Appears to be backtracking

Texas spent $124‚603‚616.19 busing more than 100‚000 illegal immigrants

Our Top 10 Robert Palmer Songs list takes a look at 10 great songs from Robert Palmer’s wonderful musical catalog. Robert Palmer was one of the most unique singers in the rock and roll business. Robert Palmer never really looked like a rock star. Palmer looked more like James Bond and‚ in many ways‚ acted more like James Bond‚ at least on the lady’s front. Nonetheless‚ the extreme musical talents of Robert Palmer developed a cult following in the 1970s before he became a huge star in the 80s and 90s‚ fueled by a series of massive MTV hit videos. The post Top 10 Robert Palmer Songs appeared first on ClassicRockHistory.com.

U2 are one of those bands you either love or hate. At classicrockhistory.com‚ we love them. I have written many stories about this band because I think they are one of the most important musical acts in classic rock history. Hailing from Dublin‚ U2 was formed in 1976‚ marking the beginning of a journey that would transform them into one of the most influential and enduring acts in the music industry. The band’s lineup‚ consisting of Bono on lead vocals and rhythm guitar‚ The Edge on lead guitar‚ keyboards‚ and backing vocals‚ Adam Clayton on bass guitar‚ and Larry Mullen The post Complete List Of U2 Band Members appeared first on ClassicRockHistory.com.

Parakeets‚ with their vibrant colors and lively chirps‚ make for delightful companion birds. As a pet owner‚ you know that keeping your feathered friend healthy is a top priority—and that includes knowing if they’re tipping the scales at just the right weight. But how much should these tiny aerial acrobats weigh? In this article‚ we’ll... How Much Does a Parakeet Weigh?

FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—Katrina Lantos Swett—founder of the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice and a co-chair of the International Religious Freedom Summit‚ which took place in Washington‚ D.C.‚ earlier this week—responded to the Southern Poverty Law Center’s attack on the summit in a statement to The Daily Signal on Friday. The SPLC‚ a left-leaning advocacy group notorious for putting mainstream conservative and Christian organizations on a “hate map” alongside KKK chapters‚ warned that some of the summit’s sponsors “have ties to anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-immigrant extremist organizations and the global far-right network.” Lantos Swett‚ a lifelong Democrat and the daughter of a Holocaust survivor‚ co-chaired the Jan. 30-31 summit alongside Republican Sam Brownback‚ a former Kansas governor‚ senator‚ and ambassador-at-large for religious freedom under then-President Donald Trump.  She responded to the SPLC attack by emphasizing the broad coalition of different faiths the summit brings together‚ urging respectful civic dialogue in a pluralistic society‚ and suggesting the SPLC’s attack is detrimental to that effort. “My co-chair‚ Ambassador Sam Brownback‚ and I are incredibly proud of the diverse coalition that the IRF Summit has brought together‚ which includes 90 partner organizations from virtually every faith community and belief system‚ cultural background‚ and political perspective‚” she told The Daily Signal. Members of atheist‚ Baha’i‚ Eastern Orthodox‚ Falun Gong‚ Hindu‚ Jewish‚ Muslim‚ Protestant‚ Roman Catholic‚ Sikh‚ and Yazidi organizations took part in the summit‚ as did Christian minorities such as Assyrians and Copts. The summit’s speakers‚ such as House Speaker Mike Johnson‚ highlighted the persecution of Christians in Nigeria‚ Uyghur Muslims and Tibetan Buddhists in China‚ and Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar‚ among others. “The SPLC‚ regrettably‚ seems to have missed the forest for the trees and has forgotten a simple truth: namely‚ that disagreeing profoundly about some matters does not mean we can’t find common ground on others‚” Lantos Swett added. “Such civic goodwill goes to the essence of a pluralistic and tolerant society‚ and that is precisely the kind of community we are proud to have built at the IRF Summit.” “If the SPLC truly cares about promoting religious freedom around the world‚ we encourage them to join us at the summit to see firsthand what a unifying event it is‚ even amid these deeply divided times‚” she said. Lantos Swett‚ whose father was a 14-term Democratic congressman from California‚ emphasized that the summit focuses on “our collective commitment to advancing freedom of religion or belief worldwide.” “We don’t vet summit partners based on other causes they have funded or advocated for‚ but we do keep close guardrails to ensure that the focus at the Summit remains squarely on international religious freedom‚” she explained. The SPLC mostly used guilt-by-association attacks to suggest the summit supported hate or extremism. On Jan. 30‚ the SPLC published an article in “Hatewatch” noting that two of the religious freedom summit’s sponsors‚ The Hungary Foundation and the Religious Freedom Institute‚ have connections to the Center for Immigration Studies‚ which the SPLC brands an “anti-immigrant hate group‚” and Alliance Defending Freedom‚ which the SPLC brands an “anti-LGBTQ+ hate group.” As I wrote in my book “Making Hate Pay: The Corruption of the Southern Poverty Law Center‚” the SPLC took the same Intelligence Project it used to bankrupt Klan groups in the 1980s and weaponized it against conservatives‚ partially to scare donors into ponying up cash and partially to silence ideological opponents. After the SPLC fired its co-founder amid a racial discrimination and sexual harassment scandal in 2019‚ a former staffer claimed that the SPLC’s accusations of “hate” are a “cynical fundraising scam” aimed at “bilking northern liberals.” Critics across the political spectrum have voiced opposition and alarm at the organization’s hate group smears. The Center for Immigration Studies advocates for the enforcement of immigration law amid the crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border. Alliance Defending Freedom has won numerous Supreme Court cases on religious freedom issues. The SPLC report also faulted the summit for inviting Ján Figel’ to speak. Figel’‚ a Slovak politician and a former European Commission special envoy for the promotion of freedom of religion or belief outside the European Union‚ filed a complaint at the European Court of Human Rights opposing COVID-19 pandemic restrictions on religious freedom in Slovakia. The SPLC did not explicitly clarify what it found so objectionable about Figel’ addressing the summit‚ but it did note that Alliance Defending Freedom’s international organization represents the Slovak politician in his COVID-19 restriction complaint. The SPLC noted that eight members of the European Parliament wrote a letter in 2020 expressing concern with his “association with religious-extremist organizations from the fringes of Christianity‚ which actively pursue an anti-choice agenda‚ targeting in particular LGBTI and women’s rights around the world.” This framing ignores Christianity’s long history of defending life in the womb and upholding the biblical definition of marriage as between one man and one woman. The SPLC noted that the Religious Freedom Institute‚ which runs the summit‚ received financial support from ADF in previous years‚ partly for religious liberty work. The SPLC put the term “religious liberty” in scare-quotes‚ suggesting it is insincere. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz‚ D-Fla.‚ defended her decision to attend the summit when the SPLC reached out to her office for comment. “Throughout my career‚ I have strongly and unequivocally supported religious freedom and freedom of conscience‚ including fighting for separation of church and state‚ defending the rights of LGBTQI+ people‚ and countering discrimination against Muslims‚ Jews‚ and other religious minorities‚” she told the SPLC. “I will affirmatively underscore these core principles in my summit remarks.” Lantos Swett pushed back against SPLC attacks on the summit last year‚ as well. The 2023 SPLC report condemned her co-chair‚ Brownback‚ and alleged that “the extremists sponsoring and participating in the summit define religious freedom as the legal privilege of white‚ straight‚ cisgender‚ conservative Christians to discriminate against those who do not share their beliefs. We reject that definition.” The SPLC’s 2024 report made no mention of the Family Research Council‚ which the 2023 report condemned at length. In 2012‚ a terrorist targeted the council for a mass shooting‚ and he told the FBI that he used the SPLC’s “hate map” to find his target. The SPLC condemned that act of terror‚ but kept the Family Research Council on the map. Republican senators‚ including Ted Cruz of Texas and Katie Britt of Alabama‚ have raised the alarm following the revelation that a top official in the Department of Education under President Joe Biden met with SPLC staff one year before the SPLC put parental rights groups on its “hate map.” Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com‚ and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state. The post Leftist Group Smears Religious Freedom Summit; Democratic Co-Chair Responds appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Connecticut "Erasing" Medical Debt for Some

One of the most baffling maritime mysteries of the 20th century is the disappearance of SS Marine Sulphur Queen‚ a tanker that vanished in the Florida Straits in 1963 with 39 crew members on board. The ship was carrying a cargo of molten sulphur‚ a highly flammable and corrosive substance that required special handling and equipment. What happened to the ship and its crew remains a mystery to this day‚ despite extensive investigations and searches. Despite the clear cause of the disaster‚ an inaccurate and incomplete version of the ship’s disappearance is often used to justify Bermuda Triangle conspiracies. The ship’s history and last voyage SS Marine Sulphur Queen was originally built as SS Esso New Haven‚ a T2 tanker that transported oil during World War II. In 1960‚ it was converted to carry molten sulphur by Bethlehem Steel Company. The conversion involved installing a huge tank inside the ship‚ surrounded by a void space and heated by steam pipes. The tank was divided into four smaller tanks‚ each holding about 3‚800 tons of sulphur at a temperature of 255 °F (124 °C). The ship also had a sulphur pump room‚ a sulphur control room and a sulphur venting system. On February 2‚ 1963‚ SS Marine Sulphur Queen departed from Beaumont‚ Texas‚ bound for Norfolk‚ Virginia‚ with a cargo of 15‚260 tons of molten sulphur. The ship had a crew of 39 men‚ mostly from Texas and Louisiana. The captain was Francis X. Callahan‚ a veteran mariner with 25 years of experience. The ship’s last communication was on February 4‚ when it sent a routine radio message giving its position as 25°45′N 86°00′W‚ about 150 miles west of Key West‚ Florida. The weather was stormy‚ with strong winds and high waves. The ship was expected to arrive at Norfolk on February 8. The ship’s disappearance On February 6‚ when the ship failed to report its position‚ the Coast Guard initiated a search and rescue operation. The search covered an area of 100‚000 square miles‚ involving planes‚ helicopters‚ ships and submarines. The only traces of the ship that were found were some life jackets‚ life rings‚ rafts and debris. Some of the debris had traces of sulphur on them. No bodies or survivors were ever found. The Coast Guard called off the search on February 25‚ declaring the ship and its crew lost at sea. The ship’s investigation The Coast Guard launched an investigation into the cause of the ship’s disappearance. The investigation revealed that the ship had a history of problems and accidents related to its sulphur cargo. The ship had frequent leaks and fires in its sulphur system‚ causing damage to the hull and equipment. The crew often complained about the poor condition of the ship and the lack of safety measures. The ship had also been overdue for maintenance and inspection before its last voyage. The investigation concluded that the ship was unseaworthy and unsafe to sail with molten sulphur. It suggested four possible causes for the disaster: – A structural failure due to corrosion or stress that caused the ship to break apart. – An explosion or fire due to a leak or rupture in the sulphur system that ignited the flammable vapors. – A loss of stability due to shifting or sloshing of the sulphur cargo that capsized the ship. – A combination of any of the above factors. The investigation also criticized the owner of the ship‚ Marine Transport Lines Inc.‚ for negligence and lack of supervision. The owner denied any responsibility and blamed the weather and unknown forces for the loss. More detailsThe remains of the SS Marine Sulphur Queen‚ recovered by the US Coast Guard The ship’s legacy The disappearance of SS Marine Sulphur Queen remains one of the most intriguing and mysterious cases in maritime history. The memory of SS Marine Sulphur Queen and its crew is honored by a memorial plaque at Beaumont Maritime Museum in Texas. It has also been linked to the Bermuda Triangle phenomenon‚ as some people believe that the ship fell victim to some paranormal or supernatural force in that region. However‚ there is no evidence to support this theory. The families of the lost crew members filed lawsuits against the owner of the ship‚ seeking compensation and justice. The litigation lasted for years‚ until a settlement was reached in 1971. The families received $325‚000 each. Many have speculated the disappearance of the Sulphur Queen was a victim of piracy or sabotage. Although she had been searched thoroughly by the US Coast Guard‚ no wreckage was ever found‚ making it one of the most intriguing and mysterious disappearances in maritime history. What actually happened to the tanker ship and where did the 39 passengers go? Did anyone survive the piracy‚ where is the wreckage of the ship? These are just a few questions that haven’t been answered for decades. This leaves the SS Marine Sulphur Queen as one of the most mysterious disappearances ever recorded. The post The Mysterious Disappearance of SS Marine Sulphur Queen appeared first on Anomalien.com.

A prior indigenous technological species might have arisen on ancient Earth or another body‚ such as a pre-greenhouse Venus or ancient Mars. The researcher notes that on Earth‚ erosion‚ and plate tectonics may have erased any evidence if such—ancient Alien—species ever lived on our planet millions‚ or perhaps billions of years ago. Extraterrestrial technosignatures might be expected to be extremely old‚ limiting the places they might still be found to beneath the surfaces of Mars and the Moon‚ or in the outer Solar System. One of the most asked questions on planet Earth is without a doubt: Are we the… This premium content is for PLUS+ members only. Visit the site and log in/register to read. The post Ancient “Technological Species” may have lived on Earth before humans appeared first on Anomalien.com.