Free Republic

The names of the tech workers in this story have been changed.Ten thousand miles from Silicon Valley, in a room near the Black Sea, Yegor Karpenchekov dreams of money. At night, while the rest of Odessa sleeps and cocaine smugglers drift in and out of the port under cover of darkness, Yegor logs onto FaceTime and talks to a 70-year-old woman in San Francisco. Her name is Sally Faubion, and five months ago she recruited Yegor from the freelancer marketplace UpWork to code her apps. She believes "divine intervention" brought them together; for Yegor, it was likely $20 per hour...

Love makes us blind to the charms of others By Nic Fleming, Science Correspondent Last Updated: 6:01pm GMT 18/03/2008 Love really is blind, but not in the accepted meaning of the old adage, scientists say. Psychologists who studied volunteers in stable relationships believe romantic love is a biological "commitment device" to lessen our awareness of the charms of others. Many non-human species are also monogamous The study, highlighted in this week's New Scientist magazine, provides support for the theory that strong emotions that encourage committed relationships have evolved to ensure offspring are well cared for. Monogamy has been observed in...

CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq, Nov. 15, 2006 -- Before heading into Baghdad, soldiers here put on layer after layer of protective gear. There’s the Army combat uniform first, then an outer tactical vest, and finally, they top it off with an Army combat helmet. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Philip Johndrow, the senior noncommissioned officer for Multinational Division Baghdad and 1st Cavalry Division, shows off his lucky charm, the “Cav Kid” outside the division headquarters, Nov. 15. The Cav Kid was given to Johndrow by his wife, Vickie, during the first of his three deployments to Iraq. Johndrow said they have...