Free Republic

BOSTON — Odds are you're anything but average, but for a moment, let's pretend you are. And, if we pretend you're an average 60-year-old with a 401(k) plan, we may surmise that you don't have enough saved for retirement. According to a recent study by the Employee Benefit Research Institute and the Investment Company Institute, 401(k) participants in their 60s had an average account balance of $144,000 at the end of 2009. Workers in their 60s who have been participating in the same 401(k) plan for more than 30 years have on average $197,472 in their plan. Those numbers don't...

Independent [UK], by Sean O'Grady Posted By: Photoonist- Thu, 25 Nov 2010 03:58:53 GMT The euro plunged further into crisis yesterday as investors sold off Spanish, Portuguese and Belgian government bonds in record numbers on renewed fears that those nations would follow Greece and Ireland into the financial emergency ward, undermining confidence in the single currency. The spreading contagion suggests that the markets now view the break'up of the euro as a realistic possibility, (Snip) There were also what analysts called "clear signs of stress" across the European financial system, as banks were forced to turn to the European Central...

Prince Charles yesterday urged the world to follow Islamic 'spiritual principles' in order to protect the environment. In an hour-long speech, the heir to the throne argued that man's destruction of the world was contrary to the scriptures of all religions - but particularly those of Islam. He said the current 'division' between man and nature had been caused not just by industrialisation, but also by our attitude to the environment - which goes against the grain of 'sacred traditions'.

The FTC wants to save the old dinosaur media. ... To pay for it all they want to tax all sorts of things like broadband, advertising and consumer electronics. Oh, and they would also make it illegal for people like me to go around distributing facts to people like you. ... Reaganite Republican had it right when he said our “First Amendment rights are coming under pressure from the Bolshevik Boy Wonder yet again.” Interesting that the government is trying to save the old media while the old media is hiring up all of the left wing bloggers.

JOINT BASE BALAD -- Sajad Hany Shaker Mahmud was involved in an improvised explosive device attack near here, Jan. 24. He had just climbed into a vehicle for a short trip when the IED detonated. Sajad, however, has no known enemies, disputes, business conflicts or political aspirations. He is only six-years-old. Sajad is still recovering from the blast that killed his grandfather and left him with multiple burns to his legs, a right arm fracture and a severely fractured left leg, which had to be amputated from below the knee. The constant care and close-knit bonds he formed with the...

4/7/2010 - ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam (AFNS) -- Three Airmen from Andersen Air Force Base saved the life of a local resident when he failed to surface while cave-diving March 27 in Guam. Airmen 1st Class Mark Gregg, Caleb Rodriguez and Kylle Krzywiecki, all from the 36th Munitions Squadron, said they were relaxing on the beach after a day of snorkeling and cave swimming when Christensen Kimi offered to show them another cave. During one of his dives, Mr. Kimi didn't resurface. Airman Krzywiecki said he became concerned and swam under and followed the light from his underwater flashlight....

Pressure the Pentagon to dismiss charges against three Navy SEALS Rep. Dan Burton: Save the SEALS PetitionRepresentative Dan Burton (R-IN) is leading the Save the SEALs mission to pressure the Pentagon to dismiss charges against three of our magnificent Navy SEALS who are accused by savage barbarian Ahmed Hashim Abed of punching him in the mouth; or the stomach, or something. SNIP The SEALs are an elite force, not prone to impulsive behavior. In fact, a superhuman self discipline is a job requirement. Terrorists, on the other hand, are instructed by HQ to cry abuse when taken into custody by...

New York, NY (AHN) - Retail continues to lag behind other sectors of the American economy, with government and private reports indicating mixed results for November. Department stores added 8,000 jobs over the month, the Labor Department reported Friday, while jobs in the shopping center industry fell by 14,000, a trade industry group said Thursday. The International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) said a survey of 32 retail chain stores found that November sales dipped 0.3 percent from November 2008. Sales had been up the previous two months. Department stores had the most disappointing results, dropping 4.5 percent from a...

The other day, deep in Rego Park, a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens, Stanley Moscowitz and Walter Israel sat down at a Formica table for lunch at Ben's Best Kosher Deli on Queens Boulevard. Moscowitz, who's 53 and grew up in nearby Forest Hills, ordered first: matzo ball, tip of the tongue, roast beef, rye, Russian, onions and Dr. Brown's diet cherry drink. Israel ordered pastrami on rye bread. His son Jason ordered pastrami on white. In his defense, Jason did not ask for mayonnaise, but the combination of pastrami and white bread enjoys a certain...

On July 16, an amendment by Rep. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) that would have required use of the SAVE [Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements] program to prevent illegal immigrants from receiving the affordable premium credits was defeated by the House Ways and Means Committee.

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, Aug. 31, 2009 – As U.S. forces take extra precautions to protect civilian lives in southern Afghanistan, an Army reservist used his civilian skills to preserve the life of a local truck driver. Army Master Sgt. Joseph Oswald received an Army Achievement Medal for helping to save an Afghan man whose cement truck rolled over and into a ditch Aug. 21, 2009, on Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. U.S. Army photo by Maj. Sheldon Smith  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Army Master Sgt. Joseph Oswald, a Joint Sustainment Command Afghanistan civil-military operations noncommissioned officer from Cincinnati, was returning...

While in prayer over the last three weeks I have kept getting that the west coast of America was going to begin to see extreme weather changes including hurricanes , then this morning I received this word in prayer for your discernment and intercession . . . Hurricanes and weather not seen before now , How long shall you hang onto your sacred cow , The thing that blinds you this very day , Shall soon cause you immense dismay , A shaking is coming behold ! I reveal it even now , So what shall be your answer? Me...

In a veiled attempt to change the country's talking points, the White House decided to announce that a special prosecutor would be named to investigate a dozen CIA interrogations during the Bush administration. Political pundits say this is just another ploy to change the topic from health care... Many questions remain direct and focused on health care issues. A biggie is, "Will the health care reform bill include coverage for those in this country illegally? The president continues to say absolutely not. However, there have been many attempts to add safety measures to ensure illegal aliens do not receive care...

7/30/2009 - JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq (AFNS) -- Security forces Airmen, emergency medics and hospital staff here saved an Iraqi girl after an improvised explosive device detonated at her feet in July near Joint Base Balad. The girl and her family had just attended a Joint Base Balad-sponsored clothing-and-toys distribution for local children at the east entry control point, but shortly after the event ended Airmen near the ECP heard an explosion. Maj. David Haigh and Master Sgt. Sua'ava Poti, 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing antiterrorism officers, along with Tech. Sgt. Jeremy Potts of the 332nd Expeditionary Security Forces Group, were...

Soldiers of the 910th Quartermaster Company sort and count excess items at sorting tables in the Forward Redistribution Point warehouse, Joint Base Balad, July 15. As Coalition bases close throughout Iraq, excess inventory is sent here for processing and redistribution, saving U.S. taxpayers billions of dollars. Photo by Spc. Kiyoshi Freeman, 3rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary). BALAD — Shipping containers arrive here daily filled with every imaginable item: toilet paper, pens, pencils, turbine engines, Humvee repair parts, even a rock climbing wall. As Coalition forces continue their responsible drawdown from Iraq and close bases, Mobile Redistribution Teams (MRTs) comb installations looking...

Poll: Should Congress telecommute? A Daily Poll.

Everyone dreams of becoming rich and considers ways of minting money, so much so that one may be able to live one`s entire life comfortably. Make a resolution that you will convert a big portion of your savings into investments. The simplest way to get rich is to save a part of your hard earned money first and make investments from the savings. Savings are an indispensable element of every one`s life. Here`s Robert Allen`s take on the subject: There are two meanings for the word save: (1) To pay less for your purchases, as in `Safeway saves you more!...

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BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, March 9, 2009 – Soldiers of 1st Infantry Division’s Company C, 201st Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, are equipping Afghan National Army soldiers with the skills they need to save lives. Afghan National Army soldiers transport a U.S. soldier simulating wounds to an ambulance after stabilizing him during a medical training exercise at Forward Operating Base Fenty in northeastern Afghanistan, Feb. 28, 2009. The ANA soldiers completed the Tactical Combat Casualty Care Under Fire program after six weeks of training. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. David Hopkins  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available....

GORDON Brown last night urged America to use the drive that put man on the Moon to save the Earth. The PM called on the US to “seize the moment” and lead the world out of economic crisis with green technology. Mr Brown forecast the global economy could DOUBLE — if America, Britain and the EU worked together for a “Global New Deal”. He warned America not to close its doors to foreign competition — saying protectionism would “protect no one”.