Free Republic

The Christian World just recently celebrated Easter. But as a general rule, it seems to me that Easter Sunday is NOT properly observed -at least in the ward's I have belonged to. I remember vividly an Easter Sunday (15 years ago) wherein the sacrament meeting was a missionary farewell--no particular emphasis on Easter, Christ's Atonement of Resurrection. I went to Sunday School--the instructor simply taught the next lesson in the manual--no emphasis whatsoever on Easter related topics. I went to Priesthood Meeting--same story in my Elder's Quorum. Finally, after going from classroom to classroom I discovered that the Priest's quorum...

Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter celebrate 65 years togetherBy Associated Press Tuesday, July 5, 2011 - Added 1 hour ago ATLANTA — President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn endured the grind of political campaigns and the pressure cooker of the White House. But their marriage faced its stiffest test in the years after his presidency ended. For the couple, who celebrate their 65th anniversary Thursday, it came when they decided to write a book together in the mid-1980s. Soon, they were sending each other nasty notes and squabbling about minor differences. They were ready to hand back their book advance...

While we must indeed praise the bravery and efficiency of the Navy SEALS in killing Osama bin Laden, we should not forget that this was a multi-service operation. In particular, we should also be celebrating the bravery and incredible aviator skills of the pilots and aircrews of the Army's 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment out of Fort Campbell, KY. These Nightstalkers , as they are known, are unquestionably the best helicopter pilots in the world, capable of flying in weather conditions that would ground any other aviation units; without their unparalleled flying skills, this mission may not have met with...

"NBC: Keith Olbermann has been dropped from the 'Football Night in America' ...

BARTOW, Fla. (AP) - Authorities in central Florida have a man in custody they say stabbed a friend to death and then drank his blood. Mauricio Mendez Lopez is accused of killing Macario Cruz in a house they shared in Bartow. Police said they believe Lopez stabbed Cruz to death because he was having an affair with his sister-in-law, Mariella Mendez. Lopez is the uncle of Mendez and Cruz's wife. A police report shows the men had an argument in which Lopez struck Cruz in the face with a 15-pound dumb bell. He then allegedly threatened to kill them both...

descent into irrelevancy...on King's inability (much the same as his fellow CNN hosts) to compete in the ratings with Fox News and MSNBC. At 9 p.m., the time slot King used to dominate, he's a "distant third" behind Rachel Maddow and Sean Hannity. King now averages 725,000 viewers—that's about half the audience he had during the most recent presidential election; he was drawing 1.34 million in the first quarter of 2009. CNN president Jonathan Klein declined to comment on King's contract, which is up for renewal next June.

I am a Jew Written by an Israeli named Dan Sporn �ני יהודי נכתב ע”י ישר�לי בש� דן ספורן Our condition, in Israel, has never been better than it is now! Only The television and the media make people think that the end of the World is near.. Only 65 years ago, Jews were brought to death like Sheep to slaughter. NO country, NO army. Only 60 years ago, Seven Arab countries declared war on little Israel , the Jewish State, Just a few hours after it was established. המצב שלנו, בישר�ל, מעול� ל� היה טוב יותר מ�שר עכשיו!...

One man said he had clients who had captured children and taken their blood and body parts to his shrine, while another confessed to killing at least 70 people including his own son. "They go and capture other people's children. They bring the heart and the blood directly here to take to the spirits," he said. "They bring them in small tins and they place these objects under the tree from which the voices of the spirits are coming."

My brother Marc loves setting the Psalms to music. Over the last 30 years, he's come up with settings for perhaps half the 150 psalms, including the entirety of Psalm 119. Usually, Marc's melodies are an obvious fit to the theme of the psalm: joyful melodies for psalms of praise, mournful melodies for psalms of repentance, stirring melodies for psalms of victory. His treatment of Psalm 12 is particularly effective. Marc's melodies follow precisely the mood changes of the Psalm, the plea for help, confidence in the Lord's victory and a reflection on the enduring power of God's Word. But...

"Barack Runs, so our children can fly!" - Jan., 22, 2009: VIDEOIn another video - filmed shortly after the President delivered his "Back to School Speech" in September - children from the same elementary school say "thank you" to Obama. The teacher also asks one of the students if the President "is like a hero to" her. At about 1 minute and 59 seconds into the video, the children say "Thank You" to Obama while holding a photo with the words, "Extreme Loyalty...." inscribed on the top. Ahem...... VIDEO: "Thank You President Obama" - 'Extreme Loyalty!':

I have never done a vanity before but today I just needed to let my FREEPER FRiends that I turned 40 today and am stunned. I just can't believe that I remember my parents turning 40. Enjoy life cuz it is short. I tell you my life has been enhanced with my membership to Free Republic. Thank you to all of you and my family Julie (Mrs. NAPS), Nick, Kyle, Alex, and Abby. May 2, 1969 as a lucky day for the world...lol. Just kidding.

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – Dust off the slide rules and recharge the calculators. Square Root Day is upon us. The math-buffs' holiday, which only occurs nine times each century, falls on Tuesday — 3/3/09 (for the mathematically challenged, three is the square root of nine). "These days are like calendar comets, you wait and wait and wait for them, then they brighten up your day — and poof — they're gone," said Ron Gordon, a Redwood City teacher who started a contest meant to get people excited about the event. The winner gets, of course, $339 for having the biggest...

A poster promoting Israeli-Palestinian peace at an AC Transit bus stop in front of UC Berkeley’s Eshelman Hall has been repeatedly vandalized with anti-Semitic slogans and swastikas, authorities said. The poster—part of the “Only in Israel” public awareness campaign launched by San Francisco-based BlueStarPR and sponsored by the Jewish Community Federation and Foundation of the Greater East Bay—has a picture of Israeli Arab soccer star Sowan Abbas calling for coexistence among communities. The poster also gives an example of a soccer team consisting of Jews and Arabs training together in the Arab-Israeli town of Sakhnin. Gabe Weiner, a campus coordinator...

KABUL, Afghanistan, July 6, 2008 – U.S. servicemembers assigned to the Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan celebrated America's 232nd Independence Day in the traditional way, but in a non-traditional setting. A soldier prepares to shoot a jump shot during the three-on-three basketball tournament held at Camp Eggers in Kabul, AfghanistanJuly 4, 2008. Servicemembers participated in a myriad of traditional Fourth of July events including a horseshoe tournament, dunk tank and a pie-eating contest. Defense Dept. photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Shawn Graham, USN  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Serving thousands of miles away from home in a warzone,...

WASHINGTON, April 18, 2008 – People who couldn’t attend a day-long celebration of those who serve in the military here last week could still enjoy the sounds thanks to and Internet music and video site. The online music and entertainment site SyncLive made the festivities available via a live Web cast when the Fort Hood community came together April 11 to honor about 80,000 servicemembers and Defense Department civilians during a “Salute to Our Heroes” celebration. The celebration featured live music, but troops didn’t have to be on Fort Hood to enjoy the sounds. The artists who performed during...

FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU, Iraq , Feb. 26, 2008 – “Gas! Gas! Gas!” But for the contribution of one black American inventor, that familiar call might not echo through Army bases as soldiers train with gas masks against chemical-weapons attack. Army Capt. Christee Cuttino, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 703rd Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, personnel office, sings a spiritual song to the audience at the African-American/Black History Month program on Forward Operating Base Kalsu, Iraq, Feb. 21, 2008. Photo by Sgt. Kevin Stabinsky, USA  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Similarly, the blood bank...

Rowan Williams, the archbishop of Canterbury, endorsed adopting some aspects of Sharia law for Muslims, lest, he told the BBC, British Muslims be forced to choose between "the stark alternatives of culture loyalty and state loyalty." Williams remarks followed a report in the London Telegraph that the British government has made official the practice of paying welfare benefits for multiple wives in polygamous marriages. The paper reports there are an estimated 1,000 polygamous marriages in the United Kingdom, although no one is sure how accurate that number is. Polygamy is illegal in the United Kingdom. Yet the British government rewards...

Officials at a U.K. high school were aghast after a stripper visited a student during class and whipped him in front of other students and a horrified teacher, Sky News reported Thursday. A booking error is to blame after a mother arranged to send a "gorilla gram" to her son on his 16th birthday, an arrangement she cleared with Nottingham's Arnold Hill School and Technology College. Instead, the agency sent a stripper clad in a policewoman costume, Sky reported. After whipping the teen, the stripper placed a collar around his neck and led him around the classroom with a leash,...

BAGHDAD, Oct. 24, 2007 – When students at the Yarmook Girls' School in Baghdad’s Sadr City neighborhood returned from summer vacation last month, they found that their school had received an extreme makeover thanks to the government of Iraq and the U.S. Army. U.S. soldiers and Iraqi National Police officers talk to students at the Yarmook Girls School in Baghdad’s Sadr City neighborhood during a visit to the school to see improvements made during a recent renovation effort sponsored by the Iraqi government, Iraqi police, and the U.S. military. From left to right: Army Capt. Alex Carter, a civil...

RAMADI — Along the banks of the Euphrates River, 400 municipal leaders and local professionals gathered July 7 for the “Promise of the People” conference in Ramadi. “This conference is very important,” said Col. John Charlton, 1st Brigade Combat Team commander. “It’s very important from the standpoint that it shows a continued resolve from the tribal leaders to maintain unity against al-Qaida, support of the Iraqi security forces, and the government of Iraq, as well as support of the efforts of the coalition Forces.” He said the conference occurred despite a recent attack against the tribes of al Anbar. “This...

BREAKING NEWS: EARLY RESULTS ARE IN SARKOZY 54.5% - ROYAL 45.5% FRENCH BLOGGER outside France, FReeper drzz: http://drzz.romandie.com/

Little to celebrate on Zimbabwe birthday By Orla Guerin BBC Africa correspondent Only a few Zimbabweans are in a position to celebrate As a man of God, Archbishop Pius Ncube is used to the hearing the knock at the door. Members of his congregation in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe's second largest city, regularly turn to him for spiritual guidance. But these days many need more than food for the soul. They turn up on his doorway hoping he can save them from starvation. "The situation is desperate," he told the BBC, during a recent visit to Johannesburg. "There's many a family that...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 25, 2007 – An Iraqi neighborhood north of Ramadi celebrated the reopening of its school Jan. 23, U.S. and Iraqi forces provided aid to citizens in Adhamiyah this week, and students in Tal Afar received cold weather gear from Iraqi forces Jan. 22, military officials reported. Visiting Iraqi army soldiers and coalition forces attended the celebration for the school reopening north of Ramadi. Community leaders asked Maj. Derek Horst, civil affairs team leader with the 4th Civil Affairs Group, to cut the ribbon for the Al Haitham School, which provides classes for the Abu Jassim tribe. The...

PRESIDENTIAL NEWS OF THE DAY: After ringing in 2007 at their Crawford Ranch, President and Mrs. Bush are scheduled to return to Washington tomorrow, New Year's Day, where they will take part in memorial rites for former President Gerald Ford. They will attend the viewing of Ford's casket at the U.S. Capitol, and President Bush will speak at the former president's memorial service on Jan. 2. To close out 2006, on Dec. 28th President Bush signed two new pieces of legislation into law, a postal reform bill and an oil and gas pipeline safety bill. President Bush Signs Senator Collins'...

Dozens of Iraqi-Americans gathered late yesterday at a Detroit-area mosque to celebrate reports that Saddam Hussein had been executed, cheering and crying as drivers honked horns in jubilation. Dave Alwatan wore an Iraqi flag around his shoulders and flashed a peace sign to everyone he passed at the Karbalaa Islamic Educational Center in this suburb of Detroit, a city that has one of the nation's largest concentrations of people with roots in the Middle East. "Peace," he said, grinning and laughing. "Now there will be peace for my family." Mr. Alwatan, 32, said Saddam's forces tortured and killed relatives that...

Since it now seems very imminent, I decided that it was an appropriate time to start this up. Links to information and pictures (if we get them) can be posted here.

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, Dec. 26, 2006 — Members of the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing came together to deliver a bit of home to more than 400 airmen deployed here this holiday season. Knowing that spending the holidays away from family and friends is difficult, Air Force Capt. Sue McMullen, 455th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron, led the charge to lift the spirits of the deployed airmen. "’Tis the season for parties and being deployed to (Afghanistan) is no different," she said. "The airmen at Bagram work hard and should take the opportunity for some down time to relax and celebrate the...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 12, 2006 -- The National Guard turns 370 years old tomorrow, and the National Guard Bureau is celebrating with a Web site dedicated to the organization and its history. The National Guard observes its 370th birthday Dec. 13.  '(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The site, www.ngb.army.mil/features/birthday/index.html, chronicles the Guard’s history, starting in 1636 when the General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, which functioned as the colony’s legislature, ordered existing militia companies from the towns surrounding Boston to form into three regiments: North, South and East. “These first Minutemen answered the call, banding together for the...

10 Ways to Celebrate Christmas on Campus By James Bascom and John Ritchie “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt amongst us.” This most grandiose, beautiful, and unfathomable mystery serves as a cornerstone of the holy Catholic Faith. Every heresy and attack against the Church somehow denies this mystery, whereas all Catholic beliefs are built upon it, and without it the Faith crumbles to the ground, for as St. Ephrem the Syrian said: “If Christ be not God, our salvation is a lie.” Throughout the past 2000 years, every Christian people, each with their own unique customs and traditions,...

A congressman who tried to stage a public spinach-eating news conference to demonstrate that the leafy greens are safe following a nationwide E. coli outbreak scrapped his plan after he couldn't find any in local grocery stores. Rep. Sam Farr, D-Carmel, used the experience to try to persuade consumers it is safe again to eat spinach from the Salinas Valley, which federal officials targeted in their search for the contaminated spinach that sickened 192 people in 26 states. "The good news is that spinach is able to be sold in the markets," Farr said. "The bad news is the markets...

CAMP BONDSTEEL, Kosovo (Army News Service, July 5, 2006) –Soldiers from the Texas National Guard’s 36th Infantry Division and Multi-National Task Force (East) marked America’s 230th year of independence during a July 4 ceremony on the Camp Bondsteel parade field. Brig. Gen. Darren Owens, commanding general of MNTF(E), spoke about America’s struggle for independence. “We as Americans can proudly say the Declaration of Independence, signed in 1776, gave birth to the ideals of freedom that others in the world only dream about,” Owens said. “We are free to love, worship and live as we want – but freedom does have...

AL ASAD, Iraq (July 3, 2006) -- Marines, sailors and civilians gathered under the shade of an old hanger here to celebrate the 35 years of hard work, dedication and service by the Marines of Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 269, July 1. The squadron, HMLA-269, Marine Aircraft Group 16 (Reinforced), 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, was activated July 1, 1971, at Marine Corps Air Station New River, N.C., and was the first designated light attack helicopter squadron. While history was made in the hangar, Master Sgt. Anthony L. Sexton, avionics chief, and Staff Sgt. Nelson Mondaca, maintenance administration, shared a...

AL ASAD, Iraq (June 26, 2006) -- Navy corpsmen here were on hand to see some of their own promoted, receive their Fleet Marine Force pins and celebrate the 108th birthday of the Hospital Corps on the flight line at Al Asad, June 17. Corpsmen Sean Aldridge and Elaine Kelly with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 252, Marine Aircraft Group 16 (Reinforced), 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, and Jules Degraff with Marine Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 2, MAG-16 (Reinforced), were promoted from the ranks of petty officer third class to petty officer second class. They also received their Fleet Marine Force pins...

URUZGAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan, May 31, 2006 – The provincial governor and the commander of the coalition's military task force joined local citizens here May 29 in celebrating the opening of a new bridge across the Helmand River. Combined Joint Task Force 76 Commander Army Maj. Gen. Benjamin Freakley discusses security and infrastructure during a bridge opening ceremony in the Cahar Chineh district of Afghanistan's Uruzgan province on May 29. Photo by Sgt. Cain S. Claxton, USA  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. About 250 Afghans from nearby villages were in attendance as provincial Gov. Abdul Hakim Monib and Army...

WASHINGTON, May 12, 2006 – Spending Mother's Day thousands of miles away from their kids is going to be no picnic for more than 7,400 military moms deployed in support of the war on terror. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Christine Buckley, deployed to Djibouti with Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa, has been home only twice to celebrate Mother's Day with her sons, ages 8 and 6. Photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Robert S. Taylor, USN  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Many say they're planning their own celebrations thinking of their children and calling home,...

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio, April 19, 2006 – Eight of the surviving 16 "Doolittle Tokyo Raiders" gathered at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force here yesterday for their 64th annual reunion and to remember those who have gone before them. The surviving members of the famed Doolittle Raiders listening in on the dedication ceremony at the Doolittle Raider Memorial at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. The event commemorated the raid's 64th anniversary April 18. Photo by William D. Moss  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. "We're gathered to remember a historic event that changed the hearts...

CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait (NNS) -- Seabees from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 7, Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 21 and Amphibious Construction Battalion (ACB) 2 joined together in Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, in March to celebrate 64 years of Seabee history. For many, it afforded them the chance to catch up with friends that they had served with before. “It was good to see several different commands in attendance,” said Utilitiesman 1st Class Dennis Maine, of NMCB 7. "When you’re deployed you don’t normally run into personnel from other battalions. I ran into a friend of mine who’s with ACB 2....

Gov. Marijadeen Patan of Khost Province (center left) helps hold a ribbon as U.S. Army Lt. Col. David A. Bushey cuts it during March 25, 2006, ceremonies marking the start of a project to rebuild the Matachena Madrassa, the largest religious school in Khost, Afghanistan. Bushey is commander of Task Force Wolfpack, composed primarily of soldiers from the 4th Battalion, 25th Field Artillery Regiment, part of the 10th Mountain Division’s 3rd Brigade Combat Team, based in Fort Drum, N.Y. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Amber Robinson-Sonoda Governor, Khost Residents Celebrate Madrassa Project Start A ribbon-cutting ceremony marked the start...

The scandal with the publication of Prophet Muhammad caricatures in European newspapers has outlined a few rather interesting details. First of all, the world has become open as the West wanted it to be. Secondly, the multi-cultural aspect of Europe has become more than just obvious. The scandal with the cartoons is a very important lesson that Russia needs to learn.

Soldiers Celebrate Black History Month in Iraq U.S. soldiers assigned to the 96th Aviation Support commemorate Black History Month with a program of songs, Spiritual dance and poetry. By U.S. Army Spc Waine D. Haley 133rd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment TIKRIT, Iraq, Feb. 21, 2006 — National Black History Month does not stop at our nation’s border -- the celebration flows all the way to Iraq. During this year’s observance of Black History Month, the 96th Aviation Support Battalion, 101st Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, Forward Operating Base Speicher, Iraq, held a celebration commemorating the accomplishments and contributions...

Task Force Fury and Task Force Catamount soldiers gathered to cheer on their teams or simply enjoy "a small slice of home." FORWARD OPERATING BASE ORGUN-E, Afghanistan, Feb. 8, 2006 — As the Pittsburgh Steelers and Seattle Seahawks battled for American football supremacy in Detroit, around 60 of the U.S. soldiers in eastern Afghanistan’s Paktika Province celebrated the United States’ biggest sports spectacle halfway around the world early Feb. 6. "Of course, you’d have your family and friends with you if you were watching the game in the states, but this is great too. I have no complaints at all."...

AL TAQQADUM, Iraq (Jan. 19, 2006) -- The Greyhawks of Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 161 spent their 55th birthday supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom at Al Taqqadum, Iraq, Jan. 15. HMM-161, known as "The First," was the Marine Corps' first tactical helicopter squadron. Established Jan. 15, 1951, the Greyhawks deployed in support of the Korean War two months later. At Al Taqqadum, they fly CH-46 Sea Knights and respond to urgent casualty evacuations and provide general support for the ground combat element near Fallujah and Ramadi, Iraq. “Our squadron has seen combat in every major conflict the Marine Corps has been...

AL ASAD, Iraq (Jan. 3, 2006) -- Master Sgt. James Silva, a Laguna, N.M., native, has served in the Marine Corps for 24 years, but New Year’s Day 2006, was a day like no other. The heavy equipment operator for the 8th Engineer Support Battalion has seen many Marines attain the rank of corporal, and become noncommissioned officers, but on Jan. 1 he pinned the chevrons of an NCO on his own daughter, Cpl. Melanie Silva. “Anytime you get promoted is a great thing,” said Gunnery Sgt. Keith Kulman, the crash chief for Marine Wing Support Squadron 272’s aircraft rescue...

MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO, Calif. (Oct. 28, 2005) -- In preparation for the depot's Marine Corps Birthday Ball, the Marine Corps Family Team Building office hosted its annual Ball Gown Giveaway and Fashion Show Oct. 19 at the Bay View restaurant. The show kicked off at 5:30 p.m. with opening remarks made by headquarters and service battalion's commanding officer's wife, Mrs. Sheila Redfern. Civilian depot employees and female Marines waltzed the catwalk in a display of 520 gently used ball gowns and a few rental gowns from local businesses. "It was different than last year; there were less...

Goody! Fox News reporting.

“National Singles Week” was started by the Buckeye Singles Council in Ohio in the 1980s to celebrate single life and recognize singles and their contributions to society. The week is now widely observed during Sept. 19-25 as “Unmarried and Single Americans Week,” an acknowledgment that many unmarried Americans do not identify with the word “single” because they are parents, have partners or are widowed.

NEW WINDSOR, NY-August 16, 2005 - Joseph Siragusa 20 traffic tickets in the time it takes some people just to find their car keys. Police in the Town of Highlands, New York, say Siragusa broke just about every rule of the road. He was finally stopped by military police after a chase that topped more than 90 miles an hour. Siragusa was also cited for passing on the right, failure to stay in lane, drunk driving and possession of marijuana. Siragusa might have been celebrating. According to the Middletown Herald Record, Siragusa's three-year probation for grand larceny had just ended.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 9, 2005 – The Defense Department today announced the first "America Supports You Freedom Walk" to honor the victims of 9/11 and America's military personnel, as well as to celebrate freedom. The Freedom Walk will begin at 10 a.m. Sept. 11 in the Pentagon South parking lot, near the site where the airliner crashed into the Pentagon on 9/11. The walk route will consist of a two-mile trek through Arlington National Cemetery, over the Potomac River, and will end by the reflecting pool on the National Mall, where a free concert featuring country music star Clint Black will...

At 105, Herbert Brown is impeccably dressed in a crisp blue shirt that brings out the color of his eyes but belies the strain of time on his frail frame. Given his time spent in a Nazi concentration camp and his run-in with the notorious Adolf Eichmann, it's a wonder Brown has survived. But here he is, in the one-bedroom apartment he shares with his wife of 74 years, the former Magda Fritz, who is 100. Together, on July 15, their ages totaled 205 years and 293 days, making them — according to the Guinness Book of World Records —...

Jeffords to Retire A very reliable source tells me that Jim Jeffords will make an announcement at 1pm today that he is retiring from the U.S. Senate.