From 1995's Orchid through to 2019's In Cauda Venenum‚ we ranked every Opeth album in order of greatness

“As the company shifted to streaming‚ it seemed set up to lap Netflix and eat the box office simultaneously. But today‚ Disney’s stock is at a nine-year low. Operating margins are down 75 percent. Disney+ lost $4 billion last year‚” writes The Ringer‚ carefully avoiding any talk of gender ideology and WOKE movies. Ringer’s talking […] The post In Disney’s Clown World‚ Woke Loser Films Are Good for Us appeared first on www.independentsentinel.com.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti led a coalition of 17 Republican attorneys general to press the Biden administration over a proposed Health and Human Services rule that they say could compel foster care providers to facilitate transgender procedures on minors.  They penned a letter to HHS official Kathleen McHugh on Monday urging the agency to reconsider a proposed rule they say would expand the power of the federal government over family law and intrude on religious liberty.  The rule‚ proposed in September‚ would dictate that minors who identify as LGBT are placed with providers who agree to affirm a child’s gender identity‚ pronouns‚ and provide them with “services that are necessary to support their health and wellbeing.” Federal funding would also be contingent on following the proposed rule‚ which the Republican officials said goes beyond the scope of federal authority.  “The proposed rule exceeds the agency’s authority and raises serious constitutional concerns. It also hampers the ability of the states to protect kids by forcing children’s services agencies to police pronoun usage with the same urgency they address physical abuse‚” Skrmetti said in a statement. The letter identifies three major issues with the proposed rule. First‚ it says the policy is effectively a power grab by HHS.  “It’s illegal. This is another example of a federal agency overreaching beyond the scope of its authority and intruding on the state’s responsibilities‚” Skrmetti told The Daily Wire.  The AGs say that HSS does not have the authority to ”mandate particular federal conceptions of ‘proper’ foster care for LGBTQI+ youth‚ let alone support requiring agencies to restructure sex-segregated facilities and programs to instead align around foster children’s gender identity.” There are also concerns that foster care providers would be forced to support “transitions” of minors who identify as transgender. “The apparent requirement that foster parents facilitate risky medical treatments for youth is a particularly problematic case in point. After careful consideration‚ Tennessee prohibited gender-transition hormone and surgical treatments for minors because the State determined that those treatments are unproven and unsafe‚” the letter says.  Skrmetti said that the rule would impact many faith-based providers‚ forcing them to comply with “gender ideology.” “A lot of foster care providers are committed to helping kids as a way of living out their faith. By laying down a thick set of rules forcing them to affirmatively promote every excess of gender ideology‚ and by creating a risk that either the federal government or an unhappy foster child could tie them up in costly federal litigation‚ this rule will interfere with their ability to help kids. It will do it in a way that could violate their First Amendment rights. And we have a shortage of good foster homes. We need to be getting more people involved‚ not creating barriers to providing foster care‚” he told The Daily Wire.  The AGs also say that the rule violates the Administrative Procedure Act and risks driving out qualified care providers through additional regulations.  “The resulting restrictions would perversely undercut the Placement Rule’s stated goal of promoting LGBTQI+ care by driving up the compliance costs and legal exposure associated with taking in LGBTQI+ foster children‚” the letter says.  CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP The other AGs who signed onto Skrmetti’s letter represent Alabama‚ Alaska‚ Arkansas‚ Georgia‚ Idaho‚ Indiana‚ Kentucky‚ Louisiana‚ Mississippi‚ Missouri‚ Montana‚ Nebraska‚ South Carolina‚ Texas‚ Virginia‚ and West Virginia.  Skrmetti said that the Volunteer State could sue if the rule goes into effect. “Tennessee has not hesitated to litigate to stop illegal federal overreach‚” he said.

The annual lighting of the giant Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center in Manhattan will be targeted by pro-Palestinian demonstrators‚ who plan to disrupt the event. On Wednesday night at 7 p.m.‚ the tree will be lit‚ but pro-Palestinian groups issued a “call for action‚” in which they insisted “Jesus was a Palestinian‚” rather than Jewish. The call for action states‚ “Flood The Tree Lighting.” Demonstrators are urged to bring flags‚ signs‚ and wear kaffiyehs. “We do anticipate that there will be protests in the city on Wednesday — to include around the area of the tree lighting — and at future gatherings around the city in the days and weeks to come‚ as we have seen over the past seven weeks‚” a spokesman for the NYPD’s Intelligence and Counterterrorism Bureau stated. “The NYPD will be on hand to protect the tree lighting and all those attending‚ and we will not tolerate disruption or any threats to public safety.” The use of the term “flood‚” which Hamas used in calling the October massacre of Israelis the “Operation Al-Aqsa Flood‚” was noticed. Notice it’s not a prayer protest for peace‚ it openly embraces the Hamas-Iran hate rhetoric of “flood” which was a call to genocide on Oct 7. — Seth Frantzman (@sfrantzman) November 29‚ 2023 Earlier this week pro-Palestinian demonstrators disrupted a Christmas tree lighting celebration in Ypsilanti‚ Michigan‚ drowning out a children’s choir. “Feel good about ruining Christmas for little kids?” asks an irritated onlooker. Pro-Hamas protesters in Ypsilanti‚ MI‚ disrupted a Christmas tree lighting‚ drowning out the children's choir before followed the crowd and wreaked havoc at a planned concert. pic.twitter.com/S3PELEhEqJ — Canary Mission (@canarymission) November 28‚ 2023 Pro-Palestinian protesters just disrupted a Christmas tree lighting celebration in Ypsilanti‚ Michigan‚ chanting as crowds gathered for the annual event in the city’s historic district pic.twitter.com/bpuCB50n89 — Brendan Gutenschwager (@BGOnTheScene) November 27‚ 2023 Last week‚ pro-Palestinian demonstrators blocked the traditional Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York‚ gluing their hands to 6th Avenue in Manhattan. Balloons and floats intended to travel down the street were blocked‚ forcing the NYPD to divert the parade‚ The New York Post reported. The parade traditionally ends at Macy’s flagship store in Herald Square. Pro-Palestinian protesters have glued their hands to 6th Avenue‚ disrupting the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade; floats‚ bands and balloons are being diverted. pic.twitter.com/nYKLGyev87 — Matthew Chayes (@chayesmatthew) November 23‚ 2023 The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree is intended to be lit every day until January 13. On Christmas Day‚ it is lit for 24 hours‚ and on New Year’s Eve‚ it is lit from 5 a.m. until 9 p.m. CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP The first lighting of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree occurred in December 1933. In 1936‚ the Center erected two trees and a new ice skating rink was opened in Rockefeller Plaza. During World War II‚ the tree was adorned with red‚ white‚ and blue unlit globes and painted wooden stars. Between 1942-1945‚ the tree remained unlit because of blackout regulations. The tallest tree at the Center was erected in 1999 when a 100-foot tall tree was placed there. In 2011‚ after the 9/11 attacks‚ the tree was decorated in red‚ white‚ and blue.