Free Republic

STORY: Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia provinces are set to hold referendums between 23 and 27 September. Vladimir Vysotsky, the voting chief, showed reporters ballot boxes made of clear plastic, promising the voting process would be “just as transparent”. The stations Vysotsky visited on Thursday were, according to his estimation, 100% ready for polling. ...

For years, apremilast (brand name Otezla) has helped psoriasis patients achieve clearer skin and ease the symptoms of their psoriatic arthritis. Now, new data from researchers shows it could also help people with psoriasis shed unhealthy body fat and therefore improve cardiovascular health, a well-known vulnerability for those with psoriasis. "The study's most provocative findings are that the drug decreased subcutaneous and visceral fat," said Joel M. Gelfand, MD, MSCE. People with psoriasis face elevated risks of serious cardiovascular events like heart attack and stroke. A substantial body of scientific evidence from previous research, including a seminal 2006 paper from...

Ebola has spread almost 50 miles through rural communities in Uganda - with cases clustered near a busy road leading from the capital Kampala to the Democratic Republic of Congo, health officials revealed on Thursday. ... “As of today, we have seven confirmed cases of whom we have one confirmed death,” Lt. Col Dr Kyobe Henry Bbosa, who is currently leading Uganda's Ebola response, told journalists. “But we also have seven probable cases that died before the confirmation of the outbreak.” Dr Bbosa said that authorities had not identified the so-called index case or “patient zero”. But he added that...

Research finds that shivering during repeated exposure to cold improves glucose tolerance, decreases fasting blood sugar and blood fat levels, and markedly reduces blood pressure in overweight and obese adults. The preliminary study highlights the potential for repeated cold exposure that activates shivering as an alternative strategy to treat and prevent type 2 diabetes (T2D). "When we are cold, we can activate our brown fat because it burns energy and releases heat to protect us. In addition, muscle can contract mechanically, or shivers, thereby generating heat. As there is considerably more muscle than brown fat in a human, shivering can...

San Diego saw a record-high of 1,609 homeless people in the downtown area alone earlier this month, and Bill Walton has had enough. The NBA legend has sent a number of emails to Mayor Todd Gloria about the crisis and how he has failed. Now, Walton is making his complaints public. According to The Voice of San Diego, Walton emailed Mayor Gloria as early as Aug. 28 about his failures while explaining that he had recently been assaulted by the homeless while riding his bike.

Almost 2 yrs later finally an admission - multiple members planted. Next week the United States government is holding the trials of several Oath Keepers members who attended the protests in Washington DC on January 5th and January 6th. The DOJ is hoping to convince a jury that the Oath Keepers were planning an insurrection at the US Capitol on January 6. (snip) ELMER STEWART RHODES III KELLY MEGGS KENNETH HARRELSON JESSICA WATKINS ROBERTO MINUTA JOSEPH HACKETT DAVID MOERSCHEL THOMAS CALDWELL EDWARD VALLEJO The US government finally admitted in this letter that they were running Confidential Human Sources inside the...

We're living in a golden age of awareness about white supremacy. You can't turn on your TV without hearing the phrase applied to the news, whether it's the explanation for Glenn Youngkin's victory in Virginia or Kyle Rittenhouse's actions in Kenosha. But more often than not, white progressives' newfound obsession with opposing white supremacy isn't helping. It's coming at Black people's expense. Reverend Jerry McAfee of New Salem Church in Minneapolis has described white supremacy as a situation where white people are defining your reality and then forcing you to live under that definition. And sadly, that's what we're seeing...

The United States for several months has been sending private communications to Moscow warning Russia’s leadership of the grave consequences that would follow the use of a nuclear weapon, according to U.S. officials, who said the messages underscore what President Biden and his aides have articulated publicly. The Biden administration generally has decided to keep warnings about the consequences of a nuclear strike deliberately vague, so the Kremlin worries about how Washington might respond, the officials said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to describe sensitive deliberations. The attempt by the White House to cultivate what’s known in the nuclear...

While China has been relentlessly pursuing self-reliance when it comes to raw materials -- especially strategic ones such as titanium, tungsten and cobalt, which are used in the defense industry -- the US for the past several decades has been selling off huge chunks of the strategic minerals stockpile to the extent that the National Defense Stockpile is reportedly reaching insolvency. By comparison, China, as of 2020, was the world's third-largest exporter of titanium, while the US was the number one destination for the Chinese titanium exports. It is China's growing influence in Africa, especially through its Belt and Road...

Joe Biden, 79, faced yet another public embarrassment Wednesday evening when he appeared to get lost while walking off stage following his remarks at the Global Fund Conference. As applause ensued, the U.S. president began walking off the stage before abruptly stopping in his tracks and looking around with an appearance of confusion on his face. He then seemed to ask people on the ground how to get off stage and did a few stuttering steps. Texas Senator Ted Cruz called the scene 'terrifying,' on Twitter, with his communications adviser Steve Guest adding in own own tweet: 'Joe Biden is...

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot fired back at the CEO of McDonald’s after he highlighted the difficulty rising crime in the city has caused for his business, telling him he needs to "educate himself" on the matter. "I think what would have been helpful is for the McDonald's CEO to educate himself before he spoke," the Chicago Democrat said during a media availability on Tuesday. McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski warned in a speech at the Economic Club of Chicago luncheon last week that it was time to "face facts" and acknowledge that companies have been leaving the city over the past...

Vladimir Putin’s “special military operation” against Ukraine hit a turning point Wednesday—but not the kind the Kremlin wanted. Instead, the Russian leader may have inadvertently put the final nail in the coffin of his decades-long reign with his bombshell announcement that hundreds of thousands of citizens will be called up to face likely death in the war next door. Advertisement While Putin’s most loyal allies rallied around the leader with calls for unity and defense officials bent over backward to provide dubious assurances to the general public, ordinary Russians rushed for the exits and took to the streets. Airline tickets...

“Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long. For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off. Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thine heart in the way” (Proverbs 23:17-18).

A prominent Egyptologist has boldly claimed to have solved one archaeology’s greatest mysteries: the location of Queen Nefertiti’s mummified remains. Zahi Hawass, the previous Minister of State for Antiquities Affairs in Egypt, is part of the Egypt-led team that undertook a high-profile excavation in Luxor’s Valley of the Kings that allegedly uncovered amulets once owned by King Tut. The team announced last December that they had also unearthed several unnamed mummies, one of which Hawass believes is the famed ruler. “We already have DNA from the 18th dynasty mummies, from Akhenaten to Amenhotep II or III, and there are two...

On this date in 1468, Charles de Melun (French link) was executed at Andelys by Louis XI on a trumped-up treason charge. The execution stemmed from a civil war fought by crown against nobles struggling to preserve their feudal rights — and specifically, a 1465 battle won by the nobles’ intrepid standard-bearer Charles the Bold. Louis was grumpy at his governor of Paris for not relieving him in time, and when the wheel of courtly politics turned sufficiently, that incident supplied enough suspicion to destroy Melun. Hear now of Melun from The History of the Bastile, and of Its Principal...

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has suspended another public official from office, this time Jose Angel Martinez, Miami-Dade County Commissioner-District 11, after he was arrested Aug. 30. Martinez was arrested “for felony charges of unlawful compensation for official behavior … and conspiracy to commit unlawful compensation,” in violation of state statutes, which are second and third degree felonies, the governor’s office said. DeSantis’s communications director issued a statement saying, “it is in the best interest of the residents of Miami-Dade County that Martinez be immediately suspended from the public office that he holds” and that his replacement would be appointed in...

Summons delivered to eligible men at midnight. Schoolteachers pressed into handing out draft notices. Men given an hour to pack their things and appear at draft centres. Women sobbing as they sent their husbands and sons off to fight in Russia’s war in Ukraine. The first full day of Russia’s first mobilisation since the second world war produced emotional showdowns at draft centres and even signs of protest, while it appears Russia could be considering far more than the 300,000 new conscripts claimed by the defence minister, Sergei Shoigu. One woman in a small village in the Zakamensky region of...

The Happiest Place on Earth is becoming rather expensive — which has some parents getting creative on how to cut costs. A TikTok of a woman who disguised an elementary school-age child as a baby to avoid paying the admission price at Disney World has sparked a debate on whether it’s wrong or genius. The video shows a group waiting on line to purchase tickets for the park with a baby-appropriate stroller.

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent threat to use nuclear weapons will not staunch U.S. aid to Ukraine, the Pentagon’s top spokesperson said Thursday. “In terms of the statements or the announcements coming out of Russia, it does not affect the commitment to continue working closely with our international partners and our allies on providing Ukraine with the support that it needs in their fight to defend their country,” Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder told reporters.

Jill Drehmer claims to have cracked the code to financial freedom. The year was 2015, the place an upstate New York grocery store, where the 36-year-old mom of two discovered that federal assistance no longer covered her kids’ favorite cereal. A revelation ensued: “I thought, ‘There’s got to be a better way to make some extra income — something.’” As fate would have it, Drehmer found that something in LuLaRoe, a multilevel marketing company that today is riddled with controversy. The California-based brand peddles women’s clothing to a loyal fan base. Its pièce de résistance are buttery soft leggings covered...