Free Republic

A Swiss man, Emanuel Brünisholz, is serving 10 days in prison in Switzerland for saying on Facebook that skeletons are either male or female. For that remark I was fined 500 Swiss francs. I refused to pay, and so, on the 2nd of December 2025, I will serve ten days in prison. It is worth noting that, legally speaking, this prison sentence is not a punishment for refusing to pay the fine. Instead, the prison sentence is an alternative way to be punished for the Facebook post itself. I have chosen to trade a monetary fine for time behind bars....

"MACON COUNTY, Ga. (WGXA) — On Saturday, December 6, 2025, the Oglethorpe Police Department received a report from the Macon County Sheriff’s Office regarding a possible dog bite incident involving a victim being transported for medical care. DID YOU HEAR? | Peach County sheriff investigates video showing heated exchange between student and SRO Investigators determined that Raphael Woolfork was attacked by three pit bull dogs while walking on Chatham Street in Oglethorpe. A nearby citizen intervened and transported Woolfork to a location where Emergency Medical Services could assist him. While receiving medical treatment, Woolfork appeared to go into cardiac arrest...

A new multi-site study shows that people with cystic fibrosis (CF) who start the triple-drug therapy elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor (ETI) can safely reduce many of their daily lung treatments while maintaining good health for years. "This is incredibly meaningful for individuals and families living with CF," said lead author Scott Sagel, MD, Ph.D. "For decades, people with CF have spent hours every day managing their disease. Our findings show that many have stepped back from some of those time-consuming therapies thanks to ETI." ETI helps the malfunctioning protein that causes CF work more effectively, allowing the lungs to function better from the...

A new study has found that collagen production and skin renewal directly respond to the amount of vitamin C we eat. The study shows that skin vitamin C levels are closely tied to levels of the vitamin in the blood (plasma) and can be boosted by increasing fruit intake. Carried out on two dozen healthy adults, the study shows that boosting plasma levels by consuming two vitamin C-rich kiwifruit per day increases the amount of the vitamin in the skin, improving skin thickness (collagen production) and stimulating renewal and regeneration of the outer skin layer. Professor Vissers says, "We are...

Vitamin C may have the potential to protect people against lung disease caused by traffic-related air pollution, bushfires and dust storms, new research finds. Researchers examined the effect of vitamin C in reducing lung inflammation and mitochondrial loss caused by PM2.5—tiny airborne particles commonly found in urban pollution—finding it could be protective. Air pollution is becoming the second-highest preventable risk factor to our health, at a level greater than smoking. In 2019, air pollution contributed to more than 200 million healthy life years lost to premature death or disability. There is no safe level of air pollution caused by PM2.5,...

In a striking scene in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge asks two men raising money for the poor, “Are there no prisons? … And the Union workhouses? … Are they still in operation?” When the charity supporters reply that many would rather die than go to such places, Scrooge replied, “If they would rather die … they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population.” Later in the story, Scrooge is reminded of his dehumanizing words and is ashamed. Recently, in real life Britain, Lord Falconer of Thoroton suggested to the British House of Lords that the...

Researchers report that a low-dose mixture of zinc, serine, and branch-chain amino acids can alleviate behavioral deficits in three different mouse models of autism. The study shows that when combined together, these three dietary supplements promote communication between neurons in the brain and improve social behaviors. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is known to result from abnormal neural development that affects how neurons are connected. Individually, zinc, serine, and branch-chain amino acids are all thought to have positive effects on neural connectivity. The authors hypothesized that a mixture of the three would be a more effective treatment than any individually and...

Jammer made a shocking admission on social media this weekFormer San Diego Chargers cornerback Quentin Jammer raised some eyebrows on Monday, when he took to social media to reveal that he played a number of games during the 2011 season while under the influence of alcohol. "True story……. In 2011 I played completely **** faced drunk in at least 8 games," Jammer wrote. Jammer said that football players deal with real-life issues just like everyone else, no matter how much money you make or how famous you are. He also lamented the fact that his public revelation was shocking...

Spain’s Ministry of Health has issued a warning over rising flu cases as winter approaches, preparing to require masks in hospitals, health centres, and elderly-care facilities, particularly in high-risk areas. The move comes amid an early and intense influenza season, which experts say could put additional pressure on hospitals already managing COVID-19 cases and other respiratory infections. Health authorities stress that the measure is preventative and aims to protect the most vulnerable, including the elderly and those with chronic illnesses. Several regions have already adopted measures ahead of a national agreement. Aragón and Andalucía, for instance, have recommended or mandated...

VIDEOS AT LINK............. If you’re going to read the comments, might as well have some fun with them. The #1 rule of working on the internet is to never read the comments. Somebody could put the winning lottery numbers in our comments and I would still lose because I would never see them. It’s usually just a cesspool of trolls, so there’s not really any point in diving into the comments to deal with that mess. But one news anchor has a different way of dealing with the trolls. Carissa Codel, a morning news anchor from Missouri, has gone viral...

Reviewed by Christopher P. Cannon, MD, Editor in Chief, Harvard Heart Letter; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing =============================================================== Cheese consumption in this country has been climbing, reaching an all-time high of 42 pounds per person last year. Yet most cheese varieties contain a fair bit of saturated fat and sodium — two things people with heart disease are often urged to limit. Still, there's no need to banish cheese from your diet. In fact, a daily serving of this popular dairy product may be good for your heart. For a 2023 review in Advances in Nutrition, researchers pooled...

California officials are warning foragers after an outbreak of poisoning linked to wild mushrooms that has killed one adult and caused severe liver damage in several patients, including children. The state poison control system has identified 21 cases of amatoxin poisoning, likely caused by death cap mushrooms, the health department said Friday. The toxic wild mushrooms are often mistaken for edible ones because of their appearance and taste. “Death cap mushrooms contain potentially deadly toxins that can lead to liver failure," Erica Pan, director of the California Department of Public Health, said in a statement. “Because the death cap can...

More than 1.5 million bags of shredded cheese sold at retailers including Walmart and Target have been recalled after the Ohio-based manufacturer warned the products may contain metal fragments. Great Lakes Cheese Co., the Hiram, Ohio-based firm, initiated the voluntary action affecting multiple brands sold at major retailers. The recall, which began on Oct. 3, stems from potential metal fragments in supplier raw material — prompting what regulators describe as a downstream recall across several product lines. The FDA classified the action on Dec. 1, and the recall remains active. The affected cheese — including mozzarella, Italian-style blends, pizza blends...

A remarkable resistance to venom has been discovered in a frog that feasts on hornets despite their deadly stingers. This frog could potentially serve as a model organism for studies on mechanisms underlying venom tolerance. Image: Kobe University ecologist SUGIURA Shinji discovered that the black-spotted pond frog seems to be unharmed and undaunted by venomous stings from hornets such as the Asian giant hornet, the largest in the world. ============================================================== While just the sight of a hornet’s stinger is enough to fill many of us with dread, some animals, such as some birds, spiders and frogs, are known to prey...

Dick Van Dyke revealed how he’s been able to live a long life. The “Mary Poppins” star, who’s set to turn 100 years old on Dec. 13, recently recalled giving up alcohol and smoking in his 50s. Van Dyke credited the choice for why he’s “still here.” The comments came when he spoke about working with Walt Disney, who died of lung cancer in 1966, at a Vandy High Tea event held at his home in Malibu, Calif., on Nov. 30. Van Dyke recalled that Disney “smoked too much,” per People.

Damage to the cornea from infections, injury, or genetic disorders can lead to blindness – and often requires a transplantArteum.ro / Unsplash View 2 Images In a major breakthrough in human tissue replication, for the first time ever a 3D-printed cornea has been transplanted onto a legally blind patient's eye, successfully restoring their sight. That's from Rambam Eye Institute in Haifa, Israel, which worked with a company called Precise Bio that specializes in regenerative tech and bio-fabricated tissues. This procedure, completed towards the end of October, involved a corneal implant grown entirely from cultured, living human corneal cells, rather than...

A norovirus outbreak has affected the German cruise ship AIDAdiva, with 95 passengers and 6 crew members reporting symptoms of the highly contagious gastrointestinal illness. The cases were first reported to health authorities on November 30, making this the eighth day of active infection on board as of December 7, and ruining a holiday of a lifetime for many. The ship, operated by AIDA Cruises (a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation), is carrying 2,007 passengers and approximately 640 crew members. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the infected individuals represent fewer than 6 per cent of...

Cooking Robots and the Loss of Human Skill Original Question In view of centuries of history of technological development in which increasing power and convenience of gadgetry have prompted the unintended consequence of the atrophy of first-person practice of human skills with self-reliance, what is the likelihood that the proliferation of cooking robots will result in people forgetting how to cook and feed themselves in the event of a technological contraction? Short Answer The risk is real but uneven. Widespread cooking robots would almost certainly erode everyday cooking skills in some parts of the population, especially among those who fully...

'My guy @drjoshredd is a magician. Had a great week of wellness starting with this awesome machine. More videos to come of other things as well.' It is as yet unclear which 'other things' Harper is referring to, but the Phillies will certainly be hoping the medical procedures can boost the health of its $330million superstar, who is contracted through 2031 - by which time he'll be 39. Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper has shocked fans by revealing that he has undergone a bizarre offseason procedure to remove a third of his blood from his body. Fear not, though, baseball...

Researchers have found that cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome, a vomiting condition tied to chronic cannabis use, rose sharply in US emergency departments between 2016 and 2022 and has stayed elevated. As of June 2025, nearly half of US residents live in states with legalized recreational cannabis, and policy shifts have expanded adult-use access through legalization, medical programs, and decriminalization. Among cannabis-related harms, cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS) has been described as a growing concern in clinical and public health settings. CHS was first identified in 2004 in Australia and remains a syndrome with uncertain etiology. Proposed neurophysiological mechanisms include downregulation of cannabinoid...