Free Republic

Expectations were great. When 2023 started, there was a general sense that the stock and bond markets had turned over a new leaf. A repeat of 2022 was out of the question. The primary assumption was that inflation would relent. After that, everything else would neatly fall in line. Specifically, interest rates would decline, and the next great stock market boom would bubble up just in time to bailout the meager retirement savings of aging baby boomers. That was the general outlook when 2023 commenced. But instead, the opposite is now happening. Inflation is persisting. Interest rates are rising. And...

It’s impossible to understand the current moment in history without understanding the ongoing spike in violence across America. And — due to local city politics & broken incentives in documenting crime — the only legitimate national measure of violence is found in Murder data. It’s just not that easy to hide a body. You’ve surely heard a lot about crime since May 25, 2020. But it can all be summarized with just one number. This is a comprehensive review on the demographics of murderers and their victims; published here with the goal of educating the public on an under reported...

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Sunday that the federal government would not bail out Silicon Valley Bank, but is working to help depositors who are concerned about their money.The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation insures deposits up to $250,000, but many of the companies and wealthy people who used the bank — known for its relationships with technology startups and venture capital — had more than that amount in their account. There are fears that some workers across the country won’t receive their paychecks. Yellen, in an interview with CBS’ “Face the Nation,” provided few details on...

While making the rich pay their fair share of taxes has been the rhetoric favored by President Biden, in her testimony to the House Ways and Means Committee Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, admitted that 90% of the enforcement actions by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will be focused on businesses and families earning less than $400,000 per year. Yellen explained that “billionaires are a hard target for the IRS. They can afford the best accountants and lawyers to help them minimize the taxes they pay. Those with smaller incomes are a riper source for reaping more taxes. It is not...

California's wine industry is on the brink of a financial crisis following the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank. The bank had been the main financial institution for bank for wineries in the Golden State for almost three decades. The California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation closed the bank on Friday following a run by venture capital customers. On Friday night, thousands of wineries found that they were completely locked out of their accounts with no clear timeline as to when they might be able to access their funds. Kendra Kawala, co-founder of Maker, a canned wine company located in...

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen appeared to rule out a federal bailout for Silicon Valley Bank while underscoring that government officials have been scrambling to assist depositors. Silicon Valley Bank collapsed Friday following a run of the bank, prompting a takeover by federal regulators. Given the size of SVB, many have compared it to faltering banks during the financial crisis of 2008, but Yellen contended the circumstances are different.

Protesters in the center of Chisinau ended the rally by issuing an ultimatum to the authorities The rally of the "Movement for the People" in the center of Chisinau ended with the adoption of a resolution demanding that the government pay bills for heating and electricity, RIA Novosti correspondent reports. "We demand that the authorities pay for all bills for gas, electricity and heat for all citizens of the country for three winter months. This is our ultimatum demand. We give the government 24 hours to implement our demands<" said Maria Tauber, vice charman of the Shor party...

The government says it is working "at pace" on a plan to prevent UK tech firms caught in the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank from running out of cash. The Treasury said it wanted to "minimise damage to some of our most promising companies in the UK" after the US bank's failure on Friday. Firms could start to run into problems on Monday morning without intervention. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt and Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey "were up late last night" and have been "working through the weekend to come up with a solution" to the...

Monkeys in modern-day Thai forests create stone artifacts uncannily similar to those crafted by early humans — challenging the established narrative of human cultural evolution. A new study published on Friday in Science Advances suggests the possibility that a critical hallmark of human tool use happened by accident — potentially blurring the line between tool use by early humans and our primate relatives. - snip - In an abandoned oil palm plantation on a national park site, the monkeys would create nut-cracking ‘stations’ beneath the feral trees. There they break open the palm fruit’s oil-rich pit between hand-wielded hammer rocks...

Are you ready? Despite cries from Summers, Yellen and other the DC illuminati (Biden is oddly silent), US banks are NOT fine. In fact, banks in general are suffering from Fed rates increases due to holding of long-term Treasuries and MBS. In fact, The Federal Reserve’s fight against inflation is causing serious problems, as exemplified by AOC. No, not THAT AOC. but bank Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income. Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (AOCI) are special gains and losses that are listed as special items in the shareholder equity section of a company’s balance sheet. The AOCI account is the designated space...

One of the best stories from the last twenty years Hollywood history was the 2014 cyberhacking of Sony's computer network. It was credited to the "Guardians of Peace" but apparently done by North Korea in retaliation for the studio making The Interview, Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen's black comedy that ends with Kim Jong-Un blowing up with his helicopter. It was part of a pressure campaign by the totalitarian state that at least partially worked, as Rogen and Goldberg were forced to re-edit their film's ending, while major theatre chains pulled out of screening the picture.But that was when we...

Over the last year, the Ukraine war has played out both on the battlefields of Ukraine, and on global markets where energy warfare, sanctions, and industrial mobilisation efforts went head to head. Russia wanted to freeze Europe, while the Western allies sought to strangle the Russian economy with sanctions. A year on - I want to look at how successful these competing economic campaigns have been. Setting the stage to look at battlefield developments, attrition, and force regeneration in the near future.

The best outcome for the failed Silicon Valley Bank would be for U.S. officials to find a buyer for it on Sunday, Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) said, after its collapse last week. “The best outcome will be can they find a buyer for this SVB bank today before the markets open in Asia later in the day,” Warner said on ABC’s “This Week.” “The depositors can be taken care of and the best outcome will be an acquisition of SVB.” The fall of the bank last week sent shockwaves throughout the tech industry, which relied heavily on the bank for...

Former Vice President Mike Pence delivered his harshest rebuke yet of former President Donald Trump over the weekend for his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Pence made the comments while speaking at the annual Gridiron Club Dinner, a white-tie event thrown by Washington, D.C. journalists and attended by high-profile Beltway figures. The exclusive soiree is known for politicians poking fun at each other and members of the D.C. press corps taking part in skits. This year featured speeches from Pence, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy. The former vice president used the platform...

12 March 20233rd Sunday of Lent The Collegiate Church of San Gimignano: the Chapel of St Fina Readings at MassLiturgical Colour: Violet. Year: A(I).First readingExodus 17:3-7 ©Strike the rock, and water will flow from itTormented by thirst, the people complained against Moses. ‘Why did you bring us out of Egypt?’ they said. ‘Was it so that I should die of thirst, my children too, and my cattle?’ Moses appealed to the Lord. ‘How am I to deal with this people?” he said. ‘A little more and they will stone me!’ the Lord said to Moses, ‘Take with you some of...

First-year students at the Indiana University School of Medicine are being subjected to woke diversity, equity and inclusion instruction as part of a basic Human Structure class, according to documents obtained by Fox News Digital. Students in the class receive a "sex and gender primer" lesson that includes instruction on gender being a "social construct," that sex and gender are not the same thing, and on how to be a "more inclusive" healthcare professional when it comes to "gender diverse patients." One PowerPoint presentation for the class lays out the learning objectives for students, including that they will "compare and...

Home Depot co-founder Bernie Marcus issued a strong warning for everyday Americans. During an appearance on "Cavuto Live," Marcus discussed the devastating collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, urging Americans to "wake up" and understand that the U.S. economy is in "tough times."

Billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman is forecasting 'economic meltdown' within hours of the banks opening up on Monday morning following the failure of Silicon Valley Bank. Ackman is urging for the U.S. government to finally step in and protect all of the bank's depositors, warning inaction could lead to a ripple effect across other smaller banks within the industry. The worry is that customers will rush to withdraw cash from their accounts fearing instability across the banking system with the very real possibility of a domino effect.

A study in the journal Current Biology predicts that killing Daylight Savings Time could prevent 36,550 deer deaths, 33 human deaths, 2,054 human injuries and $1.19 billion in collision costs per year.

The Bible In Paintings ~ Encouragement for Applying and Appreciating God's Word ~ •Drawings•Engravings•Facades•Frescoes•Illuminations•Miniatures•Mosaics•Photographs•Reliefs•Statues•Tapestries•Windows• ֎ Featuring 41 Paintings and 1 Relief ֎ M A T T H E W «Chapter 28» There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. 1 "Empty Tomb" 2 GARY SMITH "Empty Tomb" 3 JOSEPH JUVENAL "The Empty...