Free Republic

I was running errands with adult daughter Friday. Around 10:15 AM ET I was alone in the vehicle, and turned on the Glenn Beck program, something I hadn't listened to in a long time. He was interviewing pastor James Macpherson, and at one point the pastor mentioned a book he was reading by a lesbian author about the time-lines of civilizations, and how we are near the end of ours. Just then daughter returned and I got distracted. I'd like to see the book myself: if it interested a clearly strong Christian, I want to know what truth might be...

I hope their deeds in the next few days match their words right now...

A historic pilgrimage route believed to be the oldest in Japan has formed a friendship tie-up with the world-famous Routes of Santiago de Compostela, with the aim of increasing global name recognition for both through cooperation that transcends their different religions. The Saikoku Kannon Pilgrimage officially signed an agreement with the Santiago de Compostela, a World Heritage Site, at the Spanish Embassy in Tokyo on Tuesday. The 1,000-kilometer Saikoku route comprises 33 Buddhist temples worshipping Kannon Bodhisattva, and stretches across seven prefectures, including Osaka, Kyoto and Wakayama...

I think this is my first vanity post in over 20 years of FR membership, and it may be another 20 years if ever before another one. But this morning I have been watching the House on CSPAN, the five-minute speeches that are offered every day the House is in session. The trend is clear. Of all the Republicans who have spoken, only one, Mark Green, the congressman representing Nashville, spoke of the Covenent massacre, and all that he had to say was in sympathy for the dead and those who knew them. Of all the Democrats who have spoken,...

The Senate voted Thursday to confirm Daniel Werfel, the former acting commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service, to lead the IRS. He was approved on a bipartisan 54-42 vote. Werfel’s confirmation to the agency comes after he was grilled by the Senate Committee on Finance last month on how he plans to utilize the money in new funding coming to the IRS over the next decade to revitalize the tax agency as taxpayers could see increased audit rates. Democrats approved the $80 billion for the agency last year when they approved the Inflation Reduction Act in a party-line vote. Democrats...

It may have seemed at first like any other chapel service at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky last Wednesday, but that normalcy didn't last long, as after a message from Romans 12 about 'love in action,' God's Holy Spirit fell in such a way that students in Hughes Auditorium wanted more. They stayed to worship, they stayed to pray, and to just soak in the Presence of Jesus. They're still there, and now many more have joined them, as word of revival has broken out...

Burt Bacharach, one of the greatest songwriters of the 20th century, has died aged 94. The US musician composed more than 500 songs during his career and was behind hits such as I Say A Little Prayer, Walk On By, Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head, and Do You Know The Way To San Jose...

On January 10th, WKCR celebrates the anniversary of the birthday of peerless jazz icon Max Roach, born in 1924. As a drummer, he was an integral part of nearly every jazz movement from bebop onward, accompanying such giants as Charlie Parker, Clifford Brown, and Cecil Taylor. As a bandleader and composer, he created some of the most socially aware records of the tumultuous civil rights movement in the 1960s. As an educator, he gave his time and ear to countless musicians who have since passed on into the contemporary world of the music he helped bring about. Listen in as...

Tempura is a traditional Japanese dish. It was introduced in the 16th century by the Portuguese that were living in Nagasaki at the time. They used fritter-cooking to achieve the light batter. The batter typically consists of soft wheat flour, for example, all-purpose flour, pastry flour, or cake flour, which is combined with iced water. Some people prefer to use sparkling water to keep the batter light...

Police were called to a restaurant in a Tokyo skyscraper Sunday after a mass brawl broke out among a group of some 100 customers who had booked out the venue. Most of the people had left when officers arrived at the modern French restaurant on the 58th floor of the landmark Sunshine 60 tower in the Ikebukuro district, with just a man who had suffered a minor head injury and some others still there, the police said. No arrests have been made but investigations continue, they said, adding the scene was littered with broken beer bottles and glasses. A restaurant...

Japan’s digital minister, who’s vowed to rid the bureaucracy of outdated tools from the hanko stamp to the fax machine, has now declared “war” on a technology many haven’t seen for decades — the floppy disk. The hand-sized, square-shaped data storage item, along with similar devices including the CD or even lesser-known mini disk, are still required for some 1,900 government procedures and must go, digital minister Taro Kono wrote in a Twitter post Wednesday. “We will be reviewing these practices swiftly,” Kono said in a news conference Tuesday, adding that Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has offered his full support....

Scorching heat prevailed again on Monday over wider Japan, with temperatures soaring above 39 degrees Celsius in Obama City on the Sea of Japan coast. The Meteorological Agency says clear skies and burning sunshine engulfed western and eastern Japan, among other regions. The foehn phenomenon, in which winds blowing down from mountains become dry and push up temperatures, also reinforced the heat along the Sea of Japan and inland areas. Daytime temperatures reached a record 39.1 degrees in Obama, Fukui Prefecture, and 38.9 degrees in Yonago City, Tottori Prefecture. The mercury topped 38 degrees in areas in Saitama Prefecture. Temperatures...

An orchestra of young musicians have published a masterful take-down of a car company, in response to its “tired” stereotyping of youth music-making. Last week, the musicians released a video titled ‘An INFINITY Of Young Talent’, which references ‘Infiniti’, the luxury division of the car company, Nissan. Infiniti released an advert earlier this month titled ‘Beautiful Mess’, which promoted their new car, the QX60. “Quiet the chaos in style,” reads the ad’s description; the ‘chaos’ refers to the young musicians depicted in the video... The advert portrays a youth orchestra playing Richard Strauss’ tone poem, Also sprach Zarathustra. However, the...

(CP) A congregation in the Netherlands is seeking to leave the Russian Orthodox Church in opposition to Patriarch Kirill of Moscow's support for the invasion of Ukraine, filing a request for "canonical dismissal" The Russian Orthodox Parish of Saint Nicholas of Myra in Amsterdam posted an announcement on its Facebook page last Saturday stating that "the clergy unanimously announced that it is no longer possible for them to function within the Moscow Patriarchate and provide a spiritually safe environment for our faithful." The announcement was "extremely painful and difficult for all concerned" and came in response to what the parish...

For the Catholic Church in the US, the past few decades have not been good. Thousands have deserted the pews already out of disgust at paedophile priests, cover ups and other manifestations of gross hypocrisy. Bishops for years kept themselves busy moving paedophile priests from parish to parish, diocese to diocese – all the while, presumably, allowing these priests who raped little boys and girls to receive communion. At the same time, countless lay Catholics have been denied access to the Eucharist for "sins" such as remarrying after divorcing an abusive or adulterous spouse. One now-notorious US priest, when challenged...

Robert Unanue, Goya Foods President and CEO, said on Friday the political left has weaponized the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus to take away God, culture, history, and liberty from the people of the United States. “The problem is it’s a political year. They weaponized coronavirus. Unfortunately, they shut down this economy. The worst thing we could do is shut down our economy, kill our spirit. We need a reason to get up in the morning: God, family, work. And they are taking away our spirit, they’re taking away our ability to work,” Unanue told Fox News on Jan. 15....

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says he will ask all elementary and high schools across the country to temporarily close beginning Monday. The development comes after a man in his 80s who was infected with the new coronavirus died in the northern prefecture of Hokkaido. Fifteen new cases of infection were reported there on Thursday. Hokkaido's governor said the man who died had pre-existing conditions. Naomichi Suzuki said, " The patient was more susceptible to respiratory problems compared to healthy people." Officials say 2 of the 15 new cases are children under 10 years of age. The latest cases bring...

POLK COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) – Seven people were arrested in what authorities are calling the “largest seizure of heroin” by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. According to a news release, it all started when deputies learned someone was sending methamphetamine to Polk County by mail from southern California. Detectives began working with a task force in Bloomington, California and had undercover detectives buy 100 pounds of “Mexican methamphetamine” from a supplier based in California.

Fire department officials in Kyoto said they have confirmed 33 people died in a suspected arson attack in Kyoto. They say 36 others were injured. The fire broke out around 10:30 a.m. on Thursday at the studio of Kyoto Animation. It took firefighters nearly five hours to extinguish the blaze. Officials say about 70 people were in the building at the time of the fire. Police say one suspect, believed to be in his 40s, has been taken into custody. The man was reportedly seen pouring a flammable liquid inside the building before it went up in flames. Witnesses also...

<p>TOKYO A Japanese firm has shelved an advertising campaign intended to promote gender equity at home after its #beWHITE hashtag sparked concern about racial sensitivities.</p> <p>Kao, which manufactures everything from detergent to make-up, launched the campaign playing on common Japanese terminology labelling firms that overwork and mistreat employees "black" and those that treat workers well "white".</p>