Free Republic

How solar farms took over the California desert: ‘An oasis has become a dead sea’ Residents feel trapped and choked by dust, while experts warn environmental damage is ‘solving one problem by creating others’ eep in the Mojave desert, about halfway between Los Angeles and Phoenix, a sparkling blue sea shimmers on the horizon. Visible from the I-10 highway, amid the parched plains and sun-baked mountains, it is an improbable sight: a deep blue slick stretching for miles across the Chuckwalla Valley, forming an endless glistening mirror. But something’s not quite right. Closer up, the water’s edge appears blocky and...

Hartland institute, the worldwide leader in "climate realism" is having conference in Orlando, FL, Feb23-25 Cost $499 per person which covers all meals. Hotel and air extra. Program is full, all leading "deniers" will attend. https://heartland.org/events/15th-international-conference-on-climate-change/ Sign at link https://heartland.org/events/15th-international-conference-on-climate-change/

Results of IQ versus Cars study. Published in UK https://www.scrapcarcomparison.co.uk/blog/smartest-drivers/ Our research showed that Skoda drivers were the most intelligent of the 22 car brands included in the study, with an average IQ score of 99. Interestingly, our previous research found that Skoda drivers were the drivers with the least psychopathic tendencies too, perhaps demonstrating that Skoda drivers may be calmer on the roads. Suzuki (98.09), Peugeot (98.09), Mini (97.79) and Mazda (95.91) drivers followed to make up the top five most intelligent motorists when split by car brand driven, all with average IQ scores of over 95. On the...

Don't the Czechs want an aircraft carrier? Politicians and embassies also picked up on the joke about the annexation of Královec The joke about joining Kaliningrad, or Královec, to the Czech Republic continues to be picked up by top politicians and embassies. The American Embassy in Prague offers the Czech Republic an aircraft carrier, Deputy Minister of Finance Jiří Valenta jokingly plans that it will be necessary to increase the GDP of the annexed region after taking over Královec. Senator Miroslava Němcová proposes a letter in which the Czechia would inform the Russians about the accession of Kaliningrad to the...

Now, when the primaries are over, we in AZ are being fed general election propaganda. Surprisingly, the main topic on Democratic side is abortion. It is so sad, the the Democratic party, after suffering disasters on all fronts, has been reduced to a party fighting for killing babies. Maybe they should call themselves party of death!

Restoration of 4000 well preserved bronze age woman from Central Europe. He DNA is closely related to modern Europeans, she likely spoke with protoeuropean language. See picture in the link. The member of the Únětice culture was buried with a unique amber necklace, but her DNA is the real treasure. The woman, estimated to have died at around age 35, came from the upper social strata. Her grave in Mikulovice in Eastern Bohemia is one of the richest in Europe from her era. She had fair skin, brown hair, widely spaced brown eyes, a prominent chin, and a petite figure...

The link lists average prices in dollars for liter in Europe 1 Gallon = 3.785 liters Europe was hard hit by rising gasoline prices due to Russian boycott. Yet, the prices there are not really that much higher than Us Prices right now. Remember, European gas prices used to be at least double of the US.

President Zelenskyy address. He remembers Nazis horrors of WWII and compares them to the the horrors of the Russian invasion. He expressed hope of the final victory.

Moskal, plural Moskali, also known as Muscal, is a historical designation used for the residents of the Grand Duchy of Moscow from the 12th to the 15th centuries. It is now used by some Slavic nations, mainly Belarus, Ukraine, and Poland, but also in Romania, as an ethnic slur against Russians. The term is generally considered to be derogatory or condescending. Another ethnic slur for Russians is kacap in Polish, or Chazar (pronunciation Kha:zar) in Czech, or katsap (Кацап in Ukrainian).

Russia's smooth victory over Ukraine is not happening, and President Vladimir Putin continues to purge his own ranks. FSB Secret Service General Sergei Beseda ended up behind bars for stealing money that was supposed to ensure the Kremlin's easy victory in Ukraine. However, Putin also owes the failures at the front to other corrupt commanders. In reports to Putin, the general assured that in every major city in Ukraine he had mobilized and paid "up to two thousand athletic men" ready to actively oppose Ukrainian institutions. These strike forces were to be followed in each city by thousands of pro-Russian...

Armenia expects Russian peacekeepers to provide “clear answers” over the latest escalation in Nagorno-Karabakh, where at least three ethnic Armenian soldiers were killed and several more wounded in clashes with Azerbaijani troops. Azerbaijan escalated conflict in the area controlled by Russian peacekeepers.

The conventional wisdom in Washington usually lag the view from the field by two to four weeks. Analysts and commentators have grudgingly declared that the Russian invasion of Ukraine has been blocked, and that the war is stalemated. The more likely truth is that the Ukrainians are winning. Most professional scholars of the Russian military first predicted a quick and decisive Russian victory; then argued that the Russians would pause, learn from their mistakes, and regroup; then concluded that the Russians would actually have performed much better if they had followed their doctrine; and now tend to mutter that everything...

The US withdrawal from Afghanistan was wrong and based on an "imbecilic" slogan, former PM Tony Blair has said. He described the decision to withdraw troops from the country as "tragic, dangerous and unnecessary". Mr Blair, who sent troops into Afghanistan 20 years ago, said UK involvement in Afghanistan was not a "hopeless endeavour" despite the Taliban takeover. And the sacrifice made by British troops "was not in vain", he added. Mr Blair said achievements in the country over the past 20 years - including a generation growing up without Taliban rule - was a "good cause" that "matters today,...

The demonstrations were mainly triggered by people's discontent over Cuba's economic hardships and shortages of basic supplies. These are mainly a result of the US' decades-long sanctions against Cuba. Despite dialogue during the Obama era, the Trump administration tightened sanctions on Cuba, further crippling their economy. Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said on Sunday that the protests were a form of "systemic provocation" by dissidents doing the bidding of the US. He said Washington in recent months had sought to destabilize and weaken the island's economy as part of a policy designed to "provoke a massive social implosion," according to New...

Adam Bielan has formally announced the creation of a new political party that will become part of the governing United Right coalition. Bielan, a former member of Agreement, a junior member of Poland's United Right ruling coalition, broke the news at a congress in Warsaw on Sunday. "We are establishing the Republican Party as a representation of citizens who value the idea of freedom... individual and national freedom... socially sensitive economic freedom," he said. "We are, and will remain part of the United Right, the most successful political project of the Polish right in history," he added.

The bid by (AZ) Gov. Doug Ducey to permanently cut $1.5 billion a year of state revenues is based on an economic theory and a set of numbers that may not hold up under closer examination. And all that is worrying Arizona cities who stand to lose hundreds of millions of dollars if the governor is wrong. Ahwatukee Democratic Sen. Sean Bowie warned that the impact of a massive tax cut and flat tax rate could defund police and public safety for cities.

A key component of the Biden plan is the push for a nationwide transition to electric vehicles, which takes up some $174 billion in subsidies from the package, but one of the largest problems with the proposal is its disregard for the negative downwind effects it would have on those at the lower rungs of the economic ladder. As of 2019, the average cost of an electric vehicle was $55,600, far greater than the cost of other vehicles more affordable for lower income families. In fact, another recent study showed that the average income of electric car owners is at...

After 11 years of major efforts, the Resolution Cooper finally obtained permit for their "worlds cleanest Mine". The permit was several years behind, but now, Resident Bidet deemed all the analysis to be rushed and withdrew the permit. According to Gov. Ducey, it will cost 1450 jobs and about billion dollars for the Arizona economy.

PRO act reintroduced. The bill makes it illegal to permanently replace striking workers, empowers the National Labor Relations Board to overturn a democratic workplace unionization election and forces millions of freelancers to join unions, according to the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation.

Why is the military taking control in Burma? The coup follows days of tensions between the civilian government and military Problem: The military drafted the constitution in 2008 and retains power under the charter at the expense of democratic, civilian rule. Human Rights Watch has described the clause as a "coup mechanism in waiting." The constitution also reserves key Cabinet ministries and 25% of the seats in Parliament for the military, a portion that limits the power of a civilian government and rules out amending the charter without military support.