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This is the 13th time the verdict was either posted or alluded to in a post.

Groom discovers his bride is actually a MAN… TWELVE DAYS after their wedding: 'Wife' avoided sex by saying 'she was on her period'

05/29/2024 3:38:33 PM PDT · by Morgana · 66 replies
Daily Mail UK ^ | May 29, 2024 | Miriam Kuepper

https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/4240902/posts

Nearly 80% of Americans now view fast food as a luxury: survey

05/30/2024 4:24:19 AM PDT · by RomanSoldier19 · 37 replies
WJBF Augusta ^ | 5/29/24 | Story by Marc Sternfield

https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4240987/posts

They’re trying to destroy separation of powers.

The chief operating principle of the free-market economy is “Charge what the market will bear.” Without fail, any change in the economy that causes the lower classes to have more jingle in their pockets will cause the price of bread and milk and all other basic needs and services to go up accordingly.

Every time.

"Be nice if this dopey writer would tell us why this particular beast went extinct."

When a species of animals goes extinct, it's usually because all of them died.

Conservative bias is still bias. Better a search engine with no slant at all.

The Hodge Twins obviously don’t know the definition of “prove.”

The European Union IS NOT synonymous with “Europe” (as reported in the headline), and this writer is an idiot.

They’ve got something like this in the UK. Even the slimy limeys had the balls to destroy them as fast as they could be installed.

"Never heard of him. Is he black?"

Then you don't know diddlysquat about baseball.

Boca de la Veritas is a great place for a cheesy selfie you couldn’t have made anywhere except in Rome, but it isn’t close to anything else you’d likely want to visit, so it will cost you in time.

I only go to the Vatican Museum to see the Sistine Chapel. No other painting in the world can compare to it for fame and historical significance. If that’s not worth fighting crowds for to you, you probably shouldn’t be visiting Rome in the first place.

St Peter’s Basilica is worth visiting just for the art, esp. Bernini’s Baldachin and Michelangelo’s Pieta (never miss an opportunity to see a Michelangelo, regardless how minor). Also worth a visit for anyone of Scottish extraction, since Charles Edward Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie) and his father, James Francis Edward Stuart, uncrowned King of Scots, are entombed there.

The Trevi Fountains are worth visiting if you’re fascinated by the sophistication of Roman engineering. The water filling it comes from the Acqua Vergine Roman aqueduct. Built in 19 BC, it runs from a spring Roman soldiers soldiers were guided to by a young maiden (ergo “water of the virgin”) about 12.7 miles away with a fall of about 13 feet. That’s an inch every 430 feet. At its peak it brought in 25 million gallons of water each day.

He has some stunning omissions on his list.

While you’re at the Colosseum (and you can’t not go there), up the hill to the north lies the Basilica of Saint Peter in Chains (San Pietro in Vincoli). The chains St Peter allegedly wore in the Mamertine prison are in the altar but there’s also one of Michelangelo’s most famous statues (and you know how I get about Michelangelos), Moses (with horns). And it costs you nothing to see because it’s in a church that’s open to the public.

Just after entering the Roman Forum (from the Colosseum end) is the Arch of Titus, built to celebrate the crushing of the uprising of the Jews in Judea, which also marked the second sacking of the Temple of Solomon, and the re-naming of the region to ‘Syria Palestina.’ It also marked the beginning of one of the many Jewish diasporas. The Jews were in rebellion because they refused to worship the Emperor of Rome as god. The war was begun by Titus’ father, the Emperor Vespasian (builder of the Colosseum), who died before finishing the job, so Titus did the clean-up.

Inside the arch is a bas relief depicting the carrying away of menorahs, incense shovels, trumpets and other Jewish religious artifacts as the Romans looted the temple to destroy its religious significance.

The Borgehese Gallery, IMHO, is the finest art gallery in Italy. Includes Bernini’s “Pluto and Persephone” and “Apollo and Daphne,” two of the most exquisite works in marble ever created. And it has more Caravaggios than you can shake an empty proseco bottle at.

There are Caravaggios hanging in Santa Maria Del Popolo, Church of San Luigi dei Francesi, and Basilica of St. Augustine in Campo Marzio. And since they’re in a churches, there’s no admission.

Piazza Navona has some lovely Bernini fountains. It’s also one of numerous locations where Caravaggio was arrested for carrying a sword without a permit.

The Pantheon was the largest unsupported dome in the world when it was built (ca. 125 AD) and remains the broadest unsupported concrete dome in existence. And it has one hilarious construction screw-up to prove even the Romans sometimes goofed. And it still functions as a Catholic church, which means there’s no charge for admission.

Just a block from the Pantheon is the Basilica of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, which is easy to find because of the Bernini statue of an elephant with an obelisk on its back in the parking lot out front. Inside there’s a Michelangelo nude of Jesus at the altar (never skip a Michelangelo), “Christ Risen.” Or at least it was nude when Michelangelo created it. Some well-meaning priest was offended that Michelangelo thought Jesus had a penis, so he emasculated the statue. There now is a strategically-placed drape wound around his thighs to hide the disfigurement.

Sopra Minerva is one of those places you should visit if only because something famous happened there (like going to Deadwood, Ariz, because of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral). Sopra Minerva was where Galileo was tried for heresy by the Inquisition for claiming that the earth orbited the sun. He was found guilty and ORDERED to recant. He was 66 and old and tired, and he knew what pleasures awaited him at the hands of the Inquisition if he failed to comply, so he backed down.

Villa del Priorato di Malta (on the Aventine hill) is the property of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. Owing to the service provided to the Holy Roman Church during the Crusades by the Knights of Malta, Italy has granted them extraterritorial status, which means the villa is sovereign Maltese territory.

And it happens that the gate to the villa has a warded key-type keyhole. And through this keyhole you can see the Vatican hill. Which means that through this keyhole you can see three separate and sovereign countries, Malta, Italy and The Vatican.

Where else can you see three different countries through a keyhole?

There’s lots more fun, free stuff to do in Rome, like a mountain of broken wine and olive oil amphorae, but it’s time for my nap.

They have to be vigilant or risk losing their name, the Federal Bureau of Intimidation. It makes their job so much easier if everyone just collapses and lies spread-eagle on the floor as soon as they flash their badges.

Q. How do you make $100 million in F1?

A. Start out with $300 mil.

"People are so cruel to animals"

I hate to break the news to you, Bambi, but animals are crueler to each other.

Know why “renewable energy” is a hoax?

Because energy can neither be created nor destroyed. So sayeth Albert Einstein.

And you’ll look long and hard to find a fuel source more economical than fossil fuels because with fossil fuels, nature already did the heavy lifting. She converted fusion energy broadcast from the sun into a solid, easily transportable and reasonably stable form and buried it in the earth. It’s free for anyone with the want and the ability to dig up and use.

Kudda been worse. Kudda waited until after non-flying pilot called, “Rotate” to catch fire.

https://www.aviationfile.com/takeoff-speeds-v1-vr-rotate-v2/

FIA president Hassan Ben Sober has surprisingly urged Michael Andretti to enter F1 by purchasing an existing team rather than persisting with plans to become the sport’s 11th outfit.

In February last year, the FIA called for new teams to join F1 via its Expressions of Interest process. Eight months later, following a stringent examination, motor sport’s governing body confirmed Andretti had passed on technical and sporting grounds.

At the end of January this year, however, F1 rejected Andretti’s bid, categorically stating it would not add value to the sport, despite partnering with major car manufacturer General Motors via its Cadillac brand.

GM has since stated it is prepared to be a power unit supplier to the team in 2028, two years after new engine rules are introduced. Andretti is still hoping to enter F1 in 2026, running a customer engine for two years initially, and has engaged in discussions with CEO Stefano Domenicali about the prospect.

Ben Sober, however, has now suggested to Andretti to take a different tack if he wants to be on the F1 grid in the future.

“I have no doubt FOM [Formula One Management] and [commercial rights holders] Liberty [Media] would love to see other teams as long as they are OEMs [car manufacturers],” Ben Sober told Reuters.

“I would advise them [Andretti] to go and buy another team, not to come as the 11th team. I feel that some teams need to be refreshed. What is better? To have 11 teams as a number or 10 and they are strong?

“I still believe we should have more teams but not any teams - the right teams. It’s not about the number, it’s about the quality.”

https://racingnews365.com/fia-president-performs-surprise-f1-u-turn-over-andretti

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Smells like BS to me.

Teams coming to F1 with only enough funding for two or three seasons (unless they could shit a miracle) — like Hesketh Racing — was undeniably beneficial to the sport because it brought in both fresh blood and fresh ideas, and gave people who otherwise might have been locked out — like James “the shunt” Hunt — a long-shot chance at making “the bigs.”

Narrowing the field to 10 teams was the Chrome Gnome’s idea, and he did it entirely for the added attraction to investors of having a more stable P&L sheet. It was a better sport (for the spectators) back when anybody who could pass scrutineering and qualify their car was given a place in the starting grid. “Qualifying” isn’t really about qualifying any more. They all 20 are going to “qualify,” it’s just a matter of establishing the starting order.

YAWN.

"yup, one of the best scenes..."

Also showed why they made a perfect "power couple." They both were cold, manipulative, ruthless Machiavellian types.

Whoever made up that expression "Good guys always win" didn't get out much.

I enjoyed every minute of Enzo's relationship with his wife. Especially the part of the story where she extorted half a mil $USD out of Enzo for her proxy in the negotiations with The Deuce with the condition that she not cash the check until after the deal with Ford was struck. She cashed it prematurely, not because she found out about Enzo's bastard son in the meanwhile but because after the Mille Miglia disaster, she knew Enzo would need to bribe the press to guarantee "softer" coverage, and his bank accounts were almost certain to get frozen (them Eye-Ties are some vindictive sumbitches).

So an Italian woman, reputedly the hottest blooded creatures on the planet, put Ferrari's (the company's) business interests ahead of her personal feelings and sense of betrayal and in the doing essentially saved the company from collapse.

Che donna magnifica!