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Daily Readings from the USCCB“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” Luke 1:42–43Elizabeth expressed a beautiful humility in this statement. The Blessed Virgin Mary had just made a long journey to be with Elizabeth in her final months of pregnancy. As soon as our Blessed Mother greeted Elizabeth, Elizabeth’s child, Saint John the Baptist, leaped for joy in her womb. Elizabeth acknowledges this and then humbly expresses the fact that she is exceptionally blessed to have Mary,...

Polish officials said they will arrest Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu in compliance with a warrant from the International Criminal Court if he attends the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. "We are obliged to respect the provisions of the International Criminal Court," Władysław Bartoszewski, Poland’s deputy foreign minister, told Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita on Friday. Dozens of world leaders are expected to attend the anniversary event on January 27, which will honor the estimated 1 million Jews who died in the Nazi genocide. Netanyahu is not due to attend the ceremony, according to Rzeczpospolita. The ICC issued an arrest...

The good news is that the pilots are safe. There were no fatalities, but it could have been a tragic accident. We have confirmed reports of a friendly fire incident occurring in the Red Sea, where an F-18 fighter jet was blasted out of the sky. American forces have been conducting airstrikes in Yemen against Iran-backed Houthi rebels. The fighter jet was accidentally shot down by a cruise missile cruiser, which is under investigation. Both pilots were able to eject from the aircraft and rescued shortly thereafter (via USNI News)

Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore posed while wearing Santa hats in a photo shared by NASA’s Johnson Space Center on Dec. 16.

Runners wearing thick-heeled sneakers were more likely to get injured than those wearing flatter shoes, a recent study has found. The study, one of the largest and most comprehensive of its kind, also found that runners with thicker heels could not accurately identify how their foot landed with each step, a likely factor in the high injury rates. Because flatter shoes are associated with less injury, the researchers say they are likely the best option for most runners to help improve sensation with the ground and learn to land in a controlled manner. But transitioning to a different shoe type...

Higher scores on the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) are associated with an increased incidence of all-cause dementia and Alzheimer's disease (AD) dementia. Diet has been identified as a potential avenue for reducing dementia risk. Previous observational studies have linked anti-inflammatory diets, such as the Mediterranean and MIND diets, with slower cognitive decline and lower dementia risk. The DII is a standardized tool that quantifies the inflammatory potential of diets by analyzing nutrients, bioactive compounds, and food components. Prior studies have suggested that higher DII scores are associated with systemic inflammation, which is separately understood to contribute to neurodegenerative processes. Researchers...

Chinese researchers have revealed new insights into the growth of craniopharyngioma and identified a potential therapeutic treatment. Craniopharyngioma, a benign yet highly invasive tumor occurring along the hypothalamus-pituitary axis, presents a unique clinical challenge. Although nonmalignant, its proximity to critical brain structures often leads to severe endocrine and metabolic complications. The tumor can invade the hypothalamus and pituitary gland, resulting in endocrine dysfunction and metabolic disorders such as obesity, diabetes mellitus, hypothyroidism, diabetes insipidus. In severe cases, it can cause life-threatening conditions. Currently, surgical resection remains the primary treatment option; however, this approach carries high risks, including the risk of...

Another body was found in the popular Lady Bird Lake in Austin, Texas, where other deceased individuals were found recently. The latest body found joins the growing mystery after at least 6 additional bodies were found throughout the year in the lake in 2024. On Friday, police were called to investigate reports of a dead person in the water near 1st Street Bridge and the 300 block of Cesar Chavez. The Austin Police Department (APD) said that they do not suspect foul play as the body showed no signs of trauma, but are investigating the incident. Despite APD attempting to...

The first round of the College Football Playoff concluded on Saturday with (8) Ohio State defeating (9) Tennessee 42-17 to set up an intriguing showdown in the Rose Bowl against Oregon on New Year's Day in Pasadena. The common theme of the first round of the expanded CFP was home teams taking care of business. (7) Notre Dame cruised to a 27-17 win over in-state foe (10) Indiana on Friday to set up a showdown with Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. Georgia will be without quarterback Carson Beck after the star quarterback was injured in the SEC title game against...

Chronic liver damage can lead to hepatitis, which causes fibrosis of the liver. This buildup of collagen and other fibrous tissue accelerates when hepatic stellate cells become activated during hepatitis, often resulting in liver cancer or cirrhosis, both of which can be fatal. As there are no effective drugs to treat cirrhosis, suppressing the activation of the stellate cells is considered as a way of controlling the progression of liver fibrosis. "It is estimated that one out of every three to four people worldwide have steatotic liver disease, when there is an abnormal accumulation of lipids, which is a precursor...

The United States steam transport Fulton, WOTTON, Commander, from Port Royal Dec. 18, via Fortress Monroe, Va., Dec. 20, to Brevet-Brig.-Gen. STUART VAN VLIET, Chief-Quartermaster, arrived yesterday morning. The Fulton touched at Fortress Monroe, to land Lieut.-Col. O.E. BABCOCK, Bearer of Dispatches from Gen. SHERMAN to the War Department; also, Col. A.H. MARKLAND, Gen. SHERMAN's Mail Agent. Savannah was still in the hands of the Confederates. Its surrender had not been demanded by Gen. SHERMAN up to the time of the sailing of the Fulton. Among the passengers per the Fulton, is Col. W. GURNEY, of the One Hundred and...

A few days ago, our friend Stephen McIntyre, one of the original Russiagate investigators, sent a tweet to revisit a question that many of us have pondered for years but which has never been fully resolved. As a result, we finally now have the answer. That is because, in response to McIntyre’s tweet, the key figure has come forward to confirm what many of us have suspected all along. McIntyre's tweet highlighted that, according to the FBI, it was Australian diplomat Alexander Downer who initiated the inception of the Crossfire Hurricane investigation. However, the narratives surrounding this event differ significantly...

REPORT: Biden made military families of troops k*lled in Afghanistan wait three hours while he “napped” on Air Force One on the tarmac, according to the Daily Mail. According to family members who spoke to the outlet, Biden “couldn’t pull it together.”

Soldiers are quitting the Armed Forces at an alarming rate, despite a pay rise over the summer. For the first time on record, there are now just two servicemen or women per thousand people in Britain. Some 15,119 left the Armed Forces in the year to October. Of these, 7,778 were counted as “voluntary outflow”, those choosing to leave of their own accord.

During a crisp early Wednesday morning on October 15, 2003, near Fortine, Montana, James Beeman used a .410 shotgun to shoot and drop a charging grizzly bear at three feet.James Beeman had been having problems with raccoons in the large chicken coop he had built, about 50 yards from his 3600 square foot home. At about 3:30 a.m., he heard an unusual noise, sort of a mew-mew, but he did not sense anything amiss. At 4:30 a.m., chaos erupted in the chicken coop.The coop was 36×22 feet, with a floor 4 feet above ground level to allow the chicken droppings...

Thomas Jefferson once warned, “The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield, and government to gain ground.” His caution echoes with alarming clarity today, as the Biden administration consolidates federal power to suppress dissent, silence debate, and tighten its grip on institutions meant to serve the people. Jefferson's warning serves not as a relic of the past but as a prescient reminder for a nation now grappling with unprecedented encroachments on freedom. Indeed, when government moves beyond its foundational task of safeguarding life, liberty, and property, it inevitably devolves into a tool of power wielded against its own...

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Christopher Wray, head of the FBI, is trying to make life difficult for the incoming Kash Patel, even though he is leaving. By promoting loyalists, he is pushing them into decision-making positions so that reforms can be stymied. Wray is apparently determined to wreak havoc by giving his successor headaches from day one. Mr. Patel should not take the bait! Many decades ago, the Department (Board) of Education of the City of New York had a division called The Bureau of Child Guidance. It was the mental health unit that serviced all school children. New psychologists on the Board had...

Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem (12/22/24)[Prayer]Names and Titles of God the Holy Spirit (Witness) Romans 8:1616 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:King James Version________________________God Bless America.ML/LTOS

The Talk Shows December22nd, 2024 Guests to be interviewed today on major television talk shows:FACE THE NATION (CBS): Margaret Brennan anchors: Roger Carsten, Biden administration's top hostage envoy; DHS Secretary Alejandro Ma-jerk-ass; Sen. Joe Manchin (I (trade votes for cash!)-W.Va.); Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas); Rep. French Hill (R-Ark.), House Chairman of the Subcommittee on Digital Assets, Financial Technology and Inclusion. FOX NEWS SUNDAY (Fox Network): Anchor Shannon Bream: Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.); Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.); Dallas Jenkins, creator, director, co-writer and executive producer of The Chosen, the first multi-season series about the life of Jesus of Nazareth. Panel: Gay...