Free Republic

The exercise was simple: inhale for a count of five, then exhale for a count of five. Do that for 20 minutes, twice a day, for four weeks. Volunteers' heart rate variability increased during each exercise period and the levels of amyloid-beta peptides circulating in their blood decreased over the four weeks of the experiment. That's because the way we breathe affects our heart rate, which in turn affects our nervous system and the way our brain produces proteins and clears them away. A 2020 study found that heart rate variability drops on average 80 percent between twenty and sixty...

An explosive device derailed a Russian freight train in a region bordering Ukraine for a second straight day Tuesday ahead of an expected counteroffensive by Kyiv. Russian territory and Crimea, annexed by Moscow in 2014, have been hit in recent days by a series of attacks. The last four days have seen two trains derailed by explosions, a suspected drone hitting an oil depot in Crimea that caused a huge blaze and power lines blown up near Saint Petersburg. The strikes come as Russia gears up to celebrate May 9, a holiday marking the Soviet victory over the Nazis that...

Though retail chains fleeing woke cities in solidly blue states like California for safer areas is nothing new, the announcements just keep on coming and at an especially inconvenient times for Democrats as the 2024 election campaign season heats up.The latest entrant into the “let’s get the hell outta Dodge” movement is Nordstrom department store, which confirmed Tuesday that they were shuttering two San Francisco locations due to “the dynamics of the downtown San Francisco market” and how they have “changed dramatically” in recent years:The retailer confirmed the closures on Tuesday. In an email to employees, the company’s chief stores...

On Monday, a brief glimmer of hope emerged that Joe Biden might set his arrogance and senility aside to do what’s right for the nation. As RedState reported, the president invited House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to the White House in a move that seemed like a path back toward sanity.Unfortunately, that hope has been dashed. Biden is apparently planning to tell McCarthy what he’s already told him. Namely, that he won’t negotiate any deal to raise the debt ceiling (Yahoo News).WHITE HOUSE: BIDEN WILL MAKE CLEAR TO CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS HE IS NOT GOING TO NEGOTIATE ON DEBT CEILING— *Walter Bloomberg...

1. Prevents Expansion of Radical Shiite InfluenceFollowing the 1979 Islamic Revolution led by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and his radical Islamic Shiite supporters, the newly created Islamic Republic of Iran sought to expand Shiite governance throughout the Middle East, creating chaos and disorder. After the invasion of Iraq and the overthrow of Baathist leader Saddam Hussein, the Islamic Republic sought to clone its success in Iraq just as it did in Lebanon, Yemen, and Syria, attacking American forces through Iraqi-terrorist proxies and suicide bombers. Despite the casualties inflicted against Iran, the United States government has targeted Iraqi terrorist networks, sanctioning the...

Russia’s war with Ukraine is likely to impact the Chinese military, especially its fighters jets, due to its over-dependence on Moscow.On May 17, experts at the China Aerospace Studies Institute conference predicted that Russia wouldn’t service or provide engines and components for up to 40% of China’s fighters. This is likely to impact the People’s Liberation Army Air Force’s fleet in the near future, as reported by Air Force Magazine. During a panel discussion on military cooperation between China and Russia, experts highlighted that China has not been able to fully develop engine technology, despite all the claims. With Russia...

Dramatic new video shows a strap-hanger taking matters into his own hands, pinning down an unhinged man in a deadly incident at a Manhattan subway station this week. The 24-year-old passenger stepped in after the vagrant, identified by sources as Jordan Neely, 30, began going on an aggressive rant on a northbound F train Monday afternoon, according to police and a witness who took the video. “He starts to make a speech,” freelance journalist Juan Alberto Vazquez said in Spanish during an interview Tuesday, referring to the disturbed man. “He started screaming in an aggressive manner,” Vazquez told The Post....

In another reckless escalation, Britain has confirmed delivery of depleted uranium munitions to Ukraine. DU munitions should be banned. They partially vaporize on impact, poisoning the environment with uranium dust that causes cancer and horrific birth defects.

Child rapists will be eligible for the death penalty and Florida will crack down on drug dealers targeting kids. TITUSVILLE, Florida (LifeSiteNews) — Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday signed tough new legislation that will beef up penalties for drug-dealers who target kids and make child rapists eligible for the death penalty. Another measure will shield Floridians from left-wing bail reform policies that have led to increased crime rates by softening penalties for law-breakers. Gov. DeSantis’ office announced the approval of the laws in a Monday afternoon press release, touting the measures as a means to “strengthen public safety...

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – A House bill that would have granted people experiencing homelessness in Oregon the right to sleep in public spaces and the right to be compensated $1,000 if they’re denied access to the public space is dead.Lawmakers say House Bill 3501, known as the “right to rest” bill, is not moving forward in the legislative session because it has missed several key deadlines. The bill has received attention from national news outlets, prompting House Majority Leader Rep. Julie Fahey, D-Eugene, to issue a public statement about the bill Tuesday morning.“House Bill 3501 doesn’t have the support or...

Actress and novelist Mary Astor was born on May 3rd, 1906. In making the 1941 movie “The Great Lie”, Bette Davis insisted that a difficult to cast role be given to Astor because Davis liked to work with good actresses who would bring out the best in her. Astor understood this type of risk taking, as opposed to dull self-protective caution, later writing: “Our security must be threatened in order for us to appreciate it.” Astor won the movie's only award, the supporting actress Oscar for her portrayal of pianist Sandra Kovak. In her acceptance speech, Astor thanked Bette Davis...

This week we delve into the life and career of Richard Warner Carlson, a prominent American journalist, diplomat, and lobbyist who played a pivotal role during the last six years of the Cold War. Carlson's impressive career spanned across various media outlets, and he was a prominent figure in the broadcasting world, particularly in Radio Marti broadcasting to Cuba.The video takes us through Carlson's journey, from his early beginnings as a journalist, to his appointment as the Director of the Voice of America (VOA) in 1982, a position he held until 1988.

St. Louis, Mo., May 2, 2023 / 07:25 am (CNA). Advocates for persecuted Christians in Nigeria are criticizing a new report prepared by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) that they say ignores the many documented atrocities perpetrated against Christians by the Fulani ethnic group in Nigeria and instead paints the Fulani as persecuted victims. The April 27 report prepared by USCIRF — a nonpartisan federal body — asserts that Fulani civilians have been subjected to “xenophobic sentiment” because “Christian communities often equate Fulani Muslims with Salafi jihadist beliefs because of their Muslim identity.” The report goes on...

Rick Beato discusses the life and music of Gordon Lightfoot. This is a recorded livestream from earlier in the day.

“I think it runs the risk of losing that No. 1 position at the end of calendar year 2023 to Modelo Especial,” Bump Williams, the market research company chief, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Monday. In early April, Bud Light sent Mulvaney decorative cans of beer featuring the influencer’s face as part of a promotion paired with March Madness. Alissa Heinerscheid, Bud Light’s recent marketing manager, was the brain behind the scheme and sought to rejuvenate the brand by “shifting the tone.”

Left-wing activists have mounted another “insurrection” in a state capitol, this time disrupting a session of the Texas state legislature in Austin, taking over the gallery Tuesday before being forcibly removed by police. The liberal Texas Tribune reported: Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan abruptly cleared the public from the chamber’s gallery Tuesday, after LGBTQ Texans and parents of transgender kids chanted in opposition of a bill that would ban transition-related care for children. Phelan ordered state police to clear the gallery just as Senate Bill 14 came to the House floor and as opponents began their chants and unrolled banners...

Chinese battery maker CATL says it has cutting-edge technology able to surpass limits that have held back battery development worldwide, ushering in a new era of electrification for passenger aircraft. These are bold claims that, if they come to fruition, will shake up battery technology as we know it. Battery density signifies a key metric in creating a lithium-ion battery that’s both powerful and light enough for versatile applications, such as an aircraft. Current understanding of technology has the densest lithium-ion batteries generally hovering below 300 Watt hours per kilogram (Wh/kg), but CATL says their new battery boasts a 500...

The military archbishop and USCCB president slammed Biden’s new pro-abortion VA rule as ‘morally repugnant.’WASHINGTON, D.C. (LifeSiteNews) — Archbishop Timothy Broglio for the Military Services, USA and president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has written a letter to Catholics within the U.S. military urging them to witness to the Gospel by advocating for the protection of the unborn and “to refuse any participation in the evil of abortion.” The archbishop’s April 28 letter comes after the U.S. Senate’s recent 51-48 vote in favor of adding abortion coverage to the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) health benefits...

A fuel storage facility in Russia's Krasnodar region was on fire in the early hours on Wednesday, the region's governor said, adding that according to preliminary information there are no casualties. "The fire has been classified as the highest rank of difficulty," Veniamin Kondratyev, the governor of the Krasnodar region which lies in Russia's southwest across the Sea of Azov from Ukraine, said on the Telegram messaging app.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – Kentucky Derby week is off to a grim start at Churchill Downs. Three horses have died in the first two racing days of a meet that already began on a tragic note with the death of a Kentucky Derby qualifier, Wild on Ice, who was euthanized following an injury sustained in training last Thursday. Parents Pride, a 4-year-old filly trained by Saffie Joseph Jr. and owned by Ken Ramsey, collapsed and died after Race No. 8 on the Churchill Downs turf course on Opening Night. Another horse trained by Joseph and owned by Ramsey, Chasing Artie,...