Free Republic

When I saw "The Hunger Games," I was sure there was a strong anti-government message that seemed closely related to our current situation in the USA. The newest episode in the trilogy, "Catching Fire," sharpens that message even further. Jennifer Lawrence is headed for a position as one of those generation-defining actresses, much the way Katherine Hepburn, Raquel Welch, and Meryl Streep were. I'm not talking acting talent, although it's pretty clear Jenny can act. I'm talking about the actress who most quickly comes to mind when you talk of the early 21st century. She delivers another excellent performance as...

According to OECD, teen unemployment rates (under 25) in Europe continue to escalate, particularly in Greece and Spain. eurounemploy That is scary looking! It reminds me of The Who’s song “Teenage Wasteland.” But, the US is no slouch when it comes to teen unemployment. The 16-19 cohort is seeing an unemployment rate of 22.60% while to 20-24 cohort is experiencing 12.80% unemployment. For the sake of comparison, I also included Germany teenage (under 25) unemployment which is 7.70%. unemployteenusgerm For the entire population, here is a chart of labor force participation in Germany, Spain, USA and Mexico. lfp103113 Even beleaguered...

At what age and how did you decide to leave the safety and comfort of your parents home? I've heard so many interesting takes locally, it got me to wondering on a larger scale.

WASHINGTON, DC— Millions of Americans have received notifications from their insurance providers that their policies are being cancelled or altered due to the Affordable Care Act over the past four weeks. Reports on the number of cancellations nationwide vary and are still rolling in. Some project as many as 20 million will lose their current coverage under Obamacare. Young Americans for Liberty decided to look within its network of activists and supporters to see if they had been impacted. Sure enough, many had. YAL is currently collecting and posting images of insurance cancellation and alteration notices from within its network...

A youth magazine associated with the Palestinian Authority has published a list of "words of wisdom" - courtesy of none other than Adolf Hitler. Palestinian Media Watch (PMW), an NGO which monitors incitement and hate-speach in Palestinian Authority media, said that Zayzafuna - which previously lost UNESCO funding after publishing an essay glorifying the Nazi dictator - attributed a list of short quotes to Hitler in order to present him "as a sharp-witted and wise person." The one-liners attributed to Hitler include: "If you were stabbed in the back, know that you are in front"; "Don't challenge a man who...

<p>Japan's under-40s appear to be losing interest in conventional relationships. Millions aren't even dating, and increasing numbers can't be bothered with sex. For their government, "celibacy syndrome" is part of a looming national catastrophe. Japan already has one of the world's lowest birth rates. Its population of 126 million, which has been shrinking for the past decade, is projected to plunge a further one-third by 2060. Aoyama believes the country is experiencing "a flight from human intimacy" – and it's partly the government's fault.</p>

Last March, North Dakota gave us a heart-warming demonstration of traditional voluntary service -- in minus 20 degree weather. As the rising Red River threatened to flood Fargo, willing volunteers gathered by the thousands. Before long, they had filled and stacked over 2 million sandbags to barricade the city against the raging waters. Christians prayed for victory over the forces of nature, and by God's grace, the make-shift dikes held. About 6,000 volunteers of all ages had simply followed their conscience, worked together and met the need. Unlike President Obama's plan for government-directed "service," neither prayer nor God's comforting Truths...

CHATTANOOGA, TN (WRCB) - Trayvon Martin's father was in Chattanooga Saturday, speaking to young boys for the 4th Annual Boys Leadership Summit. It's to raise awareness on the importance of the future. Tracy Martin says after his son was killed last year, he wants to be an encouragement to young people to help make sure no other parents have to go through what he went through. "It always takes a tragic event to awaken the communities around the country, it just so happened the tragic event happened in my life," said Tracy Martin, Trayvon Martin's Father. That tragic event was...

As Obamacare began its roll out last week, it is an opportune time to discuss the reality of Obamacare. In order to pay for the elderly, illegal immigrants and other low-income households, Obamacare raises taxes on wealthier Americans (wealth redistribution). In addition, Obamacare set a goal to get as many healthy young Americans enrolled as possible. In other words, enroll healthy young people who don’t want to pay for healthcare insurance. Even worse, Obamacare will charge hefty premiums to the healthy and lower premiums to others. According to a study by the American Action Forum, healthcare premiums for young people...

Local Mosque in the Hyde Park area of Leeds, England. The UK’s official religion is dwindling at a record speed, with the decline of the Church “approaching rock bottom,” experts warn. While Christian congregations age, most British mosques are bringing more and more young people on board. Public mosque services attract thousands of British Muslims, but when you check out a church, there are hardly a dozen participants at Sunday morning worship, RT’s Polly Boiko reports from London. “The decline of churches in the UK is long term, now it just happens to be approaching rock bottom. So 95...

Like the car salesman in National Lampoon’s Vacation (played by Eugene Levy) said: “You think you hate it now, but wait ’til you drive it!” The same applies to the Affordable Healthcare Act (aka, Obamacare). levycar The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (aka, Obamacare) may be the worst piece of legislation ever passed by Congress and signed by a President .. and that covers a lot of ground. Why is it so bad? For one, do you REALLY want government in charge of your healthcare? Other than that, Obamacare distorts the healthcare market enormously. See the American Action Forum...

Anti-bullying initiatives have become standard at schools across the country, but a new UT Arlington study finds that students attending those schools may be more likely to be a victim of bullying than children at schools without such programs. The findings run counter to the common perception that bullying prevention programs can help protect kids from repeated harassment or physical and emotional attacks.

Chris Conover takes to the pages of Forbes to discuss whether or not young people will take the plunge next year and buy health insurance as required by ObamaCare. His conclusion? Not if they’re smart. A recent study by the National Center for Public Policy Research shows that: About 3.7 million of those ages 18-34 will be at least $500 better off if they forgo insurance and pay the penalty.More than 3 million will be $1,000 better off if they go the same route. Consequently, many more will opt to pay the extremely modest tax rather than fork over many...

As we begin a new semester at George Mason University, it is an appropriate time to review the miserable lot for young men in the US. And young women as well. Let’s start with healthcare premiums under the “affordable” healthcare act. According to a study by the American Action Forum, healthcare premiums for young people will rise dramatically, particularly for young men. obamacare-premiums-620xa Homeownership for the young? And USA Today found that homeownership rates are falling most for people aged 25-34. ustodaymilen And 16-19 unemployment rates remain appallingly high. Higher than Detroit’s unemployment rate! And much higher than the national...

"What do we do about our kids?" The group of parents sat together in my office, wiping their eyes. I'm a high school pastor, but for once, they weren't talking about 16-year-olds drinking and partying. Each had a story to tell about a "good Christian" child, raised in their home and in our church, who had walked away from the faith during the college years. These children had come through our church's youth program, gone on short-term mission trips, and served in several different ministries during their teenage years. Now they didn't want anything to do with it anymore. And,...

I wanted to act since I was six years old, after seeing “Star Wars,” but my goals were more “wear a sweet costume and pretend to be cool” than “be famous.” So the fact that I was cast in the Nickelodeon sitcom “iCarly” at age 14 and catapulted into tween stardom was both an exciting and unexpected journey. When “iCarly” first started growing in popularity back in 2007, my castmates and I quickly felt the swell in attention. I started getting invited to movie premieres, designers were sending me clothes, old friends were reaching out, and I could no longer...

Computer games may have cut youth crime in Norway by as much as a quarter over the last decade, social research outfit Nova has argued on the release of Norway's latest crime statistics. Norway has seen a dramatic drop in youth crime over the last decade, according to figures from Statistics Norway released this week, with just 7.8 percent of 15-20 year olds charged with an offence in 2011, compared to 10.3 percent in 2002. "What we see is that young people spend more time in front of their screens, and this changes the conditions for youth crime," Nova's lead...

Unintended Consequences: How the “relevant” church and segregating youth is killing Christianity. I recently spent six-months doing a rotation as a hospital chaplain. One day I received a page (Yes, hospitals actually still use pagers). Chaplains are generally called to the rooms of people who look ill: People gray with kidney disease, or yellow with liver failure, discouraged amputees, nervous cancer patients. In this room, however, was a strikingly attractive 23 year-old young lady sitting up cheerfully in the hospital bed, holding her infant daughter and chatting with family and friends. Confused, I stepped outside and asked her nurse, “Why...

A (New) Lost Generation: As the media focus on a slight drop in unemployment, an ugly trend gets ignored: the declining participation of young Americans in the job market. We'll pay for this for decades to come. We keep hearing the job market is "improving" or even "solid," with 162,000 new positions created in July and unemployment falling to 7.4%, the lowest since 2008. But one group is sitting it out. And it's the one that most enthusiastically embraced Barack Obama in both of his presidential elections: America's young. Their unemployment rate is a shocking 16.1%. Increasingly, those ages 18...

As high schools and universities turn out more and more students (like George Mason University), I felt it was time to review the economic environment facing the young people in the US, aka “Millennials.” My conclusion? This is no country for young people. At least in the current state of affairs. Let’s start with healthcare premiums under the “affordable” healthcare act. According to a study by the American Action Forum, 45% of respondents who are currently covered report they would no longer purchase health insurance and would instead pay the penalty each year if their premium costs increase 30% in...