Free Republic

When we attached tiny, backpack-like tracking devices to five Australian magpies for a pilot study, we didn't expect to discover an entirely new social behavior rarely seen in birds. Our goal was to learn more about the movement and social dynamics of these highly intelligent birds, and to test these new, durable and reusable devices. Instead, the birds outsmarted us. As our new research paper explains, the magpies began showing evidence of cooperative "rescue" behavior to help each other remove the tracker. While we're familiar with magpies being intelligent and social creatures, this was the first instance we knew of...

In response to Purdue University moving to an optional face mask policy, an English professor complained the move would give people “more freedom.” Purdue announced on February 16 that beginning last Friday, face masks in indoor settings would be optional “except for instructional, research and health care settings, as well as where contractually required.” The campus currently has a five percent COVID positivity rate, according to the statement. Professor Robert Marzec, whose specialization is contemporary British and postcolonial literature, didn’t think much of the announcement. “I’m curious what folks think about today’s announcement concerning masks on our campus,” Marzec wrote...

My wife and I, and five of our children, had a discussion recently about giving up our US citizenship. Five of my six children were born in the US. On my father’s side, I’m a second-generation American. On my mother’s side, fourth or fifth. My oldest was 11, and the youngest was 3 when we moved to Israel. A year later our youngest son was born in Jerusalem and is an American because his parents are. Some are surprised to know that we choose to keep out US citizenship, or that we’re even allowed to. Others ask why we’d want...

Downplayed by the MSM and celebrated by millions opposed to medical tyranny, the Canadian trucker’s Convoy is making a clear statement to government officials: The people have had enough! But the question is, will authorities be swayed or has this been part of their plan from the beginning? In a thinly veiled effort to rile protestors and their sympathizers, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the truckers headed to Ottawa the “fringe minority” which holds “unacceptable views” that don’t represent the way most Canadians feel. To add a fascist/ racist flare, Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi called the protests in Canada “thinly...

Marriage is a gift from God. But marriage is in a sad state in America today, and we all suffer because of it. I read recently about the movie star Joan Crawford who was legendary in her promiscuity. As her rival Bette Davis once reportedly sneered about her, “She slept with every male star at MGM except Lassie.” Apparently, in the miserable and difficult childhood of Lucille LeSouer (who later adopted the name Joan Crawford), there was a wound from the absence of her father, according to Shaun Considine’s book, Bette and Joan, which became the basis for the mini-series,...

Last month, the architects of The Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act (PROMESA) got to see the fruits of their work. Federal Judge Taylor Swain gave judicial nod for the plan of adjustment of Puerto Rico’s debts after years of tough negotiations and litigation. This paves the way for the largest restructuring of public sector debt in US history and the eventual exit of the Financial Oversight and Management Board from the island.The reaction of the main actors in this saga of negotiation and litigation has been mostly positive, with the executive director of the oversight board, Natalie...

Never Again! Politicians seeking to capitalize on the white-hot fury of the American electorate had better get with the program or be crushed by the rising movement. If we follow the conventional political thinking, Republicans can anticipate an electoral shift during the November midterm elections and appear likely to recapture the White House in 2024. A grassroots revolt is already showing signs that the Democrats should expect to be punished for politicizing education and mismanaging COVID policy. If we follow the conventional thinking even further, this will spell success for a usual cast of Republican-leaning characters in leadership and consulting...

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a new clash involving religion and the rights of LGBT people. The high court said Tuesday it would hear the case of Colorado-based web designer Lorie Smith. Smith offers graphic and website design services and wants to expand to wedding website services, but she says her religious beliefs would lead her to decline any request from a same-sex couple to design a wedding website. She also wants to post a statement on her website about her beliefs, but that would run afoul of a Colorado anti-discrimination law. Smith had argued...

If you think risking public safety for political gain is a bridge too far, even for a Democrat politician, you need look no further than Pittsburgh’s City Democrat Councilman Ricky Burgess to dispel any notion of it. It’s only been less than a month since the Fern Hollow Bridge in Pittsburgh’s East End neighborhood Jan. 28 collapse, coincidently coinciding with Biden’s already scheduled trip to the city to tout his infrastructure plan. For Joe Biden, and a beleaguered White House staff, waking up to news of bridge’s falling must’ve seemed like a providential gift for an administration desperate for a...

Former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) on Monday railed against Vice President Kamala Harris as the “voice” of the United States on the world stage. Gabbard, reacting to Harris’ confusing remarks at a Munich press conference about the ongoing tension between Russia and Ukraine, pointed out that Harris has “no foreign policy understanding” nor “concept of the cost of war.”

MOSCOW (AP) — The White House on Tuesday began referring to Russian troop deployments in eastern Ukraine as an “invasion” after initially hesitating to use the term — a red line that President Joe Biden has said would result in the U.S. levying severe sanctions against Moscow. Several European leaders said earlier in the day that Russian troops have moved into rebel-held areas in eastern Ukraine after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recognized their independence — but some indicated it was not yet the long-feared, full-fledged invasion. Later, the White House signaled a shift in its own position. “We think this...

On Tuesday's Morning Joe, even liberal co-host Mika Brzezinski sounded like a hawk on Ukraine. She approvingly cited foreign policy experts calling the Russian move into the eastern provinces an "invasion," and suggested the steps taken by Biden so far are "inadequate." Brzezinski surprisingly reacted to the escalating crisis by: Approvingly citing two people flatly calling Putin's move into eastern areas of Ukraine an "invasion." Suggesting that Biden's response has been "inadequate" and "not strong enough." Supporting those saying we shouldn't "parse words" over whether it's an invasion. Get the rest of the story and view the video here.

In 1776, America's Founding Fathers signed a world-changing document recognizing that all men are created equal. Yet, millions of Black Americans were not afforded freedom. Despite passionate opposition against slavery and the gradual outlawing of this evil, the Deep South's world-supplying cotton industry and Eli Whitney's invention of the cotton gin ushered a systematic dependency on slave labor. The extreme wealth derived from this one sector of the American economy justified personal greed over humanity and the intrinsic dignity of every individual. It was this course that decoupled our nation from its Constitutional mooring. Returning to our mission statement would...

OTTAWA -- Tamara Lich, one of the leading organizers behind protests against COVID-19 restrictions and the Liberal government on Parliament Hill, has been denied bail. An Ontario court judge issued the decision in Ottawa this morning, saying she believed there was a substantial likelihood Lich would reoffend if released. A separate bail hearing is scheduled this morning for fellow protest organizer Patrick King. Related Stories MP’s approve use of Emergencies Act in House of Commons vote Lich was arrested last Thursday and charged with counselling to commit mischief and promised during a bail hearing on Saturday to give up her...

Now, there are all sorts of varieties of annotating 22 Feb 2022, but 22-2-22 appears to be the most symmetric.

California has done more than any other state to facilitate the widespread adoption of electric vehicles, and it recently announced new measures to do so again. This time, however, the state is pursuing an EV policy whose tradeoffs have not yet been sufficiently evaluated. A recent proposal from the California Air Resources Board (CARB), the state’s clean air watchdog, would require EVs built in 2026 and beyond to have batteries that maintain 80% of their power for at least 15 years. This “durability requirement” is intended to promote the resale of used EVs by assuring purchasers that the battery still...

According to numbers released by the US government, consumer prices have increased by 7.5 percent in the past year, the steepest increase since 1982. The actual price increases are even worse than the government numbers suggest, given that the “official” statistics are manipulated to understate the real rate of price increases. According to John Williams of ShadowStats, prices have actually increased by around 15 percent over the past year. The fact that prices remain at historically high levels shows that inflation is far from “transitory,” as Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell had described it. The continuing inflation has led the...

Strangely missing from the push-back to "Critical Race Theory" by outraged white conservatives is the observation that nearly all the black people complaining sincerely about long-standing systemic racism have lived their lives in the bluest of the blue cities, which have been controlled by white liberals for generations. The essential premise of Critical Race Theory – i.e. that black people have been deliberately kept down by white people – is correct. But the racial repression is not perpetuated by the white majority or "white culture" itself, but only by the powerful minority of white liberals who control the key institutions...

Did you know that this year February has 10 palindrome dates? Beginning with Groundhog Day - 2/2/22 – and ending with the last day of the month - 2/28/22. Some people however are more impressed with what they call the “222 days” than the palindromes.The month kicked off with a New Moon in Aquarius ushering in the energy of new beginnings and change, and just one day later, we got to experience what some called the first of the last three 222 days of the century, which occur on February 2, 2022, February 20, 2022 and February 22, 2022.Here we...

This weekend’s closing ceremony in Beijing brought an end to one of the most disappointing Olympics in decades in terms of U.S. viewership and overall interest. Although NBC will not say whether it lost money broadcasting the Games, the Associated Press captured the disappointing fortnight succinctly: “These Olympics were a disaster for the network: a buzz-free, hermetically-sealed event in an authoritarian country a half-day’s time zone away…Viewers stayed away in alarming numbers, and Comcast’s NBC has to wonder whether it was extraordinarily bad luck or if the brand of a once-unifying event for tens of millions of people is permanently...