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Saint Augustine, one of the greatest intellects in human history and a Catholic apologist par excellence, lived and proselytized during the twilight of the Roman Empire. As his life drew to a close, however, his homeland of Roman Numidia was overrun by an army of marauding Vandals--a barbaric host which had carved a swath through the enervated provinces of Gaul, Spain and Mauritania. By the time the Vandal armies reached Augustine's province of Numidia in about AD 430, the great bishop lay on his deathbed. His city of Hippo Regius was besieged and the remaining Roman forces under Count Boniface...

On July 15, former President Donald Trump announced that Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) was his vice presidential pick, ending months of speculation.“After lengthy deliberation and thought, and considering the tremendous talents of many others, I have decided that the person best suited to assume the position of Vice President of the United States is Senator J.D. Vance,” former President Trump said in a Truth Social post.Based on Mr. Vance’s published works and interviews, here are 39 things to know about the Ohio Republican who is set to share a ticket with the former president.1. He’s 39 Years OldMr. Vance was...

Costco will no longer offer books for sale year-round and will instead stock them only for the holiday shopping period and during special promotions, according to a report — a surprise move that poses yet another threat to the publishing industry.Several publishing executives who were informed of the retailer’s plans told The New York Times that Costco will cease offering books for sale on a consistent basis starting in January.The decision was met with criticism on Reddit, where users vented that the decision was akin to “cancelling the hot dog in the food court” — a reference to Costco’s beloved...

The larger-than-life Canadian with a heart to match was known for his family-friendly fare, appearing in nearly 40 films before his untimely death. Learn more about the comedic icon, in this documentary from Biography.

Acclaimed historian and Ronald Reagan biographer Craig Shirley still hasn't found what he's looking for. Citizens across the United States keep looking, too — for a new leader to draw the curtains on a new "Morning in America." They're getting closer to unraveling the mystery behind the Reagan mystique. "The Search for Reagan: The Appealing Intellectual Conservatism of Ronald Reagan," with a Feb. 13 publication, is Shirley's newest biography of the 40th president of the United States of America.

The man known to history as Thomas Jefferson was born on the 13th of April 1743 at his 0:09 father’s estate of Shadwell in Albemarle County in the Commonwealth of Virginia. 0:16 His father Peter Jefferson was a surveyor and planter who owned several plantations 0:21 in Virginia, including the tobacco plantation of Shadwell which he founded in the 1730s, 0:27 worked by slaves and free labourers. At the time Virginia was one of the thirteen British colonies in North America, but in 0:35 just over three decades it would become one of the leading states behind the creation 0:40...

Hollywood screen siren Hedy Lamarr acted throughout the 1940s and 50s in romantic scenes with the likes of Clark Gable and Jimmy Stewart – but in her down time, the brunette beauty created and patented a scientific invention that paved the way for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth technology, according to a new documentary. “Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story” – produced by actress Susan Sarandon — premiers Wednesday in London as part of the Jewish Film Festival. The documentary touches on the 35 Hollywood films the sizzling brunette made — including one she filmed at 17 where she portrayed the first female...

The remarkable life of the Hollywood siren who pioneered groundbreaking scientific inventions that paved the way for wifi and Bluetooth will be told in a new film. Hedy Lamarr, considered by her show business peers to be the most beautiful woman in the world during the 1940s and 50s, starred alongside the likes of Spencer Tracy, James Stewart and Clark Gable during her glittering acting career. But she was also a brilliant scientist who helped devise a frequency-hopping system which eventually formed the foundation for modern technologies such as wifi, GPS and Bluetooth.

... Hedy Lamarr avoided the celebrity party circuit, preferring small gatherings with close friends. At home she set up a drafting table and devoted her downtime to inventions, including a bouillon-like cube that when mixed with water would produce an instant soft drink. It was at a dinner at the home of the actress Janet Gaynor in 1940 that she met George ­Antheil. According to Antheil’s autobiography, “Bad Boy of Music,” Hedy requested the meeting because she had read one of his Esquire articles about glands. This was Hollywood, and the most beautiful woman in the world was concerned about...

‘Bombshell’ tells the story of Lamarr’s double life as a Hollywood starlet and inventor Once billed as “the most beautiful woman in the world,” actress Hedy Lamarr is often remembered for Golden Age Hollywood hits like Samson and Delilah. But Lamarr was gifted with more than just a face for film; she had a mind for science. A new documentary, Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story, spotlights Lamarr’s lesser-known legacy as an inventor. The film explores how the pretty veneer that Lamarr shrewdly used to advance her acting career ultimately trapped her in a life she found emotionally isolating and intellectually...

If you were on Google earlier this week -- and let's face it, you were -- you may have spotted a Google Doodle which celebrates the life of one of Hollywood's most iconic actresses. Hedy Lamarr, an actress of the golden age of cinema, would have been 101 years old this week, although simply calling her an actress might be something of a misnomer. As well as appearing in films, Lamarr also applied her incredible intellect to a series of scientific and technological endeavors, which eventually earned her a place in the National Inventors Hall of Fame and practically...

Hedy Lamarr, a Hollywood actress known for her good looks and classic come-hither bedroom gaze, also played a key role in developing cell phone technology widely used today.Born 100 years ago today in Vienna, the actress made a lesser-known contribution to wireless communication when she tried to defuse a potential military threat during World War II. To prevent remote-controlled torpedoes from being hijacked, she helped develop an early version of spread spectrum communication, which is part of the basis for wireless technologies such as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.Her successes remind us that women were central to the invention of many technologies...

The Austrian-born Hollywood actress Hedy Lamarr is being given an honorary grave in Vienna's Central Cemetery on Friday, ahead of her 100th birthday on November 9th. Lamarr was born Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler in Vienna in 1914. Not only was she known as one of the most beautiful women of her day, but she also invented a technology that enables the mass use of mobile phones and other wireless communications. She died in Florida in 2000, aged 85. On the anniversary of her 100th birthday Austria’s Film Museum is screening a documentary about her. Lamarr garnered a degree of fame...

Hedy Lamarr was an Austrian-born American actress. Max Reinhardt called her the “most beautiful woman in Europe” due to her “strikingly dark exotic looks”. Mathematically talented, Lamarr came up with an early technique for spread spectrum communications and frequency hopping, necessary for wireless communication from the pre-computer age to the present day. The international beauty, along with co-inventor composer George Anthiel, developed a "Secret Communications System" to help combat the Nazis in World War II. By manipulating radio frequencies at irregular intervals between transmission and reception, the invention formed an unbreakable code to prevent classified messages from being intercepted by...

Dear Lord, There's a young man far from home, called to serve his nation in time of war; sent to defend our freedom on some distant foreign shore. We pray You keep him safe, we pray You keep him strong, we pray You send him safely home ... for he's been away so long. There's a young woman far from home, serving her nation with pride. Her step is strong, her step is sure, there is courage in every stride. We pray You keep her safe, we pray You keep her strong, we pray You send her safely home...

Thomas Sowell, now 93 years old, is one of the most esteemed and prolific authors and social commentators today. Trained as an economist at Harvard and the University of Chicago, he has written more than thirty books, and from 1991 to 2016, he had a nationally syndicated column. Sowell’s readers and admirers include the Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker and the former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson. Pinker has characterized Sowell as the most underrated author in history. He also stated that, “Sowell is a libertarian conservative, which makes him taboo in mainstream intellectual circles, but even those who disagree are...

The Vatican announced Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI passed away Saturday morning at 9:34 a.m. He was 95 years old. He is most immediately remembered outside the Catholic Church for his surprise resignation — the first papal abdication since 1415 — and subsequent life as the world’s first "pope emeritus" in centuries. Benedict was born Joseph Ratzinger on April 16, 1927, in Bavaria. He came of age in Germany after World War I at the same time the Nazi regime was growing in power.

'Their ability to think freely as an individual is being repressed' By WND News Services (ALLISRAELNEWS) -- Rush Limbaugh – the late, iconic American radio talk show host – believed that you are never truly free if you are not free to speak what you think. At a time when children are afraid to speak their minds and constantly worry about being ostracized by friends and classmates, a newly released book for children tells the story of the conservative radio host and highlights the importance of freedom of speech

The American people are decidedly disinclined to pay $26 for a book about the life of President Joe Biden's primary caretaker. Politico reports that a recently published biography of Dr. Jill Biden, Ed.D, sold just 250 copies in its first week of circulation. The Politico article, which documents the professional anxiety of White House correspondents who find it "boring and difficult" to cover an administration whose policies they wholeheartedly support, cites the poor sales of Jill: A Biography of the First Lady by AP reporters Julie Pace and Darlene Superville as an example of why journalists are so bummed out...

Featuring Theodore Roosevelt, Cleopatra, Thomas Aquinas, and Thomas Paine. While speaking to my Father-in-Law this afternoon he mentioned this program in passing, so I decided to look it up. Now that I have watched the first episode of the first season, I cannot help but think there are some FReepers who would greatly enjoy not only the content but also the concept. It is said that the writers attempted to make use of the historic figures' own words as much as possible. I cannot imagine today's entertainment industry taking such an interest in the ideas discussed here, but can certainly...