Free Republic

Beijing is set to display a range of previously unseen advanced weaponry during a military parade in Tiananmen Square on September 3, signaling its growing military prowess amid heightened tensions with the U.S. over the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea. Satellite imagery circulating on social media indicates that the parade, marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, will showcase several new anti-ship missiles, including the YJ-15, YJ-17, YJ-19, and YJ-20, with “YJ” standing for “Ying Ji” or “Eagle Attack.” Some of these missiles are believed to be hypersonic, capable of traveling at speeds exceeding five...

This bizarre resident of the deep sea is certainly one of the most unique creatures we've ever seen. Imagine traveling through the darkest depths of the ocean around 2,000ft down where everything around you is pitch black. You shine your torch into the gloom and something catches your eye. As it gets closer, you realize that this is no ordinary fish - you can see straight through its head! Meet the barreleye fish (Macropinna microstoma) - a creature so bizarre that if there weren't pictures and videos of it you could almost believe that it was something completely made up....

Just a reminder that AI isn't up to planet crushing intelligence yet. I asked perplexity.ai, "Who is the woman in the attached photo?" The AI responded:The woman in the photo is Marilyn Monroe. This iconic image is from the famous scene where she sings "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" in the film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. The style of her dress, hair, and the classic vintage microphone are all signature elements from that performance. After I pointed out why that couldn't be the case, it suggested maybe Lauren Becall. Without a clear identifying feature, it is not possible to definitively...

Apparently, there's an exhibit at the Smithsonian – inside the National Museum of American History – that asks visitors to give their opinions on transgender athletes. Not only that, but the exhibit is sponsored, in part, by sports apparel giant Nike. Jillian Michaels, one of the original "fitness influencers" and a staunch defender of women's sports, brought it up during a segment on CNN, asking why the exhibit exists and why it is promoting a false claim. "[The exhibit]… talks about how it's complex to do gender testing in sports. It's not complex. It's basic science," Michaels said. "Is it...

My startling chat with Grok Grok tries to serve Elon Musk, the aggressive censors at X, and me X deleted several of my posts with no explanation. Instead of complaining to X, I contacted Grok and asked why my posts were being vaporized. We communicated for 45 minutes, which resulted in more than 25 pages of single-space copy! People wonder what AI is all about. I can report that Grok does everything super-fast. He (she if you prefer) does not make grammatical or spelling mistakes. Like me, he loves alliteration. Whatever you say, he weaves that into his conversation so...

"The White House is trying to make gas cans fill great again. In a July 24 letter, the EPA has asked gas can manufacturers to redesign their much-maligned products to fix a long-standing problem: "People hate 'em," said Florida-based eBay gas can reseller Steven Watt, 63. "It's all about the spout."

The O’Keefe Media Group on Friday released undercover video of a Johnson & Johnson lead scientist and executive admit that baby power contained cancer causing heavy metals. This is the second undercover video in OMG’s series exposing Johnson & Johnson. Joshua Rys, a Regulatory Affairs Scientist who managed Johnson & Johnson’s baby products spilled the truth to an OMG undercover journalist. “When I started, actually I started working on the consumer group. Johnson’s was one of my brands. So I managed all the baby products. So actually, when that all happened, I was working on that,” said Joshua Rys. Rys...

I wondered if any FRiends were interested in prime numbers. You'll know that prime numbers are integers, and those which have only two factors, 1 and themselves. Except for 2, all other primes are odd numbers. By convention, the number 1 is not considered prime (but this is strictly a matter of definition because 1 does not entirely contradict the premise of being a multiple of 1 and itself). I cannot post this entire thread in one post so if you come across it in an early stage, be aware that a number of posts will follow rapidly until I...

This is truly astonishing. Whoever built these underground structures were highly advanced than humans.

While sourdough might seem like just another type of bread you can make or buy, it actually used to be one of the only options. Until the development of commercial yeasts in the 1800s, sourdough, made with naturally occurring yeasts and lactic acid bacteria, was the main type of leavened bread consumed worldwide. Sourdough undergoes natural fermentation rather than relying on additives found in baker's yeast. This means that, compared to other breads, it is easier to digest, has a less significant impact on blood sugar, and is potentially more nutritious. 1. It's Easier to Digest The fermentation process used...

President Trump continues to ramp up the pressure on Harvard: The university has lost $2.7 billion in funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the president is now attempting to bar Harvard from enrolling international students. Harvard is, of course, not alone in these forfeitures: The NIH has terminated over 400 grants to Columbia University, while Cornell University has received 75 stop-work orders from the Department of Defense even as the federal administration has frozen $1.7 billion destined for Brown, Northwestern, and Princeton Universities, as well as the University of Pennsylvania. But...

If you like all the Science NASA has done since 1961, then wave it all goodby. NASA budget cut to the lowest since 1961 - before there was a manned space program. No more Rovers, probes, [ even 99942 Apophis probes cut, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/99942_Apophis ]. There are no private entities that can or will pick up the slack. Cuts to Hubble and to Webb will leave them orbiting junk. Coupled with the possible collapse of SpaceX from 47's vengeance feud with Musk, the US will no longer have a space program - civilian or military. These twin disasters in the making...

Could Trump put SpaceX out of business? Will ruining Elon Musk save us "big money?" Don't watch if you are a hard core 47 supporter, lest you be triggered. Excerpt from the video transcript: Elon Musk is on the verge of blowing upall of his companies that he's worked so hard to build with his latest feud with Donald Trump that continues to escalate with every new development with the big beautiful bill. Now that it's passed the Senate, it appears that Elon has temporarily quieted down a little bit on X. But nevertheless, the situation remains very, very tense...

When it comes to aircraft carriers, the nation with the most is the United States. The U.S. Navy operates 11 nuclear aircraft carriers of various designs, and more are on the way as the service replaces its aging fleet of Nimitz-class carriers with the new Gerald R. Ford-class carriers. These are massive ships and the largest warships ever constructed in military history. Each Ford-class vessel displaces around 100,000 tons of seawater and measures 1,092 feet in length, with a flight deck width of 256 feet. That's a lot of ship to move around, but despite its mass, a Ford-class carrier...

In a press conference on Monday, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz announced a landmark agreement with the nation’s largest health insurers to tackle the number one healthcare problem plaguing hundreds of millions of Americans: prior authorization. Prior authorization is the requirement for doctors and patients to get advance approval from insurance companies BEFORE certain treatments, tests, or procedures are covered. It was meant to control costs, but for 85% of Americans, it’s become a serious barrier to care. “Doctors like myself are continually struggling with this issue,” Dr. Oz said, explaining how the...

I'm proud to mention that I’m a columnist with Renew America. The editors suggested I provide a review of my new novel. The problem with reviews, good, bad, long, short, is that each is one person's opinion. Surely I can be more helpful. Here are the first six reviews: ——————————————————————- “I LOVED IT. It's interesting and fast-paced." —Laurie Endicott Thomas, author of "Not Trivial: How Studying The Traditional Liberal Arts Can Set You Free” —————————————————————— "A riveting sci-fi thriller that delves into artificial intelligence, government surveillance, and the nature of free will. At the heart of the novel is Carlos,...

Space.com reported: “ISpace’s private Resilience Lander will attempt to touch down on the Mare Frigoris region of the moon’s surface on June 5, at 3:17 p.m. EDT (1817 GMT). […]

Just going to share this here for the people who think pushing radical gender-theory nonsense is compassionate: He considers transitioning from male to female the biggest REGRET of his life. VERY INTERESTING 3:28 VIDEO AT LINK.................... There are many young men and women like this out there. This guy didn't even get into the significant and dangerous health effects of injecting cross-sex hormones, both for men and women. How many lives have been hurt/ruined by the gender cult?

Amazon, opens new tab is developing software for humanoid robots that could eventually take the jobs of delivery workers, The Information reported on Wednesday, citing a person familiar with the matter. Reuters could not immediately confirm the report. Amazon is completing construction of a "humanoid park," an indoor obstacle course at one of the company's San Francisco, California offices, where it will soon test such robots, the report added. The company is developing the artificial intelligence software that would power such robots, the report said, adding that Amazon plans to use hardware from other firms in its tests, for now....

In my Environmental, Health & Safety (EHS) training, we were taught a sobering truth: a decision made today could come back to haunt us decades later. If we approved a hazardous chemical or ignored a potential risk, and that action later led to human or environmental harm, we could be held accountable—even if we had moved on to another job or employer. The concept is known as the "long-tail of liability." As I watch the explosive growth of Artificial Intelligence and Large Language Models (LLMs), I can't help but draw unsettling parallels. We're rushing forward, unleashing technology into schools, businesses,...