Free Republic

[Catholic Caucus] German church plans formal ‘ceremonies’ for blessing same-sex couplesGerman bishops will continue to work on a handout for 'blessing ceremonies' to give to priests while the vice president of the Central Committee of German Catholics expresses hope that a change in church doctrine on sexual morality follows.BERLIN (LifeSiteNews) — Birgit Mock, the vice president of the Central Committee of German Catholics (ZDK), announced that in light of Rome’s permission to grant blessings to “couples” in irregular unions and same-sex “couples” the German bishops will continue as planned to work on a handout for “blessing ceremonies” to give to...

It’s the most wonderful time of the year for retailers. With Christmas around the corner, shopping soars: groceries and drinks for dinners, toys, electronics for gifts, and clothes for events. It seems wild not to believe that capitalism is in perfect health... However, former Greek Minister of Economics Yanis Varoufakis not only thinks it's in decline but claims it's already dead. Who killed it? Well, according to him, Amazon and Alibaba, among others... My Wildest Prediction is a brand new podcast series from Euronews Business where we dare to imagine the future with business and tech visionaries. In this third...

An artistic representation of how the northern infrared aurora would have looked in 2006 (marked in red). The darker red locations indicate confirmed aurora locations, with fainter red used to mark possible aurora locations. Credit to NASA, ESA and M. Showalter (SETI Institute) for the background image of Uranus, as was observed by the Hubble Space Telescope (in the visible spectrum) in August 2005. Credit: NASA, ESA and M. Showalter (SETI Institute) for the background image of Uranus, as was observed by the Hubble Space Telescope (in the visible spectrum) in August 2005. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ University of Leicester astronomers confirm the...

This week has been dominated once more by the horrors of Gaza and the attempts by most of the world to obtain a ceasefire through a mechanism (i.e. the UN) that is not really fit for purpose. If the US had any semblance of moral authority left, this has now disappeared completely after it used its veto to stifle the impulse for humanity that most of the world still possesses . The Ukraine forces are creaking at the seams but have not collapsed yet, while the not so great Z is on his travels again, distancing himself from the political...

Putin held his annual Q&A today, where he made some interesting new statements which I’ll first go over. One of the most notable, to me, was the reiteration of the stated objectives of the SMO. For a long time now Ukrainian sources claimed that Russia was slowly walking back or down-scaling the SMO’s goals as a face-saving measure in light of their putative ‘inability to advance.’ Putin refuted this narrative once and for all, by adamantly restating the goals: ubscribe Sign in Putin's Q&A and Some Revealing Article Roundups on AFU's Deterioration SIMPLICIUS THE THINKER DEC 14, 2023 Putin held...

Alrighty, then – it’s settled. The only thing to be determined is when exactly the…well. It wasn’t actually a crime, was it?Let’s just call it an “abduction,” and it might have been a benevolent one at that.The once lumbering, inarticulate, knuckle-dragging goon-ball stroke victim masquerading as the Junior Senator from Pennsylvania – John Fetterman – has been taken by aliens.Courtesy Mr. BingleyThere can be no other explanation for this abrupt and amazing Slingblade to statesman reversal, and I have never once experienced it with another politician who wasn’t already known for blatant pandering.For crying out loud, his X picture even...

Scientists have been chasing the dream of harnessing the reactions that power the Sun since the dawn of the atomic era. Interest, and investment, in the carbon-free energy source is heating up. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ For the better part of a century now, astronomers and physicists have known that a process called thermonuclear fusion has kept the Sun and the stars shining for millions or even billions of years. And ever since that discovery, they’ve dreamed of bringing that energy source down to Earth and using it to power the modern world. It’s a dream that’s only become more compelling today, in...

<p>The top US military official indicated Thursday that Israel will have a harder time eradicating Hamas the longer its military campaign in the Gaza Strip drags out and the more civilians that are killed in the process.</p><p>US Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Gen. Charles Q. Brown, asked whether he is concerned that the rapidly climbing non-combatant death toll in Israel’s war against Hamas will lead Palestinian civilians to turn to terror, responded, “Yes, very much so.</p>

The U.S. is a country created and built by immigrants from all over the world. As a result, it’s home to more immigrants than any other country.As of 2021, more than 45.3 million people living in the U.S. were foreign-born, accounting for about one-fifth of the world’s migrants. But while some come to reunite with family, others are seeking work or escaping dangerous situations.So why do people immigrate to the U.S.? The following graphic, by Visual Capitalist's Omri Wallach and Joyce Ma, using U.S. Department of State data compiled by USAFacts, shows the different reasons cited by new arrivals to...

Picture this: A bunch of unique-looking headbanging people listening to heavy music; entering a whirlpool of human collision in front of their favorite artist; raising their fists in the air; raising the devil’s horns \m/. What is that all about? Who are they? These are the metalheads. What is their psychology? We are going to look at the social psychology of heavy metal and rock music fans. In this article, I’ll review the scientific research done on their personality, their behavior, why they do what they do, what they get out it, etc. The effects of heavy metal music can...

Electric vehicles hit another sales record—but manufacturers are losing money. Experts blame government interference in the free market. Though electric vehicles hit another sales record, high production costs and a dwindling new customer base have spawned increasing corporate losses, forcing electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers to scale back on their plans to expand the market. Some experts believe these problems are a result of government interference in the business of industrial policy. The Oct. 12 report from Kelley Blue Book revealed that sales of electric vehicles hit another record in the third quarter of 2023, accelerating past 300,000 batter-powered vehicles "for...

Evan Ellingson, a former actor who most recently appeared alongside David Caruso on “CSI: Miami,” has died at the age of 35, according to authorities in California’s San Bernardino County. Ellingson was found dead at a home in Fontana on Sunday, the San Bernardino County Sheriff-Coroner’s Office confirmed to Deadline. The department’s site indicates Ellingson’s body was found in a bedroom, but an official cause of death was not listed. Ellingson’s father, speaking with TMZ, said Ellingson was staying in a sober-living home at the time of his death, following a struggle with drug addiction. Prosecutors seeking to recharge Alec...

Have batteries PEAKED? Of course not, but they’re awfully good. How much BETTER can BATTERIES get? Considering that they’re already pretty good. I have a youTube channel called “My Tesla Weekend” . . . I’m a tech analyst who happens to be on youTube. You may see me on shows like “Best in Tesla,” … Randy Kirk . . . a lot of them. Electric cars were made a hundred years ago, but the battery chemistry just wasn’t there yet. They cost three times too much. So then get to cars like the EV 1, where they just put car...

The Late Hour of Our RepublicI am compelled by the late hour of our republic to recognize how far we have come and how far we have slipped. After centuries of rising from a mere rabble of farmers and shopkeepers, homemakers and nurses to one of the most powerful and wealthy nations on earth, it took next to no time to fall amongst the casualties of broken empires. The end of the United States has already been accomplished, it’s just a matter now of how it unfolds. Those in the Executive branch of government have already committed the ultimate treason,...

1.GRAHAM DOES NOT EMPHASIZE SALVATION THROUGH THE BLOOD OF CHRIST2.BILLY GRAHAM DOES NOT BELIEVE HELL IS A PLACE OF LITERAL FIERY TORMENT 3.GRAHAM REFUSES TO DEFEND THE BIBLE AS THE INERRANT WORD OF GOD4.GRAHAM SAYS THEISTIC EVOLUTION IS POSSIBLE5. GRAHAM SAYS THEOLOGY NO LONGER MEANS ANYTHING TO HIM6.GRAHAM SAYS THE VIRGIN BIRTH NOT A NECESSARY PART OF CHRISTIAN FAITH7. BILLY GRAHAM HAS PROMOTED PRACTICALLY EVERY PERVERTED BIBLE VERSION TO APPEAR IN THE LAST FOUR DECADES8. BILLY GRAHAM THINKS A MIRACLE HAPPENS IN INFANT BAPTISM9. BILLY GRAHAM SAYS PEOPLE IN OTHER Pagan RELIGIONS CAN BE SAVED10. BILLY GRAHAM HAS TURNED THOUSANDS...

A great white shark that washed up on a beach in Australia appeared to be half-eaten. Scientists said the shark was likely attacked by an orca that just wanted to eat its liver. Advertisement A great white shark that appeared half-eaten when it washed up on an Australian beach had probably been attacked by a killer whale that just wanted its liver, wildlife scientists said. Portland Bait and Tackle in Victoria, Australia, posted photos of the white shark carcass to their Facebook page on Tuesday, calling it "equal parts cool and terrifying." The bait shop manager, Ben Johnstone, told Insider...

On the occasion of the reopening of the Domus Tiberiana (Palace of Tiberius), we will take an in-depth look at the palace as a whole and its chronology. We also examine the rich artifact collection in the new museum spaces that document life in the palace. We will also identify the preserved frescoes on site. For an additional tour, please see @DariusArya's tour on opening day! And have a good look at our original Palatine hill model (by animator Andrea Troiani).The Domus Tiberiana: Palace of Tiberius | 10:19Ancient Rome Live | 44.3K subscribers | 44,598 views | September 26, 2023

Could the decades-long pursuit of unraveling the UFO mystery potentially function as a cover for advanced government research and testing programs for innovative forms of propulsion and craft design? Moreover, might the recent rollout of official government hearings signal a gradual disclosure of some of those capabilities?This scenario is worth considering, as the process of investigating UFOs comes into sharper public focus.This year, fascination with unidentified flying objects (UFOs) and unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs) has spiked. David Grusch, a former intelligence official who led the analysis of UAPs within the US military, told a congressional hearing in July that the...

During the past three fiscal years, $4.1 billion in federal money from taxpayers has been flowing to LGBT initiatives in the United States and around the world, an Epoch Times investigation has revealed.From Oct. 1, 2020, through Sept. 30, 2023, the U.S. government issued more than 1,100 grants to fund LGBT-promoting projects around the world, according to the Epoch Times review of a federal spending website.The scope of projects varies widely.Plans to create a "safe space for LGBTQ youth and adults to seek support and resources" earned a $1.8 million grant from the U.S. government in 2022 for the LGBT...

We already know that Donald Trump is facing some headwinds in his bid to return to the oval office, despite is growing lead in many polls. He’s facing multiple court dates dealing with indictments in four different civil and criminal cases. None of them look to me like they would survive the appeals process even if a conviction is obtained, but it’s still at least an optics problem in terms of the politics involved. And the legacy media remains nearly universally arrayed against him, making effective messaging more challenging. But he may have one other problem that isn’t being discussed...