Free Republic

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Lonely? Feeling low? Try taking a walk -- down the aisle. Getting married enhances mental health, especially if you're depressed, according to a new U.S. study. The benefits of marriage for the depressed are particularly dramatic, a finding that surprised the professor-student team behind the study. "We actually found the opposite of what we expected," said Adrianne Frech, a PhD sociology student at Ohio State University who conducted the study with Kristi Williams, an assistant professor of sociology. They expected to find that one spouse's depression weighed too much on the marriage, but "just mattering to...

A state wage board deadlocked Friday on a recommendation to raise California's minimum wage to $9.78 per hour. The Wage Board, a 13-member body charged with determining an adequate wage to meet the high cost of living in California, also deadlocked on whether to bind wage increases to inflation. "As a member, I feel we have failed in our charge," said Angie Wei, legislative director for the California Labor Federation who proposed the $9.78 hourly rate -- a $3.03 increase from the current state minimum wage of $6.75 an hour. The Wage Board was set up by the state's Industrial...

New Vocational School and Textile Mill Boost Economy School offers training in masonry, carpentry and auto repair. By U.S. Army Sgt. Waine D. Haley 133rd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment TIKRIT, Iraq, July 18, 2006 -- The seeds of trade and industry are taking root and springing to life as Coalition Forces and Iraqi leaders dig in and try to bring new life to Iraq’s economy. Capt. Daniel Cederman, projects officer for the 402nd Civil Affairs Detachment, and Kadhin Nori Abid, Ph.D., expert in vocational education representing the government of Salah Ah Din province, are working together to build a...

WASHINGTON, July 5, 2006 – The new al Qaeda in Iraq leader is an explosives expert who could opt to increase insurgent attacks using car and truck bombs, a senior U.S. military officer said in Baghdad today. Army Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell, a spokesman for Multinational Force Iraq, told reporters that it would be prudent to expect a rise in attacks with such devices in light of Egyptian Abu Ayyub al-Masri's reputation. Masri's predecessor as the head of al Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, was killed June 7 during a U.S. aerial bombing raid. Caldwell said security is...

WASHINGTON, June 28, 2006 – Operation First Response, an organization dedicated to supporting the nation's wounded servicemembers and their families, got a little support of its own recently. The nonprofit group found itself on the receiving end of a $50,000 grant from the Military Order of the Purple Service Foundation in late May. Both organizations share a similar goal of helping veterans and wounded servicemembers, Dick Gallant, executive director of the foundation, said. "That's our only reason for being," he said. "If anybody doesn't have that reason, they shouldn't be in this field." The grant means a lot to...

Immigrant rights groups have a message for unsympathetic politicians around the country: Change your stand or risk getting voted out of office. A coalition of unions, Hispanic activists and religious groups is trying to convert the massive street protests of recent months into long-term political power by launching nationwide citizenship and voter registration drives Saturday in at least 19 states. The effort known as "Democracy Summer" aims to register a million new voters and convince many of the 8 million legal residents in this country to apply for citizenship. Such applications are already up nearly 20 percent over past year...

<p>SACRAMENTO – The Legislature is scheduled to vote tonight on a $131 billion state budget that contains a 10 percent boost in school funding after legislative leaders and the governor agreed on the sweeping plan yesterday.</p> <p>Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger not only gets much of what he wanted in the spending proposal, but as he runs for re-election he also might get a rare on-time budget, one that is in place before the new fiscal year begins Saturday.</p>

STOCKTON - Vice President Dick Cheney on Monday campaigned for two veteran California GOP congressman who find themselves facing unexpected primary challenges as Republicans are seeking to hold onto their majorities in Congress. Cheney spoke at a private luncheon in Sacramento for Rep. John Doolittle of Roseville and during a fundraising dinner in Stockton for Rep. Richard Pombo of Tracy. Pombo, an eight-term congressman, faces the more serious challenge in the June 6 primary election. Pete McCloskey, a 78-year-old war hero and former congressman, has challenged Pombo on his environmental record and by tapping into voter unrest. A moderate, he...

WASHINGTON, May 12, 2006 – "American Spirit," a new CD of patriotic songs from musical group Mannheim Steamroller will go on sale May 15 to July 31 to benefit America's servicemembers and their families. A portion of the proceeds will be donated directly to the Veterans of Foreign Wars "Unmet Needs," a military assistance program giving financial aid to military families in need. "We are excited about working with the VFW Foundation and military assistance program," said Chip Davis, the group's creator and main composer. "The donation is our way of thanking the men and women of the U.S....

A multibillion dollar tax windfall has eased the strain of California's perennial state budget debate and handed Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger a chance to buy off Democrat and Republican critics as he heads into his re-election campaign. Stock gains, home sales, business profits and taxes on rising gas prices are expected to bring in revenue at least $5 billion above forecasts from just two months ago. The money already has allowed the Schwarzenegger administration to pledge that it will give more to public education and appease the state's teachers union, which has been critical of the governor's spending. "It really helps...

WASHINGTON, May 10, 2006 – The police athletic leagues of Fort Pierce and Port St. Lucie, Fla., have teamed with America Supports You member organization "Cell Phones for Soldiers" to help servicemembers and their families stay connected. America Supports You members Brittany Bergquist (left) and her brother, Robbie, recently spent three days aboard the USS Cape St. George at sea. They were invited by Capt. James Yohe (center) as a thank you for providing a calling card to each person aboard the ship. Courtesy photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The PALs create and fund programs for youngsters...

The International Space Station (ISS) failed to reach a higher orbit Wednesday during a test of two long-dormant engines mounted near a Russian-built docking port. Russian ISS flight controllers hoped to test two engines along the aft end of the station's Zvezda service module during a 14-second burn planned for 3:49 p.m. EDT (1949 GMT), NASA officials said. The engines have not been fired since Zvezda docked at the ISS in July 2000, they added. "We were all set for it but the engines never fired," NASA spokesperson Rob Navias told SPACE.com. The two dormant Zvezda engines are located at...

MOSCOW (AFP) - A Russian region has restored a memorial to Josef Stalin in a bid to boost tourism, in the latest of a spate of new statues and busts of the former Soviet dictator. "The idea was launched by travel agents," Yevgeny Pashenko -- a deputy governor of the Krasnoyarsk region in south Siberia -- was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency. "It's a purely commercial project aimed to attract tourists in the region, without any political basis," he added Wednesday. The 400-square-metre memorial has a life-size statue of Stalin in the centre. It has been closed...

POMONA - A group running from coast to coast for immigrants' rights may have an extra skip in its step today after scoring a symbolic victory from Pomona city leaders Monday night. The City Council passed a resolution late Monday condemning a federal proposal for tough new immigration restrictions -- a decision made on the heels of a colorful morning rally staged by the runners on City Hall's steps. The vote followed nearly two hours of public comment, much of it in favor of the resolution. City council members, concerned about the resolution's language, however, proposed amending portions of it...

A Republican lawyer who works as legal counsel to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has filed an initiative that would raise the minimum wage--but also abolish the eight-hour day for overtime. Thomas Hiltachk filed the "Fair Pay Workplace Flexibility Act of 2006" with the Attorney General on Feb. 10. If it makes it to the ballot and is passed by voters, it would lift the state's minimum wage from the current $6.75 to $7.25 on July 1, 2007, and to $7.75 a year later. The initiative does not include automatic cost-of-living increases known as indexing. The initiative would also codify several rules...

YUBA CITY, Calif. (AP) - It's been almost two years since Kimberly Ward moved from North Carolina to California with her husband, yet finding a job that pays well enough to keep pace with the state's high cost of living continues to be a struggle. She's had several jobs that paid $9 an hour - well above the state's minimum wage of $6.75 an hour - but each was temporary. The sales jobs she has been seeking at a local mall in this suburb north of Sacramento aren't likely to pay much more than the minimum. "They should raise the...

WASHINGTON - After a series of reports warning of the growing economic threat from China and India, ``competitiveness'' has become the latest catch-word of Silicon Valley's high-tech industry. President Bush elevated the issue for the nation Tuesday, announcing a decadelong ``American Competitiveness Initiative'' that would pour $136 billion into scientific research and the promotion of math and science education. --snip-- High-tech leaders praised the proposal Tuesday night. ``I was heartened by the amount of time he spent talking about competitiveness,'' said Carl Guardino, head of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group. ``To hear him focus on math and science, especially in...

Bird flu battle gets $1.9 billion boost 18:22 18 January 2006 NewScientist.com news service Roxanne Khamsi The pledge comes from an international meeting in Beijing, China to secure funds for fighting the spread of avian influenza, which experts fear could turn into a human pandemic form. “The success of the Beijing meeting is a great step forward and has shown that the international community has understood how crucial it is to control avian influenza at source in birds,” says Bernard Vallat, director general of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) in Paris, France. The majority of the pledged money...

In an unusual campaign to hedge their political bets, a coalition of 11 leading environmental groups has quietly drafted a ballot measure asking California voters next year to approve the largest parks and water bond in state history. The proposed measure, now awaiting a title and summary from California Attorney General Bill Lockyer, would raise $5.4 billion to shore up aging levees in San Francisco Bay's delta, build new drinking water treatment plants, fund flood control, restore salmon runs and purchase new parklands from Monterey Bay to Lake Tahoe to inner-city Los Angeles. --snip-- ``We're hopeful the governor and the...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 28, 2005 – The Coalition to Salute America's Heroes has made the holidays brighter for 1,000 global war on terrorism veterans. The veterans received $500 gift checks that coalition founder and president Roger Chapin calls a small expression of the deep gratitude the coalition's supporters feel for the veterans' tremendous sacrifices. Each of the veterans receiving the checks is classified as being 30 percent or more disabled. "Given the terrible financial hardships so many disabled vets are facing, I only wish we could do more over this holiday season," Chapin said. American Legion members personally delivered some of...