Free Republic

MILFORD — The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is reminding consumers and businesses that they are no longer be able to throw away their electronic devices with their trash. Passed in 2010, the Pennsylvania Covered Device Recycling Act requires that consumers and businesses not dispose of covered devices, such as computers, laptops, computer monitors, televisions and tablets with their trash. This means that trash haulers will no longer take covered devices unless the municipality has a curbside electronics collection program that ultimately sends the devices to an electronics recycler. The law took effect Jan. 24. “This law is an...

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace and goodwill toward men.” Luke 2:14 Christmas is here again. Tonight and tomorrow, Americans will gather and share presents. Christmas traditions of various types will be shared. As we share our presents, gather as families, go to Christmas services, we all have our wishes for Christmas. Our kids want toys. Adults want other things. I have my list of Christmas wishes. For Christmas, I want peace. Peace is not the freakish “kumbya” moment liberals always envision. It is not simply the absence of conflict. There is an absence of conflict...

While visiting the lovely island of Cozumel, Mexico, Mr. Dragon and I rented a car and went around the island to one of our favorite places Señor Iguana's. This is a local place (not a chain) and they have great margaritas, excellent food and the view is one of the most beautiful of the ocean waves. As we sat down and gave our drink order to Rudy (a nice young man that we visit with every year), we noticed a table near the view, that had 4 people sitting at it. On one side, was a Muslim male, and on...

More frightening than any particular beliefs or policies is an utter lack of any sense of a need to test those beliefs and policies against hard evidence. Mistakes can be corrected by those who pay attention to facts but dogmatism will not be corrected by those who are wedded to a vision. One of the most pervasive political visions of our time is the vision of liberals as compassionate and conservatives as less caring. It is liberals who advocate "forgiveness" of loans to Third World countries, a "living wage" for the poor and a "safety net" for all. But these...

WASHINGTON -- The imam behind the plan to build a mosque near Ground Zero surfaced yesterday far from the controversy -- in Bahrain, where he's on a taxpayer-funded trip to the Middle East to spread good will. Appearing in public for the first time in weeks, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, speaking at a mosque near Bahrain's capital of Manama, said he wants to "Americanize" Islam -- but dodged questions about the uproar over his planned mosque and community center. Rauf spoke against fanaticism, saying, "This issue of extremism is something that has been a national-security issue -- not only for...

Watch a report from WGAL in Harrisburg, where a $17,000.00 diamond ring (2.6 carat) was donated and will be auctioned off on Goodwill’s site. It is being recorded as a donation, and is the largest Goodwill donation ever in the Pennsylvania area. WATCH $17K ANTIQUE RING DONATED to GOODWILL...

HARRISBURG, Pa.- Officials with Goodwill thrift stores said a 2.6-carat diamond ring appraised at $17,600 was donated to a Pennsylvania store and will be auctioned online. Goodwill Industries Keystone Area spokeswoman Jennifer Ross said the ring was discovered by Barry Landis, a retired jeweler employed to sort through donations at the Harrisburg distribution center, the Harrisburg (Pa.) Patriot-News reported Tuesday. "It could have ended up with a price tag of $5.99," she said of the find among the various pieces of costume jewelry donated to area stores. "It makes me think about what treasures might be out there in some...

We're following up on a story tonight that shows one good turn deserves another. Sunday night, we told you about a missing backpack in Kalispell. It contained a laptop and $6,000 that belonged to the former president of Burger King. Russ Klein thought he put it in his rental car. As it turns out, the vehicle was someone else's. We ran the story Sunday night. The next morning, the car's owner took the bag, the laptop and the cash to Kalispell Police. Klein offered a reward, but the good samaritan turned it down. So, Klein and his wife gave the...

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE BASRA, Iraq, Aug. 24, 2009 – Along with their Iraqi counterparts, U.S. soldiers from the 17th Fires Brigade and the 4th Infantry Division’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team handed out food and supplies to residents of Faddaqhryah and Bahar, Iraq, Aug. 18. Army Cpl. Dale L. Comella, a medic with 17th Fires Brigade’s personnel security detachment, speaks with Iraqi children during a humanitarian aid drop coordinated by the Iraqi army, 17th Fires Brigade and the 4th Infantry Division’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team, Aug. 18, 2009. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Maurice A. Galloway   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution...

When our founders created the federal government, I’m pretty sure they didn’t anticipate having its power reach into their carriage houses. Thanks to a particularly asinine piece of legislation called the Consumer Protection Safety Improvement Act, though, we now have federal inspectors threatening to start investigating yard sales and church bazaars. They say they’re just going to focus on thrift stores and Craigslist … for now: If you’re planning a garage sale or organizing a church bazaar, you’d best beware: You could be breaking a new federal law. As part of a campaign called Resale Roundup, the federal government is...

Thrift-driven Americans are fixing up, making do and reusing so much to cope with the recession that the drop in throwaways means less fill for landfills. To deal with the drop-off in dropoffs, landfills are laying off workers, reducing hours of operation and hiking disposal fees, with the increases passed along to cities, businesses and consumers. "You can look at waste and see what the economy is doing," said Tom Houck, manager at the Defiance County Landfill in northwest Ohio. He's watched the amount of trash arriving at the landfill plunge 30 percent in the past year. With consumers cutting...

KABUL, Afghanistan, March 3, 2009 – As U.S. forces and their NATO counterparts here were thinking recently about ways to win the trust and cooperation of local people in their fight against radical insurgents, village elders suggested a way to come together in common interest: a sporting event. Two do-rah teams battle it out while an Afghan police officer pulls security during a goodwill tournament of the traditional Afghan game in the Deh Rawood district of Oruzgan province, Afghanistan, Feb. 20, 2009. U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Joseph A. Wilson.   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Such was...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 27, 2009 – Even as military efforts increase in Afghanistan, coalition forces reach out to Afghan civilians with humanitarian aid, job training and other supportive efforts. Jose Garzon, left, and Ted Whittenberger, right, both with the U.S. Agency for International Development, pose in front of the Konar Construction Center honor graduates with Gov. Sayed Fazlullah Wahidi of Afghanistan’s Konar province, Jan. 18, 2009. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Russell Gilchrest  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. U.S. soldiers distributed more than 300 backpacks filled with clothes, shoes, school supplies and hygiene items to high school students near...

An Iraqi policeman from the Maysan province distributes first aid kits to the families of Abu Rummanah during a combined humanitarian operation with Soldiers of the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cav. Division in Amarah Jan. 23. Photo by Pfc. Todd Rogers. FORWARD OPERATING BASE GARRY OWEN — Iraqi Police from the Al Hussein Station, assisted by Soldiers from the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, joined forces during Operation Goodwill to send a positive message to the citizens in Amarah Jan. 23. “We have a lot of things to coordinate between us and...

Barack Obama's money machine is fueled by the likes of Martha Murphy, a grandmother who has donated 104 times for a total of $2,475.34. Murphy has used her credit card to donate in amounts as small as $10. "It is amazing how it adds up," she said. Obama has revolutionized campaign fundraising, deploying the Internet to tap into more donors than any candidate in history. The campaign has reported $160 million in contributions from supporters who donated $200 or less, more than a third of the $458 million raised. But as Obama sets records, his fundraising has come under scrutiny....

The Obama campaign has shattered all fund-raising records, raking in $458 million so far, with about half the bounty coming from donors who contribute $200 or less. Aides say that's an illustration of a truly democratic campaign. To critics, though, it can be an invitation for fraud and illegal foreign cash because donors giving individual sums of $200 or less don't have to be publicly reported. Consider the cases of Obama donors "Doodad Pro" of Nunda, N.Y., who gave $17,130, and "Good Will" of Austin, Texas, who gave more than $11,000—both in excess of the $2,300-per-person federal limit. In two...

The Republican National Committee wants the Federal Election Commission to investigate the source of thousands of small contributions to the presidential campaign of Sen. Barack Obama, a committee lawyer said yesterday. The RNC's chief counsel, Sean Cairncross, said that there is mounting evidence that the Obama campaign was so hungry for donations it "looked the other way" as contributions piled up from suspicious donors, and possibly even from overseas, which would be illegal. "We believe that the American people should know first and foremost if foreign money is pouring into a presidential election," Cairncross said. He pointed to a report...

The Obama campaign has shattered all fund-raising records, raking in $458 million so far, with about half the bounty coming from donors who contribute $200 or less. Aides say that's an illustration of a truly democratic campaign. To critics, though, it can be an invitation for fraud and illegal foreign cash because donors giving individual sums of $200 or less don't have to be publicly reported. Consider the cases of Obama donors "Doodad Pro" of Nunda, N.Y., who gave $17,130, and "Good Will" of Austin, Texas, who gave more than $11,000—both in excess of the $2,300-per-person federal limit.

Obama doesn't weed out illegal cash, GOP says Sun Oct 5, 2008 5:15pm EDT By Andy Sullivan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Republican Party on Sunday said Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama had not done enough to screen out illegal campaign contributions and asked U.S. election officials to look into the matter. Citing news reports, the Republican National Committee said Obama had accepted contributions from foreigners and taken more than the $2,300 maximum from donors who give in small increments. The Obama campaign denied the charges. The RNC said it will ask the Federal Election Commission to examine Obama records in...

WHO is "Will, Good"? Mr. Good Will - who lists his employer as "Loving" and his profession as "You" - has contributed 1,000 times to the Barack Obama campaign. All the contributions have been in amounts of $25 or less. But they add up to $17,375 - far more than the legal limit of $4,600. That's $2,300 each for the primary and general election campaigns. Kenneth Timmerman, a reporter for NewsMax, a conservative Web site, discovered Mr. Good Will when he reviewed 1.4 million individual contributions in the latest Federal Elections Commission master file for the Obama campaign. Mr. Good...

A lawyer for the Republican National Committee today said the party will ask the Federal Election Commission to look into the source of thousands of small-dollar contributions to the presidential campaign of Sen. Barack Obama. The RNC is alleging that the Obama campaign was so hungry for donations it "looked the other way" as contributions piled up from suspicious, and possibly even illegal foreign donors. "We believe that the American people should know first and foremost if foreign money is pouring into a presidential election," said RNC Chief Counsel Sean Cairncross. Cairncross alleged there was mounting evidence of this, and...

Snippets (you really have to read the whole thing): On Thursday at the [French] embassy, a contemporary mansion on Reservoir Road, the white marble floors, soaring ceilings and skylights helped make castoffs look chic... After they sipped wine and nibbled on salmon in champagne sauce, the crowd settled in for the fashion show..... "That's Goodwill?!" one woman gasped as a model wearing an impeccably tailored French wool suit peacocked down the runway. The chocolate-colored, satin sheath gown! That velvet, midnight-blue suit! The mink, oh, that MINK! Eschewing any facade of fashion ennui, members of the crowd cheered and whistled and...

(IsraelNN.com) The IDF, on orders from the Olmert government, removed 10 manned checkpoints in the Binyamin region and Samaria Thursday evening. The roadblocks were taken down near Ramallah, Shechem, Tal Karem and Kalkilya. Officials explained that the roadblocks were removed as part of a series of “goodwill gestures” to the Palestinian Authority. Ostensibly under US pressure, Israel recently agreed to remove dozens of checkpoints and roadblocks in Judea and Samaria in order to make travel easier for local Arabs. In return, the PA said it would try to stop terrorism. Daily attacks continue on roads in Judea and Samaria –...

HUSSEINIYA, Iraq, Feb. 29, 2008 – Children swarmed around the men in uniform and extended their hands, eager to receive a newspaper. Although some of the children could not yet read, the colorful pictures were enough to ignite their curiosity. Navy Lt. j.g. Clint Phillips (right), an Ontario, Calif., native, and 1st Lt. Dale Donaldson, a Bartlesville, Okla., native, walk down the street handing out newspapers with policemen in Husseiniya, Iraq, Feb. 26, 2008. Phillips serves as the team leader for Civil Affairs Team 11, Company B, 422nd Civil Affairs Battalion, 360th Airborne Civil Affairs Brigade, and is currently...

There's a time for destruction and there's a time for rebuilding. For decades the regime of Saddam Hussein ignored basic infrastructure in the country, and much of what existed when his government fell to U.S.-led coalition forces succumbed in the insurgent battles that followed. In Khatoon al-Yarmook, long one of the most impoverished neighborhoods in the city of Baquba, that meant to its sole symbol of stability and hope -- its elementary school. Al-Tabrea's cement walls and floors hadn't seen a can of paint for years when Saddam fell, and its septic tank had long ceased functioning. Battles last year...

U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Andre Bundick, a Painter, Va., native with Troop A, 4th Squadron 9th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, hands out candy to eager kids in Baghdad's Karkh District. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Alexis Harrison, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs. BAGHDAD — Keeping the balance between being a force to be reckoned with and being a symbol of peace and prosperity can be a difficult task. For many of today's Soldiers in Iraq, it's not part of the game, it is the game. Soldiers from Troop A, 4th...

FORWARD OPERATING BASE RUSTAMAYAH — Before she deployed, Spc. Diana Sokol used to listen to Soldiers tell stories about how Iraqi children asked them for soccer balls and other items. She would see photos of kids in the city with virtually nothing but the clothes on their back and always knew she would take action once deployed. So when the medic from Plano, Texas, and member of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Combined Arms Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, attached to the 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, based out of Fort Benning, Ga., arrived here, she started her goodwill mission. Sokol’s...

Van Nuys, Calif. — Carolyn Blashek is constantly sending her gratitude to the men and women serving in the military overseas. Blashek founded Operation Gratitude after she tried to join the military, but was told she was too old. Her goal: to show people in the service that they have not been forgotten back home by sending personal care packages directly to members of the United States armed services all over the world. The care packages include a variety of items from sunscreen to socks, candy to toothpaste. But, you may be surprised to know what the most important item...

WASHINGTON, March 6, 2007 – The hospital ship USNS Comfort will provide health care to disadvantaged citizens at several Latin American and Caribbean ports of call this summer, President Bush announced here yesterday. President Bush is dispatching the hospital ship USNS Comfort on a mission of goodwill to Caribbean and Latin American countries. In this file photo, the Comfort pulls into Naval Station Mayport, Fla., on Sept. 5, 2005, to take on supplies in support of Hurricane Katrina relief operations. U.S. Navy photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. “The United States military is a symbol of strength for...

TEHRAN, Iran - A powerful leading rival of Iran's hard-line president said Wednesday that Tehran will "remove obstacles" blocking negotiations with the United States if Washington shows good will. President Bush dismissed the possibility of talks. Former Iranian President Hashemi Rafsanjani, a high-ranking cleric, has no formal foreign policy portfolio but holds seats on two of Iran's most important government bodies. Seen as one of the country's most influential figures, Rafsanjani in recent weeks has become an increasingly high-profile public advocate of a more conciliatory stance towards the U.S. and its allies in the dispute over Tehran's nuclear program. "Any...

Provincial Reconstruction Teams help distribute humanitarian supplies. BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, Feb. 7, 2007 — Units and Provincial Reconstruction Teams in eastern Afghanistan conducted humanitarian missions throughout the region. The Khost PRT worked with the Afghan Border Patrol to distribute hygiene kits, soccer balls and clothing to village elders from Tughu village. The Sharana PRT and sub-governor participated in a humanitarian assistance mission in Barlake Village. Food, clothes, first-aid kits and school bags were passed out. Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment conducted a joint medical civic action program in conjunction with a shura in Giro District, Ghazni Province. The...

Sgt. 1st Class Andrew Smith talks with a group of Iraqi army soldiers through an interpreter at a checkpoint near Balad during a sphere of influence meeting. The sphere of influence meetings are intended for meeting key military leaders in the area and gathering information on the type of training the Iraqi soldiers have received. U.S. Army courtesy photo Soldiers Surprise Iraqi Troops With Goodwill Visit U.S. soldiers meet with the Iraqi soldiers in the first stage of a new plan for training. By Spc. Amanda Morrissey 5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment BALAD, Iraq, Jan. 17, 2007 -- Iraqi...

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said North Korea should not be driven into a corner if the world wants to rein in its nuclear weapons programme. He said some negotiators "failed to find the right tone" with the country. He was speaking in a live TV phone-in with Russians nationwide, broadcast on TV and radio. He said he would not try to run for office again when his term ends in 2008, but said he would try to continue to influence political affairs. On North Korea, Mr Putin said a solution could be found "with goodwill". "You must never push...

An Iraqi police officer fixes his equipment after trying on their new bullet-proof vest for the first time. Department of Defense photo by Army Sgt. Kevin McSwain. BAQUBAH -- Iraqi Police now have more protection thanks to the recent donation of 2,000 protective vests by a U.S. nonprofit.The vests, presented during an Aug. 15 ceremony in Baqubah, were shipped overseas free of charge and delivered by the U.S. Army to the Iraqi National Police.  One e-mail between an Army officer deployed in Iraq and the nonprofit group Brotherhood of the Badge paved the way for the donation. “When I received...

BERLIN. -- A cold dampness hovers over the streets and the skies turn bleak and dark early in the afternoon. Nevertheless, 'tis the season to be jolly. More than 50 Christmas markets celebrate the season, and none is as unusual as the one here at 14 Lindenstrasse, behind the provocative new Jewish Museum, lighted by a huge Channukah Menorah and traditional Christmas decorations celebrating an exhibition entitled "Chrismukkah." Christians and Jews gather to share a warm glass of Gluhwein, the seasonal spicy red wine, to warm the hands and lift the spirit, and to nibble a potato latke or a...

- PORTLAND, Ore. - Oregon's attorney general's office says an audit shows the president of Portland's Goodwill made an "unreasonable" amount of money in 2004. Michael Miller earned more than $830,000 in pay and benefits last year. This makes him the highest-paid executive at Oregon's social service nonprofits. The audit was obtained yesterday by a Portland newspaper. Miller also made more than executives at the other 172 Goodwill branches in North America. Goodwill's chairman of the board says Miller, who has been president of the charity for 20 years, has agreed to accept a 24 percent cut in his salary...

I see Americans helping Americans. I hear stories and see photos that inspire me! I thank God I live in America.Brett Coomer / Chronicle A paramedic carries a pair of girls away from an Army helicopter after they were airlifted from their flooded home in New Orleans on Tuesday. More Chronicle PHOTOSI just listened to the local D.C. radio news and they played a woman screaming about no showers in the Astrodome. No this, no that, no nothing (I hear different). Then they quoted Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich making snide remarks about the progress of relief efforts. Melissa Phillip...

STATELINE, Idaho (AP) - Well-wishers arrived on more than 500 Harley-Davidsons and other motorcycles to empty their pockets on behalf of the biker's daughter who survived a horrific abduction. About 1,000 people attended the six-hour benefit Sunday to aid Shasta Kay Groene, 8. Cash poured into a box at the front door of Cruiser's bar and grill, a biker hangout in this town just east of the Washington state line. Total receipts were not announced. ''I watched one guy walk up, open his wallet and dump everything but $5 into the box,'' said Prospect Bryce, who guarded the donation box...

NASHUA - After the applause had subsided and as students began heading back to their classrooms, Master Sgt. Edward Mullin, dressed in his camouflage, hopped into his ’93 Ford pickup. The moment of truth arrived as he turned the key. The engine revved and, without a hitch, the truck started. Mullin backed out of the garage at Nashua High School North’s auto shop and drove home to his wife, Trisha. “It starts up - that’s a plus,” joked Ryan Lones, a junior enrolled in the school’s automotive technology course and one of the students who worked on the vehicle, a...

Police are investigating the fatal shooting of a west Houston Goodwill store employee in an apparent robbery that sent another worker to the hospital Monday night. The victim, a man in his 50s, was shot to death about 8:15 p.m. inside the store in the 2700 block of S. Highway 6, investigators said. The victim was found dead in the back of the store near an open and empty safe. Another employee, a pregnant woman, was taken to a hospital for observation but had no obvious injuries, police said.

NANTUCKET, Mass. - Forget the economy, it may just be the personality, stupid. Swing voters do not like Sen. John Kerry much, one recent poll suggests, and that is just the latest survey pointing to a stubborn ``personality gap'' he suffers compared with President Bush. Some political analysts believe simple likability is the Democratic nominee's greatest challenge as the presidential campaign enters its two-month stretch run. This phenomenon persists even though virtually every poll shows that a solid majority disapproves of Bush's handling of the Iraq war and the economy. Most voters also believe the country is headed in the...

In search of a recipe for Peace on Earth ..A Daunting Task for a simple Chef..These are very unique times in our history as well as our personal lives. This holiday season is so special because we find ourselves once again focused on events in the some of the most sacred and holy places in human history. The news of the day finds monumental activity in the Middle east, Africa, Europe, Asia, the Americas and the Orient. Names and places, cities and towns in and around the milestones and birthplaces of the most important and holy of our bedrock religions...

<p>WASHINGTON -- For 15 years, Khurmal was a silent town. The Islamic Group of Kurdistan, an Islamist organization that controlled the town and others in northern Iraq near the Iran border, had forbidden people from playing or listening to music.</p>

Great Neck Teens Give Iraq Boy Life Donations helped pay for operation for 10-month-old with hole in heart By Jeremy Boren STAFF WRITER August 5, 2003 Only a month ago in Iraq, Latifa Hussein was desperately trying to help her 10-month-old son, Karam, who needed open-heart surgery. Today, in New Hyde Park, she checks on Karam every few minutes - displaying the mixed emotions of a mother worried but relieved.

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- They were Saddam Hussein's heroes, the veterans disabled in his wars in Iran and Kuwait. He gave them medical care, housing in a tree-lined enclave at the edge of the capital, and cash bonuses on patriotic holidays. Now, as they roll their wheelchairs -- with makeshift cushions and cracking rubber tires -- to visit each other, they can muster an ironic laugh at how war has been foisted upon them again. Life in the Al-Thurra disabled veterans neighborhood -- established in the 1980s -- has been tough this year. The community was overtaken by Iraqi troops when...

Where once a cavernous warehouse hummed with conveyor belts moving tens of thousands of donated items, and where a busy thrift store operated, there is now silence...