Free Republic

Research has shown that time in space can increase the risk of cancer and trigger gene mutations. But a new study has found that one crucial part of the human body remains unaffected by zero-gravity. in space didn’t alter an astronaut’s levels of B-cell immunity — the white blood cells that create antibodies to fight off infections. B-cell levels need to be maintained in order to help astronauts fight off disease-causing viruses and bacteria. For the study, scientists took blood samples from 23 crew members stationed at the International Space Station for six months, before, during and after their stays....

“Climate change can seem like a distant problem, a speck on the horizon. It’s not. It’s a present and deadly reality.” These words were recently printed by the Huffington Post. “Common sense dictates that the economy undergo a massive restructuring away from fossil fuels to save lives. And a growing body of research shows that the only way to avoid catastrophic levels of climate change is to cease production of vast amounts of “unburnable” carbon. The only problem with this is that it is based on the assumption that carbon is a warming gas that is heating the planet. Every...

“An Impossible Son, an Impossible Deliverance” (Judges 13:2-7; Luke 1:26-38) It was an impossible situation. For forty years, Israel had been suffering under the oppression of the Philistines. The Philistines were looting their cities and ravaging their countryside. It was a period of great distress. Israel was in a dark and hopeless time. Often, though, in God’s way of doing things, dark and hopeless times give birth to new hope and renewed faith. So the Lord heard the Israelites’ cries of distress and did for them what was humanly impossible: He delivered them from the hand of the Philistines. But...

No one knows when President Trump will leave office. Possibly January 2021 when his first term ends; possibly not before January 2025 when a second term would end. Ultimately, however, he will leave office sometime to be succeeded by the next president. But who will that be? That intriguing question increasingly occupies the attention of politicians from both parties. Already there is conjecture he may be challenged from within the GOP — an action always fraught with peril for the incumbent party. Even more speculation has centered on a formidable list of Democratic aspirants. At least two dozen potential Democrats...

The 1,500-year-old Pumapunku temple in western Bolivia is considered a crowning achievement of Mesoamerican architecture, yet no one knows what the original structure actually looked like. Using historical data, 3D-printed pieces, and architectural software, archaeologist Alexei Vranich from UC Berkeley has created a virtual reconstruction of Pumapunku—an ancient Tiwanaku temple now in ruins. Archaeologists have studied the site for over 150 years, but it wasn’t immediately obvious how all the broken and scattered pieces belonged together. The surprisingly simple approach devised by Vranich is finally providing a glimpse into the structure’s original appearance. Excitingly, the same method could be used...

Council of Cardinals drops three members Pope Francis and the Council of Cardinal advisors (Vatican Media) Pope Francis has released the three eldest cardinals from the duties of the Council of Cardinals advisory group, including Cardinal George Pell, with no immediate plans to add new members. Source: CNA. Papal spokesman Greg Burke told journalists in a briefing yesterday that the Pope sent letters to Cardinal Pell, Cardinal Francisco Javier Errazuriz, and Cardinal Laurent Monsengwo at the end of October to thank them for their service to the Council of Cardinals, known as the C9, over the last five years.Francis...

With the condescending sneer of Schumer's evil, dark-hearted jab at President Trump for picking up senate seats in Indiana and South Dakota indelible in the hippocampus, I invite all to browse through the list of those who fought and died in Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn who's home states are Indiana and North Dakota. IndianaNorth Dakota

Judge Sullivan, who is assigned to General Flynn’s case is demanding to see the FBI summary 302 report about the ambush Flynn interview according to a new court filing. Counterintelligence agent Peter Strzok showed up to the White House on January 24th, 2017 along with Special Agent Joe Pientka to interview General Flynn; the meeting was arranged by former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe. Flynn was told not have his lawyer with him and soon after the FBI agents began to question him he realized he was being ambushed over his phone calls to Russian Ambassador Kislyak. The FBI agents...

“Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:10-11) The gospel was always and ever meant to be good news. It tells us who God is and how we can be saved. For many, the modern gospel has become a fear-based method of behavior control and doubt and jumping through hoops, just in case the “how” didn’t work, or in...

The Department of Homeland Security has no intention of paying $50,000 to each of the 6,000 migrants who traveled in caravans from Central America to Tijuana, a spokeswoman said Wednesday afternoon. "Secretary [Kirstjen] Nielsen has made clear that being a member of a caravan does not give them special rights for entry into this country and now it looks like some of these migrants understand that the Trump administration’s commitment to enforcing the rule of law, and their own likely lack of a legitimate claim of asylum, means they should return home," DHS spokeswoman Katie Waldman said in a statement.

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- A Midlands community rocked by recent job losses received some good news Tuesday. Healthcare U.S. Co., a Chinese-based memory-foam mattress manufacturer, announced plans to establish new operations in Fairfield County and create up to 250 new jobs. S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster and the S.C. Department of Commerce announced the company plans to invest $45 million to open a 650,000-square-foot facility in Winnsboro in the first quarter of 2019. Hiring will begin early next year, according to a press release. The state’s Coordinating Council for Economic Development awarded Fairfield County a $300,000 grant to assist with the costs...

I had a little fun with a Southern Poverty Law Center fundraising letter cloaked as a "survey". I have no idea why they sent it to my arch-conservative 95-yr-old mother, who passed away two months ago. Perhaps they figure any resident of an intensive dementia-care facility will be receptive to Leftwing fundraising pitches, regardless of lifelong politics. So here are some of my answers to their "survey" questions: Q: "In the past year, have you or anyone in your family been called a slur or been the target of a verbal assault because of your socio-economic background or sexual orientation?"A:...

Over the years I've collected thousands of Christmas songs that you will rarely if ever hear on the radio. Despite the abundance of great Christmas music, only a few dozen "classics" ever seem to get played on a regular basis. Here is one of them, Anorak Christmas by Sally Shapiro. Sally Shapiro is a Swedish "disco/synthpop" artist. I don't know much about her but this particular song rewards repeated listens and really grows on you. Especially if you have some blinking lights on your Christmas tree. There is also a great piano only version of this tune here.

SYDNEY, Australia (ChurchMilitant.com) - A jury has found Cdl. George Pell guilty on all counts related to sexually abusing two altar boys. According to sources who spoke to The Daily Beast, a jury returned a unanimous verdict Tuesday against the Australian cardinal after three days of deliberation. Church Militant confirmed the news with its own inside sources in Australia. Further details are unavailable, as the court has issued a suppression order to Australian media to "prevent a real and substantial risk of prejudice to the proper administration of justice." A previous trial resulted in a hung jury. Pell had been...

Donald Trump continues to suffer from upside-down job ratings as his second year as president winds down. In addition, views of the economy remain divided, voters feel the administration’s economic policies have not helped them -- and fewer are optimistic about future economic conditions than two years ago, according to the latest Fox News poll. Forty-five percent of voters think the economy will be in better shape a year from now, down from 56 percent who felt that way in December 2016. Although the question has been asked at irregular intervals on the Fox News poll over the past 20...

UNITED KINGDOM, December 11, 2018 (LifeSiteNews) – While the Church of England – the largest Christian denomination in the United Kingdom – is stopping short of calling its newly instituted blessing for “transgenders” a second baptism, priests are being directed to offer baptism-style ceremonies for those announcing their new sexual identity. In a newly issued pastoral guidance, clergy are being told to call men by their new female names, and women by their new male names. The guidance declares, “For a trans person to be addressed liturgically by the minister for the first time by their chosen name may be...

Moscow, December 12, Interfax - The Moscow Patriarchate believes the U.S. Department of State's approach toward the assessment of religious freedoms in other countries requires revision, as it is inconsistent with what people, including people in the U.S., feel about the matter. "It's well known that the American administration has been assessing religious freedoms in particular countries for decades by judging how comfortable various cults and quasi-religious organizations feel there. For our part, we expect the Republican administration, which has often declared its support for such traditional values as the restriction and prohibition of abortions, to radically change this approach,"...

* Worshippers were taken from their homes and off the streets in coordinated crackdown across Chengdu in Sichuan province* A pastor was among those arrestedAbout 100 worshippers at an unofficial church in southwestern China were snatched from their homes or from the streets in coordinated raids which began on Sunday evening. Chinese authorities targeted members of the Early Rain Covenant Church across various districts of Chengdu, the provincial capital of Sichuan, in what appeared to be an effort to close down one of the country’s most prominent Protestant house churches. Members’ personal accounts and cell group discussions on social media...

Former Congressman John Dingell, Jr., a partisan Democrat whose immediate family has controlled the same seat in the House of Representatives for 86 years, has some suggestions for fixing Congress. We should abolish the Senate and the Electoral College because they're undemocratic, "despite the constitutional hurdles of doing so." In 2015, Dingell retired from the U.S. House seat he's held since 1955, the seat he inherited from his father, John Dingell, Sr., who first won it in 1932. The seat has passed to John Jr.'s much-younger wife, Rep. Debbie Dingell, who was just re-elected in November. (Full disclosure: For 20...

How things change Well, it's official. For years, at El Reg offices we have commented on how Facebook is the new Microsoft – and not in a good way.Time passes and so while most people can remember that the Zuckerberg-front ad machine was once a beacon of all that was great and wonderful about social media, few recall that Microsoft wasn't always the dull but worthy corporate software company. It was once a hulking, malevolent bully-monopolist that dared the US government to take it on.Well, on a conference stage in Silicon Valley this morning, the Facebook-as-Microsoft transformation became accepted reality....