Free Republic

Click on link

On January 5, 2024, Western Oregon University (WOU) announced a bold change to its grading regime: “The letter grades of D- and F” have been axed in favor of a mark of “No Credit (NC)” for undergraduates. WOU’s provost, Jose Coll, clarified that this new system will not lower the university’s academic standards but, rather, “increase retention and graduation rates.” The university will no longer “mask” students’ “demonstrated abilities” with a slew of poor marks, following the likes of Brown University and Hampshire College, which have already exchanged letter grades for alternative measures in some instances. By removing troublesome grades,...

A Somalian refugee has been charged with murder for allegedly killing his seven-months-pregnant Swedish girlfriend rather than face the shame of introducing her to his strict Muslim family. Mohamedamin Abdirisek Ibrahim, 22, is charged in the alleged honor killing of 20-year-old Saga Forsgren Elneborg inside her home in Örebro, a city two hours from the capital, Stockholm, in April 2023, UK news outlet LBC reported, citing Swedish media. He killed his girlfriend “by suffocating and strangling her by means of pressure on her neck with an impact on the trachea and the blood supply to the head,” prosecutor Elizabeth Anderson...

A Danish navy missile could launch any minute due to a technical error, forcing the country to close an area of air space and warn ships of a potential accidental strike. ...'The launch vehicle, the booster, is activated, and currently cannot be disabled,' the military said in a statement.

CVOKKOB PGO UJO NEYSR, AEG UJON KJPVV DSJOGDU UJO SPUDESPV BOCU! - JOGCOGU JEEZOG Hal's cryptogram helper

An infamous child killer who broke into a slumber party in 1993 and blindfolded three girls before abducting and murdering one of them could have his death sentence reversed. Career criminal Richard Allen Davis, 69, was sentenced to death over the shocking murder of Polly Klaas in Petaluma, California. The little girl's abduction from her own home during a slumber party she was hosting, at the place where she should have felt safest triggered international shock and revulsion Davis strangled Klaas to death just hours after the horrifying abduction. He eventually confessed to the murder and was sentenced to death...

A legal group headed by ex-Donald Trump adviser Stephen Miller accused the Defense Department on Thursday of failing to answer a request for an Obama-era memo that may reveal pertinent information surrounding the 45th president’s classified documents indictment. America First Legal in January filed a Freedom of Information Act request to compel the DOD to submit information pertaining to a “secretive” technology committee created in 2014 under then-President Barack Obama in response to foreign cyberattack threats. Miller’s group argues that the Presidential Information Technology Committee “creates a presumption that the President controls all information he receives” and says that it...

The world has been fed a simple, black-and-white narrative of good vs. evil in the war between Ukraine and Russia...But while simple narratives are good at building support for new wars, they're not so great at telling the whole truth.What is the truth about Volodymyr Zelenskyy? We've spent over a year finding out.Episode 1 of "Zelenskyy Unmasked" starts now..(16 minute and 42 second video below)https://twitter.com/Truth_InMedia/status/1775893706631270487

My latest song - hope it tastes sweet to you.

Disturbing video shows the moment a revenge-seeking son guns down his father’s accused killer in the middle of a courtroom. Cristiano Alves Terto, 27, was seen unloading six shots into Francisco Cleidivaldo Mariano De Moura, 38, during a jury session for his father’s murder trial in São José do Belmonte, Brazil, according to CNN Brasil. Footage from inside the courtroom depicts Terto bolting toward the front with a .38-caliber revolver pointed directly at De Moura — who is sitting only steps away from a juror and an attorney — and firing at least two shots while charging him. Video The...

Virgin Voyages is targeting a new type of traveler: remote workers...It's essentially four week-long cruises packaged together to appeal to remote workers who want to spend a month at sea in southern Europe.

The number of people seeking international protection in Ireland in the first three months of this year has risen by more than 2,000 compared to the same time last year. Figures from the Department of Justice show 5,163 people applied for international protection up to 28 March. This represents a rise of 2,170, or 72%, from the same period of time last year when 2,993 applications were made by 28 March 2023. More than one third of those who have applied for international protection so far this year are from Nigeria (1,668) while 416 are from Bangladesh, 400 from Pakistan,...

We graded Alabama's candidates based on their previous 2A voting record, public statements on their constituents owning firearms, and their willingness to focus on 2A issues. Given our research on this criteria, we've assigned the following grades: A - Caroleene Dobson - Running for U.S. House District 2 B - Dick Brewbaker - Running for U.S. House District 2 D - Robin Litaker - Running for U.S. House District 7 F - Terrycina Sewell - Running for U.S. House District 7

Interview with Amber Roman who caught Shohei Ohtani’s first home run as a Dodger at Dodger Stadium last night (Wednesday, April 3). I post it because she was essentially extorted in to giving up the ball to Dodger staff. Security immediately went and got her, took her in to a room, would not allow her husband, or anyone else, to accompany her. They then told her if she did not give them the ball that the Dodgers would not authenticate it and it would be worthless. That there is illegal. The whole thing stinks. I post the pertinent transcript excerpt...

William Wragg, the Tory MP, has admitted involvement in a Westminster honeytrap sexting scandal after he shared colleagues’ phone numbers with a man he met on a gay dating app. Mr Wragg, the vice chairman of the 1922 committee, handed over contact details for Westminster colleagues to a man he met on Grindr, to whom he had sent intimate pictures of himself. The MP for Hazel Grove told The Times, which approached him after speaking to victims who suspected his involvement, that he was “scared” the man “had compromising things on me”. Those colleagues – including several MPs, members of...

Bidenomics was born under a bad sign. Or born under large corporate donor payoffs. In the real world labor market, 2024 has been a deluge of layoffs of the US economy… 1. Everybuddy: 100% of workforce 2. Wisense: 100% of workforce 3. CodeSee: 100% of workforce 4. Twig: 100% of workforce 5. Twitch: 35% of workforce 6. Roomba: 31% of workforce 7. Bumble: 30% of workforce 8. Farfetch: 25% of workforce 9. Away: 25% of workforce 10. Hasbro: 20% of workforce 11. LA Times: 20% of workforce 12. Wint Wealth: 20% of workforce 13. Finder: 17% of workforce 14. Spotify:...

The Athletics, as part of their efforts to relocate to Las Vegas in time for the 2028 season, will play their home games for the 2025-27 seasons at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento, California, the team announced on Thursday. The deal includes an option for a fourth season. The A's lease with the City of Oakland is set to expire at the end of this season, yet the A's rejected a five-year extension on the lease of Oakland Coliseum. That, plus an apparent desire to retain as much of their local broadcasting revenue as possible (a factor that my have...

New research conducted in mice offers insights into what's going on at the molecular level that could cause people with diabetes to develop Alzheimer's disease. The study adds to a growing body of research on the links between type 2 diabetes and Alzheimer's disease, which some scientists have called "type 3 diabetes." The findings suggest that it should be possible to reduce the risk of Alzheimer's by keeping diabetes well controlled or avoiding it in the first place, according to researchers. Narendra Kumar led the study. "We think that diabetes and Alzheimer's disease are strongly linked," Kumar said, "and by...

The popular opinion among many on both sides of the aisle about why the 2022 red wave turned into a red trickle is that the overturning of Roe vs. Wade ruined it for the Republicans. To the surprise of no one who's been reading me for a while, I don't agree with the popular opinion. It was 40 years ago this spring that I first volunteered on a Republican campaign. I've seen a few elections. I cannot stress enough how one should never underestimate the ability of the GOP to blow an election simply because the party doesn't execute the...

Polyphenols are powerful plant metabolites known for their antioxidant properties, offering potential health benefits and protection against various diseases. These are found in plentiful amounts in various fruits, vegetables, tea, and coffee. Despite their bitter and astringent taste, recent studies indicate that they may hold the key to a range of health benefits, including the prevention of cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative conditions, and age-related sensory decline. Prof. Osakabe remarks, "Although many researchers have conducted polyphenol research for more than 30 years, a major challenge has been to elucidate the mechanisms behind their beneficial health effects." This review attempts to understand the...