Free Republic

America’s biggest funder of the humanities subsidizes ‘Ecowomanism,’ ‘Black Trans Studies’ and the like. The University of Virginia launched a hiring spree in 2020 as it pledged to become “a racial-equity-focused university.” A special initiative promised to recruit 30 postdoctoral fellows and “open the gateway” for them to fill tenure-track jobs. One current fellow’s specialties include “transfeminisms” and “genderqueer life writing.” Another researches how Filipino nurses resist “racial capitalism.” The program owes its existence to the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, which funded it to the tune of $5 million. With a $7.7 billion endowment, the Mellon Foundation is the nation’s...

HYPER MOBILE JOINT SYNDROME IS REAL AND IT HURTS I ASKED: I inherited hyper mobile joint syndrome. Please talk about how difficult this is at age 78 as all your ligaments stop working. no one will even admit it's real. AI: It is an incredibly valid and, unfortunately, common to feel dismissed regarding Hypermobile Joint Syndrome (or hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome/HSD) at age 78. While many doctors mistakenly believe this condition "gets better with age" (often confusing decreased flexibility with decreased pain), the reality is that the aging process often causes a 78-year-old's hypermobile body to feel like it is "falling...

It was a moment that should have been simple—a press conference in Milan, just as the Winter Olympics were getting underway. However, ingratitude appeared and destroyed the moment. Two American freestyle skiers, Chris Lillis and Hunter Hess, stood before the international press and used their platform not to celebrate their country, or to honor the people who helped them reach the world stage, but to distance themselves from the United States. They suggested that ICE’s actions “do not reflect the country they represent,” as if enforcing the law were somehow a national embarrassment. While this episode may have been brief,...

7 February 2026 Saturday of week 4 in Ordinary Time Altarpiece and shrine of Saint Richard the Pilgrim, in San Frediano, at Lucca, ItalyReadings at MassLiturgical Colour: Green. Year: A(II).First reading1 Kings 3:4-13Solomon chooses the gift of wisdomKing Solomon went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, since that was the greatest of the high places – Solomon offered a thousand holocausts on that altar. At Gibeon the Lord appeared in a dream to Solomon during the night. God said, ‘Ask what you would like me to give you.’ Solomon replied, ‘You showed great kindness to your servant David, my father,...

A newly rediscovered drawing of a foot created by Michelangelo has just been auctioned off, fetching an eight-figure price tag and setting a record.The five-inch chalk drawing of the Libyan Sibyl's foot sold for $27.2 million on Thursday, Feb. 5, according to world-famous auction house Christie's.The subject of the drawing, which shows a foot with its heel off the ground, appears on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican, which was painted from 1508 to 1512, the auction house said.This drawing now sets the record for the most spent at auction for a piece of Michelangelo artwork, topping...

You love to see it happen. The lawless mob that Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has emboldened was literally at his door, making demands Friday night. The crowd called on Walz to fight back against ICE and the Trump administration and to legalize all illegal aliens.Leftists outside the Minnesota governor’s mansion have turned on Tim Walz for not being radical enough:“We are demanding legalization for all. We hope this is the moment you finally grow a pair!"Tim has tried so hard to please them lmao https://t.co/MTpJz7WN9t— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) February 7, 2026

By Dr. John BergsmaThe Readings for this Sunday remind me of the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth, which I’ve had the privilege of visiting a couple of times in the past few years. This beautiful church is built on a hillside and is easily visible from much of the modern city of Nazareth. The architect designed the dome of the basilica to look like a lighthouse, symbolizing the light of Christ going out to all Nazareth and the rest of the Galilee region, in keeping with the theme of last week’s Gospel, “Those walking in darkness have seen a...

The Associated Press (AP) accused several European nations competing in the Winter Olympics of having a lack of diversity on their teams, claiming they are “overwhelmingly white.”In an article from the AP, the outlet highlighted how “immigration from Africa and the Middle East has transformed the demographics of Europe in recent decades.” The outlet also noted that while the United States was “sending one of its most diverse teams,” the team rosters for countries such as France, Germany, and Switzerland “look a lot like Sweden’s: overwhelmingly white and lacking the immigrant representation.”“At the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, Sweden is sending...

Mariah Carey and a tribute to disco are hardly controversial. For the 2026 Winter Games, the Olympics kept political messaging to a minimum, save for a couple of small segments. The games, which are taking place in Milan and Cortina, Italy, held two parades for the opening ceremonies. Athletes came from the mountains, where they will compete in Cortina, down to the town square to celebrate, while fans packed the San Siro Olympic Stadium in Milan to watch the ceremonial performances. The ceremony opened with a montage video featuring skiers, a woman making a bowl of pasta, cappuccinos, families on...

6 February 2026 Saints Paul Miki and his Companions, Martyrs on Friday of week 4 in Ordinary Time Church of Saint Amandus in Nederhasselt, Ninove, BelgiumReadings at MassLiturgical Colour: Red. Year: A(II).Readings for the feriaReadings for the memorialThese are the readings for the feriaFirst readingEcclesiasticus 47:2-13David sang out of love for his MakerAs the fat is set apart from the communion sacrifice, so David was chosen out of all the sons of Israel.He played with lions as though with kids, and with bears as though with lambs of the flock.While still a boy, did he not slay the giant,...

VIDEORemember how after he left CNN Chris Cuomo attempted to remake himself as someone who dropped the woke and was more open to other viewpoints. It was pretty much a phony act as you can see when, consumed by jealous rage, he recently went on a rampage against Scott Jennings. Why? Ostensibly it was because Jennings very reasonably insisted on using the term "illegal aliens" especially because it is an official legal term. However the real reason that Chris Cuomo went full Shmuck is that he is envious that Jennings is everything that he wishes he could be as a...

mericans are finally learning that, six years ago, Toronto baptized an urban park with a painfully long, awkward name in the Huron-Wendat language. (snip) If you look at what the AWFL person behind the Canadian rename had to say, you’ll understand that leftists aren’t just being silly; they have a goal.(snip) It seems that in 2018, Toronto built a nice urban park, which it intended to call “Woodsy Park,” (snip) However, because this is Canada, which has now decided to lose the war it fought and won against the indigenous people many centuries ago, the chosen park name was considered...

Daily Readings from the USCCBThe Apostles gathered together with Jesus and reported all they had done and taught. He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” Mark 6:30–31When a person does something profound and meaningful for the first time, it’s a memorable moment. When a child walks for the first time, parents are elated. When we graduate from high school or college, a natural sense of pride wells up. Weddings, the birth of a baby, an ordination, and many other important events mark the beginning of something new and fulfilling. Around the...

Krystal and Saagar discuss secret code words used in the Epstein files.

A vicious, high-stakes divorce is unfolding in three states between private equity honcho and Jeffrey Epstein acquaintance Jeffrey Leeds, and his much younger wife Elizabeth, with bitter accusations flying about paramours, sex toys and misspent millions. At stake is $100 million in real estate alone — a $22 million, 14-room pad at famed 740 Park Ave. on the Upper East Side; a $23.5 million, 11-bed, 12.5-bath spread in Southampton; and a $35.6 million manse in Palm Beach, records show. Elizabeth Leeds, 43, is accused by her 69-year-old husband of having a long affair with, and being impregnated by, Miami businessman...

Manhattan’s luxury housing market is quietly edging back toward its mid-2010s swagger after a decade marked by excess, collapse and recovery. And this time, the rebound appears to be powered by real money, not just empty supply. New data shows the borough’s priciest homes are nearly back to their 2016 highs, a milestone last seen during the condo boom that reshaped Manhattan’s skyline. By the end of last year, the median price for a luxury home — defined as the top 10% of the market — hit $6.39 million, according to a new report from Douglas Elliman. Manhattan’s luxury housing...

The California Department of Public Health is urging people to avoid mushroom foraging altogether this year because death cap mushrooms are easily confused with safe, edible varieties. Since Nov. 18 there have been more than three dozen cases of death cap poisonings reported, including the four deaths and three liver transplants, according to the health department. Many who sought medical attention suffered from rapidly evolving acute liver injury and liver failure. Several patients required admission to an intensive care unit. They have ranged in age from 19 months to 67 years old. The death cap is one of the most...

A 70-year-old migrant has been spared jail for sexually assaulting a young girl 'while encouraging her to cover her head'. Chaudhry Zaman had forcibly held the 12-year-old girl's hand while she was walking home from school in Slough, Berkshire, then kissed her. He told jurors he had been encouraging the girl to cover her head and telling her how she could do so. The girl said her father now had to pick her up from school and she feels anxious during the school run. Zaman, who was assisted by a Punjabi interpreter in court, was spared jail, in part due...

JD Vance BOOED at 2026 Milan Olympics Opening Ceremony

A Toronto man who recently self-deported from the United States says he was told to do so after an off-duty U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer noticed his Canadian passport in his wallet at a pet store. Henry Cortez had been living in Las Vegas for five years, but his visa had expired more than a year ago, he told National Post in an interview.He hadn’t gotten round to renewing it. That suddenly became a problem when he went into a PetSmart in the city’s Summerlin suburb to buy supplies for his cat, Smokie. A stranger noticed the Canadian...