Free Republic

Despite ongoing conflicts, Israelis continue to report high levels of happiness. The annual World Happiness Report has once again been released, placing Israel in a respectable eighth place, with most citizens reporting that they are happy living in the country. The index is published each year by the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford. According to the latest rankings, Scandinavian countries occupy the top spots. Residents of Finland are the happiest in the world, followed by those in Iceland. Denmark ranks third. In a surprise, Costa Rica takes fourth place-the highest ranking ever for a Latin American country....

Letter Concerning Toleration by John Locke was originally published in 1689. Its initial publication was in Latin, though it was immediately translated into other languages. In this "letter" addressed to an anonymous "Honored Sir" (actually Locke's close friend Philip von Limborch, who published it without Locke's knowledge) Locke argues for a new understanding of the relationship between religion and government. One of the founders of Empiricism, Locke develops a philosophy that is contrary to the one expressed by Thomas Hobbes in Leviathan, primarily because it supports toleration for various Christian denominations. Locke's work appeared amidst a fear that Catholicism might...

A cool, refreshing pint of Guinness is a traditional and delicious way to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. But coaxing out the perfect cascade of lively bubbles and a thick, creamy head is an art that puts even the best bartenders to the test. Now, scientists have revealed the exact method for pouring the perfect pint of stout. And they agree that the famous 'two–stage pour' is far more than just a marketing gimmick. However, experts say there is no magical perfect time to let your pint rest between pours, with exact timing coming down to the sharp eye of an...

Reviews the two oscar winners, Sinners, Battle After Battle, shows clip of Jane Fonda going Biden on stage.

Tucker Carlson, the American antisemitic influencer, says U.S. President Donald Trump and senior U.S. officials should be prosecuted over the decision to strike Iran. In last night's interview Carlson said, "There are other players here. I didn't realize it would be a joint operation with a country that believes in Amalek. Whoever made that decision should be in jail." .....

Two secret battlefield letters written by George Washington during one of the toughest winters of the Revolutionary War have recently surfaced and are now up for sale — just in time for America’s 250th birthday celebration this July 4. Four years into the American colonist’s bloody struggle to break free from British rule, Gen. Washington, from his headquarters in Morristown, NJ penned the letters revealing how the Continental Army tried to monitor loyalist activity and British troop movements across the Hudson River during the winter of 1779 to 1780. Those messages, carefully preserved by descendants of Revolutionary War soldiers, are...

Today I am happy to announce the release of the very short audio for Thomas Jefferson's interesting letter "A Dialog between the Head and Heart", which reaches just past 30 minutes long. Yes, it is a very short recording, but this one is a little different than most others I work on. This recording is a compilation; that is, there are three voices present that are seemingly talking to each other in a way. One of the recordings in this I recorded. This does not signal my triumphant return to the microphone though. I wish. I still have a very...

The war began March 19, 2003, with an overwhelming show of American military might, described by the unforgettable phrase “shock and awe.” Within weeks, the United States achieved the primary objective of Operation Iraqi Freedom, as the military operation was called, ousting the regime of dictator Saddam Hussein. Yet the military campaign that began so auspiciously ended up deeply dividing Americans and alienating key U.S. allies. As Americans looked back on the war four years ago, 62% said it was not worth fighting. … In a pivotal moment in the Iraq debate, Powell presented what he described as “facts and...

WASHINGTON — President Trump took a victory lap Thursday after a federal judge allowed his administration to carry on with construction of his prized $400 million White House ballroom. US District Judge Richard Leon, a George W. Bush appointee, found that construction on the epic project was not a violation of a federal law, as alleged by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. “Great news for America, and our wonderful White House! The Judge on the case of what will be the most beautiful Ballroom anywhere in the World, has just thrown out, and completely erased, the effort to stop...

I have yet another(!) electronics' modification project going, and ran across a slight dilemma: None of my several "Security Bit" sets have a bit that fits the Tri-Point (or "Y") screw heads in the gear to be modified, even though 2 sets do have Tri-Point bits. However, I found this screwdriver set on Amazon: https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/5113Evt3D0L._AC_SL1000_.jpg The question is, looking at that image, are those the correct diameters for the "Y" designation given? Basically, the 3mm for example, would be very close to the circumference of the outer circle the "fins"* of the bit would define. I ask this question because...

Does anyone know WHO the four lawmakers who stood on the Democrat side of the aisle when Trump asked the following question at the SOTU address last night:Please stand if you think the priority of government should be to protect American citizens over illegal aliens?

This video shows bodycam footage and other recordings of the aftermath of UPS Airlines Flight 2976, which crashed on October 31, 2025. The crash occurred shortly after takeoff, with the plane landing on a recycling facility and causing a massive fire and explosions due to the combination of jet fuel and stored fuel oil (5:09). Key points from the video: Initial Response (0:11-1:59): First responders arrive to a chaotic scene of heavy black smoke and a large fire. Police work to evacuate people and shut down roads. Worsening Situation (2:45-5:47): Officers discover the plane was fully loaded with fuel for...

Planting trees on 6.4 million hectares of northern taiga forest could remove 3.9 gigatons of CO2 by 2100 — five times Canada's annual emissions. Canada could remove more than five times its annual carbon emissions from the atmosphere by the end of the century by planting trees along the northern edge of its boreal forest, a new study suggests. In recent decades forests have slowly moved north in response to climate change — in particular the taiga area on the edge of the boreal forest, the massive belt of forest stretching across northern Canada, Europe, and Russia, where it transitions...

All. Elon Musk retweeted a chart showing the percentage of mass shooters who were transgenders. this is the URL: https://x.com/elonmusk/status/2021674796078248300 I reposted it got slammed that it was false info. People claiming that less than .1% are trans involved in mass shootings. (Most were from AI chats which i've found to lean left since not much 'right' data is available) Anyway.. does anyone have any source that show more data to show that trans are truly more involved in mass shootings? TYIA

00:50 — The World Today: Rising Hatred & Global Tensions 01:53 — Brigitte Gabriel’s Childhood in the Middle East 04:19 — Growing Up During the Lebanese Civil War 06:03 — Learning How to Survive in a War Zone 08:42 — How War Shapes Identity at a Young Age 11:41 — Why Israel Became a Lifeline, Not an Enemy 14:11 — What Hatred Really Looks Like Up Close 17:09 — Witnessing the Compassion of Israel Firsthand 19:44 — Lessons the World Refuses to Learn 27:05 — A Wounded Mother & the Journey to an Israeli Hospital 29:42 — Humanity in War:...

Executive summary The SAVE Act would force applicants to present “documentary proof of United States citizenship” at registration and the bill explicitly lists acceptable documents including REAL ID-compliant state IDs that indicate U.S. citizenship, U.S. passports, birth certificates, and certificates of naturalization or citizenship (Congress text) [1] [2]. Advocates say these documents close a perceived verification gap, while critics warn the list excludes common IDs like standard driver’s licenses and would block millions who lack those specific papers (Campaign Legal Center; Brennan Center) [3] [4].

What's REALLY Behind Israel's MASSIVE Bee Release in the Desert? In one of the hottest places on Earth, Israel sent millions of bees into the Negev Desert — and the results shocked scientists, farmers, and the global agriculture industry. While bee populations are collapsing worldwide due to pesticides, disease, and climate change, Israel discovered something unexpected: desert conditions may actually protect bees. Using advanced greenhouse farming, controlled pollination, and cutting-edge bee technology, Israel turned one of the world’s harshest deserts into a food-producing powerhouse. In this documentary-style breakdown, we explore: Why bees are dying globally — and why Israel is...

The Belgian troopship SS Léopoldville had just slipped beneath the English Channel after being hit by a torpedo. Gerald Howard went down with the ship. The 23-year-old rifleman nearly drowned under the frigid water like hundreds of his comrades. He fought his way back to the surface. "I was on the ship until it went down," Howard recalled decades later. "It pulled me down, and when I came up I saw a life raft. They said 'You can't get on.' I said, 'Like hell I can't.'" Howard woke up around midnight in a hospital in Cherbourg, France. He was among...

Today, The Life of Calvin Coolidge by Horace Green is available. If you remember not long ago I pointed out that LibriVox has the Coolidge autobiography, so it is good that both are now getting coverage on this content platform. Calvin Coolidge is very likely the best president over the last 150 years, at least I think so. He has the unique distinction of having being the only one who has defeated both the left wing progressives, as represented by the Wilsonians, as well as the right wing progressives, as represented by the Bull Moose. After World War I, anything...

As the Culture War rages, no field is exempt from its reach. Much has been printed about this intense battle for the American soul. Now, even the fonts used for printing have become a battlefield. It is no longer what you read, but how it appears, that is contested. A font war has erupted between Times New Roman and Calibri, representing right and left, respectively. Some people think such issues are unimportant or at least culturally neutral. Nothing could be further from the truth. Culture encompasses everything that constitutes the daily life of people. Embedded inside things are principles, impressions,...