Free Republic

On this date in 1667, the uncle of the sessei — think Chief Minister or Grand Vizier — of the Ryukyu Kingdom covering the island chain south of Japan was beheaded for a diplomatic scandal. The Ryukyu Kingdom was a weak state that made its way in vassalage to burlier neighbors, including mainland China to its west and the Japanese feudal state Satsuma to the north. Satsuma had defeated Ryukyu in war in the early 17th century, and according to Angela Schottenhammer (The East Asian Mediterranean: Maritime Crossroads of Culture, Commerce and Human Migration) Satsuma dominated Ryukyu to the extent...

A new study has revealed that Black women are twice as likely to experience cyber-flashing than their white counterparts. Cyber-flashing is defined as the act of using digital means, usually messaging or social media apps, to send pornographic images of oneself to another without their consent. Cyber-flashing can have disastrous effects on the victim, causing them distress, making them feel unsafe and endangering their long-term well-being. The latest study, into cyber-flashing titled, “The exposé on women’s and marginalized genders’ social media experiences,” builds on a 2022 study that revealed that more than a fifth of girls and women in the...

Muslim parents delivered passionate speeches against elementary schoolchildren in Maryland's Montgomery County Public Schools being forced to learn LGBTQ sexuality curriculum against parents' wishes at a Tuesday school board meeting. Parents, students and activists have taken issue over the past few weeks with the school district removing an opt-out option for LGBTQ sexuality curriculum. "We [as Muslims] reject the implication that acting on our faith's principles is a willful means of harming others. In fact, we see it as a point of bigotry that some only care for our community and will only protect our rights when we assimilate to...

MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell has accused major retailers of being terrified of cancel culture after revealing his company has lost a staggering $100 million since Walmart and Bed Bath & Beyond pulled his products over his false election claims. The polarizing MAGA supporter is now being forced to auction off manufacturing equipment and sublease unused industrial space after distributors tore up contracts due to his claims that the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump. The 800 items listed to go under the hammer on July 18 through K-Bid Online Auctions include sewing machines, industrial fabric spreaders, forklifts, desks and...

Breast cancer patients and survivors tend to suffer from a condition called "cancer fog"—and now a study might have uncovered the reason why. The first-of-its-kind study suggests reduced cerebrovascular function, which refers to blood flow in the brain, could explain why breast cancer survivors experience changes to the way they think, concentrate and remember information—and may also help devise new treatments for cognitive impairments. Also referred to as "chemo brain" or "brain fog," cancer fog is a common and deliberating condition that reduces cognitive function in cancer patients, believed to be due to chemotherapy. Led by Tahnee Downs, the study...

[Catholic Caucus] Nico Spuntoni: "Bergoglio's 'revenge' on Ratzinger: what's behind the appointment of 'Tucho' Fernández"Nico SpuntoniIl GiornaleJuly 9, 2023(source in Italian)Although the Roman Curia was not essential for him, Monsignor Víctor Manuel Fernández will lead its most important dicastery. Less than twenty years ago the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith was in the hands of Joseph Ratzinger, until six years ago in those of the trusted Gerhard Ludwig Müller. Now the former Holy Office will pass from the hands of moderate Jesuit Luis Francisco Ladaria Ferrer to those of the 60-year-old Argentine of the man whom they call...

A major clinical trial has found a simple change to world practice for kidney transplants could deliver real benefits for recipients and reduce their need for dialysis by 25%. The BEST-Fluids trial was conducted by the Australasian Kidney Trials Network (AKTN). Professor David Johnson said the trial assessed the use of an intravenous fluid containing sodium, potassium, magnesium and chloride in proportions similar to human blood—instead of the usual practice of using normal saline (sodium chloride and water). "Of those study participants who received intravenous Plasma-Lyte 148, 30% needed dialysis after their transplants, compared to 40% for those given normal...

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday he would not be former President Donald Trump’s running mate if given the opportunity to join him on the ticket. “I don’t think so. I’m not a No. 2 guy,” DeSantis said on the “Wisconsin Right Now” radio show, saying he would rather stay on as governor because the vice presidency “doesn’t really have any authority.” Asked about his own thoughts on a running mate, DeSantis said, "It’s a little bit presumptuous to be doing that at this stage." "I’m here to win the early primaries, and that’s what we’ve got to do first,"...

A team of scientists has found that an existing cancer drug could be repurposed to target a subset of cancers that currently lack targeted treatment options and are often associated with poor outcomes. This subset of cancers makes up 15% of all cancers and is especially prevalent in aggressive tumors such as osteosarcoma (bone tumor) and glioblastoma (brain tumor). These cancerous cells stay "immortal" using a mechanism called the alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT), but the team has demonstrated that ponatinib, a cancer drug approved by the US FDA, blocks key steps in the ALT mechanism that leads it to...

Another teen in California was 'terrified' after encountering a 'naked male' while showering in a YMCA women's locker room earlier this year ... An Illinois teenager who voiced concerns to her swim coach about biological males identifying as transgender women being allowed in the girls' locker room said she was accused of "hate speech." Last April, sixteen-year-old Abbigail Wheeler, a swimmer on the Springfield YMCA SPY swim team, entered the girls' locker room to change when she noticed a couple transgender individuals sitting there, her father told Illinois-based podcast host Jeanne Ives. The head swim coach Alex Totura was informed...

[Catholic Caucus] New Coke: If Today’s Catholics Were In ChargeIn April 1985 the Coca-Cola Company introduced a new formula for their flagship product, Coke. Called “New Coke,” it was a public relations disaster and within months the company reverted back to their beloved formula. But what if history were different? What if Coca-Cola handled the release of New Coke like many of today’s Catholic leaders handle the current crisis in the Church?July 1985Meeting of top Coke executivesCEO: So, it’s been three months since New Coke was introduced – how’s it going?Mr. Eldridge, VP of Operations: Not so good. We’re getting...

Jesus gave us a warning in Mark 4:24-25 And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given. 25 For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath. So, what you hear is of vital importance and one of the main reasons is that faith comes by hearing (Rom.10:17). So, what you hear is shaping your believing and we all act and speak according to...

The Justice Department on Tuesday reversed course and said Trump can be held personally liable in E. Jean Carroll’s defamation lawsuit. This is a reversal from the DOJ’s position that Trump was protected by the Westfall Act because he was president when he made the statements about E. Jean Carroll. In 2019, E. Jean Carroll alleged Donald Trump raped her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in the 1990s. Trump has denied the allegations and called E. Jean Carroll a “whack job” who’s “not my type.”

Flooding in the US state of Vermont called "historic and catastrophic"... North Korea launching a projectile Wednesday morning local time what appears to be a ballistic missile... The White House choosing sides in the debate over judicial reform in Israel... In Southern Russia a suspect detained in the shooting of a local mobilization official... Russia and China voted against extension of a UN humanitarian aid corridor into the jihadist occupied northwest of Syria... Dollar short Argentina struggling to meet payments to the International Monetary Fund... The continuing legal assault by authorities in Pakistan against former Prime Minister Imran Khan... The...

You probably know the openly HIV-positive advocate Kalvin Pugh of Kansas City, Missouri, from the upbeat TV commercial for the HIV medication Dovato. But these days, he has a new gig as senior adviser on community engagement for the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care (IAPAC), which has programs in more than 150 countries dedicated to ending the HIV epidemic and 30,000 members worldwide. Currently, Pugh is leading a collaborative effort between IAPAC and the United Kingdom’s NAZ Project, the Global HIV Collaborative and the Fast-Track Cities Institute to get the word out about the 2nd annual Zero HIV...

@MooneyforWV Thank you to those who came out to support our rally with Senator @RandPaul in Huntington! Your enthusiastic energy gives me hope that we can help Republicans win back the Senate in 2024! #WVSen

A Russian soldier expresses his opinion of US weapons...

Sotomayor’s staff has often prodded public institutions that have hosted the justice to buy her memoir or children’s books, works that have earned her at least $3.7 million since she joined the court in 2009. Details of those events, largely out of public view, were obtained by The Associated Press through more than 100 open records requests to public institutions.

Martin, McElroy, and the role of the devil….In a recent article for America, Cardinal Robert McElroy wrote, “It is a demonic mystery of the human soul why so many men and women have a profound and visceral animus toward members of the LGBT communities.”What McElroy either doesn’t understand or ignores is that any animus is directed not at gender-confused individuals, but at the destructive ideological movement that has captured their minds and, in many cases, damaged their bodies. As a Cardinal, he is obliged to uphold Church teaching on sexuality. Yet, he is saying, in effect, that young people should...

WASHINGTON, D.C. (LifeSiteNews) – Far-left Democrat Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota wants American Muslims to practice “solidarity” with homosexuals and gender-confused people, a call for unity in one of the rockiest pairings in the Left’s identity-politics coalition. Progressive radio host Dean Obeidallah recently interviewed Omar on his SiriusXM show, during which they discussed the tension between their shared religion and their politics, which came to a head last month when the Muslim-majority city of Hamtramck, Michigan, voted to prohibit the flying of LGBT “pride” flags on government buildings, which sparked a bitter local debate and drew grave lamentations from liberals...