Free Republic

Anti-Israel protesters say they spray-painted the front of a Columbia University building and "cemented" the sewage lines of another building to mark the one-year anniversary of a Palestinian girl who was killed by Israeli forces in 2024. Three groups, in a joint post, uploaded a video to social media on Wednesday showing evidence of their defacement, while Columbia University says it is working with law enforcement to investigate the incident, which included "disturbing, personal attacks."

Vharlie Kirk @charliekirk11 High flow shower heads are BACK! President Trump signs Executive Order to end the war on water pressure: "I like to take a nice long shower to take care of my beautiful hair." We don’t deserve him. 3:35 PM · Apr 9, 2025 ·

Aaron Rice has two logos tattooed on his left leg: one from the plumbing business he co-founded more than a decade ago, and another from the private-equity-backed company that recently bought it. “The trades are hard work. A lot of today’s society, picking up a shovel is foreign to them,” The wave of investment is minting a new class of millionaires across the country, one that small-business owners say is helping add more shine to working with a tool belt. Rice continues to work as a sewer department manager at Rite Way, and plans to stay with the company until...

Sometimes one runs into the problem of pipe or hose connectors made of different types of metals needing to be threaded together. This can happen when replacing plumbing in an older home, or, for that matter with garden hoses and fixtures. There are of course various anti-seize products on the market, and I've used Permatex 80078 to good effect on occasion, but, I rather question if it should be used in potable water situations, or even for hoses out to the ol' garden. Oatey "Great Blue" Pipe Joint Compound or Harvey "TFE Paste" work well as pipe joint compounds, but...

"We once had a customer with a toilet stoppage. When we looked into the pipes to find the source, we ended up pulling out upper and lower dentures from the toilet! The customer exclaimed, 'Oh that's where they went!' Turns out that he had a little too much to drink the night before, and he had gotten sick." — Steve Ferguson, owner of Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Oakland-Berkeley, California

Does anyone know if the myth of lightning striking the ground causing a shock to someone say in the bathtub or washing in the sink is true? Supposedly it could strike the metal pipes underground and travel up the line to connect with the bathtub you're in. I've found myself waiting for a storm to pass just in case, but it might be hogwash. On the other hand I know someone who saw a person struck by lightning and it killed the crap out of them. I'd hate to learn the truth of this from experience.

I installed a compression shut off valve for a toilet supply line for the first time. I had plenty of pipe, so I cut off the old soldered valves and then used Emory cloth and a deburring tool to prep the pipe. I didn’t expect the hard part to be putting the nut on the pipe. I had a hell of a time, but I finally got it on and tight with no leaks. But, I ultimately have nine valves to install and would like to know if there’s an easier way. Maybe some kind of lubricant that won’t compromise...

ATLANTA — The district attorney in Fulton County, Ga., who is conducting a criminal investigation of former President Donald J. Trump has asked for an F.B.I. risk assessment of the county courthouse in downtown Atlanta, citing “alarming” rhetoric used by Mr. Trump at a rally in Texas over the weekend.

The Fulton County, Georgia, district attorney is asking for the FBI's help in providing security for buildings and staff one day after former President Donald Trump called prosecutors investigating him "racists" and said his supporters should hold "the biggest protests we have ever had" in cities like Atlanta if the prosecutors "do anything wrong or illegal." DA Fani Willis and her office are investigating Trump for his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia. A special grand jury will be seated as part of that investigation on May 2. At a rally in Conroe, Texas, Saturday night,...

I need a swivel spray attachment for my kitchen sink – one that converts from spray to stream. We bought a cheap one on Amazon, and the adapter stripped as my husband was trying to install it. Everything in this line on Amazon seems to be very cheap (and Chinese) – selling for 12 dollars or less – and it’s the same with what I’m finding at the big local hardware stores. I’m willing to pay a lot more for something METAL that actually works, from an actual company. It’s a typical kitchen faucet, the aerator appears to be 15/16...

ABC News, November 3, 2020, 11:34 P.M: “The election department sent the ballot counters at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta home at 10:30 p.m.” But later, a video came out which showed them counting ballots in the middle of that same night. Then, on December 4, 2020, the Washington Post said, “No one told observers they had to leave.” This is exactly like in George Orwell’s 1984!On November 3, 2020, at 11:34 P.M., ABC News reported: “The election department sent the ballot counters at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta home at 10:30 p.m.”Original source: https://twitter.com/abcpolitics/status/1323846118208376834Archived source: https://web.archive.org/web/20201104043502/https://twitter.com/abcpolitics/status/1323846118208376834But later,...

Earlier today Cristina Laila reported on the explosive video that was revealed during the Georgia ballot counting at the State Farm Arena where crooked Democrats pulled out suitcases full of ballots and began counting those ballots without election monitors in the room.Trump’s legal team showed a video from the State Farm Arena tabulation center when poll workers were told to leave at 10:25 PM.A few “workers” stayed behind and were seen pulling suitcases full of ballots out from under tables to be tabulated!This was the most explosive video of the entire campaign season!WATCH: Video footage from Georgia shows suitcases filled...

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COMPLETELY off topic. Buying a home in a unknown market, just hit with horrendous and unexpected Inspection Report

Consider that the vast majority of commercial bathrooms in the U.S. don’t even include lids on toilets—meaning that every time someone flushes, a “toilet plume” of droplets explodes into the air, coating the surrounding stall (and the person standing in it) and aerosolizing the bowl’s contents, which can be breathed in and ingested by nearby parties (gross) We also know that COVID-19 has been found in human poop, up to 33 days after infected people have recovered and tested negative for the virus. No amount of handwashing will remove a virus sprayed all over your body. “a huge uptick in...

The house we moved into late last year has a unique kitchen faucet. We like it a lot but there is a problem. Recently it started leaking from the top where the spray hose connects. A plumber from a reputable company came out to work on it. IIRC, the faucet is some oddball type he didn't have the parts for. The plumber and my wife looked all over and under for a model or make. I was off earning crumbs at the time. No dice on and ID. We have tried to contact the former owners who built the place...

Careers are becoming more specialized than ever, and with this, we as a species are losing the ability to operate and live effectively without the support structures of the existing status quo. This is a loss of independence that is only going to get worse, and the only answer, is as ever, education. But not the “pleasant indoctrination” being enforced by our regular schools. Skills training is almost frowned upon nowadays, and even when it is not, it is specialized skills that are valued. How many of us can handle basic household electrical repairs? What about plumbing, carpentry, and even...

It’s a joke with no punch line, as 85 plumbers on a Norwegian flight headed for Germany discovered Saturday when their plane had to return to Oslo because of a broken toilet, reported The Independent. The flight, which departed Oslo bound for Munich, turned back at the Swedish border.

When Aaron Rodgers — his friend, college football-watching buddy and amateur plumber — called him an “idiot” on Saturday afternoon from beneath his kitchen sink, well, Dekker had to agree with the two-time NFL MVP. “I’ve actually fixed my own garbage disposal before. There’s incredible tutorials on YouTube,” Rodgers said. “So I did that at one point. Fixed it. “Sam, he just got traded to L.A., I was hanging out with him Saturday. He was having some sink issues, asked for my help. He’s 23 years old. I know he’s engaged and taking the next step to being an adult,...

After embracing the notion that gender is as much mental as it is physical, the Obama White House on Tuesday rejected the suggestion that it has been particularly aggressive on transgender issues. “This is a confrontation that Republicans have sought out rather cynically, because they are seeking a political advantage,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters at Tuesday's briefing. Earnest said Republicans in North Carolina started the controversy by passing legislation (HB2), which negated a Charlotte city ordinance allowing transgender people to use the bathroom of their choice. …