Free Republic

It's not hard to see how the sapphire tower gets its name. Image Credit: HannaTor/Shutterstock.com Sometimes in nature, there are events that we have to wait for. Some, like the upcoming American cicadapocaplypse might not be so popular – whereas, across the pond in Birmingham, UK, botanists are thrilled to reveal the blooming of their sapphire tower. The sapphire tower plant (Puya alpestri) from the Chilean Andes can take up to 10 years to flower. The plant is a member of the bromeliad family, distantly related to the pineapple. Normally found at high elevations of up to 2,200 meters (7,218...

“In fact, it shows Louis Tomlinson fans near Four Seasons Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina last week,” a fellow BBC fact-checker said of the 32-year-old singer and one-time Harry Styles bandmate in One Direction. The footage, also shared by numerous online influencers, was just one of a number aired by Iran’s state TV claiming to show scenes of devastation from the weekend’s air strikes, despite Israel shooting down around 99% of the drones and missiles fired at the Jewish state. Another that IRINN claimed to be the fiery aftermath of a missile strike was actually from a February forest fire...

As you’ve probably caught wind of, Joe Biden’s border disaster is really putting America through the wringer. It’s not just the border towns feeling the heat anymore. With Biden’s border invasion cranking up, the ripple effects are hitting every corner of the United States, touching more than just the working and middle classes. Now, even the upper crust of American society is starting to squirm as some fresh “gang” creativity shows up at their doorstep. Trump’s been saying (and getting slammed for it) that we’re not exactly getting the cream of the crop. It’s like some places are just clearing...

South American “crime tourists” who exploit the US visa system to enter the country and commit burglaries have now infiltrated at least half the states in America and taken “millions of untraceable” goods, The Post has learned. The organized groups of burglars and jewel thieves, particularly from Chile, Ecuador, Colombia and Peru, have been targeting wealthy homes across the US for decades, but their crimes have spread — and recently soared in some cities, authorities say. “They travel to cities across the nation – including in Maricopa County – and steal millions in untraceable items,” said Maricopa County Attorney Rachel...

Scottsdale police said the three suspects arrested over the last few days came into the country on the Visa Waiver Program.. SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Three people from South America arrested in Scottsdale have been accused of breaking into homes in the East Valley as part of a professional crime ring based in Chile. "These are professionals," Scottsdale Police Chief Jeff Walther said during a news conference Tuesday. "These are Chilean burglary crews that are coming into the country on a Visa Waiver Program." The department used helicopters and drones to search neighborhoods near Pima and Jomax roads after it was...

A Chaunax, a genus of bony fish in the sea toad family Chaunacidae, is seen at a depth of 1,388 meters (4,553 feet) on a seamount inside the Nazca-Desventuradas Marine Park. Image credit: Schmidt Ocean Institute ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ More than 100 new species have been discovered on an underwater mountain range off the coast of Chile. Among the never-before-seen critters seen on the expedition are corals, glass sponges, sea urchins, amphipods, lobsters, plus a gaggle of peculiar fish and squid that are already known to science (but no less strange). The discoveries come from an international group of scientists who recently...

Chilean leftists engaged in acts of public disorder and small riots on Wednesday in celebration of the tragic death of moderate President Sebastián Piñera the day before in a helicopter crash. Police arrested at least one individual in the disturbances. Piñera, who served as president of Chile from 2010 to 2014 and again from 2018 to 2022, died on Tuesday evening while piloting his personal helicopter. The helicopter crashed into a lake near the southern Chilean town of Lago Ranco. Piñera was accompanied by three members of his family, all of whom survived the crash and were able to swim...

There has been an almost total media blackout on this story… In fact, the only place I’ve seen it covered is on Twitter/X. Thank you Elon! Basically, a large part of Chile (a tourist city named Valparaiso) has been completely burned to the ground, and the similarities to what happened to Maui are impossible to ignore. The recent wildfires in Chile have caused widespread devastation, claiming at least 112 lives and leaving hundreds more missing. The fires, which have been burning across the country, have prompted the government to declare a state of emergency. One of the most severely affected...

Former Chilean president Sebastián Piñera died in a helicopter crash on Tuesday evening as he was traveling to southern Chile with three members of his family, who survived. Piñera, 74, was the first and so far only center-right president of Chile since its return to democracy at the end of the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet, having served two presidential terms from 2010 to 2014 and 2018 to 2022. The former Chilean president was reportedly piloting the crashed helicopter, having taken off from the home of Chilean businessman José Cox on Tuesday afternoon after sharing a meal. Piñera was accompanied by...

Chile decided to highlight an all women’s SWAT team for international competition in the UAE

The helicopter carrying the conservative billionaire crashed in the Los Ríos region of southern Chile, his office said in a statement. Pinera, who was 74 years old, was Chile’s president from 2010 to 2014 and again from 2018 to 2022.

The Gateway Pundit has filed a FOIA request with the US State Department to find out what role Acting Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland played in the death of US journalist Gonzalo Lira Jan. 11. Disinformation expert Eoin Lenihan called for an investigation of Ukraine’s loony trans spokesperson going by the name of “Sarah Ashton-Cirillo” in connection with Lira’s death.The Gateway Pundit filed the following Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the State Department today:What communication was there since Feb. 24, 2022 between the US State Department and the US Embassy in Kiev regarding US citizen Gonzalo Lira?Specifically,...

Gonzalo Lira is an American citizen who’s been tortured in a Ukrainian prison since July, for the crime of criticizing Zelensky. Biden officials approve of this, because they’d like to apply the same standard here. The media agree. Here’s a statement from Gonzalo Lira’s…

The US Embassy in Kiev has confirmed the death of US citizen and YouTuber Gonzalo Lira, aka “Coach Red Pill” in Ukrainian custody to The Gateway Pundit. US Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget A. Brink owes her career in Ukraine to Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland, who Lira blamed for his arrest in May 2023, saying Nuland “hates my guts.”We wrote to the US Embassy in Kiev on Jan. 12 to inquire about what information they have on what happened to Gonzalo Lira and what action the embassy took to protect him.Today, Jan 13, the US Embassy in Kiev wrote...

Alex Rubinstein @RealAlexRubi - 17:42 Jan 12 2024 BREAKING: It is with great sadness I must announce that Gonzalo Lira @GonzaloLira1968, passed away in a hospital according to his father, who has been fighting to get his son much-needed medical attention for the past weeks. Here is a hand-written note from Gonzalo which I received on January 4: "I have had double pneumonia (both lungs) as well as pneumothorax and a very severe case of edema (swelling of the body). All this started in mid-October, but was ignored by the prison. They only admitted I had pneumonia at a Dec....

Gonzalo Lira, a Chilean-American war commentator known for his critical views on the Zelensky regime and Russia-Ukraine conflict, passed away on January 11, 2024, in a hospital in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Lira's death followed an eight-month imprisonment on charges of ”justifying Russia's military actions in Ukraine”, sparking international controversy and raising questions about freedom of speech and human rights during wartime. Gonzalo Lira gained notoriety in 2022 as a vocal critic of what he perceived as increasing authoritarianism in Ukraine. Lira saw the conflict as a proxy war waged by US against Russia and critisised the loss of life for a...

If the Ukrainians were smart, they’d handed him over to America after his conviction, instead they decided to get a captive American citizen killed during a time where their Western support is already cratering. Bunch of total morons in this tale all around. RIP Gonzalo Lira, he was a very nice guy and a smart journalist.

Chilean-American blogger Gonzalo Lira has died in a Ukrainian prison, his family said on Friday. Lira, 55 at the time of his death, lived in Kharkov and blogged as 'CoachRedPill,' but switched to YouTube commentary after the conflict with Russia escalated in February 2022. He was arrested by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) last May and accused of "discrediting" the Ukrainian leadership and the military. "I cannot accept the way my son has died. He was tortured, extorted, incommunicado for 8 months and 11 days and the US Embassy did nothing to help my son.

Its Saturday in Taiwan voting in the Presidential Election underway... Major bank Citigroup planning to cut 20,000 jobs over the next two years... US federal prosecutors seeking the death penalty in a 'hate crime" mass murder... A lot of drama and attention focused on the southern US border and the situation at Eagle Pass, Texas... US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meeting a top Chinese Communist Party official in Washington... Journalist Gonzalo Lira a citizen of Chile and the US dying in a Ukrainian prison... More strikes underway in Yemen tonight... US politics and Joe Biden talking about a "judgement...

BREAKING: It is with great sadness I must announce that Gonzalo Lira @GonzaloLira1968 , passed away in a hospital according to his father, who has been fighting to get his son much-needed medical attention for the past weeks.Here is a hand-written note from Gonzalo which I received on January 4: "I have had double pneumonia (both lungs) as well as pneumothorax and a very severe case of edema (swelling of the body). All this started in mid-October, but was ignored by the prison. They only admitted I had pneumonia at a Dec. 22 hearing. I am about to have a...