When Money Talks: Financial Fears Today's Top Stressor
Karen Wright, Psychology Today

Financial worries are keeping Americans of all income levels up at night: In a survey conducted by the American Psychological Association money ranked as the top stressor for 8 out of 10 respondents. Almost half reported growing concern about the ability to provide for their families' basic needs. However, psychologists and economists alike say that much of this stress results not from actual material circumstances ...

Americans' shrinking retirement nest egg
(c) William Brown

The Modern Retirement Plan: Cross Your Fingers
Robyn Blumner

I come in contact with the failure of America's retirement system at my local supermarket. That's where a corps of elderly gentlemen bag my groceries. After the bags are piled in the cart, they ask me with slackened faces if I need help to the car. It's always a mildly awkward question. I am far more agile, and we both know it. Without fail this thought enters my mind: What went wrong for them?

Rethinking Retirement
Brian Kelly

The economic tsunami of the last year has greatly complicated the already tricky issue of retiring gracefully. If you're close to that age, you've got some scrambling to do -- near retirees probably took the biggest beating of anyone in the stock market meltdown. But even if you've got a long way to go, now's the time to revise your plans.

Saving Yourself When Out of Work, Out of Luck
Joyce Lain Kennedy

Americans are wading through a job market where seekers now outnumber published openings six to one -- a record ratio -- as 14.5 million unemployed people compete for 2.4 million jobs. News stories of middle-class families losing everything have become all too common. Many companies, nervous about growth prospects in the foreseeable future, are holding back on hiring. Are better times just around the corner?

The Case for Economic Irrelevance
Paul Greenberg

A recession may stunt more than material growth. It can also drain intellectual curiosity. For economic pressure can lead people to settle for what only seems to be security instead of following their dreams. Which can be a tragedy for both the individual and a society that depends on people reaching ever higher, rather than not settling for what only seems safe.

Norman Borlaug: The Man Who Changed Everything
Norman Borlaug (March 25, 1914 - September 12, 2009)

Norman Borlaug, a plainspoken Iowa farm boy who worked his way through the University of Minnesota during the Depression. His death at 95 came at the end of a life as rich as the bountiful fields he left across the world. To quote the citation that came with his Nobel Prize in 1970, "More than any other single person of this age, he has helped provide bread for a hungry world."

The Emerging Economic Order
(c) Jack Ohman

U.S., China and the Emerging Economic Order
Henry Kissinger

The assumption that the end of the recession will restore the familiar global economic system ignores the psychological and political upheaval that has taken place.

A vast tide of liquidity coupled with America's appetite for consumer goods had sent enormous amounts of dollars to China that, in turn, China lent back to us for still more buying.

 

Economy: Past Stormy Weather and What May Follow
Paul A. Samuelson

The Fed and the majority of the consensus forecasters fear that this expected recovery might be a weak one that does little to reduce Main Street's unemployment. And it may also imply that future private consumer and investment spending will continue to be anemic. That would mean that at the global level there might not be the replay of the old-time drama in which the American locomotive comes to the rescue of depressed economies.

 

The Default Power and American Declinism
Josef Joffe

The history of declinism shows that doom arrives in cycles, and what comes and goes, logically, does not a trend make. Today, as after past prophecies of imminent debility, the United States remains first on any scale of power that matters -- economic, military, diplomatic or cultural -- despite being embroiled in two wars and beset by the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.

 

Big Government Medicine
(c) Dick Locher

Big Government Medicine
Victor Davis Hanson

Big new taxes. Big new spending. Big new government. This seems to be the proposed cure for the Wall Street-inspired recession. The government now runs major banks and companies, and plans to take control of the American health-care system. And it aims to tax how energy in the United States is used to monitor carbon use.

 

Pitchfork Populists Play Press for Putzes -- Again
Mary Sanchez

The shame of the health care reform debate is not that citizens are coming unglued -- although some of them certainly are. It's that the media can't seem to get enough of the outbursts of a handful of vocal people at town hall meetings across the country. We seem to have lost our way, suckered into showing the footage over and over again, so that the protests are the story, period.

Frustrated Baby Boomers Alienated from the Political Debate
Mary Kate Cary

There's a big disconnect in politics right now. The older baby boomers, the ones in their 50s and 60s, are increasingly left out of the political discourse. That crowd is part of the biggest demographic segment of our population -- more than a quarter of our citizens. They're dismayed that their local newspaper -- if it still exists -- places more emphasis on obituaries and local real estate news. Any national news is buried somewhere far from the front page. They feel like they can't get issue-oriented policy news anymore and are ...

Iraq War -- What War
Victor Davis Hanson

The war in Iraq is scarcely in the news any longer, despite the fact that 141,000 American soldiers are still protecting the fragile Iraqi democracy, and 114, as of this writing, have been lost this year in that effort. But after the success of the surge, there are far fewer American fatalities each month

An Amazon Kindle for Every Student
Zach Miners

Forget better standards, merit pay for teachers, or rebuilding the crumbling infrastructure of America's aging schools. No, if we really want to fix the U.S. education system, we must start with Kindles. Thomas Z. Freedman, the primary author of the paper, writes that having a "Kindle in every backpack" (the title of the proposal) is not just an educational gimmick but could improve education quality and save money

Government Bailout
(c) Paul Tong

Opportunity Cost of the Bank Bailout
Arianna Huffington

The lopsided 'recovery.' Banks that received billions in taxpayer handouts now reporting massive profits and setting aside record amounts for executive bonuses, and the American people continuing to face 9.5 percent unemployment, 10,000 foreclosures a day and vital services being cut.

 

Iran at Crossroads of History
Will this Regime Fall Like Shah's
Abolhassan Bani-Sadr

Within six short weeks since the recent election, the government of the Islamic Republic has been publicly divided, delegitimized, challenged and weak. As a result, we can now draw some analytical parallels between the current regime and the pre-1979 monarchy, and between the two occasions of political unrest.

Working Together, Brazil, Russia, China and India Increase Leverage
Ian Bremmer

In 2003, a report authored by Goldman Sachs economists popularized the term BRICs -- Brazil, Russia, India and China -- to describe a whole new category of emerging-market powerhouse. The report argued that with sound political leadership and relative international stability, the BRIC economies would together outpace the original G6 industrialized nations in dollar terms by 2040 -- a fundamental shift in the global balance of power. Since then, these four countries have assumed ever-greater importance in the international investment community's collective imagination.

 

Obama's Great Race to Change America
(c) Matt Wuerker

Obama's Great Race to Change America
Victor Davis Hanson

Why does President Obama want to implement all at once radical changes in American foreign policy, environmental policy, education, health care and the tax code? The answer is easy: If he does not achieve these initiatives soon, he never will. Almost none of Obama's proposed policies any longer enjoy majority support among voters

Housing Crisis Conundrum:
Which America Do You Live In
Ilyce Glink

It almost feels as though there are two economies.

First, we have the so-called 'good news' from Wall Street, where the big financial companies are crowing about billion-dollar profits, paying $100 million bonuses, and repaying warrants. Then we have the Main Street economy, where people can't get lenders to call them back, where jobs continue to be lost, home values continue to fall, net worths shrink and foreclosures continue to rise.

Working to Improve the Economy
Kenneth T. Walsh Interviews Christina Romer

Christina Romer -- chairwoman of the president's Council of Economic Advisers -- recently spoke with Kenneth T. Walsh about what has gone wrong, when an economic recovery might occur, and what it's like to work with President Obama.

 

The Growing Divide in American Politics
(c) Mark Weber

Polarization is the New Political Bipartisanship
Mary Kate Cary

Gone are the days of Tip O'Neill and Ronald Reagan's famous friendship; George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton's joint humanitarian efforts seem like a relic from a different era.

 

Swine Flu Pandemic

H1N1 and Its Descendents: Where This Pandemic Flu Came From - and Where it Might Go
Harvard Health Letters

Already, 2009 is not a typical year. We're in the midst of a flu pandemic caused by a virus that first emerged in Mexico in mid-February. Billions are being spent on preparedness plans. And millions of Americans may line up this fall to get two kinds of flu vaccines, one for the regular seasonal flu that comes around every winter and another for the pandemic strain. So far, the 2009 pandemic has been more widespread than lethal.

 

Early Economic Recovery: Fiction or Fact
Paul A. Samuelson

Ever since the global meltdown began in 2007, Wall Street pundits and government officials have proclaimed cheery optimism that meaningful global recovery will occur by the second half of 2009, or the first quarter of 2010. So, as in an earlier time, they're telling us we have nothing to fear except fear itself. Well, we have now entered 2009's second half. The question is whether the early economic recovery is fact or fiction. Paul A. Samuelson shares his findings ...

 

War and the Balance of Power
(Nancy Ohanian)

War By Other Means
Robert C. Koehler - International Politics & World Affairs

We live in a world where arrogance and power are concentrated to an unbelievably fine point, while responsibility is diffused into a global mist.

A few fanatics can plot and wage a war, stirring up consequences infinitely beyond what they are capable of imagining, then retire, when things go bad, into a luxury tinged with disgrace.

 

 

President Obama

 

Iraq: American Troop Withdrawal

 

The Pentagon's Wasting Assets
Andrew F. Krepinevich, Jr.

Several events in recent years have demonstrated that traditional means and methods of projecting power and accessing the global commons are growing increasingly obsolete--becoming "wasting assets," in the language of defense strategists

 

Iranian Elections 2009: Iran's Crisis of Legitimacy

 

 

 

A Positively Reaganesque Start to Obama Presidency
Howard Baker Jr.

 

In the Senate, Two Is a Lonely Number
Katherine Skiba

Everyone Agrees We Need Wall Street Reforms ...
Arianna Huffington

Supreme Court: Strip Search of 13-Year-Old Unconstitutional
Zach Miners

Flipping the Taliban: How to Win in Afghanistan
Fotini Christia and Michael Semple

Political History of the Stars & Stripes
Andrew Burt

 

Asia Economy: Tamed Asian Tigers, Distressed Chinese Dragon
Brian P. Klein and Kenneth Neil Cukier

ALSO on the economy & global financial crisis:

 

International current events & world affairs:

 

What Does the Future Hold for GOP?
Future of the Republican Party by Jonah Goldberg

 

Politics

 

Andy Rooney

 

Arianna Huffington

 

Chris thomas

 

MOVIES: MOVIE REVIEWS & MOVIE TRAILERS

 

Michael Jackson's This Is It
Michael Jackson in Michael Jackson's This Is It

Produced with the cooperation of the Jackson estate, "This Is It" has no interest in telling the full story of anything, or the crumbling state of anyone. Director Kenny Ortega -- Jackson's partner in staging the London concert that never came to fruition -- is simply trying to suggest in some detail what sort of overstuffed career retrospective Jackson was attempting

 

Carey Mulligan & Peter Sarsgaard

An Education
Carey Mulligan & Peter Sarsgaard in An Education

Novelist Nick Hornby's screenplay for British journalist Lynn Barber's memoir sands a few edges off the corners of its heroine's story, yet the film is awfully charming. It bops along with so much esprit and lively acting.

 

Hilary Swank & Richard Gere

Amelia
Hilary Swank & Richard Gere in Amelia

This Amelia Earhart biopic isn't a bad movie, but it's distressingly ordinary for such an extraordinary subject. Played by an aptly cast and game Hilary Swank, Earhart becomes a checklist of Historical Legend accomplishments

 

Astro Boy Anime Movie Feature

Astro Boy
Freddie Highmore & Kristen Bell in Astro Boy

Astro Boy first appeared in a Japanese comic in 1951. His adventures led to a '60s Japanese TV series, then to the first of the American spin-offs, and now "Astro Boy" hits the big screen. I wish the film version of "Astro Boy" provided a stronger antidote to mediocrity. With the voices of Freddie Highmore, Kristen Bell and Nicolas Cage

 

John C. Reilly & Patrick Fugit

Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant
John C. Reilly & Patrick Fugit in Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant

In this campy vampire flick, the truce between vampires who sip, leaving humans a little weaker but none the wiser, and those who gorge, leaving death and destruction behind, comes to an end. This is an adaptation of the frothy kids book series by Darren Shan.

 

 

RECIPES

Dessert Recipes

Vanilla Ice Cream with Wild Turkey Walnuts and Caramel
Bev Bennett

With all the premium ice cream on the market, you may wonder why you'd want to make your own. The answer is simple and luscious: because ice cream is easy to make and you can add even more indulgent ingredients than the name brands do.

Red Berry Clafoutis Batter Pudding Recipe
Anne Willan

Clafoutis, a batter pudding made in little dishes with seasonal fruits such as cherries, apricots or plums, with apples in winter. My favorite is juicy red berries, both sweet and tart. I aim for a mixture of raspberries and strawberries, with a few blackberries or blueberries added for contrast of color. Best served hot from the oven, clafoutis can be prepared ahead and baked at the last minute.

Chocolate at a Glance Dessert Recipes
Faye Levy

Chocolate isn't what it used to be in America. Not long ago supermarkets stocked three kinds of chocolate: semisweet, unsweetened, and milk. Now there's an impressive array not only of fine European imports but also of American chocolates that give them a run for their money. If you need to make a dessert in a hurry, it's easy to put together a chocolate sundae pie in a simple nut crust topped with a luxurious chocolate sauce made of two ingredients -- chocolate and cream. For an even quicker option, dress up ice cream with chopped fine chocolate, toasted nuts and tender fruit.

Lemon Ripple Cheesecake Bars Recipe
Betty Rosbottom

Just when I thought I'd seen every variation possible on cheesecake, I came across Elinor Klivans' recipe for Lemon Ripple Cheesecake Bars. A talented pastry chef, Elinor uses a square rather than a round pan and cuts squares instead of wedges from this particular cheesecake dessert. But these delectable bars are truly inventive because of the unusual way the filling is prepared

Dietitian Approved Sweet Treats
Betsy Klein RD, LD

Does eating dessert have to make you feel guilty? Of course not. Contrary to popular belief, dietitians like myself don't skip dessert and we don't restrict ourselves to sugar-free Jello to sate our sweet tooth. We do, however, follow some rules.

Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Syrup Recipe
Cupcake Recipe by Wolfgang Puck

One of my favorite ways to give my kids lovingly homemade treats that meet their need for instant gratification is to make cupcakes. From start to finish, most cupcake recipes take little more than half an hour as does this Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Syrup Recipe.

 

Vacation Travel

Sunset through the palms
Waikiki Beach, Oahu

In Search of the Aloha Smile on Oahu
Anne Z. Cooke - Travel Muse

As a frequent visitor to Hawaii, it's the islands' physical beauty that captures my attention: the impossibly steep green peaks, brilliant sunsets and roving trade winds. Intoxicating, yes, they are. But my lasting memories are of people, of the strangers who greet you with a smile and friendly families who offer hospitality.

 

 

More Vacation & Travel Articles ... (click here)

 

health & fitness

Swimming: Take the Plunge for Your Heart
Health, Fitness & Exercise

Any kind of exercise is better for your heart than no exercise at all. Walking isn't necessarily the best exercise for the heart and general good health, but it's the best option for the greatest number of people. More vigorous activities do even more for the heart than walking. The lion's share of research has focused on running. Two new studies from the Cooper Clinic in Dallas, Texas, highlight the health benefits of swimming.

 

JUKARI Fit to Fly Workout
Reebok & Cirque du Soleil Partnership Creates Innovative Gym Workout

In 1989, Reebok revolutionized women's fitness with the creation of Step Reebok.

Today, the company revealed its new launch of an innovative gym workout - JUKARI Fit to Fly.

JUKARI Fit to Fly makes fitness fun again by introducing a new way to move in a gym workout and is accessible to all women, regardless of fitness levels.

 

 

NEWS, TOP STORIES, BREAKING NEWS & HEADLINES

Islam and Fort Hood - Chicago Tribune

guardian.co.uk

Islam and Fort Hood Chicago Tribune Conservatives have been quick to trumpet the fact that the alleged killer at Fort Hood, Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, is a Muslim--the implication being that Muslims are inherently untrustworthy, hostile to America, at odds with civilized norms of ... Obama Reminds Nation of Military's DiversityNew York Times Obama Praises Bravery at Fort HoodWall Street Journal Obama praises those who ended Fort Hood violenceThe Associated Press Bloomberg -Los Angeles Times -Chicago Sun-Times all 15,796 news articles »

House set to open healthcare debate - Washington Post

MiamiHerald.com

House set to open healthcare debate Washington Post WASHINGTON (Reuters) - With a close vote looming, the US House of Representatives was expected to open debate on Saturday on a sweeping reform bill that would spark the biggest healthcare changes in four decades. ... Health Care Nears Major VoteWall Street Journal Decision day for health care in the HouseThe Associated Press Anti-abortion Democrats get chance to amend health care proposalCNN Los Angeles Times -New York Times -Bloomberg all 1,646 news articles »

Police: Fla. Shooting Suspect Was Angry at Company - ABC News

Washington Post

Police: Fla. Shooting Suspect Was Angry at Company ABC News AP This image made from video provided by Channel 13 News in Orlando, Fla., shows Jason Rodriguez being... Employees at an engineering firm recognized their former co-worker when he drew a handgun from ... Father, 26, fatal victim of Orlando shooting rampageFlorida Today Suspect in Orlando office shooting had money woesThe Associated Press Orlando shooting witnesses describe events, fearMiamiHerald.com Puggal Latest News and events -CNN -KGAN all 1,946 news articles »

Why won't Obama give you a job? - Washington Post

Indian Express

Why won't Obama give you a job? Washington Post By Alec macgillis To hear President Obama tell it, he's been busy creating jobs since taking office. The $787 billion stimulus package, he said last winter, would "save or create 3.5 million jobs." The White House is touting reports from recipients of ... Analysis: 10 percent jobless is Obama's new worldThe Associated Press Soaring US Unemployment Threatens Path to Economic RecoveryBloomberg Obama weighs steps to spur jobs, wary on deficitReuters Wall Street Journal -MiamiHerald.com -Detroit Free Press all 1,181 news articles »

Friendly-Fire May Have Injured 25 NATO Troops in Afghanistan - Voice of America

Ghana Broadcasting Corporation

Friendly-Fire May Have Injured 25 NATO Troops in Afghanistan Voice of America By VOA News NATO officials in Afghanistan say 25 international troops wounded during a recent operation may have been hit by friendly fire. NATO initially blamed "insurgent activity" for the casualties. But officials Saturday said they do not rule out ... Seven killed in 'Nato air strike'BBC News Ministry: NATO airstrike kills Afghan soldiersThe Associated Press 7 Afghans killed during missing US troops searchReuters India Xinhua -New York Times -Washington Post all 1,153 news articles »

Afghanistan Rejects UN Criticism of Karzai - Voice of America

guardian.co.uk

Afghanistan Rejects UN Criticism of Karzai Voice of America By VOA News Afghanistan's Foreign Ministry has rejected comments from the top UN official in the country warning President Hamid Karzai to combat corruption or risk losing international support. A Foreign Ministry statement issued Saturday says UN ... Ex-defence chiefs attack Gordon Brown over Afghanistanguardian.co.uk Afghan gov't says UN representative out of lineThe Associated Press Afghanistan reject UN, foreign criticism of KarzaiAFP Aljazeera.net -BBC News -Times Online all 947 news articles »

Egypt extends borders opening before Gaza pilgrims - Xinhua

New York Times

Egypt extends borders opening before Gaza pilgrims Xinhua GAZA, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Egypt kept its borders open to allow travel of Gazans seeking pilgrimage in Mecca, officials said on Saturday. Early on Thursday, 800 Palestinians have managed to travel through Rafah border crossing, ... Stop seeking compromise with Israel: Hamas leaderReuters Israeli concern over Abbas moveBBC News Abbas' move reflects deep Palestinian despairThe Associated Press Aljazeera.net -Telegraph.co.uk -Jerusalem Post all 1,169 news articles »

World leaders hope for climate deal - Aljazeera.net

Telegraph.co.uk

World leaders hope for climate deal Aljazeera.net by 25 to 40 per cent [GALLO/GETTY] At least 40 world leaders have said they will attend climate change talks in Denmark next month, but there are still fears that there will be few tangible results after preparatory meetings ended with scant progress. ... us singled out for delay of climate pactReuters World leaders needed at talks to cut climate dealThe Associated Press Climate talks in Barcelona end with threats of summit walkoutguardian.co.uk Telegraph.co.uk -Xinhua -Times Online all 3,230 news articles »

Gay-Marriage Fight Heads to New Jersey - Wall Street Journal

Globe and Mail

Gay-Marriage Fight Heads to New Jersey Wall Street Journal The battle over gay rights will move to New Jersey and the federal government, advocates said, after Tuesday's narrow rejection of same-sex marriage by Maine voters in a hard-fought contest. The Democrat-controlled legislature in ... Schools emerge as new tactic in gay marriage votesThe Associated Press Maine vote on gay marriage informs Oregon strategyOregonLive.com Voters oppose putting gay marriage back on the ballot, Times/USC poll findsLos Angeles Times San Francisco Chronicle -News & Observer -TheCelebrityCafe.com all 2,918 news articles »

Winners and losers in Honduras - Aljazeera.net

guardian.co.uk

Winners and losers in Honduras Aljazeera.net By Will Stebbins, Al Jazeera's bureau chief in Washington Al Jazeera's Will Stebbins takes stock of the winners and losers in the wake of the Tegucigalpa-San Jose power-sharing accord which ended the four-month Honduran constitutional crisis. ... Zelaya Says Honduras Deal Is Off, as Election NearsWall Street Journal Honduras' ousted leader declares pact 'totally dead'Los Angeles Times Zelaya: US-brokered pact did not resolve crisisWashington Post Voice of America -Bloomberg -AFP all 1,465 news articles »

Top Stories - Google News
Google News

 

Brown urges new banks 'contract'
UK PM Gordon Brown tells a G20 summit there should be a new social contract with world banks to make them more responsible.

Murder probe into firework death
A murder inquiry is under way after a fatal house fire thought to have been caused by a firework pushed through the door.

Britons share £90m lottery prize
Two British tickets have each won a record-breaking jackpot of more than £45m in the EuroMillions lottery.

Doubts cast over expenses reforms
The head of the body drafting new rules for MPs' expenses reportedly says he may not implement all the proposed reforms.

Muggers attack two-year-old girl
A woman and her two-year-old daughter are attacked during an attempted robbery in north-west London, the Metropolitan Police says.

Seven killed in 'Nato air strike'
Seven members of the Afghan security forces are killed in a Nato air strike, the Afghan defence ministry says.

Call to elect local police chiefs
Towns should vote for police commissioners to hold local commanders and officers to account, a think tank says.

Legal aid cut 'threatens justice'
Miscarriages of justice are likely to result from proposals to reduce legal aid fees to barristers, the Bar Council's chairman warns.

Street star questioned over crash
Police quiz Coronation Street actor Ryan Thomas over a crash in Manchester city centre.

Jackson's father seeks allowance
Joe Jackson asks for an allowance from the estate of his late son Michael, saying the star supported him before he died.

Blooming marvellous - Sir Bobby compost goes on sale
Compost made from the thousands of floral tributes to Sir Bobby Robson goes on sale on North Tyneside.

From oldest, to newest - Ashmolean reopens its doors
The UK's oldest public museum, the Ashmolean, reopens after a £61m redevelopment.

Live - Saturday football
There are five Premier League games, a raft of FA Cup first round ties and a full Championship programme on a busy day of football.

Live text - Scottish Premier League
In the early kick-off, Hearts host Hibernian in the first Edinburgh derby of the season, followed by four other SPL matches at 1500 GMT.

Ancelotti plans to stifle Man Utd
Coach Carlo Ancelotti urges Chelsea to shut down Manchester United's midfield in Sunday's Stamford Bridge showdown.

Haye and Valuev ready for battle
David Haye will be giving away 7st to Nikolay Valuev when they meet for the Russian's WBA heavyweight crown in Nuremberg on Saturday.

Can Afghan security be guaranteed?
Three ex-chiefs of defence have launched an attack on Gordon Brown's commitment to the war in Afghanistan. Has Gordon Brown convinced you that UK troops should stay in Afghanistan?

Pieces of history
Where to find fragments of the Berlin Wall

Risky business
How do you work out if something is dangerous or not?

10 things
French babies cry in French accents and other facts

In pictures
The best pictures from the week's news

Hidden anguish
Residents' sense of shock after Fort Hood shootings

'Justice denied'
Violent attackers receiving cautions

Police find £1m worth of cannabis
Essex Police seize more than £1m of cannabis in a warehouse in one of the biggest finds in the county.

Glasgow 'axed' from train route
Trains on the East Coast Main Line would no longer go to Glasgow and instead terminate at Edinburgh, under new plans.

Power review sought by contender
Welsh Labour leadership contender Carwyn Jones wants all his party to have a say on an assembly powers referendum.

Road collapsing in city centre
A road in Belfast city centre begins collapsing into what is believed to be a large hole up to 15 square metres wide.

ICC seeking speedy Kenya trials
The ICC's top prosecutor says perpetrators of Kenya's post-poll violence could face trial as early as next July.

Obama praises army base heroism
President Barack Obama praises the "valour" of those who responded to the deadly attacks at a US army base in Texas.

Lebanon government accord reached
Lebanon's Hezbollah says its opposition alliance has agreed to join a national unity government under PM-designate, Saad Hariri.

US hits China pipes with tariffs
The United States imposes high anti-dumping tariffs on Chinese pipes as trade disputes mar the run-up to a bilateral summit.

Spain resists deal with pirates
Spain resists pressure to free two Somalis accused of piracy in exchange for Spanish sailors held in Somalia.

Key Pakistan Taliban town 'falls'
Pakistani forces capture the strategically important town of Ladha from the Taliban in ongoing clashes in South Waziristan, officials say.

Treasury seeks RBS lending proof
The Treasury demands proof from bailed-out Royal Bank of Scotland that there is little demand for its business loans.

Ex-defence chiefs round on Brown
Three former chiefs of the defence staff question Gordon Brown's commitment to British troops in Afghanistan.

Call for tests after sudden death
Doctors are calling for human tissue to be routinely kept for genetic testing whenever young people die without explanation.

University fee review date set
The terms of a planned review into fees paid by England's university students will be announced on Monday.

Leaders 'likely' to go to summit
At least 40 world leaders are likely to attend December's UN climate summit in a bid to secure a new global treaty.

Sadler's Wells role for Phillips
Former Strictly Come Dancing judge Arlene Phillips is to become a director of Sadler's Wells dance theatre.

Play.com hit by ordering glitch
Customers of online shop Play.com contact the BBC to report problems with its ordering system.

BBC News | News Front Page | UK Edition
Visit BBC News for up-to-the-minute news, breaking news, video, audio and feature stories. BBC News provides trusted World and UK news as well as local and regional perspectives. Also entertainment, business, science, technology and health news.

 

 

 

Senator Kennedy
(c) Paul Tong

Senator Kennedy's Legacy of Legislative Success
Amanda Ruggeri

Senator Ted Kennedy left behind a career as one of the most effective leaders in Congress. During his 46 years as a senator, the third longest of any senator in history, he helped craft legislation that profoundly reformed everything from the country's racial makeup to the federal government's role in education. That's not to say that he should be given all the credit, as much of his legislation was undertaken with Republicans in power. Some of his most important legislative accomplishments ...

81st Academy Awards - 2009 Oscar Winners & Nominations

2009 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue

Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue

From the beach on Canouan Island in the Grenadines, supermodel Bar Refaeli graces the cover of the highly anticipated 2009 SPORTS ILLUSTRATED SWIMSUIT ISSUE.

Refaeli, a three-year veteran of the SI SWIMSUIT ISSUE, is the first Israeli model to land the cover of the coveted magazine. Photographer Raphael Mazzucco, who also photographed the 2008 cover of Marisa Miller, captured the cover photo during a two-day shoot with Refaeli on Canouan Island in the Grenadines.

The 2009 SWIMSUIT ISSUE takes a journey to four countries with ancient cultures and pillars of modern beauty and makes stops in Naples, Italy; Cappadocia, Turkey; Riviera Maya, Mexico; and Tenerife, Canary Islands.

 

SUPER BOWL XLIII

Steelers Defeat Cardinals 27-23, Holmes MVP
Super Bowl XLIII: Steelers 27 Cardinals 23

Santonio Holmes extended his arms, kept his feet on the ground and held on to Ben Roethlisberger's perfectly placed pass deep in the right corner of the end zone.

The amazing touchdown catch -- against three Cardinal defenders -- capped an 8-play 78 yard drive with 35 seconds remaining.

Thus, giving the Pittsburgh Steelers a 27-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII.

 

POLITICS