Free Republic

“Departing in Peace” (Luke 2:22-40) Are you ready to go? What I mean is, are you ready to leave? No, I don’t mean right now. It would be nice if you’d stick around until the end of the service. But then, at the end of the service, will you be ready to leave? Will you be ready to depart in peace, satisfied and content and ready for whatever comes next? What makes you ready to leave, to leave any situation? For instance, this year is coming to an end. Are you ready to put 2023 behind you and move on...

An American destroyer shot down two anti-ship ballistic missiles fired from Yemen Saturday as it responded to a call for help from a container ship that was hit separately, the US Central Command (Centcom) said. Centcom said the US destroyers Gravely and Laboon responded to a request for assistance from the Maersk Hangzhou, a Singapore-flagged, Denmark-owned and operated container ship that reported being struck by a missile while transiting the Red Sea. While responding, missiles were launched toward the ships from territory controlled by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, Centcom said.

A randomized controlled trial finds that the synbiotic drug SIM01 relieves multiple symptoms of long COVID, or post-acute COVID-19 syndrome (PACS). SIM01 contains strains of anaerobic Bifidobacterium bacteria (which are probiotics) and soluble fibers (prebiotics) to alter the gut microbiome and possibly modify immune response. From June 2021 to August 2022, researchers from randomly assigned 463 adult long COVID patients at a single hospital in a 1:1 ratio to receive SIM01 or a vitamin C placebo by mouth twice daily for six months. The median interval between infection and random assignment was four months. "Decreased abundance of short-chain fatty acid-producing...

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley said Thursday she would pardon former President Donald Trump if he is convicted of federal crimes. Her comments came during a campaign event in Plymouth, New Hampshire, MSNBC noted Friday. The outlet reported: “A leader needs to think about what’s in the best interest of the country,” Haley went on. “What’s in the best interest of the country is not to have an 80-year-old man sitting in jail that continues to divide our country. What’s in the best interest of our country is to pardon him so that we can move on as a country...

Winning a BAFTA for 'The Full Monty,' Wilkinson also appeared in 'Shakespeare in Love,' 'In the Bedroom,' 'The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel' and 'Batman Begins' and won an Emmy for his role as Benjamin Franklin in the 'John Adams' miniseries. Actor Tom Wilkinson, known for his BAFTA-winning role in The Full Monty and Oscar-nominated turns in Michael Clayton and In the Bedroom, died Saturday. He was 75. Wilkinson died “suddenly” at home, according to a statement from the actor’s family, who were with him when he died as was his wife. “The family asks for privacy at this time,” the...

On Friday’s “CNN This Morning,” Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson stated that local economies are going to be crushed by the migrant “crisis” and that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) is “governing out of fear.” Johnson said, “[W]e have infrastructure in our local communities that [is] not designed to carry such a burden. Local municipalities are not structured to be able to carry the weight of a crisis like this. And I’ve sent a delegation to the border to see firsthand what our bordering cities are experiencing, and what we have said repeatedly is that there has to be better coordination....

Masashi Ozawa, best known to WWE and pro wrestling fans as Killer Khan, has died at the age of 76. WWE announced Ozawa's passing Saturday and remembered him for his multiple stints with the company in the 1980s. Khan began wrestling in the United States in 1979 and remained in North America for a large portion of the 1980s. He memorably feuded with André the Giant in Georgia Championship Wrestling in 1980, which led to him signing a deal with WWE. Khan was instantly utilized as one of WWE's top villains, feuding with WWE champion Bob Backlund, intercontinental champion Pedro...

My friend Glenn Reynolds, who also has an excellent Substack you may want to subscribe to, just released a piece called Civilizational Jenga. The main focus of it was the Colorado Supreme Court’s foolish decision to pull Trump’s access to the ballot in Colorado over his supposed “insurrection” on January 6, 2021. Setting aside the fact that a large percentage of the country, myself included, doesn’t believe the Jan 6. riot was an “insurrection,” it puts the cart before the horse. Trump has yet to be put on trial for insurrection. For a handful of leftwing judges (and yes, they’re...

The meaning behind Kim Carnes’ 1980s classic “Bette Davis Eyes” actually holds a warning. The song starts out enticing, but soon turns sour, becoming a tune of advice to anyone lured in by the woman depicted in the lyrics. A song brimming with mystery, “Bette Davis Eyes” answers a few questions – like Who is she? What makes her so dangerous? Why must we stay away? – but maybe things are better left to the imagination. The Origins “Bette Davis Eyes” was written in 1974 by singer/songwriters Donna Weiss and Jackie DeShannon. The latter initially recorded the song, releasing it...

60 personalities in the entertainment industry coming out in support of legendary actor Gerard Depardieu. Depardieu dealing with a rape case in the criminal justice system and other accusations leveled in a recent TV documentary... 2,500 signatories on a manifesto this weekend condemning Depardieu and denouncing a 'law of silence'... On Christmas Day the plane with alleged ties to human trafficking was allowed to leave France... For New Year's Eve in France a mobilization of 90,000 police including 6,000 in Paris... Many protesters today with their Yellow Vests others not wearing vests. A yellow flag used in the protest today....

It was 40 years ago this month when the biggest battle on movie screens took place not between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader, but improbably enough, between James Bond and… James Bond. In 1983, audiences got to choose between two films starring Ian Fleming’s famous secret agent: Octopussy, the sixth film to feature the debonair Roger Moore as British spy 007, and Never Say Never Again, the first movie in 12 years to star the original James Bond, Sean Connery. This was following his second departure from the wildly successful film franchise in 1971. How did this come to pass?...

WEF admits it’s behind the LGBTQA+ agenda, working with news, business, entertainment, “faith leaders”, sports, govt & individual activists to push their propaganda - which launched when? 2019 - right before they also pushed the covid hysteria

To help reduce retail thefts and to hold those committing these crimes accountable, the San Francisco Police Department Burglary Unit (Fencing & Organized Retail Crime investigators) and Field Operations Bureau, pre-planned a shoplifting enforcement operation. A retail store located on the 700 block of Mission Street and the 200 block of Winston Drive were chosen for the operation due to the high number of shoplifting incidents the businesses were experiencing. On Tuesday, December 12, 2023, the operation was successful in arresting a total of 18 suspects listed below. Two were booked at San Francisco County Jail #1 for outstanding warrants...

Drug maker Abbvie recently won a court case in which they sued Takeda Pharmaceutical, the company responsible for the production of their drug Lupron. In the case, Abbvie alleges that Takeda created a shortage of the drug by intermittently shutting down one of its plants. A judge found that Takeda Takeda was in breach of its contract with Abbvie and has ordered the to pay most of the $480.6 million it sought. Lupron may sound familiar to you because it has been at the center of the debate art whether or not children should be allowed to suppress puberty to...

Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows ruled Thursday to disqualify former President Donald Trump from the 2024 ballot under the 14th Amendment because he’s an “insurrectionist” for inciting the Jan. 6, 2021, riot—drawing Trump’s ire, as he claims Bellows, a Democrat who’s spoken out against Trump in the past, is biased against him.

Walt Disney World Resort omitted or replaced lyrics containing the words “gay” and “queer” at Disney Jollywood Nights, a hard-ticketed event at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. This special event celebrates the magic of the holidays in old Hollywood, bringing together Disney Characters, musical entertainment at the Hollywood Brown Derby and Tip Top Club at the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, the Jingle Bell Jingle BAM! fireworks, exclusive dining options, and all-new stage shows. It runs from 8:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. on select nights through December 20. The first Disney Jollywood Nights was a bit of a disaster, with long lines...

North Carolinian lawmakers decided to require photo ID upon accessing a porn website online to confirm you are of the legal age of 18+. Pornhub declared this puts users privacy at risk and is unreasonable to want to have to show photo ID every time you want to watch porn.

WHAT I'VE LEARNED FROM LIFE "I've learned that although it's hard to admit, I'm secretly glad by parents are strict with me." (Age 14) "I've learned that silent company is often more healing than words of advice." (Age 24) "I've learned that the greater a person's sense of guilt, the greater the need to cast blame on others." (Age 16) "I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you miss them terribly after they die." (Age 53) "I've learned that making a living is not the same as making a life." (Age 58) "I've learned that if...

@RepMTG Sign me on! I’ve called out the risky and ineffective COVID-19 vaccines from the very beginning. Recently, I held a hearing with top experts on the countless injuries caused by these experimental jabs. It’s time to say NO to COVID-19 vaccines and remove FDA approval.

U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Alabama, was the target of a swatting call that sent the Lee County SWAT team to a family residence on Christmas evening, reports WRBL, a Chattahoochee Valley TV station. Swatting is a form of harassment that involves a false report of an ongoing emergency or threat of violence intended to prompt an immediate tactical law enforcement response to the target’s address. The FBI started using the term in 2008. The scene at the residence owned by Tuberville’s wife was cleared quickly without any problems, according to the station. Neighbors told WRBL that the street was blocked,...