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I spent eight years in Japan, living as the less affluent Japanese do in a small, noisy, and cold apartment, with no car, and eating mostly rice, noodles, vegetables, and fish. It was a simple lifestyle, difficult in some ways but clean and healthy. I was on foot, climbing stairs and climbing hills, working a lot, and spending my days off in the botanical garden or just hanging out by the river, where there were benches and some open space and relative peace and quiet. When I returned to the USA, I thought I was lucky, and in most ways,...

SHEDAI CAMP, Afghanistan (AP) — In a sprawling settlement of mud brick huts in western Afghanistan housing people displaced by drought and war, a woman is fighting to save her daughter. Aziz Gul’s husband sold their 10-year-old into marriage without telling his wife, taking a down-payment so he could feed his family of five children. Otherwise, he told her, they would all starve. He had to sacrifice one to save the rest. Many of Afghanistan’s growing number of destitute people are making such desperate decisions as their nation spirals into a vortex of poverty. Afghanistan’s aid-dependent economy was already teetering...

I do not write this article for the typical American Thinker reader. Like me, the typical reader already recoils in revulsion and fear about the direction this country and world are heading. I write instead for the Leftist sappers and monitors who watch what comes out in American Thinker either to pounce on it in trolling comments or simply report back to their overseers. I want us all to engage in a New Year’s Day mental exercise and extrapolate where we will be—not as a country but as a culture—in 20 years. In that span, patriot conservatives may win a...

A Cleveland police officer was shot dead early Friday evening in a carjacking incident while he was off duty, according to reports. Responding officers soon located the stolen vehicle and took a suspect into custody, FOX 8 of Cleveland reported. Neither the slain officer – who was shot twice -- nor the suspect were immediately identified....

January 1st, 2021 St. Florian's chapel, Sanok, Poland Readings at MassLiturgical Colour: White First readingNumbers 6:22-27 ©They are to call down my name on the sons of Israel, and I will bless themThe Lord spoke to Moses and said, ‘Say this to Aaron and his sons: “This is how you are to bless the sons of Israel. You shall say to them: May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord let his face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord uncover his face to you and bring you peace.”This is how they are...

Moderate GOP state Rep. Alonzo Baldonado (R-Valencia) announced his abrupt resignation, according to reports from the Valencia County News-Bulletin and KRQE 13. Baldonado reportedly said it’s “time to turn the page,” making today, Friday, Dec. 31, his last day as a legislator. “The politics can be very stressful, but after the session, you go have dinner with people,” he said. “That’s something I don’t think people know exists. They think, ‘Oh he’s a Republican and she’s a Democrat.’ We can get along. It’s not rocket science. It’s about personalities and relationships,” he told the News-Bulletin. After the abrupt announcement, far-left...

At least 393,810 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been wasted in Wisconsin since the vaccines became available in December 2020, according to state DHS numbers reviewed... **SNIP** Health officials attribute vaccine waste to vials or syringes being broken or lost, vials being opened but not fully used, and doses being drawn into syringes but not administered. Still, this level of waste isn’t limiting the number of available doses, as the state has plenty of vaccines available according to the Department of Health Services. The agency has been urging providers to prioritize getting people vaccinated over avoiding waste, so some clinics might...

Tony Blair, the Duchess of Cornwall, and Baroness Amos are to be appointed as members of the Order of the Garter, England's oldest and most senior order of chivalry. The former prime minister now becomes known as Sir Tony. The appointments are the personal choice of the Queen, with up to 24 "knight and lady companions". Baroness Amos, a former Labour cabinet minister, becomes the first black member of the order. The ceremonial order, founded in 1348, is a recognition of significant public service, made as the personal gift of the monarch. Mr Blair becomes Sir Tony from 1 January,...

Former President Trump is touting his administration's work in developing life-saving COVID-19 vaccines, putting him at odds with a portion of his base that is skeptical or opposed to the vaccines. Trump in a speech and in a recent interview with conservative pundit Candice Owens defended his administration's work in developing the vaccines, suggesting it is a landmark achievement from his years in office for which he deserves credit. “I came up with a vaccine, with three vaccines,” Trump told Owens. “All are very, very good. Came up with three of them in less than nine months. It was supposed...

Dec 30 (Reuters) - Coronavirus deaths in Eastern Europe topped 1 million on Thursday, according to a Reuters tally, as the Omicron variant threatened to batter the region. Three out of the five countries reporting the highest number of daily deaths in Europe are from the East, including Russia, Poland and Ukraine, Reuters data through Thursday showed.... ...The region includes Belarus, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia and Ukraine... ...Relatively few cases of Omicron have been detected in Eastern Europe...

Video here => https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=V6ze-nVh2Bs

Though child COVID-19 hospitalizations remain much lower than adult levels, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data showed that the number of children hospitalized for the virus increased last week by 58 percent over the previous week. The CDC said that between December 21 and December 27, an average of 334 children under the age of 17 had to be admitted to hospitals each day. This is the highest peak since September. During the same December period, about 9,400 people of all ages were hospitalized with the virus per day, meaning that despite the increase in kids' hospitalizations, children...

The Biden administration has affirmed a Trump administration interpretation of high-level radioactive waste that is based on the waste’s radioactivity rather than how it was produced. The U.S. Department of Energy announcement last week means some radioactive waste from nuclear weapons production stored in Idaho, Washington and South Carolina could be reclassified and moved for permanent storage elsewhere.... ...The Biden administration's affirmation of the new interpretation came after various groups offered letters of support and opposition to the agency after Biden became president, leading to the notice in the Federal Register making clear where the administration stood....

Two top-ranking officers on a U.S. Navy vessel were relieved of duty on Thursday due to a "loss of confidence in their ability to command," the Navy announced. Cmdr. Richard J. Zamberlan and Cmdr. Phillip Lundberg of the USS Montgomery both lost their posts in an unusual move by Navy leadership to remove both the commanding officer and executive officer. ...

Donald and Melania Trump returned to the New Year's Eve party at Mar-a-Lago after skipping last year's lavish gala in the wake of his election defeat. Sources close to the former president had told DailyMail.com Friday that he was expected to attend this year's black-tie gathering and attendees posted shots of the former first couple at the gala before midnight. Trump was in a tuxedo, with wife Melania in a shimmering silver gown.

On New Year's Eve millions of people around the world link hands when they sing Auld Lang Syne. Now research from the University of Edinburgh has revealed the origins of the Hogmanay tradition are connected to freemasonry. Singing with arms crossed and hands joined was a parting ritual at many Masonic lodges. Musicologist Dr Morag Grant discovered the connection in the archives at Glasgow's Mitchell Library.... ..."Auld Lang Syne's sentiments didn't just resonate with Freemasons," she said. "Some of the earliest reports of the song's use at parting come from American college graduations in the 1850s."... ...The song had already...

"Two things are undoubtedly true in Washington, D.C.: 1. Many people are scared of the omicron wave, and 2. There are not nearly enough COVID tests to meet the demand. This combination has created a problem that may end up having deadly consequences: Emergency Rooms packed with patients who are there solely to get a COVID test. According to the Washington Post, D.C. area hospitals are begging the public to stop. "Do not come to the hospital looking to get tested," a spokesman for the University of Maryland Charles Regional Medical Center told the Post. The spokesperson said that the...

"Once the factory is running in 2024 or 2025, another 85 million more tests can be produced each month The Biden administration has signed a $137 million contract with a pharmaceutical company for the purpose of building a factory for COVID-19 test strip materials, a White House official confirmed to FOX Business on Wednesday. But the new facility will not start churning out the materials for three years, according to the company. If the timeline is correct, the deal will not alleviate the administration's scramble to make more tests available in the near future amid a lack of supply for...

The HD-remastered classic ‘60s crime universe of Gotham City’s fiercest fighter, Batman, comes to life with Robin, Catwoman, the Joker and more.