Free Republic

It's been ten days since our very prolific and wonderful FReeper FRiend Nick Carraway posted anything. Anybody got any idea where he might be? I hope he's all right. He posts so many eclectic articles that are fun to read and usually generate great threads of posts.

The singer turned her experience at the 1969 concert into "Lay Down (Candles In The Rain)," a top-10 hit in 1970Singer Melanie Safka, who turned a 1969 performance at Woodstock into a hit song and a five-decade career, died Tuesday at the age of 76. Safka’s death was announced on her Facebook page with a letter from her three children, Leilah, Jeordie, and Beau Jarred: Dear Ones, This is the hardest post for us to write, and there are so many things we want to say, first, and there’s no easy way except to say it… Mom passed, peacefully, out...

A female Army officer was fired from command of a unit based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord amid allegations of multiple sexual assaults against several male subordinates and a pattern of sexual harassment, according to a service spokesperson. Col. Meghann Sullivan served as commander of the 5th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 5th Security Force Assistance Brigade, at the base in Washington state. She was relieved of command Oct. 13, but this is the first time her firing has been reported. Military.com first reported on her suspension and the subsequent investigation into her conduct in April. That reporting was part of the publication's...

Climate change has led many states and countries to set targets for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from power systems. Oregon has set targets for all power sold to retail customers in the state to have GHG emissions cut by 80% by 2030, 90% by 2035, and 100% by 2040. ...Portland General Electric (PGE) generates, transmits, and distributes electricity to half of Oregon’s population, and 75% of its commercial and industrial activity, is working hard to achieve those objectives. As the first utility in the U.S. to sign The Climate Pledge, an initiative co-founded by Amazon and Global Optimism in...

The Federal Aviation Administration is recommending that airlines visually inspect the door plugs of more Boeing planes after a similar panel blew off a jet in midair earlier this month. The safety alert issued late Sunday recommends that airlines operating Boeing's 737-900ER jets inspect the door plugs "as soon as possible" to make sure they're properly secured after some airlines reported unspecified issues with the bolts. The 737-900ER is not part of Boeing's newer Max series, but it has the same optional door plug design as the Boeing 737 Max 9. More than 170 of the newer jets have been...

Back in 1978 I (i.e., the narrator Mr. Darling) worked for Cray Research, which made what was at the time the world’s fastest computer, the Cray-1. I thought it would be interesting to compare the Cray-1 with the latest model of iPhone, the iPhone 13. (this is a 2022 video) ItemUnisCray 1iPhone 13FactorWeightOunces176,000629,300Price (2022 $)202238,000,0001,00038,000SpeedMFLOPS16015,800,000100,000MemoryMB160512,00060,000Power consumptionkW115LiOn 20 hours Cooling Freon refrAir

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating after a small plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean in Northern California and a woman's body was found in the sea near the wreckage. An FAA spokesperson told USA TODAY a single-engine Cozy Mark IV crashed into water on Sunday near Half Moon Bay, about 30 miles south of San Francisco. Aviation officials said the crash took place about 7:30 p.m. and two people were on board the plane. The San Mateo County Sheriff's Office reported the aircraft took off from the East Bay and shortly after, authorities responded to reports of "a small...

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has recently announced a hardline approach that bans the entrance of electric bicycles by visitors or staff due to SAFETY CONCERNS. NREL is a federally-funded R&D center that focuses on sustainable energy solutions, including research into solar energy and energy efficiency, among others. According to the NREL’s fire marshal Nicholas Bartlett, micromobility devices such as electric scooters and bikes are no longer permitted to be charged or stored in the buildings. Bartlett explained: The data in the past few years shows an alarming trend of injuries and deaths, as demonstrated by entities such as...

An Idaho law passed this year that bans gender-affirming care for minors will not go into effect on Jan. 1, as planned. A federal judge on Tuesday granted a preliminary injunction on the lawsuit against the ban. House Bill 71, "The Vulnerable Child Protective Act" was signed into Idaho law in April. It outlaws gender-affirming care for transgender minors; including puberty blockers, hormones and surgeries. The law finds any doctor that provides gender-transition care guilty of a felony, punishable by up to 10 years of prison time. After the law was signed, a lawsuit was filed against the state on...

Workers are replacing the charming rusty chain that lines the road to Fort Point with a dull metal barrierLink loss: Say goodbye to San Francisco’s favorite chain.Marine Drive in the Presidio isn’t even a mile along, but as it descends a short hill from Lincoln Boulevard, you’re awarded with one of the most commanding views in San Francisco. Ahead, the Golden Gate Bridge towers above the hulk of Fort Point, while on the right, the constantly churning bay splashes on the rocky shore. Over the next few weeks that view is going to change. The bridge and fort will still...

Renewables are reaching the point where they are outcompeting fossil fuels on price — setting the stage for their predicted dominance of the energy sector by midcentury. When it comes to the surging demand for new electric generation, wind and solar prices are now the cheapest options almost everywhere, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). Building new wind and solar projects is also cheaper than running existing coal plants, according to a report from Energy Innovation, a nonpartisan climate policy think tank. The fall in price has led to a global rush to install new wind and solar —...

From H.A. Shands "Speech in Mississippi" published in 1893: Page 70: All-overs. n. A term employed by all classes to mean a feeling of extreme annoyance or vexation; as, ‘That man is so trifling it gives me the all-overs to look at him.’ Page n.p.: Brief. adj. Used by negros to mean nice, elegant. I once heard a negro tell a young man who had dressed up to go to see his sweet-heart: ‘Boss, you sho looks brief.’ Page 24: Consarned. v. This is a favorite expletive among the lower classes of whites. They say: ‘I’ll be consarned if it...

12-05-23 Across the country these sites are becoming fertile ground for renewable energy projects, from wind and solar to battery storage. AES Indiana’s Petersburg Generating Station, which towers over the White River in southwest Indiana, has been burning coal to generate electricity since the late 1960s. That era, though, will come to an end soon. Two of the power plant’s four coal-burning units have already retired and the last is planned to shut down in 2025. “AES Indiana will be the first utility out of coal in the state,” says Kelly Young, a spokeswoman for the company, which has more...

What’s better than a cargo e-bike for hauling goods around the city with zero emissions? A cargo e-bike that can pull an electrified trailer or two behind it, capable of hauling up to 1000 pounds of payload cleanly and silently. For dense urban areas, factories, and campus-based businesses and organizations, the Pelican Train looks to be a next level option for getting a lot of stuff where it needs to go, without the noise and pollution of an internal combustion engine. The French startup Pelican now offers a unique take on the electric cargo bike — not so much the...

Investments in renewable energy resources across the U.S. continue to grow, supported by increased federal funding, legislation that improves project economics, and growing demand for cleaner energy. Deloitte, which provides insights and solutions for several industries including the energy sector, on Dec. 5 released its industry outlook for 2024 for renewable energy in the U.S., highlighting opportunities for growth in the clean energy sector while also noting continued challenges for renewable deployment. The group said measures such as the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) have supported renewable energy while also bringing new issues....

Colorado-based cooperative Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association will accelerate the closure of a coal-fired unit in the northwestern part of CO, and announced a retirement date for an Arizona coal plant. Tri-State said it wants to acquire at least another 1,250 MW of renewable energy generation over the next several years. The not-for-profit company, which serves rural electricity consumers across four western states, said the ERP filed with the Colorado Public Utilities Commission seeks to take advantage of funding from the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture’s $9.7 billion Empowering Rural America program, part of the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act. The...

The U.S. and 21 other countries want to triple the global generation capacity of nuclear power by mid-century. The pledge, announced at the United Nations’ COP28 climate summit in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, comes as more of the world’s governments say increased use of nuclear power is critical to reduce emissions of carbon and combat climate change. Countries involved are the U.S., Canada, the UK, France, South Korea, and the UAE. Officials have said increasing nuclear power in Europe would help European nations reduce dependence on oil and gas from Russia, while conceding it will require major investment....

...the Nazis went to great lengths to hide their crimes from the world, because they knew they were crimes, Hamas has done the exact opposite, because they do not consider them to be so. In October 1943 Heinrich Himmler, the head of the SS, delivered a notorious speech to 50 of his senior lieutenants in Posen. "I want to speak frankly to you about an extremely grave matter," he said. "We can talk about it among ourselves, yet we will never speak of it in public. … I am referring to the evacuation of the Jews, the extermination of the...

Long-range weapons, homemade silencers, thousands of rounds of ammo, untraceable firearms and a miniature cannon were seized during the execution of a search warrant Monday in Pinehurst. In total, 18 firearms were seized by the Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office with support from the Pinehurst Police Department and assistance from the local tactical medical unit. "This is the largest gun seizure we are aware of for the Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office," the sheriff's office reported on social media. Shoshone County Sheriff's Capt. Seth Green said gunpowder, fentanyl and methamphetamine were also seized during the Silver Valley Task Force search, along with...

Skiing and Snowboarding in North Central WashingtonAs winter approaches, it’s time to dust off your snow gear and prepare to hit the slopes. North Central Washington has a variety of locations to enjoy downhill skiing and snowboarding, each offering unique views and diverse terrain. Mission RidgeConveniently located just 12 miles from downtown Wenatchee is the Mission Ridge Ski and Board Resort. The Ridge’s 2,000 acres of sunny Central Washington dry snow has been a Wenatchee favorite for generations. With spectacular views of town and the Columbia River, the Ridge is the place to be on a sunny powder day! Opening...