Free Republic

To those who see no link between Lent and our failing economy, it might be the case to look again. Economics is about people. It cannot be reduced to numbers, formulae and analyses. “The subject matter of economics,” observes economic historian Odd Langholm, “is properly the habits, customs, and ways of thinking of producers, consumers, buyers, sellers, borrowers, lenders, and all who engage in economic transactions.” That means our moral habits can have a definite effect on determining if our economy grows — or fails. In my new book, Return to Order: From a Frenzied Economy to an Organic Christian...

<p>"It feels great to represent my country [Mexico]. If I were from a cold country, like Russia or even the United States, where that human quality is different, it would feel different to represent those countries. I want to represent people who are actually warm and who have a heart."</p>

HOT OFF THE PRESSES!! TRANSLATED FROM UKRAINIAN ON INSTAGRAM: Miss Ukraine Universe Anastasia Subbota is not allowed in the US to the finals of the competition [Miss Universe 2019]. The girl was denied an American visa. Director of the competition Anna Filimonova is trying to solve the problem with the documents. But there is very little time - the finale will take place in Atlanta on December 8. For the 14 years of the Miss Ukraine Universe contest, this is the first time the Consulate has not given the winner the entry permit to America. “There are 12 days left...

FROM ME: It appears that Miss Universe might take place in Las Vegas or Reno. The official date is Sunday, December 8th on FOX. The daughter of a dear high school friend is the current Miss Puerto Rico (Madison Anderson). We are all rooting for her! ARTICLE: It looks like the Miss Universe 2019 beauty pageant has finally found a date and host country. If the social media posts of four Miss Universe 2019 contestants and national directors are to be taken seriously, then the most prestigious beauty contest would be held in the United States on Dec. 8 (Dec....

FROM ME: Social Media has been reporting today that Miss Philippines, Samantha Lo, is really a US Citizen and was trying to travel from France to Venezuela with a FAKE Filipino passport. ARTICLE: The 2019 Miss Grand International held its welcome ceremony and press conference with its official candidates at TELEVEN TV Station in Caracas, Venezuela on October 15, 2019. Filipino beauty pageants were worried why Samantha Ashley Lo, 26, of the Philippines was not among the candidates who participated in the event. Neither Miss Grand International nor Binibining Pilipinas Charities, Incorporated has released a statement about Lo’s absence. According...

Women are less likely to don high heels if they are going on a date with a man they think is ugly, a controversial study has found. Scientists quizzed 292 female university students, who were all straight, about how often they wear stilettos or other types of the shoe. The volunteers were asked if they would wear high heels or a flat sole shoe if they went on a date with two men plucked from Google Images. One of them was considered to be very attractive by a panel of 14 separate women, the other was deemed to be the...

Lisa Song Sutton, a business owner and former Miss Nevada United States, has launched a congressional bid as a Republican for Nevada’s 4th Congressional District.

ST. CROIX — Six of the ten contestants who participated in Sunday evening’s Miss Universe U.S. Virgin Islands were women from outside the USVI, most with no known ties to the territory and some of whom had participated in other pageants just months prior. The competition, held in a banquet room at the Divi Carina Bay Casino, was the qualifying event whose winner will represent the U.S. Virgin Islands on the world’s biggest and most prominent pageantry stage: Miss Universe. But what was a relatively engaged audience turned somewhat raucous when not one of the four local young women who...

So, as most of FR knows, I'm a big beauty pageant follower and I follow every world pageant as well as individual country & regional pageants. The Miss Venezuela 2019 Pageant just took place this past Thursday, Aug. 1st from Caracas, and the biggest horror was how rail-thin and unhealthy the contestants all looked. I don't know how to post photos, so here's a link to a photo of the winner, Thalia Olvinos, aged 20, in a bathing suit. https://www.google.com/search?q=thalia+olvino+bathing+suit&rlz=1CAQRFK_enUS791US791&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjZ15POmufjAhUIU98KHW9qAgMQ_AUIESgB&biw=1536&bih=706#imgrc=3fasiyprvpDkhM: Well,as soon as I posted this photo on my Facebook wallpage, some of my liberal friends started going nuts, saying...

The much awaited Miss Grand International 2019 pageant will be held in Venezuela on 25th October 2019. Announcement about the venue and date was made on the Facebook page of the pageant. The officials uploaded a video showing the glimpse of the host country Venezuela and captioned along with it, ‘Official Announcement.’ The grand coronation night of this pageant will witness Miss Grand International 2018, Clara Sosa crowning the new queen with much pomp and fanfare. Miss Grand International 2019 will be the 7th edition of the pageant. Last year Meenakshi Chaudhary of India was sashed first runner up, at...

You all know by now that I’m into beauty pageants given that I grew up in Puerto Rico, aside from the fact that my best friend’s daughter is the current Miss Puerto Rico. She’ll be participating in the Miss Universe Pageant in December 2019. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts about this subject, Donald Trump has been to the island numerous times and we got to know him quite well when he was the owner of Miss Universe, Inc. Previous post about Trump’s pageant organizational skills: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/3763583/posts People call President Trump a “Racist”, which is so untrue. I’ve just analyzed...

My dear friend's daughter was just crowned Miss Puerto Rico last month and she'll be participating in the Miss Universe Pageant in December. All we know is that the pageant is in December - we don't know the date nor the location. Some say it'll be in Las Vegas or South Korea. This is a total lack of planning and organization. When Trump was head of the Miss Universe Organization, a few Puerto Ricans won the crown under his watch, so we got to know him well in the beauty pageant world because he came down to the island with...

Over the weekend, New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman penned a piece focusing on former prominent White House staffer Hope Hicks being subpoenaed by Congress. "Hope Hicks, one of the best-known but least visible former members of President Trump's White House staff, is facing an existential question: whether to comply with a congressional subpoena," the Times captioned the piece. The write-up includes a photograph of Ms. Hicks taken by freelance photographer Tom Brenner -- which Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) ironically took serious issue with. Tom Brenner/The New York Times ************* "Yup. Where’s the 'no angel' take now?" asked Ocasio-Cortez, deeply...

Gillette is making waves with a photo it tweeted of an obese woman posing on a beach in a bikini, with her curves and cellulite on full display. The razor maker last week posted the image of Anna O'Brien, a plus-size fashion, fitness and lifestyle blogger, under its @GilletteVenus handle, captioning it, "Go out there and slay the day." Some Twitter users said the ad glamorizies obesity and that Gillette is "irresponsibly" promoting an unhealthy lifestyle for profit. "This woman will die of heat disease before @potus completes his second term. I hope she's just as happy and carefree for...

Attractive women bosses are considered less truthful and trustworthy by both sexes, research has found. In tests, hundreds of male and female participants said they thought a pretty female boss was less likely to be honest. They were also considered more deserving of being fired than a less attractive counterpart. Good looks are often thought to be advantageous in life, whether when it comes to getting served in shops or pubs or being more likely to succeed at a job interview, and even the likelihood you are found guilty in court.

Miss Universe is breaking new ground at this year’s pageant with the first transgender contestant to ever compete for the crown, and those betting on the competition are declaring her a heavy favorite. Angela Ponce won her qualifying rounds in Spain and will represent her country at the 2018 Miss Universe pageant in Bangkok, Thailand. Ponce, who hails from Seville, was the first transgender woman to be crowned Miss Universe Spain and is competing to promote gender diversity and equality. As the competition nears, online bookies are taking action, and Ponce has grown to become the clear favorite with...

South Korea’s women have begun to rebel against impossible standards of beauty in a country known as the plastic surgery capital of the world. Women who call themselves “beauty resisters” have been destroying their cosmetics, cutting their hair and denouncing the pressures imposed on them by a patriarchal society which emphasises flawless beauty as the key to career and marital success. The trend, which has spread across social media and has been dubbed the “remove corset” movement, is the latest in a series of feminist initiatives in South Korea since the MeToo campaign began. Lina Bae, a beauty YouTuber, racked...

A relaxed-looking Trump smiled and waved as she stepped off an overnight flight from Washington to be met on the red carpet by her Ghanaian counterpart Rebecca Akufo-Addo. She beamed as she was welcomed by a troupe of traditional drummers and dancers. "Thank you very much," she said with a smile. The former model, whose choice of clothing is keenly watched, changed from a safari-inspired departure outfit of suede trench coat and leopard print heels to a red and white striped dress with white pumps by the time she arrived in West Africa. She is scheduled to visit a hospital...

Sweden's Advertising Ombudsman (RO) has criticized a Stockholm company for sexism after it used a popular meme alongside a recruitment advert. The image, known by online communities as 'Distracted Boyfriend Meme', is based on a stock photo of a man turning away from his appalled to girlfriend to look at an attractive woman. Swedish internet service provider Bahnhof used the image alongside a jobs advert; in their take on the meme, the boyfriend was turning away from "your current workplace" to stare at Bahnhof. Sweden's advertising watchdog RO has now ruled that the use of the meme was "gender-discriminatory", both...

This video shows nominations for 50 of the most beautiful movie stars ever. Morphing is a special effect in motion pictures and animations that changes (or morphs) one image or shape into another through a seamless transition.