Free Republic

The situation in #Syria is developing rapidly. Widespread reports (& footage) of clashes in central #Damascus, including outside the Four Seasons, amid claims of a coup. Former armed opposition factions in the south are engaging regime forces in clashes too.

In a coordinated operation, Russian authorities conducted raids on three of Moscow’s largest and most popular nightclubs on Friday night, detaining hundreds of men and taking them to military conscription offices. The raids, which took place at the Simachev, Mutabor/ARMA, and Mono nightclubs, began around 2 a.m. and continued for several hours, sending shockwaves through the city’s nightlife scene. According to witnesses, dozens of police vehicles, including paddy wagons, lined up outside the nightclubs as enforcement personnel, accompanied by police K9 units, systematically entered the establishments. Clubgoers described the scene as chaotic, with people being escorted out in groups. The...

A New Brunswick court has ruled that Aboriginal title, or the legal means by which Indigenous people claim property, can be used on privately held land in the Canadian province if indigenous nations go through the government to do so. The court decided the ruling earlier this month and it may set the precedent of Aboriginal title being used to sweep up privately owned property. On November 14, Justice Kathryn Gregory of the Court of King’s Bench ruled in connection to a lawsuit made by six Wolastoqey Nations that sought Aboriginal title claims for over 50 percent of the land...

By Dr. John BergsmaHappy New Year everyone! We start the liturgical calendar anew this evening, and we are in Year C, which has some of the most creative and stimulating combinations of lectionary readings. We just concluded the liturgical calendar by reading largely from the prophet Daniel and Our Lord’s eschatological discourse from the Gospel of Luke. We spent a good deal of time meditating on the second coming of Our Lord, the end of history, and the final judgment. We now make a smooth segue into Advent, because the first week of this liturgical season is given over to...

Trolling Hobby Lobby

An Adams administration staffer whose mission includes fostering “unity” and bridging “cultural divides,” is under fire for ripping down an Israeli hostage poster — and then allegedly assaulting an outraged eyewitness, The Post has learned. Nallah Sutherland, a special event coordinator for the Mayor’s Office of Special Projects and Community Events, was spotted earlier this month tearing down the poster from an Upper East Side light pole, ripping it up and dumping it in a trash bin, according to video posted online by the nonprofit StopAntisemetism.

More than 100,000 soldiers have been charged under Ukraine’s desertion laws since Russia invaded in 2022, according to the country’s General Prosecutor. Desertion is starving the Ukrainian army of desperately needed manpower and crippling its battle plans at a crucial time in its war with Russia. Facing every imaginable shortage, tens of thousands of Ukrainian troops, tired and bereft, have walked away from combat and front-line positions to slide into anonymity, according to soldiers, lawyers and Ukrainian officials. Entire units have abandoned their posts, leaving defensive lines vulnerable and accelerating territorial losses, according to military commanders and soldiers. Some take...

Through the first 24 hours of the winter weather event, Girard, Pennsylvania, reported 25.7 inches of snowfall, while Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, recorded 23 inches.ERIE, Pa. – The first bands of a significant lake-effect snow event began on Thanksgiving, and by the time the event subsides, communities around several of the Great Lakes will be measuring snowfall in feet, making travel impossible on some roadways.The first issues were reported on Friday along the Interstate 90 corridor, east of Cleveland, where FOX Weather Exclusive Storm Tracker Brandon Copic observed vehicles becoming stuck and visibility severely reduced.Near-whiteout conditions were also reported near...

I've finally come to FR for help understanding this total conundrum. I'll admit, I am completely baffled. This is in regard to these "senior spending cards", or "Medicare allowance cards"."Prepaid food allowance cards". You cannot go 5 minutes on the net (and 2 minutes on my phone) without seeing an ad for one or more variations of these cards. Supposedly, they are prepaid cards which allow you to buy retail stuff. Groceries, OTC meds, consumables, etc; "All seniors over the age of XX are eligible" [this is 100% false] "It pains me to know that many seniors are missing out...

Tesla died at the height of World War II. The FBI became quite concerned. Truckloads of Tesla’s papers and other property were impounded by the government, then meticulously inspected by John Trump. You mean that John Trump? I do. Today in Fortnightly The May issue of Public Utilities Fortnightly was mailed to you yesterday! Jam-packed with 19 thought-provoking articles and columns from our industry's intellectual leaders. Here's a fun morsel from page 72: On January 7, 1943, Tesla died in his room at The New Yorker Hotel in Manhattan. He died at the height of World War II, with the...

In the days after the presidential election, Sadie Perez began carrying pepper spray with her around campus. Her mom also ordered her and her sister a self-defense kit that included keychain spikes, a hidden knife key and a personal alarm. It’s a response to an emboldened fringe of right-wing “manosphere” influencers who have seized on Republican Donald Trump ’s presidential win to justify and amplify misogynistic derision and threats online. Many have appropriated a 1960s abortion rights rallying cry, declaring “Your body, my choice” at women online and on college campuses. For many women, the words represent a worrying harbinger...

<p>There is a paywall on this article. I am unable to put in the first paragraph because of the paywall. I tried the 'autoexcerpt" and got nada. This is my best try to post this.</p>

Most political pollsters aren’t receiving compliments from the public at large about their predictions leading up to the 2024 presidential-election. In fact, many people are questioning why the presidential polls were so off again this year after similar dismal performances in the 2020 and 2016 elections. In 2020, the polls called for President Biden winning by a landslide, but instead Biden won a close race. In 2016, the polls had arguably their most embarrassing performance in modern history, calling for Democratic candidate H.Clinton to win the race by a comfortable margin when in fact this was the case for President-elect...

DABROWKA, Poland (AP) – Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk traveled Saturday to his country’s border with the Russian region of Kaliningrad to inspect progress in the construction of military fortifications along the eastern frontier, calling it “an investment in peace.” Tusk´s visit comes a month before Poland is to take over the rotating presidency of the 27-member European Union. Polish officials say their priority is to urge Europeans to beef up defenses at a time of Russian aggression and with change coming soon in Washington. Some European leaders are concerned that the incoming administration of Donald Trump might be less...

Extremist Syrian Islamist forces have seized control over much of Aleppo, the second-largest city in the war-torn country, raising significant new questions for the U.S. government about its policy in the highly volatile Syrian Arab Republic. "I think it is concerning if some elements of the anti-Assad forces get their hands on sensitive sites in Syria. There have been reports that they have seized the Syrian Scientific Studies and Research Center, which is where Assad’s chemical weapons program is housed among other military assets," Jason Brodsky, policy director for United Against Nuclear Iran, told Fox News Digital. He continued, "Given...

This is on right now on TCM. You can get to it through their web site too. This is too much.

The Upper West Side has devolved into a Wild West atmosphere where anything goes, terrified crime victims and neighbors begging for more cops told The Post. Criminals are more emboldened than ever in the ritzy nabe — with robberies soaring over 30% compared to last year — and carjackers so brazen they flashed their guns without concern on consecutive Sundays in broad daylight. “I have never felt so scared in this neighborhood the way I feel now,” one of the carjacking victims told The Post this week. The woman, who wished to remain anonymous for fear for her safety, had...

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VIDEOThe Good News for the Liberal Pink Hat Lady is that she seems to have completely gotten over her utter grief and despair over the election loss of her Beloved Kamala. The Very Weird News is that the Liberal Pink Hat Lady went into a state of utter joy in anticipation of the release of the Taylor Swift Eras Tour Book on Black Friday. Here we see Liberal Pink Hat Lady (okay she does not wear a Pink Hat in every scene so sue me for misinformation) make highly detailed plans to arrive in the early morning (2:21 A.M.) at...

Ellen DeGeneres’s new life in the quaint English countryside has gone dramatically wrong - after her dream home was swamped by astonishing flooding just days after she moved in. The talk show superstar is living in an idyllic multi-million pound farmhouse in the Cotswolds after deciding to emigrate from the US in protest at Donald Trump’s election win. But rather than enjoying a pastoral retreat, Ellen, 66, and her wife Portia De Rossi, 51, have been left at the mercy of raging floods which have engulfed their new multi-million pound mansion, MailOnline can reveal.