Free Republic

HIV infections are rising among gay men in many parts of the world, the World Health Organization warned Friday, urging all men who have sex with men to take antiretroviral drugs to prevent infection. "We are seeing exploding epidemics," warned Gottfried Hirnschall, who heads WHO's HIV department. Infection rates are rising again among men who have sex with men -- the group at the epicentre of AIDS pandemic when it first emerged 33 years ago, he told reporters in Geneva.

While there are a variety of options for homeowners in foreclosure,many have chosen to cut their losses and abandon their property. The housing market has been improving across much of the nation. However, some cities still have a long recovery process ahead of them as the market deals with a glut of homes in foreclosure, which can often stay in the system for several years. Meanwhile, many of these remain vacant. In Wichita, Kansas, nearly half of homes in foreclosure were abandoned as of the first quarter of 2014. In six of the nationÂ’s most populous metro areas, at least...

In the past week, I’ve been called “Inspector Gadget” twice, had a near-calamitous accident involving spray-on sunblock, and felt my arm vibrate so often I started treating it as a phantom limb. All because I’m part of the latest tech trend, a bona fide phenomenon in Silicon Valley that is inspiring the kind of pants-wetting excitement usually reserved for new iPhones and Grand Theft Auto games. I’m talking about smartwatches—the tech world’s quixotic attempt to mount minicomputers on your wrist. I’ve been wearing two smartwatches for several days apiece, and so far, it’s been an enlightening experience. Though not necessarily...

Hamas isnÂ’t shooting rockets at the Jews because of persecution, isolation or occupation. The Sunni Islamic terrorist group is doing it for the same reason that Sunnis and Shiites are killing each other in Iraq and Syria. And why its Muslim Brotherhood core group is killing Christians in Egypt. To understand why, letÂ’s step into a time machine and go back to the spring of 632. The Byzantine Emperor Heraclius is engaged in the first of a series of wars with MohammedÂ’s maddened followers. England is divided into seven quarreling kingdoms. Across the water, the Merovingians are killing each other...

Joan Rivers made news recently when she walked off of a CNN set during an interview with Fredericka Whitfield. When Whitfield suggested that Rivers could be “mean,” the latter informed the former that under no circumstances should she be interviewing someone, like Rivers, for whom comedy is a calling. Whatever else may be said of Joan Rivers—I, for one, have never had much to say about her at all—this much seems certain: The woman knows that of which she speaks when it comes to her craft. That is to say, she is acutely aware of the purpose, the invaluable purpose,...

Archie Andrews will die taking a bullet for his gay best friend. The famous freckle-faced comic book icon is meeting his demise in Wednesday’s installment of “Life with Archie” when he intervenes in an assassination attempt on Kevin Keller, Archie Comics’ first openly gay character. Andrews’ death, which was first announced in April, will mark the conclusion of the series that focuses on grown-up renditions of Andrews and his Riverdale pals. […] “We wanted to do something that was impactful that would really resonate with the world and bring home just how important Archie is to everyone,” said [Jon] Goldwater,...

Put me in charge ... Put me in charge of food stamps. I’d get rid of Lone Star cards; no cash for Ding Dongs or Ho Ho’s, just money for 50-pound bags of rice and beans, blocks of cheese and all the powdered milk you can haul away. If you want steak and frozen pizza, then get a job. Put me in charge of Medicaid. The first thing I’d do is to get women Norplant birth control implants or tubal ligations. Then, we’ll test recipients for drugs, alcohol, and nicotine and document all tattoos and piercings. If you want to...

After comparing the videos, they found that cell phones have become a large distraction for customers which are preventing them from ordering as efficiently as they once did. Nowadays customers are too per-occupied with taking photos upon entering, telling the waiters they are having problems connecting to the WiFi, taking photos of their food once it’s delivered to them and bumping into other customers and waiters as they enter and exit the restaurant as a result of texting while walking. Restaurant customers nowadays are too preoccupied with taking photos and telling waiters they are having problems connecting to the WiFi...

Floyd Mayweather has been cashing multi-million checks for his fights for more than a decade. He banked at least $25 million for each of his past nine bouts going back to 2007 when he defeated Oscar De La Hoya in the most watched fight in the history of boxing pay-per-view events. Mayweather has earned almost $400 million in the ring since he turned pro in 1996 after the Olympics, but he has never had a year like this past one. Mayweather earned $105 million during the past 12 months for 72 minutes of work in the ring for fights against...

To launch the high quality TV channel TNT in Belgium we placed a big red push button on an average Flemish square of an average Flemish town. A sign with the text "Push to add drama" invited people to use the button. And then we waited... Discover here what happened or visit http://www.tntdrama.com for more info. First it happened in Belgium. Then again in the Netherlands.

Chinese writer Yuan Ren lifts the lid on so-called 'yellow fever': a well-peddled myth that Asian women make better sexual lovers than other women, while at the same time, having no meaningful presence in politics and popular culture By Yuan Ren 01 Jul 2014 Ever heard of yellow fever? No, not the disease you can pick up when travelling to certain countries. I'm talking about when Caucasian men develop an acute sexual preference for East Asian women – even becoming a fetish, for some. Naturally, there are dating websites aplenty dedicated to 'serving' those men who have yellow fever, where...

Reviled by staunch conservatives, the common education standards designed to improve schools and student competitiveness are being modified by some Republican governors, who are pushing back against what they call the federal government’s intrusion into the classroom. The Common Core standards were not on the formal agenda during a three-day meeting of the National Governors Association that ended Sunday, relegated to hallway discussions and closed-door meetings among governors and their staffs. The standards and even the words, “Common Core,” have “become, in a sense, radioactive,” said Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, a Republican whose state voluntarily adopted the standards in 2010....

The Obama administration’s anti-Semitism monitor has added an issue to his office’s portfolio: defending circumcision in Europe. Circumcision has become a top focus for Ira Forman, the State Department’s special envoy to monitor and combat anti-Semitism. He has been using the pulpit his office provides to warn European governments that moves to ban ritual circumcision could lead to the demise of their countries’ Jewish communities. “Because circumcision is essentially universal among Jews, this can shut down a community, especially a small vulnerable community,” Forman said. No European country has outright banned the practice, but there is increasing pressure to do...

12 film clips of bridges, buildings, power plants etc being demo'd. They all blowed-up real good. Except for the one spectator who got a chunk of metal in his leg...

(Excerpted) 1. Liberals just want to take away guns, just like Hitler: If I had five bucks for every time I’ve witnessed Godwin’s Law in action, I’d be sitting on the front porch of my vacation home in the Bahamas, looking at my 55′ sportfisher tied up to the dock. Almost every gun nut you deal with will inevitably mention Hitler, because gun nuts have been conditioned by the NRA to point to Nazi Germany as proof that the march to fascism and tyranny involves stricter regulation of guns. Except, there’s this one little fact: In 1938, under Nazi rule,...

It’s called the Crossroads of the World, but these days it’s the Worst Place on Earth. Traffic, tourists, construction, commuters and a seemingly endless array of cartoon characters, nudists and hawkers, add up to a nightmare on the Great White Way.

Coverage Expansion Through Age 29 Who is eligible? In order to participate, the “Age 29” law requires the coverage, the young adult’s parent, and the young adult to meet certain requirements. The Coverage The coverage must: Be a group or group remittance health insurance policy that includes coverage for dependents; Be issued in New York State and subject to New York State laws; and Be fully insured (this benefit does not apply to self-funded plans). Please contact your employer, employee benefits administrator or insurance company to find out what state laws apply to the policy and if your coverage is...

As Germany seek their first World Cup win since 1990, when they beat Argentina in Rome, Low, 54, relished the prospect of re-writing the history books with winning on this continent. "We know we can write history," he said. "In the past we have never had this. Latin Americans, on this continent, have dominated all the time. So why not? This could be an additional joy for us if we were to win as Europeans on Latin American soil." And the prospect of facing Messi as he tries to emulate Diego Maradona, who inspired Argentina to their last World Cup...

Desmond Tutu has supported calls for a rethink on the Church of England’s stance on assisted dying claiming life should not be preserved “at any cost”. The retired Anglican archbishop said laws to stop people being allowed help to end their lives removed their “human right to dignity”. Tutu branded the treatment of Nelson Mandela, who was kept alive through a long and painful illness which saw him wheeled in and out of hospital and forced to take part in PR-driven photo shoots, an “affront to Madiba’s dignity”. He claimed he did not want his own life to be “prolonged...

Webb, who is also a comedian and retired musician, wasn’t about to miss his opportunity to say whatever he wanted to a sitting president. So, after he had introduced himself and the president was signing a reportedly $300 bill, he slammed his hand on the counter. “Equal rights for gay people!” he exclaimed. Obama reacted without missing a beat. “Are you gay?” Taken aback by the directness of the question, he said, Webb responded, “Only when I’m having sex!” The president laughed, then, realizing there was a group of children near the two, said, “Not in front of the kids!”...