Free Republic

Asian refiners and traders expect top crude exporter Saudi Arabia to once again hike significantly the prices of its crude going to Asia in May to a record premium over the Middle Eastern benchmarks, a Bloomberg survey showed on Tuesday. The soaring oil prices and the “buyers’ strike” over purchasing Russian crude could be an opportunity for Russia’s key ally in the OPEC+ pact, OPEC’s de facto leader Saudi Arabia, to hike its official selling prices (OSPs) to another all-time high over the Oman/Dubai benchmark, off which Middle Eastern crude is priced in Asia. Per the Bloomberg survey of five...

Karey Burke said at an all-hands meeting that she spoke as a mother and a corporate leader advocating for more inclusive Disney characters She defended company for its LGBTQIA characters, but promised to bring more Her comments came after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signing the 'Don't say gay' bill into law Disney television animation executive producer Latoya Raveneau said everyone supported her 'not-at-all secret gay agenda' Disney partner Nadine Smith, co-founder of Equality Florida said the goal of the Republican bill was to take children from their parents Disney theme parks no longer assume that little girls want to be...

Psychiatric News is the official publication of the American Psychiatric Association (APA). The publication recently reported on the annual election of officers of the APA, featuring the new president-elect, Petros Levounis, M.D. The article reports Dr. Levounis's priorities and that "he plans to do the following: Amplify the psychiatrist's voice on critical social issues, such as systemic racism, homophobia, and climate change." Let's deconstruct this trinity of social issues, which are of paramount concern to the incoming leader of American psychiatrists. Systemic racism. A senseless term that alleges race-based enmity in "the system." What system? There is no major organization...

Senator Susan Collins of Maine plans to vote to confirm Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court, ensuring that President Biden’s nominee and the first Black woman to be put forward for the post will receive at least one Republican backer. After a second personal meeting with the judge on Tuesday afternoon, Ms. Collins said Judge Jackson had alleviated some concerns that surfaced after last week’s contentious Senate Judiciary Committee hearings, when Republicans attacked the nominee for her record and grilled her on a host of divisive issues.

Beijing (AFP) – Beijing and Moscow advanced a vision of a new world order Wednesday as Russia's foreign minister made his first visit to key ally China since the invasion of Ukraine. Sergei Lavrov landed in the eastern city of Huangshan early Wednesday for a series of meetings about the future of Afghanistan. But Russia's bloody assault on Ukraine is likely to loom large over proceedings. Beijing has refused to condemn the invasion and has provided a level of diplomatic cover for an increasingly isolated Russia. US officials have accused China of signalling "willingness" to provide military and economic aid...

In a recent article about the intricacies of passing a Constitutional Carry bill in Nebraska, it was noted people with a recognized permit to carry concealed in Nebraska was not required to register their handguns in Omaha, Nebraska. Omaha, specifically the Omaha Police Officer’s Association, was lobbying hard to keep the Omaha requirement of registration of handguns. Under current Omaha regulations, people who do not have concealed carry permits which are valid in Nebraska, are required to register handguns in Omaha.Commentator Jon Anderson of the Nebraska Firearms Owners Association noted:Omaha ALREADY requires registration of all handguns possessed inside city limits...

...It’s March 15 and Iryna Zinchenko is glancing nervously at her phone as she cooks lunch — pasta with bacon. The previous day she heard from her parents for the first time in over a week and today’s the day they’re supposed to escape from Mariupol, a city in southern Ukraine that’s come under fierce attack from Russian forces. Zinchenko, 27, her husband Ivan Kokhno, 28, their 3-year-old son Lev and four cats, made the same journey a week earlier. Once the Russian attack began, they grabbed the bag and caught a bus that started a 1,500-kilometer journey to Warsaw....

Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem2 John 1 The elder, To the lady chosen by God and to her children, whom I love in the truth—and not I only, but also all who know the truth— 2 because of the truth, which lives in us and will be with us forever: 3 Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, will be with us in truth and love. 4 It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us. 5 And...

Germany warns of possible natural gas rationing amid dispute with Russia March 30, 2022 Environment Germany has declared an “early warning” that it could soon be facing a natural gas emergency as Europe’s largest economy prepares for the risk of a full supply disruption from Russia.Germany has declared an “early warning” that it could soon be facing a natural gas emergency as Europe’s largest economy prepares for the risk of a full supply disruption from Russia.The Kremlin has repeatedly demanded that so-called “unfriendly” countries pay in rubles for gas, stoking fears of a deepening energy crunch in Europe. The G-7,...

We recently warned that Europe is about to be hit with an unprecedented shortage of diesel, as gas stations run dry of the vital liquid (according to the CEOs of the world’s largest independent energy merchants), but little did we know that the first actual crisis would hit in America’s own back yard and not just anywhere but the state synonymous with commodity extraction: on Monday, airport officials in Austin, Texas warned of an impending jet-fuel shortage amid a surge in travel to and from the state’s capital city. Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, which is ranked No. 29 in the U.S....

The federal government consistently funds initiatives that directly oppose the interests and will of the American people. The lawmakers in Congress are characterized by inconsistency, but there is one area in which they are profoundly reliable: supporting interests that stand in direct opposition to our well-being. “Penman of the Revolution” John Dickinson said, “The money said to be taken from us for our defense, may be employed to our injury.” Dickinson precisely described America’s current financial environment: through massive spending, inflation, and taxation, the political elites in Washington are using our own American dollars against us. Although The U.S. National...

Now that Moscow has doubled down on its demands that its European “partners” pay for its oil and gas in rubles instead of euros (which, as the bloc already demonstrated, can be easily confiscated in the name of “sanctions”), the German government is digging in its heels as the payment dispute threatens to precipitate problematic energy shortages in Europe’s largest economy. The FT reported Wednesday that German Energy Minister Robert Habeck has activated the “early warning phase” of Germany’s gas emergency law, which was adopted to help ration supplies in the face of a severe shortage. Too bad President Biden...

Europe is to crack down on fast fashion through proposals to make the clothing made and worn there more durable, reusable, repairable and recyclable. The sustainable textiles strategy, due to be unveiled on Wednesday, will target clothes at every stage of use, including design, repair and recycling. The initiative aims to boost the market for sustainably made garments. Manufacturers will have to ensure their clothes are eco-friendly and hard-wearing. It's estimated that less than 1% of all clothing worldwide is recycled. According to the European Environment Agency, clothes use in Europe has on average the fourth highest impact on the...

Poland has taken in 2.37 million refugees fleeing Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the Polish Border Guard agency reported on Wednesday. "Since February 24, a total of 2,368,000 people have crossed into Poland from Ukraine," it said in a tweet. On Tuesday, 22,400 refugees from Ukraine arrived in the country, compared with around 21,000 a day earlier, according to the Polish Border Guard. While most of those crossing the border are Ukrainian nationals, there are also citizens of many other countries among the refugees, public broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news agency has reported, citing the foreign ministry in Warsaw.

Anticipation about Federal Reserve rate hikes over the next 12 months are seeding mortgage rates soaring and mortgage refinancing applications plummeting. Mortgage applications decreased 6.8 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending March 25, 2022. The Refinance Index decreased 15 percent from the previous week and was 60 percent lower than the same week one year ago. The seasonally adjusted Purchase Index increased 1 percent from one week earlier. The unadjusted Purchase Index increased 1 percent compared with the previous week and was 10 percent...

WASHINGTON, Saturday, March 29. FROM WARRENTON -- THE REBELS DRIVEN BEYOND THE RAPPAHANNOCK. Yesterday the enemy in large force were driven from the Warrenton Railroad Junction, by Gen. SUMNER. The TIMES' correspondent, writing from Warrenton Junction, says for two days past the rebels have been crowded steadily toward the Rappahannock. Four of the New-York Sixty-sixth, Col. PINCKNEY, were captured night before last, while on picket duty. Shots were exchanged constantly with the rebels during the day, yesterday. Two brigades of the rebels, under ELSEY, being closely pursued, retreated across the Rappahannock toward Gordonsville, and blew up the railroad bridge. The...

Extraterrestrial space archaeology is engaged with the search for relics of other technological civilizations. It resembles a survey for plastic bottles in the ocean as they keep accumulating over time. The senders may not be alive when we find the relics. These circumstances are different from those encountered by the famous Drake equation, which quantifies the likelihood of detecting radio signals from extraterrestrials. That case resembles a phone conversation in which the counterpart must be active when we listen. Not so in extraterrestrial archaeology. What would be the substitute to Drake’s equation for space archeology? If our instruments survey a...

Facebook pushes climate sceptics towards increasingly extreme disinformation and conspiracy groups, a human-rights body's research suggests. A report released Wednesday by Global Witness found Facebook's algorithm amplified doubts rather than nudging people towards reliable information. Facebook says its systems are "designed to reduce misinformation". Researchers created two users - climate sceptic "Jane" and "John" who followed established scientific bodies. They then tracked what Facebook's algorithm suggested to both accounts. Jane soon saw content denying man-made climate change, including pages calling it a "hoax" and attacking measures to mitigate its effects. Meanwhile, John's account began by liking the page of the...

The West did it before. Let's make sure we don't make the same mistake again. Article 231 may rightly deserve the notorious distinction as being the 20th century's single greatest miscalculation. Any miscalculation in the application and enforcement of the severe economic sanctions levied against Russia in response to its recent invasion of Ukraine may turn out to be the 21st century's single greatest. Article 231, also known as the War Guilt Clause, was part of the Treaty of Versailles, negotiated as conditions of peace for ending World War I. The resolution "placed all blame for inciting the war squarely...

Anyone who has ever watched Joe Biden has probably had at least some concern that he’s not all there. It’s a scary proposition to have a sitting president whose mental health is questioned by a majority of the voters, but alas, that’s the situation we’re in. According to a new survey by McLaughlin & Associates, Americans not only want Biden to take a cognitive test, but sadly, there’s very little confidence in the competence of the leaders further down the line of succession. “58% of the voters think that President Biden should take a cognitive health test and release it,”...