Feds Spend $6,000 Studying ‘History of French Lesbian Activism’

/3 Comments/in , /by

The National Endowment for the Humanities released its latest round of projects, which includes studies of the “history of French lesbian activism,” and $20,000 for a new college course on “questions about neighborliness.”

The projects are part of $21.1 million in grants announced this week for the federal agency’s “Common Good” initiative.

Tamara Chaplin, an associate professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, received a $6,000 summer stipend for her project “Postwar French Media, and the Struggle for Gay Rights.”

The project is described as a “book-length study of the history of French lesbian activism since World War II.”

Chaplin’s areas of study include contemporary France, the histories of gender and sexuality, feminist and critical theory, and queer studies. She previously contributed to the 2011 book Orgasm without Limits: May ’68 and the History of Sex Education in Modern France. (Read more from “Feds Spend $6,000 Studying ‘History of French Lesbian Activism'” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Whoopi Goldberg to Ben Carson: Why Support ‘Racist’ Trump? ‘That’s How Hitler Got In’

/3 Comments/in , /by

Thursday on ABC’s “The View,” former presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson defended his endorsement of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump against co-host Whoopi Goldberg’s charges of racism and sexism.

Whoopi Goldberg asked, “Sir, I hate to ask this question, but you have aligned yourself with a man who has bashed women, made countless racist remarks, and you’re Ben Carson. Why would you — why would you align yourself with that is this this?”

Carson answered, “Well, you know, you have to look at the good and the bad. There’s no perfect person.”

Goldberg said, “No, I know that.”

Carson continued, “But you look at when Donald Trump first went down to Palm Beach area and a lot of the clubs down there would not accept Jews and Blacks. He insisted on Jews and Blacks and helped to break that open. So, has he said some things that I wouldn’t say or that you wouldn’t say? Of course.” (Read more from “Whoopi Goldberg to Ben Carson: Why Support ‘Racist’ Trump? ‘That’s How Hitler Got In'” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Late-Term Abortionist Sends Fourth Woman to Hospital in Four Months

/1 Comment/in , /by

Pro-life activists say Dr. Leroy Carhart’s late-term abortion clinic in Maryland sent another patient to the hospital on Sunday.

The ambulatory evacuation of an underage girl to Shady Grove Hospital is the fourth from Carhart’s Nebraska and Maryland locations since December 2015.

According to video and a press release provided to LifeSiteNews by local pro-life activists, eyewitnesses say two emergency vehicles were sent to Carhart’s clinic, Germantown Reproductive Health Services. An underage girl was then sent to a local hospital, marking what the Executive Director of Maryland Coalition for Life said in a statement was the seventh “documented” case of injury, in addition to one death, at the clinic since it opened in 2010.

In a phone conversation, a spokesperson for Germantown Reproductive Health Services declined to comment on the latest alleged evacuation. Spokespersons for Shady Grove Hospital did not respond to multiple requests for comment from LifeSiteNews as to whether the hospital had taken in the underage patient.

According to Andrew Glenn, executive director of Maryland Coalition for Life, “With this many medical emergencies happening so close together, the Board needs to immediately suspend LeRoy Carhart’s license while these unfortunate incidents are fully investigated. There have been 7 documented injuries and 1 death here in Germantown and 5 other serious cases from his Nebraska office.” (Read more from “Late-Term Abortionist Sends Fourth Woman to Hospital in Four Months” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Michelle Obama’s Floral Outfits Cost 23 Times Average Annual Salary in Cuba

/2 Comments/in , /by

The two floral dresses that first lady Michelle Obama sported in Cuba this week would not be affordable for the wide majority of individuals living in the repressive country.

US Weekly recently spotlighted two outfits that Obama wore during appearances in Havana on Sunday and Monday that, according to a Free Beacon analysis, together cost more than 23 times the average annual state salary in Cuba recorded in 2014.

When the president and his family landed in Cuba Sunday, the first lady descended Air Force One wearing a sleeveless, rose-print dress made by designer Carolina Herrera. The dress is currently sold for $2,190 at Bergdorf Goodman, an upscale department store.

Later, on Monday evening, Obama dressed in a floral, knee-length dress from designer Naeem Khan to attend the state dinner at the Palace of the Revolution in Havana, Cuba. A similar frock from Naeem Khan, a Barack Obama donor, available in the designer’s pre-fall 2016 collection costs $4,490. (Read more from “Michelle Obama’s Floral Outfits Cost 23 Times Average Annual Salary in Cuba” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Report: Western Intelligence Knew Location of Girls Boko Haram Kidnapped, Did Nothing

/1 Comment/in , /by

A high-ranking British official has revealed that Western intelligence agents were able to locate dozens of the nearly 300 Nigerian girls kidnapped by Boko Haram in April 2014 months after the abduction, but refused to act to save them, citing the danger of multiple deaths during a rescue attempt.

Former British high commissioner to Nigeria Andrew Pocock told The Sunday Times that it took mere months following the Boko Haram raid for British and American forces to locate the girls in the dense Sambisa Forest of northern Nigeria that Boko Haram used as an operating base.

He said:

A couple of months after the kidnapping, fly-bys and an American eye in the sky spotted a group of up to 80 girls in a particular spot in the Sambisa forest, around a very large tree, locally called the Tree of Life, along with evidence of vehicular movement and a large encampment.

At the time, the government of Nigeria had not officially requested international aid, limiting the action these groups could take. (Read more from “Report: Western Intelligence Knew Location of Girls Boko Haram Kidnapped, Did Nothing” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Jennifer Garner’s ‘Miracles From Heaven’ Movie Takes in $18M in 5 Days

/0 Comments/in , /by

Christian-themed film “Miracles From Heaven” had a strong opening this past weekend, bringing in $18.6 million over five days (the film opened on Wednesday, March 16). The film made $15 million over the March 18 weekend.

“Miracles From Heaven” is based on the memoir by Christy Beam (played in the film by Jennifer Garner), whose young daughter (played in the movie by Kylie Rogers) made a miraculous recovery from an incurable disease. Joe Roth and minister T.D. Jakes produced the film, which came in No. 3 after “Zootopia” and “The Divergent Series: Allegiant.” which opened March 18 and made $29 million. Animated film “Zootopia,” which was released March 4, made $34 million over the weekend. “Zootopia” has grossed over $200 million.

In fourth place was “10 Cloverfield Lane,” a horror movie which was released March 11 which made $12 million over the weekend and has grossed over $45 million. In fifth place was “Deadpool,” the R-rated superhero film that was released February 12 and has earned over $340 million. Rounding out the top ten are “London Has Fallen,” “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot,” “The Perfect Match, “The Brothers Grimsby,” and “Risen.” (Read more from “Jennifer Garner’s ‘Miracles From Heaven’ Movie Takes in $18M in 5 Days” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Absolute Insanity: Two Teachers Unions Back Bill Allow Adult Males to Shower With Young Girls

/26 Comments/in , /by

A bill that would allow adult biological males to shower or change alongside young girls has earned the endorsement of two prominent teachers unions in Massachusetts.

State legislators are considering a bill that would specifically open all public restrooms, shower facilities, and locker rooms to transgender people.

“An Act Relative to Gender Identity and Non-Discrimination” (H.B. 1577) would add “gender identity” to the state’s protected classes able to access all public facilities, such as private changing areas. Lawmakers specifically exempted “lawfully sex-segregated facilities” when it passed a 2011 ordinance granting transgender people protected legal status, but included school restroom facilities.

“The issue with the latest bill is not that it opens up opposite sex restrooms in the schools, because they’re already open in the schools at this point in Massachusetts,” Sean Ryan, director of communications for the pro-family watchdog group MassResistance, told LifeSiteNews.

“This pending legislation opens the floodgate to adults being able to victimize children in public facilities,” Ryan continued. “Erasing the distinction of sex and allowing men to use opposite-sex facilities is a predator’s dream.” (Read more from “Absolute Insanity: Two Teachers Unions Back Bill Allow Adult Males to Shower With Young Girls” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

New Study Finds America Is Less Religious Than Ever Before

/7 Comments/in , /by

A new study using data from the General Social Survey has found that Americans are less observant of religion than perhaps ever before.

The study was undertaken by researchers from Duke University and University College in London and found that only 18 percent of Americans under the age of 60 attend church at least once a month. In contrast, among those aged 70 and older, 41 percent attend worship services.

“The U.S. has long been considered an exception to the modern claim that religion is declining…. But if you look at the trajectory, and the generational dynamic that is producing the trajectory, we may not be an exception after all,” Mark Chaves, a professor of sociology, divinity and religion at Duke University said . . .

“These declines aren’t happening fast, but the signs are now unmistakable. It has become clear that American religiosity has been declining for decades, and the decline is driven by the same dynamic of generational change that has driven religious decline across the developed world,” Professor David Voas of University College’s Institute of Education said. (Read more from “New Study Finds America Is Less Religious Than Ever Before” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Muslim Uber Driver Charged With Raping Woman

/2 Comments/in , /by

A Muslim working as an Uber driver is suspected of raping a woman at an Anaheim motel after giving her a ride from a Fullerton bar.

Police believe there may be more victims and are asking for the public’s help in finding them.

Omar Mahmoud Mousa, 52, of Anaheim was arrested on a $100,000 bond and assigned a court date of April 8 to face felony charges of rape, forcible oral copulation and sexual penetration by foreign object. The alleged rape occurred Oct. 25, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, but Mousa had been out of the country until recently. He was arrested March 7 as he disembarked from a plane landing at Los Angeles International Airport.

Authorities were not saying what country he had traveled to or whether he was a native-born American, a naturalized citizen or some other status.

Uber issued a statement that read: “Uber has a zero-tolerance policy for violent behavior, and our thoughts are with the victim of this atrocious crime. We immediately blocked this individual’s access to the Uber platform upon learning of this incident and actively assisted law enforcement in their investigation.” (Read more from “Muslim Uber Driver Charged With Raping Woman” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Pope Francis Fires Vatican Ambassador to U.S. Who Set up Meeting With Kim Davis

/8 Comments/in , /by

Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano is a staunch conservative and was vocally opposed to same-sex marriage throughout his five-year tenure as the Vatican’s nuncio (ambassador) to the United States.

He also sent an anonymous invite to Ms. Kim Davis, of [pro-family] fame, to the Pope’s DC visit. While people, here and elsewhere, initially thought this was a coup for Davis and [traditional marriage], Pope Francis turned the other cheek.

And now word comes that the incident is prompting The Vatican to replace Vigano. A friend of the Pope’s claimed he was blindsided by the meeting, and the move caused the Vatican to distance itself from Viganò, leading many to believe the Pope would quietly replace him as his “statutory retirement age” was approaching. Viganò turned 75 in January; when bishops and archbishops reach that age, they are required to submit a letter of resignation to the Vatican.

Interestingly, the Pope is thinking about replacing the social conservative warrior with an advocate of immigration.

[W]ill be replaced by Archbishop Christophe Pierre, a French-born clergyman who is currently the nuncio to Mexico, Catholic magazine America reports, citing Sandro Magister, a blogger who covers the Vatican.

(Read more from “Pope Francis Fires Vatican Ambassador to U.S. Who Set up Meeting With Kim Davis” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.