Free Republic

In context: The Russian invasion of Ukraine has prompted several companies to stop doing business with Russia. Western nations have also hit the superpower with crippling sanctions. Even hackers have jumped into the fray with DDoS attacks on government websites. A hacktivist group calling itself Obfuscated Dreams of Scheherazade has created a bot that sets up a conference call between multiple government entities, causing each to think the other one made the call. The stated purpose is to waste the government's time and tie up the phone lines. The automated spam calls go on non-stop during Russian operating hours.On Wednesday,...

Several state legislators won't be returning to the North Carolina General Assembly next January after primary losses, while former lawmakers had mixed results in trying to get back to the House or Senate. At least six incumbents — four Republicans and two Democrats — lost in Tuesday's primaries for seats in their current chamber. Three of those sitting Republicans ran against fellow GOP incumbents who lived in the same district due to redistricting changes. As of Wednesday, the Associated Press had not called a similar head-to-head race between two Senate Republicans. Two Senate Democrats — Sens. Kirk deViere and Ernestine...

"And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. "And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. "And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from...

Three prominent Kentucky House Republicans were defeated in bruising GOP primaries that reflected growing pains within the state's dominant political party. Several other incumbent GOP lawmakers successfully fended off tough challenges on Tuesday. The epicenter of the Republican intraparty battles was in northern Kentucky — where the shakeups occurred. State Rep. Adam Koenig was unseated by Steven Doan. Rep. C. Ed Massey lost to Steve Rawlings, while Rep. Sal Santoro was defeated by Marianne Proctor. Republican Senate Majority Floor Leader Damon Thayer, in sizing up the three races, said Wednesday that a “libertarian-populist narrative worked in a very, very low...

Explanation: Cloudy skies plagued some sky watchers on Sunday as May's Full Flower Moon slipped through Earth's shadow in a total lunar eclipse. In skies above Chile's Atacama desert this telephoto snapshot still captured an awesome spectacle though. Seen through thin high cirrus clouds just before totality began, a last sliver of sunlit crescent glistens like a hazy jewel atop the mostly shadowed lunar disk. This full moon was near perigee, the closest point in its elliptical orbit. It passed near the center of Earth's dark umbral shadow during the 90 minute long total eclipse phase. Faintly suffused with sunlight...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nzr27iZf-dg

. Republicans and Dems unite to EXPAND THE DOJ. Dept of Justice. Of course, this requires Funding. And Six Months ago, Biden said we can longer be the World’s Policeman. Washington Politicians have the Debt to GDP ratio at 130% - it was 34% in 1980 They want me to expand their Power and grow the debt faster, maybe 200% of GDP.

Former U.S. Rep. Raul Labrador has won Idaho’s GOP attorney general primary, beating the longtime incumbent who had been criticized by the far right for not taking a more activist role. Labrador prevailed over Attorney General Lawrence Wasden, backed by establishment Republicans, and Art Macomber, a political newcomer who has never held public office. Wasden was slightly ahead in early returns Tuesday night, but lost the advantage as more counties outside of the highly populated Boise region began reporting votes. Labrador, a favorite of the Tea Party during his eight years in the U.S. House, lost to Republican Gov. Brad...

Ukrayinska Pravda Wed, May 18, 2022, 9:17 AM DENYS KARLOVSKYI In captured Melitopol, the Ukrainian resistance movement has managed to blow up a Russian armoured train as it was transporting soldiers and equipment. Source: local media; Mirror of the Week, quoting the Defence Headquarters of the Zaporizhzhia region Details: Eyewitnesses in Melitopol reported hearing explosions and gunfire in the area of the meat-packing plant. Local journalists later confirmed that Ukrainian guerrillas had remotely detonated an armoured train near the meat-packing plant in Melitopol. The train consisted of 10 cars. The explosion was carried out under a car carrying personnel from...

Paxton: "I'm pretty sure that the Bush dynasty ends here" Bannon: Kemp Flew out from Georgia, Carl Rove and President Bush was there at an event. Former President Bush did a fund raiser for him (George P. Bush). You've got Chris Christi--??.... Paxton: "Can I say this? I think Texans are pretty smart and figure that Bush is out."

Will add updates if I see any

The average price of gasoline nationwide could reach $6 per gallon this summer, far above historic levels and near California’s current prices, an analyst at JPMorgan said Tuesday. “U.S. gasoline prices to break above $6,” Natasha Kaneva, JPMorgan’s head of global oil and commodities research, wrote in a note to investors titled “Cruel Summer,” according to Bloomberg. “Typically, refiners produce more gasoline ahead of the summer road-trip season, building up inventories. But this year, since mid-April, U.S. gasoline inventories have fallen counter seasonally.” The average pump price in California surpassed $6 a gallon on Tuesday, increasing more than 46% year-over-year,...

When God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac (Genesis 22), there was no questioning on Abraham’s part about what was intended. He understood precisely what was involved in such a thing. There was wood to be gathered, an altar of stones to be constructed, the victim to be bound, and then the slitting of its throat with the gushing forth of blood, all consummated in the burning fires of the now-completed offering. What Abraham did was repeated in a variety of forms throughout the ancient world. Homer writes about Poseidon being absent from the Hellenic scene in order to...

The Dow fell by more than 1,000 points, putting it on track to break a four-day winning streak, as big retailers reported their profits are getting crushed by inflationary pressures. The S&P 500 fell by 3% on Wednesday and the Nasdaq shed nearly 4% as investors reacted to a weak first quarter earnings report by Target. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was recently at 31,618.18 — off 1,036.41 points, or 3.2%.

A US citizen and four Chinese intel officers were charged with acting as Chinese secret police to harass, stalk and spy on US residents critical to China. (snip) “We will not tolerate efforts by the PRC or any authoritarian government to export repressive measures to our country,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division.

Remember when freight, trucking and logistics data provider Freightwaves warned at the last day of April that a freight recession was imminent and was set to cripple the trucking sector and broader economy (prompted Jim Cramer to declare that “Mr Freightwaves” knows nothing). Well, as always, Cramer was wrong and Freightwaves was right, and today we are seeing nothing short of bloodbath in the trucking and logistics space, where stocks have plunged the most in over six weeks amid weak outlook from several retailers, including Target, which just like Walmart plunged the most since 1987 as inflation crippled its profit...

Farmers in Ukraine, the breadbasket of Europe, have run out of fuel. Two weeks into Russia’s assault on Ukraine supply chains are disrupted and a critical shortage of fuel for tractors and trucks is pushing Ukraine’s agricultural sector toward collapse. If it does not secure diesel soon, Europe could face massive price spikes for agricultural commodities and challenging food shortages.

Can collaborative robots work with humans? Robots are filling more jobs than ever before, a trend that was accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, a shrinking pool of willing workers and new innovations that reduced the cost of automation for smaller companies. FAIRFIELD, Ohio — Editor's note: An earlier version of this story erroneously reported the cost of the cobot at the Fairfield Skyline. A Skyline restaurant in Fairfield has a new server that rolls through a 12-hour shift while treating customers to songs like "Happy Birthday" and the "Skyline Time" jingle. While it isn't getting paid hourly, it costs about...

I think the dimocrats will try this option later in the election after firing blanks. I think the dimocrats will say "If you Trump supporters believe that Trump won in 20 then he can't be on the ballot for a third election in 2024 because it would be unconstitutional." I actually think they would try some weirdo crap like that. And I think they'd use it as justification to run barak obama for a third term. They'd simply says, "If you're going to run Trump for a third term then we can barry for a third term too". After all,...

“‘Our Father who is in heaven . . .’” (Matthew 6:9). Knowing God as our Father carries with it a definite list of spiritual privileges and benefits. First, it means we need not fear, as pagans do before their false gods or unbelievers do in their agnosticism. Second, real knowledge of God resolves uncertainties and gives us hope. A good earthly father does what it takes to protect and provide for his children; so our heavenly Father does much more to love and sustain His children (cf. Matt. 7:11; John 10:29; 14:21). Third, knowing the Father alleviates loneliness. Family, friends,...