Free Republic

BERLIN (AP) — The German government’s panel of independent economic advisers on Wednesday slashed its 2022 growth forecast for Europe’s biggest economy in light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and concern over energy supplies and prices. The group forecast that Germany’s gross domestic product will expand by only 1.8% this year, compared with the 4.6% it predicted in November. It said the economy won’t return to its pre-pandemic level until the third quarter. Last year, the country’s GDP grew by 2.9%; in the final quarter of 2021, it shrank by 0.3% compared with the previous three-month period. “The high dependence...

BEIJING (AP) — China’s ambitions to have a major hand in Afghanistan’s stability and development under the Taliban, while boosting its own stature, will be on display at a pair of multinational meetings it is hosting starting Wednesday. The talks offer a rare opportunity for Russia and the U.S. to come together over the knotty issue of Afghanistan despite their deep differences over the Ukraine conflict. Special envoys for Afghanistan from China, the United States and Russia, a group known as the the “Extended Troika,” will convene separately from the foreign ministers of China, Russia, Pakistan, Iran, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and...

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (UCLA ‘69) writes: "When Will Smith stormed onto the Oscar stage to strike Chris Rock for making a joke about his wife's short hair, he did a lot more damage than just to Rock's face. With a single petulant blow, he advocated violence, diminished women, insulted the entertainment industry, and perpetuated stereotypes about the Black community. That's a lot to unpack. Let's start with the facts: Rock made a reference to Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, as looking like Demi Moore in 'G.I. Jane,' in which Moore had shaved her head. Jada Pinkett Smith suffers from alopecia, which...

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is launching what it says is a one-stop website that will help people in the United States access COVID-19 tests, vaccines and treatments, along with status updates on infection rates where they live. President Joe Biden planned remarks Wednesday afternoon to announce the rollout of covid.gov. A White House fact sheet says the government has worked since the start of the Biden administration to set up more than 90,000 vaccination sites, distribute more than 400 million high-quality masks free of charge, send free test kits directly to people’s homes and set up “test to...

Liberal pundit Stephen Colbert, who also hosts a comedy show, joked on Tuesday night that Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy should be slapped the way actor Will Smith slapped comedian Chris Rock at the Oscars. The audience applauded.

I'm sorry, I can't help but find this morbidly funny.So the plan is to study Israel without Israelis? That's how academia plans to rescue Palestine?Thousands of Middle East scholars sign resolution endorsing boycott of Israel https://t.co/zV4JeJYHZD— Haviv Rettig Gur (@havivrettiggur) March 24, 2022

Washington Post columnist Megan McArdle blasted the legacy media for its collective dismissal of the Hunter Biden laptop story during the 2020 presidential election. In a piece published on Saturday, McArdle began by noting what a friend coined was a "growing 'epistemic closure' on the right" that filters out what is reported in the distrusted liberal media. "This frets the mainstream media. It is our job to provide information, so naturally we worry when so many customers aren’t buying… In fact, we in the mainstream have been so busy denouncing ‘fake news’ that we failed to notice we’re developing a...

A Finnish court has upheld the right to free speech by dismissing all charges against Finnish MP Päivi Räsänen and Bishop Juhana Pohjola over their religious views.In a unanimous ruling the court concluded that “it is not for the district court to interpret biblical concepts”. The prosecution was ordered to pay more than €60,000 in legal costs and has seven days to appeal the ruling. The former minister of the interior had been charged with “hate speech” for sharing her faith-based views on marriage and sexual ethics, in a 2019 tweet, a 2019 radio debate, and a 2004 pamphlet. The...

30 March 2022Wednesday of the 4th week of Lent The Entrance to the Cave of Saint John Climacus, Sinai Readings at MassLiturgical Colour: Violet.First readingIsaiah 49:8-15 ©On the day of salvation I will help youThus says the Lord:At the favourable time I will answer you,on the day of salvation I will help you.(I have formed you and have appointed youas covenant of the people.)I will restore the landand assign you the estates that lie waste.I will say to the prisoners, ‘Come out’,to those who are in darkness, ‘Show yourselves.’On every roadway they will graze,and each bare height shall be their...

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...