Free Republic

PROVIDENCE — Dominic Johnson, a 10-year-old fourth-grader with a fledgling Mohawk, brandished his black, long-nosed toy gun and caressed the muzzle appreciatively. “It’s like a shotgun mixed with a rifle,’’ he said, as his mother, April, told him to stop pointing it at nearby children. Soon it would be junk. Dominic joined dozens of children yesterday at the annual Toy Gun Bash in the gymnasium of Pleasant View Elementary School. There, they lined up to toss their toy guns, from dainty purple water guns to camouflage-painted pistols, inside the Bash-O-Matic, a large black, foam creature with churning metal teeth and...

When discussing a new study about liberals’ and conservatives’ favorite television shows recently, pundit Bill O’Reilly and his guests mentioned that liberals like works about “flawed people.” If this is so, they will certainly appreciate Barack Obama’s just published children’s book, Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters. Much like Rudyard Kipling’s poem “If” (which the author wrote for his 12-year-old son), Obama’s book was penned for his children Malia and Sasha — hence the subtitle A Letter to My Daughters. Unlike Kipling’s poem, however, I very much doubt his kids will be the better for reading it....

`The Campaign That Never Ended on November 4, 2008’, comes to an abrupt, merciful and undignified end tomorrow night. Most of the Democrats have been greedily picking the pockets of the poor, begging—on an almost daily basis—breaking the backs of the most vulnerable: the poor they claim to represent.

Kuang Jinbi, the author of the famous Chinese fable The Magic Ox and Other Tales of the Effendi died from cancer in Zhuhai City at 2:30 a.m. on August 15. Kuang was born in Doumen County, Zhuhai City in 1939. Since his first published work in 1958, he had engaged in writing for several years and created a large quantity of praised literary works for young readers, among them, the fable The Magic Ox and other tales of the Effendi, enjoyed great popularity with children. Kuang combined the aesthetics of Chinese traditional stories with the rationality of Western allegory and...

The mischievous traveling monkey that became a childhood favorite, Curious George, might never have become an American curiosity had it not been for the Nazi invasion of France. His creators escaped oppression, and he eventually became an icon. Now the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center in Skokie is honoring thier achievement in a new exhibit that shares the story of the husband-and-wife creators of the “good little monkey,” reports the Sun-Times H.A. and Margret Reys were German Jews living in Paris on the eve of the Nazi invasion. During their five-month escape in 1940, they fled on bicycles with...

WASHINGTON, June 5, 2009 – This year, as it’s been for the last five, no high school senior graduating from a Department of Defense Education Activity school in Europe will look around wishing a parent could be there as the sound of “Pomp and Circumstance” fills the air. For the sixth year, DoDEA is providing webcasts of graduation ceremonies from 17 European schools. Two of those ceremonies occurred yesterday, another 12 will take place today, and the remaining three will happen tomorrow, June 7 and June 12. When the DoDEA graduation season is complete, about 125 parents deployed to...

The House of Representatives has passed an expanded version of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), and made it easier for illegal aliens to access the program's benefits. HR 2, the new version of SCHIP, weakens verification requirements. Those who enroll will be required to show only an easily forged Social Security card -- not secure documents proving U.S. citizenship. The legislation also extends benefits to non-citizen children of legal immigrants. The SCHIP bill is designed to provide health coverage to low-income children, a laudable

A new government regulation scheduled to take effect next month has thousands of retailers, thrift stores and small businesses worried they will be forced to permanently close their doors – and destroy their merchandise. The law is expected to have such a devastating impact that Feb. 10 is now unofficially known as "National Bankruptcy Day." Congress passed the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008, or HR 4040, a retroactive rule mandating that all items sold for use by children under 12 must be tested by an independent party for lead and phthalates, which are chemicals used to make plastics...

11/25/2008 - SIAULIAI, Lithuania (AFNS) -- More than 20 Airmen from Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England, volunteered their time and talents with Lithuanian children Nov. 15 at the District Vijurkai Children's Home in Vijurkai, Lithuania. The Airmen, deployed from the 48th Fighter Wing, are in Lithuania to perform the NATO Baltic air policing mission, and took time out to play sports, do puzzles and eat pizza with the children. "We wanted to give something back to the community," said Master Sgt. Margaret Williams, the 493rd Expeditionary Fighter Squadron first sergeant. "The primary reason we go to the children's home is...

AL HILLAH — How do you measure success? “Regarding the $7 million newly-renovated Al Hillah Maternity and Children’s Hospital, located in Babil Province, it’s more than bricks and mortar — it’s all about saving lives,” said U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) Construction Representative Edward Jones. Like many USACE military, civilian and contract employees serving in Iraq, Jones will soon return home knowing his efforts directly benefited thousands of Iraqi families. “There are many stories that I will take away from this project but there is one that will stay with me forever,” Jones said. “On our final site visit...

FALAHAT, Iraq, July 9, 2007 — The sounds of laughing girls and boys could be heard as soldiers from Troop D, 1st Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment brought the children here for a day of fun, through painting, as well as other activities, July 7, 2007. "I feel really good about it, because you can actually see the results. Before it didn’t feel like anything was happening and there was no proof that anything would ever change." Spc. Matthew Dixon The soldiers handed out paint brushes and paint and watched as the children painted pictures and their names on concrete...

WASHINGTON, July 2, 2007 – A new children’s hospital being built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Basrah, Iraq, is the result of a partnership between the Iraqi Ministry of Health and U.S. governmental and non-governmental agencies, senior U.S. officials said in Baghdad. Construction of the 94-bed hospital, which will specialize in children’s cancer research and treatment, is scheduled for completion next year, Army Col. Paul Babin, director of the Corp’s Gulf Region Division, said at a June 30 news conference. The hospital is slated to open in early 2009. Ground was broken for the facility in 2005....

Roy Richard Grinker, a professor of anthropology at George Washington University, whose 15-year-old daughter is autistic, has just come out with a new book that calls into question what we’ve come to know as the autism “epidemic.” It’s called “Unstrange Minds,” and it makes the argument that the dramatic rise in the incidence of autism in the past few decades is mostly – if not entirely – the result of more and better diagnoses... ...It’s easy to believe: After all, in 2001, the National Institute of Mental Health issued a widely-cited report [pdf] stating that 20 percent of children in...

6/8/2006 - MILFORD, Mass. (AFPN) -- When servicemembers deploy, they aren't the only ones who serve. Their families serve also, and usually the separation is hardest on the children. Homecomings are joyous moments for military families, but until recently, the service and sacrifice made by the children of deployed troops went largely unrecognized. That has all changed here, thanks to the Massachusetts State Family Program Office and their new Youth Service Medal. “At each reunion briefing, we are all amazed at how strong these children are and the degree of resiliency they demonstrate” said Jennifer Cesaitis, youth program coordinator for...

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. (Army News Service, April 25, 2006) – When deploying Soldiers leave behind loved ones, the disruption to family life can be especially hard on children. That’s why Dr. Thomas Hardaway, a child psychiatrist and chief of behavioral medicine at Brooke Army Medical Center, spoke with first- and second-graders at Fort Campbell, Ky., last fall when the 101st Airborne Division went to Iraq. He was coaching school administrators, counselors, nurses and parents to talk with children about deployment. “Deployment has potential to be destructive to a child’s development,” Hardaway said. “The message I’m trying to give is that...

On Wed,March 22, there will be a hearing in Essex County Court in Massachusetts, which could result in the banning of a book by Fathers rights(Pro-Family) activist, Kevin Thompson. Kevin Thompson has been fighting a long and lonely battle in the Essex Probate and Family Court to try to be able to be a father to his son. Several months ago, the court impounded the records of the trial and Judge DeGangi has recently granted a restraining order forbidding Kevin from distributing his book, EXPOSING THE CORRUPTION IN THE MASSACHUSETTS FAMILY COURTS.

2/27/2006 - ANGELES CITY, Philippines (AFPN) -- Christmas came in February for the Children’s Home of the Immaculate Heart of Mary as about 20 members of the U.S. and Philippine military brought smiles and gifts with them Feb. 26. Located outside Clark Air Base, the home is for abandoned girls 6 to 16. The servicemembers, participating in exercise Balikatan 2006, were greeted with songs of hope and welcoming. “To hear those songs sung by those kids, who don’t have much, is amazing to say the least,” said Chaplain (Capt.) Martin Adamson, 36th Air Base Wing, Anderson Air Force Base, Guam....

U.S. soldiers bring toys -- and smiles -- to the young patients during a visit to the Baghdad hospital. CAMP TIGERLAND, Iraq, Aug. 15, 2005 — Task Force Baghdad soldiers spent part of the day July 31 bringing smiles to a Baghdad children’s hospital during a humanitarian aid mission. U.S. Army Command Sgt. Major James Mays, from Pineville, La., senior enlisted noncommissioned officer of the 256th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division; and Lt. Col. (Dr.) Joseph Dore, from Charlotte, N.C., brigade surgeon, hosted the mission at the General Children’s Hospital in Baghdad, bearing toys and stuffed animals for young...

In his new book, "Porn Generation," Ben Shapiro points out that our culture is suffering from an over-abundance of smut. What's even more disconcerting is that the raunchy stuff is getting ready to invade kids' video games. The handheld version of Sony's successful video game platform, the PlayStation Portable (PSP), now reportedly has porn product that's been designed for it, which underscores the critical importance of parental responsibility in today's world. Eight pornographic videos will supposedly be released for the PSP by a Tokyo-based adult video company, with a second Tokyo company planning to produce another three titles. Through its...

Why has Congress appropriated taxpayer money to give perverse incentives that break up families and deprive children of their fathers ? The built-in financial incentives in the current child-support system have expanded the tragedy of fatherless children from the welfare class to MILLIONS of non-welfare divorced couples..... more

Texas longhorn If you ever have to “grab a bull by the horns” try a Texas longhorn. Considering that my first post was critical of SF Chronicle's depiction of USMC General Mattis – but somehow got into a vanity section – I wouldn’t be surprised that this too gets reclassified the same way. According to some members here, I invited the Wrath of Gods upon myself on account of: a) being new – not knowing the ropes b) having posted a vanity as my first article c) me being a pink, pro-communist, liberal threat to security of the United States...

<p>The nation's health agency plans to closely watch flu complications among children, who have swamped hospitals in some states and surprised doctors with the severity of their illnesses.</p> <p>A new concern is the rise of a common drug-resistant staph infection that is complicating efforts to treat children with the flu, an official with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday.</p>

some time ago (maybe a year or thereabouts), there was a thread concerning the toys a child needs/should have. it was a short list (maybe 10 or 20 items), augmented by a few suggestions by other posters. looking at my 3-year-old daughter's bedroom this morning, it occurs to me that i would like to find this thread (i have tried searching), and discuss it with my wife.anyone out there recall this thread? thanks.

While a myriad of websites could be described as "sick," palestine4ever.net is a world apart. On this pro-jihad site, you will find: * a suicide bomber gallery with a web page devoted to each bomber, including intimate details about murders and kidnappings; *a radical poetry section that features one monster’s masterpiece entitled ‘Rage,’ which concludes: “For every two you kill… ANOTHER BUS WILL BLOW UP!!”; *a picture presentation that includes the photos of Sheikh Ahmad Yassin, the spiritual leader of Hamas, and Marwan Barghouti, the Fatah leader that was indicted on charges of killing more than two dozen Israelis; *a...

Sarcasm doesn't tickle children's funny bone January 24 2003 at 09:53AM Calgary - When parents use sarcasm to playfully tease their young children, do the kids see the humour? Not likely, according to a Canadian researcher who has completed a study showing that children need to be 10 or older before grasping the idea that sarcasm can be funny or even insulting. The results have implications for everything from the content of children's television programmes to the interpretation of abusive behaviour, Penny Pexman, a psychologist from the University of Calgary, said on Thursday. "Our study suggests that the five-year-olds are...

BARRIE -- A Toronto man, who blamed his wayward ways on the Toronto Children's Aid Society, has been sentenced to 16 months of house arrest after pleading guilty to selling an undercover cop about $60,000 worth of ecstasy. Derek Mason was also ordered to do 100 hours of community service as part of the drug trafficking conviction. In an unusual plea to the judge, during the preliminary hearing, defence lawyer Ian Kostman argued Mason's troubles are the result of the CAS for failing him as a child. He said the CAS removed Mason from his home following years of abuse...

<p>SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (AP) --  Johnny must be taught his "pleases" and "thank yous" and other manners at home before he can learn reading and writing at school, President Bush said Monday as he held America's parents accountable for educating their children.</p>

<p>NEW YORK (AP) --  A month before its publication, a provocative book about children's sexuality is being denounced by conservatives as evil and prompting angry calls for action against the University of Minnesota Press.</p> <p>The book, "Harmful to Minors: The Perils of Protecting Children From Sex," argues that young Americans, though bombarded with sexual images from the mass media, are often deprived of realistic advice about sex.</p>