Free Republic

WASHINGTON, Feb. 4, 2008 – Support by the boxful from a New York home-front group is keeping servicemembers’ spirits high as they serve overseas. “Being so far away from home, we want our daughter, son-in-law, and the 450 soldiers in their unit and other units to know that we love them, and think about them every day,” said Sylvester Henry, president of Adopt A Unit US. “Our objective is to provide the (servicemembers) with an abundance of support and comfort in order to encourage strength and optimism (while) bringing them as close to home as possible.” Helping servicemembers feel...

Halfway through the rainfall season, much of San Diego County is a bit drier than usual, but that could change by early next week. A series of storms expected to bring heavy rain to Northern California and much-needed snow to the Sierra should begin to hit the southern end of the state late tomorrow. By Monday, San Diego could be above its usual rainfall total for early January. That hasn't happened this late in the season since 2005. The storms, which forecasters say could bring 1 to 2 inches of rain to the county beaches and 4 to 5 inches...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 10, 2007 – Many deployed servicemembers have received a morale boost thanks to computers donated by a Michigan-based organization. “We are a group of volunteers (who) rebuild laptop computers and supply them to deployed units for (morale, welfare and recreation), education and entertainment,” said James R. Payne, a Vietnam veteran who’s president of JDS Computer Donations. The group accepts laptops, which it refurbishes and donates to nonprofit groups, public schools, and most recently, to deployed servicemembers. Nearly 500 of the refurbished machines already have been sent overseas to help servicemembers keep in touch with their loved ones...

New boost for planned canal between Red Sea and Dead Sea · Firms commissioned to study feasibility of link· 25-year project would ease region's water shortage Ian Black, Middle East editor Wednesday June 27, 2007 The Guardian (UK) Hopes of building a canal linking the Red Sea to the Dead Sea have been given a fresh boost with 11 firms commissioned to produce feasibility studies. Their work will be submitted to an Israeli-Jordanian-Palestinian committee looking at ways to implement the huge engineering scheme, which could take as long as 25 years to complete. As well as reviving the rapidly shrinking...

WASHINGTON, June 11, 2007 – Until every servicemember comes home, one dedicated group of volunteers will make sure they know they’re remembered. Students, teachers and their mascot show their support for America Supports You home-front group, Letters From Home. Letters From Home sends cards to servicemembers. Courtesy photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. “Our main effort is collecting cards of support for the troops,” Christine Jovenitti, founder of “Letters From Home,” said. “As they tell us, it’s like holding the hand of the person that wrote it.” To date, Letters From Home and its volunteers have “held the...

<p>A Harlem man has filed suit against the makers of the nutritional drink Boost, charging that the protein shake gave him the wrong kind of lift. Christopher Woods said that drinking cans of Boost Plus Nutritional Energy Drink left him with an erection that wouldn't go away. He said he had to undergo two medical procedures and as a result, he's now partially impotent. The case dates to June 2004, which is when he said his mother bought him a case of the protein drink in hopes he would bulk up. "It was supposed to be a health supplement," he said....... - and soon had a very visible side effect..."It was awful. It was painful. I would always wear jeans, but it was hard to go out, so I had to buy some sweatpants"</p>

WASHINGTON - A plan to increase fuel efficiency standards to an average of 35 miles per gallon by 2020 won approval from a Senate panel Tuesday in a vote closely watched by automakers and environmental groups. The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee approved the measure, which would raise the nationwide fleet fuel economy average by about 40 percent from current levels of 25 mpg for cars and trucks. The bill, approved on a voice vote, would also increase standards by 4 percent a year from 2020 through 2030. "This is not a perfect bill, but I think we have...

For most politicians, the hardest thing to do is to vote to give yourself a raise. Even suggesting the idea can be dangerous politically. Just ask county Supervisor Bill Horn. Horn proposed a nearly $29,000 increase to the supervisors' annual salaries in 2005 and infamously said, “Nobody who got elected took a vow of poverty. We're not Franciscans.” The proposal was quickly scuttled after much public outcry. Since then, supervisors quietly have amassed $22,248 in increases to their annual salary – boosting it to $137,318 – with no public outrage and scant media scrutiny. And they didn't have to say...

ARTESIA, N.M. - The U.S. Border Patrol's push to expand the number of agents on the lookout for illegal crossings has some current and former agents worried that the pressure will lead to corner cutting and will jeopardize public safety. Raising the Border Patrol's numbers from about 12,000 to 18,000 by the end of 2008 is a key element of President Bush's plan to improve security along the border, crossed by tens of thousands of illegal immigrants each year. The sprawling Border Patrol Academy here in southeastern New Mexico recently started launching two 50-student classes each week, compared to one...

Barack Obama has raised $25 million in funding for his 2008 US presidential campaign, almost matching that of Hillary Clinton, his high profile opponent for the Democratic nomination.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Monday promoted a $6 billion plan for increased water storage and protecting fresh water supplies, calling for two new dams and better management of the delta. "Our state's population is increasing rapidly. We also have earthquakes and major storms that could really destroy our levee system," the governor said, speaking against the backdrop of Friant Dam at Millerton Lake, in the Sierra foothills east of Fresno. Two-thirds of Californians depend on the Sierra Nevada snowmelt for drinking water while Central Valley growers use it to irrigate their fields. Schwarzenegger said the state's expected growth - to...

WASHINGTON, March 21, 2007 – When soldiers are wounded in combat, they are evacuated from the battlefield to medical centers with literally only the clothes on their backs -- and often those are cut during emergency treatment. When injured servicemembers get to a field hospital or are evacuated to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, they have no clothing or personal items. They have absolutely nothing. The Landstuhl Hospital Care Project reaches out to these wounded warriors by providing comfort and relief items to the medical center in Germany and to field hospitals in Afghanistan and Iraq. Fleece blankets...

DALLAS (Reuters) - The Texan economy would have been almost $18 billion poorer in the last fiscal year without illegal immigrants who added to state coffers but were a drain on local government, says a report by the state comptroller. The report -- billed as the first detailed look by a state at the impact of undocumented immigrants on its budget -- is likely to stir further debate on the emotional issue of illegal immigration in the United States. The Pew Hispanic Center estimates that the United States had 11.1 million undocumented immigrants in 2005. Of these it said Texas...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 1, 2006 -- The U.S. military is increasing the number of embedded trainers assisting Iraqi army and police units to become more proficient and independent, the senior U.S. military officer overseeing operations in northern Iraq said today. “We intend to enlarge the size of our mobile (Iraqi army) training teams and also our police training teams, and also the teams that we have working with the border security forces along the Syria and Iranian border,” Army Maj. Gen. Benjamin R. Mixon said during a briefing via satellite with Pentagon reporters. He said the Iraqi forces are allies....

CAMP HABBANIYAH, Iraq (Oct. 17, 2006) -- More than 1,500 Iraqi soldiers who were absent without leave returned to duty by reporting here between Sept. 20 and Oct. 1. Top Iraqi military officials approved the full reinstatement of the soldiers due to troop shortages throughout the Iraqi Army, said Col. Juan Ayala, senior advisor to the 1st Iraqi Army Division. “The fact that they came back on their own volition shows that they want to serve,” said Ayala. “It’s going to give this division a much needed influx of soldiers.” The Iraqi Army is a voluntary force but unlike American...

Iraqi Coast Guard Commordore Tariq Jabbar Hammodi and COL Gary Johnston cut the ribbon to officially open the Umm Qasr Iraqi Coast Guard Forward operating Base. PORT OF UMM QASR -- The Iraqi people recently received a new $3.26 million Forward Operating Base at the port of Umm Qasr, courtesy of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The base will aid Iraqis in securing waterways and creating stability.“Stability is something that Iraq is trying very hard to accomplish,” said Colonel Gary Johnston, Commander, USACE, Gulf Region South. “They won’t be able to do that unless they have all the elements...

Breast milk 'does not boost IQ' Breastfed babies tend to be brighter Breastfed babies are smarter because their mothers are clever in the first place, not because of any advantage of breastfeeding itself, a study suggests. Researchers found breastfeeding mothers tend to be more intelligent, more highly educated, and likely to provide a more stimulating home environment.However, they stressed that there were still many advantages to breastfeeding. The British Medical Journal study was carried out by the Medical Research Council and University of Edinburgh. Lead researcher Geoff Der said: "This question has been debated ever since a link between the...

Nutritional "Boost" Making Westerners Taller, Healthier, Expert Says Erica Lloyd for National Geographic News October 2, 2006 It's no secret that in the past few centuries people in Western nations have been getting taller and living longer. But now experts say that today's Westerners are the product of an accelerated spate of growth that is unique in human history. People in the developed world are taller and more robust than their great, great, great grandparents probably ever imagined. Robert Fogel, director of the Center for Population Economics at the University of Chicago, notes that Westerners are about 50 percent larger...

AMERIYAH — Iraqi police here recently gave their station a bit of a makeover. New office furniture, including desks, chairs, wall lockers and filing cabinets arrived courtesy of Marines from Regimental Combat Team 5 to help upgrade the Iraqi police station here Sept. 22. The supplies also included incubators and a medical waste incinerator going to a hospital in nearby Ferris. “We’ve been fighting to get them furniture here for a long time,” said Army 2nd Lt. Jill M. Glassenapp, a 23-year-old police transition team leader from Mauston, Wisconsin. “They’ve done such a good job on their own.” Glassenapp said...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 27, 2006 -- USA Cares recently received a $2.5 million grant to further its mission of assisting servicemembers and their families, organization officials said. “I can’t explain how happy we are about it. We’re just beyond thrilled,” Barbara Yaw, USA Cares’ director of communications, said. “We’re very blessed.” The grant came from the Iraq Afghanistan Deployment Impact Fund administered by the California Community Foundation. The foundation is a leading charitable organization in Los Angeles County, managing over $1 billion in assets. The California Community Foundation surprised the Radcliff, Ky., organization last year as well, Yaw said. “It...