HELMAND PROVINCE, Afghanistan - Matt Garst earned the nickname "The Unbreakable Marine" during the campaign to pacify the area around the town of Marja.
Garst, a corporal with 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, was leading a squad to establish a checkpoint in late June when he moved into an abandoned compound where his squad could set up an observation post.
That's when the world erupted in a shattering explosion.
"I knew I'd hit an [improvised explosive device]," Garst said.
Read More
Works of art are made to be seen by all, to travel across the world and across the ages. The universal nature of masterpieces precludes any one person owning them. They belong to everyone. The role of a museum is to preserve and maintain the works, to see that they are shared and circulated. To this end, the MusÉe d’Orsay has for many years organized ambitious projects.
Read More
The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and the Musée d’Orsay are proud to present the second installment of what has become one of the premier cultural events of the decade. Van Gogh, Gauguin, Cézanne and Beyond: Post-Impressionist Masterpieces from the Musée d’Orsay is the second of two consecutive exhibitions from the Orsay’s incomparable collection that are traveling to the de Young Museum in 2010.
Read More
A star local athlete who played football at DeMatha, led the Naval Academy to the 2004 lacrosse title game then became a member of the elite Navy SEALs, was among the nine U.S. military personnel killed in a helicopter crash while on a mission in southern Afghanistan.
Brendan Looney, 29, a 1999 graduate of DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville and 2004 Annapolis grad, was among those who died Tuesday in what the Pentagon believes to be an accidental crash in Zabul province.
Read More
Weeks away from an election that offers the GOP the real prospects of regaining the majority in Congress, House Republicans have written an agenda calling for tax cuts, a reduction in government spending and a repeal of the new health care law, among other initiatives they say would help jump-start the economy.
Republicans have named their agenda "A Pledge To America," a title reminiscent of the "Contract With America" drafted by the GOP before it won control of Congress in 1994.
Read More
Need a plumber to fix a sink at your rental property? Get ready to deal with the Internal Revenue Service.
A small-business bill poised to become law includes new tax reporting requirements for rental property owners and a second provision calling for steep increases in fines for any person or business who fails to furnish correct information to the IRS, such as 1099 forms for services and purchases.
Read More
Lindsay Lohan is finally getting her life back on track — and could her romance with Samantha Ronson be back on track too? A new report claims that now that the starlet has cleaned up her act via jail time and rehab, her former lover is ready to give her another chance.
“Lindsay and Sam started speaking as soon as Lindsay got out of rehab. They text constantly,” a pal of the “Machete” star told Life&Style magazine. “It turned into something more, and they’ve secretly hooked up.”
Read More
Mayor Adrian Fenty, who appeared to have it all when he swept into office four years ago -- the support of every precinct in the city and at 36, a seemingly bright political future ahead of him -- lost it all early Wednesday when he came up short against challenger D.C. Council Chairman Vince Gray.With 90 percent of precincts counted, Gray led Fenty 59,285 votes to 50,850. There are also still about 12,000 provisional ballots to be verified and tallied.
Read More
The Tea Party pulled off a stunning upset in the Delaware Republican Senate primary Tuesday night as marketing consultant Christine O'Donnell defeated establishment favorite and nine-term Rep. Mike Castle, bolstering the GOP's far-right faction but stripping the party of the advantage it held in the general election matchup.
A Tea Party underdog was also poised to win the GOP Senate race in New Hampshire, putting another November GOP victory in doubt.
Read More
Blood Centers of the Pacific issued a statement Friday saying there has been “an overwhelming response” from people wanting to give blood for those injured by the San Bruno fire, but asked donors to hold off until next week or later.
The center said that steady supplies of blood are being provided to local hospitals.
“It is essential that the blood currently being used be replenished in the coming weeks,” the center said.
Read More
URL: http://www.sfexaminer.com/archive/18/18?page=89&%3Bamp%3Bamp%3Bamp%3Bamp%3Bquicktabs_6=2&%3Bamp%3Bamp%3Bamp%3Bamp%3Bquicktabs_1=0&%3Bamp%3Bquicktabs_1=0&%3Bamp%3Bquicktabs_6=1&%3Bquicktabs_1=0&quicktabs_6=1
