48+ min ago (244+ words) Brussels officials are investigating after the infant Jesus figure in the city's newly installed nativity scene was found beheaded overnight, according to a report circulated by Radio Genoa early Monday. Police have not released details on possible suspects, and the city has not yet confirmed when the damage occurred. The incident took place at the Grand-Place, where the redesigned display'made of recycled fabric and featuring faceless, patchwork figures'was unveiled last week as part of the city's Christmas program, reports the European Conservative. The nativity, titled Fabrics of the Nativity, was meant to introduce what organizers called an "inclusive mix of skin tones." The redesign replaced the traditional carved figures of Mary, Joseph, and Jesus with life-sized cloth dolls. The move prompted immediate pushback from residents who said the display removed the religious identity of the scene and replaced it with…...

59+ min ago (587+ words) Upset father: "My son had no idea what any of this meant, but he knew that it was weird and sick and gross" A 6th-grade student survey created by the Oregon Health Authority for asks participants, among other things, their "gender identity," "sexual orientation," and if they are "transgender." The first question under the "Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation" section offers choices such as "Demigirl/Demiboy," "Genderfluid," and "Agender"; the second includes "Pansexual," "Asexual or Aromantic," and "Something else that fits better (Please tell us more)." "Demigirl/demiboy" is defined as someone who "partially identifies as a girl/boy or with femininity/masculinity, but not fully." A "pansexual" is someone who "has the potential for emotional, romantic or sexual attraction to people of any gender though not necessarily simultaneously, in the same way or to the same degree [and] is…...

1+ hour, 7+ min ago (602+ words) Progress in cutting the global toll of cancer remains painfully slow, but a new blood test has sparked unusual levels of hope. Researchers say it could one day make routine screening far more effective by catching cancers earlier, when treatment has the best chance of saving lives. The Galleri blood test, developed by US firm Grail, is the latest entrant to attract worldwide attention, after early trial results were described as "exciting" by researchers. A press release claims the test, currently being trialled by the NHS, can detect signals from 50 cancers and correctly identify the disease in 62% of people who receive a positive result. It also appears to be highly accurate at ruling cancer out, with a reported 99.6% success rate among those who were disease-free. At first glance, these headline figures appear to represent a significant step forward. But before…...

1+ hour, 11+ min ago (326+ words) Malevolent kooks at the University of Minnesota are not the only educators in this Somali colony who really don't like the native population. The state's largest teachers union, Education Minnesota, offers professional development courses on such topics as Interrupting Whiteness: The "racial equity trainings" can be brought "to your building" when requested by Education Minnesota members, the union website explains, and offer instruction on topics like "Culturally Responsive Teaching With a Racial Justice Lens" and "Cultural Competency." "Racial justice" is Liberalese for antiwhite race hate. "Cultural competency" entails subordinating American and European culture to less successful ones. In a state run by woke tyrants like Tim Walz and Keith Ellison, extreme moonbattery is mandatory: Educators in the state are required to fulfill a "cultural competency" training in order to renew their teaching licenses, which can include topics such as "Systemic…...

1+ hour, 19+ min ago (909+ words) The idea of nations as neatly bordered spaces can be traced partly to medieval maps of biblical Israel. Medieval Christian maps showing the twelve tribes of Israel featured clear boundary lines centuries before most other maps depicted political borders By the 1600s, the visual language of bordered territories had become so normalized that English scholars began interpreting biblical texts as describing precisely surveyed nation-states, even though those passages originally made different points The relationship worked both ways: biblical maps influenced how Europeans drew political borders, while the spread of border-focused maps changed how people read and understood the Bible itself Medieval Christians drawing boundaries around ancient Israelite tribes on Holy Land maps had no idea they were influencing how later mapmakers would depict political power. Those red ink lines, meant to show spiritual inheritance, became an important model for how nations…...

1+ hour, 31+ min ago (741+ words) Despite efforts in recent years to gain clarity, the roughly 110-mile state line between Michigan and Indiana remains blurry as ever. The last official survey of the dividing line between Michiganders and Hoosiers was conducted in 1827, and wooden markers placed by federal surveyors at that time have largely rotted into the pastoral landscape. Some surveyors have estimated that the state line generally accepted by locals could be off by a few feet in some areas, creating potential areas of conflict. Unlike Michigan's border with Ohio " famously decided by the Toledo War " and the border dispute with Wisconsin that went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, no one has ever bothered to contest the dividing line between Michigan and Indiana. But especially for residents living on or near the border, an official state line would provide needed clarity in the…...

1+ hour, 42+ min ago (507+ words) For decades, people have fretted about the financial sustainability of America's bedrock retirement income program. Now, Social Security's precarious fiscal state is an issue for the here and now. Why it matters: There is a tug-of-war between the benefits future retirees receive and the taxes that working-age people pay. Something has to give, and surprisingly soon. The big picture: The Social Security retirement fund is set to be depleted in 2033, at which point recipients would see a steep cut to their monthly checks absent congressional action. Threat level: U.S. Senate candidates in next year's midterms could face the looming insolvency at the end of their terms " putting the issue on the ballot just 11 months from now. By the numbers: If the Social Security retirement fund is depleted in 2033, the program would be able to pay only 77% of scheduled benefits, per the…...

1+ hour, 55+ min ago (206+ words) Scans reveal a common brain pattern when people see red, green or yellow Is my red the same as your red? It's a classic puzzler, one that's fun to debate with your friends and family. Do colors look the same to you as they do to me? Now two neuroscientists weigh in " with a resounding maybe. The answer is overwhelmingly the second option, Bartels and Michael Bannert (also at T'bingen and the Max Planck Institute) report in the October 15 Journal of Neuroscience. They found "commonalities across brains," Bartels says. He and Bannert started with 15 people. Each viewed shades of reds, greens and yellows. As they did, the scientists monitored nerve-cell activity across visual areas of the participants' brains. The researchers then used these data to predict which color each person saw. The results showed that neural reactions to colors are…...

2+ hour, 2+ min ago (226+ words) Harvard University's Office of Undergraduate Education is raising concerns about mounting grade inflation, reporting that the school's grading system is "damaging the academic culture of the College." The office sent a 25-page report to faculty and students, stating that 60 percent of all undergraduate grades are now As. This is a 35 percent increase compared to 20 years ago, according to The Harvard Crimson. Veronica Bryant, academic affairs fellow at the American Council of Trustees and Alumni, told The Fix that if Harvard allows grade inflation to skyrocket, the problem will worsen at other schools. "As goes Harvard, so goes the nation' is a phrase for a reason. If other schools see America's oldest and most prestigious university as weakening standards, why should they keep high standards, especially as they compete for fewer and fewer students?" she said. Bryant told The Fix that…...

2+ hour, 4+ min ago (199+ words) To reiterate, I don't accept that the ship operators are enemy combatants " even if one overlooks that the administration has not proven that they are drug traffickers or members of designated FTOs. There is no armed conflict. They may be criminals (if it is proven that they are importing illegal narcotics), but they are not combatants. It's a war crime. Even National Review says it out loud Has Venezuela claimed it was a war crime? At first, Maduro denied it even happened. These watercrafts are obviously not part of the Venezuelan military, and it's not like bear attacks upon Venezuelan land. Don't bring drugs into my country, and you won't get blown out of the water It's a real simple thing Just become a Democtat already, left wing aiding loser. National Review is Democrat? Andy can't even name the agency…...