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The bald eagle has been an (unofficial) icon of the USA for centuries, acting as a squawking symbol of freedom that appears on everything from the president's flag and military insignia to dollar bills. Despite the star status, however, it has not ever been awarded the official honor of being a national bird. On December 16, a bill to amend the US Code to officially make the bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) the national bird was passed by the House of Representatives. Since the same legislation was passed in the Senate in July, it just needs President Biden's approval to be...

Discover our selection of the best classical Christmas music including Handel’s ‘Messiah’ and Tchaikovsky’s ‘The Nutcracker.’Christmas is steeped in musical tradition, and its classical canon glistens with festive jewels. Our selection of the best classical Christmas music is a snapshot of many Christmases-past: feelings of joy, celebration, reflection and nostalgia are bound up in these beautiful, timeless scores. Pour yourself a glass of mulled wine, relax, and listen to these classical Christmas masterpieces featuring magnificent choral works and orchestral fantasies. Merry Christmas! 10: Berlioz: L’Enfance du Christ Berlioz’s musical telling of The Childhood of Christ makes for perfect Christmas listening....

A controversial 2020 study that claimed the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine showed promise for treating COVID-19 has been retracted, after sparking widespread criticism from scientists ever since its publication. The study was originally published online in the International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents on March 20, 2020. With a small sample size of just 36 total participants, the trial had involved treating 20 COVID-19 patients with 600 milligrams of hydroxychloroquine, a drug best known as an antimalarial. Some of the patients were also given the antibiotic azithromycin. Based on the results, the authors concluded that hydroxychloroquine was “significantly associated with viral load...

CISA has urged ‘highly targeted’ individuals in the US Government or in senior political positions to immediately review and implement strict security measures with their mobile devices. This comes after multiple major US telecoms firms were hit by security breaches earlier in 2024, most likely originating from state-sponsored Chinese hackers. Recent reports also confirmed that the group behind the attack, Salt Typhoon, had not yet been fully eradicated, and still lurks inside US telecoms networks. As part of its advisory, CISA also released a best practice guide for mobile communications, which includes instructions on using end-to-end encryption, password managers, Fast...

As Russians prepare to celebrate the New Year or the week of public holidays that follows, they might notice this year's festive bill at the supermarket come out to significantly more than last year's – especially for fans of sandwiches with butter and red caviar, a New Year's dinner staple in the country. In October of last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin denied that Russia was “spending too much money on guns and forgetting about butter,” prices of which have seen some of the biggest increases of all produce, growing by over 33 percent since the start of 2024. Caviar,...

Google says it is still 10 years away from quantum that can decode crypto, and new quantum-safe cryptocurrencies may emerge...Tim Hollebeek, has a simplified way of thinking about the breakthrough...He says imagine a maze...A classical computer...would try one potential path at a time..."A quantum computer would be able to try each path at the same time..."

These days, climate scientists are looking hard at Arctic maps. As winter sea ice shrinks and cracks appear, they try to understand the reasons for these changes, and determine what we should expect in the future. Centuries ago, though, when people tried to map the Arctic, they weren’t too concerned with what was happening to it—they just wanted to know what the heck was up there. And, if they didn’t know, they pretty much made it up. Such was the case with the first known map of the Arctic: the Septentrionalium Terrarum, which is filled with magnetic stones, strange whirlpools,...

It is crucial to understand how so-called "priorities" and "guidelines" have been used to hobble Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers and Border Patrol agents in their attempts to enforce the immigration laws...What follows is a brief history of such non-enforcement...going back five administrations.

Burt, the beloved crocodile known for starring in the Australian film, 'Crocodile Dundee', passed away last weekend. He was estimated to be over 90 years old. The Australian crocodile park where he resided in his later years announced his death in a post on Instagram on Sunday. "Burt was truly one of a kind. He wasn’t just a crocodile; he was a force of nature and a reminder of the power and majesty of these incredible creatures," Crocosaurus Cove said. Burt rose to fame after appearing in Peter Fairmann's 1986 film "Crocodile Dundee" alongside Paul Hogan, who played the fearless...

A restaurant in Norman organized a bicycle giveaway event for families in need ahead of Christmas. Coaches Corner, owned by former University of Oklahoma football players Corey Wilson and Maylon Wesley, handed out 100 bicycles as a line stretched around the building. "We did it," said Wilson. "No one thought we'd be able to do it but look at what we accomplished." Kids and parents picked out whichever bicycle they wanted from the large selection until every last one was gone

VIDEO Jonathan Karl, who has a history of extreme TDS to the extent of even writing TDS books, was shocked that Senator John Fetterman was NOT also infected with Trump DERANGEMENT Syndrome during an interview with him. Fetterman's willingness to act like a normal person in regard to Trump also earned him the ire of the Bluesky Bolsheviks as you can see here.

With everything going on in the world, I wanted to reach out to see what other Freepers are doing online to protect yourselves, whether its subscribing to a monitoring service for activity under your name, using VPN (which one & why), password managers, multi-factor authentication etc. What else should a person consider?

DONALD J. TRUMP President, Commander-in-Chief J.D. VANCE Vice-President, President of the Senate SUZIE WILES Chief of Staff WILLIAM McGINLEY Counsel, Dept. of Govt. Efficiency STEPHEN MILLER Deputy Chief of Staff MICHAEL WALTZ National Security Advisor PETE HEGSETH Sec. of Defense MARCO RUBIO Sec. of State ELISE STEFANIK Amb. to United Nations MIKE HUCKABEE Amb. to Israel STEVE WITKOFF Middle East Envoy KRISTI NOEM Sec. of Homeland Security TOM HOMAN Border Czar JOHN RATCLIFFE CIA Director ELON MUSK Co-Sec. of Govt. Efficiency VIVEK RAMASWAMY Co-Sec. of Govt. Efficiency PAM BONDI Attorney General LEE ZELDIN EPA Administrator TULSI GABBARD Dir. of...

The UK economy had zero growth between July and September, revised official figures show. The revised data comes after a series of disappointing figures including inflation rising at its fastest pace for eight months and the economy unexpectedly shrinking in October. One of the UK's leading business groups, the CBI, said its latest company survey suggested "the economy is headed for the worst of all worlds". Chancellor Rachel Reeves said the challenge to fix the economy "after 15 years of neglect is huge", while shadow chancellor Mel Stride said Monday's figures showed "growth has tanked on Labour's watch". The revised...

…….. However, this issue is not solely about economics. Trump’s statements also reflect broader anxieties about China’s expanding regional influence. Since Panama recognized China diplomatically instead of Taiwan in 2017, Beijing has intensified its economic engagement, including significant investments in infrastructure projects near the canal. The U.S. Southern Command has voiced concerns about these Chinese investments, with General Laura Richardson highlighting to a Senate panel that they pose a potential threat to U.S. interests. China’s control over ports at both ends of the canal through Hutchison Ports PPC, a Hong Kong-based company with strong ties to Beijing, has fueled these...

The Panama Canal is a great creation of the people of Panama, and China has always supported the people of Panama in their just struggle for sovereignty over the Canal, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Monday, when commenting on US President-elect Donald Trump's recent claim that the canal is a "vital national asset" for the US, which he threatened to reassert US control over. Trump's remarks put this key waterway in South America under the spotlight, after he threatened Sunday to reassert US control over the Panama Canal. He accused Panama of charging excessive rates to use...

🎄 German police are now confiscating pocket knives from elderly women at Christmas markets. Exploding knife crime in Germany, which the police openly says is tied to mass immigration, has led to a security state at German Christmas markets. In response to the footage above, Alice Weidel, co-leader of the AfD, stated: “Deliberate loss of state control at the borders leads to the illegal immigration of countless knife attackers - and the state harasses its own citizens in response. You can’t make this up!”

Something’s going on in the great state of Texas. For a deep-red state, it sure pumps out some questionable Republicans. Establishment shills like Dan Crenshaw and John Cornyn come to mind. These two aren’t just off the America First train—they’ve got more in common with the left than they do with President Trump or his movement. And now, there’s another oddball Texas politician to add to the list: Chip Roy. He’s a trickier one to spot. Thanks to his bluster and fiery rants—much like Trey Gowdy back in the day—Roy can fool people into thinking he’s one of the good...

I wonder how many different "scientists" missed the simple #math error in #MeganLiu's study that caused an unjustified panic over #BlackPlasticUtensils. Oh look. Their organization is called #ToxicFreeFuture. This is why I favor meritocracy instead of #SocialJustice or #DEI. https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/black-plastic-spatulas-really-bad-164241783.html

Results reported for Texas public schools bolster the case for privatization and universal education savings accounts to fund students directly. A study by Vance Ginn, an economist who runs the Texas-based Vance Ginn Economic Consulting firm, found that taxpayers pay over $15,000 per pupil per year for maintenance & operations and over $27,000 for debt service. Meanwhile, the average tuition for private schools is $11,000 per pupil. State Rep. Glenn Rogers (R-Graford) called the comparison "unfair to the public schools. Private schools can concentrate on education to the exclusion of other concerns. One of the big benefits that public schools...