Free Republic

Lakers star LeBron James has officially become the first active NBA player to obtain a net worth of $1 billion, according to Forbes. Legendary NBA superstar Michael Jordan has also reached the lofty billion-dollar mark, but he didn’t accomplish that feat until 2014, long after he retired from the league. Only $41 million worth of James’ considerable financial fortune comes from the Los Angeles Lakers team he plays for. The rest comes from shoe, movie, and clothing deals, the lion’s share of which is connected to Nike, which is among one of the dozens of international corporations linked to slave...

A new analysis of IRS data shows the financial consequences of gaining or losing population can be either extremely rewarding or devastating to individual states. In 2020, blue states repelled the highest earners while red states attracted them, resulting in massive economic losses and gains. Wirepoints, an Illinois-based research organization, took a look at the latest migration data released by the IRS and drew some conclusions that should leave Democrat-run states in a cold sweat, wondering how they’ll ever be able to maintain their profligacy. In the competition for America’s best and brightest residents, the most populous blue states are...

When asked whether they believe their country is democratic, those in China topped the list, with some 83% saying the communist-led People's Republic was a democracy. A resounding 91% said that democracy is important to them. But in the U.S., which touts itself as a global beacon of democracy, only 49% of those asked said their country was a democracy. And just over three-quarters of respondents, 76%, said democracy was important. A note accompanying the poll results offers a disclaimer, stating that "in authoritarian countries, positive perceptions might result from different conceptions of democracy, high levels of government satisfaction, or...

Can a techie person please help me to make a meme of Bill Barr? An obese Jabba the Hutt with Barr's face, playing a bagpipe.....telling us "I am important, My opinion Matters and I am Relevant"...........Let's publish the final product. Thanks in advance.

A team of scientists at a company called 3DBio Therapeutics have successfully transplanted a 3D printed ear made from the patient's own cells, The New York Times reports. It appears to be a first in the field of tissue engineering, according to experts, and could be the harbinger of a new era of regenerative medicine. "It’s definitely a big deal," Carnegie Mellon biomedical engineering researcher Adam Feinberg, who was not involved in the project, told the NYT. "It shows this technology is not an 'if' anymore, but a ‘when.'" The patient, a 20-year-old woman, was born with a small and...

Growing disillusionment over the value of a four-year college degree has has many high school graduates and their parents rethinking whether it's the right financial decision.In a recent Gallup poll, 46% of parents said they would prefer their child pursue an alternate to a bachelor's degree - with more than one-third citing finances as an obstacle. And according to a Federal Reserve study, just 56% of adults under age 30 who have degrees say the benefits outweigh the costs, Bloomberg reports.In general, the older one is, the more value they see in the value of college - which is supported...

The National Football League (NFL) announced on Thursday that it would no longer test players for the virus regardless of their vaccination status. The decision, handed down by the NFL’s Management Council, was reported by NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero:

Over a third of Americans who make at least $250,000 per year say they're living paycheck to paycheck, which Bloomberg suggests underscores how inflation is 'taking a bigger bite out of Americans' budgets at all ends of the pay spectrum.'Another interpretation is that Americans makig at least $250,000 - placing them in the top 5% of earners in the country - have horrendous financial literacy.According to a survey by Pymnts.com and LendingClub, some 36% of households who make at least $250k - nearly 4x the median US salary - devote almost all their income to household expenses. Higher-income households are...

Ames, Iowa-Three people, including the alleged shooter, are dead following a shooting outside an Ames church. It happened at the Cornerstone Church on US 30 in Ames shortly before 7:00 p.m. The Story County Sheriff's office tells WHO 13 that two people were shot and killed by a male gunman outside the church. The gunman is dead as well, though authorities aren't saying how he was killed. The 911 call came in at 6:51 p.m. The church was hosting a Salt Company kickoff event tonight for college-age individuals to worship together...

About 3 grams daily of omega-3 fatty acids, consumed in foods or supplements, appears to be the optimal daily dose to help lower blood pressure, according to research. Omega-3 fatty acids docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) are typically found in fatty fish, such as salmon, tuna, sardines, and oysters. Some people also take combined DHA and EPA in supplements. While some studies suggest that consumption of omega-3 fatty acids may lower blood pressure, the optimal dosage needed to lower blood pressure has not been clear. The NIH has established an adequate intake of omega-3 fatty acids for healthy...

A chilling moment on Russian state TV on Monday saw hosts issue the latest in a long line of threats, this time warning Putin could "destroy the entire east cost of the US" with just two missiles. In footage from Russia's flagship propaganda show, a member of Russia's parliament boasts about the nation's military might, before also labelling 2 million Ukrainians as "incurable." The politician, Alexie Zhuravlev, was joined on the talk show by fellow MP and Russian-state mouthpiece Yevgeny Popov, the host of the Rossiya 1 channel show. The lawmaker claimed that two of Russia's Sarmat 'Satan 2' missiles...

"A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things." "But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned." "For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother." Matthew, Chapter 12 1 At that time Jesus went on the...

[Catholic Caucus] The Council and the Eclipse of God by Don Pietro Leone: CHAPTER VIII: THE COUNCIL’S VIEW OF MAN IN HIMSELF (part 1) We have divided Chapter VIII into three parts, the text being exceedingly rich in content: part 1 – The Nature of Man and The Anguish of Man; part 2 – The Dignity of Man; part 3 – The Deification of Man. With the reading of this Chapter it seems we have arrived at a watershed moment. In this analysis of the Council’s documents it becomes clearer that there was deliberate intent (whether malicious or philosophically...

KIPP Public Schools, a charter school operator in California, announced on Thursday that one of its teachers identifies as a “proud queer Asian-Latinx educator,” and “often teaches his 5-year-olds about the complexities of intersectionality.” “Kris Sanchez, a teacher at @kippsocal, identifies as a ‘proud queer Asian-Latinx educator’ and often teaches his 5-year-olds about the complexities of intersectionality,” tweeted KIPP Public Schools, a network of 270 public charter schools with more than 160,000 students, according to its website. Included in the tweet was a link to a blog post by Kris Sanchez, a teacher at KIPP Comienza Community Prep, Los Angeles,...

New Yorkers, you’re worldly. You have friends in other cities, other countries. Ask them: Are you still masking 2- to 4-year- olds? After they get over the shock that anyone would have ever masked 2- to 4-year-olds, ask them what they think about New York mandating it today. Tell them that until a few weeks ago, these same kids were forced to mask outdoors. It’s June 2022, and New York City has decided that all remaining COVID-19 mitigation burdens should rest only on the shoulders of one group: toddlers. Your friends will ask: But why? There is no answer. There...

"Boy let me tell ya. Eff Joe Biden? I don't want to do him, I want to get drunk and wake up from this nightmare!" "My wife was out of gas, so I cut one loose. How's that for a carbon footprint eh Klaus?" "So I went to the grocery store, they had loan sharks at the service counter! Boy let me tell you, the dairy aisle YOU had to lay eggs to get eggs!" "Times are so hard, prostitutes don't want money anymore. They want their student loans paid off!"

During the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) virus pandemic, school and university administrators have dogmatically, and in many cases forcefully implemented mask and vaccine mandates with the intention to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV2, however, these policies haven’t had much effect, according to recent peer-reviewed studies.A research paper published on May 18 underscores the deficiencies of current mask and vaccination mandates, as these policies did not contain the spread of SARS-CoV2 at Cornell University.Despite the university having required masks on campus, isolation, and contact tracing within hours of any positive result, the paper recognizes that: “Cornell’s experience shows that traditional public...

The Age-Related Eye Disease Studies (AREDS and AREDS2) established that dietary supplements can slow progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the most common cause of blindness in older Americans. In a new report, scientists analyzed 10 years of AREDS2 data. They show that the AREDS2 formula, which substituted antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin for beta-carotene, not only reduces risk of lung cancer due to beta-carotene, but is also more effective at reducing risk of AMD progression, compared to the original formula. AMD is a degenerative disease of the retina, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye. Progressive death of...

(CNN)Former Attorney General William Barr on Thursday met with the House select committee investigating the January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol as CNN spotted him inside a room used by the panel to conduct interviews. Barr met with the panel for just over two hours today, according to an official familiar with the meeting. CNN previously reported that Barr had "tentatively agreed to give sworn testimony behind closed doors" to the House select committee.

White House praises King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for their roles in the ceasefire extension in Yemen's war, ahead of Joe Biden's expected visit to Riyadh The White House has taken a rare step of recognizing the role played by Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in extending a ceasefire in Yemen ahead of what is expected to be a trip to Riyadh by President Joe Biden. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Thursday that bin Salman and Saudi King Salman deserved credit for their roles in the truce extension in Yemen's war...