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Swiss researchers have developed a solar energy method using synthetic quartz to achieve temperatures above 1,000°C for industrial processes, potentially replacing fossil fuels in the production of materials like steel and cement. Instead of burning fossil fuels to reach the temperatures needed to smelt steel and cook cement, scientists in Switzerland want to use heat from the sun. The proof-of-concept study uses synthetic quartz to trap solar energy at temperatures over 1,000°C (1,832°F), demonstrating the method’s potential role in providing clean energy for carbon-intensive industries. A paper on the research was published on May 15 in the journal Device. The...

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French police have killed an armed man who was trying to set fire to a synagogue in the northern city of Rouen, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin says. “National police in Rouen neutralized early this morning an armed individual who clearly wanted to set fire to the city’s synagogue,” Darmanin writes on X. A source close to the case tells AFP the man was wielding a knife and an iron bar before he was shot by police.

As of Monday, it is no longer illegal in Hawaii to carry a dangerous weapon in public, and switchblade and butterfly knives are no longer banned. HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) -- As of Monday, it is no longer illegal in Hawaii to carry a dangerous weapon in public -- and switchblade and butterfly knives are no longer banned. That change led to an alarming sight in Waikiki at sunset Tuesday. The governor signed HB 2342 into law Monday without fanfare, making it immediately legal to openly carry weapons that were banned in public until now. Gun rights activist Andrew Namiki Roberts, leader...

What is on these tapes? President Biden cited executive privilege Thursday to block the House Oversight Committee from getting copies of five hours of audio recordings from his interviews with Special Counsel Robert Hur on Oct. 8-9, 2023, as well as tapes of ghostwriter Mark Zwonitzer allegedly admitting to deleting incriminating recordings of Biden discussing classified information. Bizarre: The transcript of the Hur interview got released weeks ago, so the audio can’t reveal any hard information. So what is Biden afraid of Americans hearing? Biden’s kibosh came after Attorney General Merrick Garland refused to turn the tapes over and asked...

House hearing on Garland devolves into chaos involving AOC, MTG & Crockett: ‘Are your feelings hurt? Aww’ Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) traded barbs with Democratic Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Jasmine Crockett during a train wreck of a House Oversight Committee hearing Thursday night in which the lawmakers took turns body-shaming each other. The hearing on whether to move forward with a contempt resolution against Attorney General Merrick Garland spiraled out of control after Greene brought up the daughter of the Manhattan judge presiding over former President Donald Trump’s hush money trial and then commented on the physical appearances of...

The “West Point for Democratic operatives,” which credits itself for aiding President Biden’s victory, hired a digital director, who previously shared that “terrorism is the dream of politics.” Johannah King-Slutzky landed the digital director gig at the Democratic-aligned The Arena during the Fall in 2019, a few years after she had made a post discussing “terrorism” on her personal blog. “Terrorism is the dream of politics — ultimate togetherness, ultimate realness — in a way that neuters criticism,” the post on JKS’s personal blog said prior to her hire. “The point is this: Terrorism (and American anti-terrorism) are compelling because...

My latest song. I don't think we're in Kansas anymore.

Headline-chasing Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg’s vanity project of a trial against former president Donald Trump comes at a high cost for New Yorkers. The time and expense Bragg has devoted to the flimsy-as-a-cobweb Trump charges are indefensible given how many dangerous crimes go unprosecuted. Criminals roam the streets with little fear of facing jail time. Manhattan’s crime clearance rate is an abysmal 29.8%. In 2023, NYC’s 109,303 prosecuted arrests resulted in an imprisonment rate of less than 7%. While Trump is going to trial and faces six to eight weeks of “embarrassing evidence,” most New York criminal cases summarily...

The ex-diversity program manager for Facebook and Nike who stole more than $5 million from the mega companies to fund her “luxury lifestyle” was sentenced Monday to five years behind bars — and ordered to pay back the hefty sum. Barbara Furlow-Smiles, 38, set up fake business deals, invoices and events — including a Juneteenth celebration — to line her own pockets, the Justice Department said. “Furlow-Smiles shamelessly violated her position of trust as a DEI executive at Facebook to steal millions from the company utilizing a scheme involving fraudulent vendors, fake invoices, and cash kickbacks,” said US Attorney Ryan...

Welcome to the PRAYER REQUESTS thread. This daily thread is a listing of prayer requests that have been posted by Freepers to the main forum who wish to have continued prayer. Hopefully this thread will remind us to continually pray for our fellow Freepers’ cares and needs. GOD hears and answers our prayers.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday issued a full pardon for a former U.S. Army sergeant convicted of murder in the shooting death of an armed protester during a 2020 Black Lives Matter march. The move by Abbott came minutes after a unanimous recommendation by the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles that Daniel Perry be pardoned and have his firearms rights restored. Under Texas law, the governor cannot issue a pardon without a recommendation from the board, which the governor appoints. "The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles conducted an exhaustive review of U.S. Army Sergeant Daniel Perry’s personal...

Russia’s new offensive across Ukraine’s northeastern border had been expected for months — yet it still surprised the Ukrainian soldiers stationed there to defend against it. Ukraine’s 125th Territorial Defense Brigade — stretched thin along a roughly 27-mile stretch of the Kharkiv region’s border with Russia — used reconnaissance drones to monitor, daily, how Moscow was steadily building up forces for a possible attack. But the morning it happened, May 10, the brigade lost all its video feeds due to Russian electronic jamming. Its Starlink devices — satellite internet the Ukrainian military relies on for basic communication — failed, the...

We all remember the disturbing priest abuse scandal in which thousands of young boys were abused. Now, it seems gay priests can purchase a baby from a surrogate whenever they want. According to several viral posts on X, this Episcopal gay couple (who look like they have a 20-year age difference between them) purchased a baby boy from a surrogate. In their announcement on Instagram, they said this: (Image on link BARF ALERT) We hope our family can be a reminder that 'protect your children from priests' is just as harmful as 'protect your children from drag queens.' Both are...

Your morning cup of joe may be doing more than just giving you an energy boost to tackle the day. New evidence suggests that the caffeine in your brew could pack an extra punch by reducing your risk of developing Parkinson’s disease.(Shutterstock)Findings Suggest Caffeine May Reduce Parkinson’s Risk by 40 PercentWhile previous research highlighted caffeine’s benefits like increased energy and enhanced cognitive performance, a recent study in Neurology adds to the evidence that caffeine may help prevent Parkinson’s disease, a progressive movement disorder.The new study examined coffee intake and future Parkinson’s risk in 184,024 participants across six European countries.Unlike prior...

Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra admitted during a congressional hearing on Wednesday that hospitals with religious objections to transgender mutilation will lose federal funding. “Can you commit here today that your department will not withhold federal funding from hospitals or doctors who refuse to provide the gender-affirming care that you are, you know, mandating, if it violates their religious beliefs?” Republican Rep. Mary Miller, chairwoman of the House Education and Workforce Committee, asked Becerra. Becerra ignored the question and scolded Miller for asking it. “You’re going somewhere completely different. First, you started talking about how a doctor should...

In corporate America today, there’s a permission structure in place to attack, defame, and destroy anyone who dares to be publicly Christian.It didn’t take long for the NFL to come out and condemn recent remarks from Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker, saying his views, given during a commencement speech at Benedictine College over the weekend, “are not those of the NFL as an organization. The NFL is steadfast in our commitment to inclusion, which only makes our league stronger.”What horrible, non-inclusive things did the 28-year-old Butker say? He committed the crime of giving public witness to his faith, espousing...

So Joe Biden has publicly agreed to two debates with Donald Trump, one in June and another in September. Frankly, I'll believe it when I see it, but I suppose we should take him at his word for now. However, assuming they happen, these will be different than the presidential debates we've witnessed in the past. The candidates have bypassed the Commission on Presidential Debates and opted to allow CNN and ABC News to host the events without an audience being present. So is this an aberration or will it become a trend going forward? The Associated Press suggests that...

There is a power in man that I don't think people realize, that works in connection with God's word. We know that in Genesis 1:11,12 God called for the earth to bring forth the grass, herbs, and fruit trees and the earth brought forth those things. And the earth still brings those things forth today and it always will. In Genesis 8:22 it says, while the earth remains there will always be seedtime and harvest. That means as long as the earth remains if you put a seed in the ground, water it, and give it light in time the...