'We didn't pass things'

It turns out there actually is a big difference between potato chips and semiconductor chips!

'Robed proxies'

'Impartiality of his judgment'

Two researchers in the US and Australia have discovered important mechanisms that prevent B cells from attacking the body’s own tissues in autoimmune diseases like arthritis, lupus, and multiple sclerosis—and in the process have won a prestigious prize. Normally, the body’s immune system protects us from viruses, bacteria, and foreign substances. However, in autoimmune diseases, […] The post Scientists Discover Mechanisms That Prevent Autoimmune Diseases and Win $600,000 Crafoord Prize appeared first on Good News Network.

It’s finally spring. Better mow your lawn. If you don’t, your town government may fine you thousands of dollars a day. Worse, if you can’t pay the fine, they may confiscate your home. Six years ago, in Dunedin, Florida, Jim Ficken let his grass grow. His mom had died, and he’d left town to take care of her estate. He asked a friend to cut his grass, but that friend died, too! In the two months Ficken was away, his grass grew taller than 10 inches. City bureaucrats started fining him. But they didn’t tell Ficken that. When he finally got back, there was no notice of the $500-a-day fine. Only when he ran into a “code enforcement officer” did he learn he’d be getting “a big bill.” When the bill came, it was for $24,454. Ficken quickly mowed his lawn. Then the city tacked on another $5,000 for “non-compliance.” Ficken didn’t have that much money, so city officials told him they would take his home. Fortunately, Ficken discovered the libertarian law firm, the Institute for Justice, which fights government abuse. IJ lawyer Ari Bargil took on Ficken’s case, arguing that the $30,000 fine violates the Constitution’s limits on “excessive bail, fines, and cruel punishments.” But a judge ruled that the fine was “not excessive.” Of course, judges are just lawyers with robes. Often they are lawyer/bureaucrats who’ve become very comfortable with big government. I call a $30K penalty for not cutting your lawn absurdly excessive, IJ attorney Bargil told local news stations, “If $30,000 for tall grass in Florida is not excessive, it is hard to imagine what is.” Dunedin’s politicians often impose heavy fines for minor transgressions. One resident told us, “They fined me $32,000 for a hole the size of a quarter in my stucco … For a lawn mower in my yard … They fine people they can pick on … and they keep picking on them.” It happens elsewhere, too. Charlotte, North Carolina, fined a church for “excessive pruning.” Danbury, Connecticut, charged a resident $200,000 for leaving his yard messy. Bargil notes, “It’s pretty apparent that code enforcement is a major cash cow.” In just five-and-a-half years, Dunedin collected $3.6 million in fines. But by then, I and others had noticed. We were reporting on Dunedin’s heavy fines. So did the politicians sheepishly acknowledge that they had milked citizens with excessive fines and give the money back? Of course not. They hired a PR firm. That cost taxpayers another $25,000 a month. Politicians care mostly about themselves. After the Institute for Justice filed a second lawsuit, Dunedin agreed that Ficken could pay less: $10,000. Still too much, but Ficken agreed. “Our Founders,” says Bargil, “recognized that the ability to fine is the ability to cripple. It’s one of the ways, other than incarceration, that government can really oppress.” Government routinely oppresses. For six long years, Dunedin’s politicians oppressed Jim Ficken. COPYRIGHT 2025 BY JFS PRODUCTIONS INC. We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Daily Signal. The post Lawn Gone Liberty: Exposing Abuse of Government Fines appeared first on The Daily Signal.

The Dismal Science and the Trumpian Tariff Hullabaloo

If you love apple and cinnamon, you need to make this delicious breakfast treat! If you love apple, you must try these delicious Apple Fritters! So good and wonderful with coffee. ❤️WHY WE LOVE THIS RECIPE We love anything made with biscuits, even if they are canned. This recipe is great and one your family...

Netflix’s new show “Adolescence” tells the story of a 13-year-old boy who murders one of his female classmates after being radicalized online by the likes of Andrew Tate — a man whose influence had an episode of the mini-series devoted to it. “The best thing you can say about this is that it is addressing a legitimate concern that you and I frankly have about who is discipling this generation of young men,” Steve Deace of the “Steve Deace Show” comments. “The best thing you can say is it has stumbled upon a legitimate concern our worldview has, but it lacks the worldview to adequately address it, and so therefore is entangled in its own idolatries that contradict its own message,” he continues. The first glaring point Deace makes is that the show is “based on a story that undermines the premise of the entire show.” The show is in part based on the real and recent story of a black teenager in Britain named Hassan who brutally murders a girl for no reason. However, the series blames white men, masculinity, and right-wing influencers for the violence instead of what clearly is a deeper problem. “This reinforces our lament about how the church has largely left young men behind in the last generation,” Deace says, “They’re not getting the proper discipleship at home.” And in order to get the proper discipleship, they need proper parenting. “This is why we need good dads to help us exercise and navigate this tension, and this is why dads need to be connected to their heavenly father who experiences the exact same tension with them, right out of the womb,” Deace says. “Look at this beautiful creation of mine, I’ve counted all the hairs on his head, and yet, in the not too distant future, he’s going to look at me and say, ‘I think I could be like God, I’ll call my own shots, make my own decisions.’” “We used to societally understand these things. These things used to get preached and taught from our pulpits by men worthy of such teachings and preachings,” he continues.“If we don’t tackle these dilemmas amongst ourselves within a biblical worldview, the culture will do it for us.” Want more from Steve Deace?To enjoy more of Steve's take on national politics, Christian worldview, and principled conservatism with a snarky twist, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

St. Paul offered a powerful message of unity in his letter to the church in Galatia: “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male or female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28).That truth still resonates.Let’s be honest: No one is actually the color white. Everyone falls somewhere along the spectrum.What does it mean to be unified across our human differences? How can that kind of unity offer hope for peace and shared blessings? And how does dividing people by skin color undermine that harmony?This verse reminded me of the familiar box of crayons many of us used as children — and that children and grandchildren around the world still use today. Each crayon is different, but together, they create something beautiful.Crayola has made a fortune creating countless color combinations for its crayon boxes — including a tub with 240 crayons.In exploring one of its more popular sets, which includes 64 colors, I noticed something interesting: The collection contains a white crayon. That makes sense. White is a color — and in some ways, it’s a blend of all colors.Think about how a prism works. When white light passes through it, the light breaks into a spectrum of primary colors, which combine to form secondary colors. A video from Study.com explains it this way: “White light is defined as the complete mixture of all of the wavelengths of the visible spectrum. ... The combination of all of the colors will result in a beam of white light.”But here’s a question. If science tells us that white is a mix of all colors, why do we often hear from the left that society is divided into “white” and “people of color”? Doesn’t that imply white isn’t a color at all?Is it possible that the left’s framing is flawed? Could its prevailing narrative be missing something?Let’s be honest: No one is actually the color white. Most so-called white people are really more off-white — maybe with a hint of pink, tan, yellow, or red mixed in. In other words, they’re still a color. So by that logic, wouldn’t that technically qualify them as “people of color,” too?And black people? They’re not crayon-box black, either. Skin tones range from light brown (off-white, even?) to deep, rich shades of brown. Everyone falls somewhere along the spectrum.If Crayola wanted to lean into this and go all-in on political correctness — or, let’s say, full woke mode — it could just rebrand its boxes. How about calling the big one “239 plus white” and the classic set “63 plus white”? Problem solved.Fun fact: Crayola used to have a crayon named “Flesh.” It was this pale pink color that, for most kids, didn’t match anyone they knew. I remember noticing that as a kid — none of my friends looked like that crayon. Eventually, Crayola got the memo. Some say the company made the change in the early ’60s, others say it was later (Reddit, of course, has opinions).I also remember seeing an ad where a little girl picked a crayon and said she could finally draw herself. That stuck with me — and maybe shows just how powerful (and personal) a box of crayons can be.Here’s one last point to consider in the “white is a color” discussion:Have you painted a room in your house lately? Sherwin-Williams offers dozens upon dozens of shades it classifies as white. If white isn’t considered an acceptable color — at least by some on the left — why are there so many variations of it for walls?And if white carries such problematic connotations, why do people choose to paint their living rooms or bedrooms in shades of it? Especially bedrooms — the one place you’d hope to escape the chaos of modern life.Also, while we’re on the topic: What’s with the name Sherwin-Williams? It sounds suspiciously like a Civil War general. (Yet another shade of controversy?)Now that we’ve sorted out the color confusion, maybe we can shift to the next hot-button issue on the list: What exactly are we supposed to do with the growing catalog of 92 genders and counting?Editor’s note: A version of this article appeared originally at American Thinker.