Free Republic

Controversy is flaring over this year’s Pittsburgh Pride festival after event organizers claimed that state officials prevented them from holding the annual celebration of the LGBTQ+ community at Point State Park in the Golden Triangle. The state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, which runs the park, countered that there were problems with the group’s permit application. Pittsburgh Pride had announced in January intentions to host the annual celebration at Point State Park. On Tuesday evening, however, organizers wrote on social media that they were forced to change plans “in response to unforeseen circumstances.”

Silicon Valley billionaire Peter Thiel is throwing his financial muscle behind an “Olympics on steroids” — whose organizer boasts that athletes will dope “out in the open and honestly.” Thiel, who made his fortune as an early investor in tech startups like PayPal and Facebook, is backing the Enhanced Games, which will actively encourage athletes to use performance-enhancing drugs. The venture — aimed at aiding research into nutritional supplements and biohacks that push the boundaries of human performance — is the brainchild of Dr. Aron D’Souza, a lawyer by training who famously conceived Thiel’s lawsuit against Gawker Media. He plans...

In 1980 in Cleveland, Walsh was fatally shot in the cross fire of an attempted robbery. The subsequent autopsy revealed that Walsh had a chromosomal disorder known as mosaicism that left her with sexually ambiguous genitalia. Despite the gender confusion caused by the disorder, Walsh had lived her entire life as a woman.

Trump: Is there anything better than a Trump rally? These liberal singers, they actually vote for me. You know, like Bruce Springsteen. We have a much bigger crowd than Bruce Springsteen. Right? pic.twitter.com/avB1njR58v — Acyn (@Acyn) May 11, 2024 A spokesperson for the city of Wildwood backed Trump’s claim. Lisa Fagan told The Associated Press she estimated the crowd had to be between 80,000 and 100,000 people, based on her observations of smaller events which took place in the same space. But footage from the rally made those stats fairly hard to believe. While Trump fans packed the rafters behind...

Families today don’t all look the same, like they did in 1950s TV shows—and that’s a good thing. More children than ever are being raised by single parents, adoptive parents, same-sex parents, or in blended families. They all deserve respect and support. Some, like LGBTQ families, might feel excluded on Mother’s Day. Here’s how you can help them feel seen and supported if they want to be included.

If you’re toying with the idea of hosting a Mother’s Day Brunch but dread the cost—to say nothing of being stuck in the kitchen while your mom, friends, and family are having all the fun—you’re certainly not alone. I don’t host brunch often, but when I do, I’ve learned from experience to plan the event with three goals in mind: 1) keep it budget-friendly, 2) make it easy to execute, and 3) only minimal time spent in the kitchen on the day of the event.

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — A Colorado woman’s attempt to steal a pickup truck — shortly after she was released from jail on a car theft charge — was thwarted not by officers, nor the truck’s owners, but by her inability to drive a stick shift, Boulder Police said. The woman had been released from jail on May 3 after being accused of stealing a car a day earlier, and walked down the road until she spotted a pickup truck with the keys inside. She then started the pickup, but apparently discovered she couldn’t manage the manual transmission, so she got...

OAKLAND — A 47-year-old man was shot and killed while using a sledgehammer to break up concrete chunks and hurl them at cars and property, and now the suspect is behind bars facing a murder charges. The strange sequence of events started around 4 p.m. March 28, when Greer was seen using a sledgehammer to break up chunks of concrete outside the abandoned home, then began hurling them at the property and cars parked nearby, police said. At some point while Greer was doing this, Dorn allegedly exited the abandoned residence, got on a green bicycle, rode a short distance...

The truth is that insects are greatly underappreciated. Insects are… Important Pollinators: Many plants wouldn’t be able to pollinate and we wouldn’t have many of the produce we rely on. Decomposers: Many insects help break down of wastes such as dead animals or plants. Without decomposer insects, it would be a very messy world! A Major Part of the Food Chain: Without insects, what would birds, amphibians, and reptiles eat? And, without those animals, what would larger predators eat? snip Pandorus Sphinx Moth Caterpillar

Drone honeybees can be tricky to spot when surrounded by thousands of other bees. So how do you identify them? Easy. By looking at their eyes. Drone bees have massive eyes that touch each other. This comes in handy for helping them spot queens to mate with. In contrast, female bees have smaller eyes that don’t touch.

CLINTON, Maine – A tractor-trailer hauling about 15 million honey bees to be used to pollinate blueberry fields crashed and overturned on Interstate 95, officials said. The driver was taken to the hospital as a precaution Thursday night while first responders worked to ensure the safety of the bees that were in hives strapped on the trailer, which landed on its side, officials said.

Contractors curious about an extension cord on the roof of a Michigan grocery store made a startling discovery: A 34-year-old woman was living inside the business sign, with enough space for a computer, printer and coffee maker, police said. “She was homeless,” Officer Brennon Warren of the Midland Police Department said Thursday. “It’s a story that makes you scratch your head, just somebody living up in a sign.” The woman, whose name was not released, told police she had a job elsewhere but had been living inside the Family Fare sign for roughly a year, Warren said. She was...

Two supporters of the climate activism group Just Stop Oil have smashed the glass protecting the Magna Carta, an iconic British manuscript from the 13th century, on Friday. According to Just Stop Oil, Reverend Dr. Sue Parfitt, 82, an active Anglican priest and author, and Judy Bruce, 85, a retired biology teacher, entered the British Library in London on Friday morning and “smashed the glass enclosure that surrounds the Magna Carta.” After this, the pair glued themselves to the document’s enclosure and held up a sign that said “The government is breaking the law,” Just Stop Oil said.

It's been known for years that cooking indoors can taint the air in a home and cause health problems, especially when cooking without proper ventilation. But a new study found that emissions from cooking may degrade the air quality outdoors as well. "If you can smell it, there’s a good chance it’s impacting air quality," researchers with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Chemical Sciences Laboratory recently wrote about a new study looking at the "unrecognized and underappreciated sources of urban air pollution."

Renting a Home vs. Owning a Home: An Overview Buying a home is a huge part of the American Dream. Choosing to buy or rent, though, is a major decision that affects your financial health, lifestyle, and personal goals. Whichever option you choose depends entirely on your lifestyle and financial situation. Both require a regular income (so you can afford the payments and associated costs) and may also require a certain degree of effort to maintain.

Columbia said negotiations between the school and protesters had ended Columbia University has distributed a letter to members of the encampment on campus telling them to gather their belongings and leave the area by 2 p.m., saying if they identify themselves and sign a form "to abide by all University policies through June 30, 2025, or the date of the conferral of your degree, whichever is earlier, you will be eligible to complete the semester in good standing." The school said it has "already identified many students in the encampment" and "if you do not identify yourself upon leaving and...

Health advocacy groups are petitioning the FDA to ban methylene chloride, a chemical compound used in the decaffeination process. Here's what you need to know.

1. Fig leaf The humble fig leaf is the surprising new must-have ingredient for chefs — the leaves are being used in everything from ice cream to curry. The leaf can’t be eaten raw, but its sweet, creamy, herbaceous flavour can be infused into oils and dairy, or even made into syrups as a cocktail ingredient. Simon Rogan’s Aulis features a fig leaf parfait with white chocolate and mint; east London’s hot new opening, Papi, serves oysters dressed in a fig leaf mignonette; new Mayfair bar Nipperkin has a fig leaf and butter cocktail; and Parafante offers a bottled fig...

Although he appeared well and spoke in a clear voice, he also made a rare acknowledgement of the strains of the job. "Please pray for me because this work is not easy," he told thousands of faithful gathered in St Mark's Square. He started the day by flying by helicopter into a women's prison where the Vatican has set up an exhibition that is part of the Venice Biennale -- a prestigious international art show that has never been visited by a pope before.

Malls are dying—but a dead mall gives a community the chance to rebuild something that might have been doomed to begin with. For countless Americans—especially those who came of age in the postwar years—malls were the new town square: a place to shop, eat, gather and meander. Envisioned as perfectly pristine, cast against the gritty danger of urban centers, the American mall became the image of suburban consumerism, the "pyramids to the boom years," as Joan Didion once wrote. But like the pyramids, the culture that the malls once honored—and survived off of—is starting to vanish. In 2014, traditional retailers...