Free Republic

After Reacher star Alan Ritchson made the claim that the police “get away with murder all the time,” the Fraternal Order of Police organization took some time to address the actor’s inflammatory comment, encouraging him to mind his own business. “While Mr. Ritchson gets his face and forehead powdered on set, our officers are out doing a job he doesn’t have the courage to do,” the organization prefaced. “While he gets to hear loud pops and have blanks fired at him, our officers feel the heat of the bullets as they pierce their skin.” The statement continued, “There are no...

Chad McCrary, a beloved champion bodybuilder, died earlier this month. He was 49. McCrary’s brother, Lance McCrary, took to social media and posted a message from Mutant CEO Jim McMahon. Mutant is a sports fitness brand and sponsored McCrary. “Like everybody, I’m very sad and stunned,” McMahon said in video. “It’s a hard one.” McMahon also spoke about the legacy McCrary left on the athletic community. “What I’m always gonna take away is just what we all got to experience, in our group at least, with him, is just the camaraderie. It’s always everything that all of us try to...

The NYPD is cracking down on “flex offenders” – warning workout warriors on the force that they could be fired if they take what they believe is a legal, over-the-counter muscle-building supplement that leads to a failed drug test, The Post has learned. Cops “are responsible for anything ingested, injected or introduced into their bodies,” declares the directive fired off on Dec. 26 to all members with the subject line, “Possession or ingestion of anabolic steroids, human growth hormone and nutritional supplements.” The memo doesn’t list any specific brand or ingredient, only noting supplements may include “prohibited, banned, or illegal...

New research indicates that higher doses of topical corticosteroids, which are commonly used to treat inflammatory skin conditions, are linked with elevated risks of osteoporosis and bone fractures associated with osteoporosis. The findings are based on information from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. Investigators selected 129,682 osteoporosis cases and 34,999 major osteoporotic fracture (MOF) cases and matched them with 518,728 and 139,996 controls (without osteoporosis or MOF) by sex and age. The team found clear dose–response relationships between long-term use of topical corticosteroids and osteoporosis and MOF. For example, compared with no doses, low, medium, and high cumulative...

n Idaho mother who says she trusted a now-shuttered Christian boarding school in Missouri to rehabilitate her son struggling with behavioral issues has filed a federal lawsuit alleging the abuse and brutal gang rape by staff members he suffered at the school caused his early death last year at the age of 29. The mother, Kathleen Britt, said in court documents cited by The Springfield News-Leader that she sent her late son, Jason Britt, to the Agape Boarding School in Stockton, Missouri, in 2009 so he could experience a "safe, kind and Christian environment free from drugs and alcohol." What...

Actor and former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger says he believes it's a "no-brainer" he could win the presidency in 2024 — if he were able to run for election. Schwarzenegger, who was born in Austria and served as the Golden State's governor from 2003 to 2011, made the comments during a recent sit-down interview on Max and CNN’s "Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace?"

It came without warning. It would start with a howling noise from a senior football player at Sayreville War Memorial High School, and then the locker room lights were abruptly shut off. In the darkness, a freshman football player would be pinned to the locker room floor, his arms and feet held down by multiple upperclassmen. Then, the victim would be lifted to his feet while a finger was forced into his rectum. Sometimes, the same finger was then shoved into the freshman player’s mouth. This disturbing hazing within the storied Sayreville football program, as told to NJ Advance Media...

Social media's self-proclaimed "Liver King", who gained fame by claiming a diet of raw animal organs helped him naturally obtain his muscular physique, has been exposed as a heavy steroid user. Brian Johnson, 45, gained millions of followers who watched him eating raw animal liver, bull's testicles, cow's lungs and other organs. Johnson promised to help fans unlock their "highest and most dominant form" by sticking to an "ancient primal" carnivorous diet. Appearing on numerous podcasts, videos and in interviews, he always firmly maintained that he obtained his herculean physique naturally, without the use of any type of steroids. "The...

THIS is the moment Vladimir Putin appears to wheeze and gasp through a meeting with grieving mums whose children were killed in Ukraine. Russia's president - who is reportedly "critically ill" - met with a carefully selected group of parents as he sat down with them to have tea, cakes and fresh berries. Putin appeared physically uncomfortable and breathless as he spoke - stopping to clear his throat on multi occasions and struggling with his words. "I would like you to know that, that I personally, and the whole leadership of the country - we share your pain," Vlad told...

Russia’s despotic President Vladimir Putin has raised fresh health fears after he wheezed and coughed through a dramatic meeting. Rumours have been swirling for months that Putin is seriously ill, and he did nothing to ease concerns during a testy meeting with mums of soldiers who have been killed in his war with Ukraine. The dictator tucked into fresh berries and cake with the 'grieving relatives' but seemed to be struggling and uncomfortable. Words didn’t come easily, clearing his throat often, as he spoke with people who – were it not for him – would still have children, although the...

Vladimir Putin has again been pictured tightly gripping a chair and shuffling his feet amid on-going speculation about the Russian president's health. Footage from Putin's Tuesday meeting with Miguel Díaz-Canel, the president of Cuba and leader of the country's communist party, showed the Russian despot sitting awkwardly in his chair as the pair spoke in front of the cameras. -snip- In the latest example, a puffy-faced Putin is seen smiling gingerly as he speaks with Díaz-Canel infront of a marble fireplace in Moscow. His left hand is seen wrapped tightly around the arm of the white chair he is sitting...

Bodybuilder Andreas Frey unexpectedly passed away on October 20, 2022. He was 43 years old. HITC takes a look into his family life, alongside his bodybuilding legacy as a former champion. The bodybuilding community lost an icon as Andreas Frey suddenly passed away between Thursday night (October 20, 2022) and Friday morning. According to his company, FREY Nutrition, the sports star died in his sleep. He is survived by his wife and their two daughters. Frey was best known for the glittering career that saw him place second at the 2006 PDI Night Of Champions, behind Lee Priest. He also...

A new study shows treating these babies with a lower dose of dexamethasone, not only leads to less time on ventilators, but notes its beneficial effects on blood circulation to the lungs, influencing better cardiorespiratory outcomes. Babies born before the 28th week of pregnancy are classed as extremely preterm. To speed up lung development and to allow weaning from ventilator support, these babies are routinely given systemic corticosteroids, such as dexamethasone (Dex), which reduces inflammation and aids ventilation. However, in high doses (5-10mg per kilo for six weeks) Dex can lead to significant thickening of the walls of the heart...

… the prevalence of drugs at BUD/S has some men in the top reaches of the SEALs deeply unnerved… Sailors who enter the program bolstered by steroids and hormones can push harder, recover faster and probably beat out the sailors who are trying to become SEALs while clean…the inevitable effect, he said, is that a course designed to select the very best will end up selecting only the very best cheaters… ….The Navy uncovered what the senior SEAL leader called “a steroid ring” in 2012. He said BUD/S began testing candidates that year, but the testing lapsed a few years...

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s health has been a topic of global discussion after footage showed him coughing, walking stiffly and seemingly tired. WSJ looks at how his on-camera appearances are being scrutinized amid the war in Ukraine and questions over his succession.

John Sweeney, a prominent British investigative journalist who has long covered Russian President Vladimir Putin, wrote in his new book that he feels the leader looks "seriously ill" with puffy cheeks that make him resemble a hamster. In his forthcoming book (out July 21), Killer in the Kremlin, Sweeney described changes he has noticed in Putin's demeanor and physical appearance that he said scare him. He theorized the use of steroids for Putin's changes, noting the president could have started taking the medication years ago to treat a back injury sustained after falling off a horse. According to Sweeney, this...

Puffy-faced Vladimir Putin is facing more health issues after he was spotted struggling to stay awake. The deranged dictator could barely hold his head up during a meeting with his Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu on Tuesday. He is rumoured to have thyroid cancer and health experts say that drugs used to treat the condition could explain the despot’s puffy face. The 69-year-old is known for working hard to maintain a masculine, hardman appearance – but his steady decline has unfolded in front of the world’s media. He mumbled a half-hearted congratulations to his soldiers before making the deluded claim they...

Russian president Vladimir Putin has his bodyguards collect his excrement while on foreign trips in a bid to stop people gathering information about his health. A report has revealed that Putin's Federal Protection Service members are 'responsible for collecting his bodily waste' in special packets which are kept inside a dedicated briefcase until they return to Russia. Putin's health has been the centre of much speculation especially in recent months with the catastrophic Russian invasion of Ukraine, as instructed by the leader, including suggestions that he is suffering with cancer, dementia and even Parkinson's disease. And this latest revelation is...

The unnamed Russian oligarch made the comments in a secret audio recording He suggested that Putin's alleged on-going health issue could be blood cancer Since invading Ukraine, Putin has been seen limping and gripping a desk An expert suggested to New Lines magazine that such symptoms - and Putin's cautiousness over Covid-19 - could be a sign of blood cancer treatment Vladimir Putin is 'very ill with blood cancer', a Russian oligarch has claimed according to a new report, amid on-going speculation about the strongman's health. An audio recording of the oligarch's comments was obtained by a Western venture capitalist...

VLADIMIR Putin was noted to be looking "puffy" and struggling to move "like he used to" in a rare outing to mark Victory Day in Moscow. Vladimir Putin has sparked speculation about his health after political analysis began to notice changes in his appearance since he resumed public duty following the Coronavirus pandemic. Russia's leader effectively disappeared from the public eye during the health crisis and only recently began to be pictured once again surrounded by his aides, albeit keeping them at a distance. Lord Dannatt noted Putin appeared rather "puffy" and struggling to move "freely" as he walked around...