Free Republic

On the happily few occasions when callers to my radio show make a particularly foolish comment, I ask them what graduate school they attended. When they ask why I assume they attended graduate school, I respond, "Only someone who went to graduate school would say something that foolish." Because it is never my intention to humiliate a caller, I always hasten to explain that my comment is not directed at the caller; it is directed at our universities. Moreover, I mean it literally. In order to say certain things that are so obviously foolish, one has to be taught them....

The National Shooting Games Establishment (NSSF) as of late discharged a thorough report details regarding women and guns. The report, “Women Gun Owners: Purchasing, Perceptions and Participation,” speaks to a study of more than 1,000 women, which investigates almost every part of weapon proprietorship. In spite of the fact that we hear an incredible arrangement about the quantity of women who have as of late procured their first gun, the majority of those reviewed, 42.1 percent, have claimed a weapon for no less than 10 years. About 33% of the women reviewed, however, are a piece of the female gun...

Yoga pants are under attack. Lately, they have been a hot topic on Facebook, blogs and other corners of the web. Some say they are too tight. Others complain that we, as a society, have lost all sense of modesty. The question has been posed: Should women wear yoga pants in public? For one state legislator in Montana, the struggle against yoga pants is real. No. Seriously. From the Billings Gazette:

It may have been touted as the steamiest thing in Hollywood - but movie critics rounded on Fifty Shades of Grey for being too light on the sex. In a barrage of reviews published on Tuesday night, most of those who sat down with the raunchy adaptation ahead of its 13 February release date lamented its 'run-of-the-mill' lovemaking. One critic pointed out that sex only makes up 15 minutes of the two-hour runtime. Another pointed out that there are no visible genitals, no orgasms - and not that much nudity.

The United States can be quite an incoherent place at times. Here are a few examples. Diversity Sometime in the 1990s the growing contradictions of affirmative action in a multiracial society became problematic. Ethnic ancestry was often neither easily identifiable nor readily commensurate with class status, and so gave way to a more popular term: “diversity.”

Conservative media were in an uproar last week over the President’s remarks at the National Prayer Breakfast. He said that we see “faith being twisted and distorted … sometimes used as a weapon” and “lest we get on our high horse and think this is unique to some other place, remember that during the Crusades and the Inquisition, people committed terrible deeds in the name of Christ." Nearly everyone took the statement to mean “Catholic pot, don’t call the Muslim kettle black.” And they were quick to point out that the “terrible deeds in the name of Christ” were...

Fans of Fifty Shades Of Grey, you've been warned: leave those whips and riding crops at home on your way to the movies next week. AMC, Regal Entertainment and Cinemark have banned movie goers from bringing naughty props to the cinema in anticipation of the hotly awaited world premiere of Fifty Shades Of Grey. The film adaptation of EL James' steamy best-selling erotic romance starring Jamie Dornan as Christian Grey and Dakota Johnson as Anastasia Steele hits the big screen on Valentine’s Day, February 14.

More Than 500,000 In U.S. Could Be At Risk Of Female Genital Excision Preliminary data shows that up to 507,000 women and girls in the United States were at risk of female genital excision in 2013. By ALEXANDRA ZAVIS A new study finds that nearly 507,000 women and girls in the U.S. could be at risk of female genital excision There is anecdotal evidence of U.S. girls being sent to their parents' home countries for 'vacation cutting' Nearly 507,000 women and girls in the United States could be at risk of female genital excision, including 57,000 in California, a new...

Have you ever run across couples who want to tell you “we’re pregnant”? It’s part of the gender neutrality, everyone is the same, there is no difference between men and women, nonsense.

As noted here, Pope Francis, who once boasted of having been a bouncer,"has called for more women in the International Theological Commission, even after tripling the number of women on the team this past September. 'In the ever more diverse makeup of the Commission,' he said, 'I want to see a higher presence of women.' The Pope also said recently that it is chiefly women who pass on the faith, and urged men to listen to women more and not be so 'macho.' He said that men often don’t allow enough room for women while 'women are capable of seeing...

“Trauma from an abortion can also affect men. Guilt and hurt after an abortion can drive couples apart, especially if one partner was unsure about the decision. Often couples split up following an abortion. You may want your relationship back to where it used to be, but this is impossible. Sometimes men react with a gut instinct that it is better to do something quickly and worry about the consequences later. A common reaction is “Get rid of it”. But this is not one of those situations, and an abortion will not put things back as they were. In short,...

Am I the only person watching this "football game" (which is actually a good football game) annoyed by these annoying lectures, masquerading as commercials, about how powerful, capable, independent and valuable women are, so we barbaric men shouldn't devalue them, disrespect them (not actually a word) or hit them? Is this really what we need to be told while we're trying to just watch a ball game? I know the rest of the culture insists on this, but aren't men the primary clientele of the NFL? Why does the NFL have to subject us to this nonsense?

Former Alaska governor to discuss how women are showing 21st century leadership. UTPB’s John Ben Shepperd Public Leadership Institute is hosting a lecture featuring former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin Feb. 12 at the Wagner Noël Performing Arts Center. As part of the Shepperd Distinguished Lecture Series, Palin, the former Republican vice presidential candidate, will address the topic, “Groundbreakers, Mavericks and Trailblazers: How Women are showing 21st Century Leadership.” The lecture is free and open to the public and begins at 7 p.m. The event will be co-moderated by Patrick Canty, publisher of the Odessa American, and Robert Brescia, executive director...

Americans support women in the pulpit and in senior leadership positions within the church. But they are more hesitant when it comes to supporting openly gay and lesbian religious leaders. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 60% of American Adults favor women in the pulpit, while just 16% are opposed. Twenty-five percent (25%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.) Even more (74%) support women in leadership positions in their respective faiths. Just nine percent (9%) are opposed, with 17% undecided. Just 43% of Americans favor openly gay and lesbian individuals in the pulpit. Thirty-eight...

Here is another mark against sugary drinks: A new study has found that drinking them is associated with lowered age of menarche. Age of first menses has decreased substantially since the early 20th century, and studies have shown that younger age of menarche is associated with increased risk of breast and endometrial cancer in later life. [Snip] After controlling for birth weight, maternal age at menarche, physical activity, and many dietary and behavioral factors, [researchers] found that girls who drank one-and-a-half 12-ounce cans a day of nondiet soda or sugared iced tea had their first period an average of 2.7...

Every girl’s life matters to Michelle Obama and Valerie Jarrett only so long as those lives can be exploited for publicity Are first lady Michelle Obama and her mentor Valerie Jarrett, who is her husband’s senior advisor, complicit in a publicity stunt making it appear that they champion women’s rights? While Michelle Obama seized the spotlight by not wearing a head scarf when meeting with Saudi officials in Riyadh yesterday, Jarrett was sending out this message on Twitter: “Every girl’s life matters. Every woman should be able to go about her day and be safe and treated with respect.” The...

Heavier women are more likely to be lighter in the wallet, reports a new study that says obese females tend to occupy lower-paying, more-strenuous jobs in less-visible corners of the U.S. workforce when compared to average-sized women and men. In fact, the link between extra pounds and leaner paychecks is distinct: When a woman “becomes overweight,” she already is less likely to land a public-facing role in better-paying white-collar jobs, according to research released Tuesday by Vanderbilt University. And women who are considered obese or morbidly obese — based on their body mass indexes — are more likely to forced...

I am trying to purchase new original Sacred Sisterhood Of Wonderful Wacky Women Mugs and they seem to have gone off the radar - just since Christmas. The inscription on the inside reads, "Forever Friends Kindred Spirits." Everything seems to be out-of-stock on-line, with caveats that they may no longer be available. So, I a wondering if anyone on FR knows of a Mom-And-Pop specialty shop that carries them. Any help is appreciated.

I have come as a beggar, says PM as he pleads to save girl child Prime Minister Narendra Modi launches the Sukanya Samridhi Account Scheme at the launch of the ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ Programme, at Panipat, in Haryana along with actress Madhuri Dixit. Photograph: Press Information Bureau  Denouncing the practice of female foeticide, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the discrimination against girls reflects "mental illness" and displays a mindset worse than that in the 18th century.Launching 'beti bachao beti padhao (save daughter, educate daughter)' scheme in this district of Haryana, a state with one of the poorest...

As part of President Barack Obama’s annual effort to provoke Republicans and cheer up disheartened Democrats, the president touched on a theme that he has deployed effectively in the past that is designed to inflame tensions between the genders: The idea that women are systematically discriminated against in the workplace. “Of course, nothing helps families make ends meet like higher wages. That’s why this Congress still needs to pass a law that makes sure a woman is paid the same as a man for doing the same work,” Obama said during his State of the Union address. “It’s 2015....