If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. Dustin Whidden, a Major in the US Army Reserves, has filed a lawsuit against his former employer, Form Energy, Inc., for alleged wrongful termination. This legal action is notably backed by Elon Musk’s social media platform, X, where some of Whidden’s contentious political posts were shared. We obtained a copy of the lawsuit for you here. Whidden, who has over twenty years of military service, claims his firing was both retaliatory and discriminatory, based on his military obligations and his political expressions on social media. According to the lawsuit, Form Energy terminated Whidden’s employment right after he returned from his compulsory military training, a move he argues violates the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA). The lawsuit further contends that Whidden was targeted for his political beliefs shared on X, including retweets that Form Energy deemed inappropriate. Form Energy has received funding from the US Federal Department of Energy (DOE). The complaint states: “In his social media posts, Whidden expressed his personal political views, opinions, and beliefs. Whidden made his posts on his personal time to his personal social media account. His posts were unrelated to Form Energy.” According to the complaint, “In retaliation for Whidden’s exercise of his free speech rights, Form Energy took disciplinary action against him, required him to censor his speech, attend individual ‘reeducation,’ and ultimately terminated his employment.” The complaint continues: “Whidden complied with the requirements of the plan for improvement. He made his X account private (going so far as to make the name of the account anonymous) and deleted all posts, likes, reposts, comments, etc., made under the name @DustinWhidden, including those posts to which Form Energy objected.” X’s platform, known for advocating fewer restrictions on speech, appears to align with Whidden’s fight against what he perceives as punitive measures for his political outspokenness. Form Energy, a company specializing in innovative energy solutions, has yet to respond to the allegations. However, the lawsuit details a series of interactions leading up to Whidden’s dismissal, portraying a workplace increasingly uncomfortable with Whidden’s political stances and his military duties. The case, filed in the Northern District of California, seeks not only Whidden’s reinstatement and damages but also aims to challenge the broader practices of employer interventions in employees’ political and social expressions outside of work. If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The post A Veteran’s Fight: Army Major Sues Energy Firm for Punishment Over Tweets appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

The perfect time to reduce, reuse, and recycle is now! If you want to give your homestead a makeover, better start from your “golden” trash. 20 Ways to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle on the Homestead If your homestead is in an area that doesn’t benefit from trash or recycling services, cutting down on waste is bound to be a high priority. Reducing, reusing, and recycling is of great importance on the homestead. So many of the resources we rely on daily are non-renewable — which means once we use them, they’re gone. When we rely heavily on these resources for day-to-day operations, we’re not only hurting the planet from a conservation standpoint, we’re also more likely to be burned by market fluctuations. If you’re looking for ways to implement the three R's on your homestead, consider the following ideas. Paper, Plastic, and Glass Recycling isn’t always the easiest undertaking when you live in a rural area, so it may be more beneficial to direct your attention toward reducing and reusing first. Once you start looking for opportunities for reuse, you may be surprised to find how many there really are! Paper image via PublicDomainPictures There’s simply no reason to throw away paper when there’s a world of ways to reuse it. Used paper is incredibly versatile. It can be turned into a number of new items, or repurposed for utilitarian needs. Egg cartons and toilet paper rolls can be used as seed starters for the garden. They supply good drainage and aeration, and are completely biodegradable! Create notepads by cutting used computer paper into quarters and clipping them together. Packing paper (from Amazon and the like) can be woven into baskets. Roll old magazines and wrapping paper into pretty paper beads for your next jewelry making project. Do you have some particularly beautiful used wrapping paper that you can’t bear to throw away? Frame it, use it as matting for photos, or create a bunting to hang on the wall! image via PublicDomainPictures Newspaper, sheet music, and packing paper are all wonderful materials for wrapping gifts. They can be easily dressed up with gift tags and leftover ribbons. Any scrap paper that you just can’t seem to find a home for can be scrunched up and used as cushioning when packing boxes. Newsprint is an excellent mulch for the garden. Tear it into strips layer it around your plants to keep the soil moist and deter weeds. It will eventually break down and enrich the soil. A newspaper is also great for the compost pile, as it’s carbon-rich! Tear it into small pieces to help it break down faster. Shred scrap paper and use it around the homestead in a variety of different ways. From fire-starters to chicken bedding, you’ll be shocked at how functional it is. Plastic image via RitaE Plastics are particularly bad for the environment as they do not biodegrade. They do however break down into smaller and smaller pieces, eventually becoming microplastics. Plastic pollution in the ocean is often mistaken for food by marine life. Once ingested, it leads to death by suffocation, drowning, or starvation. We can do our part to protect the planet and wildlife by reducing our dependence on plastics — and reusing and recycling what we do consume. Plastic shopping bags can be repurposed as stuffing for pillows, braided into jump ropes, or crocheted into reusable bags! Find more ideas for reuse here. From sprinklers to jewelry, there's an almost unending number of ways plastic bottles can be reused. Check out a handful of ideas here. And if you’re really crafty, consider using them as material for your next masterpiece! Ziplock bags can be rinsed and reused hundreds of times. Use cloth shopping bags instead of plastic. Keep reusable bags in your car or by the front door so you don’t forget them when you go to store. Skip the plastic and drink water out of a reusable bottle. Say no to disposable drinking straws. If you absolutely must have one, invest in a reusable version. Glass image via Alexas_Fotos Reusing glass is not only easy, it’s environmentally friendly! Discarding (and even recycling) glass generates great expenditures of energy, fuel, and space. You can avoid this by: Upcycling glass bottles into planters, storage, and decor. Using broken glass in art projects (since it can’t be recycled). Reducing your dependence on plastics by buying in bulk and storing pantry staples in glass jars. Finally, save everything that you can’t reuse and make monthly trips to your nearest recycling center.   Food Waste image via Ben_Kerckx There’s no better way to reuse/recycle than composting — in fact, you could almost say that composting is nature’s way of recycling. When you have a garden or outdoor plants, food waste should never be thrown out. Composting will turn that trash into fertilizer gold! Simply put, composting is the active breakdown of foods and other materials through an organic process. The more variety of nutrients you put into your pile, the richer the compost becomes. What’s more, compost comprised of a variety of waste materials commonly harbors vital micronutrients! Composting is great for the environment as it reduces landfill waste, emissions, and dependence on fossil fuels. image via Ben_Kerckx There are five main types of composting: On-site composting Vermicomposting Aerated (turned) windrow composting Aerated static pile composting In-vessel composting They type of composting that will work best for you depends on a number of factors, such as your local climate, the size of your homestead, what you’ll use the compost for, and how much you need. Composting bins come in many shapes and sizes. Build (or buy) the one that fits your particular needs. Just be sure the bin has holes to help gases escape! There are very little work and resources needed to compost, yet the impact it has on the environment is huge.   Got some bottle caps? Watch this video and find out how to reuse them creatively! Turning waste into new resources is quite possibly the greenest thing you can do for our planet. With some sprinkle of resourcefulness and creativity, you'll surely come up with awesome crafts beneficial for your homestead and environment. Not to mention, you'll be able to save some bucks too! (Now that's good to hear!) Happy homesteading! Do you have any tips on how to reduce, reuse, and recycle you want to share with fellow homesteaders? Please leave tips, tricks, and suggestions in the comment section below. Being able to reduce, reuse, and recycle on your homestead definitely deserves two thumbs up, but you can level up your homesteading skills with these homesteading hacks every homesteader should know! Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook!

Hmm: Quinnipiac Flips in PA?

We're Happy and We Know It But the 'Joy' Party Is Sure Running Some Crappy Messaging

Phobos is the innermost, larger moon of the two satellites of Mars. Phobos orbits Mars every 7 hours, 39 minutes and 12 seconds. With a mass of ten trillion tons and a mean diameter of 22 kilometers — the length of Manhattan Island, the escape speed from Phobos is only 11.4 meters per second. This is equivalent to 41 kilometers per hour, a fifth of the speed achievable by the Tesla Cybertruck. In other words, a fast car could lift off from a runway on the surface of Phobos. This makes Phobos an excellent port for shipping cargos between Earth and the vicinity of Mars. Hence my question to Elon Musk: “Should Phobos be used as the entry port and service station of SpaceX near Mars?” In full disclosure, this port will not last forever. Tides decrease the orbital radius of Phobos by 2 meters per century. Within 50 million years, Phobos will come too close to Mars and break up due to the Martian tidal force on it. If SpaceX will build a port on Phobos, the industrial base on it will need to be relocated within 50 million years. But we should also keep in mind that the debris from the disruption of Phobos could damage any technological infrastructure on the surface of Mars. Any dust and rocks that will remain in orbit around Mars might offer a spectacular view to human residents there, akin to the rings around Saturn. Currently, the day and night sides of Phobos exhibit extreme temperature differences. The side illuminated by the Sun shows a temperature of -4 degrees Celsius, similar to a winter day in Boston, while the temperature on the night side — located merely a few kilometers away, dips to -112 degrees Celsius, cooler than Antarctica. Heat is lost rapidly as a result of the large surface area of the finely-grained regolith dust resting on the surface of Phobos. Based on data from the Mars Global Surveyor, this dust is estimated to be at least 100 meters thick, likely produced by impacts as the surface is heavily cratered. Phobos reflects a small fraction, about 7%, of the sunlight impinging on its surface. Data-based models indicate that Phobos may be a rubble pile held together by a thin crust. Image of Phobos orbiting Mars from the High-Resolution Stereo Camera on ESA’s Mars Express spacecraft, taken on March 26, 2010. Image credit: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin (G. Neukom) Phobos is not a spherical body and along three axes it has different diameters of 26 by 22.8 by 18.1 kilometers. Its surface gravity is too small to make it round or to retain an atmosphere around it. Infrared spectra show that the surface material is carbon-rich resembling the primitive surface composition of Mars. Phobos orbits 6,000 kilometers from the Martian surface, at an altitude comparable to the radius of Earth and closer than any known natural satellite of a planet. Mars rotates around its axis over a period of 24.6 hours, which is 3.2 times longer than the orbital period of Phobos. An astronaut on the surface of Mars would see Phobos twice every day, rising in the west and setting in the east. Since Phobos occupies an equatorial orbit, it cannot be seen above the horizon from latitudes greater than 70.4 degrees. Its angular diameter, as seen by an astronaut on Mars, varies with position in the Martian sky from 0.14 degrees wide at the horizon to 0.2 degrees at the zenith, about a third of the angular diameter of the full Moon viewed from Earth. The angular diameter of Phobos constitutes about half the angular diameter of the Sun as viewed from Mars. In contrast to the Earth’s Moon which changes phases over the course of a month, Phobos changes phases over a third of a day. A Martian astronaut monitoring Phobos could see regular partial eclipses of the Sun, as photographed by the Mars Rovers Opportunity and Perseverance. Many space probes photographed Phobos in addition to the Mars Rovers. They include Mariner 7 in 1969, Mariner 9 in 1971, Viking 1 in 1977, Phobos 2 in 1989, Mars Global Surveyor in 1998 and 2003, Mars Express in 2004–2019, Spirit rover in 2005, and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter in 2007–2008, and Mars orbiter in 2020. The origin of Phobos remains unclear. The possibility that Phobos is a captured asteroid is not supported by analysis of radio data from the Mars Express mission. Based on the gravitational attraction that Phobos exerted on the spacecraft, it was concluded that the interior of this moon likely contains large voids, making its composition and structural strength less likely to be associated with a captured asteroid. Alternatively, Phobos might have formed near Mars out of ejecta from impacts on the Martian surface, or from remnants of a previous moon which subsequently collided with a member of the asteroid belt. The primitive composition and equatorial, nearly circular orbit of Phobos suggests that it formed from materials in orbit around Mars. There had been no successful sample-return mission that brought materials from Phobos to Earth. It was suggested that the Kaidun meteorite from 1980 was a piece of Phobos, but without a reference-sample from Phobos it is impossible to validate this conjecture. Raw materials from Phobos could be used to develop a Martian space industry. This may include a space elevator, extending 6,000 kilometers from the Mars-facing side of Phobos to the edge of the Martian atmosphere. The space elevator could serve as an entry point for cargo after they arrive to the Martian system on a trip from Earth. The small escape speed from Phobos would make return trips much cheaper than from the surface of Mars. The post Should Phobos Serve as the Entry Port of SpaceX to Mars? appeared first on Anomalien.com.

On Thursday, the “Big Three” networks of ABC, CBS, and NBC scrambled to use their morning news shows to try and contain the damage caused by President Biden’s Tuesday night comments referring to Trump supporters as garbage, insisting he only “appear[ed]” or “seemed to disparage” them with the “gaffe.” They also tried to make fetch happen by lamenting Trump’s team has “capitaliz[ed]” on this to “slow down” Harris’s “momentum” “[e]ven though President Biden has clarified what he meant.” In a tease, NBC’s Today co-host Hoda Kotb started with the key drinking game word for conservatives whenever a liberal gets in trouble: “Trump attempting to seize the moment.” Co-host Savannah Guthrie briefly invoked the campaign before the lead-off report on the weather: “Trump, trying to capitalize off of President Biden’s garbage gaffe, wearing an orange safety vest on stage.” Kotb later had the lead-in to the presidential race recap from Trump campaign correspondent Garrett Haake: “Trump riding to his Wisconsin rally in a garbage truck, seizing on a gaffe by President Biden that began with a racist joke at the Trump rally here in New York.” Haake wasn’t amused and knew he had to help turn this car around, including explaining away Biden’s smear: NBC’s Garrett Haake doing damage control on ‘Today’ for Kamala Harris and Joe Biden, saying Biden only “appear[ed] to compare” Trump supporters to “garbage”: “[T]he Trump campaign saw that comment from President Biden appearing to compare their supporters to garbage as a… pic.twitter.com/H3nu0VzZr3 — Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) October 31, 2024 Haake tried to have it both ways: “Trump leaning into President Biden’s garbage comments, posing in a garbage truck...attacking Joe Biden and Harris’s supporters.” He also tried to shift attention back to Trump and this supposedly all-powerful Hinchcliffe as well as dabbling in whataboutism with Trump’s history of insults to argue the public should let Biden’s comment slide: “The controversy began with this offensive remark by a comedian at Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally on Sunday...Democrats pointing to years of incendiary rhetoric from the former President demonizing his political critics.” In the second hour and onset ahead of Today’s annual Halloween costume reveal, Saturday co-host Peter Alexander twisted himself with some mental gymnastics: NBC’s Peter Alexander on ‘Today’: “[T]here you can see former President Trump wearing that safety vest on stage, leaning into President Biden’s comment this week where he appeared to refer to Trump supporters as ‘garbage’ before quickly clarifying.” pic.twitter.com/gG2UHxlTU6 — Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) October 31, 2024 ABC’s Good Morning America was seething over this final-week blunder. Chief White House correspondent Mary Bruce insisted her candidate had nothing to do with this and the White House is “adamant” Biden was only condemning Tony Hinchcliffe’s “racist insults” Sunday at a Trump rally that Puerto Rico was “a floating island of garbage.” ABC's Mary Bruce -- Disney's North Korean news lady for Kamala Harris -- defends Joe Biden over his "garbage" comment: "And, this morning, she’s distancing herself from President Biden’s comments that seemed to disparage Trump supporters as garbage. The White House adamant the… pic.twitter.com/Vw0lJtH4pn — Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) October 31, 2024 Idolatrous Trump-hating correspondent Rachel Scott joined in the pity party when she’s supposed to be covering the Trump campaign, whining “Biden’s comments could undermine Vice President Kamala Harris’s message” and that Trump’s “amplifying” Biden’s remark. Accompanied by a chyron bellyaching that Trump’s “Tr[ying] to Amplify Biden’s Words, Turn Attention From His Own Controversy,” Scott also engaged in some whataboutism by arguing the real story was Trump’s years of rhetoric ABC’s @RachelVScott – an idolatrous Trump hater – went on @GMA and was not happy with Trump’s garbage truck photo-op: “Donald Trump fully aware of just how much Biden’s comments could undermine Vice President Kamala Harris’s message. So, part of his focus here is amplifying… pic.twitter.com/NN6v7C4trl — Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) October 31, 2024 CBS Mornings co-host and Kamala Harris donor Gayle King wasn’t pleased either, fretting Trump has “zero[ed] in on a gaffe by President Biden” and “sought to capitalize on” it “with a photo-op on a garbage truck as he tried to move beyond a scandal over racist remarks by some speakers at his New York rally.” Ah, so a days-old joke that fell completely flat by a comedian few have ever heard of os more important than comments by the sitting President of the United States? CBS chief election and campaign correspondent Robert Costa relayed that Trump used a garbage truck as “his latest political set piece” to hammer the Democrats “[e]ven though President Biden has clarified what he meant”: CBS’s Robert Costa is pissed about Trump’s garbage truck scene: “Climbing aboard a garbage truck in Green Bay that had his campaign’s logo on the side...former President Trump embraced his latest political set piece as he amped up attacks on Democrats...Even though President… pic.twitter.com/wC3SyDPECf — Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) October 31, 2024 Costa worked to blunt this “momentum,” insisting as though he worked for Kamala Harris that she had “made clear she speaks for herself and welcomes all voters into her coalition.” To see the relevant transcripts from October 31, click here (for ABC), here (for CBS), and here (for NBC).

Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is facing a criminal referral for allegedly making "criminally false statements" about a July 2020 report that downplayed the number of COVID-related nursing home deaths.On Wednesday, the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic referred Cuomo to the Department of Justice, arguing that he lied about his involvement in the New York State Department of Health's report. However, the subcommittee's formal referral does not compel the DOJ to move forward with further investigation.'The Department of Justice should consider Mr. Cuomo's prior allegedly wrongful conduct.'According to a draft of the subcommittee's criminal referral, the report undercounted the number of deaths by 46%. Cuomo repeatedly claimed he did not recall seeing the report before its public release, Blaze News previously reported. However, evidence uncovered by the subcommittee allegedly revealed that Cuomo personally made edits to the document.The referral, signed by Representative Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio), accused the former governor of making a "conscious, calculated effort" to skirt responsibility for the nursing home death scandal."Mr. Cuomo provided false statements to the select subcommittee in what appears to be a conscious, calculated effort to insulate himself from accountability," Wenstrup wrote in the referral letter. "The Department of Justice should consider Mr. Cuomo's prior allegedly wrongful conduct when evaluating whether to charge him for the false statements described."A June 2020 email from Cuomo's former assistant allegedly revealed that he had made edits to the report before its release. He requested that it include language emphasizing how "community spread among employees or possibly visitation by family and friends were relevant factors" in the deaths. His edits were included in the final version of the report.Additionally, congressional documents allegedly uncovered that Cuomo's aides requested "two copies" of the report be sent to his residence before its release.Cuomo fired back at the criminal referral by filing his own against the subcommittee. The former governor's criminal referral reads, "This interrogation far exceeded the Subcommittee's jurisdiction and appears to have been an improper effort to advantage the interests of private litigants against Governor Cuomo, warranting investigation by the Department of Justice."Richard Azzopardi, a spokesperson for Cuomo, stated, "This taxpayer-funded farce is an illegal use of Congress's investigative authority.""The governor said he didn't recall because he didn't recall. The committee lied in their referral just as they have been lying to the public and the press," Azzopardi stated.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

While both the Trump and Harris campaigns have been focusing their efforts in the swing states, they’ve also put some serious time into Texas, which unfortunately is no longer reliably red. In fact, it’s been trending blue for a while now — and Democrats want to capitalize on this. Afterall, when and where did Queen Bey show up to campaign for Kamala Harris? In the Lone Star State. At the end of election season. While Beyoncé showing up in Houston, Texas, for political purposes might be a unique occurrence, her message certainly wasn’t. “Beyoncé — wow, she said something so unique, so different than any other celebrity has said for why they're voting for Kamala Harris. I've never heard this kind of profound and moral and compassionate take on why people just have to vote for Kamala Harris,” says Allie Beth Stuckey sarcastically before playing a clip of Beyoncé’s speech. “I’m not here as a celebrity. I’m not here as a politician. I’m here as a mother — a mother who cares deeply about the world my children and all of our children live in, a world where we have the freedom to control our bodies,” the singer said to a cheering crowd. The math isn’t mathing. “In one breath, she is saying we need a country that is great for our children and grandchildren” so “we should have the right to kill children,” Allie says, pointing out the glaring hypocrisy. Beyoncé went on to perpetuate the lie that “there’s going to be a Trump abortion ban” when the reality is Kamala Harris is the only candidate who has promised to “do something at the federal level” regarding abortion. “Trump has said he's not going to do anything at the federal level about abortion. ... He's saying it's left up to the states,” whereas Harris has said she’s going to “federalize Roe,” which “allows abortion through all nine months,” says Allie. Federalizing Roe means that “a doctor signs off saying, ‘Yeah, this is for the woman's health,”’ granting approval for a woman to proceed with an abortion regardless of the state she lives in. “But health is not physical health,” explains Allie. “Health can also mean mental health,” “emotional health,” or “family situation,” so “it's virtually for any reason through all nine months. ... Federalizing that standard would mean that no state can have any restriction on abortion.” To hear more of Allie’s commentary, watch the episode above. Want more from Allie Beth Stuckey?To enjoy more of Allie’s upbeat and in-depth coverage of culture, news, and theology from a Christian, conservative perspective, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

The day many fans have been waiting for has finally arrived. Dragon Age The Veilguard has launched after nearly ten years without a new entry in the Dragon Age series. Though a name like this should draw some huge attention, there have been worries that it may end up underperforming. While it’s too early to say for sure just how much of an impact it’ll have, initial Steam player figures indicate that it’s heading in the right direction. Continue reading Dragon Age The Veilguard beats Inquisition’s Steam record by 500% in one hour MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Dragon Age The Veilguard classes, Dragon Age The Veilguard companions, Dragon Age The Veilguard release date

One thing it’s always important to remember in any Civilization game is to never trust anyone. You have to keep in mind that everyone you meet, from peace loving pals to warmongers, is only ever truly out for themselves. In Civilization 7 one new leader looks like that’ll be made much more obvious, as Niccolo Machiavelli is joining the fray and he looks set to do whatever it takes to come out on top. Continue reading New Civilization 7 leader looks set to turn everyone against each other MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Civilization 7 release date, Best strategy games, Best 4X games