Free Republic

HASTINGS, Neb. (KSNB) - A Grand Island man has died in what police are calling a “freak accident” in a McDonald’s drive-thru Tuesday morning. Police and firefighters were called just before 10:30 a.m. to the McDonalds on 2nd Street, where they found a man trapped between his vehicle and the fast food restaurant payment window. He was taken to the CHI St. Francis emergency room, where he was pronounced dead. Grand Island Police Division Chief Dean Elliott said it was “100% a freak accident”. “It appears the deceased opened the door to further reach out the window for payment purposes.”...

Experience the 2025 Christmas Market at Shanghai’s Bund — one of the city’s most popular winter spots. Lights, food, music, and the festive vibe of 外滩源 make this market a must-see every season. Enjoy the walk!

Just wondering if any other Freepers are spending this Christmas Eve solo. Just my trusty greyhound and me here, settled in for a relaxing evening with a latte, Ralphie Parker and George Bailey. Anyone else flying solo tonight?

On Nov.13 2010 unsuspecting shoppers got a big surprise while enjoying their lunch. Over 100 participants in this awesome Christmas Flash Mob. This is a must see!

Most drivers don’t expect to hear from the federal government—unless something has gone very wrong. But this month, more than 168,000 Americans opened their mailboxes to find checks from the Federal Trade Commission, all tied to a case that exposed widespread deception in the vehicle service contract industry. *snip* Many drivers believed they were signing up for protection that covered major repairs, sometimes paying as much as $120 a month. Yet when they needed help, they discovered that the “coverage” often vanished behind exclusions, denials, and carefully crafted contract language.

A Christmas Prayer By Rian B. Anderson It was Christmas Eve 1881. I was fifteen years old and feeling like the world had caved in on me because there just hadn't been enough money to buy me the rifle that I'd wanted so bad that year for Christmas. We did the chores early that night for some reason. I just figured Daddy wanted a little extra time so we could read in the Bible. After supper was over I took my boots off and stretched out in front of the fireplace and waited for Daddy to get down the old...

I have had an interesting and rewarding time in discussions and arguments(?) with various AIs. Google's is hopelessly woke, and unrepentant about it. I have abandoned it. Using Microsoft's Copilot UI on top of Smart GPT-5.1 has delivered a very different, FAR more neutral AI experience. You can actually instruct it to abandon certain built-in woke-leaning tendencies about safety and offending. One then works with a remarkably neutral AI. I decided to see how Smart GPT-5.1 would track on a 'discussion' in logic around two questions and two premises. The two premises were: (1) there is no god/deity, and (2)...

Yesterday, down in Southern NC, I stood next to a magnificent animal. The owner's daughter took him out for a spin. I've never seen anything like it.

Thursday on the “Politicon” podcast, Democratic strategist James Carville said Charlie Kirk “was not a pimple” on filmmaker Rob Reiner’s ass. While discussing Reiner’s legacy, Carville said, “Charlie Kirk, there was this thing, some kindergarten teachers forwarded some things he said about women. I would urge anybody to look at that. And they fired, you know, fired him. Okay, I’m sorry, I don’t want anybody to get shot. He had young kids. I hate that, but Charlie Kirk was not a pimple on Rob Reiner’s *ss when it comes to influence, and it comes to impact when it comes to...

I see the efforts to divide the MAGA base continue. I remind everyone to be prudent in your discernment of who is antagonizing, what topics and processes they are using, and ultimately who benefits from it. Remember, “there are trillions at stake!” This nonsense battle of “influencers” and “podcasters” is, well, just gross.On March 3rd through March 6th, 2016, the Republican presidential primary was at the precipice of a key inflection point (Super Tuesday) when a large group of political leadership, tech titans, bankers and political influence agents assembled at the AEI summit in Sea Island, Georgia. (snip) Here in...

"Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard left nothing off the table when she gave remarks to the audience at Turning Point USA. In a remarkable and very well delivered speech, Director Gabbard outlines in detail the biggest domestic and geopolitical challenges currently being faced by President Trump and his administration."

What I see as irony concerning Somalia

Part 1Part 2CAST: Milton Metz (narrator) Wayne Perkey (Ebeneezer Scrooge) Terry Meiners (Bob Cratchit)Fred Wiche (nephew Fred) Rush Limbaugh (solicitor) Van Vance (Jacob Marley's ghost) Jane Norris (Christmas past ghost) Joe Donovan (Christmas present ghost) Joe Elliot (Christmas Yet to Come ghost) Laura Shirley (Mrs. Cratchit) Ken Schulz (Peter) Mary Jeffries (Belle) Beth Merrill (Martha Cratchit) Frederick Speck (Tiny Tim) Brian Rublein (1st man) John Asher (2nd man) Skip Essick (Joe) Tony Cruise (man) Christopher Holcombe (1st boy) Edward Pratt (2nd boy) Sara Greiling (3rd boy) -- Directed by David Holland ---- Produced by Scott Goettel -- special thanks to...

The last day for national letter delivery in Denmark is fast approaching as state-run postal service PostNord switches strategy to concentrate on parcel delivery following two decades of sharply decline in letter volumes. The postal operator announced earlier this year that it will deliver its final letter on Dec. 31 after 400 years, saying physical mail is no longer economical because the country has mostly shifted to digital correspondence and that the massive growth in online shopping requires fast, reliable parcel service.

As the Euro-Globalist failing leaders try to whip their countries into an anti-Russia Frenzy, Germany is trying to come out of this process as the country with the largest military and – it appears – the meanest intelligence services. (snip) “Spies will also be allowed to install spyware on computers belonging to enemy suspects and secretly enter their homes. When operating overseas, spies will be allowed to install tracking devices on enemy technology or weaponry – or destroy it altogether.”

CEO of the Miss Finland competition Sunneva Sjögren (centre), new Miss Finland and former first runner-up Tara Lehtonen (left), and former titleholder Sarah Dzafce, who gave up the Miss Finland title, at the Miss Finland organisation's press conference regarding the Miss Finland 2025 situation and related follow-up measures in Helsinki on 11 December 2025. Photo: Emmi Korhonen / Lehtikuva ============================================================================= Sarah Dzafce has lost her Miss Finland title three months after winning the 2025 competition. The decision followed public criticism of a photo shared on social media in late November. In the image, Dzafce is seen pulling the corners of...

Tucker's big ugly mouth.

@DrClownPhD wrote "In 2–3 years, there will be no way to tell what’s real and what’s not… and I have no idea how humanity will deal with this enormous problem."

Shares in Birkenstock plunged 9% Thursday after the German shoe retailer warned tariffs will likely weigh heavily on its profit margins. The company – known for its chunky cork sandals – said it expects its annual gross margins will drop by a full percentage point due to US tariffs in the new fiscal year, which runs through Sept. 30, 2026. Birkenstock, which listed in New York in 2023, still operates the majority of its production in Germany – leaving it exposed to the Trump administration’s 15% tariff on the European Union, which it reached after a trade deal with the...

President Donald Trump rattled off how his economic policies have pulled America from "the brink of ruin" following former President Joe Biden's tenure during his primetime address to the nation on Wednesday. "Here at home, we're bringing our economy back from the brink of ruin," Trump said Thursday. "The last administration and their allies in Congress looted our Treasury for trillions of dollars, driving up prices and everything at levels never seen before. I am bringing those high prices down and bringing them down very fast." Trump said that under the Biden administration, car prices rose by at least 22%,...