Free Republic

Remodeling baths on a grand scale -- ripping out tubs and sinks, just Bath Crashers. Last time I was involved in something on this scale, I could go to Home Depot Expo to see baths and kitchens galore. The design experts helped us come up with a plan and assisted us in our choices. Apparently, they have since closed all of their Expo Centers. We visited a place called Home Decor, I think, and they had a few model bathrooms that gave us some basic ideas. We also visited some model homes in new neighborhhods, and the baths looked great...

Buried in a New York Times story about the economy was this arresting statistic: Median family income for black Americans has declined a whopping 10.9 percent during the Obama administration. It has declined for other groups as well -- 3.6 percent for non-Hispanic whites and 4.5 percent for Hispanics - but the figure for blacks is huge. This decline does not include losses suffered during the financial crisis and the recession that followed, but it instead measures declines since June 2009, when the recession officially ended. < snip > Would it interest black moviegoers to know that under Ronald Reagan's...

Why mess with a good thing? Michelle Obama is known for recycling her favorite outfits and there is one item she goes back to again and again: a bold wisteria print dress by designer Tracy Feith. By our count, she's worn the dress (which cost about $720 retail) at least seven times since she debuted it on January 21, 2009, the day after President Barack Obama's inauguration, at a non-denominational prayer service held at the Washington National Cathedral followed by a luncheon. On Wednesday, she donned it again to visit the historic Decatur House. While we mortals might shop our...

Nearly half — 47 percent — of employers use credit checks when making a hiring decision, according to a 2012 survey by the Society for Human Resource Management. Most businesses use credit checks only to screen for certain positions, but one in eight, the survey found, does a credit check before every hire. “We’ve heard from dozens of people over the past several years who say they’re being denied jobs specifically because of a credit check,” Ms. Ludwig said. The people contacting her group, she said, are “mostly lower-wage workers,” especially those applying to big retail chains. “Prohibiting the use...

Tom Brokaw sat out the last White House Correspondents Association Dinner, and he plans to do it again in 2013. The veteran newsman says the increasing tabloid level go the invited guests is what ruined it for him. "For me the breaking point was Lindsay Lohan," Brokaw tells Politico. "She became a big star at the White House Correspondents Dinner. Give me a break." The former "NBC Nightly News" anchor says the annual dinner must leave home viewers wondering, "'That's the Washington press corps?' I mean, there was more dignity at my daughter's junior prom than there is, what I'm...

I am totally clueless aboout this, but last week I got an invitation to the promotion and party for my cousin, who is being promoted to Colonel. She has worked very hard for this and made so many sacrifices and is so dedicated, I would really like to give her something special not just for this accomplishment, but also because she has included me, and because she is working for me and my family. She has not asked for gifts and I know she never will, because she is like all of our brave military, and is proud to serve...

Mr. President, I am posting this here because I have nowhere else to go. I'm no journalist. I'm no blogger. I'm just a voter and I'm so done. I can't talk about this at work because I have to carry your water and keep silent and pretend I support your failed policies. The media has been so successful in making the world believe in the uneducated caricature of your critics. For the first time in my life, you and your office are completely irrelevant to me. Wow, I never thought I would say that, but yesterday’s events in Boston finally...

DEAR ABBY: My daughter was recently married. My niece -- a talented artist -- hand-painted flowers on wine glasses for the dinner reception following the ceremony. They were intended to be keepsakes for each of the adult guests. /snip/ The following day, someone mentioned to me that they had seen certain guests leave with four to six glasses each. One woman even had her child, who was loaded down with glasses, make several trips to her car. We've figured out who the culprits were: some out-of-towners who stayed at the home of one of the groom's relatives. I heard that...

DETROIT (AP) — Spoiler alert: This story contains words and phrases that some people want to ban from the English language. "Spoiler alert" is among them. So are "kick the can down the road," ''trending" and "bucket list." . . . "Spoiler alert," the seemingly thoughtful way to warn readers or viewers about looming references to a key plot point in a film or TV show, nevertheless passed its use-by date for many, including Joseph Foly, of Fremont, Calif. He argued in his submission the phrase is "used as an obnoxious way to show one has trivial information and is...

I confess. I'm horrid at tipping. I dread that moment when that impersonal folder is placed discreetly at my elbow, and I begin the task of checking the bill and scrutinizing the service. I came in for a meal and I still resent the fact that I can't pay for just my meal. When I was a kid, tipping was different. I remember watching my dad pay the bill, then as we stood to go he would tuck a few bills under a saucer or a salt shaker. When I asked, he explained that our waitress did a good job,...

From the bottom of my heart, I thank you, and my family thanks you.

Probably just my imagination, but it feels like Obama is pulling ahead. Seems that the polls that were previously favoring Romney are now leaning the other way. I don't have time during the day to really look into this so I could be wrong. Just wondering if I'm falling prey to a combination of bad media and workplace chatter.

He struggled in school, crying during math, throwing tantrums during reading, and required a nightly headlock to get his schoolwork completed every night. In 2009 his father deserted us and completely cut him off financially, his sophomore year in community college. Since then he has held down numerous jobs to scrape together tuition, did a stint in Job Corp, and currently works partime in an automotive shop, while helping me care for my adult disabled daughter. He is a good man. Drug and alcohol free, proud that for him true love continues to wait. Attends church every week, shares his...

The breast-cancer charity Susan G. Komen for the Cure continues to face fallout from its Planned Parenthood controversy, as some affiliates report declines in fundraising and attendance at the group's signature races and a series of high-level executives have departed. Eric Brinker, a businessman and son of Komen's founder, has stepped down from the charity's board of directors, Komen said. Last week, the head of Komen's Greater New York City affiliate said she would step down. The nonprofit's decision to stop funding breast-cancer screening and education at Planned Parenthood clinics set off a controversy last month.

I don't get to post too often because I am usually at work. But in regards to the recent outrage on providing birth control, I just wanted to provide a shortcut to our FR mavericks who are doing such an excellent job of defending an agency/office/company's right to refuse to pay for medical or health-related services for which that entity holds moral of religious objections. My agency is required to review contracts, rates, and elements of state healthcare programs against the following regulations: 1932(b)(3)(B)(i) 42 CFR 438.102(a)(2) SMD letter 2/20/98 1932 is a section of the Social Security Act. The...

The first bill of the session passed by the Oklahoma Senate was an anti-abortion statement that life begins at the moment of conception, approved by senators Wednesday after two hours of debate. The practical effect of the bill is open to question. Its author, Sen. Brian Crain, R-Tulsa, said it's merely a statement that Oklahoma is “pro-life.” He labeled as fear mongering contentions by opponents that it could lead to restrictions on abortions, birth control, in vitro fertilization and stem cell research. The Personhood Act, Senate Bill 1433, received international attention in the wake of a proposed amendment from Sen....

Chalk this up to the musings of one who is weary of the tribal council atmosphere (so...who are we going to vote off?) currently rumbling among conservatives committed to the removal of an ineffective and dangerous President (I don’t call him a leader. Presidents are those who get their authority from being elected. Leaders are those who are not formally elected, but have followers because of their virtues and integrity). With a Best Buy gift card, my son recently purchased “The King’s Speech.” Having a British great-grandmother, and having lived in the north of England for a short time as...

Elderly people should waltz around the living room three times a week to reduce their risk of falls, research suggests. Pensioners can also improve their balance by carrying a bag when they walk to the shops, say scientists. But walking and cycling, although good for overall health, are no good at reducing the number of falls.

Dear Candidate, So you want to be our president. That’s understandable. We’ve all had that dream, for some it was merely a fantasy. Perhaps your sense of responsibility to your fellow man is of the magnitude that you want to help the underprivileged, make change, or fight the foreign devils. Perhaps you just want to fly around in Marine One, or not have to stop at red lights when you ride in a limo. I have watched you for many months now, and I have heard you make some troubling and presumptuous statements and you work to gain our interest...

"Obama is dead".........."what am I saying?....Osama is dead".......... How long until this goes viral on YouTube?