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Ancestry.com apologized Thursday for a controversial advertisement published to its YouTube channel earlier this month. The ad appeared to show a white man trying to convince a black woman in what appears to be in the antebellum South to head North with him to get married. It received immediate backlash online, with many people claiming the ad ignores the violent history of slavery.

The story behind the Crown of Thorns When the magnificent Cathedral of Our Lady (Notre Dame) in Paris caught fire earlier this week, the world was mesmerized by the apparent destruction of such an historical and holy edifice—one of the most widely recognized and frequently visited structures in the world. Although the soaring Gothic cathedral is well known, until recent events relatively few people knew that it has been home to the holy relic of the Crown of Thorns worn by Christ during his Passion. The destructive fire sharpened the world’s focus on the cathedral, Paris, and the Catholic Church...

In typically bullish style, Donald Trump has told the world he expects a resolution to his trade war with China within four weeks. The U.S. President claims the deal “has a very good chance of happening,” and, when it does, it will be “the Grand Daddy of them all.” But key concerns linger: China has made several concessions to the U.S. over the endless rounds of talks, but there is little sign of Beijing reining in its support for industries such as steel and aluminium – one of the key reasons for the stand-off in the first place. If the...

Pope Francis recalls present-day crosses at Way of the Cross At the conclusion of the Via Crucis at Rome’s Colosseum on Good Friday evening, Pope Francis prays that we may recognize, in the Cross of Christ, all the crosses of those who suffer various forms of pain and injustice in the world today. By Vatican NewsPope Francis concluded the traditional Via Crucis at Rome’s Colosseum on Good Friday evening by reciting a litany of present-day crosses, representing various forms of suffering in the world today.Children, the elderly, the poor, families, migrants, and the earth itself: the Pope recalled these, and...

President Donald Trump may soon be able to claim a sweet victory for his deregulation push, with officials preparing to get rid of the decades-old rules for frozen cherry pies. Emails show the Food and Drug Administration planned to start the process for revoking the standard for frozen cherry pies this week, followed by a similar revocation of the standard for French dressing. Plans to get rid of the obscure rules had been tucked into the Trump administration’s deregulation agenda. Standards for an array of foods including cottage cheese and canned peas were put in place decades ago partly to...

The Seikilos Stele contains the the oldest complete song and dates to c.100 BCE. This video explores how the stele was found and how the song sounds; it is sung at 2:28. As long as you live,shine forth do not at all grieve,Life exists for a short while,Time takes its course. Hoson zēis phainoumēden holōs su lupoupros oligon esti to zēnto telos ho chronos apaitei.

Join Freepers throughout the world to pray for PRESIDENT TRUMP and VICE-PRESIDENT PENCE and for AMERICA: All Levels of Government, Family, Military, Business, Education, Churches, Health Care Systems and the Media. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. —1 John 5:14 Forum threads labeled [Prayer] are closed to debate of any kind. Please join us in prayer for protection for our President and all believers in our nation.

Japan's new emperor has yet to ascend the throne, but he already has his first foreign guest lined up: United States President Donald Trump. Current Emperor Akihito, 85, will step down at the end of this month, becoming the first Japanese emperor to abdicate in modern history. He will be replaced by his 59-year-old son, Crown Prince Naruhito. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump will pay a state visit to Japan in late May, becoming Naruhito's first official foreign guest, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed in a press release Friday. Trump's trip will be the first state visit...

Democrats have been living in a fantasy world since the clock struck midnight after November 8, 2016. Rather than accept reality and the results of historic victory of Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton in the last presidential election, Democrats have clutched to conspiracy theories. The first fantasy was that the 2016 election was tainted by “fake news.” When that backfired, because after all it was the mainstream media that had to apologize for its biased coverage of the race, the narrative had to change. Democrats then settled on another conspiracy theory, hand woven by the Clinton campaign and deeply entrenched...

President Trump is expected to formally nominate Patrick M. Shanahan to be his permanent defense secretary as soon as next week, two administration officials tell Fox News. This, after an internal Pentagon investigation concluded that the acting defense secretary did not show any bias in favor of his former employer, aerospace giant Boeing. Shanahan worked at Boeing for over 30 years before coming to the Pentagon as then-Defense Secretary Jim Mattis’s deputy at the start of the Trump administration. Shanahan’s nomination had been held up by the White House since the Pentagon inspector general opened an investigation into Shanahan’s conduct...

On Apr 19th 2019, as result of the initial assessment released on Apr 16th 2019, The Aviation Herald received pages out of the 737-8 System Schematic Manual showing the circuitry involving the TRIM PRI CUTOUT and TRIM B/U CUTOUT Switches more clearly. The TRIM PRI CUTOUT switch appears under various different names on several pages of the manual, always being referenced as S272 however, the TRIM B/U CUTOUT switch also appears under different names in different locations always being references as S149 however. The graphics of chapter 27-41-11 page 101 makes clear both CUTOUT switches have more than one contact....

The Yankees have decided to no longer run Kate Smith’s version of “God Bless America” during their seventh-inning stretch because of Smith’s affiliation with songs that carried racist lyrics. Most famously, Smith sang a 1931 song, “That’s Why Darkies Were Born,” which opened: “Someone had to pick the cotton, Someone had to pick the corn, Someone had to slave and be able to sing, That’s why darkies were born.” The song, which has been called a satirical take on racism, was a big hit for Smith, and also was recorded by Paul Robeson. When the Yankees last month became aware...

Republican Sen. Mitt Romney says he's "sickened" by the level of dishonesty the special counsel found in President Donald Trump's administration. The one-time GOP presidential nominee tweeted that it's "good news" Trump was not charged with wrongdoing in the investigation. But Romney, who's now a senator from Utah, was critical of what he called the "pervasiveness of dishonesty and misdirection" at the highest levels of the administration, "including the president."

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) said that while it’s “good news” there was “insufficient evidence” to charge President Trump with conspiracy or obstruction, he was dismayed by the “pervasiveness of dishonesty and misdirection” by Trump and those around him. In the Friday statement, Romney said he was pleased the “business of government” could now “move on.” “The alternative would have taken us through a wrenching process with the potential for constitutional crisis,” he wrote. “Even so, I am sickened at the extent and pervasiveness of dishonesty and misdirection by individuals in the highest office of the land, including the President.” The...

The phrase "My Body, My Choice" is thrown around in many areas of life, and US culture says women get to choose .... EXCEPT for guns. Why is that? What is so taboo about this important topic? Especially as woman, why should I ever have to change my mind about this? Pro-gun or anti-gun - this is hearty food for thought. 10 minute video

The first #100DaysForThePeople were defined by action on the issues that matter most to Americans: improving health care, stopping domestic abuse, preventing gun violence. And as @RepDebDingell says, we’re just getting started. pic.twitter.com/Ph3JflgFn9— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) April 19, 2019

American authorities have arrested a former US Marine who is allegedly part of a group that raided North Korea's embassy in Madrid, reports say. Christopher Ahn will reportedly appear in a Los Angeles court. It would be the first arrest over the incident, which happened in February days before US President Donald Trump met North Korea's Kim Jong Un in Vietnam. Free Joseon, a self-styled human rights group, says it was involved. US federal agents have also raided the apartment of Adrian Hong, one of the group's leaders, says the Washington Post. ... On 22 February, a group of at...

Hillary Clinton donor Clare Bronfman is pleading guilty to charges stemming from her co-leadership of the NXIVM sex cult, an accused human trafficking organization in upstate New York closely tied to major Democrat politicians. The New York Times reports: “On Friday afternoon, Ms. Bronfman, 40, is expected to plead guilty in a Brooklyn federal court to charges arising from a complaint filed last year against her and several other followers of the group’s leader, Keith Raniere, according to a court docket…The charges to which Ms. Bronfman and Ms. Russell will plead guilty have yet to be disclosed. But their decisions...

VIDEO A big thunderstorm is expected to hit Broward County soon. I hope you can join me for this live stream. It is my FIRST live stream and I hope it works out okay.

OBITUARY — JESUS OF NAZARETH Jerusalem, Israel — Nisan 16, A.D.33 Jesus Christ of Nazareth died on Friday Nisan 14 on Calvary, also known as Golgotha, the place of the Skull, just outside of Jerusalem, capital of Israel. The causes of His death were extreme exhaustion, severe torture, and loss of blood caused by crucifixion. He was betrayed by one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot by order of Pontius Pilot. Jesus Christ, a descendent of Abraham, was a member of the House of David. He was the son of the late Joseph of Nazareth, a carpenter, and Mary, a devoted...