Free Republic

To the victors go the spoilers. When Islamist rebel forces in Syria marched into Damascus and stormed the palace of Bashar al-Assad on Sunday, they found a massive fleet of high-end cars, including Mercedes, Porches, Audis and Ferraris. Videos shared on social media show gleeful looters touring a massive garage in the presidential palace, chock full of high-end roadsters from the deposed dictator’s private stash. ... One eagle-eyed commenter pointed to a coveted Mercedes-Benz with gullwing doors. SUVs, motorcycles, ATVs and what appears to be an armored truck also awaited the rebels, who traipsed through the sprawling mansion taking selfies,...

A cynical act of mimicry by Sonny Boy Williamson II sparked a blues legend, the latest chapter of which has been tackled in song by Randy Newman.Nowadays it would be called “identity theft”, but when he took the name Sonny Boy Williamson in the early 40s – a moniker already held by a distinguished blues singer and harmonica player who had been born in Tennessee on 30 March 1914 – the man born Aleck Ford, in Glendora, Mississippi, knew exactly what he was doing. The cynical act of mimicry was designed to further his career, and, decades later, the...

The long-awaited, specially developed oral vaccine for Namibian kudus against rabies has finally arrived in the country after a lengthy wait. According to the Namibia Agricultural Union (NAU), intensive efforts are now underway to launch phase four of the project. "Rabies among kudus has surged in recent months, and serious efforts are being made to find more affordable ways to protect the kudu population from this disease," the union said last week. During the initial phases of research, an oral vaccine used for fox populations in Europe was tested, with the expectation that it might also work for Namibian kudus....

Platani is a beautiful village on the Greek island of Kos in the Dodecanese complex, where Christians and Muslims coexist in harmony. The village has remained untouched through the years and continues to attract visitors with its diversity. A Jewish cemetery and a Muslim one, a Christian church, a Mosque and the residents’ houses, make the picturesque scenery of the village Platani. The village is located next to the town of Kos, right before the archaeological site of Asclepeion. In this village live most of the 1,500 Muslims of the island. A mosaic of diversity and harmonious coexistence of civilizations,...

It’s been a trying year for us Georgia Bulldogs football fans. We knew we had an uphill climb this year with a schedule that included away games at Alabama, Texas, and Ole Miss, but we had a formidable team, including a quarterback who was a preseason Heisman favorite and potential first-round draft pick in Carson Beck. But nothing is a given in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). For years, I’ve said that there are so many good teams in the SEC that it could easily cannibalize itself any season. We experienced how tough the SEC can be this season. For starters,...

A convenience store chain is putting Nomu Mayo, its new drinkable mayonnaise, through a "test sale period" to see how customers respond.Have you ever been in the middle of making a sandwich, smearing on your favorite mayonnaise, and thought to yourself, "Man, I really love mayonnaise. I love mayonnaise so much I wish I could drink it." Because if so, wow, is this your moment. In November​​, Lawson, a Japanese convenience store chain, launched Nomu mayo, a drinkable mayonnaise that you can pick up in a cup and start chugging before you even leave the store. As Sora News24...

Sir Keir Starmer has told the new leaders of Syria that they must renounce terrorism and violence following the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Speaking as he arrived in the Gulf for trade talks, the Prime Minister said it was “very early days” when asked whether his Government would engage with the Syrian rebel group that has overthrown Assad. He welcomed the fall of Assad’s “barbaric regime”, and said: “We do need a political solution, and that’s what we are talking to regional allies about. It is a good thing that Assad has gone, a very good thing for the...

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has proposed a one-time $300 payment to individuals earning $150,000 or less, and $500 to couples making $300,000 or less, her office announced Monday. In what would be the state’s first “Inflation Refund,” Hochul wants to send about 8.6 million New Yorkers a few hundred dollars starting in fall 2025 if approved by the legislature, an official press release stated. Around $3 billion in taxpayer funds would be allocated for the payments, which the governor called a “break” for her constituents. “Because of inflation, New York has generated unprecedented revenues through the sales tax —...

A pair of red ruby slippers worn by the actress Judy Garland while playing Dorothy in the classic 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz sold at auction for $28 million on Saturday. Heritage Auctions, based in Dallas, slapped a $3 million estimate on the slippers. Pre-sale bidding had taken the price up to $1.55 million before fierce phone bidding propelled it to $10 million within three minutes. After 15 minutes of drama, the gavel finally came down at the astonishing sum. With the auction house’s fee tagged on, the unknown buyer will pay a total $32.5 million for the sequinned...

*The recent not-guilty verdict for Daniel Penny, who faced charges related to the death of Jordan Neely on a New York City subway, has sparked a heated national debate. Following the jury’s decision, which found Penny not guilty of criminally negligent homicide, public figures across the political spectrum have voiced their opinions, revealing stark contrasts in perspectives. Kyle Rittenhouse, who gained notoriety for his acquittal in a high-profile shooting case, congratulated Penny, stating on social media platform X, “Congratulations on your NOT GUILTY Daniel Penny!!!!” Rittenhouse’s support underscores a growing sentiment among some conservatives who view Penny’s case as one...

We previously discussed the defamation lawsuit brought by Navy veteran Zachary Young against CNN and anchor Jake Tapper. Young has been doing well in court and last week he won on additional major issues against CNN. In a pair of orders, the jury will be allowed to award punitive damages and his experts would be allowed to be heard by the jury on the damages in the case. It also found that the Navy veteran was not a public figure and thus is not subject to the higher standard of proof associated with that status. The punitive damages decision is...

Vaccine skeptics like Trump nominees Kennedy, Weldon are threat to public health (Per FR rules, can only bee linked to.)

Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has been elected Namibia's fifth president, making history as the country's first woman to hold this position. Her victory cements the 34-year rule of the governing South West Africa People's Organisation (SWAPO) party since independence from apartheid South Africa in 1990, though with fewer voters than in previous elections. However, some opposition parties have rejected the results after ballot paper shortages forced election officials to extend voting until Saturday. Opposition parties have vowed to challenge the results in court, arguing that the extension was illegal.

The first Safe Haven Baby Box in Kansas has been installed at Fire Station 1 in Hutchinson, providing at-risk parents with another option for safely surrendering their newborns. The box, which was unveiled on Thursday, is located at 2222 N. Main Street and was installed following a change to the state’s Safe Haven law in 2023 allowing baby boxes at fire and police stations, local news station KAKE reported. “Being on the cutting edge is about meeting the needs of our community,” Hutchinson fire chief Steven Beer said. “This is going to be another great thing for the city of...

Anyone attended in the last or going to Phoenix for the 2024 one? We’re thinking of going to celebrate Trump’s victory and I was looking at the $700 VIP tickets and wondering if anyone had ever bought them vs the regular admission ticket and are they worth the price. Thanks.

New York Black Lives Matter leader called on "Black vigilantes" to retaliate after Daniel Penny was acquitted in the subway chokehold trial on Monday. Penny, a 26-year-old former Marine, was facing charges of second-degree manslaughter and negligent homicide. The manslaughter charge was dismissed on Friday after the jury declared it was deadlocked 20 hours into deliberations. The jury acquitted Penny on the negligent homicide charge on Monday. Penny was accused of choking and killing 30-year-old Jordan Neely on a New York City subway in 2023. Neely, a well-known Michael Jackson impersonator, boarded the subway and reportedly began threatening people. Penny...

After 50 years, Francis Ford Coppola has one regret about making what is largely considered the best sequel of all time. According to the 5x Oscar winner, Hollywood’s ever-growing obsession with continuations is the result of his petty demands for making The Godfather Part II (1974), for which he fought Paramount Pictures on returning the director’s chair after the original 1972 was a major hit. “They said, basically, ‘Francis, you’ve made Coca-Cola. You’re gonna stop making colas?'” recalled Coppola to The Washington Post. Related Stories Francis Ford Coppola Francis Ford Coppola To Receive 50th AFI Life Achievement Award In April...

Amenhotep III became king while he was still a child. Image credit: Moraes et al., Clinical Anatomy (2024), Courtesy of Cícero Moraes Known by his superb nickname "The Magnificent", Pharaoh Amenhotep III oversaw arguably the most glorious period in Ancient Egyptian history, bringing peace and prosperity to the empire while commissioning the construction of some of its most lavish landmarks. Now, more than 3,350 years after his death, the ancient ruler has finally been restored to his former brilliance thanks to a new reconstruction of his mummified face. Presiding over Egypt for just under 40 years during the 18th Dynasty...

Title says it all, but Mahyar touches on returning refugees, Christians fleeing, Kurds defending themselves, Erdowan wanting to make Ottoman Empire 2.0, and other related issues. Transcript linked below video.

One can hardly believe it anymore. The West has dropped all pretense of their sacred cow of ‘democracy’, used for generations as an instrument of moral superiority with which to browbeat the rest of the world. Romanian candidate Calin Georgescu larruped his opponent in the first round of presidential elections, only for the entire result to be ‘nullified’ by a Romanian court, absurdly citing “Russian interference on TikTok”—with no real evidence. (See here for a deep dive on said ‘evidence’.) A few context-setting reactions: (snip) On top of that, current Romanian president Klaus Iohannis—taking a page out of Zelensky’s playbook—has...