Free Republic

The final voyage of the Coral Princess to PortMiami on Saturday morning was a race against time to get urgent care for multiple passengers suffering from the new coronavirus. Two people had already died — including a woman from South Carolina on Friday night — while last-minute negotiations shifted the cruise ship from its first-choice destination, Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale. Officials quickly devised a plan signed just before the ship docked: Take nearly 1,000 healthy travelers — screened and wearing masks — directly to Miami International Airport for flights home; bring four extremely sick passengers (including at least one...

(CNN) The coronavirus pandemic has challenged Christian churches to find socially distant ways to launch Holy Week on Palm Sunday. Also known as Passion Sunday, the day recounts the biblical story of Jesus' triumphant arrival in Jerusalem before his crucifixion, with palm leaves and clothing laid in his path. It comes on the last Sunday of Lent and first day of Holy Week. Before the deadly pandemic's social distancing guidelines altered life across America, Christians often celebrated with processions and the distribution of palm leaves. So faith leaders throughout the country have come up with new ways to observe the...

Surgeon General, Dr. Jerome Adams, shares ways to create your own face covering in a few easy steps.

The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you. If you have specific question about a plant/problem you are having, please remember to state the Growing Zone where you are located. This thread is non-political respite. No matter what, you won’t be flamed, and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked. It is impossible to hijack the...

Wherever you are in the world, I hope you're safe and sound at home. As we all navigate the global COVID-19 crisis, it's important that we're still nourishing ourselves - not just our stomachs, but also our minds, our hearts, and our communities. As my colleague Brinda's grandmother texted her today from Singapore, "Don't get depressed. Sing, play on the piano, read novels, learn knitting and sewing, meditate - all these help." I don't know if I believe that the simple comforts of cooking will indelibly cure the ailments of today and tomorrow, but I do know that walking into...

An American story posted in an effort to show how far the coronavirus insanity has traveled and how the character of our country is being reshaped .... Hoops Removed at Legendary NYC Basketball Courts as a Coronavirus Precaution by Angi Gonzalez Brooklyn (snip) -- "The basketball court at Rucker Park in Harlem is considered hallowed ground for some of the greatest players in the game. On Thursday, it was empty, which seemed surreal for people who live in the neighborhood. Earlier in the day, the hoops at the Rucker Park court and at 79 other basketball courts across the city...

Outrage over a Muslim congregation that has sparked a new wave of Covid-19 cases in India has taken an Islamophobic turn. States across India have traced more than 300 positive cases to the weeks-long event. And Islamophobic hashtags have been trending on Twitter since the news first broke on Monday. "Instead of corona quarantine, we should have hate quarantine," says historian Rana Safvi. The gathering was by the Tablighi Jamaat, an Islamic missionary movement that is nearly 100 years old. And its global spiritual centre or markaz is in Indian capital Delhi's Nizamuddin area. The event was held there -...

5-year-old girl treated for non-life-threatening injuries; park closed to visitorsEast Bay Regional Park District staff closed Dublin Hills Regional Park to visitors after a 5-year-old girl was attacked and bitten by a coyote Wednesday afternoon, authorities said. Park officials immediately responded to a park location around 2:20 p.m. after learning that the girl, who was walking with family members, was approached and bitten by one of five or six coyotes. The girl’s family quickly intervened and the animals fled. Alameda County Fire Department firefighters also responded, and provided care before transporting the girl to UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland for...

GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Boys adventure movement Trail Life USA (www.TrailLifeUSA.com) today announced its first-ever “National Backyard Campout” -- encouraging families to “make memories” during the COVID-19 lockdown. At a time when “outward bound” has become “homebound” for families across the nation, Trail Life USA is inviting America’s families to take a break from their COVID-19 preoccupation and have a camping adventure in their own backyards April 17. “Our Troops have had to hold their meetings online for the past few weeks during self-isolating,” said Mark Hancock, CEO of Trail Life USA, which has more than 30,000 members in 830-plus troops...

**SNIP** The CDC analyzed more than 7,000 confirmed covid-19 cases across the country in which health officials had a written record about the presence or absence of any underlying medical condition. The preexisting conditions covered in the records include heart and lung diseases, diabetes, chronic renal disease, chronic liver disease, immunocompromised conditions, neurological disorders, neurodevelopmental or intellectual disability, pregnancy, current or former smoker status, and “other chronic disease.” The CDC found that, of people requiring admission to an intensive care unit, 78 percent had at least one underlying health condition. Of people hospitalized but not requiring ICU admission, 71 percent...

Compared to many other pursuits, turkey hunting may be the perfect outlet for outdoors enthusiasts who are paying attention to the current social distancing guidelines. While approximately 50,000 people hunt turkeys in South Carolina, it’s mostly a solitary pursuit. Although Lowcountry hunters with access to private lands have been taking advantage of the state’s turkey hunting season since March 22, the rest of the state and those who don’t have access to private hunting property can join in this week. The season opened on private lands in Game Zones 3 and 4 (basically the lower portion of the state) on...

At a former open pit copper mine filled with billions of gallons of toxic water, sirens and loud pops from propane cannons echo off the granite walls to scare away birds so they don’t land. After several thousand migrating snow geese perished in the Berkeley Pit’s acidic, metal-laden waters in 2016, its owners deployed a sophisticated arsenal to frighten away flocks, including lasers, drones, fireworks and remote-controlled boats. Montana Resources already had been hazing incoming birds with spotlights and rifle shots into the water — and a spokesman says those existing deterrents likely helped the company avoid a penalty or...

ROME, ITALY -- As Italy mourns thousands of coronavirus dead, and survivors brace for life in an economic wasteland, one rung of society looks to win big: organized crime. "The Italian mafia can turn threats into opportunities," top government anti-mafia investigator Giuseppe Governale told AFP. Over 10,000 people have died in Italy of the flu-like disease, which has forced the country into a lockdown that is devastating the eurozone's third largest economy. From the historic Cosa Nostra in Sicily, to the immensely powerful 'Ndrangheta in Calabria and trigger-happy Camorra in Naples, Italy's mafias were "caught on the back foot (by...

When pastor Frank Carl delivers a sermon at Genoa Church in Westerville, Ohio, he typically hears a chorus of “amens.” On Sunday, he instead heard a deafening blast of honks. And Carl wasn’t at the pulpit—he was about 25 feet off the ground on a scissor lift. “It’s not what I had in mind when I accepted a higher calling,” he told TIME of the experience, laughing. **SNIP** To continue providing services, churches have employed a variety of digital alternatives like livestreams, apps and YouTube videos. But over the past week, an increasing number of pastors have turned instead to...

Joe Biden’s campaign is looking to expand its fundraising operation as it prepares to take on President Donald Trump in the general election. Officials within Biden’s organization have discussed bringing in a new group of regional fundraising advisors, including former aides to Sen. Kamala Harris’ and Pete Buttigieg’s campaigns, who could help them expand their donor network, according to people familiar with the matter. These people declined to be named because the talks were private. Biden had a strong March, raising more than $30 million in online donations, as the coronavirus has pushed his campaign into a fully online platform,...

A Florida man allegedly attempted to eat a stolen debit card when he was confronted by police officers after attempting to use the card to purchase goods at Walt Disney World. Orange County police deputies arrested Jose Herrera, 27, on Monday. He had been held by Disney security after being caught while buying gift cards and jewelry at Disney Springs, Walt Disney World's shopping center, with the stolen card, which is believed to have been taken from a deceased Ohio man. Herrera allegedly tried to eat the evidence of his crime, with officers witnessing him attempting to chomp down on...

Trapped in the confines of four walls, springtime spent in quarantine can feel uninspiring, if not isolating. But as Gregory Chiate’s son looked outside his window in Marin County one recent morning, he realized he wasn’t alone. On top of a towering conifer outside perched a bald eagle: the first one his father had seen since they moved there 11 years ago. The birds have been making a comeback, according to Shannon Burke, an interpretive naturalist with Marin County Parks, though it’s not necessarily because the area has been deserted by people. (Coyotes are a different story in San Francisco.)...

Legacy media may be shutting down coverage of President Trump’s daily virus task force press conferences, but his message about getting the nation back on its feet by Easter is getting through anyway. The latest Rasmussen Reports survey found that 61% of Republicans share Trump’s confidence that some parts of the country not widely impacted by the coronavirus can begin rolling back precautions by Easter. As with virtually everything coming out of Washington and the White House, though, there is a huge partisan split. Democrats, who don’t agree with much of anything Trump does, also don’t have confidence in Trump’s...

CIUDAD JUAREZ - Faced with the threat of the increased spread of coronavirus across their borders, three northern Mexicans states are calling on President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to do more to stop people entering Mexico from the U.S. The three states – Tamaulipas, Coahuila and Nuevo Leon – border Texas, which has more than 2,500 confirmed cases of the virus as of Sunday, based on more than 25,000 tests. Combined, the three Mexican states have over 90 cases, though the number of tests is not clear. The urgent call comes just days before the April 5th - 12th Holy...

The Pilgrim, an icon at the Ocean Institute, has keeled and is sinking in Dana Point Harbor. Officials at the center were informed at 5:15 a.m. Sunday, March 29, that the beloved vessel, which served as an inspiring real-world classroom to hundreds of thousands of students and visitors, had keeled starboard — tilted toward the right side — during the night at the Ocean Institute’s dock near San Juan Capistrano. It was not immediately clear Sunday morning what caused the ship to sink. A boom has been placed around the ship and an inspection is forthcoming, said Wendy Marshall, executive...