Free Republic

I'm just frustrated. I have 2 older daughters in their 30's. I can't talk to them about any current topic. Everything I say triggers them. Today I got in a fuss defending the gallantry of Southern soldiers. Then I got in a fuss about being a culturist because I believe a substantial portion of the Black underclass in 5 times more likely to commit crimes and murder than other groups. 30 people a week shot in Chicago or New Orleans is OK but DeSantis is a racist. I just said I never see race in a competent individual. I just...

The Prince of Wales has warned global leaders that if we don’t tackle climate change in 18 months the human race will go extinct. No, really. Here are his actual words, in a speech in London yesterday to foreign ministers from the Commonwealth. I am firmly of the view that the next 18 months will decide our ability to keep climate change to survivable levels and to restore nature to the equilibrium we need for our survival. OK. So assuming, for a moment, that the Prince of Wales isn’t just spouting gibberish, what kind of measures might we need to...

Epigenetics: How Our Experiences Affect Our Offspring New research suggests that people's experiences, not just their genes, can affect the biological legacy of their offspring By The Week Staff January 20, 2013 Isn't our genetic legacy hardwired? From Mendel and Darwin in the 19th century to Watson and Crick in the 20th, scientists have shown that chromosomes passed from parent to child form a genetic blueprint for development. But in a quiet scientific revolution, researchers have in recent years come to realize that genes aren't a fixed, predetermined program simply passed from one generation to the next. Instead, genes can...

What do women want? The conventional biological wisdom is that men select mates for fertility, while women select for status — thus the commonness of younger women’s pairing with well-established older men but the rarity of the converse. The Demi Moore–Ashton Kutcher model is an exception — the only 40-year-old woman Jack Nicholson has ever seen naked is Kathy Bates in that horrific hot-tub scene. Age is cruel to women, and subordination is cruel to men. Ellen Kullman is a very pretty woman, but at 56 years of age she probably would not turn a lot of heads in a...

My mum... was the first girl to live beyond childhood. Five of her sisters died as babies or toddlers. It was not until many years later that anyone worked out why so many children died and three boys were born deaf... Today there is no doubt among us that this tragedy occurred because my grandparents were first cousins.... [snip] In the UK more than 50 per cent of British Pakistanis marry their cousins.. ... the practice is on the rise and also common among East African, Middle-Eastern and Bangladeshi communities... the children of first cousins are ten times more likely...

Rachel Krishevsky was 19 when she married her cousin Yitzik from within the ultra orthodox Haredi community in Jerusalem. The young couple then set about following the Jewish commandment to be “fruitful and multiply.” And they certainly succeeded. By the time she passed away last Saturday in Jerusalem aged 99, Rachel had according to her family, no less than 1,400 children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and even great-great-grandchildren. She and her husband had seven boys and four daughters. Among the ultra orthodox jewish community large families are seen as a blessing. Each of their 11 children followed in Rachel’s footsteps, resulting...

I was the man On ESPN Now I spend my life Keeping the people informed Freedom of speech Vested in me This I defend By making the truth deformed Out of makeup What’s on the other side Never knowing Exactly how I’ll lie Locked and loaded Director’s screaming “Let’s go! “Four, three, two—” The red light glows I’ll tell a lie That leftists may live Oh that’s just the way it goes I’ll shut my eyes Ed Murrow’s in my head When he’ll end nobody knows I’ll tell this lie Then leftism may live Oh that’s just the way it...

Mothers And Offspring Can Share Cells Throughout Life ScienceDaily (May 5, 2008) — Cutting the umbilical cord doesn’t necessarily sever the physical link between mother and child. Many cells pass back and forth between the mother and fetus during pregnancy and can be detected in the tissues and organs of both even decades later. This mixing of cells from two genetically distinct individuals is called microchimerism. The phenomenon is the focus of an increasing number of scientists who wonder what role these cells play in the body. A potentially significant one, it turns out. Research implicates that maternal and fetal...

Third Cousins Have Greatest Number Of Offspring, Data From Iceland Shows ScienceDaily (Feb. 8, 2008) — DeCODE scientists have established a substantial and consistent positive correlation between the kinship of couples and the number of children and grandchildren they have. The study, which analyzes more than 200 years of deCODE's comprehensive define genealogical data on the population of Iceland, shows that couples related at the level of third cousins have the greatest number of offspring. For example, for women born between 1800 and 1824, those with a mate related at the level of a third cousin had an average of...

You are what your grandmother ate 22:00 13 November 2006 NewScientist.com news service Roxanne Khamsi The mice on the left-hand side have active AVY genes, giving them golden fur, while those on the right have silenced AVY genes (Image: Cropley et al/PNAS) A mother’s diet can change the behaviour of a specific gene for at least two subsequent generations, a new study demonstrates for the first time. Feeding mice an enriched diet during pregnancy silenced a gene for light fur in their pups. And even though these pups ate a standard, un-enriched diet, the gene remained less active in their...

For Cindy Nooney's 3-year-old twin boys, playing with the Thomas the Train set at their local bookstore in Southern California is a major thrill. Jack and Sam push Thomas, Arthur and friends down the track, they run around the table, jump up and down — and, of course, they squeeeaal. Nooney expects as much in the children's section of the store. But on a recent afternoon, she was surprised by an employee who confronted her, calling her darling Jack a tyrant. "He was a little loud but this is a children's section," says Nooney. "They run a noisy, cavernous bookstore...

Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-NY, speaks to reporters after leaving the Polish Mass at Saint Patrick's Cathedral in honor of Pope John Paul II, in New York, April 3, 2005. Chelsea Clinton stands behind Sen. Clinton. (AP Photo/William Regan)

If you're confused and need direction this political season, hold tight, because you can be sure that a rock star will be along shortly to show you the way. Musicians, some loosely defined, are mobilizing big-time this year to oust Bush. A CD, titled "Rock Against Bush, Vol. I," was released earlier this year, purportedly to raise money for organizations which encourage young people to vote. Bands such as Sum 41, Offspring, New Found Glory and Jello Biafra with D.O.A. are included on the compact disc – I believe the latter is also included on the dessert menu.

Well, well...looks like I have a few names to add to my boycott list. I just wanted to bring attention to a new CD I noticed in my local music store entitled "Rock Against Bush, Vol. 1". According to this site, "Money from sales of the album will go into print and television ads encouraging young people to vote Bush out of the White House. Fat Mike told MTV.com he hopes to have "one or two famous punk rockers" appear in the ads." ...and while I was posting this, I came across a follow-up CD to be released: Rock Against...