Free Republic

A mushrooming political battle over ObamaCare involving the White House, two incumbent Pennsylvania congressmen, three Catholic hospitals and a nun has just exploded in, of all places, Scranton, Pennsylvania. Charges from the Scranton medical community of intimidation by the Obama White House and its allies are filling the air. All of this just as Vice President Joe Biden arrives in Scranton today to raise money for one of the participants.

KABUL, Afghanistan, June 3, 2010 – Uruzgan province officials recently opened an Afghan National Police substation near Golkhaneh village to provide the population a tangible symbol of government near the Tangi valley, an area of insurgent activity. The substation, a permanent police post with a vantage point over the provincial capital of Tarin Kowt, has facilities for 40 policemen. It is the fourth of 10 planned police substations which contribute to the increasing professionalism of the Afghan National Police and the building of greater trust between residents and the Afghan government in this southern province, according to Dutch Brigadier Kees...

BAGHDAD — The exchange of information between medical professionals is commonplace throughout the world. But after years of conflict and instability, many doctors here are out of the information loop. To help Iraqi doctors catch up on some of the latest medical information, U.S. Soldiers from the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, organized an alliance between U.S. military doctors and local Iraqi hospitals. "Our goal is to meet with the hospitals monthly," explained Capt. Gabriela Niess, a native of Davis, Calif., the brigade's medical planner. Currently the brigade meets with two hospitals, one in Abu Ghraib and...

Iraqi medic Saif Salim Hassan (center), 17th IA Division, locates the area to stick a needle for a collapsed lung during Basic Combat Lifesaving training at Joint Security Station Knight, July 29. Photo by Spc. Ruth McClary, 30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team. BAGHDAD — Two U.S. Army medics from the 150th Armored Reconnaissance Squadron taught Iraqi Army medics Basic Combat Lifesaving skills here, July 29. This was the third class in a series of eight in which squadron medics Sgt. Jim Slaughter and Sgt. Edward Woolwine teach medical skills to their Iraqi partners, then return in two weeks to observe...

Neuroscientists found woman's partner status relevant for her interest in the opposite sex A study by neuroscientist Heather Rupp and her team found that a woman's partner status influenced her interest in the opposite sex. In the study¹, published in the March issue of Human Nature, women both with and without sexual partners showed little difference in their subjective ratings of photos of men when considering such measures as masculinity and attractiveness. However, the women who did not have sexual partners spent more time evaluating photos of men, demonstrating a greater interest in the photos. No such difference was found...

(2009-05-26) — Calling it “the right thing to do” Secretary of State Hillary Clinton today announced that the State Department would soon grant the same benefits to spouses and domestic partners as well as to those with whom U.S. diplomats conduct extra-marital affairs. “Same sex or opposite sex, married or not, faithful or cheating — any time people come together intimately, taxpayers are morally obligated to take care of their every need,” said Secretary Clinton. “History has shown that some couples in adulterous affairs are more devoted to each other than they are to the ones with whom they share...

A Massachusetts man and his climbing partner from Vermont were "incredibly fortunate," officials said, to survive with only minor injuries after they were caught in an avalanche and tumbled 800 feet down a slope at New Hampshire's Mount Washington last weekend. Daniel Zucker, 46, of Danville, Vt., said he and Tim Finocchio of Holbrook were nearing the top of the Dodge's Drop area at Tuckerman Ravine at about 12:30 p.m. Saturday when the snow gave way. He described a terrifying plunge down the slope in which he wondered if he would survive. "There's this roaring sound that's constant, and you're...

WASHINGTON (AFP) – President Barack Obama vowed Monday to work with US allies to "halt the rise of piracy" off Somalia's coast, as the Pentagon warned there was no purely military solution to the seaborne scourge. ... "I want to be very clear that we are resolved to halt the rise of piracy in that region," Obama said at an event designed to highlight investments in transportation infrastructure. "To achieve that goal, we're going to have to continue to work with our partners to prevent future attacks, we have to continue to be prepared to confront them when they arise...

U.S. Soldiers assist Iraqi Soldiers in installing overhead gunner protection to a vehicle. Photo courtesy of the 555th Engineer Brigade. BAGHDAD — The 14th Engineer Battalion, 555th Engineer Brigade began a partnership with the 10th Iraqi Army (IA) Field Engineer Regiment (FER) in southern Iraq only a few short months ago. Since the partnership began, great strides have been made in assisting the IA in becoming a self-sustaining force. The cornerstone of this has been the Logistical Training and Assistance Team (LTAT) which has been recently added to the battalion’s advisory mission in support of IA engineer units.The LTAT’s primary...

CAMP ECHO, Iraq, Oct. 21, 2008 – Iraqi soldiers and police and U.S. soldiers who live and work together at the Joint Security Station in Diwaniya, Iraq, are dedicated to one goal: a self-sustaining and independently secure Iraq. Army Staff Sergeant Kelley Martin, left, a tank commander with the 4th Infantry Division’s Company C, 2nd Combined Arms Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, walks through a date palm grove with an Iraqi police officer during a patrol in Diwaniya, Iraq, Oct. 14, 2008. Courtesy photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. In the short time since the...

Do Attractive Women Want It All? ScienceDaily (Mar. 24, 2008) — Although many researchers have believed women choose partners based on the kind of relationship they are seeking, a new study from The University of Texas at Austin reveals women's preferences can be influenced by their own attractiveness. David Buss, psychology researcher at the university, has published the findings in "Attractive Women Want it All: Good Genes, Economic Investment, Parenting Proclivities and Emotional Commitment" in this month's Evolutionary Psychology. Previous researchers argued that what women value depended on the type of relationship they were looking for. Women looking for long-term...

MOSUL — Piles of concrete rubble, rows of rusted vehicles, busted water lines and local snipers are just a few of the obstacles U.S. and Iraqi Soldiers are overcoming to build a combat outpost in one of Mosul’s most dangerous neighborhoods. U.S. Army Soldiers from Killer Troop, 3rd Squadron, 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment, based out of Ft. Hood, Texas, and members of the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 2nd Iraqi Army (IA) Division teamed up Jan. 19 with the U.S. Army’s 43rd Combat Engineer Company and 77th Engineer Company to build Combat Outpost Killer, also known as COP “Rabiya,” which means...

Girly men are perfect partners, say women By Aislinn Simpson Last Updated: 1:56am BST 08/08/2007 Women searching for the perfect partner avoid macho men in favour of feminine-looking types whom they see as more committed and better parents, research has found. Jools Oliver with husband Jamie Men with masculine features, such as a square jaw, larger nose or smaller eyes were perceived to be less faithful, more detached and worse fathers. Those with fuller lips and wide eyes were seen as being more caring, nurturing and less likely to stray. Psychologists from Durham and St Andrews Universities asked more than...

TIRANA, Albania, Sept. 26, 2006 – Albanian soldiers will remain in Iraq until the job is done, the country’s defense minister promised Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld here today. With plans to thank Albanian leaders for their support in the global war on terror and to meet with defense ministers from southeastern European nations, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld arrived here this afternoon after a brief visit to Montenegro. “Let me declare here, Mr. Secretary, that the Albanian armed forces will stay on the side of the American armed forces in Iraq until the mission will be over,” Albanian Defense...

SIERRA VISTA — A large panther is now part of Fort Huachuca’s protecting force, courtesy of the city of Sierra Vista. Mayor Tom Hessler turned keys to a nearly $800,000, 78,900-pound fire-fighting monster over to Garrison Commander Col. Jonathan Hunter at a short Friday ceremony at the Pete Castro Maintenance Facility. The water, foam- and halotron-capable vehicle was constructed by the world’s largest fire truck company, Rosenbauer of Wyoming, Minn. The truck, which is designed to fight aircraft blazes, incorporates state-of-the-art technology, said Marty Huffman, the company’s Aircraft Rescue Fire Fighting program manager, who lives in Sierra Vista. Fort Huachuca...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 22, 2006 -- The United States and Pakistan are partners in the hunt for Osama bin Laden and in fighting extremists and terrorists in the region around Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan, the U.S. and Pakistani presidents said in a White House news conference today. “We're on the hunt together,” President Bush said following a meeting with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf. “It's in the president's interest that al Qaeda be brought to justice. And it's in our interests. And we collaborate, and we strategize, and we talk a lot about how best to do this.” Musharraf disputed media...

Proposed Doctrine for the Network. Can it be improved? YES, very much so. The Common Cause Partners of the Anglican Communion Network are being asked to adopt the doctrinal statement printed below at its meeting at the beginning of August 2006. “Proposed Theological Statement of the Common Cause Partners We, the representatives of the Common Cause Partners, do declare we believe the following affirmations and commentary to contain the chief elements of Anglican Reformed Catholicism, and to be essential for membership. 1) We receive the Canonical Books of the Old and New Testaments of the Holy Scripture as the inspired...

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, July 13, 2006) – The Department of the Army advanced on its goal to prevent encroachment by establishing a new partnership between the Army Compatible Use Buffer Program and Ducks Unlimited July 7. The partnership allows Ducks Unlimited – an organization committed to the conservation, restoration and management of wetlands and associated habitats for North American waterfowl – to work with the Army to identify opportunities for wetland creation and management near installations participating in the ACUB program, said Chad Henry, director of training for the Training Lands Office. “It gives the troops more area to...

ROSEDALE, Md., May 26, 2006 – Grassroots and corporate supporters came together May 24 at the home of Army Sgt. 1st Class Juanita Wilson here to honor and support her as she continues serving her country. This is the fourth home repair project taken on by "Serving Those Who Serve," which was started in September by "Rebuilding Together," the nation's largest volunteer homebuilding organization, and backed by Countrywide Financial Corp. "I'm very, very grateful for everything that you guys have done, the things you are doing, and the things that you will continue to do for the soldiers that...

RIGA, Latvia, May 4, 2006 – Special forces operators from the U.S., Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland and Norway concluded exercise Shamrock Key 2006 here April 27. The annual two-week exercise provided an opportunity for European-based NATO special operations forces to train together with local forces in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. The training consisted of a series of joint military exercises conducted among theater security cooperation partners in the Baltic region of Europe. "The U.S. military is here to train with the armed forces of Latvia, Norway, Poland, Lithuania, and Estonia, to strengthen our interoperability and our mutual ability to protect...