Free Republic

Phones are supported well beyond their average ownership lifetime. In stark contrast, automakers are struggling to work out how long their “smartphones on wheels” can be kept on the road. In 2022, the automaker told drivers of the affected cars, some only three years old, that a technical solution was delayed by the pandemic. Now, more than two years later, those drivers still don’t have access to telematics services. A recent report found that cars and trucks just reached a new record average age of 12.6 years, up two months from 2023. “Whatever anybody is saying right now, it will...

Three members of the Nelons, a Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame quartet and the chairman of the board overseeing the Georgia Department of Corrections, were among seven people killed in a plane crash in Wyoming, according to a statement by a group member who was not aboard the aircraft. The Nelons co-founder, Kelly Nelon Clark, her husband Jason Clark, and their daughter, Amber Nelon Kistler died in the crash Friday afternoon, according to a statement from another daughter, Autumn Nelon Streetman. She is the fourth member of the Georgia-based quartet. “Thank you for the prayers that have been extended...

[Catholic Caucus] Synodal ecclesiology is an ecclesiology without ChristThe following interview shows what happens when the Church as the People of God is promoted at the expense of the Church as the Mystical Body of Christ. Synod becomes a law unto itself without reference to Christ.The Venezuelan theologian Rafael Luciani is a Professor at the Andrés Bello Catholic University in Caracas (Venezuela). He is also an associate professor at Boston College (USA) and an advisor to the General Secretariat of the World Synod in the Vatican and the Latin American Bishops' Council CELAM. Luciani's research focuses on Christology, ecclesiology, Latin...

Explanation: Saturn now rises before midnight in planet Earth's sky. On July 24, the naked-eye planet was in close conjunction, close on the sky, to a waning gibbous Moon. But from some locations on planet Earth the ringed gas giant was occulted, disappearing behind the Moon for about an hour from skies over parts of Asia and Africa. Because the Moon and bright planets wander through the sky near the ecliptic plane, such occultation events are not uncommon, but they can be dramatic. In this telescopic view from Nanjing, Jiangsu, China, Saturn is caught moments before its disappearance behind the...

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Life.Church Jenks in Tulsa, Ok, kicked off their At the Movies campaign with a Star Wars-themed church service, showcasing their relevancy by decking out the lobby and sanctuary with characters and props from the films. It’s not a one-off for the 85,000-member, seeker-sensitive, multi-site-based Oklahoma church that has 40 locations, but rather something they do every year. Led by Craig Groeschel, the pastor and lead visionary who is an awful preacher and habitual scripture- twister, and who recently launched the metaverse for the megachurch, their promo material explains: At the Movies is an annual summer event at Life.Church. We decorate...

When a true believer goes to church on Sunday morning, they expect the Scriptures to be opened, read, and taught. They expect God to be honored and worshiped in spirit and in truth. They expect the Word of God to convict us of our sin and encourage us in our walk, pointing us to the cross and drawing us near to Him. Yet, for the vast majority of so-called churches, that is a fantasy. Charles Spurgeon once predicted that “A time will come when instead of shepherds feeding the sheep, the church will have clowns entertaining the goats!” Well, that...

More Americans are driving without car insurance, and it’s making coverage more expensive for everyone else. The problem has been growing since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the Insurance Research Council, whose latest data show the percentage of uninsured drivers rose to 14% in 2022, from about 11% in 2019. The IRC, which calculates the data based on the relative frequencies of auto-insurance claims, expects the numbers have continued to climb since then. Washington, D.C., New Mexico and Mississippi are among the jurisdictions with the highest share of uninsured motorists, the IRC says. Washington has recorded almost...

Multibillion-dollar plant planned to bring hundreds of jobs to regionAfter breaking ground in 2023, the company building a plant to produce battery components for electric vehicles in a municipality near Kingston, Ont., says it's delaying construction of the plant citing a slowdown in EV sales. In a statement to CBC News, Umicore Rechargeable Battery Materials Inc. said Friday that its project in Loyalist Township is impacted by the "significant worsening of the EV market context and the impacts this has on the entire supply chain." The project carried a total price tag of up to $2.76 billion and was projected...

Just when you thought the progressive left couldn’t sink any lower in their relentless quest to redefine Christianity, along comes the National Bimbo™’s pastor, Amos Brown. In his latest “sermon”—if you can even call it that—this self-appointed sage of San Francisco rewrites the Bible to convince us that Jesus’ pick for U.S. president is their “dear member,” Kamala Harris. We all know that the fruits of the Spirit, as stated in Galatians 5:22-23, are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. But according to Rev. Brown, we need to add “justice” to that list. But we all...

The Iran-backed terrorist movement Hezbollah on Saturday rained down rockets on Israel, with at least one hitting a soccer field where children were playing in the northern Israeli town of Majdal Shams right by the border with Syria. Initial reports say at least 10 dead and 29 injured, many thought to be children. The soccer field in the majority Druze town is a scene of shocking violence and the most devastating loss of life in the north since Hezbollah entered the war on behalf of the terrorist entity Hamas on Oct. 7. The Magen David Adom ambulance service says the...

This week, the Paris Olympics opening ceremony featured a drag queen mockery rendition of the Lord’s Supper. Has the world truly sunk so low? The depravity even surprises me, as one who’s been journaling the downgrade for years. This grotesque parody is a glaring symbol of moral decay, and watching the Olympics nowadays is akin to partaking in the evil works of Satan. The Olympics, once a symbol of unity, now promote agendas that defy anything remotely Christian. While a drag queen mocking the Last Supper may be entertaining to heathens—it’s a brazen assault on our faith. Yet, are we...

The president of Palestine’s National Olympic Committee says he will not shake hands with his Israeli counterpart, or any of their delegation, at Paris 2024 unless they recognise his state’s right to independence. Jibril Rajoub, who has led calls for Israel’s athletes to be banned from international competition amid the war in Gaza, told the Guardian he would not engage with Yael Arad or her colleagues out of principle if they crossed paths during the Olympics. He also claimed the Palestine team have not been given any instructions about how to conduct themselves in the event that they come up...

From tech to tractors, companies are dialing back diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. Instead, a DEI alternative endorsed by Elon Musk could alter the fate of your next job application. It’s known as MEI, short for merit, excellence and intelligence. As described by Scale AI Chief Executive Alexandr Wang, who helped popularize the term, MEI means hiring the best candidates for open roles without considering demographics. “A hiring process based on merit will naturally yield a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and ideas,” he wrote on his company’s website last month, adding that casting a wide recruiting net was important. “We...

At least 34 people were injured - and nine of them killed - when a rocket hit a soccer field on Saturday afternoon in the Druze town of Majdal Shams in northern Israel. The soccer field is located near a park, and among the injured and killed are children and teens, ages 10-20 years old. Initial investigations by the IDF show that the aerial defense system had difficulty intercepting the rocket. The incident is under investigation. Following the sirens in Majdal Shamas, the IDF reported: "A short while ago, sirens sounded in the area of Majdal Shams. One projectile was...

Canada’s standard of living is on track for its worst decline in 40 years, according to a new study by Canada’s Fraser Institute. The study compared the three worst periods of decline in Canada in the last 40 years—1989, 2008, and today. They found that unlike the previous recessions, Canada is not recovering this time. Something broke. In fact, according to the Financial Post, since 2019, Canada’s had the worst growth out of 50 developed economies. On the ground, that means inflation-adjusted Canadian wages have been flat since 2016. So, yes, something broke. And it’s nowhere near over: Canada’s per-person...

Excerpts below. At the linked article, video clip segments of Coons, Van Jones, and Maddow are available.Delaware Democratic Senator Chris Coons became teary-eyed during a tribute to President Joe Biden following his announcement he would not run for re-election in November.There have been mixed reactions to Biden’s stepping down, but this particular display of praise for a man who has brought America to the brink of destruction is one of the more bizarre.Biden ally Coons became emotional while gushing over Biden, even pausing to gather composure as he fought back the tears.“Joe Biden is grounded. He’s grounded in his faith,...

On Tuesday, Pennsylvania GOP Senate candidate Dave McCormick, who is challenging longtime Democrat Senator Bob Casey, dropped an attack ad on Kamala Harris so brutal that the entire political world is taking notice. This was part of McCormick’s effort to tie Casey to who would be the most radical presidential nominee in American history. The ad opens with Pennsylvania Democrat Senator Bob Casey singing Harris’s praises and predicting people will fall for her. “Kamala Harris is inspiring and very capable. The more people get to know her, the more they’ll be particularly impressed by her ability,” Casey says.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may have found his No. 1 “useful idiot.” Vice President Harris’ Hamas-curious stepdaughter Ella Emhoff jumped into the presidential race with gusto this week with aggressive social media posts to her 330,000 followers. “You already know what time it is,” Emhoff, a 25-year-old model, said on Wednesday, sharing a slack-jawed image of herself and a voter registration link. “This is not the time to sit back and defer responsibility. This is on all of us to show up, take action and vote for our future. We can be the change we want to see.” ***...

San Francisco has suffered another blow as one of the most luxurious department stores downtown is banning window shoppers. Saks Fifth Avenue in Union Square has decided to change its customer experience by moving to 'appointment-only' this summer... Locals will have to pre-book appointments ... Customers can no longer walk in and browse the luxury items... It comes as areas in San Francisco have become known for their squalor and misery - so much so that local businesses are unable to recruit staff and residents have felt forced to flee. ... It follows Saks Fifth Avenue stores in Palo Alto...