Free Republic

A man who lives in remote Kentucky among strict Amish and Mennonites has revealed what their isolated communities are really like - from living without electricity, internet, and cellphones to driving around in horse and buggies. For his whole life, Steven Haste has resided in a community in Casey County, Kentucky, that is made up prominently of Amish and Mennonite people - two religious groups who believe in living a traditionalist lifestyle. And while he doesn't consider himself Amish or Mennonite and doesn't follow their firm rules, he recently opened up about why he prefers to spend his time with...

On Wednesday, Luke Combs' cover of the song "Fast Car" won song of the year at the Country Music Association awards – but singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman, who first released the song in 1988, took home the award. With the win – a whopping 35 years after the song was released – Chapman became the first Black songwriter to win the song of the year prize at the CMAs.

Breaking: Israel is dropping leaflets over southern Lebanon, according to Al Mayadeen It reads: "An urgent message to the residents of South Lebanon. The actions of the terrorist organization Hezbollah push the Israeli Defense Forces to act against it in the areas where you live. For your safety, you must evacuate your homes immediately and head to the safe areas in northern Lebanon. The IDF is not interested in harming you or any of your family members. Anyone who is near Hezbollah terrorists or the organization's facilities will put their lives in danger. A house used by terrorist organizations will...

A few weeks ago, I looked at some of the many systems that have been used in Ukraine that attracted their share of of media hype and asked whether they delivered on their hype. Today, I round out that list with more hyped up systems that didn't make in into the first video, while also looking at some that I'd probably nominate as just as, or more significant, that the ones drawing heaps of media attention. Expect a focus on the importance of context and opportunity costs as we look at Kizhal, SCALP, the TB-2 drone and Orlan drones, as...

@PolitlcsUK 🚨 NEW: Nigel Farage has just landed in Australia after signing a £1.5 MILLION deal to appear on I'm A Celeb - the highest fee ever paid

Researchers have found a correlation between a compound found in fruits and vegetables and a reduction in the symptoms of endometriosis. In an article, the researchers outline how flavonoids may be able to help suppress the symptoms of inflammatory diseases like endometriosis. In endometriosis, cells similar to those in the lining of the uterus begin growing in other places in the body, causing inflammation. The painful condition affects millions of women, and there is no cure. Flavonoids have been associated with anticancer, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antiviral medical benefits, but the details of how they work have remained a mystery. "We...

Virginia running back Perris Jones was hospitalized following a hit in a game against Louisville on Thursday night, and the sixth-year senior underwent successful spine surgery on Friday. The Virginia program provided an update on Jones on Saturday on Twitter. According to the update, Jones was able to briefly walk on Saturday. He will remain under observation and will be transferred to the Frazier Rehabilitation Institute in Louisville for continued care when his medical team deems it appropriate. Jones took a head on hit within a pack of defenders toward the end of the third quarter in UVA’s matchup at...

A senior Ukrainian military officer with deep ties to the country’s intelligence services played a central role in the bombing of the Nord Stream natural gas pipelines last year, according to officials in Ukraine and elsewhere in Europe, as well as other people knowledgeable about the details of the covert operation. The officer’s role provides the most direct evidence to date tying Ukraine’s military and security leadership to a controversial act of sabotage that has spawned multiple criminal investigations and that U.S. and Western officials have called a dangerous attack on Europe’s energy infrastructure. Roman Chervinsky, a decorated 48-year-old colonel...

The trial for two of the main organizers of the Canada Freedom Convoy in early 2022 has lasted for longer than the truckers' protest against COVID-19 vaccine requirements and other mandates itself. The judge, Justice Heather Perkins-McVey, ruled Friday that some redacted Ottawa police documents should be made admissible, including emails and information about a software update for officers’ cellphones after the end of the early 2022 demonstrations, which may have deleted messages between organizers and police liaison officers, the Ottawa Citizen reported. Prosecutors had been pushing for most redaction to remain under solicitor-client privilege. Tamara Lich and Chris Barber,...

Researchers have discovered a link between obesity and neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's disease. Using the fruit fly, the research shows that a high-sugar diet—a hallmark of obesity—causes insulin resistance in the brain, which in turn reduces the ability to remove neuronal debris, thus increasing the risk of neurodegeneration. Although obesity is known to be a risk factor for neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease, exactly how one leads to the other remains a mystery. The study focused on this by taking advantage of the similarity between humans and fruit flies. Having previously shown that a high-sugar diet leads...

A clinical study on special diets at the University of Cologne shows promising results on the use of a ketogenic diet as a possible treatment for hereditary polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). This disease causes about 10% of all cases of kidney failure and is the most common hereditary kidney disease worldwide. In the KETO-ADPKD study, one of these dietary regimens—the ketogenic diet—was investigated as a treatment for polycystic kidney disease. The final results of the phase II-like study, which are now available, also showed that a switch to a ketogenic diet can have a positive effect on kidney function of...

... . GLENARDEN, MD – A UPS driver encountered a shocking ordeal in broad daylight, as recorded in doorbell surveillance camera footage. The woman was surrounded and her truck hijacked at gunpoint in a residential neighborhood in Glenarden, Maryland. ...

After the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and the rise of groups like the Proud Boys, there's a new push to tighten who can and cannot be a Chicago police officer. A new policy is up for a vote on Monday. [...] ...But you can bet that the list of "unapproved" organizations is going to be straight out of the liberal playbook. Remember, the feebs were investigating Christian churches, people who attended the Latin Masses, assorted school board members and another government bureaucray targeted foreigners who home-schooled their kids. No doubt they'll put the Boy Scouts of...

Google spent $26 billion to hide this phone setting from youGoogle goes to great lengths to be your default search engine and keep you from switching. Here’s why you should make your own choice. There’s a setting on your phone and web browser that Google is desperate to keep you from discovering. How desperate? In 2021 alone, Google paid Apple, Samsung and others $26.3 billion to keep it buried. That’s more money each year than McDonald’s makes selling burgers. This setting affects who gets to track your location and watch what you look up online. It affects the usefulness...

Dozens of Ohio students staged a walk-out after a high school girl claimed that she was harassed in the bathroom by a transgender student. Elida High School student Charisma Akroyd said that a biologically male student walked into the bathroom while she was taking off some of her clothes and asked to 'join in'. 'I had a hoodie and sweatpants on and I had an outfit on underneath, and while I was taking my sweatpants and hoodie off, this male walked into the bathroom, kind of gave me a weird look, and said he wanted to "join in",' Akroyd said....

Chicago has become so unpleasant that migrants are fleeing back to Venezuela after being dumped in shelters and refused better paying jobs. Since August last year, 20,700 migrants have arrived in Chicago from Texas. The Lone Star State's Governor Greg Abbott sent migrants to Chicago and other Democrat-run cities because of their proud status as 'sanctuary cities.' They offer enhanced protection against detention or deportation for undocumented migrants. Now, Illinois' harsh winters, lack of migrant infrastructure, and ambivalent support from locals has made many people, who undertook the harsh US-Mexico border journey, actually turn around and go back home. Venezuela-born...

This list only includes destroyed vehicles and equipment of which photo or videographic evidence is available. Therefore, the amount of equipment destroyed is significantly higher than recorded here. Loitering munitions, drones used as unmanned bait, civilian vehicles and derelict equipment are not included in this list. All possible effort has gone into avoiding duplicate entries and discerning the status of equipment between captured or abandoned. Many of the entries listed as 'abandoned' will likely end up captured or destroyed. Similarly, some of the captured equipment might be destroyed if it can't be recovered. When a vehicle is captured and then...

A man wanted on suspicion of child sexual assault who led authorities on a pursuit Tuesday has been released from the hospital and booked into jail, Omaha police said Friday. Refugio Arcos-Hernandez, 33, is charged with first-degree sexual assault of a child, flight to avoid arrest, weapon possession by a prohibited person, resisting arrest, obstruction, leaving the scene of a property damage accident, willful reckless driving and not having a driver’s license. According to Sarpy County and Omaha authorities, Arcos-Hernandez fled from a traffic stop Tuesday after he was spotted outside Gretna High School. The pursuit ended near 59th and...

German chancellor Olaf Scholz's governing coalition has agreed to double German military aid for Ukraine next year to 8 billion euros ($8.54 billion), Bloomberg News reported on Saturday, citing people familiar with the matter. If approved by the parliament in Berlin where Scholz's parties hold a majority, the boost would lift Germany's defense spending beyond the 2% of gross domestic product target pledged by all North Atlantic Treaty Organization members, the report added. Lawmakers of Scholz's Social Democrats, the Free Democrats and the Green party agreed on the increase in negotiations over the proposed 2024 federal budget this week, Bloomberg...

Key bits: "A new poll released Tuesday finds a dramatic surge in Palestinian support for Hamas following last month’s Gaza war"; "The poll found that 53% of Palestinians believe Hamas is “most deserving of representing and leading the Palestinian people,” while only 14% prefer Abbas’ secular Fatah party."