Free Republic

In a recent paper, the researchers—who hail from universities in Israel, Australia, and France—unveiled a unique device “fingerprinting” strategy that uses the properties of each user’s GPU stack to create distinct, trackable profiles. For those who don’t know, fingerprinting is a form of web tracking—the ubiquitous practice whereby companies and third-parties monitor consumers in an effort to mitigate fraud, improve “customer experience,” and, oh yeah, sell you stuff. Historically speaking, most companies have used cookies—which are tiny, identifying text files stored in your browser. But cookies have fallen on hard times lately, as recent privacy regulations—such as California’s CCPA or...

“Stay warm. It’s a cold one out there today.” – Congressman Murray from Parks & Recreation. Yes, its a cold one out there. But the Biden Administration is engaging in reducing fossil fuel supply and pushing towards “green” energy such as inefficient solar panels, eagle-killing wind turbines, and ocean turbines. As a consequence, natural gas futures are up 93% from January 1, 2021 while coal futures are up 133% and WTI Crude spot price is up 82%. Any wonder why food prices up 40%? Stay warm. It’s a cold one out there today. And The Federal government doesn’t care.

A federal judge rejected a plea deal Monday afternoon that would have allowed one of the men who killed Ahmaud Arbery to avoid a federal hate crime trial. U.S. District Judge Lisa Godbey Wood heard arguments Monday from Arbery’s family and prosecutors after the Department of Justice struck a plea deal with Arbery’s killers Gregory and Travis McMichael over the weekend. Travis McMichael, the man who fatally shot Arbery, had his plea deal tossed out by Wood. A decision was not yet made on Gregory McMichael’s plea deal. Arbery’s family was outraged that the plea would allow the McMichaels to...

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis encouraged tax collectors on Monday to keep working to redistribute wealth and fund social services that help the poor, saying their efforts are a “guarantee of equality” that helps the common good. Francis met with members of Italy’s tax collection agency and recalled that the taxes they gather pay for Italy’s public health care system. Francis urged them to defend that, “because we shouldn’t fall into a health care system that you pay for, where the poor don’t have a right to anything.”

House Republicans are challenging the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s COVID-19 guidelines for children, including mask requirements in school. Led by House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.), the lawmakers penned a letter to CDC Director Rochelle Walensky calling on her to roll back recommendations that children wear masks, citing the harms to mental health. Their letter asks Walensky to hold a briefing with Republicans on the House Oversight Committee by Feb. 7 to explain why the CDC continues to recommend mask-wearing in schools. “There is no question, as we enter the third year of this pandemic, CDC’s guidelines...

ATikTok video has gone viral after an antique store was caught selling a brass swan trio for $220 that had a Goodwill tag on it for $8.99. The viral video has garnered over 2 million views in just four days. TikToker @angelmunoz90, or Angel Munoz, posted the video to the social media platform with the caption, "#brass #thiftshop #thriftstore #thriftstorefinds #bruh #pricegouging #swan." The short 20-second clip began with the TikToker walking down a checkered path, revealing he was walking around in a thrift store. Then he walked up to a trio of brass swans on the ground. "Oh look,...

It’s a tight race among “defund the police” Democrats in this year’s chutzpah Olympics, but New York representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other House members of “the Squad” are well-positioned to take home the gold. Fully embracing the politics of “good for thee, but not for me,” AOC, Minnesota’s Ilhan Omar, Massachusetts’s Ayanna Pressley, and the newest Squad member, Missouri’s Cori Bush, are among the most vocal advocates for defunding — while also being, according to Federal Election Commission reports, among the biggest spenders on personal security. All these legislators support the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which passed the...

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Community activists and people of color are denouncing a state lawmaker they once considered an ally but who now stands accused of intimidating a young Black man and endangering his life. Rep. Nicole Klein-Knight, D-Manchester, was removed from the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee on Monday at the request of Democratic leaders after a dozen Black, brown and Indigenous community organizers issued a letter condemning her. The group said that Klein-Knight had worked with many of the signers in the past, but that her behavior in recent months has become alarming and “increasingly dangerous,”...

<p>PITTSFIELD – A Massachusetts man severely injured in a 2019 crash in New Hampshire that killed seven members of his motorcycle club has sued the Massachusetts Registrar of Motor Vehicles for allegedly failing to suspend the driver's license of the man charged in connection with the crash.</p>

I can already anticipate how many of you are going to be completely shocked and surprised by this report. (For anyone qualifying for that category, welcome to the internet!) California is a place where COVID mandates flow like water, with vaccination and mask mandates showing up at the state and municipal levels up and down the coast. But as we’ve already learned plenty of times in the past, the officials issuing these mandates don’t always wind up obeying them themselves. This weekend during the big NFL playoff game in Los Angeles, another such instance was recorded for posterity. The game...

Six months after the second Covaxin dose, a study using the vaccine as a booster dose has detected neutralising, T and B cell responses. This suggests good immune memory responses and long-term protection from severe disease, an official statement from Bharat Biotech said. The booster dose of whole-virus inactivated Covid-19 vaccine Covaxin (BBV152) may give long-term immunity against Sars-CoV-2 infection, its manufacturer Bharat Biotech announced on Saturday. A phase 2, double-blind, randomised controlled trial demonstrated long-term safety of Covaxin vaccine with no serious adverse events, the company said. Six months after the second Covaxin dose, a study using the vaccine...

BACK IN 1997, when I was in my second year with the Cubs, I vividly recall watching batting practice when Mark McGwire stepped in the cage for the Cardinals. It was awesome. I saw how far the ball flew, and, like so many of us, I suspended disbelief. It was like watching a good horror movie, before we knew how wrong things could go. Over time, a cloud of doubt seeped into clubhouses. Suspicion about whether that teammate beating you out is playing fair. Records became mere placeholders. Every home run hit a little too far brought a hitter's integrity...

I sensed throughout Sunday no let up in either enthusiasm or the decibel level from truck and car horns, and fireworks. All weekend, the atmosphere was festive, with an obvious sense of catharsis after two years of heavy restrictions and repeated lockdowns.... One myth that was busted right away was the striking diversity of the protestors starting with the two main organizers, Benjamin Dichter, who is Jewish and Tamara Lich, who is Metis. Far from being a uniformly disgruntled group of white Canadians, not that there is anything wrong with being that, one saw Indo-Canadians, Arab Canadians, Chinese Canadians, Black...

Only 6 of the 109 homes remain in reasonably good shapeBrad Pitt’s Make It Right Foundation built 109 eye-catching and affordable homes in New Orleans for a community where many people were displaced by damage wrought by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Now this housing development is in disarray. The vast majority of the recently constructed homes are riddled with construction-related problems that have led to mold, termites, rotting wood, flooding and other woes. At least six are boarded up and abandoned. Many residents have filed lawsuits that are still pending. That is, a nonprofit that built houses with input from...

Woke wheels keep on turning Canc'lin folks who got thin skin Spinnin lies about Joe Rogan "He questioned Fauci once again" And they think it's a sin Well I heard Mr. Young hates Joe Rogan Well I heard old Neil pulled his songs down Well I hope Neil Young will remember Spotify don't need him around anyhow See Joe drop the hammer For the red, white and blue See Joe drop the hammer Joe, I'm tuning into you Outside D.C. they love the Donald (boo, boo, boo) Now we all did what we could do Now Russiagate does not bother...

"So how could @AdamScotti who is Justin Trudeau personal photography just happen to be with the guy at the protest who just happens to have a brand new confederate flag that still has wrinkles on it. Imagine the coincidence!!" DannyGiles62 Twitter

Heart attacks and strokes are the number one cause of death in the United States, and 70% of them are caused by plaques of cholesterol clogging blood vessels. Despite the prevalence of cardiovascular disease, our best attempts to predict who is at risk are not very good. "We started looking at macrophages, cells that eat lipids stuck to the walls of blood vessels," says Beiyan Zhou, immunologist. Macrophages eat the fatty deposits on the walls of arteries. After eating the fat, they become foamy. "They look foamy because the fat droplets are contained in the cell and look like a...

he 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has dismissed former Waco Police Chief Brent Stroman and Assistant Chief Robert Lanning from lawsuits filed by bikers alleging false arrest after the 2015 Twin Peaks shootout, but left former McLennan County District Attorney Abel Reyna as a defendant. The ruling, issued late last week, is the most recent development in the six-year legal battle waged after hundreds of Bandidos and Cossacks and their respective support clubs squared off in the Twin Peaks parking lot while families were dining or shopping May 15, 2015, at the busy Central Texas Marketplace. About 134 bikers...

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — As school systems across the U.S. struggle to keep classrooms open amid the pandemic, New Orleans is set to become the nation’s first major district to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations for children 5 and up, though state regulations will allow parents to opt out easily. Ahead of Tuesday’s deadline, many schools in the city have been holding vaccination events, including one at KIPP Believe school. One by one, dozens of children presented their signed permission slips, pushed up the sleeves of their pale yellow school uniform shirts and — often wincing, but rarely with tears — received...

Men have been twice as likely as women to fall victim to online blackmail since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, a study published Monday by the journal Victims & Offenders found. This includes threats to publish explicit photos, videos and personal information, the researchers said. Young people, Black and Native American women, and LGBTQ individuals also were at higher risk for being victims of this form of cyber-crime called "sextortion," the data showed. "Recent research has highlighted gender disparities in unpaid care work and household-related work since the start of the pandemic," co-author Asia Eaton said in a press...