Free Republic

At this point, is a recession almost certain? Economies worldwide are doing their best to stave off the inevitable decay of their post-pandemic inflationary environments. Central banks are engaged in a juggling act of inflation-busting, supporting economic growth, and quantitative tightening. However, after years of overdependence on fiscal and monetary stimulus and relief, taking off the training wheels could result in the bicycle falling over and scraping knees. It is comparable to the famous Jimmy Durante tune: “Did you ever get the feeling that you wanted to go? But still had the feeling that you wanted to stay? Was it...

Despite fierce opposition from most of his own archdiocesan priests, including his metropolitan vicar, the head of India’s Syro-Malabar Church celebrated Palm Sunday Mass facing the altar for part of the liturgy.KOCHI, India — Major Archbishop Cardinal George Alencherry launched the “uniform liturgy” of the Syro-Malabar Church (SMC) he heads, at St. Mary’s Basilica of Ernakulam in Kochi on April 10, amid unprecedented security due to fierce opposition from the local clergy and laity. Around 200 police were posted around the basilica ahead of Cardinal Alencherry’s arrival at the cathedral in his Archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly, for the 6:45am Palm Sunday...

Students, staff, and alumni at the College of the Holy Cross are petitioning the administration to disinvite Bishop Robert McManus of Worcester from attending this year’s graduation ceremony, although he he has already announced he will not do so, because they say his request of a local Catholic school to cease flying gay pride and Black Lives Matter flags is “antithetical to the ideals, values, and mission” of the college. A spokesman for the Diocese of Worcester, Ray Delisle, told CNA that Bishop McManus had already communicated to the Jesuit College president, Vincent Rougeau, that he would not be attending...

Catholic schools and parishes in the City of Philadelphia are preparing for a new mask mandate due to rising numbers of COVID-19 cases. First implemented in March 2020 as a safety response to the deadly virus that swept across the world, the requirement to wear masks at schools in the city only became optional on March 9 of this year. After the city announced the mandatory return of masks for all indoor public spaces on Monday, April 11, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia responded with guidelines this week. Masks will be required for students of all archdiocesan high schools as well...

As of today, March 22, 2022, AAA reports that the average price for a gallon of gasoline in the United States sits at $4.24. Obviously, that's subject to change, and since it's an average, the actual cost for someone in one part of the country will be different for buyers in another. Regardless, based on recent history, that's a lot more than drivers are used to paying for a gallon of gas. So you'd think a gas station could drum up quite a bit of business for pricing fuel less than its competitors, right? Not so fast, at least if...

The most recent macroeconomic figures show that the Chinese slowdown is much more severe than expected and not only attributable to the covid-19 lockdowns.,/A>The lockdowns have an enormous impact. 26 of 31 China mainland provinces have rising covid cases and the fear of a Shanghai-style lockdown is enormous. The information coming from Shanghai proves that these drastic lockdowns create an enormous damage to the population. Millions of citizens without food or medicine and rising suicides have shown that the infamous “zero covid” policy often disguises mass population control and repression.It is easy to use the covid-19 lockdowns as the reason...

In the episode, Charlie took an interview with Catherine Engelbrecht and Gregg Phillips. In this interview, he welcomes these two who will soon be the centre of the election quality conversation in the United States. Catherine Engelbrecht and Gregg Phillips of True the Vote, the organization behind bombshell disclosures regarding ballot harvesting and vote solicitations.

Former President Donald Trump’s fundraising committee that targets small-dollar donors raised $19 million in the first quarter, according to its latest filing, while the Republican Party’s biggest donors are pouring millions into groups tied to the House and Senate leaderships. The Save America Joint Fundraising Committee, which raises money for Trump’s political operations, took in $9 million from donors who gave less than $200. Donors who gave amounts of $500 or more accounted for $1.8 million of the total, according to the filing with the Federal Election Commission. Continued financial support by his base has allowed Save America, Trump’s leadership...

California introduced new regulations for the trucking industry that will make the supply chain issues much worse. They will also hurt industry workers. California issued sweeping environmental regulations to reduce fossil fuel emissions throughout the state. It will cripple the trucking industry, although California officials don’t see it that way.

An unverified photo claiming to show the Russian warship Moskva stricken at sea has been posted online. The source of the image is unclear, and the BBC has not verified its authenticity. Military watchers say the photograph may be genuine. Rob Lee, a PhD student at the Department of War Studies at King's College London, tweeted that it "looks like a legit photo". And OSINTtechnical, a well-known Twitter account sharing open-source intelligence information, wrote: "I can’t verify the authenticity, but this is a Slava class cruiser and I don’t think any of them have been destroyed in this manner." The...

In the candid pictures, the French president bears a resemblance to Bond actor Sean Connery and star Burt Reynolds - both known for their bountiful chest hair. Social media users also compared the French premier to fuzzy-chested Roger Federer. Mr Macron is running hoping to beat far-Right politician Marine Le Pen in the election. To do so, he will need to galvanise some support from the young who has surprisingly warmed to Marine Le Pen compared to her previous runs. With 12 candidates in the first round whittled down to two, now they must seek to appeal to the circa...

Featuring Theodore Roosevelt, Cleopatra, Thomas Aquinas, and Thomas Paine. While speaking to my Father-in-Law this afternoon he mentioned this program in passing, so I decided to look it up. Now that I have watched the first episode of the first season, I cannot help but think there are some FReepers who would greatly enjoy not only the content but also the concept. It is said that the writers attempted to make use of the historic figures' own words as much as possible. I cannot imagine today's entertainment industry taking such an interest in the ideas discussed here, but can certainly...

Our Troops Rock! Thank you for all you do! For the freedom you enjoyed yesterday... Thank the Veterans who served in The United States Armed Forces. Looking forward to tomorrow's freedom? Support The United States Armed Forces Today! ~ Hall of Heroes ~Karl G. Taylor, Sr.Information from here. Karl Gorman Taylor, Sr. (July 14, 1939 – December 8, 1968) was a United States Marine who posthumously received the United States' highest military decoration – the Medal of Honor – for his actions in Vietnam in December 1968. Karl Taylor was born on July 14, 1939 in Laurel, Maryland. He graduated...

One of Poland’s most prominent journalists, Konstanty Gebert, said he is quitting what many regard as the country’s newspaper of record after it demanded that he describe Ukraine’s controversial Azov Battalion as “far-right” instead of “neo Nazi.” ...

A rapper whose social-media accounts are filled with venomous anti-police rants is running to become a Democratic Party district leader in Brooklyn. Noah Weston — who is running on the “For the People” slate with congressional candidate Brittany Ramos De Barros and Assemblyman Mathylde Frontus in southern Brooklyn — has called officers “f–king pigs,” “plague rats” and “sacks of s–t” who do more harm than good. “The greatest threats in this city are Eric Adams and the NYPD,” Weston tweeted from noah4DL on Saturday. On Feb. 28, 2021, Weston — known as the rapper Soul Khan — retweeted a video...

After weeks of heavy salvage work in the Chesapeake Bay, the massive continership Ever Forward is free and underway. The 334-meter-long Ever Forward has been stuck in the mud since March 13th after straying from the Craighill shipping channel as it departed the Port of Baltimore for Norfolk, Virginia, with a pilot on board. Just before 7 am on Easter Sunday, two anchor barges and five large tugboats pulled the ship astern and sideways until she was dislodged. The salvage crews recieved help from a full moon and a spring tide to release the ship that had been stuck for...

A pair of Arizona diversity, equity and inclusion 'experts' have been blasted for falsely accusing an African-American DJ of wearing blackface at an event. Jill Lassen and Stuart Rhoden, who advocate for diversity at the Scottsdale Unified School District in various capacities, wrote scathing letters of complaint after DJ Kim Koko Hunter appeared at a PTA event, and they mistook him for a white man. Stuart and Rhoden have since apologized, with some noting the irony of 'diversity and inclusion' activists rushing to such false conclusions. But Rhoden also sought to double down on his initial allegation, and speculated as...

A man of Middle Eastern origin, who is now a naturalised Irish citizen living in Sligo, has been arrested for the murders of two men in Sligo according to reports. According to The Times one of the victims, Aidan Moffitt, was beheaded after being violently attacked in his own home. Mr Moffit and Michael Snee, both single men, were believed to have been contacted by their killer on the gay dating app, Grindr, before being killed in their homes. The paper reports that detectives “are continuing to question a man in his twenties who was arrested in Sligo” and “the...

Jewayne M. Price was released on a $25,000 bond despite being one of three suspected gunmen involved in a shootout that left 14 people injured inside South Carolina’s Columbiana Centre Mall yesterday. Price, 22, will be forced to wear an ankle monitor while awaiting charges, but in the meantime, he will be allowed to travel to and from work. Price, who was charged in 2018 for his involvement with the murder of high school student Amon Rice, is suspected of being one of three gunmen who injured 14 people between the ages of 15 and 73 on Saturday. Thankfully, no...

Rep. Darrell Issa said the president’s son’s computer is a “treasure trove” of incriminating information California Rep. Darrell Issa (R) told Fox News on Sunday that the GOP is in possession of Hunter Biden’s laptop, and is poring over the “treasure trove” of data within it. Meanwhile, party leaders are already laying plans to investigate the contents of the laptop – which the White House initially wrote off as “Russian disinformation” – if they return to power in November. “It’s gotta be followed all the way back to the big guy,” Issa said, referring to an email from the laptop...