"It was unusually tall and very skinny and lanky, as well as very pale. It was odd enough to see anyone out there at that time of night, let alone being out in a large field. It just didn't belong!"I received the following account:"In October 2015, when I was about 17 and living in Linn County, Iowa, I was out hanging out with my boyfriend at the time and one of his friends. Now, one thing to put out there, is that his friend was a pretty "outdoorsy" kind of guy. He wasn't scared of much, he grew up hunting and was always out exploring the woods at all hours. Living in a small town with a lot of parks and surrounded by wooded areas, there wasn't a lot to do so exploring the woods was a typical thing for really any of us to do. I never used to be afraid of the woods, until after this experienceThis particular night, his friend decided that he wanted to go spotlight hunting (yes illegal, but we were kids and I had no idea). We drove out to an area on a gravel road in my boyfriend's car. There used to be a bridge that went across the river but it was burnt and eventually torn down so it was closed off and the end of the gravel had become overgrown with grass, weeds, and such. There's a tall bridge off in the distance, actually, it's a bridge our little town is very well known for as it has a lot of history. We were out there, miles away from town and from any houses. We found a place to pull over near the end of the gravel and my boyfriend and his friend grabbed the rifle out of the trunk and their flashlight. Me being an animal lover, I didn't feel like taking part so I chose to stay in the car. Before my boyfriend took off into the field, he told me to give them 15 minutes and if they didn't come back I could take his car and leave them. With that, they disappeared into the dark.So there I was, sitting in his car. There was a metal railing in front of the car that we had pulled up to, which the guys had to climb over. On both sides of the car, there was tall grass, taller than the car. It was a bit spooky but I tried to keep my mind busy. I turned the radio on and waited.15 minutes went by and they still weren't back. I hadn't heard any gunshots so I figured maybe they just weren't having any luck. Then, I get this weird feeling. The feeling of being watched. Enough to make the hairs on your neck stand up. I tried to play it off as my nerves. I look out my window to the right and I see the tall grass moving. I told myself it was the wind. I looked out the driver's side window, the grass over there stood still. I've seen enough horror movies to know that I didn't want to look out the right window again. Ignorance is bliss, right? I look down at my phone and do everything I can to not look up, scared I might see something I didn't want to see.Then, something hit the back of the car. Pretty hard. I looked back, but with the tint and the darkness, it was impossible to see anything. So, I checked the locks to make sure I was safe and turned up the radio. The knocking on the trunk and back window continued on and off. At this point, it had been an hour since they left and I was hoping it was just them trying to play a joke on me. I knew I couldn't leave them out there, and there was no way I was getting out of the car, so there I sat, trying to ignore whatever was out there. The knocks soon turned to shaking the car. I shrank down in my seat and just kept my eyes on my phone. Waiting for the guys to get back. After about 15 minutes the banging stopped and I was left in silence for about another 15 minutes when I heard the guys yelling. I sat up, and flipped on the headlights, to see my boyfriend (who had never touched a gun in his life) running towards the car, cradling the rifle in his arms, and vaulting over the metal railing. His friend came running soon after. I unlocked the doors, and my boyfriend jumped in the driver's seat, throwing the gun in the backseat where his friend was scrambling to get in, yelling "Go! Go! Go!" He quickly backed out and off we sped down the gravel road. My boyfriend's face was filled with terror and he started yelling at his friend, "What the hell was that man?!" His friend is looking out the back windows terrified and exclaims, "It's following us!" I was both scared and confused. I kept asking what they were talking about, and what happened but they were too busy trying to calm down. We sped as fast as his car could go back towards town. Once it was clear we were safe, I asked again what happened, only to be told they didn't want to talk about it. Whatever it was, it had scared them more than I'd ever seen someone scared before.We eventually get back into town, and pull up to his friend's house. We all just sat there in silence for a minute. Both guys looked almost paralyzed trying to figure out what they had seen. His friend finally spoke, admitting that after whatever they encountered, he was scared to even be home alone. Reluctantly he got out of the car, grabbed his rifle, and headed inside. I questioned my boyfriend for the next several days but he always just got a weird look on his face and would shake his head, like he didn't believe it himself. It was apparent I would never know, and I guess a part of me was okay with that, so I stopped asking and life went on.Ok, so now, 9 years later. And I finally got the answer. Like most high school relationships, my boyfriend from back then has been broken up for a long time, and I'm actually married now with two kids, and one on the way. Well, it just so happens, that my husband had this guy start working with him at work. It took a couple weeks and "on-the-job stories" from my husband to realize that this guy was the friend of my boyfriend all those years ago. I decided to open up to my husband and tell him about this horrifying experience we all had back then. I suggested that maybe he text the guy that he worked with (the friend of my ex) and ask him about that night. He did and the response was not what I was expecting.He got a reply, the guy explaining how that night haunts him. He told about how they were out in the field, not having much luck. They heard a whole bunch of birds in the grass suddenly take flight making a ruckus and gave the guys a bit of a jump. They went over to the area with the flashlight on and that's when they saw 'him'. He said it was unusually tall and very skinny and lanky, as well as very pale. It was odd enough to see anyone out there at that time of night, let alone being out in a large field lined with forest. He just didn't belong. He then went on to say that the weirdest thing about this guy, was his voice. It was very abnormal, and unexpectedly high-pitched, like a child. What did the guy say? Well, this is the part that still sends shivers down my spine. Apparently, he said, "You might want to check on that girl you left back in that car."This friend described how they ran back through the field, across a ditch, and back to the car. He said they were running as fast as they could and this 'guy' was running parallel to them, but through the wooded area, a much harder route, and yet he was keeping perfect pace with them. The trees and terrain didn't slow him at all as they all sprinted back to me in the car. That's when we started speeding back home. He said when he looked back, he saw the guy step over the metal barrier next to the road. They had to vault or climb over it, but this guy stepped over it like it was nothing.So here I am, my story has finally concluded after 9 years. Although I've tried researching similar encounters, I can't find anything. The only thing I know for sure is whatever that was, it wasn't human. I don't know if it was a ghost, a mystery of nature, or what. So I guess what I'm here for is to find out if anyone had heard, or had any personal experiences with something like this. I'm terrified to go back to that place, even in the daylight. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. I would love to solve this mystery." KNOTE: This seems to be an early encounter with a crawler humanoid or something similar. Lon**********MOTHMAN COMMUNION - CONTACT BEFORE DISASTER! | Join Us - LIVE CHAT - Q & A (REMARKABLE ENCOUNTER!)PHANTOMS & MONSTERS VIDEO LIBRARYPOLL: WHAT DO YOU THINK? Vote & comment on paranormal, cryptid & unexplained mysteries!LISTEN TO NARRATIONS OF PHANTOMS & MONSTERS REPORTS & CASES - PLEASE SUBSCRIBE, LIKE & SHAREPHANTOMS & MONSTERS RADIO Podcasts on SpotifyPHANTOMS & MONSTERS READING LISTCHICAGO MOTHMAN / O'HARE BATMAN YouTube PlaylistHave you had a sighting or encounter?Contact me by email or call the hotline at 410-241-5974Thanks. LonOUR SOCIAL MEDIA LINKSBigfoot and Other Cryptid Videos on YouTubeLYCANS! - PENNSYLVANIA'S CRYPTID CANINES UPDATE'KILLER BIGFOOT' HUNTED BY U.S. SPECIAL FORCES / GLIMMER MAN / MANTIS HUMANOIDSCRAWLER HUMANOIDS - GRUESOME INVADERS! (REAL EYEWITNESS ENCOUNTERS!)WEREWOLVES: DO THEY EXIST?'DOGMAN IN OUR YARD!' - AN OHIO FAMILY'S 12-YEAR SAGA WITH CRYPTID CANINESHey, folks. Thanks for the congrats on 'The Mothman Revisited' episode on Unsolved Mysteries. As a result, we are receiving more sighting reports and are very excited and grateful for the new information!I sincerely thank the Unsolved Mysteries team and Netflix for allowing us to tell the world about this phenomenon.If you have information about this or any other cryptid or unexplained sighting or encounter, please feel free to contact me by email or at 410-241-5974. Thanks again! LonCHICAGO MOTHMAN / O'HARE BATMAN YouTube PlaylistChicago / Lake Michigan Winged Humanoid Regional Interactive MapEXCLUSIVE VIDEO of CHICAGO MOTHMAN RECORDED----------Become a Phantoms & Monsters Radio Insider - just $2.99 monthly, and receive these perks. Thanks for your support!-Members-only live chats-Exclusive members-only videos-Priority reply to members' commentsHave perks suggestions? LMK-----YOUR SUPPORT IS APPRECIATED! THANKS-----Have you had a sighting or encounter?Contact us by email or call the hotline at 410-241-5974Thanks. Lon Noted UFOlogist Dr. Raymond Keller believes the idea of extraterrestrials and even ultra-dimensional beings from many different planets and alternate realms living and working among us clandestinely is more than just another conspiracy theory.Available on Amazon.comSan Francisco Book Festival Honorable MentionNew York Book Festival Honorable MentionAlso available with audiobooknarration by Terry Springs,CBS-TV Las Vegas affiliate.OUR PRIVACY POLICYThis blog and newsletter are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Work 3.0 United States License.Registered trademark PHANTOMS AND MONSTERS ® / PHANTOMS & MONSTERS ® - USPTO #90902480 - Lon D. Strickler© 2005-2024 Phantoms & Monsters - All Rights Reserved

The Clash emerged in the late 1970s as one of the defining bands of the punk rock era, blending raw energy with politically charged lyrics and genre-defying innovation. Formed in London in 1976, the band initially consisted of Joe Strummer (vocals and rhythm guitar), Mick Jones (lead guitar and vocals), Paul Simonon (bass), and Terry Chimes (drums). Their work spanned punk, reggae, dub, and rock, earning them both commercial success and critical acclaim. Over their career, The Clash released six studio albums, starting with their self-titled debut The Clash (1977). This was followed by the ambitious Give ‘Em Enough Rope The post Complete List Of The Clash Songs From A to Z appeared first on ClassicRockHistory.com.

Below is a complete list of every Who song released on the band’s studio albums, compilations, and greatest hits packages. Songs are not repeated twice. Please check out the links below for more detailed reviews of these songs and albums. Complete List Of The Who Songs From A to Z “1921” – Tommy (1969) “5:15” – Quadrophenia (1973) “905” – Who Are You (1978) A – D “A Legal Matter” – My Generation (1965) “A Little Is Enough” (cover, live) – Join Together (1990) “A Man in a Purple Dress” – Endless Wire (2006) “A Man Is a Man” – The post Complete List Of The Who Songs From A to Z appeared first on ClassicRockHistory.com.

Movies & TV Interior Chinatown Interior Chinatown Is a Fun and Heartfelt Adaptation of Charles Yu’s Amazing Novel By Leah Schnelbach | Published on December 10, 2024 Screenshot: Hulu/Disney Comment 1 Share New Share Screenshot: Hulu/Disney Interior Chinatown—styled as Int. Chinatown at the opening of each episode—is a 10-episode adaptation of Charles Yu’s amazing, National Book Award-winning 2020 novel. (Here’s my review of the book, and an interview I got to do with Yu back in 2021.) I am ecstatic to say that the show builds on the book’s premise in really cool ways, takes the characters in surprising new directions, and adds even more depth and layers to the side characters—even Turner and Green! It’s also even funnier than the book (and the book was really, really funny) and, I think, even more emotionally raw at some points. The show was written by Charles Yu, Eva Anderson, Matt Okumura, Tiffany So & Saba Saghafi, Naiem Bouier, Keiko Green, Lauren Otero, Alex Russell, and Greg Cabrera, with Yu writing the pilot and finale. The episodes were directed by Taika Waititi, Ben Sinclair, Jaffar Mahmood, Alice Wu, Stephanie Laing, Pete Chatmon, John Lee, and Anu Vali. Waititi’s episode was properly flashy and hyperkinetic, but each director brought unique visual flair—the whole show looks great. I especially enjoyed how the tone went from moody and noir-y in Wu’s “Chinatown Expert,” to a bleached out desert palette in Chatmon’s “Detective.” The performances are uniformly fantastic. Jimmy O. Yang has to embody a bunch of different stereotypes and archetypes over the course of the show including but not limited to: “waiter in the background of an SVU episode,” “Kung Fu Guy,” “Tech Nerd,” “Detective on a Procedural (Urban),” Detective on a Procedural (Rural),” and “bland-but-hot star of an upscale ad”—and all of them are pitch perfect. Which would be hard enough, but he’s also Willis underneath all of them, aching to get out and be his full self. While everyone is great, Yang really has to carry the show. It’s Willis’ journey that carries us through the episodes, grounds all the genre shifts, and adds a jolt of reality to the surrealism. And throughout, whether it’s his resignation as more and more bags of garbage appear out of nowhere in the back of the Golden Palace in the pilot, his tamped-down growing panic in “Ad Man,” the long, revelatory scene in “Translator”—Willis is real. There isn’t a weak spot in the cast, from Annie Chang as Audrey Chan, the go-getter with the overbearing mom, Chau Long as Carl, the hapless Golden Palace busboy, Archie Kao as Uncle Wong, the Golden Palace’s owner and the fixture in the neighborhood who tries to keep everyone else as safe and stable as possible, and Chris Pang as Older Brother, who has to convey years of history in only a few scenes. The two halves of Black & White are Lisa Gilroy as Sarah Green and Sullivan Jones as Miles Turner, lead detectives for the Impossible Crimes Unit. In Interior Chinatown‘s blurry reality, they believe they are real cops solving real impossible crimes, but there are also sometimes credits and a theme song that frames Green and Turner as TV stars—even though they don’t seem aware of this. Green is the stone-faced quippy one, who has to prove herself to the boys by being a hard-ass, and Turner is the secret nerd with a tragic past. And of course, over the course of the show, we see more layers from Green, and Turner starts to question the nature of reality in an arc that somehow balances humor with existential terror. Screenshot: Hulu/Disney+ Ronny Chieng is fucking hilarious as Fatty Choi. (“Are you trying to teach me a lesson in personal responsibility??? Don’t do that, it’s gross! I don’t wanna hear that shit!”) His arc is great, probably my favorite part of the show, but I’ll get into that in a spoiler section in a minute. Chloe Bennett is amazing as, again, a real human trying to live up to an archetype (“ridiculously-hot-guest-lead-detective-on-a-procedural-who-has-special-knowledge-of-this-week’s-case-but-has-to-win-over-the-two-actual-leads”) who gradually falls the hell apart over the course of the series as more of her actual personality and backstory are revealed. As another character on Black & White she has to walk a fine line between Sarah Green’s solid belief that she’s really a cop solving real Impossible Crimes, and Miles Turner’s growing suspicions about their reality. When she’s away from her role with the police, she has other problems to navigate: Are she and Willis friends, partners, or something else? Will the people of Chinatown ever accept her, a multiracial outsider? Will she have to keep proving that she belongs? One of the great strengths of the show—and Bennett’s performance—is that all of those elements hit just as hard as the fun, meta one where she’s been brought in as the “Chinatown Expert” on a TV show that is also a real police force. Kind of. Willis’ parents, Lily and Joe, are played by Diana Lin and Tzi Ma. (Fun side note, the audiobook of Interior Chinatown was narrated by Tzi Ma’s Man in the High Castle costar Joel de la Fuente!) In the book the Wus get a long middle section that follows them as the emigrate to the US, meet, fall in love, and have a glamorous youth before…well, before America chews them up and spits them out. It’s a fantastic way to structure the book, because we meet them initially as depressed, disappointed, almost unknowable elders through Willis’ eyes. By rewinding and dropping us into their perspectives decades earlier, Yu is able to bring them to life as themselves, while also giving us more perspectives on the ways the American Dream can eat people. To be honest, I was dreading that the show would do the same thing, that suddenly we’d get a whole episode of Lily and Joe that would pull us out of the threads we were in. But the show instead takes their story and keeps it in the present. We watch as Lily tries to make a fresh start, process her grief for her older son, and throw herself into a new career, while Joe tries to figure out who he is without his old role as the Sifu of a Kung Fu school. It’s their arc, the most “realistic” one, that holds the heart of the show and grounds it most in our reality. Screenshot: Hulu/Disney+ And having just said that Ronny Chieng’s arc was my favorite, I may need to immediately backtrack to give special attention to Archie Kao as Uncle Wong. In most shows, his role would be that of hard-ass boss who is simply an obstacle to his employees. Instead he gradually becomes more and more of a real, living person—a person working against impossible odds to try to keep his community safe. He does thankless work with grace and compassion, and, aside from Willis himself, I think he’s the character I’ve thought of most over the days since I finished the show. The adaptation presents itself as a mystery, and most of the individual arcs loop and twist around each other as some characters (Lana Lee, Miles Turner, Willis himself) start to realize there are uncanny things afoot in Chinatown, while others (Sarah Green, Fatty Choi, the Wus) are focused on their day-to-day struggles and hardships. By the end it feels like at least three different shows are playing out simultaneously—in a good way. Screenshot: Hulu/Disney+ The book takes a different turn, where Willis meets a lovely woman named Karen, marries, has a kid, moves to the suburbs, and becomes Kung Fu Dad for a while… until Turner and Green track them down, because Willis stole Turner’s car. This leads into a court transcript of the trial against Willis, and a reveal of what actually happened to Older Brother, and the court case leads back into the TV show which leads back into Willis being a dad and trying to work stuff out with his ex, and trying to have a relationship with his dad just as his dad, his daughter’s grandfather, rather than as “Sifu.” The blurring between reality and fantasy works extremely well, because, in a way, all of the television and film references become the roles people play in life—specifically the roles Asian-Americans feel trapped in by U.S. culture. A point that’s made repeatedly is that an “Asian-American face” is still, in the 21st Century, not seen as simply an “American” face: “That’s the dream of blending in. A dream of going from Generic Asian Man to just plain Generic Man.” Working with the format of a novel, Yu is able to give his characters monologues, to describe action as though it’s stage direction, to roll along with a hilarious script until he needs to drop his readers into a scene of Willis watching his father play with his daughter, Phoebe, and make them cry. The book also includes lists of anti-Asian U.S. laws, starting from 1859, and culminating in 1924’s Federal Immigration Act, which set a quota on the number of immigrants allowed into the country—or, more accurately, set quotas on where immigrants could come from. It completely banned immigrants from Asia. And it stood until the Immigration and Nationality Act of (checks notes) 1965??? Nineteen-sixty-fucking-five?????? Great, America, that’s just great. Can’t wait to see what you do next, buddy. The show doesn’t dig into that, choosing instead to focus on pop culture cliches before digging into the emotions under its storylines. Obviously the adaptation is able to satirize TV much more directly than the book could. There are the perfect Law & Order dun duns, the banger of an opening theme, the way the light cools to a steely blue every time Green & Turner stride onto a crime scene, before it slides back to warm natural light as they move on to the next case. At the season’s midpoint, Int. Chinatown turns into a more direct parody of two different procedurals: the creepy rural noir and the dockside sub-tropical noir, and does hilarious stuff with both before returning to its L&O: SVU SOP. Credit: Hulu/Disney+ The show is also able to be even more meta than the book was, as it finds ways to show us Willis’ fractured state of mind. This is be best explored in the episode “Ad Guy,” where Willis’ insecurities play out through a series of advertisements that he’s starring in because he’s… a successful detective? But that doesn’t make much sense, does it? Why would a successful detective suddenly star in a series of high-end ads? And why have a sycophantic assistant running alongside him with coffee, and anticipating his every need? Why is the show suddenly a musical? Okay, so about Fatty Choi’s arc. When Willis bails to help Lana Lee’s investigation, Fatty is stuck waiting tables. He’s never had to speak with the customers, he’s terrified of them, and then pretty much immediately furious when one of them orders ginger chicken without the ginger. The next time a white hipster couple comes in and has no idea what to order, he loses it and yells at them. And of course, being a particular type of white hipster, they’re ecstatic. They have been Called Out By An Authentic Member Of Another Culture, and they see it as part of the experience. Within a few days, there are lines of white hipsters out the door, all desperate for an uncomfortable encounter with the “Mean Waiter”—the now famous Fatty Choi. This was my favorite arc because, well, I saw like four different versions of myself in that line. I’m big enough to admit it, and I’d go to the Golden Palace right now if it existed in this timeline. The next time Willis checks in, the restaurant is bustling, and Fatty is, of course, still furious. “People are ordering stuff I didn’t even know we had! Like, what the fuck is crab rangoon???” It’s been a while since I had to pause a show so I could laugh.   One of the strengths of the book was that all the meta fun made the emotions land harder. The gap between the book’s shifting structure—sometimes a cop procedural script, sometimes a glossy law drama, sometimes an early ’80s Kung Fu movie—and the very real struggles of the characters, I think, made their emotional lives vibrant in a way they wouldn’t have been in a more traditional Multi-Generational Epic Literary Novel. Not that I’m knocking those! There are lots of classics in that subgenre. But I thought Interior Chinatown was special precisely because every few pages it kicked down the walls it had just built and became something else. The show does that even more. Screenshot: Hulu/Disney+ The details add to a perfect blurry reality that never settles into one era. Older Brother’s plot on Black & White is timestamped as 1984, and young adult Fatty lives in oversized Michael Jordan t-shirts, and most of his scenes are soundtracked to ’90s hip hop. However, everyone (both “on the show” and “off the show”) uses flip phones that no one had yet in 1996, the detectives drive enormous cars that seem to have rolled in from the late ’70s, the precinct’s tech setup seems much more recent than 1996, and the ubiquity of a (vaguely sinister) hard seltzer called Deep Water implies that the show is set right about now. My only caveat with the show is that the ending fell a little flat—but then, again, when you’re creating this kind of high-wire maximalist plate-spinning act, it’s extremely difficult to come up with a resolution that will satisfy every plate. The book also had a couple of different endings before landing on a moment of overwhelming emotion, and then turning to a page of dry historical fact to sent the reader back into the world with a tangle of competing reactions—which worked perfectly as a reading experience. Here, the writers give the several of the plots good emotional resolutions, and throw one final gag out that kind of wraps things up—but because the show hinted toward an even larger, universe-shattering conspiracy, it can’t help but feel a little too neat. If there’s a second season, I will be ecstatic to go further into this world Charles Yu and his writers created. Having said that, though, Interior Chinatown is fun and hilarious, and even made my dried out little husk of a heart ache a few times. It shows what a team of creative people can do when they’re given great source material, but they’re also willing to kick a lot of it through a window and run in cool new directions.[end-mark] The post <em>Interior Chinatown</em> Is a Fun and Heartfelt Adaptation of Charles Yu’s Amazing Novel appeared first on Reactor.

A Virginia real estate broker faces the prospect of losing his license and paying a hefty fine because of a Facebook post about a Bible verse about homosexuality.  On Feb. 13, 2015, Staunton-based broker Wilson Fauber reposted the Rev. Franklin Graham’s post citing a verse in the Bible and added commentary from his own perspective as a pastor.   After 44 years in the business with a clear record, Fauber learned that the National Association of Realtors received an ethics complaint about him earlier this year.  The “real basis of that complaint was from 2015, when I posted Leviticus 18:22,” he told The Daily Signal.  “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination,” reads Leviticus 18:22, as translated by the English Standard Version of the Bible. The Virginia Association of Realtors conducted a hearing Wednesday regarding the complaint against Fauber. If found guilty of an ethics violation, he could be fined $5,000 to $15,000 and effectively lose his career as a broker. The National Association of Realtors also can appeal to the government, making the case that Fauber is unworthy of his real estate license.   A ruling was expected as early as this week.  “A lot is at stake,” Fauber told The Daily Signal. “They have the option to remove me from membership in the National Association of Realtors, the Virginia Association of Realtors, and our local association of realtors.”  Fauber also noted that the National Association of Realtors could remove him from the Multiple Listing Service, or MLS, a communication and listing tool for those in the real estate industry. Removal from the MLS “puts you out of business,” he said.   One housing appraiser from California corroborated the importance of the MLS. “There is nothing as robust as the MLS out there,” he told The Daily Signal. “I couldn’t imagine an agent saying, ‘I don’t have access to the MLS.’”   The National Association of Realtors calls itself the largest trade organization in the United States, where there are 1.5 million Realtors.  “This is an egregious overreach by the National Association of Realtors, and they have set a precedent for other organizations to follow,” Fauber said. “There is no doubt, out of one and a half million [Realtors], there would be hundreds of thousands of Christians just like me.”  A devout Christian, Fauber founded Arise International Ministries and has conducted dozens of missionary trips across South America.   “I’m 70 years old and I’ve been a Christian for 51 years,” Fauber said. “If it could happen to me, it could happen to anyone.”  In 2023, Fauber ran for Staunton City Council. The opposition scoured his Facebook page, found the post addressing homosexual relationships in light of Scripture, and then branded him “the hater,” Fauber recalled.   “I don’t hate anyone. I love all people,” he said. “All people are God’s creation, and I’ve never directed any of my memes or Scriptures towards any individual.”  During the campaign for council, he said, “it got so bad and so heated that there were concerns for my personal safety and the safety of my wife and family.”  Once Fauber lost the election, he said, he believed the nightmare was over.  Fauber defined what is happening as “religious persecution,” although he initially hesitated to categorize it that way. He argued that, contrary to common belief, Christian persecution goes beyond physical assault.  “Their complaint is [about] the Word of God,” Fauber said. “I am a Christian, and it’s my responsibility to share the Word of God.”  William Devlin, a fellow pastor who was honored by the White House for supporting persecuted Christians and the volunteer CEO of the ministry Widows and Orphans, says he agrees this is a clear example of religious persecution.  “We have the right to free speech,” Devlin said. “This is selective persecution, and it’s selective prosecution by both the National Association of Realtors and the Virginia Association of Realtors.”  “Saying that this one Realtor cannot freely, in a non-real estate context, express his free speech privileges according to the Bill of Rights and the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution [is persecution],” he said.  Fauber’s attorney was right to defend him, Devlin added.  “You cannot persecute a person of good will who is publicly stating his beliefs about marriage, because it didn’t affect any real estate sale,” Devlin said. “He’s not discriminating against any couple who comes to him. He’s not asking them, ‘Do you believe that marriage is between a man and a woman?’ He didn’t do any of that, and so he is clearly innocent.”  After witnessing Fauber’s persecution, fellow Christians should be encouraged not to back down, Devlin said.  “Be bold, be strong, for the Lord your God is with you,” Devlin said, quoting Scripture. “And that’s from a biblical perspective. But from a constitutional perspective, we have every right under the First Amendment to exercise our freedom of religion, our freedom of speech, our freedom of assembly, [our] freedom … to petition, and there can be no abrogation of that because it’s in the Constitution.”  The post Pastor Fights to Keep Realtor License After Posting Bible Verse appeared first on The Daily Signal.

How did violent anti-Israel, pro-Hamas rioters get away with destroying government property, burning American flags and an effigy of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and raising a Palestinian flag in place of Old Glory on July 24? Rep. Bruce Westerman, R-Ariz., asked that at the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations hearing, “Desecrating Old Glory: Investigating How the Pro-Hamas Protests Turned National Park Service Land Into a Violent Disgrace,” on Tuesday. Today, @NatResources’s Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigation, headed by @RepGosar, is holding a hearing looking into the violet, pro-Palestine protest outside Union Station last July. @DailySignal was on the scene the moment rioters began tackling @usparkpolicepio… pic.twitter.com/yS41E9Tcbf— Tim Kennedy (@TimKennedyJr1) December 10, 2024 “D.C. is no stranger to protest and free speech demonstrations, but in this case, something went horribly wrong,” Westerman said. On July 24, protesters swarmed Union Station in Washington, D.C., and tore down the three American flags that stood tall outside the transit hub and replaced them with Palestinian flags.  Remnants of the first American flag and an Israeli flag burned by pro-Palestine protestors outside Union Station@DailySignal pic.twitter.com/44cm3Mn98i— Tim Kennedy (@TimKennedyJr1) July 24, 2024 The rally and march was a protest of Netanyahu’s visit to Washington to address a joint session of Congress.  “Right off the bat, the Department of the Interior and the National Park Service also failed to provide critical support for the Park Police for this event,” Westerman said, “despite knowing well in advance that protests were expected.” This was not a one-off incident, Westerman noted. The protesters defied the permit granted to the ANSWER Coalition by defacing the Columbus Fountain and other property. Shortly after Hamas’ initial attack of Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, the ANSWER Coalition was one of the major organizations involved with launching the Shut It Down for Palestine Movement, Westerman said, which has spurred mass unrest on numerous college campuses nationwide. “The group is expected back in D.C. on Jan. 20, 2025, to protest the presidential inauguration in an attempt to disrupt the events of the day,” Westerman said. “As our witnesses will testify, many of these organizations advocate for hateful and radical ideologies throughout America and have strong ties to terrorist organizations across the Middle East, including Hamas. They also have associations with the Chinese Communist Party.” Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., chairman of the subcommittee, said it’s not surprising that the anti-Israel protest turned violent, leading the National Park Service to revoke the ANSWER Coalition’s permit for the event. “This movement is part of a larger foreign effort to sow discord and distrust in our nation, spread anti- American sentiment, influence our politics, and radicalize our youth,” Gosar said. “This is backing by some of our most dangerous adversaries and a faction of dark foreign money is gaining serious traction with youth on college campuses across the nation and particularly on social media,” he added. “The Chinese Communist Party has assembled a sophisticated, powerful network of influence with ties to radical advocacy organizations in the United States who attempt to influence our public discourse, disrupt major infrastructure, and espouse hateful ideologies that divide our nation.” Meanwhile, the Arizona lawmaker said, Hamas and other terrorists benefit from spreading their messages across the United States by “exploiting our First Amendment for their own gain.” Mark Lee Greenblatt, inspector general of the U.S. Department of the Interior and one of the witnesses at the hearing, said his office released a report on Monday saying it identified important public safety issues related to prohibited items brought to demonstrations by anti-Israel rioters. “Specifically, in one permitted rally on the Ellipse, hundreds of people began arriving hours early before the event with prohibited items, including backpacks and bags,” Greenblatt said. “Once the attendees realized that bags could not be brought into the Ellipse area, they began abandoning them in various locations around the National Mall.” “The officers said they were unable to sweep all of the bags because there were so many, and some of the bags were buried underneath other piles of other bags,” the inspector general continued. “These bags could easily have contained explosives or other dangerous items posing a risk to the health and safety of members of the public, law enforcement personnel, and even the president of the United States, who was in attendance.” “The Park Service protects some of the most significant and meaningful icons and symbols of the United States,” Associate Director of Visitor and Resource Protection for the National Park ServiceCharles Cuvelier said, “and we continue to fulfill this critical mission on behalf of the American public.” Rep. Rudy Yakym, R-Ind., asked Cuvelier why the U.S. Park Police had only 29 officers to monitor what was expected to be a 5,000-person protest. “With the 5,000 people actually on site, how many officers were on site to protect the nation’s capital at Union Station?” he asked. “We had 174 personnel assigned to the event within the parameters of the permit,” he responded. “The permit included a number of streets, sidewalks, as well as Columbus Circle.” Cuvelier did not respond to Yakym’s question as to how many officers were specifically at Union Station when protesters tore down and burned the American flag. ?WATCH as the National Park Service associate director is UNABLE to answer how many Park Police officers were on-site during the July 25 anti-Israel protest where violence ensued and three American flags were torn down and burned outside Washington, D.C.'s Union Station. pic.twitter.com/cCR2Axhu8F— The Daily Signal (@DailySignal) December 10, 2024 Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont., questioned Cuvelier about the citizenship status of the four individuals arrested in the events surrounding the Union Station riot. “Four people, and you don’t have that information available to you right now?” Rosendale asked emphatically. Rep. Pete Stauber, R-Minn., asked Cuvelier what he would have done differently with the benefit of hindsight. “We get about 400 permits a year for First Amendment activity; another 2,400 for special park uses,” he said, rather than responding directly to the question. “Did your intelligence work on in this particular protest?” Stauber asked. “The intelligence we had did not indicate that there was going to be a violent permitted event,” he said. Stauber asked again what in hindsight Cuvelier would do differently. “As part of the planning cycle, what we’re going to do is require the permit applicant to be informed [as to] what they need to tell their participants to discourage the bringing of whatever’s prohibited for that event,” Cuvelier said. Stauber asked whether Cuvelier would call the anti-Israel riot at Union Station, where a flag was burned, a “disgrace.” Cuvelier hesitated before saying, “I think it’s important that the burning of the flag was not permitted under the event. It was, as we have described before, an abhorrent act in which we are trying to seek the individuals responsible for those actions.” “For you not to be able to answer that, Sir, it’s very disheartening for me,” Stauber said. “That’s an easy answer. I’m disgusted.” Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, asked Greenblatt whether a group’s history of illegal activity factors into the U.S. Park Police’s decision to issue it a demonstration permit. “As far as organizational records, we do not maintain records on organizations,” he said. “You have violent groups, with a history of violence, history of destruction of property, history of support from terrorist organizations, known terrorist organizations, but yet you don’t keep records, but you receive intelligence,” Miller-Meeks said. “So, who provides that intelligence for you, so that you can make a rational decision on who to give a permit to, especially if they’ve engaged in criminal activity in the past when trying to exert their First Amendment rights?” Greenblatt said the Park Police relies on the Capitol Police; Washington, D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department; and the Secret Service. Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., asked whether Park Police could deny a permit from known terrorist organizations, such as ISIS or al-Qaida. Greenblatt said no such group has applied for a permit. “I’m careful about engaging in hypotheticals that haven’t happened,” Greenblatt said. “A bunch of terrorist supporters didn’t hypothetically tear down the American flag and fly a Palestinian flag on your property,” Van Orden said. “Don’t come here with that little, trite thing.” Rep. Brandon Williams, R-NY, said it is “significant and meaningful” to stand up against riots. “We are looking for leaders to stand up and make things right, including the gentleman, the Marine, on the New York City subway, [Daniel] Penny, who has just been acquitted of crime for which he never should have been tried because he stood up to make things right,” Williams said. “And as you see other people in your community making things right, it gives others courage, and if you see the leaders of this nation stand up and make things right, it will give others courage to do the same.” A Manhattan jury found Penny not guilty of criminally negligent homicide after he held a 30-year-old homeless man, Jordan Neely, in a chokehold to protect surrounding passengers on a New York City subway train, who Neely had threatened, in May 2023. Gosar asked Greenblatt whether it would prevent future violence on federal property if those who get a permit to demonstrate have to make an insurance down payment to increase accountability. “The issue here is the barrier to entry, the barrier to obtaining a permit, given the First Amendment protections, which are so strong, particularly in these spaces, that it makes having that bond or insurance, a difficult proposition,” Greenblatt said. “Now, is there a possibility of threading that needle between the massive First Amendment protections out there, and the [National Park Service’s] requirements to protect our national, cultural heritage? That’s a possibility.” The post House Republicans: Why Didn’t Park Police Stop Anti-Israel Rioters From Vandalizing Federal Property? appeared first on The Daily Signal.

DAILY CALLER NEWS FOUNDATION—China made its largest show of force around Taiwan in decades in a time when President Joe Biden is seemingly less involved as commander in chief, moving over for President-elect Donald Trump. The Chinese navy deployed a group of 60 ships and 30 coast guard vessels off the coast of Taiwan this week in what appears to be its largest show of force since 1996, according to The Wall Street Journal Tuesday. The move comes as Biden has increasingly winded down his duties in anticipation of passing his responsibilities to Trump, punctuated by him appearing to fall asleep during a meeting with African leaders in Angola on Dec. 4. The meeting was intended to discuss U.S. funding of humanitarian projects in the nation with an estimated price tag of $1 billion. The initiatives in the country are intended in part to counter China’s influence in Africa, according to a Dec. 1 White House briefing. “To our east, there’s a wall of [People’s Liberation Army] PLA Navy forces, and right next to our air defense identification zone, there’s another one,” Taiwan intelligence officer Lt. Gen. Hsieh Jih-sheng told The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday. ”They’re sending us a pretty clear message: to turn the Taiwan Strait into their internal waters.” A national security council spokesperson denied that Biden fell asleep, saying he was “simply listening to his counterpart’s remarks,” according to Fox News. Biden has been criticized for caving to China, with some arguing that Beijing has failed to respond to diplomatic pressure and continues to attempt to undermine the U.S. via cyberwarfare, election interference, domestic espionage activities, and drug trafficking. Rumors of his apathy toward his duties were only fueled by a substantial drop off in his public appearances since he dropped his reelection bid, according to Axios. Taiwanese authorities have also counted 47 warplanes and 21 vessels around the island in the last 24 hours, according to The Wall Street Journal. Officials said the purpose of the maneuvers is to prepare for a potential blockade of the island in the event of war. Trump has not stated a formal policy on Taiwan since he won the 2024 election, but also said in an NBC interview Sunday that he has good relations with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and would prefer if the island were left alone. “We talked about other things. But I have a very good relationship, and I hope he doesn’t do it,” Trump told NBC. The U.S. does not officially recognize Taiwan as a sovereign nation under the “one-China policy,” which only acknowledges the People’s Republic of China as a legitimate authority, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies. The White House and the Taiwan Consulate did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment. Originally published by the Daily Caller News Foundation The post China Threatens Taiwan With Largest Military Drill in Decades as Biden Quietly Disappears From World Stage appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Come learn how to make your own beautiful homemade bath salts! They’re easy and inexpensive to make, perfect for self-care or a thoughtful handmade gift to share. Our DIY bath salt recipe uses simple natural ingredients like epsom salt, sea salt, dried herbs or flowers, and essential oils. It’s also highly flexible, so you can easily customize it based on what you prefer or have on hand.This guide will explore the best types of salt and ingredients to use in DIY bath salts – along with frequently asked questions on using bath salts, tips for easy clean up, septic system concerns, and more.Note: This article was originally published in December 2022.RELATED: Looking for more DIY gift ideas? Here are 27 fun and easy eco-friendly crafts, edible gift ideas, mason jar gifts, and more.Disclosure: Homestead and Chill is reader-supported. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Benefits of Bath Salts (How They Work)Taking a hot bath is a wonderful way to relax and relieve tension after a long day. Adding DIY bath salts can further ease aches and pains, soothe and soften skin, and calm frazzled nerves all at once!When added to warm water, bath salts dissolve and release beneficial minerals into your bath water, such as healing magnesium. It’s thought that those minerals can absorb through your skin and help relax muscles, soothe skin irritation, and reduce inflammation. Warm bath salt soaks can also help improve circulation, relieve stress, and stimulate detoxification in your body. Beyond minerals, DIY bath salts can offer additional benefits depending on the ingredients used – such as the therapeutic powers of herbs, skin healing benefits of colloidal oats, or soothing aromatherapy of essential oils.In addition to the usual (salt and essential oils) we add colloidal oatmeal powder and organic herbs like calendula, chamomile, and lavender to our bath salts to further their healing powers!Best Kind of Salts to UseYou can use one type of salt in your homemade bath salt recipe (such as epsom salts alone) or combine several to reap the benefits of each one – plus add visual interest! Here are some of the most popular options:Epsom salt is the most common type of salt for bath salts, and potentially the most therapeutic too – though it’s technically not a real “salt”. Epsom salt is a naturally occurring mineral compound made of magnesium and sulfate, ideal for healing and pain relief.Sea Salt. Sea salts are derived from seawater and are mostly composed of sodium chloride. Since they’re not refined or only minimally processed (unlike table salt), sea salts retain numerous valuable minerals including magnesium, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, bromine, boron, zinc, iron, manganese, copper and silicon. Especially rich in magnesium, Dead Sea salt is popular for homemade bath salts. Pink Himalayan Salt. Pink salt is a rock salt found high in the Himalayan mountains of South Asia, and contains up to 84 trace minerals and elements! It’s also really pretty, adding a pop of color and interest to your DIY bath salt recipe.  Cooking salts. While not as therapeutic, you can also use common cooking salts in homemade bath salts, such as kosher salt, pickling salt or coarse rock salt. These salts are economical, readily available, and contain some trace minerals too. However, AVOID using iodized table salt to make bath salts. Lacking minerals, highly processed table salt doesn’t offer many health benefits. Instead, it adds trace amounts of unwanted iodine to your bath water. Fine, medium or coarse grind saltsSalts come in various grain sizes or “grinds”: coarse, medium, fine, and extra fine. Finer grain salts dissolve fast and easy in your bath, while coarser salts take a little longer to dissolve. Yet coarse salts have more surface area and therefore absorb essential oils better, and are more visually appealing to some. All that considered, I like to use mix of medium and coarse grind salts in my DIY bath salts. DIY Bath Salt Recipe (Ingredients)Homemade bath salts can be as simple or complex as you wish to make them. Below is a list of ingredients that we use in our DIY bath salts, though you can easily adjust or omit things as you see fit.  I always try to source high-quality organic ingredients… especially for something I’ll be soaking my bits and parts in!This recipe makes about 5 cups of finished bath salts. Scale up or down as desired.4 cups of salt total, such as epsom salt, dead sea salt, and/or pink Himalayan salt. I often use three kinds (e.g. 2 cups of epsom salt, 1 cup dead sea salt, and 1 cup pink salt). ½ cup to 1 cup dried herbs or flowers. Dried lavender, rose petals, calendula, chamomile, rosemary, mint leaves, lemon balm, and dried citrus are popular bath salt additions. Again, I like to mix in a couple different things. To prevent mold, it’s important to use 100% dry herbs or flowers for bath salt blends you intend to store for later use. We use a lot of homegrown herbs, though we also source organic herbs from Starwest Botanicals. ½ cup colloidal oat powder, which is phenomenal for your skin! It’s proven to soothe irritation and itching, add softness, and lock in moisture – therefore alleviating skin conditions such as dermatitis, rashes, psoriasis, eczema and more. I make my own colloidal oatmeal by grinding organic oats into a super fine powder in our Vitamix blender, but here is a great organic colloidal oat powder from a small black-owned business. 2 Tbsp Vitamin E oil – a powerful antioxidant with moisturizing and anti-inflammatory properties that improve skin health. While not as potent, you could also use olive oil, argan oil, sweet almond oil, or other carrier oil of choice. ½ teaspoon (50 drops) or up to 1 teaspoon (100 drops) of essential oils total (e.g. 30 drops lavender and 20 drops clary sage, one of my favorite combos). Sliding scale based on how strongly-scented you want your DIY bath salts. If you’re unsure, start with less – you can always add more later! I recommend using just one or two scents. See more tips about using essential oils below.The best essential oils for bath saltsThough not required, essential oils can enhance homemade bath salts and your overall bath experience. Certain scents are very effective at calming nerves or elevating your mood. It’s called aroma-therapy, after all!The most popular essential oils for DIY bath salt recipes include: lavender, sweet orange, roman chamomile, clary sage, vanilla, tea tree, eucalyptus, bergamot, geranium, sandalwood, cedarwood, jasmine, rose, lemongrass, frankincense, ylang ylang and rosemary. Use one scent alone, or try mixing two or three. AVOID using “hot” or potentially irritating essential oils like peppermint, wintergreen, cinnamon, clove, oregano, cassia, and thyme in DIY bath salts. TIP: Balance sweet, woody, or floral scents with a more bright, herbaceous or citrusy scent, such as lavender + eucalyptus or rosemary, chamomile + lemongrass, sandalwood or cedarwood + bergamot, or jasmine + sweet orange. I love to use certified organic essential oils from Plant Therapy.Instructions to Make DIY Bath SaltsFirst, add salts and optional colloidal oatmeal to a mixing bowl. Stir well to combine. Next, drizzle over the vitamin E oil (or other oil) and then the dry herbs or flowers. Mix again. Add your chosen essential oils and stir until everything is evenly combined. Finally, package your homemade bath salts into airtight storage containers of choice, and enjoy your soak! Keep reading for tips on storage and use.What about baking soda?Unlike some other bath salt recipes, I do not recommend adding baking soda unless you plan to use it immediately, or unless you’re using epsom salts only (no real salt).The combination of baking soda and salt reacts to create carbon dioxide gas which will expand in packaging, and can even break glass jars in extreme circumstances! So, if you do want to include baking soda (which is great for softening skin) then simply add up to a half cup directly to your bathwater as it fills. How to store bath saltsStore homemade bath salts in an airtight container. Sealable bags, a glass container with swing-top lid and gasket, or mason jars with tight-fitting lids work great. Store in a cool, dark, dry location. A good storage container should prevent moisture intrusion and clumping as well as keep in the aroma of the essential oils, helping your bath salts stay nice and fresh.If you’re going to share your homemade bath salts with others, be sure to add a label that lists all of the ingredients! This way, the recipient can know what to expect and be aware of any potential allergens.How much bath salts to add to the bathtubAdd anywhere from ¼ cup up to 2 cups of bath salts to a standard size bathtub. Unless I need intense relief, I tend to lean more on the light side since the ingredients we use are high quality (read: not exactly cheap). If I want a little extra oomph, I toss in an extra half cup of plain epsom salt in addition to my “special” DIY bath salts. NOTE: Do not use bath salts in whirlpool tubs, hot tubs, or other tubs with jets unless the manufacturer specifies that’s okay.How to add bath salts to your bathThere’s really no “wrong” way to add bath salts to a bath! However, if you’re using homemade bath salts made with essential oils and hope to bask in the aroma, I suggest waiting to add the bath salts until the tub is nearly full of warm water. Then stir the water around with your hand to help them dissolve. Essential oils are volatile (meaning they evaporate easily, especially when heated) so their aroma tends to dissipate more quickly than synthetic fragrances. If added to the bath too early, the smell can be quite faint by the time you’re ready to climb in! Close the bathroom door to keep the lovely scented steam in too.How to make bath salts less messySome folks like to add bath salts directly to the bathwater. Soaking while rose petals swirl around you can certainly feel luxurious! On the other hand, some people may not like the feeling of floaties touching them as they soak. Or, want to deal with the clean up. For a mess-free, floaty-free bath salt experience, simply put your bath salts in a “tea bag” to steep! Add bath salts to a small reusable cotton drawstring bag, or fashion a steeping satchel out of organic cheesecloth and a hair tie or string. Hang or hold the teabag in the water near the downspout as the tub finishes filling. The salt will still dissolve and seep into the water, while the bag contains the herb and flower particles. As an added bonus, the herbal tea bag doubles as an exfoliating wash cloth!TIP: If you don’t steep your bath within a tea bag and they contain large flower or herb bits, use a mesh drain strainer to catch debris as the tub drains at the end of your bath.How long to soak in bath salts (and how often)To reap the maximum benefits from your bath salt experience, allow yourself to soak for 20 to 30 minutes. You can use bath salt soaks up to three times per week in times of need. It’s difficult to “overdo it” when it comes to bath salts, though too much could lead to dry skin in some sensitive individuals. Frequent bath salt soaks could also change vaginal pH levels, making a more hospitable environment for yeast infections or irritation. Should I rinse off after a bath salt soak?That’s up to you! A strong bath salt soak (using 1 to 2 cups of bath salts) could potentially leave skin feeling dry later, depending on the other ingredients in your bath salt recipe. You may also want to rinse off if your bath had herbs and flowers floating around that are now stuck to your skin. Since I usually steep my herbal bath salts in a tea bag (and my tub is separate from my shower) I personally don’t feel the need to rinse off afterwards. Can bath salts expire?Salts themselves (epsom salt and sea salt) do not expire. Similarly, homemade bath salts will not “go bad” but they’ll be the best quality if used within a year or two. The other ingredients added to DIY bath salts such as oils, colloidal oatmeal, or dried herbs may have a “best by” date or degrade in quality over time. “Restore”, one of the bath salt blends we offer in our shop.Are bath salts bad for septic systems?When used in moderation, bath salts should not harm your septic system. However, highly salty water isn’t good for septic systems. For instance, most septic experts advise against discharging water softener backwash (brine) into septic tanks. Yet the water from an occasional bath salt soak has a very dilute salt concentration in comparison. Plus, epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) aren’t actually a true “salt”, remember? Epsom salts are completely harmless to septic systems. In fact, some septic professionals actually suggest adding epsom salt to septic systems. They claim that they help the system run more efficiently and encourage healthier plant growth in the drainage field. So, fear not!If you plan to use bath salts routinely (e.g. once a week or more) and have a septic tank, use a 2:1 epsom salt to sea salt ratio. Or, use just epsom salts alone to make homemade bath salts. Also be sure to use strainer for the drain.Are bath salt soaks safe during pregnancy?If you’re pregnant, talk with your doctor before using bath salts. While warm (not hot) baths are generally safe during pregnancy, it’s unclear if adding bath salts is recommended. Many sources say that natural bath salts made with epsom salts are okay to use while pregnant, and can provide much-needed relief from the discomforts that go hand-in-hand with pregnancy. Yet it’s suggested to exercise caution with essential oils while pregnant, and avoid them entirely during the first trimester. It’s also important to avoid bath salts that contain artificial fragrances, phthalates, or other chemicals.And that’s how to make your own beautiful, natural DIY bath salts!I hope you found this tutorial to be both insightful and inspiring. As you can see, making homemade bath salts is quite easy to do, flexible, and perfect for self-care and thoughtful gifts alike. Have fun getting creative and making your own! Please let me know if you have any questions in the comments. Also please consider leaving a rating or review below. Happy soaking!You may also enjoy:Natural Lip Balm Recipe How to Make Herb Infused Oil: Two Ways Holiday Stovetop Potpourri Mason Jar Recipes (Free Printable Gift Tag) 17 Wonderful Winter Garden Activities (Projects) To Do Indoors How to Make a DIY Beeswax Fall Leaf Garland DIY Grapevine Wreath (or Other Vines) + Wreath Decorating Ideas How to Make Pressed Flower Pumpkins (Decorate Botanical Leaf Pumpkins) Soothing Homemade Lavender Salve Recipe Calendula Salve Recipe for Healthy Skin How to Safely Make Sun Tea with Fresh or Dry Herbs Print DIY Bath Salt Recipe (Homemade Bath Salts) Learn how to make beautiful homemade bath salts using natural ingredients like epsom salt, sea salt, herbs, flowers, and organic essential oils. Perfect for self-care or a thoughtful DIY gift to share, bath salt soaks help alleviate stress, tension, sore muscles, inflammation, and more. Ingredients4 cups salts of choice, such as epsom salt, sea salt, and/or pink Himalayan salt. I often use three kinds (e.g. 2 cups of epsom salt, 1 cup grey sea salt, and 1 cup pink).1/2 to 1 cup dried herbs or flowers, such as dried rose petals, lavender, calendula flowers, chamomile, rosemary, mint leaves, lemon verbena, or even dried citrus – just to name a few! (do not use fresh herbs or flowers as they may mold in storage)1/2 cup colloidal oat powder2 Tbsp Vitamin E oil (sub with olive oil, sweet almond oil, argan oil, or other carrier oil of choice)1/2 tsp (50 drops) up to 1 teaspoon (100 drops) of essential oils of choice – such as 30 drops lavender and 20 drops eucalyptus. Sliding scale based on how strong you want the scent. I recommend using just one or two scents. InstructionsFirst, add salts and colloidal oatmeal to a mixing bowl. Stir well to combine. Next, drizzle over the vitamin E oil (or other oil) and then the dry herbs or flowers. Mix again. Finally, package your homemade bath salts into air tight storage containers of choice. Add 1/4 cup up to 2 cups of bath salts to warm water once the bathtub is nearly full and stir in to dissolve OR for a floaty-free soak, put the bath salts in a small reusable cotton "tea bag" or cheesecloth and steep them that way. Did you enjoy this article? Want to hear more? Stay in touch! Sign up below to receive weekly updates on new posts from Homestead and Chill. The post DIY Bath Salt Recipe (How to Make Soothing Bath Salts) appeared first on Homestead and Chill.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. A fresh addition to President-elect Donald Trump’s impending second-term leadership team will place a strong emphasis on safeguarding freedom of expression. Attorney Harmeet Dhillon, known for taking on Big Tech over suppression of speech and championing religious liberty during pandemic restrictions, is set to assume a pivotal role within the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights division. “I am pleased to nominate Harmeet K. Dhillon as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the US Department of Justice,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Throughout her career, Harmeet has stood up consistently to protect our cherished Civil Liberties, including taking on Big Tech for censoring our Free Speech, representing Christians who were prevented from praying together during COVID, and suing corporations who use woke policies to discriminate against their workers.” Trump’s decision places Dhillon at the center of the federal government’s efforts to ensure equal treatment under the law and dismantle barriers to lawful public discourse. Calling Dhillon “one of the top Election lawyers in the Country,” he underscored her deep legal background, degrees from Dartmouth College and the University of Virginia Law School, and her clerkship in the Fourth Circuit. He further highlighted Dhillon’s ties to the Sikh community and her longstanding commitment to making certain that every lawful vote is accurately counted. “In her new role at the DOJ, Harmeet will be a tireless defender of our Constitutional Rights and will enforce our Civil Rights and Election Laws FAIRLY and FIRMLY,” Trump added. Dhillon’s record speaks for itself. Alongside her legal team at The Dhillon Law Group, she has represented Trump in several courtroom confrontations, supported The Daily Wire in a case that reached the US Supreme Court and curtailed the Biden administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate and advocated consistently for policies that preserve free speech and religious practice. Following Trump’s announcement, Dhillon took to the social media platform X, expressing gratitude and anticipation for joining forces with the incoming nominee for US attorney general, Pam Bondi. “I’m extremely honored by President Trump’s nomination to assist with our nation’s civil rights agenda. It has been my dream to be able to serve our great country, and I am so excited to be part of an incredible team of lawyers led by [Bondi]. I cannot wait to get to work!” If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The post Free Speech Crusader Harmeet Dhillon Tapped for Key Civil Rights Role in Trump DOJ appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

NY Times Gives the Left Fringe Equal Time on the Penny Verdict