Free Republic

Being cool is a state of mind, but you also need to know what you're doing so you don't end up looking like a total dork. Take smoking a cigar for example. If done correctly, you're the coolest guy in the room, but if you don't pull it off, everyone will think you're a loser. Thankfully, The Babylon Bee is here to explain how to smoke your cigar in a way that will keep anyone who sees you from rolling their eyes or laughing at you. Just follow these helpful tips: Bite off the tip, then swallow it: This is...

A pet zebra has finally been captured after he escaped - sparking a week-long manhunt across Tennessee. Dramatic video footage captured the moment Ed the Zebra was airlifted by a helicopter while wrapped in a net rocking side to side. 'Ed was airlifted and flown by helicopter back to a waiting animal trailer,' the sheriff's office said in a statement. >>> He was eventually found on Sunday when aviation crews tracked down the animal in a pasture near the Christiana community, according to the Rutherford County Sheriff's Office. >>>

The MONTHLY Gardening Thread is a 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...

We’ve got some fantastic news for you folks, but it’s tempered a little bit, and that’s where you come in to help out. The Hearing Protection Act (HPA) recently passed out of the House of Representatives as an integral part of President Trump’s Big Beautiful Budget Bill. It is now on its way to the Senate to hopefully be passed in the budget reconciliation process. ... Given that bias, we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to regain some firearm freedoms. Naturally, the leftist gun-grabbing ghoul lobby is losing its collective mind over this development, so they are going full fear-mongering mode...

No matter how much experience you have, it’s always a good idea for everyone to review boating safety rules before departures. Below you will find 10 basic boating safety tips to help you stay safe: 1.Be Weather-Wise Always check local weather conditions before departure; TV and radio forecasts can be a good source of information. If you notice darkening clouds, volatile and rough changing winds or sudden drops in temperature, play it safe by getting off the water. 2.Follow a Pre-Departure Checklist Proper boating safety includes being prepared for any possibility on the water. Following a pre-departure checklist is the...

"This is a full detailed tour of my stealth modern farmhouse tiny home toy hauler. A great floorplan for anyone wanting additional mobility while maintaining full functionality of a tiny home. Toward the end of 2022 I was approached by a subscriber of my channel with a request to build him a stealth tiny home toy hauler in his Uhaul box truck. I took all of his requirements and put the Techno Barbarian touch on a buildout of this 17' box truck. Total build time was roughly 9 months. This van tour is for the builders, the engineers , DIY'ers...

My grandmother who passed away in 1996 had this thing where she was buying coins. I got a few ziplocks full of them stashed away in a draw that i'm thinking of checking out.

A mini planetary parade will see Jupiter, Mercury, Uranus, Mars, Neptune and Saturn align above the horizon Astronomy enthusiasts are in for a celestial treat at dawn tomorrow, as a stunning mini planetary parade is set to grace our skies. The early hours of the morning will witness Jupiter, Mercury, Uranus, Mars, Neptune and Saturn aligning just above the horizon. The prospects of catching Uranus with the naked eye might be slim, but it's anticipated that avid sky-gazers across Britain could capture glances of other planets, with some spotted even without the need for binoculars. Shedding light on this space...

GREENVILLE, DE — Following the recent announcement of Joe Biden's stage 4 prostate cancer diagnosis, sources reported that Biden family members had grown increasingly worried that they were running out of time to exploit the former president. Sources close to Joe Biden said members of his immediate family were in "full panic mode" over the prospect that their days of using the former president's influence for their own selfish gain may be coming to an end. One family member was very blunt: "We've got to take full advantage of him — er, our time with him." "I have all these...

The growing popularity of suppressors among both hunters and tactical shooters has brought increased attention to the various mounting systems available on the market. When selecting a suppressor, the mounting system is a critical consideration that directly impacts performance, convenience, and versatility. The two primary mounting types—direct thread and quick-detach (QD)—each offer distinct advantages and disadvantages depending on your specific needs and usage scenarios. This comprehensive comparison examines both systems through the lens of practical application, helping you determine which option best suits your particular requirements. Whether you’re a hunter seeking noise reduction in the field or a tactical shooter...

The St. Anthony was nearly 200 years old, crashing the same year it was initially built. An 8-year-old boy out metal-detecting unearthed a steel spike that, after digging further, he realized was attached to a shipwreck. The ship remains was that of the St. Anthony, a schooner that was built in 1856 and wrecked later that same year. Experts determined that the best course of action was to simply re-bury the wreckage to maintain its structure. ======================================================================= When you’re a kid, and you get your first metal detector, it comes with big dreams of making some great discovery. That you’re...

An ordinary spring day quickly became extraordinary after a nature-loving metal detectorist unearthed a cache of ancient treasure. Marius Mangeac confirmed the discovery to Fox News Digital. He said he found the hoard in a field near Letca Veche, a small village in southern Romania.. Mangeac said that he found the coins “on a beautiful Saturday that didn’t foreshadow anything of what was to come.” “I took my detector and went out alone, as I often do, for exercise and to relax in the fields and forests,”.. “I didn’t think this day would surprise me and bring me face to...

Škoda is a well-known carmaker, but many may be unaware of the brand’s two-wheeled roots. The 130-year-old Czech company started out as a bicycle and motorcycle maker – and it looks like it might just get back to that. Škoda has just unveiled a sparkly new concept, called the Slavia B, reviving one of its first two-wheeled models from 1899 with a futuristic twist. It's part of the company's "Modern Solid" design research initiative, which aims to demonstrate how traditional designs could be modernized for contemporary times. Created by Škoda’s in-house external designer, Frenchman Romain Bucaille, the cafe racer concept...

The Hearing Protection Act (HPA) might be in trouble in the House Ways and Means Committee, and anti-gun lobbyists are NOT the ones holding it up. David Kustoff (R-TN) has been actively pushing to lower the tax stamp to $5 from $200, which would be a welcome change, but the better alternative is to remove suppressors completely from the National Firearms Act of 1934 (NFA). That would eliminate the tax stamp fee and remove all other NFA requirements. This option is the best option for gun owners, yet he is pushing the latter and is against the elimination of suppressors...

What is PCPartPicker?PCPartPicker is a popular online platform that assists users in selecting compatible PC components, such as CPUs, motherboards, RAM, graphics cards, power supplies, storage devices, and more. It offers a user-friendly interface with powerful tools that help streamline the process of building a PC. Key features of PCPartPicker include:Component Compatibility Checking: PCPartPicker automatically checks the compatibility of selected components to ensure they work together seamlessly.Price Comparison: It provides real-time price comparisons from various retailers, allowing users to find the best deals on components.Build Guides: PCPartPicker offers pre-configured build guides for different budgets and purposes, making it easier for...

We’re talking Windows 10, of course, which will soon retire from service. “On October 14, 2025,” Microsoft has just confirmed, again, “Windows 10 PCs will no longer receive feature or security updates, increasing security risks and operational challenges.” Microsoft is taking this opportunity to push Copilot+ PCs, complete with a raft of new AI tools including its controversial Recall. But the primary benefit is the upgrade to Windows 11, which combines with a compatible PCs security module to better protect against all those threats targeting the world of Windows.Those using Windows 11, Microsoft says, “have reported a 62% drop in...

...A new round of security features scheduled to appear in Windows 11 over the next year will address more fundamental security concerns.... The biggest security issue is that the overwhelming majority of Windows users run using an account with administrator privileges. .. The fix is a feature called Administrator Protection, which gives the user standard permissions by default. If they need to perform an action that requires administrator rights, such as installing an app or changing a system setting, they'll need to authenticate using Windows Hello biometrics or a device-specific PIN. That authorization creates a temporary token that is valid...

Initially announced in May 2024, the controversial AI tool was branded a privacy and security nightmare right out of the gate due to how the feature stored the data it collected locally on the PC.This resulted in Microsoft being forced to pull Recall from launch just days before it was supposed to. The company has since worked to address the security issuesWindows Recall is a feature that captures everything you do on your PC via snapshots, and stores them securely on your PC.The Recall app lets you triage and view these snapshots, going as far back as you like. The...

Two miners made an unforgettable discovery in 1869: a gold nugget the size of a human. But the real surprise came when they tried to weigh it. The world’s largest ever gold nugget, discovered in 1869 during the Australian gold rush, remains a symbol of extraordinary wealth. Weighing as much as an adult man, the Welcome Stranger gold nugget, uncovered by two Cornish miners in Victoria, Australia, would be worth millions today. The “Welcome Stranger” Nugget On February 5, 1869, two miners, John Deason and Richard Oats, stumbled upon what would become the largest gold nugget ever found. “It is...

I never invested in stocks. I've been putting my money in CDs, 4-5%. It just keeps growing without even trying. It's just amazing that I have so much because I didn't plan for it. I have about $750,000 in cash, and my home is worth $600,000. I'm from El Salvador and moved in 1946. My first long-term job was working in a bowling alley in 1958. I didn't go to college. For 17 years, I worked in the bowling industry. ..My next job of 27 years was as a scale technician, which I trained myself to do because I knew...