Free Republic

Just a buncha funny stuff.This is long but too good for me not to share. My apologies if this is bad etiquette.

As M2 Money growth has stalled, we are seeing inflation cool a bit. Core inflation YoY is now down to 4.8% (still >2x Fed target). The good news? REAL average hourly earnings YoY is finally positive for the second time under Bidenomics. It is now 1.2% YoY. Too bad rent CPI, typically the largest expense for Americans, is still up 8% YoY. The Taylor Rule, given 4.8% core inflation, gives us a Fed Funds Target rate of 10.42%. So, yes, it looks like Powell and the Gang have more work to do.

DENVER — Xcel Energy customers are sweating the possibility of another rate hike. They're making their opposition known to the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) as the agency considers a $45 million electric rate increase. “They make more than enough money. They don’t need to gouge their customers any further,” said Loren Meaux, an Xcel customer, in a public comment hearing Tuesday. Xcel originally filed for a $312 million increase to pay for investments in transmission projects and its commitment to meet Colorado greenhouse gas emissions goals. After negotiations with state regulators and consumer advocates, the company dropped the increase to...

VILNIUS, Lithuania — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Wednesday that it was “logical” that some NATO leaders fear sparking World War III by admitting his country while it’s at war with Russia — striking a conciliatory tone one day after he blasted the alliance for not offering Ukraine membership. Zelensky, however, did argue at a press conference with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg that an invitation to join still was appropriate immediately because of the “signals” it would send. “We understand that someone is afraid of talking about our membership now because nobody is willing to have a world war, which...

Jan. 11 was a typical day for Isaac VanWasshenova, a trash collector for Waste Management. The 35-year-old from Barnesville, Ohio, got in a truck at the depot and headed to the streets of Mt. Lebanon. While picking up trash, he looked forward to seeing people he knew and talking with the children who sometimes ran outside to see him. “I always want to do my job 100%, but I also want to be kind to people,” he said recently. “You never know what people are going through. If they need something, I tell them, ‘Just ask.’” About an hour into...

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What's the deadliest animal in the world? A tiger? A great white shark? A poisonous snake? Nope. The most dangerous animal on Earth weighs about 2/1000 of a gram, is smaller than an M&M, and could be knocked silly by a raindrop. It's the mosquito. Mosquitoes, obviously, can't eat you the way a shark or tiger could. They act as "vectors" for a number of diseases, one of which is malaria. When a mosquito of the species Anopheles bites you, it extracts blood as a meal and leaves some of its saliva. The saliva harbors any of a number of...

KEY POINTS Jeff Bezos’ space company Blue Origin suffered a rocket engine explosion while testing its BE-4 rocket engine last month, CNBC has learned. During a firing on June 30 at Blue Origin’s facility in West Texas, a BE-4 engine detonated about 10 seconds into the test. A Blue Origin spokesperson confirmed the incident, noting no personnel were injured and an investigation is underway, with a “proximate cause” identified. =============================================================== A Blue Origin rocket engine exploded during testing last month, CNBC has learned, a destructive setback with potential ramifications for the company’s customers and its own rocket. During a firing...

A handful of bold women are embracing what millions of others have struggled to keep secret. Lipstick is a must for Annalisa Hackleman. A bold red is her go-to, but some mornings she’ll swipe on a soft rose or even a rich purple. She plays around with her hair color, too—right now her long locks and blunt-cut bangs are a bright teal and lavender ombré. Still, Hackleman says her beauty routine is kind of basic: She washes her face, puts on mascara and maybe winged eyeliner, lipstick of course, and then every once in a while, she’ll rub a...

12 July 2023Wednesday of week 14 in Ordinary TimeSanta Trinita, Florence,Italy. Chapel of the relics of Saint Giovanni GualbertoReadings at MassLiturgical Colour: Green. Year: A(I).First readingGenesis 41:55-57,42:5-7,17-24 ©Joseph's brothers in his powerWhen the whole country of Egypt began to feel the famine, the people cried out to Pharaoh for bread. But Pharaoh told all the Egyptians, ‘Go to Joseph and do what he tells you.’ There was famine all over the world. Then Joseph opened all the granaries and sold grain to the Egyptians. The famine grew worse in the land of Egypt. People came to Egypt from all over...

Disney, Anheuser-Busch, Target... what will be the next arrogant woke company to hit the wall? For the overwhelming majority of my life the Walt Disney company has stood as an American icon, like Mount Rushmore or the Statue of Liberty. At some point not too long ago that all changed, radically. Disney, like so many of our institutions and financial ventures, became infected with the woke virus, and shambled along the road to the progressive promised land like a horror movie zombie. The only difference is that the repurposed Disney hungers for our children, not brains. The entire strategy of...

Linux enthusiasts rejoice! After a long journey, according to StatCounter’s data, by June 2023, Linux has achieved a 3% desktop market share.Linux has a long history that dates back more than 30 years. However, it has never been as popular among regular computer users as other operating systems such as Microsft’s Windows or Apple’s macOS.Of course, for many years, Linux has emerged as a dominant force in the realm of server operating systems. Due to its exceptional performance, stability, reliability, and security, it has been widely adopted in server/cloud/IoT environments.However, these days, Linux is no longer limited to these environments...

U.S. President Joe Biden’s public approval rating was stuck at 40 percent in early July, close to the lowest levels of his presidency, defying White House efforts to further engage voter support. A Reuters/Ipsos poll delivered the bad news for the president as he looks to another run for office in 2024, telling Turkish President Recep Erdogan overnight he would win re-election next year and would be working with him for the next five years, as Breitbart News reported. The three-day online poll, which asked Americans, “Do you approve or disapprove of the way Joe Biden is handling his job...

WASHINGTON — Air Force Gen. CQ Brown, president Joe Biden’s nominee to serve as the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, warned today that Alabama Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s high-profile blockade of military appointments will force the US military to “lose talent.” Speaking before the Senate Armed Services Committee during his confirmation hearing for his impending role, Brown said in response to questions from Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., that officials are “working to mitigate the challenges associated with the holds,” on hundreds of military nominations, highlighting impacts on readiness, leadership transitions and military families. Brown also underscored concerns...

Spanish leader Teresa Ribera went viral after she pulled a fake bike ride to a climate conference held by the European Union, a move reminiscent of U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s 2021 bike stunt. Video surfaced on social media on Tuesday from the EU 2023 ES conference held in Madrid, Spain, that showed Ribera riding a bike to the conference. However, now Ribera is facing a backlash after it was revealed as nothing but reportedly a PR stunt, TimesNowNews reported. According to information provided to the outlet, Ribera reportedly took a private jet and chauffeured cars to the conference —...

Pray For The Peace of JerusalemLuke 20 Whose Son Is the Messiah? 41 Then Jesus said to them, “Why is it said that the Messiah is the son of David? 42 David himself declares in the Book of Psalms: “‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand 43 until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”’[c] 44 David calls him ‘Lord.’ How then can he be his son?” _______________________________________________________New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.God Bless...

There is no question that the D.C. Establishment has been using J6 to pick a fight with ordinary Americans. John and Nisha Whitehead over at The Rutherford Institute always write compelling essays documenting America's descent toward tyranny. "A State of Martial Law: America Is a Military Dictatorship Disguised as a Democracy" is no exception and deserves reading. In that essay, the legal duo reminded me of something John Lennon once warned: "When it gets down to having to use violence, then you are playing the system's game. The establishment will irritate you — pull your beard, flick your face —...

"This precious value, then, is for you who believe" (1 Pet. 2:7). Love for Christ is the primary characteristic of a true believer. First Peter 2:7 speaks of the believer's affection for Christ as contrasted to an unbeliever's rejection of Him. The first part of that verse could be translated, "To you who believe, He is precious." "Precious" means "valuable," "costly," "without equal," or "irreplaceable." Christ is all that, but only believers recognize His supreme value and regard Him with affection. Affection for Christ is the bottom-line characteristic of true believers. Believing in Him and loving Him are inseparable. In...

Jesus calls the Holy Spirit “the Comforter.” It is one thing to know the Holy Spirit as our comforter, but we must also know how he comforts us, so we can distinguish what comfort is of flesh and what is from the Spirit. Consider the person who is overcome with loneliness. He prays for the comfort of the Holy Spirit and expects that comfort to come as a feeling. In fact, he imagines it as a kind of sudden breath from heaven, like a spiritual sedative to his soul. This feeling of peace may actually come to him, but the...

In a bid to make buildings more energy-efficient and resilient to extreme weather, the administration on Wednesday will award $90 million in grants to help cities, states, tribes and organizations implement stronger codes for new and renovated construction, according to details shared first with The Washington Post. The announcement Tuesday reflects the policy limitations that Biden faces. Building codes are adopted at the state and local levels, so the federal government is limited in what it can require. And with Republicans in control of the House of Representatives, Congress is unlikely to impose any new national requirements. These constraints have...