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The recent world spike in Covid-19 prompted the NHL on Wednesday to back out the Beijing Olympics, removing the world's best hockey players from the one of the Games' showcase sports. The National Hockey League had built in a Feb. 6-22 break from action to send its top players to Beijing, but Covid outbreaks throughout North America have put the sport on hold. Fifty NHL games have already been postponed and Commissioner Gary Bettman said sending players to Beijing "is no longer feasible."... ...“Certainly, the players and hockey fans are quite disappointed," he continued. "But playing a full 82-game season...

Join with fellow FREEPERS to pray for AMERICA: For those in Authority in Government, Family, Military, Business, Healthcare, Education, Churches, and the Media. I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone: for kings and all those in authority that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. ~ 1 Timothy 2:1-2 Religion Forum Threads labeled [Prayer] are closed to debate of any kind. A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord...

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission and Backcountry Hunters & Anglers will offer a free online squirrel hunting webinar on Jan. 6 from 7-8 p.m. Topics will include species habits, habitats, scouting, essential equipment, effective shot placement, hunting strategies, cleaning, cooking techniques and dish ideas. The class will conclude with an interactive question and answer session. “The webinar is open to all skill levels,” said R3 Hunting Specialist Walter “Deet” James. “However, it’s especially intended for people who have never hunted and lack access to a hunting mentor.” Space is limited and pre-registration online is required. Participants will receive a Zoom...

What the local sheriff called a "major industrial accident" led to a huge fire early Thursday at an ExxonMobil refinery in Baytown, Texas, near Houston. Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez tweeted that "initial reports indicated some type of explosion occurred inside the plant." He said there were apparently four people injured. Three were airlifted out and one was removed by ambulance. Gonzalez said there didn't appear to be any need for anyone to evacuate or shelter-in-place. ExxonMobil said in a statement that its "fire teams are working to extinguish the fire" and it was trying to account for everyone who...

A potential vaccine that would prevent the most deadly and aggressive type of breast cancer — triple-negative breast cancer — is undergoing testing. The key protein for the vaccine, which would be a "holy grail" of cancer treatment, was found through "a matter of luck and tenacity in going through databases and looking for proteins," Dr. Vincent Tuohy said, almost like finding a needle in a haystack. The vaccine works by jumpstarting the immune system and attacking any tumors that contain a specific protein that should not be present unless a woman is lactating. "Once we've established that we can...

Musk cited one of the headlines of the Babylon Bee, arguing that he did not meet the perversion requirements of the news outlet.“I’m not perverted enough, I guess,” the Tesla CEO added.

Texas A&M, the only team to beat No. 1 Alabama in 2021, suddenly ended its season on Wednesday by backing out of the Gator Bowl, citing injuries and a Covid-19 outbreak. The Aggies had been set to play Wake Forest a week from Friday at the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl in Jacksonville before making the unexpected announcement..... ...“It is unfortunate, but we just don’t have enough scholarship players available to field a team,” A&M Coach Jimbo Fisher said. Aggies Athletic Director Ross Bjork called the decision "heartbreaking" for everyone associated with the famed 12th Man program....

Two new British studies provide some early hints that the omicron variant of the coronavirus may be milder than the delta version. Scientists stress that even if the findings of these early studies hold up, any reductions in severity need to be weighed against the fact omicron spreads much faster than delta and is more able to evade vaccines. Sheer numbers of infections could still overwhelm hospitals. Still, the new studies released Wednesday seem to bolster earlier research that suggests omicron may not be as harmful as the delta variant, said Manuel Ascano Jr., a Vanderbilt University biochemist who studies...

Just like panettone, torrone is a classic of Italy at Christmas, that you’ll find in every household. But while panettone is almost a synonym of Milan, torrone is more ubiquitous, even if many associates it especially with Cremona. As we shall soon see, however, this Lombardy town is far from being the only place in the country making traditional, delicious nougat. But let’s begin, as always, with some history. The word “torrone” comes from the Latin verb, torrere, to toast or roast, which leads directly to the main ingredient of it, toasted nuts. Traditionally, hazelnuts are used, but almonds are...

You’ve probably seen the famous footage of Bigfoot — that grainy film from 1967 showing an apelike creature ambling through the California woods, casting a brief, leisurely glance at the camera before disappearing off screen. What an Illinois man saw last month was rather different. The creature he says he spotted outside the small town of Chandlerville, northwest of Springfield, was fast, athletic and massive, covering a two-lane road in two quick strides. It had incredibly long limbs and was covered in shiny black hair, the man said, and was gone almost before he could register what was happening. “It...

HONG KONG — Under the cover of darkness early Thursday, authorities in Hong Kong tore down a public sculpture dedicated to the victims of the Tiananmen Square massacre, accelerating a campaign to erase the crackdown from public recollection and stamp out dissent in a city that until recently was one of Asia’s freest. The 26-foot-tall artwork, known as the “Pillar of Shame,” had stood at the University of Hong Kong for nearly a quarter-century and honored the hundreds, if not thousands, of students and others killed on June 4, 1989, when the Chinese military crushed pro-democracy protests....

Many Brits appear to have put themselves into self-imposed lockdown to save their Christmases as Covid cases rates rocket. As Omicron rampages across the UK, causing consecutive days of record high Covid cases, some would seem to be taking matters into their own hands in the absence of tougher restrictions. In the days leading up to Christmas, shops, restaurants, pubs and more have struggled with cancellations as potential punters try to avoid the virus that would force them to not see loved ones on December 25. This led to some of the country's usually busiest streets, shops and restaurants being...

ANKARA, Turkey -- Turkish authorities have arrested an American diplomat working for the U.S. Consulate in Lebanon for allegedly providing a fake passport to a Syrian man, Turkey’s state-run news agency reported Wednesday. The Anadolu Agency said the suspect, identified by his initials D.J.K., was detained at Istanbul Airport on Nov. 11... ...Police later determined through an examination of security camera footage, that D.J.K. gave him the passport at the airport and the two also exchanged clothes...

@TheInsiderPaper NEW: Fauci says it’s recommended that you don't invite unvaccinated relatives over for the Christmas holidays

CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Florida authorities said they found cocaine and methamphetamine wrapped around a man's penis during a traffic stop, but the man denied the drugs were his. Pinellas County sheriff's deputies said they stopped a vehicle driving without its lights on at 4 a.m. last Saturday. WFLA-TV reports the driver was arrested on charges of DUI and marijuana possession....

This is the 'highly motivated' rookie cop whose raunchy lap dances at a New York Police Department Christmas party have thrown the department into turmoil. Glamorous Vera Mekuli, 26, gave at least two fellow officers a steamy time during the 44th precinct's party last week. Already Lt. Nick McGarry has been demoted to the transit bureau for allowing the junior officer to grind on him.

If you are the cautiously optimistic type, the news on the Omicron variant of COVID-19 has been largely positive so far — though, you’d never tell that from the media coverage. As RedState reported, South Africa’s hospitalization numbers actually dropped during their wave and cases are already tailing off.Meanwhile, in France, they are seeing people get less sick and those that are hospitalized are in the ICU for a shorter period of time. That’s more evidence pointing to a lack of virulence regarding Omicron. Even as it is more transmissible, it seems to be far less dangerous, presenting itself as...

"Admit to attempting to inject left wing political messages into new movie By all accounts, the new Matrix movie ‘Resurrections’ seems like one to steer clear of. With poor initial reviews, and now the revelations that woke writers have become bothered by ‘right wingers’ using the phrase ‘red pilled’ and have attempted to reclaim it by injecting their own political ideologies into the new script. ..."

A New York lawmaker has taken down a 6-year-old bill that would authorize the state to detain infected individuals and their contacts deemed a threat to public health during a pandemic, blaming “conspiracy theorists” of spreading misinformation about his proposal.The bill in question, known as A416, was first introduced by Assemblyman Nick Perry in 2015, nearly a year after the nationwide panic over a potential outbreak of Ebola in the United States. The Brooklyn Democrat said the measure was prompted by an incident in which a nurse refused to be placed in quarantine after returning from West Africa, where she’d...

DALLAS—Southwest Airlines has announced a new and exciting boarding procedure where passengers are given a deadly melee weapon and encouraged to sort it out themselves instead of bothering the flight crew. "We are thrilled to introduce this fun new way to board a plane," said a spokesperson for the airline. "Passengers will be offered a class of weapon based on their boarding group. 'A’ gets bladed weapons like daggers and axes, ‘B’ gets long-reach weapons like bo-staffs and baseball bats, and group ‘C’ gets whatever is leftover—like brass knuckles or nunchucks, maybe a sharpened toothbrush if they’re lucky. EarlyBird flyers...