Free Republic

“The new puritans, then, are best understood as a clergy for a godless age, presiding over a dreamscape of their own making, rewriting our language, history and traditions as they go along. Yet, for all their clout, there are still some among us who steadfastly refuse to praise the elegance of the emperor’s new clothes, who would rather point and laugh at the naked man in our midst. Not for the first time in human history, our way out of this madness will depend upon the heretics.” - Andrew Doyle, The New Puritans Joe Biden emerged from his speech last...

.....Now the destruction of higher education is basically complete. Colleges no longer admit people simply on whether you can do the work; they now do so by changing standards if you can't, which in many cases means your "degree" denotes nothing more than paying the money. The "unlimited" money spigot has turned college dorms into luxury accommodations I refuse to buy for a weekend when on vacation as I just don't see the value. The prior concept of cinder-block walls, a built into-the-wall desk accommodating two people and a pair of twin beds that can at the occupant's option be...

So far this year, the US economy has managed to skirt a recession, despite what many experts predicted. But even while the labor market remains strong, there isn't much to celebrate in the foreseeable future. We could still very well find ourselves in a recession over the next 12 months, with limited economic growth and lower prospects for improvement in Americans' standard of living that could linger for the rest of the decade. Consumer spending on services will start to slow Currently, spending on consumer services (think hotels, passenger transportation and hair salons, for example) is growing rapidly and keeping...

VRCBL TZI JSB YCBBZV EXP, CBI XCP KCMVS VRS MLP CM KSXX CM VRS SCFVR CBI MSC. - RSBFP ICAHI VRZFSCW

Twice as nice: The two-headed garter snake is in the care of the Herpetology lab on East Campus. The University of Nebraska–Lincoln's herpetology lab is seeing double after securing a two-headed garter snake. The newborn bicephalic garter snake was discovered by Joshua Marshall of Hastings while clearing brush in Clay Center on Sept. 4. "I lifted up a log and wasn't surprised to see two small snakes, but then I realized that they weren't making great progress because there were two heads," he said. Once Marshall realized it was a two-headed snake, he placed it in a jar and...

“Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins. In the lips of him that hath understanding wisdom is found: but a rod is for the back of him that is void of understanding” (Proverbs 10:12-13).

Sky News Australia host Piers Morgan has responded to the "hypocrisy" of Animal Rebellion protesters who eat "almonds and avocados" by eating a Big Mac.

King Charles will receive a massive inheritance after his mother’s death – but it may not be as large as many people think. The British monarchy has assets estimated at roughly US$27-billion, largely in real estate, including a number of castles and palaces. The King, like his mother Queen Elizabeth before him, and his successors after, receive income from many of the assets. They do not, however, have personal, legal ownership of those assets, so they are unable to sell them.

The CEO of a luxury furniture retailer has claimed it is 'crazy' to think the US economy is not in recession, as household wealth fell by a record $6.1 trillion in the second quarter. 'I don't know, people keep saying, are we going to be in a recession? We're in a recession,' said Gary Friedman, the chief executive of RH, formerly known as Restoration Hardware, in an investor call on Thursday. 'Anybody who thinks we're not in a recession is crazy. The housing market is in a recession, and it's just getting started. So it's probably going to be a...

According to the UN Development Program (UNDP), living conditions in 90% of the world's countries deteriorated in 2021. The United States, which was the world's most highly developed country in 1990, is currently ranked 21st. Professor of Economics at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York and New York Times economics columnist Paul Krugman maintains that "this apparent decline in material well-being is part of the Biden Boom that is sweeping the country into an exciting future. It has been good for American workers, whether they know it or not." One of the things that American workers...

Ukrainian forces continue to make significant territorial gains in multiple sectors of the frontlines and appear to be greeted everywhere with open arms by civilians, some of which spent over six months under the thumb of Russian occupiers.Videos like the one below have proliferated online as Ukrainian troops push rapidly through Russian lines in the north around Kharkiv and in the south around Kherson. Ukrainian forces in most places appear to be greeted with hugs, handshakes, and tears of joy by their liberated countrymen.

"The fact that several municipal deputies in St. Petersburg, Putin’s hometown, came forward accusing [him] of treason and calling for his removal is highly significant," Rebekah Koffler, a former DIA intelligence officer and author of "Putin’s Playbook," told Fox News Digital. "They know the punishment will be severe. They can easily face a death sentence based on Russian federal law. The significance of this act of defiance and dissent by a handful of Russian officials cannot be possibly overstated."

AMERICA Prayer Vigil Ping! To be added or removed from this PING LIST, post or Freep-Mail Stars & Stripes Forever.GOD’S Name Is “I AM” NOT “I Was” or “I Might Be” or “I May Get To It” GOD Is In Control, Always Has Been, Always Will Be

Tonight I saw Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. TCM and Fathom Events were presenting it for the movie’s fortieth anniversary. The movie was excellent, but it was bittersweet. Suzanne was a major, big-time Trekker. the kind who could tell you the season, episode number, and title of every episode of what has come to be called “The Original Series.” She would tell you that the movie continues the story arc of Season 1, Episode 12, “Space Seed.” In “Space Seed,” the Enterprise encounters a sleeper ship containing specially bred superhumans, led by a man named Khan Noonien Singh,...

The evolving landscape of lithium batteries is creating both contradictions and infrastructure hurdles that, according to some, need to be addressed sooner rather than later. A critical component of this is waste management. More than 6 million electric vehicle (EV) battery packs will end up as scrap between now and 2030, and the recycling and reuse industries are racing to keep up. Some researchers project that recycling alone will be an over $12 billion industry by 2025.U.S. President Joe Biden wants to make America a key player in the EV battery industry with a $3.1 billion spending package for automobile...

WASHINGTON—The war in Ukraine has depleted American stocks of some types of ammunition and the Pentagon has been slow to replenish its arsenal, sparking concerns among U.S. officials that American military readiness could be jeopardized by the shortage. The U.S. has during the past six months supplied Ukraine with 16 U.S. rocket launchers, known as Himars, thousands of guns, drones, missiles and other equipment. Much of that, including ammunition, has come directly from U.S. inventory, depleting stockpiles intended for unexpected threats, defense officials say. One of the most lethal weapons the Pentagon has sent are howitzers that fire high-explosive 155mm...

Prosecutors with the Department of Justice (DOJ) claimed former President Donald Trump’s team may still be holding onto allegedly classified records following last month’s raid on his Mar-a-Lago property. They made the allegation in a court filing Thursday in arguing against the appointment of a special master, or an independent third party, to review the documents that were taken during the unprecedented search of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence last month. Earlier this week, a federal judge sided with Trump’s team in granting their request for a special master. “The injunction against using classified records in the criminal investigation could impede efforts...

Concerns about the state of the economy come with worries about job security. In fact, half of companies are expecting to cut staff according to a PwC survey of more than 700 executives. The same survey found many executives are also planning hiring freezes and even rescinding job offers. But many companies have already trimmed their workforce. Here are the sectors facing layoffs in this week’s Five For Friday.#5: Mortgage and real estateThe housing market has cooled after the COVID-19 pandemic-induced smorgasbord over the last few years. And as the Federal Reserve raises its interest rate, causing home loan rates...

This falls under the category of too good to check. As Ed Morrisey pointed out this morning, the Ukrainian counteroffensive in the east seems to be shaping up as a genuine disaster for Russia. I came across this animation which shows the territory Ukraine has retaken in the past few days.AFU 🇺🇦 counter-offensive in Kharkiv region for the last three days 🔥 pic.twitter.com/8Mpj3fVPqB— Tarmo Juntunen 🇨🇿 🇺🇦 🇪🇺 NAFO (@TarmoJuntunen) September 9, 2022Wednesday there were reports of an even bigger loss for Russia. This has not been confirmed yet but it’s possible that Ukrainian forces have captured a Russian Lieutenant...

Blaring headlines such as “US bans ‘advanced tech’ firms from building facilities in China for a decade” and “China’s zero-Covid policies are crippling its economic outlook” distract from more mundane but arguably more important corporate news coming out of China. Those new developments include the start of production at BASF’s new industrial complex in Zhanjiang and the final commissioning of ABB’s state-of-the-art robotics factory in Shanghai, big new European investments that buck the trend of US “decoupling” with China. On September 6, BASF announced the inauguration of the first manufacturing plant at its Zhanjiang Verbund industrial complex in China’s southern...