Free Republic

"Russia's wartime economic boom is masking much deeper problems, according to a group of researchers. The authors of a recent article, who hail from institutions including the Yale School of Management, the Wharton School, the Carnegie Endowment, and the Kyiv School of Economics, cast a stark warning for Russia's economic situation despite the nation posting strong growth numbers since its invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Russia's economy is expected to expand another 2.4% this year, according to figures from the International Monetary Fund. However, much of that growth stems from the Kremlin's wild spending spree, and Russia's economy is hindered...

From high-end Michelin-starred restaurants to local chain establishments, one of the most time-honored rituals for chefs and cooks across the globe is the post-shift beer. After a long day in the kitchen spent on your feet sweating over hot burners, an ice-cold beer is one of the easiest and quickest ways to unwind. But what are the chefs actually drinking these days? Cheap macro lagers have long been adored by chefs, including well-known, easy-drinking beers like Modelo or a Michelob Ultra, but as craft options have taken over the larger drinking scene, have restaurant workers’ favorite brews evolved? Or does...

The Bronx mom charged with murdering her 7-year-old daughter in an August 2021 tragedy that shocked the city could be ordered to come to court, a fed-up judge said Wednesday — after the accused killer blew off her second hearing in a week. Navasia Jones — who refused to leave a Corrections Department bus on Monday — made it up six floors this time to a holding room just outside the courtroom, but would not budge further. “She is refusing to come out,” a state court officer explained after Justice Joseph McCormack called out Jones’ case in Bronx Supreme Court...

A city Parks Department employee accused of gunning down a Venezuelan migrant in a Brooklyn green space went off on a shocking tirade after his arrest — and claimed he was merely taking a “piss” when the shots rang out, new court papers reveal. Seasonal worker Elijah Mitchell, 23, allegedly spewed an anti-migrant rant to detectives following his arrest for the July 21 shooting of Arturo Jose Rodriguez Marcano, who was camping out with other asylum-seekers at the Steuben Playground, near a pair of troubled shelters in Clinton Hill. “I don’t have time to let a migrant f–k up what...

(NewsNation) — If you need money from an ATM, and it’s not a machine run by your bank, you’ll be paying more than ever before, according to an annual survey from Bankrate. The national average combined out-of-network ATM fee is now $4.77, up from $4.72 last year. The combined fee is the sum of the charge by an out-of-network bank, $3.19, plus the average charge of $1.58 levied by your own bank for using an out-of-network ATM. “Confine cash withdrawals to in-network ATMs or get cash back when using a debit card,” advises Greg McBride, Bankrate’s chief financial analyst. “See...

State troopers are set to announce charges against a Long Island mom for allegedly killing her 9-year-old son in a wrong-way crash while under the influence early Thursday. The mother – who has not been named publicly – was allegedly driving the wrong way on the Southern State Parkway at the time of the the four-car pileup near Exit 42 around 2:30 a.m., News12 reported.

“Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin) “Make yourself sheep and the wolves will eat you.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin) “Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freeness of speech.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin) “Common sense without education, is better than education without common sense.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin) “Moderation in all things – including moderation.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin) “Be civil to all; sociable to many; familiar with few; friend to one; enemy to none.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin) “Remember...

The pursuit of a cure for Alzheimer's disease is becoming an increasingly competitive and contentious quest with recent years witnessing several important controversies. In July 2022, Science magazine reported that a key 2006 research paper, published in the prestigious journal Nature, which identified a subtype of brain protein called beta-amyloid as the cause of Alzheimer's, may have been based on fabricated data. One year earlier, in June 2021, the US Food and Drug Administration had approved aducanumab, an antibody-targeting beta-amyloid, as a treatment for Alzheimer's, even though the data supporting its use were incomplete and contradictory.

(Aug. 16, 2024) — On or about August 4, 2024, Zach DeGregorio, host of the program, “Wolves and Finance,” uploaded a video to his YouTube channel titled, “Who is Kamala Harris?” which, among other things, questioned whether Harris is a “natural born Citizen” as required by the U.S. Constitution for the president and commander-in-chief. Harris became the presumptive 2024 Democrat presidential nominee almost immediately after Joe Biden on July 21 withdrew from the race and endorsed her. To that point, according to NBC News, Harris was the least popular person to hold the office since its polling began. On Wednesday,...

Mayor Adams’ ambitious rezoning proposal he calls the “City of Yes” — aimed at encouraging new housing construction throughout the five boroughs — is filled with commonsense ideas such as permitting apartments to be built above storefronts and relaxing the expensive requirements for new parking. Adams, in many ways, is harkening back to the golden age of pre-zoning when row homes and brownstones sprouted across the city in the hundreds of thousands. Only in New York would the idea that increased housing supply is the best way to meet increased demand be controversial.

A Colorado man held a gun up to a Burger King drive-thru worker when they wouldn’t accept a baggie of drugs as payment — and was ordered to serve more than 143 years behind bars, officials said. Eugene Robertson, 40, was sentenced Thursday for the drive-thru incident, which spurred a series of crimes Robertson carried out in the Denver suburb of Aurora on Oct. 17, 2022. After pulling the gun on the fast food worker, who told police he was scared he was going to be killed after turning down the baggie of drugs, Robertson walked into a 7-Eleven across...

A Lake Michigan mansion and its eight-figure asking price may set a new record for the region. The 22-room home nicknamed "Windsor House" and the 2.3 acres that accompany it in Winnetka, Illinois, scored the title of the "highest-priced residential listing in the Chicago metro area" as it hit the market, Christie’s International Real Estate said last week. Its asking price has been set at $35 million.

An estimated 1.5 million taxpayers will be notified of their automatic eligibility for a new round of state-funded Anchor property-tax relief benefits starting next week, state Treasury officials said Tuesday. The benefits, intended to help offset the state’s high local property taxes, will once again total as much as $1,750 per household. Those eligible for automatic enrollment will see letters notifying them that their applications for Anchor benefits will be filed with the state automatically beginning Aug. 19, the officials said. Later this month the Department of the Treasury’s Division of Taxation will also be sending out information via mail...

This from MACVSOG Historical page on FB:Arthur Ray Hines July 14, 2024 (Age 77) Coinjock, North Carolina Special Forces (MACV-SOG, CCC) Arthur Ray Hines, born January 29, 1947, in Virginia Beach, VA, passed away on July 14, 2024, at ECU Health Medical Center. He was 77 years old. Arthur was a proud Special Forces member of the U.S. Army who served in Vietnam. After his service in the Army, he dedicated many years to his community as a letter carrier for the United States Postal Service. His commitment to his work was unwavering and greatly appreciated by all who knew...

Two teenage boys were stabbed early Thursday in an argument aboard a train in the Times Square subway station, police said. A 15-year-old male was stabbed in the hand and a 16-year-old male was stabbed in the abdomen during the altercation, which unfolded just before 7 a.m. on the NQR train line, police said. The victims knew the suspect before the incident, police sources told The Post. The two teens were taken to Bellevue Hospital and are in stable condition, police said.

The human body doesn’t age steadily throughout middle age and instead goes through bursts of rapid aging typically at around age 44 and again at 60, according to a new study published Wednesday in the academic journal Nature Aging. Stanford University researchers tracked age-related changes in more than 135,000 types of molecules and microbes in samples collected every three to six months from more than 100 adults between the ages of 25 and 75 years old. Researchers gathered more than 5,400 blood, stool, skin nasal swab and oral swabs as part of the study, and as a result were able...

The hottest new accessory in the Hamptons this summer isn’t from Hermes or Loro Piana. It’s a clunky cell phone signal booster that exasperated Hamptonites are affixing to their cars to improve their reception in the notorious dead zone. “There is better cell service in Bangladesh than here,” one Sag Harbor resident complained to The Post. The devices, made by companies such as weBoost, Wilson Amplifiers and Cel-Fi, sell for around $500. They have long been popular with truck drivers on long-haul cross country trips or adventurers traversing the Rocky Mountains. But now they’re in vogue with a more posh...

A 6-year-old Michigan boy died after being stapled to a wall and shot with a BB gun — part of “horrific” abuse by his mother and her boyfriend often in front of their other kids, according to authorities. Mom Elaina Rose Jennings, 25, and her boyfriend Daniel John Giacchina, 32, were charged with murder after little Giovanny “Chulo” Jennings was found unconscious with injuries all over his body on July 30, WDIV reported. Investigators soon learned that Giovanny was confined to a pen and left to sleep on a wooden slat in his mom’s bedroom in their mobile home in...

Talk about the cost of doing business. A shameless Costco shopper put the popular warehouse retailer’s generous return policy to the test — and tested the patience of social media observers — by dragging a three-year-old couch back to her local store. California-based realtor Jasmen Reyes recently performed a public demonstration of the limits of the guarantee via a video posted to her TikTok account where she attempts to return the unwanted furniture — said to be worth approximately $1,400. Advertisement

SAN RAMON, Calif. (KGO) -- A 72-year-old former Bay Area Home Depot employee is suing the retailer for age discrimination and wrongful termination after she was fired for failing to stop $5,000 worth of fraudulent transactions. The incident happened at the San Ramon Home Depot three months after a loss prevention officer was shot and killed at a Pleasanton Home Depot while trying to stop a theft attempt. Carleen Acevedo was fired from Home Depot last July for "creating a security or loss prevention risk" according to her termination letter. She says she felt scared and intimidated by the person...