Free Republic

Parents considering whether to take their family to see the new “Barbie” movie should be prepared to have some awkward conversations. That’s the warning from both Christian preachers and movie critics alike about the film based on the longtime doll brand, which is said to promote LGBT characters and ideas alongside the nostalgia of the Barbie universe. The film, which stars Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as Barbie and Ken, and is directed by Greta Gerwig, includes an appearance by trans actor Hari Nef, who plays a doctor version of the Barbie doll. Nef shared an image of himself dressed...

The U.K. on Wednesday said Kyiv should show appreciation for the donations of weapons in order to convince Western politicians to provide further support in its fight against Russia. What Happened: The U.K. Defense Secretary Ben Wallace, speaking on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Lithuania, said he had warned Kyiv that its Western allies were “not Amazon," Reuters reported. Wallace said Ukraine had to persuade U.S. lawmakers and “doubting politicians in other countries that it’s worth it,” adding that “whether we like it or not, people want to see gratitude.” Wallace’s comments came in response to media queries...

Shopping for a house here in Southeast Alaska. I am a disabled veteran and have never used my VA home loan benefit. So I started the process with the VA, applying for a certificate of eligibility.I got my Certificate of Eligibility and was immediately contacted by Veterans United trying to take charge of the home buying process. They are not connected to or affiliated with the VA. They are a private lender and they are being very aggressive. Does anyone here have any experience with this outfit?

Joe Biden said that he expects Ukraine’s counter-offensive will eventually lead to negotiations to end the war with Russia.The US president said he did not believe that Moscow could sustain the war for years, and Vladimir Putin had “already lost”.He also warned that Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Wagner Group mercenary chief who led a failed mutiny against Putin last month, should be careful about being poisoned.Mr Biden speaking in Helsinki, Finland, said: “Putin’s already lost the war. Putin has a real problem – how does he move from here, what does he do? There is no possibility of him winning the...

A member of the Detroit Police Board of Commissioners has resigned in disgrace after he was caught in the act with a prostitute in his car — then asked officers if they could “help him out.” Bryan Ferguson, who represented District 1 for the DPBC and served as the former chair of Detroit’s police oversight board, announced his resignation on Thursday after news broke that he had been found with the sex worker on Wednesday morning. “It has been an honor and a privilege to serve the residents of Detroit in police oversight,” Ferguson told the Detroit Free Press in...

During the COVID-19 pandemic, emergency rooms saw a spike in cannabis-related events in adolescents, according to new data released on Thursday. Findings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed the number of adolescents visiting the ER was higher during the pandemic years than in 2019. Most of the incidents reported by the CDC involved young adults aged 15 to 24 years, suggesting a potential link to self-soothing methods during the pandemic.

President Joe Biden signed an executive order Thursday that will allow the Pentagon to tap into reserve forces for deployment to Europe as part of its long-standing NATO mission on the continent. According to a copy of the order released by the White House, it allows the military to use up to 3,000 reserve service members to augment its forces in Europe, which grew in reaction to Russia's invasion of Ukraine

A significant discovery has been made in Norway that could have a positive impact on electric cars. Norge Mining, a government organization responsible for finding valuable minerals, recently found large deposits of phosphate rocks in the country. These rocks can be used to power electric cars. According to the mining company, there could be up to 70 billion tonnes of phosphorus in Norway, which is enough to meet the demand for electric power generation for the next 50 years. Phosphorus is an important mineral listed by the European Union as crucial to the economy. Previously, the largest deposits of phosphate...

Two staff members of KFC eatery on 23 Road, Festac Town, Amuwo Odofin area of Lagos, have been arrested over the death of a 20-year-old colleague last Friday. Relatives and friends of the deceased, Anita Chiwendu, had stormed the eatery to demand her corpse, Wednesday morning, five days after she was reported dead. Late Anita, according to her employers, slumped while spreading her clothes on the line. The tragedy happened two months after she was employed. Her family and loved ones are yet to take in the explanation on the circumstances surrounding her death, insisting rather on seeing her corpse...

Rep. Eli Crane (R-Ariz.) received backlash from several lawmakers Thursday after saying “colored people” during an explanation of an amendment he pitched for the National Defense Authorization Act, provoking a call from Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio) to have his offensive words stricken from the record. Crane said his amendment to the NDAA would have prevented “race, gender, religion, or political affiliations,” from being used in the recruitment of military members, adding the amendment had “nothing to do” with “whether colored people, or Black people, or anybody can serve.” Crane’s use of the outdated term received a stern response from Beatty,...

I don’t know what’s funnier, that Team DeSantis is now providing discounts for people to meet him, or that Rupert Murdoch is the one telling everybody. Next up, coupons. However, I qualify this article sharing by saying the Big Club doesn’t put $250+ million into a political construct and give up this easily. Until Casey DeSantis publicly renounces her quest for a bigger tiara, Super PAC operators Ken Cuccinelli and Jeff Roe will never concede. Reference Cindy McCain in Arizona for comparable context. [NEW YORK POST] – When it comes to campaign fundraisers, Ron DeSantis has been relegated to the...

Rosanna Arquette drove through the Point Dume Village Tuesday in Malibu, California, according to the sheriff's department. The 63-year-old actress was transported to a local hospital on precautionary measures, Fox News Digital confirmed. "It appeared that she had possibly lost control of her vehicle," Malibu/Lost Hill's sheriffs Deputy Navarro said. The shopping area on the west end of town includes clothing stores, a major grocery store, coffee shop and local-favorite restaurant, Lily's Malibu. "At the time of the incident, it did not appear that she had any injuries," Navarro said. Officials confirmed there was no indication of impairment. Authorities responded...

Apart from the 16 individuals who have already received payment, the city has identified 90 more eligible individuals and begun making home visits. A Chicago suburb began paying reparations to black residents this week after first approving the proposal in 2019. Thus far, 16 residents have received funds from a $10 million sum the city allocated for such payments, the Evanston Round Table reported. The money was initially to come from cannabis sales tax, but the city subsequently approved use of real estate transfer tax revenue to expedite the process. Apart from the 16 individuals who have already received payment,...

Here's something you don't see every day. The FBI posted the following on Twitter: In reference to the false assertions about investigating parents at school board meetings, #FBI Director Wray told the House Judiciary Committee that the Bureau is not in the business of policing speech. Read more here: https://t.co/dZSUPgpAwS pic.twitter.com/7jebphhgIb— FBI (@FBI) July 12, 2023Then, directly under this post appears the following: Readers added context they thought people might want to know The FBI’s statement is misleading. On May 18, 2023, former FBI agent Steve Friend testified before the House Judiciary Committee that he and others were directed to...

Doctrine Chief Hints at Scrapping Celibacy for PriestsPope's new prefect reveals his guru is an agnostic Protestant philosopherVATICAN CITY (ChurchMilitant.com) - The new head of the Vatican's doctrine watchdog is hinting at the prospect of ending the requirement of celibacy for priests in the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church. German philosopher Hans-Georg Gadamer Asked if abolishing mandatory celibacy would "undermine doctrine," Abp. Víctor Manuel "Tucho" Fernández, prefect-designate of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, said that it would be Pope Francis' prerogative to make a considered judgment on the matter."It is a possible hypothesis, as indeed...

Motor learning skills let us move through the world. But age or sickness can weaken our ability to learn motor tasks. Scientists studying the impact of oxygen supplementation on motor learning have found a promising treatment that could help patients who have experienced neurological trauma recover old skills. "A simple and easy to administer treatment with 100% oxygen can drastically improve human motor learning processes," said Dr. Marc Dalecki. Our brains need a lot of oxygen. In low-oxygen contexts cognitive function decreases, while in high-oxygen contexts it recovers, and the delivery of 100% oxygen is already used to help preserve...

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including sections 121 and 12304 of title 10, United States Code, I hereby determine that it is necessary to augment the active Armed Forces of the United States for the effective conduct of Operation Atlantic Resolve in and around the United States European Command’s area of responsibility.

Janus tyrosine kinase (JAK) signaling may be involved in the pathogenesis of polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR), and tofacitinib may be an effective treatment, according to a pilot study. Xinlei Ma and colleagues examined pathogenetic features of PMR and assessed the efficacy and safety of the JAK inhibitor tofacitinib in patients with PMR. The analysis included 11 treatment-naive PMR patients and 20 healthy controls. In a second cohort, 76 patients with PMR were randomly assigned to tofacitinib or glucocorticoid treatment in an open-label trial, with 67 completing the 24-week intervention. The researchers found that gene expression patterns of peripheral blood mononuclear cells...

Update from Ukraine | Ukraine goes to Klishchiivka | Two T-90 ruzzian tanks Kaputt https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XrUnCF1Sbw The summary of the situation of Russian re-invasion to Ukraine covering the last 48 hours, as of 12th July 2023 – 22:00 https://militaryland.net/news/invasion-day-504-summary/ *** Great interactive map with viewer controlled Map magnification tool to use for each Front! https://militaryland.net/maps/

First Lady Jill Biden looked beautiful as she arrived for the White House’s state dinner with India on Thursday, June 22. The first lady, 72, always looks fantastic as she hosts public events, and she stunned as she and President Joe Biden welcomed officials from India for the event. The First Lady glowed in a sparkling sage green dress with a crisscross design over the chest and a floor length skirt and three-quarter length sleeves. She wore her hair in an elegant, softly curled updo and completed the look with matching dangling gemstone earrings and stackable yellow gold bangles....