Free Republic

Ron DeSantis’ hand got up close and personal with his nose just before patting a man on the back during a trip to Iowa last week. In a clip that surfaced on social media Friday, the Florida governor’s hand is seen making stops to his nostrils and his mouth before traveling straight to the man’s shirt. The snotty interaction came as the apparent supporter told DeSantis, who has come under fire for his ongoing feud with Disney and other controversialmoves, not to “back down.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has quietly changed their standards for early childhood development, as the effects of pandemic policies on children’s development, from speech to reading to other basics, becomes increasingly more apparent. Earlier this month, the CDC announced that new checklist ages for its important milestone lists were added. These new ages added were 15 and 30 months.The update banner at the top of the page points those interested in the updates to the developmental milestones to a Pediatrics article outlining the research conducted that resulted in the change. The CDC just quietly lowered the standards...

Infants have “been unable to see lip movements or mouth shapes as regularly.”. Lockdown restrictions, including adults wearing face masks, has left a generation of babies and toddlers struggling with speech and social skills, according to an official report. Inspectors working for Ofsted found that infants being surrounded by adults wearing face masks for significant periods of time over the last two years has damaged their learning and communication abilities. Those turning two “will have been surrounded by adults wearing masks for their whole lives and have therefore been unable to see lip movements or mouth shapes as regularly,” the...

With all of the social and personal turmoil that develops during the teenage years, a new study finds teens who hold off on dating have better social skills, are happier, and are less depressed. This finding goes against American culture in terms of every movie or television show that portrays teenagers in high school. Some believe that dating is just a part of being a teenager. Forming a romantic relationship for the first time can help in a teenager's own self-esteem. Researchers at the University of Georgia say that's true, but they've also found that not dating could be even...

“I’m clearly a textbook case of the silent majority of middle-aged men who won’t admit they’re starved for friendship, even if all signs point to the contrary,” wrote Billy Baker in his recent exploration of male loneliness in The Boston Globe. Perhaps one reason the piece made so many internet rounds is just how many people could relate: Last year Surgeon General Vivek Murthy warned that Americans are “facing an epidemic of loneliness and social isolation.” Though “I’m going to die alone” is the common grumble among single people, scientifically, it’s more like, “I’m going to die if I’m alone.”...

Black people are unduly burdened by the expectation that we always be on our ‘best’ behavior – or be subject to punishment n April, police swarmed four people, three black, one white, after they finished loading their luggage into a car in Rialto, California. Donisha Prendergast, one of the crew’s two black women, captured the incident on her Instagram account. The scene was anxiety-producing, with multiple squad cars barricading the residential street’s exit. When officers arrived, the group learned a neighbor alerted law enforcement to a potential burglary at the home they had rented through Airbnb. Police audio revealed an...

To my Conservative Friends: We all saw my article, The Obama Voter - Stupid is as Stupid does about the incredible lack of any knowledge among the average Obama voter.... And, as many of you know, a large chunk of the Obama voter was the youth vote. So the questions is this: Has the youth of American been Dumbed-Down??? We all hear that the dumbification (there's your toilet paper word-of-the-day...) of our young people has reached all time highs with the Ipods, cell phones (and now Iphones which combine the two..), video games, texting non-stop, etc..... If a kid comes...