Free Republic

Starting July 1, Australia will allow doctors to prescribe MDMA and magic mushrooms to treat PTSD and depression. It’s a worldwide first that comes as research uncovers how psychedelic drugs have real potential for treating mental health conditions. “Australia is creating an interesting model that could pave the way forward for the rest of the world,” Dr. Michael Alpert, a psychiatrist at Harvard Medical School, told ABC News. MDMA is a synthetic hallucinogen, often linked to rave parties, that’s also known as “molly” or “ecstasy.” According to the new rules established by Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration, MDMA can be prescribed...

Twenty years ago, I was a rare gay teen at Pride. Now, I’m not even sure I count as queer.My first Pride parade was around the year 2000, when I was 15. My parents and I marched with PFLAG—Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays—a now quaint-sounding organization my folks joined after I came out, to help my mother accept the idea that her son would die of AIDS. I was hoping, of course, that I would meet some boy at the parade. Sadly, no such person materialized, and the only member of the family to turn any heads at...

Transgender individuals had significantly higher rates of suicide attempts and suicide mortality compared with non-transgender individuals, according to a population-based retrospective cohort study from Denmark. Among over 6.6 million individuals, standardized suicide attempt rates per 100,000 person-years were 498 for those who were transgender compared with 71 per 100,000 person-years for those who were not transgender (adjusted incidence rate ratio [aIRR] 7.7, 95% CI 5.9-10.2), reported Annette Erlangsen, PhD, of the Danish Research Institute for Suicide Prevention at the Mental Health Centre Copenhagen, and co-authors. Standardized suicide mortality rates per 100,000 person-years were 75 versus 21, respectively (aIRR 3.5, 95%...

An elaborately carved, U-shaped stone trophy was returned to Mexico after it nearly went up for sale at an Austrian auction house, the Art Newspaper reported Wedneday. The trophy, which resembles a yoke and is carved from sedimentary stone, is an ornate representation of the protective gear worn around players’ waists during the Mesoamerican ball game pelota. The artifact was recovered by the Mexican Embassy in Austria prior to the sale with help from Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Culture, and the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) in Mexico City, according to a statement from...

Joe Biden stopped by the MSNBC studio on Thursday and did a live 20-minute interview with Nicolle Wallace. When the interview ended, Biden shook Wallace's hand and walked off the set while Wallace was throwing it to commercial. As noted in the below tweets, this is being spun as Biden wandering off like he's lost by certain parties in the media. This is more akin to Biden falling on stage at the US Air Force graduation at the beginning of the month. It was sold as him being feeble, but he tripped over a sandbag while trying to hustle. In...

A driver in a white Toyota Sequoia was caught on camera doing "burnouts" on the Intersex-Inclusive Progress Pride flag located at the entrance of Marina Park at Kirkland Avenue and Lakeshore Plaza in Kirkland, Washington, on June 20. "The Inclusive Progress Pride flag symbolizes the value and beautiful diversity of all LGBTQIA2-S people,” Councilmember Amy Falcone said in a press release for the event. “Symbols matter, and the installation of this crosswalk is one way that the city is working to create an inclusive and belonging place for all community members.” Police released a video of the incident and are...

You'll soon have to pay more to mail a letter, as the United States Postal Service (USPS) is raising the cost of its Forever First-Class stamps in July. Starting July 9, the cost of a Forever stamp, or mailing a one-ounce letter, will increase from 63 cents to 66 cents. Other mail services will also increase. Here's a full breakdown. —Mailing a one-ounce letter — increase from 63 cents to 66 cents. —Mailing a metered one-ounce letter — an increase from 60 cents to 63 cents. —The price of a postcard — increases from 48 cents to 51 cents. —One-ounce...

resident Joe Biden walked off the set of a live MSNBC interview Thursday afternoon, while the cameras were still rolling. The president took a day trip to New York City to raise money for his presidential campaign. His first stop, however, was to '30 Rock,' to sit for an interview with Deadline: White House host Nicolle Wallace, who previosly worked for Republicans including President George W. Bush and the late Sen. John McCain. She probed Biden on the Supreme Court's Affirmative Action decision, the January 6 insurrection and former President Donald Trump - but neglected to question the president about...

Australia is set to become one of the first places to allow psychiatric treatment with psychedelics such as psylocibin mushrooms and MDMA. The body responsible for training Psychiatrists in Australia and New Zealand has published its first guidelines for psychedelic-assisted therapy -- paving the way for some patients to be treated with psylocibin or MDMA from as early as next month. But Clinicians are urging caution ... saying there's so far little evidence of their effectiveness.

Former first lady Michelle Obama spoke out about the Supreme Court’s Thursday ruling against affirmative action, recalling her own struggle (snip) “So often, we just accept that money, power, and privilege are perfectly justifiable forms of affirmative action, while kids growing up like I did are expected to compete when the ground is anything but level,” Michelle Obama wrote in her statement. “So today, my heart breaks for any young person out there who’s wondering what their future holds — and what kinds of chances will be open to them.” (snip) The former first lady recalled her experience as one...

~Favorite Blind or See Songs~ Manfred Mann - Blinded by the Light*Video*The Marshall Tucker Band - Can't You See *Video*

$19 Million Awarded to Police, Crime Labs to Fight Impaired Driving in California June 28, 2023 Share Email 598040.jpg The California Highway Patrol (CHP) announced today more than $19 million in grant funding to 71 California law enforcement agencies, crime laboratories, and nonprofit organizations to help address the dangers of driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. The grants are the result of Proposition 64, the Control, Regulate and Tax Adult Use of Marijuana Act, which tasked the CHP with administering grants for education, prevention, and enforcement programs to help communities combat impaired driving. Money is also available to...

It's the last day of "Pride Month," or "Take it up the Hershey Highway, Breeder" month. Here are a few ways to give it a proper send-off. 1. Burn a "Pride flag" in the public square, step on it and spit on it. 2. Spend it with your wife or husband, having hetero sex or just enjoying each other's company. 3. Make a list from IMDB of all the movies that those 250 "celebrities"* appeared in, and make sure to never watch them again. 4. Find out what your kid's teachers are telling them about gender ID, etc., and if...

The Biden administration is actively considering sending cluster munitions to Ukraine to help Kyiv’s counteroffensive punch through Russia’s defenses, two U.S. officials and a person familiar with the debate said. The discussion to send dual-purpose improved conventional munitions has intensified in recent days as Ukraine’s effort to break through Russia’s frontline has stalled. The belief among some senior U.S. officials is that the munitions could be one of many tools that makes Ukraine’s campaign more successful. Late last year, the administration said it had “concerns” about delivering the munitions to Ukraine, mainly for humanitarian reasons and also the U.S. didn’t...

In the run up to the 2012 election, both President Obama and Governor Romney downplayed the topic of gun control – even though Americans were on pace to buy more firearms than ever before. Because neither candidate was an avid shooter, special interest groups such as the NRA and the Brady Campaign dominated much of the campaign rhetoric. With this presidency came huge responsibility to the Second Amendment, as the previous four years had seen two high-profile 2A cases narrowly decided by split 5-4 decisions. President Obama’s victory ended up resulting in two appointments to the Supreme Court – Sonia...

The United States Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in college admissions in a 6-3 decision on Thursday, blocking higher educational institutions from considering race in admissions decisions.The centrality of race to the case prompted a war of words between the Court's two Black justices in their respective opinions, with each offering starkly different views of the role that race should play in decision-making by policymakers writ large.In his own 57 page long concurring opinion, Associate Justice Clarence Thomas — a staunch conservative appointed by Republican President George H.W. Bush — argued that "all forms of discrimination based on race...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Members of California’s Black reparations task force presented their historic two-year report to state lawmakers Thursday, challenging critics to read the hefty tome and reconsider redress for the descendants of slavery.

The owner of a beloved San Francisco restaurant that opened more than 60 years ago has decided to close shop for good, blaming the city for not supporting business owners amid a homelessness crisis and the aftermath of the pandemic. HRD Coffee Shop opened its doors in 1953 as a modest establishment serving workers in the city's downtown area - and eventually became a staple caterer to the city's tech giants like software company Salesforce. The restaurant even appeared on The Food Network several times, with Guy Fieri trying one its famous kimchi burritos. But Sydney Saidyan, its current owner,...

Longtime host and political commentator Geraldo Rivera announced his official departure from Fox News Thursday afternoon via a Twitter video, which he filmed while on a boat. 'Bumpy day on the North Atlantic. Anyway, I got fired from @TheFive so I quit Fox. After 23 years tomorrow Fox and Friends could be my last appearance on the network. Thanks for the memories,' he captioned the video. The 79-year-old said he had been fired from The Five - Fox's daily roundtable political commentary show - and so he subsequently quit the network after more than two decades. He added he would...

The late Great Walter Williams makes it quite clear that he believed the South had a right to secede.