Free Republic

A Penzeys Spices insider says founder and CEO Bill Penzey's frequent left-wing rants in emails to customers have lost the company more than half of its retail business over the past five years. "It's been devastating," explains the insider, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "In 2017, our retail operations department flat out said that Bill's attacks had cost the company 50 percent of our customers." Penzey has for years made political assaults on Republicans and conservatives a routine part of his "A Note from Bill" emails to customers, but the insider says he ratcheted up his rhetoric after Donald...

Kamala Harris made a campaign stop on Saturday at a spice shop known to openly discriminate against Republicans while calling for an end to political “division.” The spice shop, Penzeys Spices in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, welcomed the Democrat nominee to browse the store and meet some supporters. While facing a gaggle of reporters, Harris claimed, “It’s time to turn the page on the divisiveness. It’s time to bring our country together, chart a new way forward.” “A lot of what I think is happening, and I was just talking with some folks here in Pittsburgh about it, is that people are...

A new study showed that a teaspoon a day of cinnamon might help reduce a person’s diabetes risk. So, how much of it does a person need to eat? Teaspoon a day of common spice may reduce diabetes risk (WKRC, CNN Newsource, CBS Newspath) The study was conducted in those with prediabetes, which means a person’s blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not yet high enough to be considered type two diabetes. It’s also a time when increasing a person’s activity can really make a difference, something that Samantha Goldfeder knows about. "Just the consistency of coming kind...

The death of a 14-year-old teenager is being investigated by Massachusetts authorities after he died while participating in the viral 'One Chip Challenge'. Harris Wolobah died on September 1 in Worcester after eating the spiciest chip in the world. The cause of Harris' death is yet to be determined and an autopsy report is pending, but the teenager's family have blamed the challenge for his death. Since his death, the spicy snack's manufacturer, Paqui, has now asked retailers across the US to stop selling the individually wrapped chips - a step 7-Eleven has already taken. The One Chip Challenge chip...

Often cited as the bestselling science fiction novel of all time, Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel Dune features a unique blend of technology and human drama that has stood the test of time. This complex universe, and its even more complex ideas on time, space, and human consciousness, resulted in five follow up novels by Herbert himself, 16 additional books co-authored by his son Brian Herbert and sci-fi veteran author Kevin J Anderson, a 1984 movie, a pair of early 2000s TV miniseries, and more recently the box office crushing 2021 epic film adaptation. Hoping to find the overlap between science...

HARLESTON W.Va. (AP) — An off-duty deputy sheriff in West Virginia who struck and killed a 13-year-old girl with his marked cruiser last year will not face criminal charges in her death, according to the prosecutor investigating the case. Special Prosecutor for Cabell County Mark Sorsaia determined the “tragic loss” of 13-year-old Jacqueline “Laney” Hudson in December 2022 was a “direct result” of her own erratic behavior while under the influence of alcohol and marijuana, according to a letter dated Thursday clearing former Cabell County Sheriff’s Deputy Jeffrey Racer of negligence..... Hudson was killed on December 30, 2022 just after...

On October 12th, the menu spotlights National Gumbo Day for food holidays. This heavily seasoned, stew-like dish fills us up on chilly fall days. #NationalGumboDay Originating in southern Louisiana during the 18th century, Gumbo typically consists of strongly-flavored stock with meat or shellfish, a thickener, and seasoned vegetables. The seasoned vegetables may include celery, bell peppers, and onions. In Cajun cuisine, the trio is known as the “holy trinity.” Most people serve Gumbo over rice. Gumbo also falls into different categories based on the following types of thickener used: African vegetable okra Choctaw spice filé powder (dried and ground sassafras...

Greg Foster creates a world record for eating three Carolina Reaper peppers in record 8.72 seconds. According to Guinness World Records, Carolina Reaper averages 1,641,183 Scoville Heat Units (SHU) - the hottest chillies in the world.A video of a man chewing down Carolina Reaper chillies has created a buzz on the Internet and left netizens both shocked and amused. While many couldn’t help but mention the aftermath of setting this rather insane record, others underscored how easily they could break it. Shared on Instagram, the video shows a man from the USA setting the world record title for the 'fastest...

When a male cockroach wants to mate with a female cockroach very much, he will scoot his butt toward her, open his wings and offer her a homemade meal — sugars and fats squished out of his tergal gland. As the lovely lady nibbles, the male locks onto her with one penis while another penis delivers a sperm package. If everything goes smoothly, a roach’s romp can last around 90 minutes. But increasingly, cockroach coitus is going really, weirdly wrong Back in 1993, scientists working at North Carolina State University discovered a trait in the German cockroach, a species that...

An investigation into narcotics inside the Halawa prison revealed two deaths and at least 14 overdoses in the past eight months linked to the same designer drugAn investigation into narcotics inside the Halawa prison revealed two deaths and at least 14 overdoses in the past eight months linked to the same designer drug. Spice, also known as synthetic marijuana, hasn’t made too many headlines here lately. But officials at Halawa Correctional Facility say it’s a problem behind bars. Often sold in colorful pouches, spice can resemble marijuana. The psychoactive substance is also sold in a liquid form. Marketed in vials,...

Avocados are wildly important in the U.S., and most are imported from Mexico. This week, the U.S. briefly banned Mexican avocados after a U.S. inspector in the state of Michoacan reported receiving threats. But avocados and limes have long been used by drug cartels to help finance their violent business plans. Emily Green reports for VICE News from Mexico and joins us from Mexico City. Thanks so much for being with us. EMILY GREEN: Thanks so much for having me on. SIMON: How would you describe the role cartels have in the agricultural business, specifically avocados and limes? GREEN: Well,...

In US theaters and streaming on HBO Max Thursday, Denis Villeneuve's epic star-studded adaptation is a sumptuous sci-fi experience. Timothee Chalamet cuts up in Dune. Warner Bros The best-selling books in the Dune series are as intriguing and ambiguous as a desert's shifting sands. So it makes sense a star-studded new movie adaptation from director Denis Villeneuve manages to be both hugely satisfying and incredibly frustrating. The 2021 Dune film is a tour de force of cinematic sci-fi, a star-studded yet deeply weird fantasy epic, and a thoughtful and thrilling movie experience. Then it stops right in the middle. Villeneuve's...

The Washington Post has published a correction after one of its writers was accused of racism for jokingly claiming in an article that Indians use only one spice in their cuisine. Humor columnist Gene Weingarten criticized Indian food last Thursday in an article titled ‘You can’t make me eat these foods’ where he claimed it’s “the only ethnic cuisine in the world insanely based entirely on one spice.” “If you like Indian curries, yay, you like Indian food!” Weingarten wrote, before adding, “If you think Indian curries taste like something that could knock a vulture off a meat wagon, you...

WHY, KRAFT?? Following the trend of making pumpkin spice everything, Kraft is releasing -- for real -- pumpkin spice mac and cheese in Canada. Kraft says: "This spicy cheesy treat is very real and will come in a signature white cup with cinnamon spice topping ... Coming to Canadians this October, Pumpkin Spice KD is made with the same classic KD cheese powder Canadians know and love, now with added fall flavours [sic]: hints of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and ginger." If you haven't already thrown up in your mouth a little, they're marketing it with the line "Ain't no basic...

How's this for weird? If you like to cook, somehow you can't go to the store to get a spice container of paprika anymore. That's because there isn't any, the shelves are bare. Lot of people are noticing these days. Tim Carney of the Washington Examiner pointed it out here and others chimed in:

The official trailer for Dune.

Lockheed Martin and RAFAEL have signed a cooperation agreement to jointly develop, manufacture, market and support RAFAEL’s Smart, Precise Impact and Cost-Effective (SPICE) missile guidance kits to Lockheed Martin’s platforms. RAFAEL already subcontracts about 80 percent of SPICE subassemblies to US manufacturers in eight states. The agreement will enable Israel to buy SPICE kits from the USA, using US military support funds. The agreement follows a market assessment evaluation done by the two partners in the past year. “Access to GPS is becoming increasingly limited in contested environments,” said Mr. Yuval Miller, executive vice president, and general manager of Rafael’s...

Computer-generated image of the SPICE munitions | Screengrab from Rafael video As news of the Indian Air Force strike on terror targets in Pakistan dominated headlines across the world, speculation has begun on the kind of weapons the Mirage 2000 jets carried. The speculation has increased as the Indian Air Force hit a target in 'Pakistan proper' at Balakot, far from the Line of Control. While initial reports said the Indian Air Force used laser-guided bombs, some media agencies claim the Mirage 2000 fighters hit the targets from 'standoff' ranges, which meant they needn't have strayed significantly beyond the Line...

ALFORD — The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office arrested an Alford woman last week after she allegedly stripped off her clothes and broke into a parked ambulance after taking methamphetamine, according to a release. Devon Toole, 23, was charged with burglary of a conveyance on Jan. 8 and was transported to Jackson County Correctional Facility. The situation began on Park Avenue in Alford where JCSO received a call about a woman taking her clothes off and barking in the street. They then received information that she’d entered a Jackson County Fire and Rescue ambulance parked at its station and switched on...

At Farnborough 2018, the Spice 250 is being displayed as an option for both the Eurofighter Typhoon and Saab Gripen. Rafael’s Spice 250 electro-optical/infrared-guided glide bomb is on course to achieve initial operational capability with the Israel Air and Space Force next year, following a third test campaign earlier this year that saw the 100-km (62-mile) range weapon successfully engage moving, maritime, and time-critical targets. A few more qualification tests are due to be undertaken, with low-rate production just getting under way. At Farnborough 2018, the weapon is being displayed as an option for both the Eurofighter Typhoon and Saab...