Free Republic

Betelgeuse is our next door supergiant. It is almost 1000 times bigger than our sun and possibly it has already exploded in a giant supernova. How would we notice, how fast would the process be and what could we expect to see from Earth? Something happened in 2019 Betelgeuse is currently in the final stages of its short life. So when the red supergiant abruptly darkened in late 2019, the behavior led many to speculate that it might be about to explode. The loss of brightness was far greater than anything previously recorded. Analyzing data from Hubble Space Telescope and...

In 2023, sales of electric vehicles (EVs) passed the 1.6 million mark.To visualize where EVs are the most popular, Visual Capitalist's Bruno Venditti maps the number of registered EVs per 100,000 people by state as of June 2024.The vehicle registration data is sourced from the U.S. Department of Energy, while population data is from the U.S. Census Bureau.Only all-electric vehicles are included on the map.California Leads EV AdoptionCalifornia has the highest number of electric vehicles, with 1.1 million. Florida follows with 231,000 EVs, and Texas ranks third with 210,000.When considering EVs per 100,000 people, California also leads with 3,026 cars...

Fast-food restaurants survive by providing affordable, quick, and convenient meals, but cost inflation is now pushing their business models to the brink.It has become more expensive to eat out over the past five years, with food away from home increasing by 30 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In just the past year, the cost of eating at a fast-food restaurant has increased by more than that of a full-service restaurant.Within the consumer price index, the limited-service meals category (food that is ordered at a counter and taken to go) rose by 4.3 percent year over year in...

This just in: Jeff Bezos is a hypocritical gasbag. But then, I think we all knew that already.Bezos, co-founder of Amazon and owner of the Washington Post, likes to wag his finger at us about carbon footprints. He's even met with the Pope to talk about carbon footprints. (I'll bet the Pope's carbon footprint is substantial.) But Jeff Bezos is also firmly in the "do as I say, not as I do" camp in his personal life. Example: On Thursday we learned that Bezos just shelled out $80 million for a Gulfstream G700, that being one of Gulfstream Aerospace's premiere...

She’s talking about how great San Francisco was before she destroyed it, probably not a good idea!

Earth's North Pole points to a direction in space marked by the North Star. Polaris is both a navigation aid and a remarkable star in its own right. It is the brightest member of a triple-star system and is a pulsating variable star. Polaris gets brighter and fainter periodically as the star’s diameter grows and shrinks over a four-day cycle.Polaris is a kind of star known as a Cepheid variable. Astronomers use these stars as "standard candles" because their true brightness depends on their period of pulsation: Brighter stars pulsate slower than fainter stars. How bright a star appears in...

This will be interesting.

"Russia's wartime economic boom is masking much deeper problems, according to a group of researchers. The authors of a recent article, who hail from institutions including the Yale School of Management, the Wharton School, the Carnegie Endowment, and the Kyiv School of Economics, cast a stark warning for Russia's economic situation despite the nation posting strong growth numbers since its invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Russia's economy is expected to expand another 2.4% this year, according to figures from the International Monetary Fund. However, much of that growth stems from the Kremlin's wild spending spree, and Russia's economy is hindered...

"...Hillary but I am sick of you I am sick of you and then you have the nerves to say that Trump is calling Camala names and woman you literally called us deplorables ..."

...Amar-Sin, son of Shulgi, succeeded to the throne of Sumer (BC 2046) and reigned eight years... The only parts of the empire which caused trouble in the reign of Amar-Sin were those of the ever turbulent peoples of the Zagros table-lands. Disturbances in the reign of Shu-Sin were confined to the area east of the middle Tigris. Simanum revolted in the second year and Zabshali in the sixth year.In his third year [ 2034 BC ] Gimil-Sin built a wall known as the "Wall of Amurru", or the Amorite Wall, usually translated as the Western Wall... The location of this...

Syrian air defenses operating against an Israeli attack... Israel's internal security chief igniting a firestorm with his allegation of a "Jewish terrorism" threat... The US Supreme Court granting a Republican Party request to reinstate an Arizona voter ID law... The US Destroyer "Ralph Johnson" sailing through the Taiwan Strait... New "Twitter Files" revelations this week linking the Biden Administration State Department to social media censorship... A report published this week by the US government linking lower IQ in children to higher levels of fluoride... US Central Command reporting three Houthi drones shot down... A NATO airbase in western Germany on...

The Alaska Supreme Court affirmed a lower court decision Thursday that allowed a question on whether to keep the state’s new voting system to appear on the November ballot. Alaskans narrowly adopted a 2020 ballot measure that put in place open primaries and ranked choice general elections. The voting method was first used in 2022 and is again being used this year. Supporters of the method say it yields more centrist candidates willing to work across the political aisle. But a group filed a petition earlier this year seeking to repeal the voting method, arguing that the voting system is...

Major attack of stupidity on the part of nato/hoho leaders...

Freedom, it’s often said, isn’t free. But for Democrats in Chicago this week, it’s been the gift that keeps on giving. From the Beyoncé song that’s served as Vice President Kamala Harris’ walk-on music, to its strategic deployment across scores of speeches, Democrats have flipped the script on a patriotic noun that used to feel like the exclusive property of Republicans. Instead of freedom from taxes and onerous regulation, or freedom from the government taking your guns, Democrats have reframed the word. This week, it’s meant freedom for women to make their own health care choices, the freedom for Americans...

A 34-year-old male identified as Damien Trevor, an out-of-state attendee at the Democratic National Convention, had his hopes dashed Wednesday when he thought he was waiting in line for a delicious burrito from a food truck but accidentally got a vasectomy instead. "I thought it was weird when they asked me to get on the truck and take off my pants, but I thought, 'eh, this must be a great burrito,'" he recounted. According to sources, it was not worth it. "I just wanted a burrito!! No!!!" Damien Trevor reportedly cried after being snipped. "Why does this keep happening to...

Devils Tower National Monument reopened Wednesday afternoon after clearing more than 200 fallen trees and 5 inches of hail. But the national monument “will never look the same” after huge hailstones pummeled the area. Cleanup continues after a devasting hailstorm that dropped baseball-sized stones at Devils Tower and closed the monument. At the KOA campground near the base of the tower, they've been repairing damage and clearing away more than 200 trees that were downed by the storm. (Courtesy Andrea Wood) ================================================================================ Devils Tower National Monument reopened Wednesday afternoon after clearing the immense damage caused by a severe hailstorm that...

The world of Southern barbecue may move slowly, but it moves forward nonetheless. Far from a hidebound tradition, it’s constantly being reshaped and reinvigorated by new generations of ambitious pitmasters, as our latest list of the Best New Barbecue Joints in the South reveals. First, some definitions. What do we mean by a “new” joint? That can be a relative term in a region with iconic restaurants dating back a century or more. For our purposes, a new restaurant is one that opened since Southern Living published the last version of this list in September 2021. It needs to be...

A nuclear policy expert appointed to the Department of Energy under the Biden administration in February 2024 previously co-authored an article entitled "queering nuclear weapons" which argued "queer theory" should be used to inform American nuclear policy. Sneha Nair works as a special assistant at the National Nuclear Security Administration, the agency responsible for maintaining the safety and security of America's extensive arsenal of nuclear weapons. On Wednesday Beijing said it was "seriously concerned" after President Biden updated America's Nuclear Employment Guidance to focus on the threat from China, according to The New York Times. Nair co-authored a piece titled...

[Catholic Caucus] Why ‘universal and peaceful acceptance’ doesn’t prove Francis is popeOne of the most difficult but important questions facing Catholics today is whether the man who claims to be the Successor of St. Peter, and is generally regarded as such, truly occupies the papacy. In a previous article, I summarized a number of arguments which lead to the conclusion that Francis is not the pope and that the Holy See is currently vacant. In a follow up article, I presented the argument from public heresy in more detail. The argument from public heresy is founded upon Catholic doctrine on...

Join with fellow FREEPERS to pray for AMERICA: For those in Authority in Government, Family, Military, Business, Healthcare, Education, Churches, and the Media. I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving be made for everyone: for kings and all those in authority that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. ~ 1 Timothy 2:1-2 Religion Forum threads labeled [Prayer] are closed to debate of any kind. America It's Time to Pray! You who answer prayer, to You all people will come. When we were overwhelmed by sins, You forgave our...