Free Republic

China's military expansion, especially of its naval fleet, has received worldwide attention. As impressive as those ships are, China's leaders may not rely on them to recapture Taiwan. Lyle Goldstein is director of Asia Engagement at Defense Priorities and a former research professor at the US Naval War College. In December, two Chinese carrier battle groups went to sea simultaneously for the first time. They did so only weeks after the Chinese Navy's newest large helicopter carrier began its sea trials. These are major milestones for the PLA Navy, which is clearly advancing quickly in all respects. Yet they may...

An upstate New York school district has pulled the classic winter tune “Jingle Bells” from the music curriculum at an elementary school over concerns that it may have first been performed in Boston at a minstrel show in which white performers donned blackface. On December 23, the Rochester Beacon first reported that the Brighton Central School District nixed James L. Pierpont’s song from the curriculum at Council Rock Primary School. The school’s principal Matt Tappon told the Rochester Beacon via email that it was being replaced with tunes without “the potential to be controversial or offensive.” Officials with the district,...

Rep. Peter Meijer said Sunday that the Republican Party has “no other option” than to rally behind former President Donald Trump. “There was no alternative. There was no other path,” said Mr. Meijer, Michigan Republican, on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” Mr. Meijer, one of 10 House Republicans who voted last year to impeach Mr. Trump over the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, said that President Biden’s far-left agenda has kept Republicans in the Trump camp. During the 2020 campaign, Mr. Biden “said he would be moderate and look for bipartisan solutions,” said Mr. Meijer. “But then after —...

Matthew Ch. 1 1 The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. 2 Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren; 3 And Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar; and Phares begat Esrom; and Esrom begat Aram; 4 And Aram begat Aminadab; and Aminadab begat Naasson; and Naasson begat Salmon; 5 And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse; 6 And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been...

Looking to build a house? Lumber prices tell you what direction prices are headed.After hitting record highs near $1700 the price of lumber crashed below $500. The respite didn't last long. Lumber closed December at $1127.70. Historically, the normal price would be in the range $250 to $400. That makes lumber about 3 times higher than what builders are used to paying. Builders will pass on these hikes as well as the price of labor and other materials. And land prices are out of sight in many areas. Not InflationEconomists say this isn't inflation. And none of it is in...

Abstract Background: There is a recognized need to determine influenza vaccine effectiveness on an annual basis and a long history of studying respiratory illnesses in households. Methods: We recruited 328 households with 1441 members, including 839 children, and followed them during the 2010-2011 influenza season. Specimens were collected from subjects with reported acute respiratory illnesses and tested by real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. Receipt of influenza vaccine was defined based on documented evidence of vaccination in medical records or an immunization registry. The effectiveness of 2010-2011 influenza vaccination in preventing laboratory-confirmed influenza was estimated using Cox proportional hazards models...

A ‘booming’ start to 2022 was felt in the Pittsburgh Region on New Year’s Day after officials from the National Weather Service (NWS) believe a meteor exploded in the atmosphere. Residents across suburban Pittsburgh heard a loud boom and what felt like an earthquake on Saturday around lunchtime. Allegheny County officials reported an influx of 911 calls about the disturbance. Allegheny County 9-1-1 has received reports of a loud boom, shaking in the South Hills and other reports. We have confirmed that there was no seismic activity and no thunder/lightning. At this point, we have no explanation for the reports,...

President Biden and Vice President Harris will speak on Thursday to mark the anniversary of the insurrection at the Capitol, the White House announced Sunday. The White House had previously indicated it would mark the anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack at the Capitol but had not provided details. Hundreds of pro-Trump rioters stormed the complex that day, overwhelming law enforcement and seeking to stop the certification of Biden's electoral victory.

Full Title: Are some people naturally Covid-proof? Scientists around the world are studying the phenomenon of health workers and others who are regularly exposed to the disease but have yet to become infected Mounting evidence that people are naturally resistant to Covid and its mutations One theory is that they have previously recovered from different coronaviruses Experts hope they can help create variant-proof vaccine to keep Covid at bay It's a common yet curious tale: a household hit by Covid, but one family member never tests positive or gets so much as a sniffle. As infections continue to soar in...

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) has reportedly resumed negotiations with the White House on President Joe Biden’s “Build Back Better” agenda after essentially torpedoing it before the Christmas break. According to Axios, sources confirmed that the senator has reportedly engaged with the White House “on the climate and child care provisions” in the president’s signature piece of legislation “if the White House removes the enhanced child tax credit from the $1.75 trillion package — or dramatically lowers the income caps for eligible families.”

A historic chapter in NATO’s Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) comes to an end as the F-16 Fighting Falcon flies last mission on January 6 and Bodø Air Base shuts down. Fighter jets have been stationed at Bodø since 1955 and the air base was Norway’s most important throughout the Cold War and until today. Located some 80 km inside the Arctic Circle, Bodø is strategically placed on the coast to the Norwegian Sea and in short flying distance to guard the northern air space against Russian military aviation flying out from the Kola Peninsula. The closure of the air base...

An 82-year-old cancer survivor died from COVID-19 after catching the virus from a friend who hid their infection so they could all get together and play cards, her family alleges. Barb Bartolovich, of Ohio, was vaccinated against the virus and took strict safety precautions, including only socializing with people who were also vaccinated. Her granddaughter, Lauren Nash, of Michigan, claims Bartolovich decided to attend a card game after all invitees claimed to be vaccinated. However, one attendee allegedly failed to disclose were sick with COVID. 'Somebody decided that testing positive for COVID is something they can hide,' Nash told WXYZ....

Norway' Minister of Defense, Frank Bakke-Jensen, on Friday signed an agreement with the United States allowing for, among other things, construction of hangar and fuel supply infrastructure for U.S. Navy P-8A maritime patrol aircraft at Evenes airport and the nearby Ramsund naval station. “This agreement will strengthen the United States and NATO’s possibilities to defend Norway,” said Minister of Defense, Frank Bakke-Jensen in a phone interview with the Barents Observer. The new deal widens the opening for transatlantic military cooperation further. At Evenes airport, inside the Arctic Circle, new infrastructure will be built and paid by the United States, aimed...

A nurse who spent 28 days in a Covid coma fighting for her life has been saved after medics gave her Viagra. Mother-of-two Monica Almeida, 37, from Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, was just three days away from having her ventilator turned off. Mrs Almeida was given the erectile dysfunction drug by her colleagues at Lincoln County Hospital. The ‘miracle’ drug caused her condition to improve in just a week and the level of oxygen she needed to drop by half as it opened up her airwaves. 'I had a little joke with the consultant after I came round because I knew him....

DnaNudge is an Imperial College London spinout company whose founder and CEO is a professor at Imperial College. At the end of December 2020 in response to complaints from its customers, who at the time was mainly the NHS, DnaNudge admitted a final Covid diagnosis should consider symptoms and not rely on the test result alone.A list of field safety notices (“FSNs”) from medical device manufacturers is maintained by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (“MHRA”). In a previous article we attached a list of 24 FSNs relating to “SARS” devices between 1 January and 30 November 2021 –...

A pro-abortion think tank is decrying 2021 as “the worst year” for abortion rights in nearly 50 years as dozens of laws aimed at restricting access to abortion have passed at the state level in 2021. The Guttmacher Institute, a pro-choice research organization formerly affiliated with Planned Parenthood, released a report earlier this month titled “State Policy Trends 2021: The Worst Year for Abortion Rights in Almost Half a Century.”The report is the latest of several Guttmacher Institute publications highlighting the passage of numerous laws at the state level this year, which the organization and other pro-choice advocates characterize as...

The Monthly Fiber Arts Thread is a monthly gathering of people that love yarn and fabric of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first project, to experienced fiber artists and beyond, we would love to hear from you. It is impossible to hijack the Monthly Fiber Arts Thread. Knitting, crochet, quilting, weaving, general crafting - there is no telling where it will go, and that is part of the fun and interest. Jump in and join us! Send a Private Message to Diana in Wisconsin if you'd like to be added to our Fiber Arts...

The Diocese of Arlington’s former director for the Office of Child Protection, Father Terry Specht, was indicted last week on two charges of sexual abuse. A grand jury in Virginia indicted Specht Dec. 20 on one count of aggravated sexual battery of a child under the age of 13 and one count of sexual abuse of a child over whom a custodial or supervisory relationship existed. Michael Kelly, Chief of Staff for the office of Virginia’s attorney general, Mark Herring, told CNA that the maximum penalty for the first count is 20 years in prison, and five for the second....

Two space scholars have warned that astronauts may turn to cannibalism if humans do not prepare enough for the rigors of colonizing outer space. Dr. Cameron Smith, a co-founder of Pacific Spaceflight, agreed that it will prove vital to “establish a really good farming system and put in a lot of stored food.” The professors argued for different target locations for such colonies, with Cockell electing for moons around Jupiter and Saturn and Smith suggesting that the asteroid belt might provide the best potential.

Moscow, December 29, Interfax - An inter-factional working group for the protection of Christian values is being created at the State Duma, a source at the parliament told Interfax. "The group for the protection of Christian values is being created. The purpose of its creation is consolidating the efforts of parliamentarians and the Russian Orthodox Church in legislative work and upholding traditional values," the source said. Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia has given his blessing to the creation and activities of the group, the source said. State Duma Deputy Speaker Pyotr Tolsoy of the United Russia faction is...