Free Republic

Not too long ago, Gavin Newsom got caught with his hand in the cookie jar of political cronyism. In response to a draconian law passed raising fast-food worker wages to $20 an hour, known as A.B. 1228, Newsom carved out a little exemption for his friends at Panera Bread on the laughable grounds that these establishments bake bread on the premises. In reality, the owner of several Panera establishments was a high school buddy who was a really good donor to his campaigns. Once caught, Newsom backed off, but right when he thought no one was looking, he went right...

If you’ve read much of my writing, you know that I consider myself an expert on Disney — not in the way that leftists who think you should wear masks in perpetuity are “experts” on pandemics, but a genuine expert. Disney has been part of my family life from the beginning. My parents honeymooned at Walt Disney World just months after it opened, and my siblings and I (and later my nieces) grew up on Disney movies and TV shows. Disney’s woke content and political meddling in Florida hurt us as a family. We’re not boycotters by nature, so even...

Visitors to Disney theme parks this summer are encountering something they haven’t seen in a while: elbow room. Travel analysts and advisers say traffic to Disney’s U.S. parks, and some rival parks, has slowed this summer. Data from a travel company that tracks line-waiting time at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla., shows that the Independence Day weekend was one of the slowest in nearly a decade. Disney executives have said they have expected weaker earnings from their U.S. parks this year. The Orlando-area resort is even offering hotel discounts around Christmas, typically a peak period. Travel advisers and industry...

Friends say victim knew Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev ORLANDO, Fla. - The FBI confirms a special agent was involved in a deadly shooting early Wednesday near Universal Orlando, and two friends of the victim say he was from Chechnya and knew one of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects. The fatal shooting happened just after midnight at 6022 Peregrine Avenue in Orlando. "We are currently responding to a shooting incident involving an FBI special agent," FBI Special Agent Dave Couvertier told Local 6. "The incident occurred in Orlando, Florida. The agent encountered the suspect while conducting official duties. The...

Walt Disney’s parks chief Josh D’Amaro said Tuesday the company will be laying off staff at its theme parks, the segment of the company hardest hit by the pandemic. ... ”In light of the prolonged impact of COVID-19 on our business, including limited capacity due to physical distancing requirements and the continued uncertainty regarding the duration of the pandemic – exacerbated in California by the State’s unwillingness to lift restrictions that would allow Disneyland to reopen – we have made the very difficult decision to begin the process of reducing our workforce at our Parks, Experiences and Products segment at...

SNIPWalk" through some of the world's most prestigious cultural institutions, like The Met and The American Museum of Natural History, then go for a "ride" on Disney's new Frozen rollercoaster with the kids. And regardless of your age, we think everyone will enjoy some live footage of pandas playing at the zoo!Museums The Louvre: You don't have to book a ticket to Paris to check out some of the famous pieces in the world's largest art museum. The Louvre has free online tours of three famous exhibits, including Egyptian Antiquities.Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum: The works of Pablo Picasso, Piet Mondrian,...

Starting in May, the only smoke coming out of Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom will be from the fireworks. Disney announced on Thursday that it is banning smoking, vaping, and stroller wagons in Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Disney water parks, and the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, effective May 1. There will be designated smoking areas outside of the entrances, and smoking visitors will be able to return to their park once they are finished, a Disney spokesperson told the Orlando Sentinel. Dennis Speigel, president of International Theme Park Services, said it's "about time" smoking was banned at Disney...

Despite the recent events in Charlottesville, Va., the Six Flags Over Texas theme park stands by its decision to fly the Confederate States of America flag. The Arlington theme park was named for the six flags that have flown over the state of Texas in its history, the Confederate flag being one of them, according to TMZ.

The 18-year-old man killed Wednesday when a thrill ride broke apart at the Ohio State Fair had joined the Marines less than a week before the tragedy. The Ohio State Highway Patrol identified the lone person who was killed Thursday as Tyler Jarrell of Columbus. Seven others, who ranged in age from 14 to 42 years old, were injured when the Fire Ball ride malfunctioned and sent riders flying into the air. The Marine Corps said in a statement that Jarrell, 18, enlisted on July 21 and wanted to be in the infantry or serve as a combat engineer. He...

Disney will remove the infamous “bride auction” scene from the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland next year, the company announced on Thursday. During the planned ride refurbishment, Disney will alter the roles of the auctioneer, the redhead woman and other characters participating in the “Auction: Take a Wench for a Bride” scene. In the current scene, the redhead character is the prize of the auction. According to Disney, the redhead is holding a rifle and will be a “plundering pirate” in the new scene. In the official announcement, Disney wrote: “…the redhead is...

The famous auctioneer scene that takes place on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride in Disneyland and Disney World is set to be overhauled, according to a press release from the Disney Parks blog. As of 2017, the attraction — which opened in 1967 in Disneyland and 1973 in the Magic Kingdom of Disney World — will no longer feature the famous auctioneer scene, in which a red-headed “wench” is auctioned off to a crowd of raucous and dirty pirates who wish to make her their bride. An artist’s rendering of the new scenes reveals that the pirates will now...

Disneyland’s “Pirates of the Caribbean” ride is losing a scene where a bound and tearful woman is on the auction block for pirates to buy as a wife. A banner that now says “Auction, take a wench for a bride” currently hangs over a scene showing women tied by ropes around their waists as a pot-bellied pirate grins at the audience. When the ride reopens, the banner will say “Auction, Surrender yer loot,” and the red-haired woman at the center of the scene will be a pirate herself. A drawing of released by Disneyland shows men and women carrying food...

President Trump’s team has reportedly been battling Walt Disney World Imagineers over the president’s speech for The Hall of Presidents’ exhibit in Magic Kingdom. A source described to Vice the back-and-forth between Disney and Trump’s aides, who have insisted that they will write the speech Trump’s robot will give during the attraction. "When Disney tried to get this process started earlier this year," the source explained to Vice, "Trump's people said, 'We'll be writing the speech that the President's Audio-Animatronic figure will be saying.'" The Imagineers for speeches have in the past worked with the various presidents’ teams to write...

A young girl was very nearly injured when she fell from a ride at the Six Flags theme park, but was caught by a group of park guests and security guards. The New York Post reports that a 14-year-old girl fell almost 25 feet from a ride at a Six Flags amusement park in upstate New York but was luckily caught by a group of park guests and security guards. The young girl fell from the Sky Ride attraction, a gondola that travels along a rail spanning hundreds of feet across Six Flags Great Escape. At around 8 PM on...

Walt Disney World is increasing single-day tickets at certain times of the year and setting expiration dates on tickets in hopes of preventing overcrowding during its parks' busiest times. Company officials said Saturday that single-day ticket prices are either staying the same, or are increasing no more than $5 under the new price structure for its Florida theme parks.

It’s not unusual for Disney fans to protest when a change comes to Disney Parks, but typically the subject for protest is an attraction closing or a character’s costume change–things that could be considered #DisneyWorldProblems. However, five days ago a petition was created expressing a sentiment seen in protests outside Main Street, U.S.A. Just this past week, Matthew Rogers of Brooklyn, NY began a petition on change.org that asks The Walt Disney Company to make the Donald Trump figure, destined for the Magic Kingdom’s Hall of Presidents, a silent one. The request is unusual because it is customary for the...

Lawmaker's Young Son Dies on 'World's Largest' Water Slide he young son of a Kansas state lawmaker died Sunday on a water slide that is billed as the world's largest, according to officials and the boy's family. Authorities did not immediately identify the child who died at Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City, Kansas, but state Rep. Scott Schwab and his wife released a statement saying it was their son Caleb Thomas Schwab. "Since the day he was born, he brought abundant joy to our family and all those he came in contact with," said the statement, which asked for privacy...

HERSHEY, Pa. — A Pennsylvania amusement park that is a popular attraction for families with children has announced that its internal policies allow visitors and employees to use the restroom that correlates with their “gender identity.” Hersheypark officials released a statement on Friday outlining that its restroom accommodations have already been in place and will continue. “We recognize that the more perspectives we have within our company, the more welcoming we are to all those who visit and seek employment here,” said Public Relations Manager Kathy Burrows. “In fact, our company has four core values, one of which is ‘respectful...

Police are investigating after a member of staff at Disneyland Paris was reportedly found dead in the theme park's haunted house. The 45-year-old technician is thought to have been electrocuted in the Phantom Manor on Saturday morning between 8am and 9am, just before the park opened to the public. The employee is believed to have been working on lighting at the attraction, which was immediately closed. The ride features zombies, a ghostly dog and a skeletal bride and promises to turn visitors' stomachs with a series of "ghastly goings-on".

SeaWorld announced on Thursday it would ends its killer whale breeding program, and those currently at its parks would be the last. The Orlando-based theme park has faced dwindling attendance and years of criticism over its treatment of the captive marine mammals as well as pressure from animal rights activists to end public exhibition of killer whales altogether. SeaWorld, which operates parks in San Diego, Orlando and San Antonio, said in November it would replace its signature 'Shamu' killer whale shows in San Diego with displays focused on conservation.