Free Republic

Ukraine joins Xi-Xia and Carthage in the dumpster of history...

There have been several recent incidents where China has done its best to bully the Philippines in the South China Sea. Those incidents haven’t gone unnoticed by some of China’s neighbors. Now Japan and the Philippines are teaming up to create a new defense pact. Japan’s PM headed to the Philippines today for two days of talks.Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan said on Friday that his country would start formal talks with the Philippines to allow the deployment of Japanese troops to the Southeast Asian country, further strengthening ties between two countries that have embraced each other as bulwarks...

This is really interesting and I somehow missed it when it started 11 days ago. Chinese state media announced that Foxconn, the Taiwanese company that is China’s number one employer and the builder of a majority of Apple’s iPhones, was being investigated by various Chinese authorities.Chinese mainland tax authorities have conducted tax inspections on key enterprises of Foxconn in Guangdong and Jiangsu provinces, among other places, in accordance with the law, and the natural resources department has also conducted on-site investigations into the land use of key enterprises of Foxconn in Henan and Hubei provinces, the Global Times has learned...

The Hezbollah leader took his time to respond to the past month of bloodletting which has turned the Middle East into a tinder box. And when Hassan Nasrallah spoke, what he did not say was as important as what he said. There was no declaration of all-out war on Israel. At least, not now. ...Hassan Nasrallah insisted that the 7 October attacks by Hamas were a "100% Palestinian operation", carried out in great secrecy, concealed even from Hamas's allies. "It has no relation to any regional or international issues," he said, in effect claiming he did not know and neither...

So I recently retired from the air force and I'm just looking to keep busy and keep my brain learning. I created a mobile game that you can try on itcho.io. I'll soon be releasing it on the app stores (iphone and android). I'd love your feedback on what you think. Is the music for each mode appropriate? Is it fun? Are the modes distinct and interesting enough to try each one? You can try the game here: https://schlista.itch.io/kabocha

Act in haste, repent in leisure, Germany. Back when Angela Merkel was in charge Germany went all-in on open borders, importing a million to a million and a half “refugees” from the third world. At the time, many Germans either felt or feigned a welcoming attitude toward the influx, but as time moved on Germans discovered that those crusty old racistsexisthomophobiccolonialistDEIhatingconservatives actually were 100% right. It was a very very bad idea. And Germans are sick of it.Sources: Politico ➡️ https://t.co/H4WcxP1ghBThe Guardian ➡️ https://t.co/QmVH42X6Cg pic.twitter.com/MWpblqkXxw— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) November 2, 2023So sick of it, in fact, that even the Green(!!)...

Well, here I am minding my own business, working on a boring venture capital post, when here comes the Bureau of Labor Statistics announcement of October jobs data. The BLS has been working toward a Nobel prize for fiction writing all year, but you can only carry that so far. Maybe they figured that everyone is distracted by Ukraine and Israel or just the latest TikTok videos, but their house of cards can only be towered upward so far, and today’s announcement begins the downfall to reality. “Expectations” were for 180,000 new jobs, according to the survey of businesses. Reality...

Yesterday we learned that the leader of Hezbollah, Hasan Nasrallah, would be giving a major speech today to address the conflict in Gaza. This would be his first public speech on the topic and it was generally considered to be a potential turning point. If Nasrallah announced a full scale attack on Israel, that would be a significant second front in the war. Nasrallah spoke this morning and while he did a lot of shouting and made some threats, he stopped short of expanding the war.Although Mr. Nasrallah did not discount the possibility of a wider war that could draw...

When I was looking desperately for a number of years two decades ago for voices that intelligently and courageously spoke up against the militarist excesses of Bush 2, I was astonished and delighted by what I found on The American Right - Congressman Ron Paul and Patrick Joseph Buchanan. IMHO there is nothing short on film from Buchannan to match the magnificence and power of Paul's "what if" speech. But the longer culture wars speech on youtube is for me an almost sacred text which I watch once or twice a year to restore my faith in truth. My own...

A mysterious green slime has been spotted oozing from Gotham’s grates and manholes, causing some New Yorkers to wonder if a superhero comic had suddenly come to life. An X user from Manhattan first sent the phenomenon viral on Thursday, posting photo and video of the bright-hued liquid emerging from below the sidewalk. “So there’s literal green sludge bubbling up from the ground next to World Trade Center right now,” bystander Dan Pantelo wrote, along with a pic of the garish anomaly that has over 14 million views since being posted yesterday. The accidental citizen journalist posted a clip of...

Ben Shapiro recently appeared at Oxford University and gave a masterclass on how to handle the talking points being used to ultimately prop up Hamas, wittingly or not, by those claiming to support the Palestinian position.In one striking exchange, a woman in a hijab stepped up to the podium to read off a list of accusations about what Israel has supposedly done in its attempt to take out Hamas. She quickly found that she had painted herself into a corner, though.This was a pretty epic exchange with @benshapiro at the Oxford Union."If Israel put down its guns tomorrow there would...

His vetoes, his foreign trips, his upcoming debate with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis: It all adds up to something like a shadow presidential campaign by California Gov. Gavin Newsom. It’s hard to predict how Mr. Newsom might pull it off, at least during this cycle—he has remained a steadfast supporter of incumbent President Joe Biden, and as the filing deadlines for multiple Democratic primaries have passed, he hasn’t flinched. He could be gunning for 2028, two years after state term limits will force him out of the governor’s mansion. Or, if events line up just right, he could make his...

Did the 2021 Election Campaign of New York Mayor Democrat Eric Adams receive campaign contributions from a foreign country namely Turkey... Joe Biden continuing to push the notion of 'responsible' gun control laws as he visited Lewiston, Maine... The Biden Administration wanting an explanation from Israel regarding an attack... Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese going to China this weekend... A federal appeals court in Washington temporarily lifting a gag order on President Trump... An earthquake in Nepal tonight with at least 128 reported dead... Tonight investigative journalist Lara Logan out with new video of Ray Epps... A Canadian helicopter buzzed...

The left-leaning Pennsylvania Supreme Court has decided some politically charged issues in recent years. Back in 2012, the state Supreme Court ruled that requiring voters to provide identification before voting was unconstitutional. There was the controversial approval of last-minute changes to the state’s Congressional district map in a 2018 gerrymandering case. In 2020, a state Supreme Court decision required ballots received up to three days after the election to be counted unless a ballot is clearly postmarked after 8 p.m. on Election Day. Other election-related cases have worked through the state’s courts, including questions about the legitimacy of ballot drop-boxes...

Dallas Police Made Lee Harvey Oswald Sniper’s Nest #shorts https://youtube.com/shorts/taePIpM07_Y?si=_fks0ZJ73itTBc7l

IDF forces have found a secret Hamas battle plan in the town of Jabalia, showing all Hamas defensive positions and tunnels in the entire area of Jabalia and Northern Gaza. Israeli forces have been using this secret plan to prepare the next phase of offensives further into the city. Israeli forces have held a hard defense in central Gaza. Israeli forces have been engaging in light fighting in the West Bank, and also in Northern Israel.

Skeletal muscle plays an extremely important role in supporting movement and energy metabolism. However, its function can be impaired by aging and muscle-related diseases, resulting in decreased endurance or strength of skeletal muscle. Skeletal muscle function decreases with the increase of age or the development of disease. After the age of 30, muscle mass decreases by about 3%–8% every decade. Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a common muscular dystrophy in children, causes proximal muscle weakness and calf hypertrophy, eventually leading to degeneration of skeletal and cardiac muscle. Therefore, healthy skeletal muscle is very important to the body. However, skeletal muscle is...

With everything going on in the world, the border is still a major issue that the Biden Administration refuses to address. There are immigrants, wait no, terrorists, crossing the border daily. Texas Senator Ted Cruz explained the issues at the border. Border Patrol agents are “frustrated” because “they risk their lives catching dangerous people, and they turn around and their political superiors just let them go.” “And the next day, they go back and catch the same people all over again,” he said. Minors are often accompanied by older men, and it is unclear whether they are actually related to...

An MP is urging the government to consider deploying the military to ensure there is no disruption to Remembrance Day after pro-Palestine demonstrators said they intended to hold a ‘million-man’ march on November 11. Crawley MP Henry Smith told the Express: “After consecutive weekends of demonstrations where the Cenotaph and other national monuments have been grossly disrespected, it’s completely inappropriate for further protests to be held over Remembrance weekend. “I don’t have confidence in the Mayor of London or Metropolitan Police under him to properly handle the situation given their past poor record, and call on the Government to consider...

POLK COUNTY, Fla. - An elementary school teacher was arrested for a DUI after deputies nabbed her with a blood alcohol level nearly three times the legal limit, according to the Polk County Sheriff's Office. Leslie Spence of Tampa was arrested and charged with driving under the influence after she was pulled over on Friday night in Lake Wales. She was also given a citation for failing to maintain a single lane. A witness reported a vehicle driving east on State Road 60 at about 25 mph, swerving across lanes, according to deputies. A Polk County Sheriff's Deputy was able...