Free Republic

In November 2020, when University of Pennsylvania graduate student Mackenzie Fierceton won the prestigious and highly competitive Rhodes scholarship to study at Oxford — one of just 32 scholars selected from a pool of 2,300 applicants — she was praised by the Ivy League school’s president in a newsletter. “Mackenzie is so deserving of this prestigious opportunity,” declared President Amy Gutmann of the 23-year-old from suburban St. Louis. “As a first-generation [to go to college] low-income student and a former foster youth, Mackenzie is passionate about championing young people [and] dedicating herself to a life of public service.” But a...

Novak Djokovic has sensationally admitted to lying on his entry declaration, saying “human error” was the cause of his faulty entry declaration – amid growing concerns over the world No.1’s movements around the time of his positive Covid result last December. Djokovic took to Instagram on Wednesday as he waited for further clearance on his visa application – which was again delayed by a further 24 hours after further submissions from his legal team over a possible cancellation by Immigration Minister Alex Hawke. But in doing so he made the significant admission that he had incorrectly ticked a box on...

The US experts want to know how interstellar space travel affects the microscopic animals, known for an ability to survive extreme conditions including in outer space. In a new paper, they've proposed building small space probes containing tardigrades, also known as 'water bears', that would travel at up to 30 per cent the speed of light into space. These probes would be propelled by laser light instead of rocket fuel, from a laser array stationed on Earth, or possibly the moon. At speeds of roughly 100 million miles per hour, tardigrades would reach the next solar system, Proxima Centauri, in...

We are trying to locate a precise report regarding vaccine effectiveness and negative effectiveness. We were listening to WBAP (AM 820), Dallas this morning from southern Indiana. The reception was slightly fair. WBAP broadcast mentioned a report in the Wall Street Journal as follows: Regarding the Omicron Variant: 30 days after being vaccinated, the vaccine is not effective at all. 90 days after, the vaccine has a NEGATIVE effectiveness, making it more likely that a vaccinated person will contract Covid than an unvaccinated person. Has anyone seen the pertinent WSJ report?

David Sassoli, the president of the European Parliament, died early Tuesday in Italy, his spokesman and the parliament’s office in Washington said. He was 65. ..... No cause of death was immediately available. But he was hospitalized with severe pneumonia during a plenary session of the Parliament in Strasbourg, France, in September. He later returned to Italy to recover, The Associated Press reported. Mr. Sassoli was hospitalized again in Italy on Dec. 26 because his immune system was not functioning normally, his spokesman, Roberto Cuillo, said on Monday on social media.

Jesse Watters has been named the permanent host of the 7 p.m. ET timeslot on Fox News Channel with a new hour-long program "Jesse Watters Primetime," FOX News Media CEO Suzanne Scott announced on Monday. "Jesse’s versatility and hosting acumen has grown exponentially over the last five years, and he has developed a deep connection to the audience through two hit shows The Five and Watters’ World. We look forward to watching him expand his connection even further through this new solo weeknight hour," Scott said. Watters, who co-hosts the wildly successful "The Five" and the weekend program "Watters’ World,"...

Looks like the Chit Chat option is gone. Recently had a sump pump installed after the pit filled with water after a heavy downpour. While I think the pump usage will be low, I'm concerned with being without power during a rainstorm (took several hours to fill pit). With a finished basement, I'd rather invest in some preventative measures. Looked into whole house generators but you're looking at around $10-20k for the luxury of it kicking in when the power goes out. Looked into maybe having a transfer switch installed and getting a portable generator but if I'm not home...

Dozens of hospitals in New York have been ordered to stop elective surgeries due to low bed capacity. The New York State Department of Health made the announcement on Saturday, which ordered 40 hospitals, mainly in the central and western regions, to stop non-essential, non-urgent elective surgeries after meeting the state's threshold for low-capacity facilities. The order means that impacted hospitals must turn away these types of procedures for a minimum of two weeks. "We will use every available tool to help ensure that hospitals can manage the COVID-19 winter surge," Acting State Health Commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett said.

Among all the ways that COVID-19 affects our lives, the pandemic confronts us with a profound moral dilemma: How should we react to the deaths of the unvaccinated? On the one hand, a hallmark of civilized thought is the sense that every life is precious. On the other, those who have deliberately flouted sober medical advice by refusing a vaccine known to reduce the risk of serious disease from the virus, including the risk to others, and end up in the hospital or the grave can be viewed as receiving their just deserts. That’s even more true of those who...

Since so many people stopped listening to AOC’s voice, she shrewdly decided to print Democrat talking points on her hiney. It worked so well, the Democrat National Committee embraced the innovative tactic and looked for more people to wear their slogans. And, boy, did they hit the jackpot. In less than a day, Hillary “The Billboard” Clinton was born. “We can never say she’s useless again,” CNN’s Jake Tapper commented. “The amount of raw real estate we have to work with is astounding. Her left thigh alone lays out a comprehensive guide for implementing Cap-and-Trade. Don’t get me started on...

MSNBC “Morning Joe” host Joe Scarborough on Monday railed against his former party for blocking the vote on the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. Scarborough said he was “shocked” the GOP would block the bill but added the effort was “an indictment on the Republican Party.”

The United States staggered through a steady onslaught of deadly billion-dollar weather and climate disasters in an extra hot 2021, while the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions last year jumped 6% because of surges in coal and long-haul trucking, putting America further behind its 2030 climate change cutting goal. Three different reports released Monday, though not directly connected, paint a picture of a U.S. in 2021 struggling with global warming and its efforts to curb it. Scientists have long said human-caused climate change makes extreme weather nastier and more frequent, documenting numerous links to wild and deadly weather events. They say...

Jesse Watters has been named the permanent host of the 7 p.m. ET timeslot on Fox News Channel with a new hour-long program "Jesse Watters Primetime," FOX News Media CEO Suzanne Scott announced on Monday. "Jesse’s versatility and hosting acumen has grown exponentially over the last five years, and he has developed a deep connection to the audience through two hit shows The Five and Watters’ World. We look forward to watching him expand his connection even further through this new solo weeknight hour," Scott said. Watters, who co-hosts the wildly successful "The Five" and the weekend program "Watters’ World,"...

Matt Nagy is no longer the head coach of the Chicago Bears. The team made the decision Monday morning to fire Nagy as the head coach of the Bears after only making the playoffs twice in four years, according to Adam Schefter.

Savannah Guthrie has tested positive for a breakthrough case of COVID-19 — more than a week after her 50th birthday party. -snip- Guthrie’s diagnosis comes after her husband, Michael Feldman, threw her a belated birthday bash on New Years’ Eve — despite the rise of coronavirus cases in New York. A source close to Guthrie, who turned 50 on Dec. 27, and Feldman, 53, exclusively told Page Six at the time that the two were planning on going “above and beyond” to follow COVID-19 protocols. We’re told only 60 people were invited, including family members, close friends and some colleagues...

The upscale grocery chain Whole Foods claims the National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) order to allow its employees to wear “Black Lives Matter” masks violates its constitutional rights. In October 2020, the Amazon-owned Whole Foods stoked controversy when it announced a new dress code policy that banned its employees from wearing “busy patterns on clothing or face coverings, buttons or pins on employee aprons, ripped jeans, athleisure, and t-shirts with visible logos, slogans, messages, or flags of any kind,” according to Insider. “When a lot of us started working at Whole Foods back in the day, it was a place...

Milk is the third most wasted food and drink product in the UK, after potatoes and bread, with around 490 million pints tipped away every year, according to the recycling charity Wrap. From the end of January, the retailer will instead place "best before" dates on 90% of its own-brand milk and will encourage customers to use a sniff test to check quality. It also estimates 85 million pints of milk waste may be due to customers following "use by" labels despite research showing it can be used days after the date

Multiple sources connected to the iconic comedian and actor -- most famous for his starring role as Danny Tanner in 'Full House' -- tell us he passed away Sunday at the Ritz-Carlton in Orlando. The Sheriff's Department and the fire department responded to the hotel around 4 PM ET ... after hotel security had found Bob in his room. We're told he was pronounced dead on the scene, but the circumstances of his death are still unclear.

New insights on Dennis Rader, the BTK killer who lived in plain sight in Wichita when he killed ten residents in 20 years, are revealed in a new docuseries Rader is sometimes remorseful, 'depending on the day,' says forensic psychologist Kathryn Ramsland, who spoke to him from jail for nearly a decade Ramsland said that Rader simultaneously views himself as a 'monster' and a 'good person who did some bad things' Exclusive conversations between Ramsland and Rader were aired on the A&E docuseries 'BTK: Confession of a Serial Killer,' which aired on January 8 SNIP

GÖTTINGEN, Germany — Finding ways to slow and limit climate change is supported by nearly three in five teens and young adults, according to a recent survey. One of the easiest ways to do this is by following an eco-friendly diet. New research sheds light on the preferential diets of younger generations that may be deliberately chosen to help offset the consequences of climate change. To explore younger people’s understanding of climate change and their personal food preferences, scientists from Göttingen University surveyed about 1,400 Germans from the ages of 15 to 29. Both their personal goals for the future...