Free Republic

Attorney general says huge sum in Najib Razak’s personal bank account was donation from Saudi royal family and not linked to troubled state fund 1MDB Malaysia's attorney general said on Tuesday that $681m transferred into prime minister Najib Razak's personal bank account was a gift from the royal family in Saudi Arabia, and there were no criminal offences or corruption involved. Scandal-hit Malaysian PM Najib Razak says conscience is 'absolutely clear' Read more The involvement of the Saudi royal family is an unexpected twist in a scandal over the mysterious funds transfer and the troubles of indebted state fund 1Malaysia...

The Truer Gift at Christmas – As Seen in a Commercial Msgr. Charles Pope • November 27, 2015 • There is an old saying that the greatest things in life aren't things. Our greatest gifts are those we love, beginning with God and extending to one another.One of the great dangers at Christmastime (and with life in general) is that we maximize the minimum and minimize the maximum, or, as Jesus puts it, we strain out gnats and swallow camels (Matt 23:24). He said this about the religiously observant of His day, who meticulously followed small, technical rules about cleanliness...

Almost everyone has heard the phrase, "a gift that keeps on giving"; a reference to a charitable undertaking that encourages beneficiaries in the direction of self-reliance & personal responsibility. Such a gift is likely to involve recognition of important aspects of human nature--a concept or concepts that encourage individuals to identify & employ actual talents--that inspire beneficiaries to solve real problems, rather than look to others to solve those problems for them.

All is Calm, All is Bright…Really? Maybe This Video Will Help By: Msgr. Charles PopeThe video below was produced by the Archdiocese of Washington for our “Find the Perfect Gift” Christmas outreach. It is an attempt to refocus Catholics and non-Catholics on the truest and most perfect gift of Christmas, Jesus Christ. It also invites each of us to give the perfect gift, the gift of our very self to God and to one another.The video illustrates well a problem that we can all have at Christmas: hectic, hurried lives, made even busier by “holiday” requirements and traditions. These traditions,...

One month after the State Ethics Commission ruled that sex between lobbyists and government officials doesn’t constitute a gift, a bipartisan group of N.C. House members filed legislation Tuesday to make it clear that sexual and romantic relationships are indeed a conflict of interest. House Bill 252 would require legislators and other government officials to recuse themselves if they’re in a “current dating relationship or current sexual relationship” with a lobbyist who stands to benefit from the issue at hand. While the legislation doesn’t offer a definition of a “current sexual relationship,” it does provide one for a “current dating...

Rebekah filmed herself opening the package, in which she found a handwritten note from Swift. “I was thinking about you today, and how you have been there cheering me on in the most thoughtful and creative ways,” Swift wrote to Rebekah, mentioning a video and other posts Rebekah made. Swift continued, “I got out my paints for the first time in a while today and made you something. I really, really, really hope you like it. I’m not a good painter, but you’re so beautiful and positive, even though you’re dealing with the stress life brings, so I wanted to...

WALTHAM, Mass. - A suburban Boston man is accused of killing his wife during an argument over a Christmas gift, reports CBS Boston. Julio Resto, 51, pleaded not guilty to murder and other charges in Waltham District Court Wednesday afternoon in the death of his wife, 42-year-old Gloria Resto. He was ordered held without bail. Police say Resto first tried to strangle his wife and then stabbed her with a kitchen knife in their apartment in Waltham early Wednesday morning. Julio told police his wife was upset with him because he did not buy her a Christmas gift, reports the...

**SNIP** But it could be difficult to make the most of a 2km range without infringing civil aviation regulations, which require UAS pilots to stay within eyesight of their drone, and use of the camera could infringe the privacy of passersby. The Civil Aviation Authority has issued guidance to help drone operators understand airspace regulations. Technically, drone operators must request permission from the CAA if they plan to fly a camera-equipped aircraft within congested areas, or within 50 metres of people or properties that are not under their control. They must also remain in “visual line of sight” of their...

A group of dads in the Dallas area say they wouldn’t trade Nathaniel Kendrick, better known as “Mr. Kent,” for the world. The kindhearted crossing guard who watched over their kids at school for more than a decade, Kendrick recently retired from the Lakewood Elementary School, according to WFAA-TV. But his family has fallen on hard times as his wife’s health suffers. Amid their rising expenses, his car was repossessed. “My mother told me long before she passed, ‘Take care of your wife.’ So I try my best,” Kendrick said.

COKATO, Minn. (KMSP) - Losing a child at birth is a difficult loss on many levels, especially when it leaves a prepared nursery empty as a reminder -- but one grieving Cokato mother got an emotional surprise when her son's crib was re-purposed. For most of Valarie Watt's pregnancy, her son, Noah, was developing just fine. That all changed in the final few days. "All week, I knew," Watts reflected. "He wasn't moving as much. I was very nervous." His umbilical cord had become pinched in the womb, and Noah was stillborn last July. Even so, she wasn't ready to...

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin said even the biased mainstream media cannot justify the ultimate gift that President Barack Obama gave to authoritarian regimes and dictators around the world when he relinquished America's control of the Internet last Friday. Palin said that this "is nothing more than a gift to authoritarian regimes who seek to stifle the freedom the internet gives to voices around the world fighting for basic human rights. No amount of Obama/liberal media spin can justify this." "Evidently relinquishing America's control of the internet via our Icann control of domain names was what Obama meant when he...

People hoping to gain health insurance through the new health care law by Jan. 1 now have an extra 24 hours to enroll, due to a quiet move by the Obama administration. Government officials and contractors tweaked some software to make sure that anyone who enrolled by 11:59 p.m. on Christmas Eve still would still obtain coverage by the dawn of the new year, and insisted the deadline — at least on paper — is still today. “We recognize that many have chosen to make their final decisions on today’s deadline and we are committed to making sure they can...

FAITH IS A GIFT OF GOD Fall flat before Christ, cast yourself upon him and rest upon him completely. He can support you for ever. Faith looks to Jesus Christ as he is indeed the Son of God, as he is indeed perfect, sinless, and true man. by Geoff Thomas By this phrase "faith in Jesus Christ" we are referring to a saving grace, whereby sinners receive and rest upon Christ alone for salvation, as he is offered to us in the gospel, and we are affirming that that faith is a gift of God. We are talking about a...

As advertised, Hassan Rouhani was the star of the week at the Great UN Circus. He knew it, and he treated his American hosts with arrogance and contempt, and was duly hailed as a peace-seeker. He spent hours and hours with diplomats (just not American ones), journalists, academic apologists such as Gary Sick, and anti-American rabble rousers like Louis Farrakhan, but he didn’t have time for President Obama. No matter. When the Iranians told the White House that Rouhani could squeeze in a few words on the phone, Obama eagerly called him up, thereby giving the journalists and apologists the...

Foreign diplomacy doesn’t always resolve world-class problems, but it sure does rake in the swag. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was given a half-million bucks worth of diamond and ruby jewelry by Saudi Arabian King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz and received $58,000 worth of bling from Brunei. The lavish gifts were among a treasure trove of keepsakes bestowed upon U.S. leaders in 2012, the State Department disclosed Thursday. ... Meanwhile, Vice President Joe Biden got a bare-breasted female bust from Liberia. The Constitution prohibits U.S. government employees from keeping presents worth more than $350. But officials at the U.S....

Kevin Durant Gives $1 Million To The Red Cross For Oklahoma Tornado Relief Tony Manfred May 21, 2013, 12:38 PM Oklahoma City Thunder player Kevin Durant is donating $1 million to the Red Cross for tornado relief, Royce Young of Daily Thunder reports. Moore, Oklahoma — which was hardest hit by the storm — is about 11 miles south of Oklahoma City. Durant made ~$17 million in salary this season. He has been the face of the franchise and the city since the Thunder moved there in 2008. He sticks around town in the offseason, and even played flag football...

The Democratic National Committee banned dozens of Charlotte churches from distributing gift baskets to delegates because the congregations hold values that are contrary to the party platform, according to local religious leaders. “They told us our views on women’s rights are contrary to the Democratic party platform,” said David Benham, the lead organizer of the Charlotte714 religious movement. Charlotte714 is a group of more than 100 churches across the region that mobilized to pray for the Democratic National Convention. More than 9,000 people gathered last Sunday for a time of worship and prayer in advance of the convention.

Glory to GOD

The above coin, which I photographed in its plastic container, was sent to me by my daughter who works in Saudi Arabia. She says that this is what Saudis give to each other as gifts. I know some Freepers have lived and worked in Saudi Arabia and may know more about this coin. I believe the inscription says "There is but one God and Allah is his name"