Free Republic

A team of infectious disease researchers has found via clinical trial that fecal transplants after kidney transplantation reduce the susceptibility of patients to infections by multi-drug-resistant organisms (MDROs). In their study, the group tested the impact of fecal microbiota transfer (FMT) on kidney transplant patients receiving care at Emory Transplant Center, in Atlanta. Prior research has shown that people who receive kidney transplantation are at risk of developing an infection from MDROs. This is because patients are given antibiotics to prevent general infections, killing all non-drug-resistant organisms. The absence of competing organisms allows MDROs to flourish, putting these patients at...

Israel entered its fifth week of war, which has been dubbed "Swords of Iron," on Saturday. The war was sparked on October 7th, when the Hamas terrorist organization launched a surprise attack by land, air, and sea. After a heavy barrage of several thousand rockets, Hamas terrorists invaded Israeli territory, infiltrating military bases and civilian population centers, where they massacred the inhabitants and took others captive. As of Sunday, November 5, over 1,400 Israelis have been killed, about 4,000 were injured, and at least 210 Israelis, including civilians, are in Hamas captivity. IDF troops are continuing to eliminate terrorists in...

In the last 15 years, Islamic political interests have dug deep into New York City politics. What does that mean? Beyond the obvious, political power, money. That’s what the currency of power comes down to anyway. And that means government contracts going to so-called community groups. More Muslims living in NYC meant more money was going into Islamist organizations. And much like funding Hamas, that adds up to pro-Hamas rallies. Big Apple taxpayers have shelled out nearly $9 million since 2010 — including $3.3 million the past two years — to four nonprofits that helped spearhead anti-Israel protests where demonstrators...

5 November 2023 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time St. Elizabeth, Pocahontas, VA Readings at MassLiturgical Colour: Green. Year: A(I).First readingMalachi 1:14-2:2,8-10 ©You have strayed from the way; you have caused many to stumble by your teachingI am a great king, says the Lord of Hosts, and my name is feared throughout the nations. And now, priests, this warning is for you. If you do not listen, if you do not find it in your heart to glorify my name, says the Lord of Hosts, I will send the curse on you and curse your very blessing. But you, you have...

Letitia James brought a civil lawsuit against former President Trump last year.. George Soros, two of his family members and other megadonors helped propel the political career of New York Attorney General Letitia James, who is suing former President Trump.. James, a Democrat, brought a civil lawsuit against Trump last year ... New York City Judge Arthur Engoron is presiding over Trump's civil fraud trial, which stemmed from James' lawsuit. Trump has blasted James for bringing the litigation, for the trial not having a jury and for Engoron handling the case. The former president has also dismissed Engoron as a...

Gmail has gotten to the point that it regularly locks me out of my accounts for a week or more. Im tired of them using phony security concerns to track my location, accounts, devices, etc. Looking for free accounts for personal use. Interested in hearing about your experience using other emails, both the pros and cons. What are your suggestions?

The Republican governor previously said she was remaining “neutral” but didn’t rule out endorsing a candidate before the all-important first-in-the-nation caucuses.

Western authorities are raising alarm bells over the imminent Russian military activity in Avdeyevka. Reports indicate that Russian forces are pulling reserves together in preparation for a potential assault on the city, with preliminary artillery bombardment anticipated.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) often starts with the buildup of lipid deposits or plaques within the blood vessel, setting the stage for atherosclerosis. Rupture of these atherosclerotic plaques clot blood vessels and lead to life-threatening conditions including heart attack or stroke. Dyslipidemia, meaning having too much "bad" or atherogenic lipids in the blood, represents the most common cause of CVDs. Accordingly, doctors often prescribe lipid-lowering medications. In two studies, researchers found a novel approach to achieve intensive lipid lowering, which enabled reversal of atherosclerotic plaques in murine disease models. This potential therapy employs a previously unknown function of the essential element...

In this week's science news, I talk about a new candidate for a cosmic string, the mysterious shrinking of planet Mercury, a nuclear clock, the first quantum engine, a simulator for human diseases, whether we can find new physics with spinning black holes, AI that wants to help find aliens, how to compute with photons, and of course, the telephone will ring.Could this be the first evidence for string theory? | 18:21Sabine Hossenfelder | 1.03M subscribers | 310,893 views | October 10, 2023

Jazmine Hughes, a writer for the New York Times Magazine, resigned this week after a conflict with her editors over signing of an anti-Israeli letter. New York Times Magazine Editor Jake Silverstein said Hughes violated the company’s policy on public protest. The incident exposes the inherent conflicts — and hypocrisy — in the shift away from neutrality in reporting in media companies and graduate programs. I have long been a critic of what I called “advocacy journalism” as it began to emerge in journalism schools. These schools encourage students to use their “lived expertise” and to “leave[] neutrality behind.” Instead,...

The Clintons, Qatar, and the Israel MassacreIt’s not easy to understand the Middle East, but one facet can be found in following the money. One open-wallet nation, Qatar, has been chummy with both Hamas terrorists and U.S. politicians. Our chief investigative reporter Micah Morrison provides the details in our Investigative Bulletin about Qatar’s connections with a former U.S. president and a secretary of state. Shortly after the world began learning the details of the massacre of Israeli civilians on October 7, Hillary Clinton published a note of support on X for “everyone affected by the horrific attacks by Hamas” and...

A new report provides fresh evidence that infamous January 6 provocateur Ray Epps may have been an FBI plant. In the first of a two-part series, “Truth in Media” host Lara Logan spoke with Anthime Gionet, also known as “Baked Alaska,” a right-wing influencer formerly associated with the “alt right.” Video footage from January 5, 2021 and earlier indicate that Epps appeared to be particularly interested in Gionet, who was later sentenced to two months in prison for his participation in the riot at the US Capitol. Gionet (Baked Alaska) was one of several people who filmed Epps on the...

The Federal Government throws out inflation numbers that don't even have a glancing interaction with reality. Every since they stopped including fuel, housing, and food in the CPI, it in no way reflects day to day existence here on the ground. Remember as a youth, you'd buy a big bag of Doritos for your party and you'd spend 99 cents? Well, I bought a much smaller bag for $4.69. Funions? $5.69. The bagels I'd but at Aldies went from $1.69 for 6 to $3.19 for 5. A bag of navel Oranges now costs $3.69 for 5. Things like Doritos have...

A very brief video because I want to tell you about this story I learned from William Jason Morgan's obituary. It's a lovely story about how the process of scientific discovery sometimes takes unexpected turns.He looked for gravitational waves, but discovered something entirely different | 3:39Sabine Hossenfelder | 1.03M subscribers | 232,486 views | October 19, 2023her YouTube channel

Former President Barack Obama backtracked Friday on his early support for Israel against the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, telling an audience at the Obama Foundation Democracy Forum in Chicago that they had pushed him to modify his position. “I had a conversation with a group of you around this issue, and you were passionate and pushed me around some of the public statements I’d made,” Obama told a group of activists and supporters. He said that all agreed on the desired outcome — ” an end to the killing, peaceful coexistence between two sovereign and free peoples” — but that...

The Toronto-based writer and activist, who started taking testosterone earlier this week, follows in the footsteps of his husband-turned-wife and son-turned-daughter. Knox's wife Zoe was previously known as Mark but came out as transgender in July 2015, after 19 years of marriage.

Let’s face it; there are a lot more BB guns and air rifles available than when we were kids. In fact, most options available these days are designed and marketed to fully-grown up kids. However, there is still one model that stands apart from the rest. The best BB gun for your kids to learn on is still the Red Ryder…

Since returning to power in 2021, Taliban authorities have vowed to end illegal drug production in Afghanistan and in April 2022 banned the cultivation of the poppy plant, from which opium and heroin are made. The report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) found that poppy cultivation has collapsed by an estimated 95 percent -- from 233,000 hectares (575,755 acres) at the end of 2022 to 10,800 in 2023. Opium production has followed suit, plummeting from 6,200 tons to 333 tons in 2023. This year's estimated harvest amounts to 24-38 tons of exportable heroin, compared with...

Ballot initiatives are an essential evolution of American democracy. Created over a century ago, they give millions of Americans a direct means to shape the laws that govern their lives and a check on legislative power when it’s not responsive to the people. In recent months, though, conservative politicians’ efforts to undermine the ballot process have taken a disturbing shift. Beyond their continued attempts to impose supermajority voter thresholds to make passing such initiatives nearly impossible, they have also resorted to manipulating ballot titles to deliberately confuse voters. The 2023 elections are a testing ground for this insidious tactic. Unless...