Free Republic

FKTs are dropping like flies. But the strategy for making miles might be impacting hikers' health. Updated MICAH LING After seven weeks of what felt like non-stop motion on the PCT, Nick Fowler began seeing things. Boulders looked like objects. Trees became people. He had endured every different kind of weather, and while the scenery was non-stop beautiful, he was spending most of his time looking at his feet, and the rocks he was tripping over. “I don’t know if these were hallucinations, or if I just really wanted them to be there, but multiple times when I had only...

The drug ketamine can reduce the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, and symptoms of depression in patients as early as a day after injection. That is the key finding of my team’s new meta-analysis, just published in the journal Annals of Pharmacotherapy. Ketamine is an anesthetic that is sometimes used as a substance of abuse but is increasingly being explored as a treatment for a range of mental health conditions. We analyzed six randomized controlled trials representing 259 patients with moderate to severe PTSD. In all trials, about half were injected with ketamine. The rest received either salt...

After promising in 2016 that "for every blue-collar Democrat we lose in western Pennsylvania, we will pick up two centrist Republicans in the suburbs in Philadelphia," Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has had the last laugh repeatedly, and election night 2023 is no exception. Although the ink is still drying on the exit polls and outstanding ballots are still being counted, there is no way of getting around it: Republicans once again widely underperformed, and they did so in the races that faced the most national scrutiny. Above all, the string of disappointments suffered since 2018 makes clear that the...

CAMBRIDGE, MA — The President of Harvard University, Claudine Gay, announced today that the university has installed Jew detectors at all entrances. "This is a step in the right direction," President Gay told reporters. "It might not be the last step. We are always looking for a final solution to the Jewish problem on campus." The move to install Jew detectors at all entrances comes amidst a wave of anti-semitic attacks on campus. The hope in using the detector system is that, once detected, Jewish students can be safely concentrated away in a location or camp where they will be...

New York City has led the US with the sharpest increase in the number of reported shoplifting incidents since before the pandemic, according to a study. The Big Apple saw a 64% increase in reported incidents of retail theft during the four-year period between mid-2019 and June of this year, while Los Angeles experienced a 61% surge in the same metric, according to the Council on Criminal Justice. Despite the spike in reported shoplifting incidents, New York City saw an 8% decrease in the first half of 2023, according to the study. A New York Police Department spokesperson pointed to...

20:30 - The security bodies in Brazil together with the Mossad thwarted an attack planned by the terrorist organization Hezbollah. The Mossad: "We thank the security forces in Brazil for arresting a terrorist cell. These days, against the background of the war in Gaza, Hezbollah and the Iranian regime continue to operate around the world to carry out terrorist attacks." 20:27 - IDF spokesman, Lt. Col. Daniel Hagari, updated that the updated number of abductees stands at 239. In the daily statement to the media, Hagari said: "We captured many weapons - including more than 700 RPGs. We hit the...

On Tuesday, reports of a gas leak at a polling place that extended vote-counting hours had many armchair observers wondering if this was a repeat of the infamous State Farm Arena incident in 2020, when a water leak was reported in the early hours of Election Day. But the Democratic faithful were quick to fire back that there was no basis to believe that the gas leak had anything to do with the Democratic incumbent Andy Beshear’s declared victory in the deep red state. Officials are refuting online claims that a gas leak at one polling place in Kentucky’s largest...

A new Covid-19 variant, named JN.1, has spread to at least 12 countries since it was first detected in September. However, the virus still makes up only a tiny proportion of Covid cases, meaning there is not enough data to understand if it is more transmissible than previous variants – or whether vaccines will be able to protect against. JN.1 is a descendent of the BA.2.86 variant known as Pirola, an Omicron substrain which first emerged in the summer. It initially caused concern given the high number of mutations compared to Omicron, which remains the dominant strain behind current infections....

The Republican Party checked itself into a rehab facility this morning, having hit rock-bottom in the throes of its addiction to losing. "Once we got that first taste of losing, we just couldn't stop," said Ronna McDaniel, Chairwoman of the Republican Party. "Next thing you know, you have to lose even bigger just to match the thrill of that first crushing defeat. It's a vicious cycle." Over the last several years, friends have watched the Republican Party steadily descend into addiction, with one loss inevitably leading to dozens more. "The Republican Party kept saying it didn't have a problem, that...

A grandad who became an online meme after eating half a tub of paint he thought was yoghurt has died. Bobby, also known as ‘Paint-Eating Grandpa’ from New York, gained fame in 2019 when his granddaugther Alex shared a picture of him eating the paint. She later confirmed on Instagram that her granddad died peacefully in his sleep earlier this year in June. Alex posted an emotional statement alongside a compilation of pictures and videos of him which was shared on TikTok. The caption read: ‘Today would’ve been Bobby’s 92nd birthday. ‘For those who don’t know, he passed away peacefully...

The House Oversight Committee issued three subpoenas on Wednesday for President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, his brother, James Biden, and a Biden family business associate, Rob Walker. These are three of the most consequential subpoenas that House Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-KY) has filed during his investigation. The subpoenas are for depositions for testimony related to the House GOP's ongoing impeachment inquiry. Hunter Biden and James Biden are centerpieces of Comer’s investigation into Biden and his family’s overseas business. Through their investigation, they have found that Hunter Biden received millions from foreign oligarchs and companies. Walker was a business...

Lily Aravanis is fielding visitor questions, selling butterfly paraphernalia and on this Wednesday afternoon talking to a reporter all at once—still, she doesn’t skip a beat as she says that there are an estimated 3,500 monarch butterflies at Natural Bridges State Beach. It’s the busiest time of the year for the small visitor center according to Aravanis, a marine biologist who works behind the desk at Natural Bridges. From the end of October to December, people from around the world come to see the monarch butterflies that are flying around Santa Cruz, concentrated in a few groves around the city....

The White House on Wednesday took a victory lap after Democratic wins in Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio state elections, framing it as a validation of the president’s platform. “President Biden’s values and agenda won big across the country last night,” press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at a briefing with reporters. “In Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia, voters once again sided with President Biden’s agenda.”

“Disappointed” Jon Voight blasted his estranged daughter, Angelina Jolie, for coming out in defense of Palestinians instead of Israelis. “I am very disappointed that my daughter, like so many, has no understanding of God’s honor, God’s truths,” he began his Instagram video. “This is about destroying the history of God’s land, the Holy Land, the Land of the Jews. This is justice for God’s children of the Holy Land.” Formerly a special envoy of the UN High Commission for Refugees, the “Maleficent” star accused Israel of “deliberately bombing” Gaza, which she described as an “open-air prison,” for “nearly two decades.”

SNIP The latest celebrity to spark outrage with her thoughts on the Israel-Hamas war is Angelina Jolie. On October 7, Hamas launched a deadly militant attack on Israel by land, sea and air. Israel has subsequently struck back at Hamas in Gaza. As of November 1, at least 1,400 people have been killed in Israel in the conflict, while over 8,500 people had been killed in Gaza, both figures according to the Associated Press. The actress shared a lengthy statement to Instagram on October 30, in which she expressed support for civilians on both sides of the conflict. "Like millions...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Gov. Andy Beshear secured another four years at the helm of Kentucky, defeating his republican challenger Daniel Cameron on election day. The race was one of the most closely watched in the country, believed provide clues about the 2024 presidential race. Kentucky picked up votes in several counties this election compared to his last run against Matt Bevin in 2019. The interactive map below shows how voters voted county by county.

Israel’s president Isaac Herzog has criticised Angelina Jolie over her stance on the conflict engulfing Israel and Gaza. Herzog, 63, said the 48-year-old Hollywood star hadn’t ‘seen the facts on the ground’ nor had she ‘visited Gaza’. Last month, Jolie accused Israel in an Instagram post of ‘deliberately bombing children, women, families, deprived of food, medicine and humanitarian aid’. Follow our live blog for latest updates on the Israel-Hamas war Jolie also called for a ceasefire, prompting Herzog to say in a new interview that the A-lister wasn’t ‘offering the Israeli people any ability to defend themselves’. Speaking to Piers...

Democrats flipping the Virginia House on Tuesday sparked a flood of mockery of Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin and his presidential ambitions. voters delivered a to Gov. Glenn Youngkin's presidential aspirations on Tuesday.On Tuesday night, Democrats maintained control of the State Senate and regained control of the House in Virginia. It was the opposite of what Youngkin wanted, which was a Republican trifecta that could help easily move his agenda through the legislature.The legislative elections served as a test of Youngkin's leadership amid speculation he may be considering a presidential campaign in either 2024 or 2028. The results sparked a flood...

The mogul also spoke to the need for more deals with the Disney-Charter bundle: “All media better figure out how to get together with old distribution and save each other’s ass."Liberty Global chairman John Malone said he was “ringing the alarm” on big tech’s entrance into the media ecosystem, saying they will “erode” the broadcast industry. Speaking at the Paley Media Summit in Manhattan Wednesday, Malone, a billionaire investor, pointed to Amazon’s purchase of Thursday Night Football as an example of an “upside down regulatory world,” which he said allows tech platforms like Amazon, who have deep pockets and don’t...

Young adults are having a hard time embracing the “adult.” A new survey revealed that Gen Z and millennial adults are facing more difficulties than their parents did when it comes to achieving milestones in the workforce. Of the 1,039 young adults surveyed, aged between 18 and 34, 55% said it’s “much harder” to buy a home, 44% said it’s harder to find a job, and 55% said it’s harder to get promoted, according to a Youth & Money in the USA poll by CNBC and Generation Lab.