Free Republic

By 10 years old, the Utah boy had bought and was running a 350-acre farmstead. This is what it looks like to be unafraid to try. Cole Summers Jun 21 Cole Summers at 8 years old. Social media is mostly garbage. My own feed is crammed with doomsday predictions and ads for scammy diets. But every once in a while, between the hashtags and the hysteria, a jewel presents itself. Like Cole Summers. I never met Cole Summers in real life. But I was completely floored by what I learned about him—and from him—online. At first, to be honest, I...

The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you. If you have specific question about a plant/problem you are having, please remember to state the Growing Zone where you are located. This thread is a non-political respite. No matter what, you won’t be flamed, and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked. It is impossible to hijack...

Apparently the world’s supply of a favorite hot dog condiment doesn’t cut the … err … mustard. And, as a result, we may be looking at an international mustard shortage sooner than we think. According to Business Insider, a year of poor mustard seed production is the cause of what may result in a lack of mustard on American grocery store shelves in the near future. Experts say you can thank climate change for the large drop in mustard seed production, with Canada (the world’s second largest producer) and France watching the most recent growing season’s yields fall 28 percent...

Yeast Cells Accumulate Lead From Contaminated Water In this image, A control group of yeast cells (top row) is compared to yeast cells after they have accumulated lead from contaminated water (bottom row). Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images show, at left, an overview, and at center, a closer look at the yeast cells, and at right transmission electron microscope (TEM) images show an individual yeast cell. Credit: Courtesy of the researchers and edited by MIT News A new study shows that yeast, an abundant waste product from breweries, can filter out even trace amounts of lead. Inactive yeast could be...

Thailand legalised cultivating and consuming cannabis this month, reversing a hard-line approach of long prison sentences or even the death penalty for drug offences.

The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you. If you have specific question about a plant/problem you are having, please remember to state the Growing Zone where you are located. This thread is a non-political respite. No matter what, you won’t be flamed, and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked. It is impossible to hijack...

Man Holding Beer According to a new study, men can increase the diversity of their gut microbes by drinking either one alcoholic or non-alcoholic lager daily. Numerous studies have shown health benefits from moderate alcohol intake (or maybe not), especially wine. For example, drinking wine with meals is linked with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, and wine consumption was shown to improve blood pressure levels. Yet what about other alcoholic beverages, such as beer? Beer is a popular beverage, especially with men, that is also one of the oldest drinks invented by mankind. In fact, there is evidence...

Joe Biden’s ‘Build Back Better’ is not working as planned, or is it?Gas prices are at record highs, stock markets are down, parents are having difficulty finding a baby formula, and the cost of everything is way up.According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), there are currently no nationwide food shortages in the country.“There are currently no nationwide shortages of food, although in some cases the inventory of certain foods at your grocery store might be temporarily low before stores can restock,” the agency said on their website. “Food production and manufacturing are widely dispersed throughout the U.S. and...

The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you. If you have specific question about a plant/problem you are having, please remember to state the Growing Zone where you are located. This thread is a non-political respite. No matter what, you won’t be flamed, and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked. It is impossible to hijack...

The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you. If you have specific question about a plant/problem you are having, please remember to state the Growing Zone where you are located. This thread is a non-political respite. No matter what, you won’t be flamed, and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked. It is impossible to hijack...

With just 2 days left the average high temperature for Seattle in May is 59.7°. Here is a list of the average May high temperatures in Seattle the last few years. 2021 65.7° 2020 68.0° 2019 69.7° 2018 70.8° 2017 67.0° 2016 68.8° 2015 68.0° 2014 67.8° 2013 67.3°

The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you. If you have specific question about a plant/problem you are having, please remember to state the Growing Zone where you are located. This thread is a non-political respite. No matter what, you won’t be flamed, and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked. It is impossible to hijack...

Do you know what DEF fluid is? It's Diesel Exhaust Fluid. Every Diesel truck that has been made since 2010 is required to use it. It's a product made of 67% Urea fertilizer and 33% distilled water. Every diesel truck you see driving down the road today has to have this product to drive. The engines won't start without it. There are regulators inside the engine that mix DEF with the Diesel to reduce Diesel emissions. That's the purpose of DEF. Right now, Russia is the largest exporter of Urea by a wide margin. Qatar is second. Egypt and China...

When a new book came out, the great C. S. Lewis would first seek out an old one on the same subject. That’s good advice for embattled Americans. In fact, two old books address what is happening today with rare perception. Regent College Publishing has reissued The Green Stick and The Infernal Grove, the two volumes of Chronicles of Wasted Time by Malcolm Muggeridge. Paul Johnson called it one of the great autobiographies of our time, which might be an understatement. Wisdom and wit leap off the pages, and there’s even a news hook: Russia has invaded Ukraine and that...

Gardners beware -- the invasive Amynthas agrestis, also known as the Asian jumping worm, could be wiggling around a garden near you. These worms are known for their insatiable appetite and ability to jump a foot in the air. Yes, you read that right. "True to their name, they jump and thrash immediately when handled, behaving more like a threatened snake than a worm, sometimes even breaking and shedding their tail when caught," said the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) in a report. As if that's not disconcerting enough, the worms "are extremely active, aggressive, and have voracious...

The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you. If you have specific question about a plant/problem you are having, please remember to state the Growing Zone where you are located. This thread is a non-political respite. No matter what, you won’t be flamed, and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked. It is impossible to hijack...

Bloomberg.com published a story today headlined “Age of Scarcity Begins With $1.6 Trillion Hit to World Economy” which led Steve Bannon to go on a rant about how this should be an Age of Abundance, and it was — under President Trump! He’s joined in the first segment by economist Dave Brat, the dean of the Liberty School of Business, for an explanation of how we got here. In Part 2, watch energy consultant Dave Walsh talk about how the crisis is just getting started. Just wait until fall when our farmers take in the harvest, which will be...

Low-protein diets appear to have incredible benefits for the health and lifespans of rodents, fruit flies, and yeast. A new study in mice has now identified a single hormone that is essential for these curious anti-aging effects. The hormone is called fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21), and it is secreted by the liver. In recent years, studies have shown that FGF21 responds to protein restriction in male mice, improving energy expenditure and glucose tolerance while reducing body weight. Now, the same team of researchers has found FGF21 is required for the anti-aging effects, too. "Indeed, mice that are FGF21 deficient...

The United States and the European Union are looking at how to improve food supply chains with export restrictions from India and other nations accentuating global problems, the EU’s trade chief told CNBC. G-7 foreign ministers warned over the weekend that the war in Ukraine is increasing the risk of a global hunger crisis. This is because Ukraine has been unable to export grains, fertilizers and vegetable oil, while the conflict is also destroying crop fields and preventing a normal planting season. This has increased the reliance on nations from other parts of the world for these products. But some...

HOLLAND, Mich. — A first-time, popular Tulip Time Festival exhibit is closing Sunday due to unusually warm weather, which has been record-breaking in parts of West Michigan. Organizers said hundreds of tulips at the Immersion Garden in Holland are wilting sooner than they normally would. “The tulips really like it to be about 40 degrees at night, 60 degrees during the day," Gwen Auwerda, executive director for the Tulip Time Festival. "So when its 80 degrees during the day or 90 degrees at night, they just wilt really quickly." The tulips planted in downtown Holland are faring a lot better...