Free Republic

The Belgian euthanasia insanity continues with the case of a 24-year-old healthy woman (Laura) who will die by euthanasia this summer for psychological reasons. The June 19 DeMorgen article by Simone Maas explains (google translated): She has good friends, loves good coffee and theater. And she has felt that she wanted to die ever since childhood. Laura (24): “Life, that’s not for me.” This summer, euthanasia will end her life full of inner conflict, depression and self-destruction. I met the West Flemish Laura at the presentation of the book ‘Libera me’ euthanasia for psychological reasons. Writer Lieve Thienpont is one...

The logo for the "Humanum" conference, to be held held November 17-19 at the Vatican’s Pope Paul VI Hall. (Photo: www.humanum.it/) In golf, a “do-over” is a called a “mulligan”. At the Vatican, might it be called a “post-synodal conference”? October’s Synod on the Family proved disappointing to many. Fraught with controversy and confusion, some believe church leadership missed an opportunity to propose clear and effective doctrine. Reportedly, bishops raised their voices. One pounded his fist on his desk in disgust. But a year out from next fall’s summit, some Vatican leaders are already trying to retake important ground,...

Britons are to be the first in the world to test a new vaccine against the deadly ebola virus. Altogether 60 healthy volunteers will be given the vaccine next month in a trial led by Oxford University scientists. If the vaccine performs as well in humans as in monkeys, the trial will be extended to 80 people in The Gambia and in Mali. The entire trial programme is being fast-tracked – subject to ethical approval – with the intention of using the vaccine in people at high risk in West Africa early next year. Latest figures show that more than...

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) grades our drinking water a D in their annual report card. Local systems leak an estimated 7 billion gallons of water daily. And more than 850 billion gallons of sewage escape into surface water annually.And I wouldn’t rely too heavily on our electric grid.ASCE gives that a D+ due to outages and disturbances that cost up to $180 billion in annual economic activity. The electric grid is at risk of cascading failures until energy production becomes decentralized.These risks are growing by the day. The government that is supposed to be protecting and serving...

Friend, We wanted you to be the first to hear the news: as an NRSC supporter, you can now enter for your chance to meet with Governor Mitt Romney! And you could meet him as part of our latest contest. We’re going to fly one lucky supporter to Boston to meet Governor Romney. Travel expenses – lodging, airfare, and transportation – will be covered by us. We’re confident that Republicans across the country will be eager to take the chance to meet him. Best of all? You can add your entry with a donation of just $5 or more to...

Coconut cream for breakfast, orange creamsicle for lunch, dark chocolate sea salt for dinner and bee pollen-cinnamon honey for dessert? While the creators tout the benefits from raw honey and raw saturated fat from coconuts -- everything from detoxifying your organs to absorbing nutrients more efficiently -- nutritionists have pointed out that the Kippy’s ice cream cleanse works out to 820 percent of your recommended daily allowance for saturated fat. “There’s inconclusive evidence about the health benefits of the fat from coconut,” nutritionist Keri Gans told Time. “However, it is rich in saturated fat, and saturated fat is linked to...

**SNIP** According to ABC News, the results found that women with bigger backsides tend to have lower levels of cholesterol and are more likely to produce hormones to metabolize sugar. Therefore, women with big butts are less likely to have diabetes or heart problems. And having a big butt requires an excess of Omega 3 fats, which have been proven to catalyze brain development. The researchers also found that the children born to women with wider hips are intellectually superior to the children of slimmer, less curvy mothers.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's decision to stay out of the Republican presidential race means that the American people will be spared months of discussion about his ample waistline and the bad example it sets. Nonetheless, with first lady Michelle Obama urging everyone to get moving, obesity remains a political hot potato, or maybe a tater tot. Below, a helping of skepticism about the causes of Americans' poor eating habits - and the efficacy of political fixes. 5 myths of healthy eating...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The government is officially announcing on Friday an expanded program that should provide 140,000 to 150,000 children from low income families with supper meals, a senior Agriculture Department official said. A federal program aiding such children, many with parents away from home until late in the evening, has been in operation in 13 states and the District of Columbia, but USDA Under Secretary Kevin Concannon told Reuters in an interview that "this afternoon the official announcement goes out that the program will be available in all 50 states." The expansion, authorized in the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act...

Shoppers will be bombarded with messages at supermarket check-outs about eating fruit and vegetables, under plans being considered by Ministers. Trolleys could even come with a painted line marking where customers should put their healthy produce as part of the proposals which critics will see as an expansion of the nanny state. Unhealthy options – such as crisps and pies – may be placed on higher shelves than low-calorie and high-fibre foods to dissuade shoppers from buying them. The proposals are part of the Coalition’s attempt to ‘nudge’ Britons towards healthy choices and are the brainchild of the Behavioural Insight...

Sluthood wasn't always considered a virtue. Most normal, rational people look at sleeping around as something sad and wrong. It's not healthy, physically or mentally, it can be damaging to a young girl's reputation, and it can also be incredibly dangerous. Women that sleep around oftentimes end up feeling used and regret their choices when they get older and decide to settle down. Other women end up contracting STDs, which may or may not be treatable. For these reasons and more, being a slut is understandably looked down upon -- it can be genuinely harmful. Today's pseudo-feminists, however, have...

"If you are sick & tired of being sick & tired, I believe that Life Application Ministries (LAM) may be your missing link. This is a ministry based on the Word of God. It is the Word of Truth that sets people free, ALL people!" "Life Application Ministries, LAM, ministry, Word of God, word of god, Linda Lange, linda lange, six basic principles, spiritually rooted diseases, diseases and their root cause, the meeting place, healing and health in body, soul and spirit, introduction & foundation, relationship with god, spiritual roots preventing healing, blocks preventing healing, five r's to freedom, family...

LAS VEGAS — The head of Sony Pictures suggested Monday that movie theaters offer healthier snacks to help fight obesity and give audiences a broader range of food choices.

A surgeon in New Zealand has received a dressing down for swearing at a severely obese patient. The New Zealand Herald newspaper reports the doctor said "f..." at least three times after the 44-year-old obese woman told him she did not like the word "diet" and preferred the term "lifestyle".

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Plans from Wells Fargo & Co and Citigroup to repay taxpayer funds will put the U.S. government on track to reduce its bailout investments in banks by more than 75 percent, while earning a healthy profit for the U.S., U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said on Monday. "With the recent announcements on repayments, we are now on track to reduce TARP bank investments by more than 75 percent, while earning a healthy profit on that commitment," Geithner said in a statement after Wells Fargo announced it will repay the $25 billion it received from the government under...

WHAT: A new study shows that molecular similarities exist between the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus and other strains of seasonal H1N1 virus that have been circulating in the population since 1988. These results suggest that healthy adults may have a level of protective immune memory that can blunt the severity of infection caused by the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus. The study team was led by Bjoern Peters, Ph.D., and Alessandro Sette, Ph.D., of La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, Calif., grantees of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health. The...

A Gluten-Free Recipe for Banana Pudding all the way from Australia.

Childhood Obesity Report Calls For Government Regulations to Limit Access to ‘Unhealthy’ Restaurant Chains Wednesday, September 02, 2009 By Penny Starr, Senior Staff Writer (CNSNews.com) - A newly released report by the Institute for Medicine and the National Research Council details strategies for local governments to combat what it calls an epidemic of childhood obesity, including enacting zoning and land-use regulations that would “restrict fast food establishments near school grounds and public playgrounds.” The report, “Local Government Actions to Prevent Childhood Obesity,” was compiled by the Committee on Childhood Obesity Prevention Actions for Local Governments, a committee of health care...

HAVANA – Cuba's Communist Youth newspaper is showing a photo of a healthier-looking Fidel Castro talking with the visiting Ecuadorean president. Sunday's photo in Juventud Rebelde shows the 83-year-old Castro wearing a white shirt instead of the sports apparel he has worn in recent photos. The meeting with Rafael Correa occurred Friday.

New poll: Do you buy organic food? A Daily Poll.Someone in yesterday's poll suggested that organic food be in a question. Here it is!