Free Republic

The Omicron variant’s economic impact will depend heavily upon how consumers feel about it. From homebuying to shopping to hiring, everything hinges on whether U.S. households fear the virus enough to halt the activities that have permitted the economy to reopen, or if they are learning to live with the ongoing pandemic. Households curbing vacation plans and shifting back to online buying would send ripple effects throughout the U.S. economy, slowing both economic growth and job gains of in-person service sectors. Moreover, inflationary pressures could worsen if these factors led U.S. households to demand more goods, but foreign manufacturers were...

Rep. Tom Rice (R-S.C.) told Politico on Wednesday he wishes he had certified the electoral votes of several states that voted for President Biden in the 2020 presidential election. “In retrospect I should have voted to certify,” Rice reportedly said. “Because President Trump was responsible for the attack on the Capitol." The South Carolina Republican alleged that Trump “did nothing to stop” the attack on Jan. 6 and looked on at the unfolding events “with pride,” and from afar, Politico reported. Rice told the news outlet that he only voted against certifying the electoral votes of several states because he...

One of the dual digital computer units (DCU) in the engine controller for the number four RS-25, Engine 2060, stopped responding beginning on November 23. All four controllers were being powered up for Program Specific Engineering Testing (PSET) on the SLS Core Stage, which is stacked with the full Artemis 1 vehicle in High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. The dual channels on all four controller units powered up successfully on November 12 during other checkout testing prior to the failure on the 23rd. The engine controller units (ECU)...

A new study finds the magnetic field generated by a tsunami can be detected a few minutes earlier than changes in sea level and could improve warnings of these giant waves. Tsunamis generate magnetic fields as they move conductive seawater through the Earth's magnetic field. Researchers previously predicted that the tsunami's magnetic field would arrive before a change in sea level, but they lacked simultaneous measurements of magnetics and sea level that are necessary to demonstrate the phenomenon. The new study provides real-world evidence for using tsunamis' magnetic fields to predict the height of tsunami waves using data from two...

Up to 1 December this year side effects center Lareb has received more than 17,000 reports of menstrual disorders after corona vaccinations. It concerns a variety of complaints, such as heavy or delayed menstruation. Reporters generally indicate that menstruation after vaccination is different than before. Most of the reports were about heavy periods (about 4500 times), followed by delayed periods (3200 times), irregular periods (3000 times) and bleeding in between (3000 times)...

As COVID-19 cases continue to rise across the country, Michigan football is taking a step as a team to get ahead of the virus. Offensive lineman Andrew Stueber told reporters on Tuesday that the players will get their COVID-19 boosters on Wednesday in an effort to keep as many players available against Georgia in the College Football Playoff as possible, describing it as a “full-team booster shot,” per the Detroit Free Press.

Motus in fine velocior (2) - "With a Divisive, Useless, and Unjust Persecution, the Francis Crisis is Gathering Even More Speed" - by Roberto de Mattei by Roberto de MatteiOn February 11, 2014, one year after the day on which Benedict XVI made known his decision to resign from the pontificate, I published an article entitled Motus in fine velocior to signal the beginning of a dizzying acceleration of time’s pace, starting with the resignation of Benedict and the election of Pope Francis on March 13, 2013. Benedict XVI reigned from April 19, 2005, to February 28, 2013, seven...

[Catholic Caucus] IMPORTANT ARTICLE: LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS ON THE RESPONSA ON TRADITIONIS CUSTODES - "Congregation cannot make authoritative interpretations. Juridical status of document highly questionable, does not have legally binding force." On 18 December 2021, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments (CDWDS) issued a peculiar document, a "Responsa ad dubia" regarding the 16 July 2021 motu proprio of Pope Francis, Traditionis Custodes. At the outset, some formal considerations on this document must be stressed. The main lines of the competencies of the CDWDS can be found as sketched in Pastor Bonus, the 28 June 1988...

A top South African doctor tells Israeli television that the Omicron variant appears much less deadly than the Delta strain of coronavirus. "People are not dying as you have seen with Delta," Dr. Angelique Coetzee says in an interview with Kan public broadcaster. "Delta---it's totally different." Coetzee, who heads the South African Medical Association, says cases have begun declining since December 9. "We don't see that doubling or increase we had seen right in the beginning," she says. "Maybe it will be a different picture in the rest of the world but for now the caseloads in the hospitals are...

I have a question - it's probably 'dumb' to those who know about these things, but I once received a lot of good information on modern lightbulbs, here; so I'll try. We bought a new shower head today. I have long hair, and need a higher-pressure one to wash it. We usually remove the 'flow restrictor' (so, arrest me!) but this one claims to have a 'flow regulator'. What, if anything, is the difference between a regulator and restrictor? Thanks for any help. P.S.: We saw a really nice Christmas movie tonight - 'The Christmas Candle': https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Christmas_Candle

“When the shepherd becomes a wolf, the flock must defend itself”: Dr. Michael Fiedrowicz The following essay by the eminent patrologist and scholar of the Roman liturgy, Michael Fiedrowicz, discusses classical theologians on the right of resistance to the abuse of ecclesiastical authority. It was written prior to the release of the CDW document but in anticipation of it. First published in IK-Nachrichten of Pro Santa Ecclesia, December 2021/January 2022, the translation appears exclusively at Rorate Caeli.—PAKSaints Athanasius & Cyril“When the Shepherd Becomes a Wolf, the Flock Must Defend Itself”Prof. Dr. Michael FiedrowiczExpect the worstIt is part of the...

All I want for Christmas is . . . . .

EXCLUSIVE: Bishop Schneider on Latest Vatican Crackdown on Tradition ROME, December 22, 2021 (The Remnant)—In his first print interview since the release of the Responsa ad dubia (“Response to doubts”) on certain provisions of Pope Francis’ Traditionis Custodes by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Bishop Athanasius Schneider has said the new document “needlessly reopens” old wounds in the Church, “borders on mockery,” and betrays a “hostile inflexibility” towards Catholics attached to the traditional liturgy of the Roman Rite. “Remarkably, we are witnessing an intransigent Inquisition-like method being employed in a pontificate that has...

This initiative of the Diocese of Rome results from the Pope’s desire to enhance the cultural heritage entrusted to his protection.Picutres of the Palazzo Lateranense in Rome now open to the public. (photo: Daniel Ibanez/Solène Tadié / EWTN)ROME — Starting Dec. 13, pilgrims as well as art and history lovers are now able to access the Lateran Palace, a high place of the history of Christianity in Rome. Adjacent to the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran, the Cathedral Church of Rome and the seat of the pope as the bishop of Rome, the palace served as the residence of popes...

CNN medical analyst Dr. Leana Wen said Wednesday on CNN’s “Newsroom” that President Joe Biden should “go further” in placing restrictions on Americans who have not gotten COVID vaccines. Wen said, “I think what we will see with Omicron is a very large number of infections due to Covid-19.”

Bill Gates said he called off his holiday plans as the omicron variant ushers in what he predicts could be the "worst part of the pandemic." He also predicted, however, that the current surge in COVID-19 cases could be over within months, and the pandemic itself may end next year “if we take the right steps.”“Just when it seemed like life would return to normal, we could be entering the worst part of the pandemic,” he tweeted on Tuesday. "Omicron will hit home for all of us. Close friends of mine now have it, and I’ve canceled most of my...

'I consider that it is our duty to participate in the collective effort to avoid the further spread of the coronavirus," said Cardinal Lacroix.QUEBEC CITY (LifeSiteNews) — The Archdiocese of Quebec City announced that in light of the recent resurgence in COVID hysteria, all Christmas Masses are cancelled. The archbishop of Quebec City, Cardinal Gérald C. Lacroix, announced Wednesday that as part of the “fight against” COVID-19, all public Masses starting from midnight December 23 to January 10 are canceled. According to the statement, the only exception will be for funerals. “Given the seriousness of the health situation, in consultation...

I’ve been haunting youTube quite a lot for a good while, and I first happened onto Suzanne Venker, and posted a thread How to Get Hitched (and Stay Hitched): A 12-Step Program for Marriage-Minded Women about her anti-feminist podcasts. The latest guru in that cause, tho, is someone Suzanne Venker interviewed - Alison Armstrong. She has a super positive message.

The World Health Organisation (W.H.O.) warned Tuesday there is too much at stake to celebrate Christmas this year, cautioning it is better to either cancel or postpone the annual festivities than risk the death of a loved one. W.H.O. director-general and Ethiopian biologist Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told journalists in Geneva the “fastest way” to “get back to normal” is for people to cancel or delay Christmas events, the Daily Mail reports. Dr Ghebreyesu continued to say, “an event cancelled is better than a life cancelled. It’s better to cancel now and celebrate later than to celebrate now and grieve...

Official statistics show that 51% of the general population adheres to Christianity, more women than men. London is the most religiously diverse region in the UK.The number of people who define themselves as Christians in England and Wales has fallen to 51%, a 8% decrease since the 2011 census. New data published by the Office for National Statistics shows that while 71.4% of women and 61% of men aged between 60 and 69 adhere to Christianity, the number falls to 35% when young people aged between 20 and 29 are asked. “No religion” is now the most common answer among...