Free Republic

Many of us may find we have acquired too many possessions that clutter our living spaces, but refuse to part with things "in case we might need them". Although having too much stuff is something many of us can relate to, for some people, a persistent difficulty parting with possessions can become a problem: hoarding. When these tendencies significantly impair somebody's quality of life, this leads to a condition called hoarding disorder. Curiously, understanding how hoarding manifests and how it relates to other difficulties in everyday life has not received much attention until recently. Only in 2013 was hoarding disorder...

Workers at Target stores and distribution centers in places like New York, where competition for finding and hiring staff is the fiercest, could see starting wages as high as $24 an hour this year. The Minneapolis-based discount retailer said Monday that it will adopt minimum wages that range from $15 to $24 an hour, with the highest pay going to hires in the most competitive markets. It currently pays a universal starting wage of $15 an hour.

Sanctions on Russia are ‘for losers'; chances of Fed tightening just tanked - Steve Hanke

MELBOURNE, Australia (LifeSiteNews) —The Victorian government has opened its $200 million quarantine camp at Mickleham in Melbourne’s north. The government is claiming it will be used to replace hotels and become Victoria’s only quarantine site from April. It says the first cohort of “unvaccinated international travellers” has been checked in. If there is one clear message from the behaviour of the Victorian government over the last two years, it is that nothing it says can be taken at face value. Either the quarantine camps are a waste of money or there is a darker motive. As someone who has spent...

As Joe Biden heads off to Delaware for the weekend, the Biden administration is preparing to send US Border Patrol agents to Poland in order “to assist” with processing the wave of Ukrainian citizens who are fleeing the country following Russia’s ongoing assault. Yes, really. Despite millions of invaders pouring across the US Southern Border since he took office, including hundreds of thousands of illegals every month, Biden is depleting our already severely understaffed Border to the frontlines of Ukraine. On Thursday, the US Customs and Border Patrol office of field operations sent a memo to agents asking for volunteers...

The head of MI6, who includes his preferred pronouns in his Twitter bio, faced backlash for suggesting that a large part of the war in Ukraine was about “LGBT+ rights.” Yes, really. Richard Moore (he/him), leader of Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service, made the comments in a Twitter thread. “With the tragedy and destruction unfolding so distressingly in Ukraine, we should remember the values and hard won freedoms that distinguish us from Putin, none more than LGBT+ rights. So let’s resume our series of tweets to mark #LGBTHM2022,” he wrote. Introducing P: “I had to move for the job when I...

Ukrainian MP... "We are fighting for the New World Order."

MANCHESTER, N.H. — New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu signed an executive order Saturday directing the state Liquor and Wine Outlets to remove Russian-made and branded spirits. Sununu said the move is mainly symbolic, but the Russian liquor industry could be impacted if other states follow New Hampshire's lead. "We see whats happening. People are losing their lives," Sununu said. "It's unprovoked aggression, and if we can get New Hampshire to do their part and take these products off of the Russian shelves—I dont know anyone buying that garbage right now, frankly—its a good thing and its a step we can...

- The Washington Times - Monday, February 28, 2022 Law enforcement officials in Washington, D.C., have reinstalled a perimeter fence around the U.S. Capitol “out of an abundance of caution” ahead of President Biden’s State of the Union speech on Tuesday night. The barrier, which mirrors the structure erected in the aftermath of the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol, features a metal fence with concrete barricades. The decision to resurrect the security measure was made by the U.S Capitol Police in consultation with the Secret Service and comes amid concerns that demonstrations or trucker convoys headed toward the...

Donald Trump holds a large lead of 52 points in a potential Republican primary, according to a Harvard/Harris poll released Sunday. Polling at 63 percent, Trump leads his nearest potential competitor, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), by 52 points. DeSantis polled at 11 percent with Trump in the potential 2024 field. Mike Pence came in at ten percent, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) at three percent, Mike Pompeo at two percent, Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) at one percent, and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) at one percent.

Nigeria's government has condemned reports that its citizens, and those of other African countries, have been stopped from leaving war-torn Ukraine. Isaac, a Nigerian man trying to get into Poland, said border staff told him they were "not tending to Africans". "We've been chased back, we've been hit with police armed with sticks," he told the BBC. South African foreign office official Clayson Monyela also said students had been "badly treated" at the border. There have also been numerous reports of Ukrainian security officials preventing Africans from catching buses and trains going to the border. Osemen, from Nigeria, told the...

Joe Biden is nowhere to be found on the world stage. As the Russia and Ukraine conflict continues to rage on Joe Biden remains in Delaware. From Fox News: President Biden remains at his private home in Delaware as the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues to escalate. Russian President Vladimir Putin raised the alert status for his nuclear forces to “special regime of combat duty” as Russia and Ukraine battle for the fourth day. Putin ordered the Russian defense minister and the chief of the military’s General Staff to put the nuclear deterrent forces in a “special regime of combat...

The state of New York will lift its school mask mandate on Wednesday, marking a potential end to the Empire State’s coronavirus restrictions. Citing recent guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) said that much of the state can be classified as “low risk,” setting the stage for new policies. Counties with high rates of transmission will be allowed to determine their own set of policies.

Oh Atlanta! Fed, that is. The Atlanta Fed GDPNow Q1 real-time GDP index fell to 0.631%. And the Atlanta Fed REAL wage tracker fell to -2.38 growth. Volatility reigns supreme on the energy front (look at NYM Dubai crude AVAT!) And coal is up 18.68% this morning. Here is a map of gas and oil pipelines in Europe.

Feb 28 (Reuters) - Russia has a system that can replace the SWIFT international payments system internally, Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina said on Monday, stressing the need to support clients of banks. Nabiullina said all banks in Russia will fulfil their obligations and all funds on their accounts are secured.

Switzerland's historic neutrality is no longer: moments ago Reuters reported that the Swiss government had joined the EU in adopting sanctions on Russia, freezing assets of targeted companies and people effective immediately:SWISS GOVERNMENT SAYS ADOPTS EU SANCTIONS ON RUSSIASWISS GOVERNMENT SAYS FREEZES ASSETS OF TARGETED PEOPLE AND COMPANIES EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELYSWISS GOVERNMENT SAYS ADOPTS FINANCIAL SANCTIONS AGAINST PRESIDENT PUTIN AND OTHER RUSSIAN OFFICIALSSwiss President Ignazio Cassis said that adopting the EU sanctions against Russia was a unique, difficult step that required careful consideration. Previously, on Sunday, he said that Switzerland’s neutrality must be preserved and it stood ready to offer its...

This is not original with me but relayed by a Christian minister from a Russian brother in Christ.

Kepler-16b Artist’s impression of Kepler-16b, the first planet known to definitively orbit two stars – what’s called a circumbinary planet. The planet, which can be seen in the foreground, was discovered by NASA’s Kepler mission. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/T. Pyle ********************************************************************************* Study proves ground-based telescopes can search for planets with two suns. Astronomers have used a new technique to confirm a real-life Tatooine, the fictional planet with two suns that was home to Luke Skywalker in “Star Wars.” The planet, Kepler-16b, is about 245 light years from Earth, is a gas giant, and is roughly the size of Saturn. Scientists already knew...

There are times when a church attendance plateau is a victory. I believe many churches are in a season of stagnation, and it’s not all bad.But first, a few caveats.Stagnation is not the goal, but a plateau can point to a future growth climb. Also, churches can be in denial about declines. Leaders should never ignore problems.The first step on the plateau is to recognize where you are. Unfortunately, churches and leaders can tend to lack self-awareness. Don’t call declines a plateau. The definition of being on a plateau is an extended season of not growing or declining. Be self-aware....

Former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Mike McFaul on Monday weighed in on the possibility of a coup from Russia’s military leaders and those closest to Russian President Vladimir Putin in response to the ramped-up aggression toward Ukraine. McFaul told MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” that Putin has been “isolated forever” and “doesn’t have people around him that he listens to.” He advised that for the first time ever with Putin leading Russia, people are hoping there would be a coup to stop him and remove him from power.