Free Republic

The Drug Enforcement Administration revealed Tuesday it seized more than 379 million deadly doses of fentanyl in 2022 — more than enough to kill every single American. According to a statement from the federal agency, DEA agents confiscated more than 50.6 million fentanyl-laced, fake prescription pills, which is more than double compared to last year, and over 10,000 pounds of fentanyl powder since January. The highly addictive synthetic opioid is 50 times stronger than heroin. Just 2 milligrams of fentanyl — an amount that fits on the tip of a pencil — is considered a potentially deadly dose. “These seizures...

One of the best parts of having a pet is cuddling. While some felines don't like cuddling because it makes them feel trapped, others do seem to enjoy it. This is the case of Ellie, a black and white cat who was surrendered by her owner because she wanted to cuddle with him at night. On December 8, 2022, Ellie was dropped off by her owner at the PetSmart in Chester, Virginia.

Vandals have destroyed sacred artwork in South Australia thought to be about 30,000 years old. The Nullarbor Plain art, which are designs carved into the chalk limestone walls of the Koonalda Cave, has special significance for the region's Aboriginal Mirning people. The vandals are thought to have dug under a steel gate before scrawling "don't look now, but this is a death cave" on the walls. The authorities are investigating. Individuals found to have damaged an Aboriginal site or item currently face a fine of A$10,000 ($6,700; £5,500) or up to six months in prison under South Australia's Aboriginal heritage...

VIDEO: . . https://twitter.com/ChristopherJM/status/1605637676136140802 . . . .

RIP to a great athlete. Wonder what Terry "that's horse paste, man" Bradshaw is thinking right now?

FOURTH WEEK OF ADVENTLuke 1:39-45 Friends, today’s Gospel tells the marvelous story of the Visitation. At the Annunciation, the angel had told Mary that the child to be conceived in her would be the new David.With that magnificent prophecy still ringing in her ears, Mary set out to visit her cousin Elizabeth, who was married to Zechariah, a temple priest. No first-century Jew would have missed the significance of their residence being “in the hill country of Judah.” That was precisely where David found the ark, the bearer of God’s presence. To that same hill country now comes Mary, the...

US foreign policy collapsing with Ukraine

VIDEO AT LINK..........................

Ladies and gentlemen, it's that time of year again: It's time to give thanks for all the reckless government spending about to be pushed through the House and Senate. And in honor of our perfect money-hungry government elites, Rand Paul recorded his very own rendition of "Twas the Night Before Christmas." https://twitter.com/i/status/1605341754458525702

In the spring of 2001, Suzanne Farrin auditioned for the Juilliard School’s prestigious composition program. The night after her audition, she says that Christopher Rouse, a faculty member at the time, tried to kiss her. “I sort of twirled out of his arms and ran away,” Farrin said. Farrin wanted to join Rouse’s doctoral studio before that night. She had traveled to New York before her audition to show him her music. She had read a book about counterpoint that Rouse suggested, hoping her efforts to build a pedagogical relationship with him would lead to a spot in one of...

Probiotic bacteria usually found in fermented foods, such as yogurt, sourdough bread, and miso soup, might help dispel the embarrassment of persistent bad breath (halitosis), finds a pooled data analysis of the available evidence. Lactobacillus salivarius, Lactobacillus reuteri, Streptococcus salivarius, Weissella cibaria, taken in the form of supplements in this study, may help freshen the breath. Volatile sulfuric compounds are the main cause of persistent bad breath. These compounds are produced by mouth bacteria as a result of bacterial mixing and food debris associated with poor gum and dental hygiene. Options used to tackle the problem include mouthwashes, chewing gums,...

It's a great time to be a candlemaker in Germany. "Candle demand is very strong right now," says Stefan Thomann, Technical Director of the European Candle Manufacturers Association. The candle boom began during the pandemic, after the government imposed lockdowns and Germans began spending a lot more time at home. The industry expected the boom to end once the nation opened back up, Thomann says. "But then the war (in Ukraine) started." Prior to Russia's invasion, Germany was getting more than half of its natural gas from Russia. It was Russia's biggest natural gas customer in the European Union, and...

Many parents will testify that it takes only a moment for a tragedy to occur. You can be watching over your kids exhaustively and within a moment and in the twinkling of an eye, they are gone. That is what happened on November 29, 2022, when Abigail, a 7-year-old girl and her 4-year-old sister Cecilia vanished from their parent's home in Louisiana. The young girls' parents, Mary and Justin Bourg, tearfully said their Golden Retriever family dog named Artemis first ran into the woods to explore and the girls followed him.

In Canada, when a disabled Canadian military veteran complained to Veterans Affairs about a delay in installing a wheelchair lift in her home, they offered to euthanize her. Lawrence MacAulay. Minister of Veterans' Affairs, explained "a wheelchair lift is just an expensive temporary solution. Euthanasia is an inexpensive permanent solution to the pains of disability. I don't blame staff for trying to persuade this vet to make one more sacrifice for our country." In Los Angeles, District Attorney George Gascón has ordered his prosecutors to "refrain from filing criminal charges against illegal immigrants because charges endanger their chances of remaining...

A study conducted shows that anti-inflammatory drugs commonly taken by children may be associated with dental enamel defects (DEDs) currently seen in about 20% of children worldwide. The authors investigated the effects of celecoxib and indomethacin, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), alongside paracetamol. Dentists have observed a sharp rise in the number of children seeking treatment for pain, white or yellow tooth spots, dental sensitivity and fragility. Dental decay in the form of carious lesions appears sooner and more frequently in these patients, whose restorations are less adhesive and tend to fail more. Studies have shown they may have to replace...

The email, which has not previously been made public, adds to the mounting evidence that the FBI had intelligence warnings that Jan. 6 was a major threat.

One of the big problems with Federal goverment and Federal Reserve monetary stimulus is … it wears out. Just look at M2 Money growth. US existing homes sales fell -7.70% in November to 4.09 million units SAAR. And since the same month last year, existing home sales are down -35.4% YoY. The good news? The median price of existing homes fell to 3.21% YoY. The bad news? The ark is really bad pointing to a bad December. Inventory for sale (orange line) remains below pre-Covid shutdown levels. Of course, will the Federal government and Federal Reserve come riding to the...

The one thing people are sick and tired of from Washington, D.C., is empty promises. Lying to the base is a red line for me, and that’s what five of my closest colleagues are doing when they claim a consensus House Speaker candidate will emerge as they oppose Kevin McCarthy.

On Jan. 3rd, Republicans will start the process of choosing the House Speaker. The Speaker will be second in line for the presidency and the most powerful elected Republican. The vote will take several ballots and possibly many days. After internal debate, Republicans will come together and pick the right leader for the role and that should not be Kevin McCarthy. The McCarthy camp is spinning that Kevin must be accepted because “we have to avoid chaos.” Chaos for who exactly? The special interests that are counting on a McCarthy as their lapdog? I’m worried about chaos in the lives...

The amount of income, deductions and taxes paid by or refunded to former President Donald Trump while serving in the White House was detailed in a new report released Tuesday night. The report reveals that Trump on his federal tax returns declared negative income in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2020, and that he paid a total of $1,500 in income taxes for the years 2016 and 2017. On their 2020 income tax returns, Trump and his wife Melania paid no federal income taxes and claimed a refund of $5.47 million, according to the report by the staff of the Joint...