Free Republic

The WEEKLY STANDARD podcast with senior editor Lee Smith on his recent Tablet column "America Is the Arsonist of the Middle East." 

DONETSK, April 24. /ITAR-TASS/. The leadership of the recently self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic plans to hold a referendum simultaneously with east Ukraine’s Luhansk region, co-chairman of the Donetsk People’s Republic presidium Denis Pushilin told ITAR-TASS. “A referendum will be held no later than on May 11 and it is highly probable that Luhansk will also hold it with us no later than on May 11. Ludansk just has to confirm similar wording of the question. Our question is as follows, “Do you support the independence of Donetsk people’s republic?” Pushilin said. In his words, sovereignty gives the right and opportunity...

If I asked you to describe the state of Christianity in Europe, you'd probably answer "not good." And there'd be ample reason to do so. Most of us are familiar with the depressing statistics regarding church attendance in Western Europe and Scandinavia. But there is more to Europe than Britain, France, and Sweden. And in Central and Eastern Europe, a different story is being written. This story was the subject of a recent First Things article by Filip Mazurczak. In it, Mazurczak reveals to readers what is going on in former communist societies such as Hungary and Croatia. For instance,...

Amid other environmental scourges, such as cold weather and viruses, Vermont beekeepers are seeing an influx of zombie bees. A fly called Apocephalus borealis attaches itself to the bee and injects its eggs, which grow inside the bee, causing neurological damage and erratic, jerky movement and night activity, "like a zombie."Vermont beekeepers face mite infestations, extreme temperature swings and the possibility of colony collapse. Last fall, a new threat Relevant Products/Services emerged: zombie bees. Beekeeper Anthony Cantrell of Burlington discovered zombie bees in his hive in October, the first time they'd been found in the eastern United States.

There are so many wonderful details in the Epiphany story: the call of the Gentiles, the nations, and their enthusiastic response, the significance of the star they see, and the gifts they bring, the dramatic interaction with Herod and their ultimate rejection of him in favor Christ.In this meditation I would like especially to follow these Magi, in their journey of faith to become wise men. As Magi, they followed the faint stars, distant points of light; as Wise Men they follow Jesus who is the ever Glorious Light from Light, true God from true God.We can observe how they...

The embrace between Rome and Constantinople is renewed. But a document from the patriarchate of Moscow freezes the discussion between Catholics and Orthodox on the powers of the pope over the universal ChurchROME, January 8, 2014 – Exactly half a century since the embrace in Jerusalem between Paul VI and the patriarch of Constantinople, Athenagoras, Pope Francis has announced that he too will go to the Holy Land, next May 24-26, to repeat that ecumenical gesture with the successor of Athenagoras, Bartholomew. On Saturday, January 4, the eve of the anniversary, “L'Osservatore Romano" republished the complete text of the conversation...

Three hundred US Marines have been deployed to northern Jordan to pave the way for the West to arm Syrian rebels. A Patriot anti-aircraft missile system, designed to protect Jordanian territory from attack by Assad missiles, has also been moved into the area.

Mithal Al-Alusi, whose two sons were killed in a Baghdad ambush soon after he visited Israel, tells The Times of Israel he feels betrayed by the superpower which allowed him to return to his homeland Mithal Al-Alusi is angry. He is angry with Iran for supporting global terrorism. He is angry with Syrian President Bashar Assad for oppressing and killing his own people. He is angry with his own prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki of Iraq, for colluding with the two. But most of all, he is angry with US President Barack Obama for allowing this all to happen. “Obama has...

North Korea seen moving mid-range missile to east coast: reports SEOUL | Wed Apr 3, 2013 9:13pm EDT (Reuters) - North Korea has moved what appears to be a mid-range Musudan missile to its east coast, South Korea's Yonhap news agency said on Thursday, quoting multiple government sources privy to intelligence from U.S. and South Korean authorities. It was not clear if the missile was mounted with a warhead or whether the North was planning to fire it or was just putting it on display as a show of force, one South Korean government source was quoted as saying.

Why? It's a question the media never asks because they know the answer and they work furiously to obfuscate and cover up the why and the who. Everywhere Islam goes, everything and everyone must submit or .... die. Dhimmitude may be percevied as a third choice, but it is merely a slow and painful death. And all these churches and synagogues twinning with mosques. Why aren't these Pastors and Rabbis addressing with with Islamic clergy. Because these quislings are afraid to speak the truth. "Christianity 'close to extinction' in Middle East" Telegraph Christianity faces being wiped out of the “biblical...

This article is the first in a two-part series on social assistance in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region based on data collected for the forthcoming World Bank MENA flagship report, "Inclusion and Resilience: The Way Forward for Social Safety Nets in the Middle East and North Africa." WASHINGTON, D.C. -- At least eight in 10 adults in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Tunisia say their respective governments should bear the primary responsibility for helping the poor in their countries, according to a forthcoming World Bank MENA flagship report. Far fewer residents identified other social actors, such as religious...

The scandal engulfing two of our top military and intelligence officers could not be coming at a worse time: the Middle East has never been more unstable and closer to multiple, interconnected explosions. Virtually every American president since Dwight Eisenhower has had a Middle Eastern country that brought him grief. For Ike, it was Lebanon’s civil war and Israel’s Sinai invasion. For Lyndon Johnson, it was the 1967 Six-Day War. For Nixon, it was the 1973 war. For Carter, it was the Iranian Revolution. For Ronald Reagan, it was Lebanon. For George H.W. Bush, it was Iraq. For Bill Clinton,...

(CNN) -- As if they haven't had enough headaches in New Jersey in the past week, on Monday morning they added earthquake to the list. The magnitude-2.0 temblor struck at 1:19 a.m. and was centered two miles south-southeast of Ringwood, New Jersey, not far from the border with New York. The depth was 3.1 miles, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

While Sandy pummeled the East Coast Monday night, Michelle Obama was soliciting campaign contributions from folks affected by the storm. The following was sent at 7:44 PM via email to voters in North Carolina and Virginia just around the time Sandy made landfall: From: Michelle Obama > Subject: I know we've asked a lot of you, but we're almost there To: Date: Monday, October 29, 2012, 7:44 PM Friend -- There's still time to meet Barack and get two of the best seats in the house on Election Night. If you make a donation today, you'll be automatically entered to...

The Obama administration is taking steps it hopes will force Iran to reconsider almost stalemated nuclear negotiations - and forestall an Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear facilities. So begins the lead article in the Labor Day edition of the New York Times, and part of that article is a repeat of the litany we've all become used to in the White House attempts to explain just how President Obama "has Israel's back" in the face of an Iran rapidly developing the capability to create nuclear weaponry and repeatedly stating it's deep desire to "wipe Israel off the face of the...

Researchers at KTH say they have found further proof that the wolf ancestors of today’s domesticated dogs can be traced to southern East Asia — findings that run counter to theories placing the cradle of the canine line in the Middle East.Dr Peter Savolainen, KTH researcher in evolutionary genetics, says a new study released Nov. 23 confirms that an Asian region south of the Yangtze River was the principal and probably sole region where wolves were domesticated by humans. Data on genetics, morphology and behaviour show clearly that dogs are descended from wolves, but there’s never been scientific consensus on...

The new Chinese aircraft carrier, which conducted its first sea trials in August, has emerged from dry dock and is apparently at sea once again for more trials. While in dry dock her hull was scraped and painted, her deck received a new non-skid coat, and she may have had arresting wires installed, though that last is not confirmed. The former Russian carrier, Varyag, purchased from Ukraine and towed to China in 2003, has spent over 7 years being refit and refurbished and is now undergoing sea trials. THE NEW CHINESE CARRIER OUT OF DRY DOCK AND DEPARTING THE TRANSFORMATION...

WASHINGTON (JTA) -- President Obama discussed the Middle East and education policy in a pre-Rosh Hashanah call with rabbis. Close to 900 rabbis listened in on Obama's call Thursday afternoon, which was arranged by the Reform movement's Religious Action Center. Obama has made such calls since 2009, the first year of his presidency. He fielded two questions, one about what the changes of the Arab Spring mean for Israel, the other about funding for schools. Obama said the United States was committed to Israel. He noted close U.S.-Israel cooperation and his efforts to isolate Iran as long as it advances...

The East Coast doesn't get earthquakes often but when they do strike, there's a whole lot more shaking going on. The ground in the East is older, colder and more intact than the West Coast or the famous Pacific Ring of Fire. So East Coast quakes rattle an area up to 10 times larger than a similar-sized West Coast temblor. "They tend to be more bang for the buck as far as shaking goes," said Virginia Tech geology professor James Spotila. Tuesday's 5.8-magnitude quake was centered in Virginia and was felt up and down the Eastern seaboard for more than...

In a region already marked by terror and uneasy alliances between tribal conflicts dating back thousands of years, PRESIDENT OBAMA backed a Palestinian demand to Israel: “GET OUT!” Trying to advance debate, Barack Obama endorsed a key Palestinian demand for the borders of its future state, prodding Israel to withdraw back to borders established in 1967. He also prodded Israel to accept the demand because it can never have a truly peaceful nation based on "permanent occupation." Obama urged that a permanent Palestinian state be based on 1967 borders – the ones that existed prior to the Six Day War...