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A Barbadian theatrical dance group is taking legal action after being “excluded in the name of inclusivity” following their “unconstitutional” disqualification from a national competition due to their Christian beliefs on gender.

Praise Academy of Dance Barbados was banned from performing at the National Independence Festival of Creative Arts (NIFCA) in October for allegedly breaching the rules by exceeding “the bounds of good taste,” and making “defamatory claims,” the St. Vincent Times reported.

The infraction was found due to the group’s “Speak of Life” performance produced for the event, in which they “presented a Christian viewpoint of gender identity and sexual orientation and declared the Christian worldview that there are only two genders.”

A recording of the full performance includes a depiction of a teen girl who struggles with her gender identity in school, with a dialogue sharing biological and biblical explanations for the two sexes.

At one point, the performers announce, “It’s not a choice, you don’t get to pick. That’s the science, period!”

Banners with verses from the biblical book of Genesis hung on the stage, stating: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”

Despite the dance troupe sharing their Christian faith for the last 20 years without disqualification, they say that Senator Gregory Nicholls, arbiter of the National Cultural Foundation (NCF), “unconstitutionally” canceled them without referring the matter to the Barbados Supreme Court.

“The case is believed to be the first time that a group has been canceled for the expression of traditional Christian beliefs in Barbados and brings into question whether the LGBTQ agenda is being brought in by the back door,” the Carribean outlet reported.

Praise Academy has raised an official complaint, arguing that the decision of the NCF and NIFCA judging panel was illegal and unconstitutional.

Read more at: breitbart.com

The border is “open,” according to Detective Shawn Wilson. Despite working 80 miles from the border of Mexico in the Tucson Sector of Arizona, Wilson, a member of the Pinal County Anti-Smuggling Unit, regularly encounters illegal aliens and smugglers passing through the county.

Wilson says the smugglers’ strategy has changed in recent years.

Over the last few years, “human smuggling has increased dramatically,” Wilson told The Daily Signal during a recent ride-along. “Before, you’d see … a little bit [of] human smuggling and mainly marijuana. But now there’s hardly any marijuana or drugs, and it’s mainly human smuggling.”

At least two incentives are driving the change, according to Wilson: money and police penalties.

“People want to come and the cartels, and people down in Mexico who are making the money, they see the opportunity to increase their annual income,” he said. There are also less severe prison terms or penalties for smuggling people “than if you were smuggling methamphetamine or fentanyl,” the detective explained, “so there’s a lot less risk to it and a lot more money.”

The cartels “contract” drivers to pick illegal aliens up at the border and drive them into the interior of the U.S., Deputy Sheriff Mark Terry, who also serves on the Pinal County Anti-Smuggling Unit, told The Daily Signal.

The cartels “go on social media and they’ll basically put a job offering a certain amount of money to just take people from point A to point B,” Terry said. “That money can go for between $500 per person to $1,000 per person.”

When Terry and Wilson pull over vehicles in Pinal County they suspect might be involved in human smuggling, they often encounter illegal aliens from all over the world.

Nationals from Pakistan, Iraq, and India represent a sampling of the aliens officers have encountered being smuggled through their county. When the officers stop vehicles smuggling illegal aliens, they contact Border Patrol to come detain them because local law enforcement does not have the authority to arrest illegal aliens.

Yet Border Patrol agents who used to be patrolling in the field have now been moved to the border to process illegal aliens, Terry and Wilson lamented.

“The numbers that are coming through the border right now are so high that they need everybody there to help with that,” Terry said. “So, if we pull someone over on the freeway here … sometimes they can’t come because they’re all busy at the border.”

When Border Patrol cannot respond in a timely manner, “we just have to let them go,” Wilson said.

Read more at: dailysignal.com

Anglican bishops have expressed their grief at the Church of England’s decision to trial “special standalone services” for blessing those in same-sex partnerships.

Under previous proposals, the services would have been authorised under a two-year long process, which would have required a two-thirds majority in each of the General Synod’s three Houses. Instead, Synod backed a proposal to fast-track trial services. The amendment required a simple majority to pass and succeeded in the House of Laity by just one vote.

In a statement, bishops of the Anglican Network in Europe spoke of their “deep sadness” at the Synod’s continuing rejection of Scripture, and promised to stand with faithful Christians within the Church.

Arrogance

The bishops lamented that “a majority at General Synod voted to continue to travel along a road that arrogantly rejects the authority of scripture, the historic teaching of the church from earliest times and the vast majority of Anglicans worldwide.

“They have walked away from the life transforming grace and truth of the Lord Jesus Christ.”

On behalf of the Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches, Archbishop of South Sudan Justin Badi said: “We wholeheartedly support the faithful bishops, clergy and laity within the Church of England and assure them of our continuing prayers and pastoral commitment as a global body.”

Quoting the book of Revelation, he added: “Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.” (Revelation 2:10)

Read more at: christian.org.uk

The typical American household must spend an additional $11,434 annually just to maintain the same standard of living they enjoyed in January of 2021, right before inflation soared to 40-year highs, according to a recent analysis of government data.

Such figures underscore the financial squeeze many families continue to face even as the the rate of U.S. inflation recedes and the economy by many measures remains strong, with the jobless rate at a two-decade low. The analysis, from Republican members of the U.S. Senate Joint Economic Committee, taps government data such as the Consumer Price Index and Consumer Expenditure Survey to examine the impact of inflation state by state.

Even so, many Americans say they aren’t feeling those gains, and this fall more people reported struggling financially than they did prior to the pandemic, according to CBS News polling. Inflation is the main reason Americans express pessimism about economy despite its bright points, which also include stronger wage gains in recent years.

The Biden administration called the analysis “flawed.” Citing federal labor data, a White House spokesman noted that per capita disposable income has risen 16% since December 2020, just prior to President Joe Biden’s inauguration.

“14 million more Americans have jobs today than when President Biden took office and household disposable income is up by almost $21,000 since December 2020,” the spokesman said in a statement to CBS MoneyWatch. “And what Congressional Republicans pushing this one-sided study won’t admit is that their proposals would raise costs on the middle class and cut Social Security and Medicare so they can give rich special interests more tax giveaways.”

To be sure, economists point to a number of pandemic-related issues as the cause of high inflation, rather than decisions from any one political party. For instance, spending bills were signed by both Presidents Donald Trump and Joe Biden that put stimulus money into the hands of millions of Americans, while global supply-chain snarls and labor shortages drove up the cost of goods and services.

But even as inflation is now cooling rapidly, many consumers say they aren’t feeling it, with a new Bankrate survey finding 60% of working Americans say their income has lagged inflation has over the past 12 months.

“On the edge”

Average hourly pay for workers has increased robust 13.6% since January 2021, although that lags the 17% increase in inflation during the same period, according to government data. The main categories requiring heavier spending for consumers simply to tread water: food, transportation, housing and energy, which together account for almost 80 cents of every $1 in additional spending, according to the Republican analysis.

“Middle- and low-income Americans aren’t doing well enough — they are living fragilely on the edge,” said Gene Ludwig, chairman of the Ludwig Institute for Shared Economic Prosperity (LISEP), a think thank whose own analysis found that the income needed to cover the basics fell short by almost $14,000, on average, in 2022.

Read more at: cbsnews.com

A petition denouncing the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade for advancing “the liberal LGBTQ agenda” had garnered nearly 35,000 with almost a full week to go before the holiday.

The petition was started by One Million Moms, a division of the American Family Association that was established “to stop the exploitation of our children, especially by the entertainment media,” according to its website.

Interested readers can view and sign the petition here.

Numerous media outlets, including The Western Journal, had reported on the “transgender agenda … taking center stage” at this year’s parade, which apparently prompted the group to launch the petition.

The the U.K.’s Daily Mail first reported on petition Monday, it had about 17,000 electronic signatures. That number has doubled in the four days since.

“Unless they are forewarned about it, this year’s holiday parade will potentially expose tens of millions of viewers at home to the liberal LGBTQ agenda,” the petition reads.

“It is clear that Macy’s does not have our children’s best interests in mind,” the group added. “Macy’s needs to know that trust must be earned, and once trust is lost, it is difficult to get back.”

According to The Associated Press, Cher, the woman who recently made headlines by declaring she would leave the United States if former President Donald Trump is re-elected, is supposed to entertain a country after regularly insulting the half that supports Trump.

At least some of that half seems likely not to tune in to the coverage of the parade on Thanksgiving, a number that this petition apparently seeks to increase.

Breitbart reported last week that “non-binary” actors from two Broadway shows — “& Juliet” and “Shucked” — were expected to be part of the parade festivities.

The show “& Juliet” is inspired by Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet,” but explores what Juliet’s life might have been like had she not committed suicide at the end of the story. The part of the non-binary “May” is played by Justin David Sullivan, according to Breitbart.

Read more at: westernjournal.com

High school students, particularly males, with a history of concussion in the last year, showed a higher tendency for suicidal thoughts, planning, or attempts compared to those without a concussion history, according to a study by a research team that includes a researcher at the University of Michigan.

Boys who experienced two or more concussions in the past year were twice as likely to report a suicide attempt compared to those with a single concussion. For girls, the likelihood of suicidal behaviors was comparably higher irrespective of the number of concussions.

“This type of research is never easy to discuss, but it is vitally important to understand who is at risk and why,” said study co-author Steve Broglio, professor of kinesiology and director of the University of Michigan Concussion Center. “Anyone who has concern for any student-athlete should not be afraid to reach out and help find the appropriate resources.”

This is believed to be the first known study to examine the relationship between suicidal behaviors and concussion frequency in a nationally representative sample of U.S. high school students.

“From broader literature, we know that brain injuries, like concussion, can precipitate or exacerbate mental health challenges,” said lead author Jacob Kay, a rehabilitation scientist at Prisma Health Children’s Hospital and the University of South Carolina. “Our study further highlights the importance of evaluating mental health among both male and female youth that have sustained a concussion. This is particularly true for those who have sustained multiple concussions in a short time.”

Other study highlights include:

• 15% of students reported one or more concussions and 6% reported two or more concussions in the past year
• 17% of males and 13% of females reported one or more concussions in the past year
• 44% of females vs. 24% of males reported feeling sad or hopeless
• 24% of females vs. 13% of males reported having suicidal thoughts
• 19% of females vs. 10% of males reported planning suicide
• 10% of females vs. 5% of males reported attempting suicide
• 3% of females and 1% of males reported an injury from an attempted suicide
• Medical professionals should closely evaluate and monitor mental health in youth, especially those with a recent history of repetitive concussions

Read more at: scitechdaily.com

Although inflation is cooling, households are still feeling squeezed.

As of October, 60% of adults said they are living paycheck to paycheck, according to a new LendingClub report. The figure is unchanged from last year.

Overall, 4 in 10 consumers consider themselves worse off relative to 2022, the report found.

Shoppers expect to overspend during the holidays

Even more countries are now exploring ditching the U.S. dollar in international trade settlements.

India and Egypt, two members of the BRICS economic alliance, are now reportedly in talks to completely abandon the U.S. dollar in international trade settlements between their respective nations.

This comes at a time when the U.S. economy is $33 trillion in debt, Moody’s has downgraded its outlook on several U.S. banking giants, and historically high inflation plagues the U.S. economy.

Breaking free from the economic side of things for a minute, foreign policy decisions have dire consequences. It turns out that fueling proxy conflicts all over the planet has created significant pushback against the U.S. federal government.

Kicking Russia out of the SWIFT system, the global protocol standard for moving U.S. dollars, ignited a torrent of uncertainty and dissent in much of the world—it was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back.

The dominant attitude of most non-Western countries after seeing what happened to Russia is: are we next?

No one should ever live in fear that their money and their ability to transact has suddenly been shut off by the government, not sovereign nations, and certainly not individuals.

This brings me to my final point: we must never allow the government to issue a central bank digital currency (CBDC). If they do, they will do the same thing to each of us that they did with Russia.

Read more at: 100percentfedup.com

ROME, Italy — Nigeria is the most dangerous place in the world to be a Christian, according to a report on Christian persecution by International Christian Concern (ICC).

In ICC’s 2023 “Persecutors of the World” report, Nigeria is billed as the world’s top oppressor because of its “endemic” anti-Christian violence.

Radical Muslim terror groups such as Boko Haram and Fulani militants have waged a “20-year genocide against Christians in Nigeria,” the report declared, and as a result “Christian men, women, and children are brutally kidnapped, tortured, and killed every week in Nigeria.”

In just 128 days of 2022, spanning from March 4 to July 6, a total of 55 separate attacks resulted in the deaths of 549 Christians, ICC reported.

The adoption of Sharia criminal law in 12 northern states has exacerbated the ongoing persecution of Christians in the region, the text stated, and meanwhile the Nigerian government and much of the international community “continue to deny religious motivation behind ongoing violence, despite the clear targeting of Christians and churches.”

“Once again, Nigeria’s Christian community is suffering at the hands of radical Fulani militants,” ICC president Jeff King noted. “And once again, rather than intervening, the Nigerian government continues to turn a blind eye to the violence, aiding and abetting the ongoing genocide.”

“No longer can this trend of violence be dismissed as a complicated, regional conflict over land rights,” King added. “The government’s inaction on the matter is inexcusable and the violence will only worsen unless the international community steps in.”

The principal driver of Christian persecution in Nigeria is radical Islam and, according to ICC, the three main perpetrators of persecution are Boko Haram, Fulani militants, and Islamic conservative communities.

While Boko Haram has killed tens of thousands of people, mostly Christians, Fulani militants operating in Nigeria’s Middle Belt “have killed more Christians in the past several years than Boko Haram and have displaced millions of Christian farmers.”

To add insult to injury, in 2021 the U.S. State Department removed Nigeria from its list of Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) despite unabated violence and atrocities against Christians.

“This lack of designation essentially indicates to Nigeria that the U.S. approves of all its actions,” the ICC noted. “Whether the U.S. acknowledges the plight of Nigerian Christians or not, the fact remains the same: Nigeria has become a burial ground for believers of the Christian faith.”

Read more at: breitbart.com

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Wednesday approved the Biden administration’s plan to give the federal government full control of the internet under the guise of preventing “digital discrimination.”

The agency issued a press release confirming it will implement the “first bipartisan broadband access anti-discrimination law.”

“The Federal Communications Commission has adopted final rules to prevent digital discrimination of access to broadband services based on income level, race, ethnicity, color, religion, or national origin. Under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the FCC is required to adopt rules to ensure that all Americans have equal access to reliable, high-speed broadband services without discrimination based on the characteristics listed in the statute,” the agency stated.

“The new rules establish a framework to facilitate equal access to broadband internet services by preventing digital discrimination of access. Under these rules, the FCC can protect consumers by directly addressing companies’ policies and practices if they differentially impact consumers’ access to broadband internet access service or are intended to do so, and by applying these protections to ensure communities see equitable broadband deployment, network upgrades, and maintenance,” the agency continued.

“Under the new rules, the Commission can investigate possible instances of discrimination of broadband access, work with companies to solve problems, facilitate mediation, and, when necessary, penalize companies for violating the rules. The FCC will review consumer complaints of digital discrimination of access through an improved consumer complaint portal and staff will meet monthly to assess trends in complaint patterns. Finally, the Commission adopted model policies and best practices that will support states, local and Tribal governments in their efforts to combat digital discrimination,” the press released added.

“As feared, the FCC has authorized Biden’s Woke Takeover of the Internet,” Kyle Becker writes.

“This is how Woke politics — rooted in Critical Race Theory — is driving a complete takeover of all aspects of American life. ‘Equity’ and identity politics are being used to subvert the nation’s institutions. The first step to a globalist shadow cabal taking over this country is take over and control our information. Today, we saw the Biden regime take a bold step towards that corrupt end. Alarming,” he added.

The Blaze reports:

When regimes capture power, it’s often not in the dramatic fashion of the storming of the Bastille. Instead, it’s a bureaucratic takeover, hidden in jargon and filled with clichés, for the greater good. The Federal Communications Commission is poised to vote today on a sweeping set of new rules called the “Preventing Digital Discrimination Order.”

The 200-page report recommends implementing an exhaustive array of new restrictions that will alter the internet forever. It springs from section 60506 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act 2021. This legislation was meant to infuse some federal dollars into America’s sagging internet infrastructure. Unfortunately, this vote will grant the FCC the power to control nearly every aspect of internet infrastructure in the name of our secular gods of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

The TL;DR of the obtuse rules is the ability to censor, control, and regulate internet service providers based on vague laws around equity. Most disturbing is that it doesn’t have to be “discrimination” as it’s generally understood but rather “disparate outcomes,” meaning all internet infrastructure must produce perfect equity or face the wrath of the United States government.

The agency’s unelected officials will convene to deliberate on regulations to integrate the latest progressive ideals regarding race and identity into the internet landscape. It’s expected to pass 3-2. It will stifle innovation and impede internet access opportunities, all in pursuit of achieving equity.

If approved, this would mark the first time the FCC would gain the authority to oversee various aspects of every ISP’s service termination policies, including customer credit usage, account history, credit checks, and account termination, among other related matters.

Read more at: 100percentfedup.com