a slew of conservative women as guest hosts, but none have stuck around for long. Hosts, Joy Behar, Whoopy Goldberg and Sunny Hostin are complaining at having to introduce new Republican co-hosts so frequently, according to Politico. So far, the show has tried out CNN’s S.E. Cupp, former Trump White House spokeswoman Alyssa Farah, former State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, entrepreneur...

"If you feel like you live in an alternative universe where reductionism replaces logic and superficiality trumps character, here’s more evidence that you may be right. We might just be living in a racist version of The Twilight Zone. The Mankato School Board in Minnesota voted unanimously to pay non-white teachers “additional stipends” based only on the color of their skin, according to BizPac Review. If you happen to be born black or Native American and teach for the school district, you ostensibly deserve to be paid more than your peers. ..."

"Several liberal municipalities from San Francisco to New York have moved to allow non-citizens to cast ballots in local elections. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., is leading a coalition of Republicans in Congress to sponsor legislation that would ban federal funding to states or localities that allow foreigners to vote in U.S. elections. The new legislation, dubbed the Protecting Our Democracy by Preventing Foreign Citizens from Voting Act, was introduced after many liberal municipalities from San Francisco to New York have moved in 2021 to allow non-citizens to cast ballots in local elections "It's ridiculous that states are allowing foreign citizens...

BEIJING, Dec 27 (Reuters) - Profits at China's industrial firms grew at a much slower pace in November, the statistics bureau said on Monday, pressured by tumbling prices of some raw materials, a faltering property market and weaker consumer demand. Profits rose 9.0% on-year in November to 805.96 billion yuan ($126.54 billion), well off the 24.6% gain reported in October.... ...Zhu Hong, senior statistician at NBS, said while state efforts to cool soaring wholesale prices in November took cost pressures off downstream industries, the curbs meant the contribution from the mining and raw material sectors to overall profit growth weakened.......

Modern education in public schools is a mess. Critical Race Theory, segregation and hate for America.

The first shooting began just after 5 p.m., when three people were shot, leaving two adult women dead and one adult male injured... One adult male was killed at a second location, and at a third location, a gun was fired, but no injuries were reported. Denver Police officers identified a vehicle associated with the incident and a pursuit ensued. There was an exchange of gunfire between the suspect and officers... Police in Lakewood received a call of shots fired at a business just before 6 p.m....One person was pronounced dead at the scene... Police were able to get a...

"‘Candace’ host Candace Owens discusses the left’s reaction to the president repeating ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ remarks."

"Steve Bannon Interviews Jared Schmeck, The Guy Who Pranked Biden With "Let's Go Brandon""

TikTok users are sharing ways in which they surveil their romantic partners over concerns of infidelity, raising serious ethical questions about technology and dating in the modern era. A video posted to the app earlier this month appears to show just how pervasive such surveillance has become, sparking widespread debate on a range of issues such as trust and boundaries. The video, which has been viewed more than 740,000 times, details how TikTok user @thearmanim allegedly attempted to obtain an ex-boyfriend’s cell phone messages by contacting his service provider.... ...Others began sharing techniques that they claimed allowed them to keep...

“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.