Free Republic

The first night of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) was interrupted Thursday when anti-Israel protesters briefly tried to interrupt screening of the opening offering. Their chants targeted Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) which is the official bank partner of the annual celebration of film. The Hollywood Reporter notes the protest came before a screening of David Gordon Green‘s opening movie Nutcrackers, starring Ben Stiller, held at Toronto’s Princess of Wales Theatre ahead of a nearby opening screening attended by the star.

Paris organizers defended the Olympics opening ceremony on Sunday amid backlash over the apparent mocking of The Last Supper during the performance. The opening ceremony drew condemnation from American leaders, world leaders, Christian groups and athletes alike over its depiction of one of the most revered events in Christianity. The ceremony’s segment appeared to resemble a depiction of The Last Supper, famously painted by Leonardo da Vinci. The performance ensemble included drag queens, a transgender model and a naked singer who was stylized to resemble the Greek god Dionysus. Paris 2024 spokesperson Anne Descamps spoke about it on Sunday.

The 2024 Paris Olympics is anticipated to be a prestigious event symbolizing global unity. Interestingly, it has become a focal point of social media controversy. Criticism and disapproval from different groups, including boxing star Ryan Garcia, continue to emerge. The 27-year-old boxer believes that the opening boxer believes that the opening ceremony has offended the Christian faith. The event commenced with an attention-grabbing show featuring a troupe of drag queens, which sparked disapproval from numerous Christian followers. Garcia, a notable figure in the boxing world, took to social media to express his indignation. In doing so, Ryan Garcia condemned 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...

Kansas City Chiefs player Harrison Butker criticized a portion of the 2024 Olympics opening ceremony over social media on Friday that appeared to attempt to mimic Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper. In between the participating countries being presented at the kick-off in Paris, several performances were presented that played off French cultural and history. One of the more controversial performances, however, was one where drag queens and other actors appeared to remake the scene of The Last Supper, which depicts the last meal that Jesus Christ shared with his disciples before he was crucified. Butker posted a video to...

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said Wednesday that there’s currently no timeline for when the Port of Baltimore can reopen following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge a day prior. “Too soon to venture an estimate,” he told reporters during the White House daily press briefing. “The vast majority of the port is inside of that bridge, which means most of it cannot operate.” Buttigieg, who traveled to Baltimore on Tuesday hours after the collapse, said he is concerned about the local economic impact of the port closure and noted that 8,000 jobs are directly associated with port activities....

Reagan, starring Dennis Quaid as the 40th U.S. president, is officially coming to cinemas. The movie has set an August 30 opening under a partnership with new distributor Showbiz Direct, according to a Deadline report. Showbiz Direct is headed by Kevin Mitchell as well as former Lionsgate distribution president Richie Fay and the former co-president of distributor Open Road, Scott Kennedy. Reagan will be the first big-screen movie to dramatize the life of Ronald Reagan and is expected to cover its subject’s entire life — from his beginnings in Illinois, to his career as a Hollywood actor, and ultimately his...

The border crisis can be solved by letting 10 million migrants take American jobs, says President Joe Biden’s pro-migrant border chief. Alejandro Mayorkas was asked on April 21 if there was room for a compromise on border security before a deal on migration policy. Mayorkas, a lawyer, responded with an answer that mimicked the style used in law books: I am an unrelenting optimist, but I will share with you the following: What was articulated this week [by congressional legislators at hearings] is that … “We have 10 to 11 million vacant jobs, we have an incredible supply of [migrant]...

A woman accused of shooting three sheriff’s deputies in Kansas on Thursday was killed by cops during the gunfight, authorities said. The unidentified female suspect opened fire on the deputies from inside a car located five miles outside the city of Winfield, which is about 40 miles southeast of Wichita.

Empty seats, zero atmosphere, diminished team numbers, local protests and a world distracted by coronavirus all combined to deliver just 16.7 million viewers for NBC’s four-hour long broadcast of the Tokyo Olympic Games opening ceremony on Friday. It was the smallest U.S. television audience for the event in the past 33 years.Keen Olympic watchers would have to go back to the opening ceremony for the 1988 Seoul Games, which attracted 22.7 million TV viewers, to see numbers like it.It was also lower than the 1992 Barcelona Games, when 21.6 million people tuned in, according to Nielsen data supplied to Reuters,...

San Francisco’s teachers union has reached a deal with the city’s public school district to bring back high school seniors for just one day before the end of the school year so that the city’s schools can qualify for $12 million in state reopening funds, according to a report.Per the terms of the agreement, obtained by the San Francisco Chronicle, high school seniors will receive "in-person supervision" rather than in-person instruction. Just two of the city’s 15 high schools will be reopened. The students would arrive on campus in cohorts and would have either two teachers or staff engaging them...

"The fight against the epidemic is not finished," French President Emmanuel Macron said today in an address to the nation, "but I am happy about this first victory against the virus." As reported in The Guardian, all of mainland France including Paris will be designated a "green zone" as of tomorrow. As such, cafes and restaurants will be permitted to open as normal; family visits will be permitted at retirement homes; and schools (except high schools) will reopen fully...

This weekend, May 16-17, we will begin to offer a full schedule of Masses at St. Mary and St. Juan Diego churches. However seating is restricted to just 25% in the church. At St. Mary's, we will be able to seat 125 people in the church, 10 in the chapel, and 50 in the Hall. At St. Juan Diego, we will be able to seat 250 in the church, 50 in the chapel, and 10 in the Tepeyac Room. Everyone, 3 years and older, is required to wear a mask when in the church, except when receiving communion. Because seating...

Life is starting to slowly return to normal in some states. More people moving around. The data is from anonymized and aggregated cell phone data. See The Data...

Nature is healing? (Fat girl twerking Alert- eye and ear wash warning!) At least 140 were arrested and two shot at the “Go Topless Jeep Weekend” in Galveston, Texas this past weekend.... Twitter Link that follows. “We been in quarantine and like, I need to get out and party,” one of the attendees told local reporters.... and later: ....."I'm all gravy".... Twitter quote/link that follows To avoid twitter linkage-- here's direct you..tub link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=RcgVb6zZmn0&feature=emb_logo

This video clip is an altered video of the the presidential Speech from Independence Day II, President Trump and others standing in. It has 3.3 million views in a matter of an hour.Its well worth watching. Makes me want to get ready for July 4th! (Video at link)

A network of 3,000 California churches are planning to defy Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s shutdown orders by reopening for in-person services, Fox News reported Friday. California Church United pastors, which represents nearly 2.5 million members, announced Thursday that they plan to reopen May 31 instead of waiting for stage 3 reopenings, which includes churches along with businesses like salons and gyms, according to Fox. The leaders chose May 31 because it marks Pentecost and the birth of the Christian church, making it fitting for a “rebirth” of services. “Our churches are part of the answer, not part of the problem,”...

Texans are battling a colossal challenge—an invisible enemy that has tested our lives and our livelihoods—but overcoming challenges is part of who we are as Texans. We have shown that Texas can continue our efforts to contain COVID-19 while also adhering to safe standards that will allow us to begin the process of opening this great state. The Strike Force to Open Texas brings together nationally recognized medical experts with public- and private-sector business leaders to help achieve this mission. But it will take more than experts to win this battle for our families, for our community, and for this...

Opening of session with hymn rather than invocation. (Not sure how to post a video) https://youtu.be/i3wUcXhikQ4