Free Republic

The developers behind the FFmpeg project are again claiming major performance uplifts delivered by wielding the art of handwritten assembly code. With the latest patch applied, users should see a “100x speedup” in the cross-platform open-source media transcoding application. However, the developers were soon to clarify that the 100x claim applies to just a single function, “not the whole of FFmpeg.”BREAKING: FFmpeg 100x speedup from handwritten assembly13:55:30 <•haasn> rangedetect8_avx512: 121.2 (100.18x) that may be the biggest speedup I've seen so farJuly 16, 2025“The biggest speedup I've seen so far”Last November, we reported on an FFmpeg performance boost that could speed...

CBS News Capitol Hill correspondent Scott MacFarlane told podcaster Chuck Todd on Wednesday about how traumatized he was by Trump rallygoers blaming the media for the assassination attempt against President Donald Trump in 2024. MacFarlane said he had personal trauma from the crowd’s immediate rage in response. "For those of us there, it was such a horror because you saw an emerging America," MacFarlane told Todd on his podcast. "And it wasn't the shooting, Chuck. This was – I got diagnosed with PTSD within 48 hours. I got put on trauma leave, not because, I think, of the shooting, but...

On a daily basis, ICE officers battle protesters who oppose the enforcement of immigration law. These attacks are coming from multiple sources, and challenge not only the effectiveness of ICE, but endanger the agents’ lives. June 9 was the onset of the protests in Los Angeles, which are actually being funded by our tax dollars:Los Angeles descended into turmoil this weekend as left-leaning activist organizations, funded by taxpayer dollars, are believed to have intensified protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). What started as a relatively small demonstration opposing the Trump administration’s crackdown on criminal illegal immigrants rapidly escalated into...

A Harvard sophomore, Alex Bronzini-Vender, had a NYT op-ed published Tuesday morning lamenting the changing fashions in college application essay questions. Even though he’s already in, young Mr. Bronzini-Vender has evidently heard from incoming freshmen what they had to endure to get in. What changed? Well, evidently the essay question is no longer on DEI, which he, a self-described “white” kid, apparently knew how to “game.” (His word.) Now? Now the essay question is to describe a conflict you once had and how you resolved it.It’s known as the disagreement question, and since the student encampments of spring 2024 and...

Yes, president Trump was right when he proclaimed he'd be a good Pope. He wasn't joking. What does Trump have in common with the Pope? The ability to sweep pedophile under the rug, deny the obvious, and allow those who engage in pedophilia to continue with no fear of Justice, especially those at the highest levels who maintain power and authority. Shame.

Nebraska state leaders filed a lawsuit against Colorado on Wednesday seeking to have the U.S. Supreme Court assert the Cornhusker State’s century-old water rights to the South Platte River that crosses state lines. Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen, announcing the legal action at a news conference with Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers and other state and local officials, said, “Every drop of water matters.” Pillen and Hilgers accused Colorado officials of siphoning off more and more water every day, even as Nebraska had been “nice” with Colorado, which has seen increases in housing, agricultural and business development along the waterway. “We’re...

Astronomers at the Planetary Virtual Observatory and Laboratory (PVOL) are appealing for help, after an image taken by NASA's Mario Rana appears to show an object slamming into Saturn.Saturn, like Jupiter, is a gas giant. With their impressive masses, you would expect these giants to attract their share of asteroid impacts. Unlike terrestrial planets, which are usually left with an obvious crater after impact, on gas giants, it is not entirely obvious. With outer layers primarily composed of hydrogen and helium, any trace of an impact can disappear.Astronomers have attempted to model how many impacts take place on the gas...

This insidious slogan is once again being used by Republicans to justify another amnesty bill. A group of congressional Republicans have joined Democrats in an effort to push through an amnesty bill by performing two cheap tricks: repeat the tired trope that we’re a “nation of immigrants” and redefine “amnesty” as “dignity.”The bipartisan bill, dubbed the DIGNITY Act, was introduced this week by Republican Florida Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, who has lately been on a media tour to promote what she calls, falsely, “a revolutionary bill that offers the solution to our immigration crisis.”But of course Salazar’s bill isn’t “revolutionary,”...

A Louisiana pastor, Luke Ash, was fired from his job at the East Baton Rouge Parish Library for refusing to use a colleague’s preferred pronouns. Ash, the bivocational lead pastor of Stevendale Baptist Church in Baton Rouge, affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention, told Tony Perkins he was dismissed for misgendering a coworker at the libray, where he worked as a technician for around six months Last Monday, July the 7th, I was in a conversation with a coworker about someone that she was training and I did not use preferred pronouns in that conversation. That coworker corrected me, said...

...Dr. Naunton and his team found a passage leading down to a central chamber. But despite the anticipation of treasure or ancient artifacts, what they found inside took them completely by surprise. The tomb, sealed for nearly 4,000 years, was not as pristine as they had hoped. The chamber was in disarray, showing clear signs of having been disturbed -- but there was no sign of forced entry. That was the first twist in the tale.The seal on the tomb had clearly remained intact, so the question loomed: how had the contents been disrupted? Archaeologists soon concluded that this wasn't...

Polish bishop warns of ‘Islamization of Europe’ as he denounces open bordersAntoni Długosz, auxiliary bishop emeritus of Częstochowa, spoke about the Polish government's dangerous migration policies last Saturday during a pilgrimage.A Polish bishop has denounced his government as “political gangsters” who foster the “Islamization of Europe” through their migration policy.According to a report by the Catholic Herald, Antoni Długosz, auxiliary bishop emeritus of Częstochowa, spoke about the Polish government’s dangerous migration policies last Saturday during an annual pilgrimage to the Jasna Góra monastery, where the famous Black Madonna icon is displayed.“German police are tossing illegal immigrants across the border like...

Benny Johnson @bennyjohnson 🚨Former mobster who was jailed in Epstein’s cell says Ghislaine Maxwell holds the key to the entire operation and the government is keeping her quiet with a deal, Haul her in and force her to testify: “The key person here is Ghislaine Maxwell… They got to bring her in and make her talk. I think they got a hold of her.. Told her to keep her mouth shut and she will get out.” 11:47 AM · Jul 17, 2025

(Jul. 16, 2025) — On June 18, former Maricopa County, AZ Sheriff Joseph M. Arpaio began tweeting about the investigation his office opened into the “long-form” birth certificate image of then-sitting president Barack Hussein Obama II. Arpaio launched the probe in August 2011 after a group of more than 200 constituents approached him with concerns that if the image, released on the White House website on April 27 proved to be fraudulent as several experts asserted, their votes in the 2012 presidential election would be disenfranchised. ... continue reading at: https://www.thepostemail.com/2025/07/16/is-the-truth-about-the-obama-birth-certificate-about-to-emerge/

Record-breaking levels of immigration is causing Britain's population to grow faster than any other major EU country, figures have claimed. According to the United Nations, the UK's population is expected to balloon 6.8 per cent from 69.6million to 74.3million by the end of the century. Only Luxembourg, with a tiny population of around 672,000, is expected to rise more, at 10 per cent. It's feared the main driving force behind the surge is the Britain's skyrocketing immigration crisis - which political parties have so far failed to tackle. The news comes as the number of people living in the UK...

IN A NUTSHELL 🚀 Chinese scientists have developed a groundbreaking carbide ceramic that withstands temperatures up to 6,512 degrees Fahrenheit. 🔥 The new material significantly outperforms existing options, breaking through traditional thermal limits in aerospace and energy sectors. 🌟 This innovation holds immense potential for hypersonic flight, enabling faster and more efficient aircraft travel. ⚡ Beyond aerospace, the material’s resilience could revolutionize the energy industry, enhancing efficiency and safety in high-temperature environments. ============================================================================= In an impressive stride forward, Chinese scientists have unveiled a groundbreaking innovation in the field of material science: a carbide ceramic that can endure temperatures as high...

WASHINGTON — The Army has launched an investigation after a drill sergeant posted a video on social media of soldiers being hazed under a MAGA flag, which is a violation of regulations prohibiting political activity in uniform and on federal property, the service said. Staff Sgt. Thomas Mitchell on Friday uploaded a video on TikTok showing a group of trainees performing pushups and burpees in full body armor under a banner that read, “This Is Ultra MAGA Country.” The video was later deleted. But Mitchell posted a second video showing the same soldiers exercising in the same location but with...

Following the fall of the Assad regime, Israel has established a new “red line” in Syria, launching major airstrikes on Damascus on July 16 to warn the new government against attacking the Druze minority in the south. The strikes, which targeted military headquarters, came after clashes erupted between Druze and other armed groups near Suwayda.

[Catholic Caucus] The Newly Canonized Saints of Compiègne: "To the poorest daughter of Carmel, honor speaks louder than fear."Mother Marie: Sister Blanche...First Commissary: I forbid you to continue...Mother Marie: You have the power to force me to silence, but none to command me to it. I represent here the Reverend Mother Prioress and I shall take no orders from you.A Commissary: Confounded old hag! She cannot be made to hold her tongue, fellow Citizen, but remind her that the Republic has a machine at its disposal that will leave her somewhat short of breath!First Commissary: Enough! I repeat that you...

"The Russian side has repeatedly stated that a deployment of armed forces of other countries in Ukraine under any pretense would be absolutely unacceptable and it would regard this as preparations for foreign military intervention," Maria Zakharova statedMOSCOW, July 17. /TASS/. Russia treats the idea of the "coalition of the willing" to create a multinational force as a plan of military intervention and will regard its units in Ukraine as legitimate targets, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said. The diplomat was commenting on the outcome of the coalition’s earlier meeting. Following the event, the office of UK Prime Minister...

Trying to create a whiff of an alien atmosphere—sunbaked sulfur and chalk NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS ============================================================= Robot explorers have found Mars to be a world of sulfur, acids, magnesium, iron and chlorine compounds, all of which are sunbaked and wrapped in a carbon-dioxide-rich atmosphere. But what would this complex and exotic brew smell like? It turns out that everyone—not just Mars explorers—might be able to find out, because there may be ways to recreate whiffs of the Red Planet here on Earth. One relatively recent innovation in the perfume business is "Headspace" technology. "It gathers the molecules, and then the sample is...