Free Republic

On a rainy afternoon in April, Union Square Park was, as is often the case, home to a band of protesters. This time, the cause was not inequality or political oppression, it was a mollusk — an octopus to be precise. Protesters held signs reading “let’s stop this cruelty” and “#stopoctopusfarm” beneath images of the leggy creature. Amidst rising demand for the tentacled delight, Spanish company Nueva Pescanova has announced that it will open the world’s first octopus farm in 2023. But the plan is mired in controversy with environmentalists, zoologists and animal lovers decrying that it would be a...

An out-of-touch academic, writing a column for Bloomberg Opinion, demonstrated just how out of touch the country's elites are as inflation hits every sector of the country. Instead of hiding the mess, or better yet, just not printing it, Bloomberg Opinion tweeted its existence out with a handy tip sheet: (tweets at link) Inflation stings most if you earn less than $300K. Here's how to deal: ➡️ Take the bus ➡️ Don’t buy in bulk ➡️ Try lentils instead of meat ➡️ Nobody said this would be fun Which was about as amateur-hour as it gets on the age-old topic...

An economics professor has a solution for the little people dealing with the country’s inflationary woes: Use mass transportation, eat more veggies instead of meat, and cut back on unnecessary care for your pets.In a Bloomberg.com op-ed, the New School’s Teresa Ghilarducci says these tips are a good idea for anyone making less than … $280,000 per year. “To deal with gas prices, it’s worth reconsidering public transportation if it’s an option where you live,” Ghilarducci says. After all, mass transport fares are up only 8 percent compared to 38 percent for gasoline. And don’t think about getting a new...

A BLOOMBERG Opinion piece is getting backlash after a 'tone-deaf' tweet saying that inflation 'stings most' for those making under $300K a year. "Nobody said this would be fun," the controversial tweet by Bloomberg Opinion reads, sparking thousands of people to react to the March 13 article by Teresa Ghilarducci. Ghilarducci makes suggestions in the piece like pivoting to vegetables in order to avoid inflated meat prices, and taking the bus to avoid inflated gas prices. "I expect those most affected will adjust to inflation in the classic way by shifting away from relatively expensive items toward close substitutes." The...

Animal rights advocate and author Carol Adams has been savaged for throwing "every woke buzzword" into a fiery speech at the Oxford Union 'Beyond Meat' Debate on Wednesday. Ms Adams claimed eating meat is linked to a "white supremacist patriarchal worldview" and that white supremacists "weaponised" eating meat, eggs and dairy to reclaim their wounded masculinity. But social media users were quick to hit back at the viral speech, arguing the use of "woke logic threads" has "no overarching connection" to meat. 'The Sexual Politics of Meat' author argues the act of eating animal "corpses" are "massaged by euphemistic language"...

A Bellevue butcher is learning first hand that promoting your business through Facebook can make you vulnerable to more than bad reviews. The owner of Golden Steer Choice Meats just wanted to expand his presence on social media like so many other companies do. But the Facebook reviews became so vicious, he realized the problem was more than just a few angry customers. John Dick said when he updated the business' Facebook page a few weeks ago, the store was enjoying 5-star endorsements. This week, the business' rating plummeted. "I'm like 'Wow, what did I do?'" said Dick. "I must...

Milk—it does a body bad? Some Connecticut lawmakers seem to think so. The state legislature is considering a bill that would ban day care centers from serving whole milk or 2 percent milk to children. The move, according to the bill’s sponsors, is aimed at curbing childhood obesity—but opponents say the information is outdated. While the American Academy of Pediatrics put out a 2008 recommendation that children switch to low-fat milk after the age of 2 because they don’t need the fat content, others argue that the fat isn’t the dietary demon some claim. …

JBS Family Butchers spent hours each week perfecting window displays But it has been hit with anonymous hate mail and people hurling abuse Unplucked birds and pig or deer heads were hung up in the shopfront Assistant manager of butcher's in Suffolk says staff have been stunned For more than 100 years, butchers in the market town of Sudbury have proudly displayed their meats in their shop windows. But now one has been forced to stop hanging game such as pheasants, partridges and rabbits in his shopfront after a vicious campaign, blamed on ‘townies’ who have recently moved in. Staff...