Free Republic

An anonymous woman in California turned the unthinkable into the unforgettable last month when, instead of cutting a cake and tossing a bouquet, she donated her wedding reception to charity. "I was incredibly touched that a bride, facing an extremely stressful and difficult situation, was willing to look past her own pain and consider how to use the significant financial deposit for the wedding to bring joy to others," Maria Daane, executive director of Parents Helping Parents (PHP), the San Jose-based organization that received the donation, told Fox News Digital. **SNIP** But the venue and other rentals — totaling around...

Several family members of US citizens believed to have been taken hostage by Hamas had asked to attend a Hanukkah reception at the White House Monday night but never received invitations, the father of a 19-year-old missing Israeli American told CNN. Ruby Chen, whose son Itay is a reservist missing since the militant group’s October 7 attacks on Israel, said a number of the families of American hostages were in Washington, DC, this week, and had reached out to the White House asking to attend the reception but were not invited. ... There are still seven American men and one...

Objective General practice receptionists provide an essential function in the healthcare system but routinely encounter acts of incivility and aggression from patients, including hostility, abuse and violence. This study was conducted to summarise what is known about patient-initiated aggression towards general practice receptionists, including impacts on reception staff and existing mitigation strategies. Design Systematic review with convergent integrated synthesis. Eligibility criteria Studies published at any time in English that examine patient aggression experiences of reception staff in primary care settings. Information sources Searches of five major databases were performed (CINAHL Complete, Scopus, PubMed, Healthcare Administration Database and Google Scholar) to...

Is there an inexpensive way to determine if poor over-the-air TV reception is due to weak signal strength vs. multipath reflections? I am trying to troubleshoot a problem with degraded OTA TV reception that has not responded to installing new cable and connectors. The antenna is fairly new and in good condition.

VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — Two Volusia County men whom deputies say severely beat a Lake Mary man at a wedding on Sept. 3, have been arrested. Deputies said Joel O’Grady, 38, and his son Julian Falkinburg, 21, both of Sanford, were arrested by Daytona Beach police late Friday night. According to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, O’Grady and Falkinburg were at a wedding reception in Lake Helen when they got into a fight with another man in a parking lot. Deputies said the pair struck the victim several times in the head and face until the victim became unresponsive. Investigators...

President Trump marked Hanukkah Thursday evening at a White House reception that included eight survivors of the Holocaust. In an East Room event, Mr. Trump recalled the fatal mass shooting at a synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in October, calling it a “sinister anti-Semitic attack.” “In the aftermath of that wicked assault, we reaffirmed our solemn duty to confront anti-Semitism everywhere it occurs,” the president said. “We must stamp out this vile hatred from the world.” The president then introduced eight Holocaust survivors, calling the era “history’s darkest hour.” He told the survivors that they inspire the world with their courage,...

A disgruntled bride-to-be has revealed she was forced to cancel her extravagant 'fairytale' wedding after her guests refused to pay $CAD 1,500 each to attend. The Canadian bride, who is known only as 'Susan', was due to tie the knot with her childhood sweetheart in a lavish $CAD 60,000 ($46,020) wedding. But the couple decided to call off the ceremony just four days before exchanging their vows after they struggled to foot the bill. Taking to Facebook to explain their decision, the furious mother-of-one blamed her family and friends for the breakdown of her relationship as she vented her frustration...

As I was driving my wife to her hair salon near the Air Force Academy, I noticed huge police presence all around the Academy. As I left her there, I was listening to Michael Savage, when they interrupted with news about the F-16 Thunderbird crash. The first announcer said that Obama was given only a warm reception for his graduation speech. Then I realized why my neighbor, a major at the Academy stayed home today! I was baffled as to why so many people were parked all over the hills and looking toward Falcon stadium with cameras. It finally dawned...

After experiencing numerous terror attacks on its roads in the past weeks – the most recent one on Sunday morning – officials of the Gush Etzion Regional Council were demanding full cellphone coverage on all roads, in order to enable victims of terror attacks and those threatened with violence to call for help, without having to search for a signal. Earlier Sunday, an Israeli man was stabbed by an Arab terrorist near the haredi community of Metzad in Gush Etzion. Security forces and Magen David Adom teams were immediately dispatched to the scene. The injured victim was taken to hospital...

"President Barack Obama drew the diplomatic line somewhere at the first ever U.S-Africa summit at the White House this week by not inviting Zimbabwe’s brutal dictator Robert Mugabe. But the guest list still included several other African leaders with only slightly better human rights records. The White House promoted the summit as the largest-ever gathering of African leaders in the United States, with more than 50 countries represented. The red carpet was rolled out for Equatorial Guinea's Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, who shot or jailed virtually all his political opponents, Gambia’s Yahya Jammeh, who threatened to ‘cut off the head’...

The fact there is no love lost between Attorney General Eric Holder and House Republicans was on clear display again Thursday afternoon at a stormy House appropriations panel hearing which culminated with the subcommittee´s chairman declaring he´d given up on Holder and his stewardship of the Justice Department. "Forget it. Forget it. Forget it. Forget it. Forget it," an exasperated Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.) declared after Holder refused to commit to a deadline to answer 91 questions Wolf had prepared. The lawmaker, who heads the House Appropriations subcommittee that oversees the Justice Department, said he planned to forego

GILBERT, Ariz. (AP) -- Police say a bride was arrested at her own wedding reception near Phoenix after she kicked a police officer. Police spokesman Hugh White said Monday that officers had to restrain 28-year-old Angela Davito around 9:30 p.m. Saturday after she became disorderly at the suburban Gilbert home where her reception was held.

On October 14, 2010, Accuracy in Academia will host a 25th anniversary reception at Ebenezer’s on Capitol Hill which will feature: * M. Stanton Evans, author of Blacklisted By History: The Untold Story of Senator Joe McCarthy and His Fight Against America’s Enemies; * Leslie Carbone, author of Slaying Leviathan: The Moral Case for Tax Reform; * Allie Duzett, author of How To Save America: A Tactical Guide For Practical Patriots; and * U. S. Senator Mike Enzi, R-Wyoming, has agreed to make an appearance if the congressional calendar permits. Ms. Carbone is a former executive director of AIA while...

For people who disagree with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's policy changes on homosexuality, these have been trying times. Yet we are told, "The ELCA took pains to not declare winners and losers. But to rather acknowledge that we were not of one mind as a church body around these issues. That we affirm and support people of conscience who have conflicting views over this." - ELCA Saint Paul Area Synod Bishop Peter Rogness The truth is the ELCA does not affirm or support your view if you believe what Scripture says about homosexuality. They call your view “sinful”...

* * * 2diggsdigg Last year's August recess was hardly a placid respite for Congressional Democrats. With the debate over health care reform nearing a boiling point, town-hall forums across the U.S. turned into scalding showdowns, with seething voters cramming into standing-room-only crowds to volley accusations at their representatives. As House members depart for the six-week summer recess beginning Monday, Republican leaders are hinting that Democrats may opt to dodge constituents rather than endure another round of overheated public events. "Soon, 'Recovery Summer' may well be known as the Democrats' 'Run for Cover Summer,'" National Republican Congressional Committee chairman Pete...

NEW YORK, N.Y. (AP) -- Britain's Prince Harry says the bonds between British and American military veterans are strong but can be even stronger. Harry spoke Friday on the flight deck of the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York City during a reception for U.S. and British veterans and their families. The third in line to the British throne said his country can learn from American advances in veterans' care and rehabilitation.....

“How Do We Receive It Worthily? The Reception of the Sacrament of the Altar”During this series on the Sacrament of the Altar, we’ve been following the outline Luther uses in his treatment of this part of the Small Catechism. And so we began by asking, “What is the Sacrament of the Altar?” And we said that the nature of the Sacrament is that 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.” Then in week two we asked, “What is...

Commanders-in-Chief: Compare and Contrast. Video at the link

VICTORIA, British Columbia (NNS) -- Guests from Victoria, British Columbia, as well as visiting Sailors from Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Calgary (FFH-335) were welcomed to a reception in the hangar bay of USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) Oct. 3. “The U.S. and Canadian Navies have had a long-standing tradition of mutual support and cooperation in the defense of our homelands,” said Capt. Patrick D. Hall, Lincoln’s commanding officer. “This relationship has sustained our two countries through exercises, military exchanges, and helped tremendously in humanitarian efforts and the preservation of peace and stability around the world.” Lincoln stopped in Victoria...

AUSTIN, Texas - Chanting "Try Rove for treason," Cindy Sheehan and more than 50 other war protesters disrupted a reception before President Bush's top adviser Karl Rove spoke at a fundraiser Saturday. One woman was arrested during a scuffle with police after Sheehan and the anti-war demonstrators rushed toward the closed doors and kept chanting loudly after the guests went into the dinner. Rove was speaking to the Associated Republicans of Texas, and ticket prices started at $200. He was not in the Renaissance Hotel lobby during the reception. "I want him arrested. He planned the war that killed my...