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President Barack Obama is taking his popular wife with him to three campaign stops in the pivotal swing state of Ohio Sunday, but a new Associated Press Poll shows that may be too little, too late with just over two weeks remaining before critical congressional elections. The survey found that the coalition of voters that swept Obama into the White House just two years ago — aching for change after the eight-year presidency of Republican George W. Bush — has crumbled. SNIP The Associated Press-Knowledge Networks survey found that one-fourth of those who voted for Obama two years ago are...

Check Out The Huge Number Of People Who Are Being Cut Off From Unemployment Benefits

Spurred by a newspaper's report that California's welfare debit cards can be used to withdraw cash in more than half the casinos in the state, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Thursday issued an immediate ban on state-provided cash assistance at ATMs in gambling establishments. The Los Angeles Times disclosed that Electronic Benefit Transfer cards work in automated teller machines at 32 of 58 tribal casinos and 47 of 90 state-licensed poker rooms. The report also found the state Department of Social Services published a list of useable ATMs where the EBT cards that work like debit cards could be cashed. That...

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Consumers who opt for organic foods often believe they are improving their health, but there is currently no strong evidence that organics bring nutrition-related health benefits, a new research review finds. A "disappointingly small" number of well-designed studies have looked at whether organic foods may have health benefits beyond their conventional counterparts', according to the review, by researchers with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Health in the UK. Moreover, they found, what studies have been done have largely focused on short-term effects of organic eating -- mainly antioxidant activity in the body --...

Senate passes $140 billion extension of some unemployment benefits By Walter Alarkon - 03/10/10 07:32 PM ET The Senate approved $140 billion in extended tax breaks and unemployment benefits on Wednesday in a largely partisan vote. The bill was approved on a 62-36 vote, with six Republicans joining most Democrats in backing it. Senate Democrats are calling the measure a jobs bill, though it includes tax breaks extended by Congress on a near-annual basis as well as a fix to Medicare payments for doctors that lawmakers also have previously extended. It’s the second package of legislation that Senate Democrats have...

“What Does It Give? The Benefit of the Sacrament of the Altar”In this midweek Lenten series, we’re looking at the Sacrament of the Altar--Holy Communion, the Lord’s Supper, are other names by which we know this sacrament instituted by Christ. Last week we began by focusing on “The Nature of the Sacrament.” We asked the foundational question, “What Is It?” And the answer came, “It is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ under the bread and wine, instituted by Christ himself for us Christians to eat and to drink.” Our answer was based on what Jesus...

Terri Schiavo Family Benefit Concert Features Randy Travis, Collin Raye St Petersburg, FL -- The family of Terri Schiavo, the disabled woman whose husband killed her by depriving her of food and water, will sponsor a benefit concert to raise funds for its foundation to help other patients like her. The show will feature popular country music recording artists Randy Travis and Collin Raye. http://www.LifeNews.com/bio3039.html

WASHINGTON – The Food and Drug Administration has allowed drugs for cancer and other diseases to stay on the market even when follow-up studies showed they didn't extend patients' lives, say congressional investigators. A report due out Monday from the Government Accountability Office also shows that the FDA has never pulled a drug off the market due to a lack of required follow-up about its actual benefits — even when such information is more than a decade overdue. (excerpted)

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- The safety net erected in 1935 to protect workers' families and the economy from the harmful effects of unemployment has been shredded, threatening to leave several million people without any income after a year out of work. In the first week of September, 9.5 million Americans were claiming unemployment insurance benefits of some sort, including about 3.7 million people who were receiving extended benefits, which are available only after being jobless for more than six months. In response to the worst recession since the 1930s, the federal government has expanded the length of time that laid-off workers...

Are there any sources of benefits available to needy Veterans?

Prisoners of war suffer in ways most veterans don't, enduring humiliating forced marches, torture or other trauma that may haunt them long afterward. In partial recompense, the government extends them special benefits, from free parking and tax breaks to priority in medical treatment. Trouble is, some of the much-admired recipients of these benefits apparently don't deserve them. There are only 21 surviving POWs from the first Gulf War in 1991, the Department of Defense says. Yet the Department of Veterans Affairs is paying disability benefits to 286 service members it says were taken prisoner during that conflict, according to data...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 21, 2008 – A day-long event Oct. 18, hosted by five branches of a major retailer, netted a plethora of items for Adopt-a-Soldier Platoon to pack up and ship to members of the New Jersey Army National Guard. Food, personal care items, small electronics, entertainment items and cash donations were collected in bins placed in five Best Buy stores to benefit New Jersey units, said Alan Krutchkoff, Adopt-a-Soldier Platoon’s president. “We’ve found that people enjoy connecting with our troops, especially when their donations reach soldiers from the local area,” he said. “Best Buy is helping us make...

Why pain is good – in both medicine and finance By John Kay Published: September 30 2008 18:57 | Last updated: September 30 2008 18:57 Pain has been described as the gift no one wants. There cannot be a single reader who has not, at some time, wished not to experience pain. But we are better off with the capacity to suffer pain than without it. A few people are born with a genetic deficiency that leaves them completely free of pain. They rarely survive to adult life. Leprosy has for thousands of years been the most dreaded disease. Only...

FORWARD OPERATING BASE MAHMUDIYAH, Iraq, Aug. 18, 2008 – Having earned a Combat Action Badge during his previous deployment and being the only soldier in his platoon to have returned enemy fire, Pfc. James Quesada, an Army mechanic, uses his experience and his knowledge of weapon systems to benefit others. Army Pfc. James Quesada, a gunner assigned to the 101st Airborne Division’s Company G, 3rd Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, readies straps to tie down landing zone mats at Patrol Base Lutifiyah, Iraq, in preparation for a handover of the base from coalition forces to...

WASHINGTON, July 30, 2008 – “The Gigantic Garage Sale” at the South Florida Fairgrounds in Palm Beach County July 26 proved to be not only fun for shoppers, but also was lucrative for “Forgotten Soldier Outreach,” a care package organization. “The United Way of Palm Beach County and the South Florida Fair … do this once a year,” said Sue Beard, Forgotten Soldier Outreach’s Palm Beach County manager. “It was great! We got $500 for a day’s work.” The group began soliciting donations for the sale earlier this month. Contributions included jewelry, lamps, candles, collectibles and “re-gift” items, which...

I'm an Iowan. My feet are dry.. all Praise to God. So, I will say what is on the minds of a lot of Iowans that are busy trying to hold their families together right now. These flood victims are no less worthy of help than New Orleans residents. To totally ignore them is like an elephant in the room. Why are you ignoring us? Are we too humble? Are we too unworthy because we help ourselves and each other? Are we the wrong class? The wrong color? The wrong location? Are we too quiet? Or are we not something...

Migration has brought 'zero' economic benefit By Philip Johnston and Robert Winnett Last Updated: 1:11am GMT 29/03/2008 Ten years of record immigration to Britain has produced virtually no economic benefits for the country, a parliamentary inquiry has found. A House of Lords committee, which is due to report next Tuesday, will call into question Government claims that foreign workers add £6 billion each year to the wealth of the nation. It is expected to say this must be balanced against the increase in population and their use of local services such as health and education, resulting in little benefit per...

If we look to benefits only, we'll do darn near anything because there's always a benefit. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported there were 43,443 highway fatalities in 2005. If we had a maximum speed law of 15 miles per hour, the death toll wouldn't be nearly as high, probably not even as high as 500. You say, "Williams, that's a crazy idea." You're right, but let's not call it crazy; it's more accurate to say: saving some 43,000 lives aren't worth the cost and inconvenience of a 15 mph speed limit. Given a 1 percent risk of a...

Contact: Lindsey M. Brothers (202) 547-4713 Armed Forces Foundation -PRESS RELEASE- Armed Forces Foundation Unveils Commemorative Military Bass Boat Boat To Be Auctioned Off At Armed Forces Foundation’s Congressional Gala In March Washington, DC (February 11, 2008) – The Armed Forces Foundation (AFF), a national nonprofit benevolent foundation under the Department of Defense’s America Supports You program, is proud to unveil its Ranger 188VX tournament-ready bass boat at ESPN’s 2008 Bassmaster Classic. The tournament will be held from February 22nd-24th on Lake Hartwell in Greenville, S.C. The boat will be auctioned March 5th, at the 4th Annual Armed Forces Foundation’s...

NEW YORK, Nov. 8, 2007 – Laughter and song can be indispensible weapons for wounded servicemembers undergoing painful convalescence, as hope and anguish battle for primacy. Last night, A-listers such as comedians Conan O’Brien and Robin Williams and musician Bruce Springsteen helped some move closer to recovery. Marine Sgt. James Bane, Marine Lance Cpl. Daniel Hurst, comedian Robin Williams and Marine Lance Cpl. James Scott MacKenzie pose for photos Nov. 7, 2007, before "Stand Up for Heroes," a comedy and music event in New York City arranged by the Bob Woodruff Family Fund to raise money for servicemembers injured...