Apes have a sense of humor similar to humans‚ suggests a new study that showed four species of great apes each playfully teasing each other. The team of cognitive biologists and primatologists found that‚ similar to joking behavior in humans‚ ape teasing is provocative‚ persistent‚ and includes elements of surprise and play. Because all four […] The post Monkeying Around? All 4 Types of Apes Have a Sense of Humor– Researchers Categorize Their Clowning in Video appeared first on Good News Network.

Where is Navalny's body?

Over at Newsmax (where‚ full disclosure‚ I am a contributor) is this interesting headline:  Rep. Banks Warns Ad Agencies: No More NewsGuard for Recruitment The story reports: Rep. Jim Banks‚ R-Ind.‚ said woke Pentagon policies — including the use of left-wing media monitors — have been choking military recruitment and he wants them stopped. Last week Banks sent letters to the CEOs of top advertising agencies warning them that using far-left ratings groups like NewsGuard and the Global Disinformation Index are a violation of federal law — and that he planned on holding hearings on the impact these groups have had on recruitment. ‘NewsGuard‚ as we already know‚ is a left-wing think tank and we know that they censor conservative outlets like your own‚’ Banks said Wednesday on Newsmax's 'Newsline.' Taking a look at one of the letters Banks has sent‚ (co-signed by Reps. Mike Waltz (FL)‚ Elise Stefanik (NY) and Jack Bergman (MI) ) there is this one to the Austin-based GSD&;M ad agency. It opens by saying this: As you likely know‚ the United States military is facing the worst recruiting crisis in the 50 years of the all-volunteer force. After detailing the specifics of that crisis‚ Banks goes on to say this‚ bold print for emphasis supplied: As the primary advertising agency for the United States Air Force‚ your firm should face significant scrutiny regarding its role in the recruiting crisis. United States taxpayers have entrusted GSD&;M with $741 million over 10 years to make the United States Air Force an attractive career choice for young Americans. The House Committee on Armed Services (HASC) has a significant interest in how you spent those resources and your agency’s failure to appeal to new recruits.  …The extent to which the DoD and its contractors have prioritized social justice and political correctness over national security‚ readiness and lethality will be a major focus of this investigation.  Section 1555 of the Fiscal Year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (FY24 NDAA) requires that any entity placing advertisements on behalf of the Department of Defense certify that the entity does not place advertisements in news sources based on personal or institutional political preferences or biases‚ or determinations of misinformation.  This provision responds to concerns that advertising blacklists are effectively created by groups like NewsGuard Technologies and the Global Disinformation Index by providing advertising firms with lists which rank or rate media by subjective and often political criteria which‚ in turn‚ artificially limit military recruitment advertisements’ reach. These organizations’ well-documented bias means that such blacklists exclude media outlets read or viewed by those most likely to be interested in military service. Also‚ it is important to note that Section 1555 prevents the Department of Defense recruitment from contracting with any advertising agency that utilizes such blacklisting services‚ not just for military recruitment purposes. Banks and his colleagues then pose a series of questions focused on the idea that the use by ad agencies of the far-left NewsGuard Technologies and the Global Disinformation Index is itself discouraging recruitment.  Banks begins by asking: Does GSD&;M use NewsGuard and‚ if so‚ when did it start using it?  Were any of these ads placed with NewsGuard paid for by the Defense Department? And if so‚ will the ad agency stop doing this?  The last two questions are these:  “The United States taxpayer expects that military recruitment advertisements will be shown to the broadest possible audience of potential recruits. Do you agree that the use of NewsGuard‚ the Global Disinformation Index‚ or a similar company or service violates your fiduciary duty to the Department of Defense and the United States taxpayer? Why or why not?” “Please provide the committee with the name of the media outlet and the total amount of the advertising buy for all ad placements in excess of $5‚000.” Banks and his colleagues close by saying this:  Because hearings are likely on this matter‚ we are asking you to preserve all records‚ documents‚ communications your firm has had with NewsGuard‚ GDI or other groups who have engaged in censorship using ratings‚ content-based rankings‚ fact-checking services or act as ‘misinformation’ monitors. Well now. What we have here is typical of the way the federal bureaucracy works. Way below the visibility line‚ some lefty bureaucrat buried deep inside sends taxpayer funds to promote X lefty cause of the moment. In this case the subject is the media and the real world effect of using a left-leaning media company - NewsGuard in this case- to promote lefty cause X. That cause here being putting some sort of brake on US military recruitment. Recall back there in 2021‚ NewsBusters own Joseph Vazquez headlined this:  STUDY: NewsGuard Ratings System Heavily Skews in Favor of Left-Wing Outlets Joe reported this‚ bold print for emphasis supplied:  A new analysis reveals the extraordinary left-wing bias of website ratings firm NewsGuard‚ which should concern every American given that it is expanding its reach into cable and broadcast TV news. Liberal outlets were rated 27 points higher on average than news organizations on the right.  MRC Free Speech America analyzed the NewsGuard ratings of media outlets based on a list compiled by AllSides classified by their “bias” on a left-to-right scale. The average NewsGuard score for the “left” and “lean left” outlets — which included leftist outlets like Jacobin and The Nation — was 93/100. While the average rating for “right” and “lean right” outlets — which included Fox News‚ Washington Times and New York Post — was a low 66/100. That’s a 27 point disparity. According to NewsGuard’s skewed ratings‚ left-leaning outlets have substantially more “credibility” on average than right-leaning outlets. Bearing that in mind‚ the fact that this lefty outfit is charged by Congressman Banks with injecting “woke Pentagon policies — including the use of left-wing media monitors” into military recruitment drives? And that as a result this has “been choking military recruitment”? Hmmm. This letter from Congressman Banks and his colleagues  is a serious look at just how‚ in the high-tech world that is the 21st century‚ left-leaning media can have a serious impact on‚ in this case‚ the very basic instrument of advertising for a strong‚ fully recruited‚ American military. With no one taking notice. These four Members of Congress - again they would be Reps. Banks‚ Waltz‚ Bergman‚ and Stefanik - should be applauded for stepping up and taking action. The liberal media response that may be coming be damned. Good for them.

A wild scene unfolded on Friday night when an individual stole a Maryland Department of Transportation tow truck and led police on a heart-pounding car chase that resulted in more than a dozen vehicles damaged. The Maryland State Police said troopers from the Maryland State Police College Park responded to a hit-and-run crash involving four cars on the inner loop of Interstate 495 at the Greenbelt Metro Station.While investigating the car crash‚ officers with the Maryland State Police realized that the driver of a Ford Ranger fled the scene of the accident. The Ranger drove to a Park and Ride lot‚ where the pickup truck struck a guard rail and went off the road.WUSA reported‚ "A State Highway Administration CHART vehicle responded to check on the driver‚ that is when the suspect reportedly stole the state truck and took off."After the person brazenly swiped the Maryland DOT tow truck‚ the driver unleashed havoc by plowing into civilian vehicles and even a utility pole. Diane Pham – who was driving home when the tow truck slammed into her car – told the outlet‚ "Oh my god...the truck was straight at me. So scary. I'm still shaking right now."Troopers from the Rockville‚ Forestville‚ and College Park barracks tracked down the stolen vehicle at approximately 5:50 p.m. in Calverton‚ Maryland.Aerial footage shows the rampaging tow truck also slamming into police cruisers without any hesitation.The suspect was finally apprehended in Silver Spring after leading authorities on a police chase that lasted nearly two hours. Viral video shows around 10 police officers swarming the tow truck that was stopped in a wooded area. The officers had to smash the windows to gain access to the stolen vehicle‚ and then forcefully removed the driver. — (@) The unhinged driver was transported to a local hospital with injuries deemed not to be life-threatening‚ according to the Montgomery County Police Department.A civilian‚ two law enforcement members‚ a Maryland state trooper‚ and a Montgomery County Police officer were taken to area hospitals for medical treatment of their injuries incurred in the crazy car chase. The Maryland State Police reported that 13 vehicles were damaged in the rampage. You can watch the entire tow truck chase video below. POLICE CHASE COVERAGE: Stolen tow truck plows through police and civilian cars in Maryland www.youtube.com Like Blaze News? Circumvent the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Recently‚ on Saturday Night Live‚ Weekend Update Host Colin Jost made fun of Donald Trump for saying he was going to fight ‘de-banking.’ “I don’t know what the hell de-bank means‚” he said to the raucous applause of the clapping seals in the audience. Unfortunately‚ for a growing number of Americans not lucky enough to attend Harvard or marry Scarlett Johannsson like Jost‚ de-banking and de-platforming are becoming a terrifying reality. However‚ a new event in Vegas seeks to fight back and help the people and companies being silenced. Weekend Update: Trump Ordered to Pay $83 Million‚ DeSantis Endorses Trump - SNL youtu.be It’s a tactic being used by elites to silence law-abiding citizens who hold dissident and contrarian beliefs. You wake up and discover you're not allowed to use regular banking services‚ accept credit card payments‚ host a website‚ or email your subscribers. It was weaponized during the lockdowns to shut down anyone who questioned the orthodoxy. Fortunately‚ people and companies are offering solutions to counter this trend. David Ragsdale is one of the most vehement voices in organizing a resistance to this techno-tyranny. A lifelong Angeleno‚ he became involved with helping to organize the “Defeat the Mandate’ rallies around the country. For the crime of peacefully assembling‚ the organization was immediately deplatformed. I spoke with Ragsdale to learn about censorship and his plan to fight it. “When we were doing Defeat the Mandate‚ we got de-platformed from a lot of B to B services‚ and our payment processors. We would join MailChimp and immediately get kicked off. You need these services to produce events‚” he explains. “It was really scary because we had a permit from the Biden administration to do our Lincoln Memorial rally‚ but we can’t use Stripe?”Instantly‚ the organization was thrown into what is being called the parallel economy‚ where political refugees are now forced to try to survive outside the normal financial institutions like banks and credit cards people take for granted. In this exile‚ Ragsdale decided there had to be a way for companies and individuals to unite and help each other. This hope was the genesis for RePlatform‚ a conference taking place in Las Vegas‚ March 8-10th. It seeks to assemble a group of innovators‚ including inventors‚ financial institutions‚ payment networks‚ developers‚ investors‚ entrepreneurs‚ and creators‚ to develop practical solutions that address the challenges of inefficiency‚ stagnation‚ and censorship in corporate America.They hope to draw in a diverse group of citizens from social conservatives‚ awakened progressives‚ people of faith‚ classical liberals‚ libertarians‚ and populists to dismantle the mandate system nationwide.“I hope that all these really solid people I'm bringing together will spark some magic of innovation‚” Ragsdale told me. He explained that while it’s easy to write op-eds or tweet about this new corporate censorship‚ it’s much harder to build viable companies offering alternatives. He hopes by bringing together startups‚ companies‚ consumers‚ and investors‚ a real industry can start to form. A conference like RePlatform is badly needed in our country at the current moment. Blaze will be covering the event‚ and we look forward to reporting on the companies and people fighting for our rights to speak our opinions. If you want to learn more or attend the event‚ please check out their website.

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