Free Republic 3rd Qtr 2026 Fundraising Target: $81,000 Receipts & Pledges to-date: $13,840
17%  
Woo hoo!! And now only $740 to reach 18%!! Thank you all very much!! God bless.

Travel (General/Chat)

Brevity: Headers | « Text »
  • We Fired Up A Roman Hypocaust - For 8 Days Straight! [14:28]

    07/25/2026 9:29:55 AM PDT · by SunkenCiv · 7 replies
    YouTube ^ | July 23, 2026 | Butser Ancient Farm
    Nearly 2,000 years after it was first built, we're discovering just how ingenious Roman central heating really was. For eight days, a team of volunteers heated our reconstructed Roman hypocaust continuously. This was an experiment to find out what temperatures can be achieved, how long does the system take to get up to temperature and how long does the system retain the temperature once the fire has been extinguished. Our hypocaust is based on archaeological evidence from the remarkable Sparsholt Roman Villa, located around 6 km NW of Winchester, England. The excavation was one of the earliest Roman villas in...
  • White House Wants Veterans to Replace Immigrant Truckers Who Lost Their Licenses in Crackdown

    07/24/2026 3:00:29 PM PDT · by E. Pluribus Unum · 63 replies
    Military.com ^ | Jul 24, 2026, 1:24 PM EDT | Josh Funk
    A new campaign will promote programs that let veterans skip the required skills test for a commercial driver's license. The Trump administration wants soldiers to consider becoming truck drivers when they leave the military to help replace the tens of thousands of immigrant drivers who lost their licenses in a crackdown this year. The campaign will be part of a broader interagency effort to help veterans find good civilian jobs that the White House plans to announce on Monday. The Transportation Department began enforcing existing English language requirements for truckers last summer. Concerns about truck driver qualifications then took on...
  • The Lost Oasis Civilization: A 5,000-Year-Old Secret | Full History Documentary [51:17]

    07/24/2026 11:00:10 AM PDT · by SunkenCiv · 7 replies
    YouTube ^ | February 4, 2026 | GEDEON DOC
    In the heart of the Karakum Desert in Turkmenistan, a city over 5,000 years old lay dormant beneath the sands. Thanks to excavations led by an international team, this ancient city is about to be reborn in the light of the present. Led for over ten years by Italian archaeologist Gabriele Rossi Osmida, this research has revealed the existence of a mysterious culture: the Oasis Civilization. These cities, spread along an ancient trade route between Turkmenistan and Afghanistan, bear witness to a refined and organized people, connected to the other great cultures of the time: Mesopotamia, Elam, and the Indus...
  • NYPD busts 90 creeps, rescues dozens of survivors during World Cup human trafficking crackdown

    07/23/2026 3:47:16 PM PDT · by Libloather · 3 replies
    NY Post ^ | 7/23/26 | Khristina Narizhnaya, Zoe Hussain
    The NYPD launched a massive human trafficking crackdown during the FIFA World Cup — busting nearly 90 creeps and rescuing dozens of survivors, including a child being sex trafficked from a hotel room. A slew of operations before and during the 39-day international soccer tournament resulted in 89 arrests and the rescue of 43 people, Inspector Gary Marcus, commanding officer of the NYPD’s Special Victims Unit, told reporters on Thursday. Seven of those rescued across the five boroughhs are minors, Marcus said. Investigators surveilled watch parties, monitored dark corners of the internet, and paid visits to previously convicted sex traffickers...
  • Did Odysseus Reach America?

    07/23/2026 1:46:08 PM PDT · by nickcarraway · 41 replies
    Greek Reporter ^ | July 23, 2026 | Caleb Howells
    Painting depicting Odysseus and his crew at their ship (Odysseus tied to the mast), while Sirens are around them. John William Waterhouse, Ulysses and the Sirens (1891). Did this voyage take Odysseus to America? Credit: Public Domain For centuries, scholars and enthusiasts have debated where Odysseus truly traveled during his legendary journey back to Ithaca. Among the most intriguing theories is the notion that the hero ventured beyond the Mediterranean, crossed the Atlantic Ocean, and reached the shores of what is now known as America. But what evidence supports this extraordinary claim, and does it truly align with Homer’s descriptions...
  • GOP Rep. Kat Cammack pitches mandatory background checks for Congress staffers over claims foreign agents running wild

    07/22/2026 5:05:26 PM PDT · by Libloather · 13 replies
    NY Post ^ | 7/22/26 | Josh Christenson
    WASHINGTON — Rep. Kat Cammack (R-Fla.) is calling for all congressional staff to undergo background checks and dishing on growing foreign influence campaigns that she describes as “the worst kept secret on Capitol Hill.” Cammack has introduced a resolution that would also mandate disclosure of staffers’ nationalities as well as any payments by foreign governments to current or new Capitol hill hires. The proposal comes after reports emerged last month that the FBI has been investigating a senior GOP aide for allegedly acting as a foreign agent on behalf of Qatar, as well as revelations that spies for Cuba and...
  • Dan Aykroyd Reveals One Man's Incredible WWII Collection | World War II: Saving the Reality [55:10]

    07/22/2026 5:08:27 AM PDT · by SunkenCiv · 17 replies
    YouTube ^ | May 22, 2026 (filmed in 2022, looks like) | Stash - War & Military
    Narrated by Dan Aykroyd, World War II: Saving the Reality tells the story of Kenneth W. Rendell, an individual who owns the largest private collection of World War II artifacts in the world. Dan Aykroyd Reveals One Man's Incredible WWII Collection World War II: Saving the Reality | 55:10 Stash - War & Military | Free Movies 14.4K subscribers | 351,107 views | May 22, 2026
  • Fury as Yellowstone tourists filmed dangerously close to scalding waters of world-famous hot spring

    07/21/2026 10:51:11 PM PDT · by Morgana · 36 replies
    daily mail ^ | July,22,2026 | WILKO MARTÍNEZ-CACHERO
    Two tourists have ignited fury after being seen walking perilously close to the boiling waters of a world-famous hot spring. Footage shot by Tanya Saueressig, of Livingston, Montana, showed the moment inside Yellowstone National Park when two women began approaching the Grand Prismatic Spring around 7pm local time Sunday after veering off-track. The women nonchalantly walked on the spring's colorful microbial mats, which shine hues of yellow, orange and red thanks to the heat-loving bacteria around the edges of the pool. Saueressig said she stopped in her tracks when she spotted the women near the 160-foot-deep spring, which has a...
  • Tokyo urges men to wear shorts to work, but some women say it's 'leg hair harassment'

    07/21/2026 6:48:06 PM PDT · by BenLurkin · 44 replies
    BBC ^ | 07/21/2026 | Kurumi Mori,Tokyo correspondentandChie Kobayashi
    As temperatures rise this summer, Japanese men are baring more leg at work than ever before. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is pushing company employees to ditch their usual suit and tie for more casual attire, featuring t-shirts, trainers - and shorts. Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike introduced "Tokyo Cool Biz" in April, hoping to expand on her signature cool down initiative which has now become a widely recognised annual summer tradition. Almost four months in, the newly allowed shorts in the office policy is getting mixed reviews. Some commentators enjoy the relaxed rules, helping them work more comfortably. Others say the...
  • State Department issues rare warning for all Americans traveling abroad

    07/20/2026 12:45:07 PM PDT · by BenLurkin · 18 replies
    ktla ^ | 07/20/2026 | Marc Sternfeld
    The State Department has issued a rare warning to all Americans traveling or living abroad, saying they could be targeted due to “heightened tensions” over the war with Iran. The warning, issued Saturday, urges Americans overseas to exercise increased caution and follow local security guidance, adding that U.S. diplomatic posts have been targeted both within and outside the Mideast. “Due to heightened tensions in the Middle East, the security environment remains complex with the potential for unforeseen escalation,” the State Department said. “Groups supportive of Iran may target other U.S. interests overseas or locations associated with the United States and/or...
  • DAVID MARCUS: Socialism and El-Sayed run into harsh reality in blue-collar Michigan

    07/19/2026 1:00:24 PM PDT · by Libloather · 7 replies
    Fox News ^ | 7/19/26 | David Marcus
    By now, we have all seen the evidence that the socialist uprising happening in the Democratic Party is fueled mainly by highly educated White voters, and on Saturday, I saw even more evidence of it at a Detroit rally for Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed. It was whiter than a toothpaste ad. Scanning the hundred or so people in line for the event that featured Marxist superstars Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., I saw fewer Black people than you could find at Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse’s restricted beach club in Rhode Island. Outside of the Opera House where...
  • Plane passenger invoked Sharia law to avoid sitting next to a woman - then attacked female flight attendant: cops

    07/19/2026 9:18:56 AM PDT · by Libloather · 64 replies
    NY Post ^ | 7//17/26 | Chris Bradford
    A plane passenger allegedly invoked Islam’s strict Sharia law to avoid sitting next to a woman – then assaulted a female flight attendant who tried to smooth it out, according to reports. The passenger – only identified as a 29-year-old Turkish migrant living in Germany – was arrested when his June 1 flight landed in Dusseldorf, Bild reported Thursday. “According to initial witness statements, the man invoked Sharia law and refused to sit next to a woman,” a police spokesperson told Bild, referring to Islam’s strict codes. When a female flight attendant tried to speak to him about it, the...
  • Massive Takata Recall Puts Millions of Drivers on Alert Over Air Bag Safety [2nd recall]

    07/19/2026 7:41:15 AM PDT · by Leaning Right · 36 replies
    Yahoo Autos ^ | June 29, 2026 | Rebecca Wright
    If you haven't yet, it might be time to start familiarizing yourself with the parts of your vehicle, as well as the brands that make them. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) just announced another air bag recall. This time, tens of millions of vehicles are under a Do Not Drive warning because the bags are not operating as designed.
  • 10 Ancient Drug Epidemics That Erased Entire Civilizations [49:53]

    07/18/2026 9:30:25 PM PDT · by SunkenCiv · 30 replies
    YouTube ^ | June 29, 2026 | Health with Henry
    10 Ancient Drug Epidemics That Erased Entire Civilizations | 49:53 Health with Henry | 99,530 views | June 29, 2026
  • Families of TWA Flight 800 crash victims mark 30 years since tragedy on Long Island

    07/17/2026 6:10:41 PM PDT · by PghBaldy · 89 replies
    CBS News ^ | 17 July 2026 | Carolyn Gusoff
    Friday marks as sad milestone. It was 30 years ago that TWA Flight 800 exploded in midair off of Long Island minutes after taking off from John F. Kennedy International Airport en route to Paris
  • With luggages in tow, group of female friends walk 2 hours to Changi Airport for flight

    07/17/2026 4:47:23 PM PDT · by nickcarraway · 24 replies
    AsiaOne ^ | July 17, 2026 | Dana Leong
    A car ride would have only taken 16 minutes.(Singapore) What could have been a 16-minute car ride turned into a spontaneous 2.5-hour trek to Changi Airport for a group of three young women. The trio's journey was documented on TikTok by user Angie, and was posted on Thursday (July 16). Captioned "peak unemployment activity", the video has garnered over 180,000 views in one day. According to a Google Maps screenshot shared in the video, the three's journey from Tanah Merah would take two hours and seven minutes. They set off at 2.42am, hoping to make it in time for their...
  • Marines and Sailors Versus Pirates: The Quallah Battoo Expedition [16:11]

    07/17/2026 11:16:28 AM PDT · by SunkenCiv · 15 replies
    YouTube ^ | October 25, 2024 | The History Guy: History Deserves to Be Remembered
    In 1832 president Andrew Jackson deemed it of very high importance that the people of Quallah Battoo knew who America was. The result was one of the US Navy’s least known military escapades, when sailors and marines fought Sumatran pirates. Because, don’t all good stories involve pirates? Marines and Sailors Versus Pirates: The Quallah Battoo Expedition | 16:11 The History Guy: History Deserves to Be Remembered 151,217 views | October 25, 2024
  • Europe's Forgotten Terror - The Pirates Who Enslaved a Million People [30:39]

    07/16/2026 12:06:23 PM PDT · by SunkenCiv · 35 replies
    YouTube ^ | June 19, 2026 | thehistorysquad
    Who were the Barbary Pirates? For over 300 years, the Barbary Pirates terrorized coastal Europe -- striking as far north as Iceland and as close to home as Ireland, England, Spain, and Italy. Men, women, and children vanished from beaches in the dead of night. Some estimates suggest more than a million Europeans were captured and sold into slavery. Yet today, few people are aware of this forgotten slave trade. In this documentary, join Kevin Hicks as he uncovers who the Barbary Pirates really were, how they built a slave-trading empire that the most powerful nations of the time struggled...
  • Pluto flyby mission wakes up after long sleep nearly 6 billion miles from Earth

    07/16/2026 8:07:30 AM PDT · by Red Badger · 45 replies
    CNN ^ | July 16, 2026 | Ashley Strickland
    A groundbreaking mission that explored Pluto and distant solar system objects in unprecedented detail has awakened from its longest sleep ever — and it’s 5.9 billion miles (9.5 billion kilometers) from Earth. NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft went into a planned hibernation mode on August 7, 2025, and woke up on June 23 using commands stored on its main computer. The mission’s flight controllers at the Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, confirmed that New Horizons is in great shape and ready to transmit a stream of science data gathered during hibernation from its location in the region...
  • JPMorgan invests $24M to resurrect rusting US shipyards: ‘Arsenal of democracy reignited’

    07/15/2026 7:23:58 PM PDT · by Libloather · 26 replies
    NY Post ^ | 7/15/26 | James Franey
    JPMorgan Chase will inject $24 million into Philadelphia’s maritime manufacturing sector, CEO Jamie Dimon said on Wednesday, marking the bank’s latest move to rebuild domestic industrial capacity deemed critical to national defense. The funding package, which includes $18 million in loans and investments alongside $6 million in philanthropic grants, will be deployed at the historic Philadelphia Navy Yard. A primary focus is accelerating the construction of a new submarine manufacturing and assembly facility operated by Rhoads Industries, which is expected to generate 450 permanent jobs. The capital will also expand credit access for up to 100 local maritime small businesses...