Free Republic

Nice music for Sunday morning.

Parents need not fear investigation for letting kids engage in normal behaviors. The state of Texas just passed a law (HB 567) that protects a child's right to "reasonable independence." This means children will be allowed to engage in normal childhood activities, like walking to school, sitting unattended in a car for short periods of time, or staying home alone, without their parents being accused of neglect and possibly getting investigated by the authorities. Texas is the third state to pass such a law, after Utah and Oklahoma. Independent play advocates are thrilled because Texas has a population of 29.1...

How does a country alleviate poverty and segregation? Denmark is attempting to improve societal integration of “non-Western” citizens. We look at how that’s working. Hans Christian Andersen was born in Odense, the third-largest city in Denmark, and a museum complex dedicated to him sits near the city center. Across town to the northeast lies the country’s largest ghetto – an official term used to designate disadvantaged areas with a majority of “non-Western” residents. And today, in a turn that could come from one of Mr. Andersen’s fairy tales, the residents of the neighborhood of Vollsmose face the prospect of having...

SAN DIEGO — Federal authorities have charged a man known to have lived in Chula Vista with trafficking millions of dollars in illegal drugs through a tunnel that stretched from Mexico to a warehouse in Otay Mesa. Rogelio Flores Guzman, 54, a Mexican national with legal residency in the U.S., was charged Friday with trafficking in fentanyl, methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine and marijuana. Flores, who was also known to have lived in Las Vegas and Victorville, was taken into custody Thursday at Los Angeles International Airport as he was boarding a plane to Guadalajara, Mexico. He was arraigned Friday afternoon in...

In 60 cities in India, 16,876 tons of plastic waste are generated each day, according to data from the country’s Central Pollution Control Board. Multiply that by 365, and you have more than 6 million tons of plastic that end up in landfills a year. Such figures were keeping Medha Tadpatrikar awake at night. She was also deeply troubled by an incident she had witnessed on a safari in India – a deer choking on a plastic packet that it had swallowed. “I realized how big this plastic problem is and how every creature on this earth is affected by...

It turns out that the words that English speakers find pleasing are more like papillon and less like Aschenputtel, according to phonaesthetics. ome languages have beautiful words for “butterfly”: papillon (French), mariposa (Spanish), farfalla (Italian). In German, it’s Schmetterling. Cinderella gets names fit for a princess in these languages, too: Cendrillon (French), Cenerentola (Italian), Cenicienta (Spanish). In German, she’s Aschenputtel. I heard these examples recently in a series of viral videos: “How German Sounds Compared to Other Languages.” The videos imply that German sounds harsh compared with the Romance languages. This got me thinking, what are the most beautiful-sounding words...

The meanings and negative associations of moist make it ugly, just as positive associations can make other words seem lovely. People seem to dislike the sound of the word moist. It tops so many “Ugliest Words in the English Language” lists that psychologists at Oberlin College in Ohio and Trinity University in Texas decided to investigate. Their study participants tended to blame the word’s “phonological properties.” “It just has an ugly sound that makes whatever you’re talking about sound gross,” one person said. Foist, hoist, and rejoice, though, did not evoke negative responses, despite their similar sound patterns. Participants thought...

1  He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 1  He who is dwelling In the secret place of the Most High, In the shade of the Mighty lodgeth habitually, 1  Those who go to God Most High for safety will be protected by God All-Powerful. 1  He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. 2  I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. 2  He...

Why We Wrote ThisThe Ohio congressman has been given a prominent role in the public hearings – a nod to his bare-knuckle style and appeal to the GOP base. The move also reflects the extent to which theatrics are part of the process.He made his name in Congress as an uncompromising brawler. A college wrestling champion, he cut his teeth on the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, grilling witnesses in high-profile hearings. He later co-founded the hard-line House Freedom Caucus that helped drive former Republican Speaker John Boehner into early retirement. Now Rep. Jim Jordan has emerged as...

Why We Wrote ThisAs Laura Nash and her husband raised their sons, they put a high value on family Sabbath traditions. Part 5 in a series looking at the Ten Commandments through modern lives. The worshippers at Beth Judah Temple could be family. They arrive at dusk on a brisk autumn Friday with leisurely hugs, hellos, and a little something for the dinner table. It’s Shabbat – the Jewish Sabbath – at Laura Nash’s small jewel of a synagogue, nestled in a tired part of this beach town, where worshippers have gathered for more than a century. Dr. Nash and...

——Why We Wrote This—— How to counter invasive species, a common, and often intractable, problem? One entrepreneur’s clever approach offers lessons in finding solutions in the unlikeliest of places. If you can’t beat them, eat them. That is the common wisdom of many scientists, conservationists, and fishermen who dream of ridding the western Atlantic of invasive lionfish, a stunning aquarium fish that, when introduced in the wild, dominates and destroys reef ecosystems. However, catching lionfish has never been simple; they are not easily targeted by line or net fishing. Now, a surprising new invention may bring lionfish hunting to the...

--Why We Wrote This-- What drives a passion for guns? For one man, it started in childhood and continues with loyalty to a cause – if not to the giant organization he’s fighting to clean up. [ * * * ] A retired millionaire, Mr. Dell’aquila could afford to hire enough workers and equipment to turn his 862-acre ranch into a hunting and fishing redoubt. But that’s not work, and work – sweaty, hazardous, dusty outdoor work – is what makes him tick when he’s out here. “This is where I come up with my best ideas,” he says. Lately...

Rory Cooper has always enjoyed tinkering and competition. As a kid growing up in Southern California, he ran track and cross country, and he often worked in his parents’ garage, making improvements to skateboards and bicycles. He brought these skills to his work in the U.S. Army, but then an accident changed his life forever and set him on a path to become an inventor, engineer, and bronze medalist. Rory Cooper: When I was first injured, I was told by the doctors that, you know, “you’d probably have a 10-year lifespan…” And I could’ve just said, well then I’ll just...

Why We Wrote ThisAt the heart of the ongoing feud between California and the Trump administration lies a familiar tug of war over the role of states’ rights. But this time around, the players seem to have switched teams. States’ rights are sacred for many conservatives in the United States. So how did liberal California become a poster child for states’ rights in its escalating battle with the Trump administration on environmental regulation? From fuel emissions to oil and gas drilling permits, California is at war with the Trump administration. And at the heart of the feud is the state’s...

Why We Wrote This In attacking President Donald Trump, Democrat Joe Biden runs a risk – having his own résumé as a Washington insider turned against him. As the impeachment fight between President Donald Trump and House Democrats escalates, it has largely pushed the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates out of the news. All, that is, except one. On Wednesday, former Vice President Joe Biden became the last of the top-tier Democratic contenders to call for President Trump’s impeachment. It was his most forceful response yet to Mr. Trump’s apparent efforts to get Ukraine – and later, China – to investigate...

Why we wrote this——Democrats might assume that a minority people in North Carolina’s poorest county would vote with them. But as one observer puts it, “This is not about Native American identity. This is about rural Indian values.” Pembroke, N.C. — The Lumbee Indians of Robeson County about broke Dan McCready’s heart. The former Marine and clean-energy investor spent 27 months wooing the Lumbee Tribe in rural North Carolina, in a bid to turn the state’s 9th Congressional District Democratic for the first time since 1963. They were so close. Mr. McCready’s Carolina-blue signs were all over the suburbs of...

To protect her fine china and avoid having to hand-wash them herself, Josephine Cochran set out to invent a better dishwashing machine. Widowed early in this effort, she struggled against society’s limits on women, working tirelessly to build a successful prototype, sell her invention, and ultimately turn a tedious task into an iconic American appliance. A visitor to Chicago’s South Shore between May and October 1893 would have beheld a strange and wondrous sight: Where before there was only swamp, now rose gleaming new buildings reminiscent of classic Greek temples. There were garish carnival rides as well, including the original...

Why We Wrote This——Hong Kong’s government has withdrawn the bill that first sparked protests last spring. But to pro-democracy protesters, that’s not the same thing as being heard – and many are willing to push the envelope until they are. Wearing a black T-shirt, black pants, and a surgical mask to hide her face, Valerie folds a delicate pink origami crane, crafting the bird that represents happiness together with thousands of other pro-democracy protesters packing a Hong Kong mall on Sunday. The group quickly fashions more than 1,000 of the paper cranes, a tradition to make a wish come true....

“That’s my car!” shouted Ross Hunt as he sprinted toward a policeman standing near his Tesla Model S. Mr. Hunt had left his toy poodle, Loki, in the car on a hot day. A small crowd had gathered. But he wasn’t worried about his dog: He thought they were about to smash the car window, reported the Independent. Endangering the health of a pet by locking it in the car on a hot, or cold, day in the U.S. is illegal in at least 28 states. Even so, last year, 58 pets died in cars, reports People for the Ethical...

To stand out in New York City, all Alex Paz has to do is open his mouth. The Queens resident is one of only a handful of people who speaks P’urhépecha, an indigenous pre-Columbian language spoken in southern Mexico. P’urhépecha is not only rare, but also one of a kind, linguistically unrelated to any other known language. “There are things that can only be said in my language,” says Mr. Paz, who’s been working with linguists to preserve P’urhépecha. Mr. Paz lives in the most linguistically diverse neighborhood on earth. With as many as 800 distinct languages spoken throughout this...