Free Republic

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...

Jill and I are here at the International Covid Summit in France today. The conference was split between Marseilles, France - where the French portion of the conference was held on March 30th, 31st and in Massy, France (in the burbs of Paris) - for the last portion of the conference, ending today with a public conference/rally in a park, which is about to be live-streamed.Being in France is getting easier; the country has opened up significantly since March 14th. Masks are off, vaccine passes and/or Covid tests are not needed to get into retail spaces. Masks are still required...

The leader of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church has encouraged Christians to not allow the news of the moment to take over their minds, wills, and feelings.“Let us wage our invisible warfare against untruth and all that is trying to paralyze our will and seize our inner spiritual world,” Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk said in a video message issued on April 1. Especially during the season of Lent, he said, Christians should evaluate whether “certain news that you read or see on television is news that tries to captivate your mind, will, or feelings, trying to become the inner occupier...

The Biden Justice Department sent a letter to all states THREATENING doctors who won’t chemically neuter or surgically castrate patients with gender confusion. America First Legal sued to stop HHS from carrying out this vile threat, AFL President Stephen Miller reports. The AFL is suing the administration “to block a radical Biden edict forcing doctors to provide unethical transgender treatments, erasing biological sex from medicine.” Via AFL: Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act prohibits “sex” discrimination in any health program or activity that receives federal funds. Three months ago, HHS announced that it will “interpret and enforce” section 1557...

The steamship Oriental, Capt. Tuzo, from Port Royal, S.C., 28th March, at 7 P.M., arrived at this port yesterday afternoon. On March 30, at 10 A.M., off Halleras, she passed the steamers Ericsson and Marion, steering S.W. On the same day, at 9 P.M., SAMUEL B. ELLIOTT, of New-Portland, Me., aged 16, died of consumption. He was a member of the Eighth Maine Volunteers. From Port Royal to Lookout had fine weather, and from thence had continued and fresh breezes from north and east The ship Wm. Cummings was going into Port Royal as the Oriental came out, on the...

On Friday night, New York City Eric Adams (D) took to Twitter to tout a judge's decision to keep his mask mandate in place for children 2-4 years old. The decision was a stay from a previous order earlier on Friday that came from Judge Ralph Porzio, who, as NBC New York quoted him as saying, called Adams' order "arbitrary, capricious and unreasonable." "Every decision we make is with our children's health and safety in mind," the mayor's tweet claimed. NBC New York also included warnings from Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan, while still emphasizing that hospitalizations and cases are...

After one of the most turbulent periods in air travel history — loaded with new rules and regulations and plenty of unruly and disruptive passengers — airlines want to jettison COVID-era safety precautions for flights. The CEOs of the nation's leading airlines this week sent a letter to the White House urging the Biden administration to rescind pre-departure testing and vaccination requirements for international travelers and drop the federal mask mandate on flights, arguing that the measures are no longer necessary as coronavirus infections drop sharply across the U.S.

The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you. If you have specific question about a plant/problem you are having, please remember to state the Growing Zone where you are located. This thread is a non-political respite. No matter what, you won’t be flamed, and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked. It is impossible to hijack...

Following increased scrutiny of the Ukranian army after videos surfaced showing torture of Russian soldiers by the notorious Azov battalion {Go Deep}, CNN writes an article saying that not all Nazis are bad Nazis. The article would normally be embarrassing for the same media outlet that has criticized their political opposition as “right-wing extremists” and “Nazis”; however, given the nature of CNN needing to promote the interests of the U.S. State Department, it is not surprising. (VIA CNN) – President Vladimir Putin framed the Russian invasion of Ukraine as a “special mission” to protect Russian speakers from genocide at the...

Stolen catalytic converter could be a total loss after insurance claim by: Rogelio MaresPosted: Apr 1, 2022 DENVER (KDVR) — Thieves are targeting catalytic converters at an alarming rate. FOX31 spoke with a woman who had hers stolen. She said she might lose her vehicle if she files a claim. Clothilde Syndor lives in an apartment building in Cherry Creek and said when she got her insurer involved after having her catalytic converter stolen, she was told her only means of transportation, her SUV, might be declared a total loss. Sydnor is somewhat of a pioneer in Colorado. “My dad...

New vehicles sold in the U.S. will have to average at least 40 miles per gallon of gasoline in 2026, up from about 28 mpg, under new federal rules unveiled Friday that undo a rollback of standards enacted under President Donald Trump. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said its new fuel economy requirements are the strongest to date and the maximum the industry can achieve over the time period. They will reduce gasoline consumption by more than 220 billion gallons over the life of vehicles, compared with the Trump standards. They're expected to decrease carbon dioxide emissions—but not as...

Who remembers when CNN, Fox News, and the rest of their cronies in corporate media opposed Neo-Nazis? In fact, calling a Trump supporter (or even President Trump himself) a Nazi was a common practice for regular guests of the most progressive news outlets, including CNN. But with Neo-Nazis making up large chunks of the Ukrainian military, everyone’s suddenly supposed to be okay with it. Here’s Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledging that the Neo-Nazi Azov Battalion has “fully integrated” with the Ukrainian military: Political commentators and newly anointed foreign policy experts on social media have pulled out every cliché, platitude, and...

Scott Brown, former U.S. Senator from Massachusetts and U.S. Ambassador to New Zealand, finds himself in an odd spot these days — he’s not center stage in the political spotlight. He’s stepped aside for now, not for good, but aside to support his wife, Gail Huff Brown, and her bid to win a Republican primary for New Hampshire’s U.S. House’s First District seat held by Democrat Chris Pappas. “I’m not done — I do have a run in me, it’s not quite yet. I’m going to focus on Gail and getting her elected. One thing she said to me was,...

The Sunshine State is the new Silicon Valley. Florida solidified its standing as a national tech hub last year — adding more new companies in the sector than any other state. According to a report from the trade group CompTIA, Florida added 2,715 tech businesses last year — ahead of both Texas and California. Florida had the second-highest number of tech jobs added last year at 10,522 — second to Texas which gained 10,851 positions. Much of Florida’s tech growth was concentrated in Miami, which added 2,072 positions in the field last year. New York — which still ranks third...

Man arrested after several stolen catalytic converters found in his trunk By: Sydney IsenbergApr 01, 2022 WELD COUNTY, Colo. — A man was arrested Tuesday after several stolen catalytic converters were discovered in the trunk of his vehicle, according to the Weld County Sheriff's Office. Around 9 a.m. Tuesday, deputies were called out for a reported catalytic converter theft from an RV dealer outside of Longmont. Security video showed a gray Nissan sedan with "distinctive damage" to the rear passenger door as a possible suspect vehicle, according to the sheriff's office. Deputies remembered passing a similar vehicle at a nearby...

Soon after entering the US, two-year-old Jocelyn and her parents laid down on the streets of Del Rio, Texas and slept. The Post witnessed three immigrant children bunking down outdoors Thursday, including Jocelyn — a taste of what aid groups fear will be a massive humanitarian crisis once the Biden administration lifts the Title 42 health authority, which allowed summary expulsions of migrants, on May 23.

Denver police warn of armed lookouts during catalytic converter thefts By: Blair MillerApr 01, 2022 DENVER – Police in Denver said Friday they are seeing a pattern of catalytic converter thieves using armed lookouts while the emissions devices are being stolen and warned people not to engage with the thieves. Denver police said they made the discovery while trying to find patterns surrounding the string of catalytic converter thefts. The department said there have been around 135 reports of people showing a firearm or pointing one at someone during a catalytic converter theft over the past three years. But Denver...

LONDON (AP) — The prevalence of COVID-19 in the U.K. has reached record levels, with about 1 in 13 people estimated to be infected with the virus in the past week, according to the latest figures from Britain’s official statistics agency. Some 4.9 million people were estimated to have the coronavirus in the week ending March 26, up from 4.3 million recorded in the previous week, the Office for National Statistics said Friday. The latest surge is driven by the more transmissible omicron variant BA.2, which is the dominant variant across the U.K.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Defense Department announced Friday it is allotting $300 million in "security assistance" for Ukraine to bolster the country's defense capabilities, adding to the $1.6 billion Washington has committed since Russia invaded in late February.

Bishop Joseph Strickland of Tyler, Texas, called for the resignation of German Cardinal Reinhard Marx Thursday for the latter’s public rejection of Catholic moral teaching.“Cardinal Marx has left the Catholic faith. He needs to be honest & officially resign,” wrote Bishop Strickland on his Twitter account, citing the cardinal’s pressure for a change in Church teaching on the immorality of gay sex.