Free Republic

All Arizona parents now can use state tax money to send their children to private or religious schools or pay homeschooling costs after an effort by public school advocates to block a massive expansion of the state's private school voucher law failed to collect enough signatures to block it.

“Write it. Shoot it. Publish it. Crochet it, sauté it, whatever. MAKE.” ~ Joss Whedon The Monthly Create, Make and Share Thread is a monthly gathering of people that love to create and make. From yarn (crochet, knitting), fabric (sewing, quilting), threads (embroidery, weaving), wood crafts, ceramics, artwork and anything else you create and would like to share, this is the place to do it. Sharing something you’ve created and/or made is pure joy...and we need joy in our lives! From complete Newbies that are looking to start that first project, to experienced artists, we would love to hear from...

WASHINGTON (AP) — Whenever a donor’s unsilenced cellphone goes off at a fundraiser while President Joe Biden is talking, he has the same joke ready to go: It’s Donald Trump on the other line. “If that’s Trump calling me again, tell him I’m busy,” Biden said at an event this past week for the Democratic Governors Association, repeating a variation of the quip he also relayed during receptions in Illinois and New York earlier this year. The crowd of a few dozen, as they always do, chuckled as the president continued with the rest of his remarks. It’s one glimpse...

Before the Nord Stream gas pipelines under the Baltic Sea sprung massive leaks this week, spewing out tons of methane into the water and atmosphere, Europe had started planning for a long-term future without Russian gas — prompted by Putin's war in Ukraine. Since the February invasion, Russia had been scaling down gas exports through the pipelines that European countries rely so heavily on for home heating and other uses.

Ramzan Kadyrov, head of Russia’s region of Chechnya, said on Saturday that Moscow should consider using a low-yield nuclear weapon in Ukraine amid new reversals on the battlefield. In a message on Telegram criticizing Russian commanders for abandoning the east Ukrainian town of Lyman on Saturday, Kadyrov wrote: “In my personal opinion, more drastic measures should be taken, right up to the declaration of martial law in the border areas and the use of low-yield nuclear weapons.” Developing

The launch is targeted for noon EDT, Wednesday, Oct. 5, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Dragon spacecraft, named Endurance, is scheduled to dock to the space station at 4:57 p.m. EDT Thursday, Oct. 6. Crew arrival, launch, the postlaunch news conference, and mission coverage through docking will air live on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website. NASA also will host an audio only prelaunch news teleconference. Follow all live events at: https://www.nasa.gov/live The Crew-5 launch will carry two NASA astronauts Mission Commander Nicole Mann and Pilot Josh Cassada, along with...

I became a climate activist 16 years ago. Back then, not many people cared about climate change. The eye rolls were audible. Media coverage was scarce, and what little there was glibly included “both sides”. It was frustrating and tragic to see such a clear and present danger and to know that it was still mostly avoidable, yet ignored by society. I assumed that intensifying, in-your-face climate disasters would serve as a sort of backstop to finally force action. I even hoped that humanity would listen to scientists and start acting before things got that bad. I didn’t think this...

Welcome to The Bicycle Thread. A monthly PING List for bicycle enthusiasts to share experiences, information and ideas.

Biden renews vow to bring ‘decency’ back to politics despite slamming ‘MAGA Republicans.’During an event at the White House Friday, President Joe Biden said one of the reasons he ran for the nation’s highest office was to “bring back some decency and honor” to politics, particularly related to how “we talk about one another, the way we deal with one another,” even though he labeled “MAGA Republicans” an extremist threat just a month ago.“When I ran, I said one of the reasons I was running was to restore the soul of America. Bring back some decency and honor in the...

Lately, Dr. Aseem Malhotra, a British cardiologist who was previously supportive of COVID-19 vaccines has been the topic of breaking news stories for demanding a global stop to the distribution of the same vaccines he once promoted. It was certainly a first for a doctor who had heavily promoted the vaccines to publicly demand a global stop to the mRNA injections. In February 2021, Malhotra was asked to appear on Good Morning Britain, after a previously vaccine-hesitant film director Gurinder Chadha, Order of the British Empire (OBE)—who was also interviewed—explained that she was convinced by Malhotra to take the jab....

Gov. Kathy Hochul attended a secret meeting this week at the Upper East Side townhouse of Alexander Rovt — a billionaire mega-donor to her campaign whose hospital network was bailed out by the state in April. A source provided The Post a video of Hochul — who is already under fire over accusations of pay to play campaign donations involving an overpriced, no-bid $637 million COVID test contract — entering Rovt’s mansion on East 68th Street Thursday morning. Rovt, 70, is chairman of the board of One Brooklyn Health Systems Inc., which runs a network of medical facilities where the...

State regulators Friday asked a judge to place a property-insurance company in receivership, making it the sixth Florida property insurer declared insolvent this year amid widespread financial problems in the industry. The Florida Department of Financial Services sought to be appointed receiver for FedNat Insurance Co., which canceled 56,500 policies in May and reached an agreement to transfer about 83,000 policies to another company in June. Despite shedding the policies, FedNat remained responsible for claims and other types of obligations from before June 1, according to court documents. It notified the state Office of Insurance Regulation on Sept. 13 that...

“Timothy and the Women Who Raised Him in the Faith” (2 Timothy 1:1-14) In today’s Epistle, Paul writes to Timothy to encourage him in his faith. Paul also reminds Timothy of the ladies who passed on the faith to him. Their names were Lois and Eunice. One was Timothy’s mother; the other, Timothy’s grandmother. Let’s see, now which one was which? Here’s the way I have of keeping them straight: “Lois” sounds like “oldest,” so she was the grandma. “Eunice” sounds like “youngest,” so she was Timothy’s mom. So now let’s hear more about “Timothy and the Women Who Raised...

WASHINGTON, Tuesday, Sept. 30. The following dispatch is from a special correspondent of the TIMES: SHARPSBURGH, Tuesday, Sept. 30. Yesterday, Col. FARNSWORTH's Brigade of cavalry accompanied by GIBSON's and TIDBALL's United States batteries, crossed the Potomac into Virginia, below Shepherdstown. The force reconnoitered the country for a distance of five or six miles from the river, and discovered that the enemy still holds his position in the vicinity of Winchester. Maj. MADILL, of the Eighth Illinois Cavalry, with three squadrons, took the road leading from Shepherdstown to Martinsburgh, and met one regiment of the enemy's cavalry four miles from the...

Iran, which has blamed "foreign enemies" for protests that swept the country after the death of a woman in morality police custody, said on Friday it had arrested nine European nationals for their role in the unrest. The detention of citizens of Germany, Poland, Italy, France, the Netherlands, Sweden and other countries is likely to ratchet up tensions between Iran and Western countries over the death of Mahsa Amini. -Excerpt- Nineteen people were killed after security forces fired on armed protesters attacking a police station, said an official.

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) – Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday accused the West of sabotaging Russia-built natural gas pipelines under the Baltic Sea to Germany, a charge vehemently denied by the United States and its allies. Nordic nations said the undersea blasts that damaged the pipelines this week and have led to huge methane leaks involved several hundred pounds of explosives. The U.S.-Russia clashes continued later at an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council in New York called by Russia on the attacks on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, and as Norwegian researchers published a map projecting...

On Friday Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) warned would-be looters that they would be risking their lives by trying to enter the homes of Ian victims, saying, “We’re a Second Amendment state.” FOX News quoted DeSantis saying, “I can tell you in the state of Florida, you never know what may be lurking behind somebody’s home. And I would not want to chance that if I were you — given that we’re a Second Amendment state.”

For decades, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and his wife Elaine Chao have maintained a glaring conflict of interest, conducting extensive government business despite the Chao family’s deep ties to China through a maritime shipping company. Now, former President Donald Trump is calling attention to the top Republican’s problematic China ties, while most of Washington remains silent. “Why do Republicans Senators allow a broken down hack politician, Mitch McConnell, to openly disparage hard working Republican candidates for the United States Senate[?]” Trump asked in a Truth Social post on Sunday. “This is such an affront to honor and to leadership....

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...

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