Fresh Coinages From the Furnace of E-Culture

For the second year, Cramer-Krasselt has published its Cultural Dictionary of the zeitgeist-iest words and phrases, pulling together the slang, puns, put-downs and freshly minted coinages from the white-hot furnace of electronic culture. It's pretty hilarious.

The Pentagon's Wasting Assets
by 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

OBAMAWORLD
by Victor Davis Hanson

Are you confused by all that has changed since President Barack Obama took office in January? If so, you're not alone. Perhaps, though, this handy guide to Age of Obama "logic" might be of some assistance.

Another Swine-Flu Casualty: Good Journalism
by Andres Oppenheimer

The swine flu outbreak that has wrecked Mexico's economy may become a case study in reckless journalism. Like most of you, I had taken it for granted that the disease had started in Mexico.

President Obama: The Too Usable Past
Paul Greenberg

This year Barack Obama went to Normandy with his own view of the past, the better to support his policies in the present. For him, the titanic struggle of which Normandy was a decisive part represented an exceptional time when choices were clear and values universal. Unlike these vague, uncertain times. Or as he put it: "We live in a world of competing beliefs and claims about what is true"

Iranian Elections 2009: Iran's Crisis of Legitimacy

As Iranians Revolt, Their Government Reveals True Self
by William Pfaff

The truly significant result of the suppressed Iranian revolt is that the most important Islamist radical movement in the contemporary world has demonstrated that it has become a brutally repressive dictatorship whose leaders rig elections and beat down clear popular demands for a true election count or repeat of the election itself.

Obama's Iran Policy Is a Bomb
by Jonah Goldberg

Here is the one immutable fact of Barack Obama's foreign policy agenda as it relates to Iran: It's over. If the forces of reform and democracy win, Obama's plan to negotiate with the regime is moot, for the regime will be gone.

President Obama's Iran News Conference
by Cal Thomas

For the first time in a long time, the president was challenged about his positions on Iran, health care and his "occasional" smoking. This may be due to the heavy criticism the media have been getting from commentators who have accused them of not doing their jobs with coverage that has bordered on the worshipful.

 

Thuggery 101
World's Thugs do not Appreciate Obama's Goodwill
Victor Davis Hanson

President Barack Obama came into office apparently believing that his non-traditional background, charisma and good intentions could placate dictators hostile to America and ease global tensions.

Safety Board Says D.C. Metro Should Have Replaced Train: Nine people died in the worst crash in the Metro's 33-year history
by Queenie Wong

A federal safety investigator says that the older subway train that slammed into the back of another on Washington's Metro system yesterday, killing nine people and injuring at least 70, should have been replaced years ago because of safety concerns.

Swine Flu: How Can We Prepare For a Killer Autumn Wave
By Debora MacKenzie, New Scientist Magazine

Is the world ready for a killer, autumn wave of swine flu? Flu pandemics historically come in waves, often getting worse as they go. The 1918 flu started with a mild wave in March, followed by a deadly second wave later in the year. What's now keeping health officials awake at night is the possibility that a more virulent version will come roaring back and kill millions.

Blame High Executive Pay on Corporate Boards
Kathy Kristof

At a time when the average pay of the top five most highly compensated executives in a company is eating up about 9 percent of corporate profits, we asked shareholders what they thought of current pay practices. Their comments should serve as a wake-up call to laissez-faire corporate directors.

Government Intervention & Economic Risk
by Ian Bremmer and Sean West

by Micahel Osbun

It's no secret that politics affects economic markets. But in response to a financial crisis or economic downturn, political risk impacts markets much more broadly than just isolated policies and individual stocks.

The Nation-State is Back & How
International Politics & Foreign Affairs
by Paul Kennedy

About 500 years ago, in parts of Western Europe, a funny thing happened to human society. The national state had arrived, and the world would never be the same.

 

 

Tiananmen's Enduring Challenge
by Wang Dan

Twenty years have passed since our landmark demonstrations in Tiananmen Square for democracy and free speech and against corruption. And during this time, China has changed in important ways. Economic reforms have allowed millions of Chinese people to lift their families out of poverty, and many in China find their lives changed for the better. But the central causes the Tiananmen generation, students and citizens alike, took up remain unresolved: corruption, workers' rights, free speech and the need for government reform to address the needs of China's 1.3 billion people.

 

Walt Handelsman

Obama Reaches Out to Muslim World
by Bill Press

One of the greatest challenges facing President Obama when he took office was restoring America's standing among other nations, especially our standing in the Arab and Muslim world, so badly shattered, on our end, by Sept. 11 -- and, on their end, ...

 

 

North Korea's Nuclear Weapon Challenge
Henry A. Kissinger

The Obama administration has so far dealt publicly with the North Korean challenge in an understated, almost leisurely, manner. The challenge goes far beyond the regional security issue. For the United States, it involves relations with an emerging superpower (China); relations with a re-emerging Russia; relations with key U.S. allies (Japan and South Korea); and a major escalation in the threat of proliferation to non-state parties.

 

 

General Motors - Cutting the Auto Giant Down to Size
by Jules Witcover

Son, You Should Own a Piece of GM

The once-unthinkable outcome of General Motors declaring bankruptcy, with Uncle Sam frantically pouring huge financial transfusions into the dying patient, became a reality the other day as Uncle Sam took majority control of its management and risk.

 

 

More Competition in Health Care
by Bill Press

On health care, we are, in short, paying more for less -- in a system that is so complicated, so multilayered that even those who can afford it find it impossible to negotiate. The status quo is no longer acceptable or affordable.

Ailments in Our Health Care Debate
by Clarence Page

As debate over President Obama's health care proposals kicks off, his opponents are lining up in a predictable way. On one side, conservatives call Obama a "socialist." On the other side, left-progressives wish that he were

 

A Positively Reaganesque Start to Obama Presidency
by Howard Baker Jr.

Elections have consequences, and flashing forward a generation from the Reagan revolution to the Obama ascendancy, I sense the same kind of seismic shift in our politics and our economic policy. In the early months of the Obama presidency, I confess I have similar misgivings about the economic policies our new president is pursuing -- but also similar hopes that those policies succeed.

We talk about trillions of dollars for bank bailouts, stimulus packages, healthcare reform, and who knows what else, and it's nothing less than breathtaking. But it may also be necessary, and I admit I have no better plan to offer than the one President Obama has skillfully championed.

 

 

Five presidents with the Most Effective First 100 Days
by Kenneth T. Walsh

The 100-day standard for gauging presidential effectiveness is not a perfect measure, but it's a useful one. The underlying truth is that presidents tend to be most effective when they first take office, when their leadership style seems fresh and new, when the aura of victory is still powerful, and when their influence on Congress is usually at its height. There is nothing magic about the number, and many presidential aides over the years have complained that it is an artificial yardstick.

 

In the Senate, Two Is a Lonely Number
by Katherine Skiba

When Maine's two U.S. senators, Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, broke ranks with all but one other Republican and voted "Yes" on President Barack Obama's $787 billion stimulus, they handed the White House an early, critical win. As some Republicans seethed, the two were celebrated as the most powerful women in Washington. At the same time, these dwindling Republican moderates have real worries about the future of the GOP.

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

Everyone agrees that we need reform of our financial system. Even Wall Street knows it is inevitable. So the question becomes: Are we going to get real reform or are we going to get the D.C. version of "reform"?

We've seen this before. Back then it was Enron, Tyco, Global Crossing and WorldCom. After their orgy of greed and fraud was exposed, everyone suddenly demanded reform. But what we got instead were window-dressing changes and Band-Aid legislation. So now it's deja vu all over again.

Underestimating Sonia Sotomayor
by Mary Sanchez

I wish Sonia Sotomayor didn't have quite so much empathy. I'd like to hear her unleash a sassy tongue-lashing on the oh-so-predictable detractors who are circling as if a weaker species has wandered into their den. But taking the low road is not how she got this far -- from the much-mentioned housing project childhood to the threshold of the U.S. Supreme Court.

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

Although sending more troops is necessary to tip the balance of power against the insurgents, the move will have a lasting impact only if it is accompanied by a political surge, a committed effort to persuade large groups of Taliban fighters to put down their arms and give up the fight.

Moving Beyond Bush's War on Terrorism
Obama Changed Tone, But There is Some Surprising Continuity
by Alex Kingsbury

Perhaps the most dramatic shift when it comes to terrorism is simply that it is not dominating the White House agenda in the same way it did for the past seven years. Intelligence officials warn that al Qaeda remains a persistent national threat, but the terrorist network has been overshadowed in Obama's early months by the global economic crisis, among other challenges.

Our Historically Challenged President
by Victor Davis Hanson

Despite President Obama's image as an Ivy-League-educated intellectual, he lacks historical competency, both in areas of facts and interpretation.

Is America Premodern or Postmodern?
by Victor Davis Hanson

Brilliant engineers may have designed our laptops, cell phones, online commerce and 1-800 call lines. But someone still has to answer the phone, enter data into computers and assist customers who fall through the electronic cracks. And such human audit of the growing power of computerized commerce requires more, not less, educated workers than ever before. And here is where problems arise. Too many of us are growing more illiterate -- reading less and watching television more.

Who's Ready if Swine Flu Pandemic Comes Knocking
Andy Coghlan, Linda Geddes & Rachel Nowak, New Scientist Magazine

Doomsday visions of curfews, sealed borders, travel bans and scuffles over food are a long way from materializing in the current crisis regarding swine flu.

But if the World Health Organization declares a pandemic, countries could bring in draconian measures to isolate and treat infection, prevent further spread and keep societies functioning.

The question, then, is which countries are ready and prepared to handle a Swine Flu Pandemic.

 

 

Democrats & The Nancy Pelosi Torture Smokescreen
by Chris Thomas

Editorial Cartoon by Dan Wasserman

What we have witnessed is a Left Wing that has become obsessed with using its new found political power to not just change previous government policy, but to criminalize and destroy the reputations of those who formulated that policy.

Pelosi and her henchmen, showing their true, authoritarian colors, want to not just discredit Bush administration officials: they want them jailed, preferably for a very long time.

 

 

 

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

Since the 1960s, Asian economies have focused primarily on exports. It was the key to success in Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan. Much of Southeast Asia and China soon followed suit. Over the past decade, the region's exports have increased from 37 percent to 47 percent of GDP. By hitching their wagons to exports, however, Asian countries left themselves vulnerable to a drop-off in Western consumption

Happy Economic Recovery vs. An Anemic One
Paul A. Samuelson

The number-one question preoccupying economists, policy agents of government and Main Street families is this: Will "recovery" from the current U.S. financial meltdown arrive before the end of 2009?

House Prices, Mortgage Interest Rates Key to Housing Market Recovery
By Ilyce Glink

With housing prices falling and mortgage interest rates rising, it's hard to say the housing market has bottomed out. And, yet, there are some reasons for a more optimistic housing forecast, according to Mark Zandi, chief economist for Moody's Economy.com

Joseph Stiglitz: Will Capitalism Survive Wall Street Apocalypse
Matthew Bandyk

A few days after writing about how the United States is not heading towards socialism, Joseph Stiglitz suggests that might not be true about the rest of the world. Stiglitz argues that the lesson many Third World nations might take from the financial crisis is that capitalism is fundamentally flawed.

Why No One Can Guess When Recovery will Occur
Paul A. Samuelson

Federal Reserve Chairmen Ben Bernanke glimpses a possible recovery by year end. He is a cautious scholar, backed by the best forecasters in the world at the Federal Reserve Board.

I would be a rash fool to quarrel with this quasi-optimistic view that by year end some stability will occur. You and I should hope that there will indeed be a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel ahead. ...

 

ALSO on the economy & global financial crisis:

 

Waiting For Netanyahu
International Current Events, News & World Affairs

As President Obama prepares to receive Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for their first meeting, the situation is very similar to what it was in 1978.

Now as then, Israel is ruled by a rightwing coalition. Now as then, some of its elements are more hawkish than the prime minister and his Likud Party is. Now as then, talks with the other side are ongoing but leading nowhere.

 

ALSO on international current events & world affairs:

 

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

Don Wright

Compare and contrast Jack Kemp, one of the architects of the Reagan Revolution, who passed away last weekend at the age of 73; and Arlen Specter, the Pennsylvania senator who switched parties.

Kemp's death should be cause for deep reflection about what the Republican Party is about. Specter's defection is much less significant.

Yes, we can appreciate that a rat is telling us something important when it flees a sinking ship ...

 

ALSO on politics:

 

What's in the Headlines
by Andy Rooney

Look at these headlines. Does everyone know what the editors are talking about

ALSO from andy rooney:

 

Financial Outrages Past, Present & Future
by Arianna Huffington

Michael Osbun

Reading the business section these days is not for the faint of heart -- or those hoping to drift off to sleep.

Instead, you end up like Scrooge, visited by the ghosts of outrages past, present and future.

As a public service (I toss and turn all night so you don't have to) -- and also to make sure you haven't succumbed to outrage fatigue -- I've decided to distill some of the more infuriating recent lowlights. Warning: If you are reading this after 10 p.m., you might want to hold off until morning.

 

ALSO from Arianna Huffington:

 

Roving Towards Irrelevancy: The GOP in the Obama Era
by Chris Thomas

Dick Locher

Victor Davis Hanson, Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, once wrote that one of the features of western civilization that gave it a leg up on other cultures was the concept of self-audit, or the capacity for us to critique ourselves and our institutions.

Which brings us to the Republican Party of 2009 which has fallen.

Unfortunately the GOP is currently incapable of embracing Hanson's concept of self-audit.

ALSO from chris thomas:

 

MOVIES: MOVIE REVIEWS & MOVIE TRAILERS

 

Michelle Pfeiffer & Rupert Friend

Cheri
Michelle Pfeiffer & Rupert Friend in Cheri

Michelle Pfeiffer appears in her first substantial dramatic role since "White Oleander," and we are reminded of how much the world of film has lost by her recent absence. Pfeiffer plays an aging prostitute nudged into a relationship with the 19-year-old wastrel son of a fellow courtesan (Kathy Bates).

 

Public Enemies
Johnny Depp in Public Enemies

Johnny Depp stars as charismatic Depression-era outlaw John Dillinger, and Christian Bale plays G-man Melvin Purvis. The film is a fascinating bundle of contradictions -- authentic in a million details, deeply romanticized in others. Cool, calm and collected, this is more love story than gangster picture (Marion Cotillard plays Dillinger's lover), and it's more vivid around the edges than at its center. Yet a genuine filmmaking intelligence guides every scene

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs

Not bad, not good, Ice Age 3 may be OK enough to do what it was engineered to do, i.e., baby-sit your kid for a while and rake in the dough. Lack of comic distinction and forgettable computer animation have always held back the "Ice Age" projects. "Dawn of the Dinosaurs" lays out one life-and-death scenario after another, dutifully.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Shia LaBeouf & Megan Fox in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

The first "Transformers" was a headache, but I sort of enjoyed it. It was a Slurpee brain-freeze of a blockbuster. This sequel is more like listening to rocks in a clothes dryer for 2.5 hours. Nobody's looking for anything other than relentless, brainless action, but director Michael Bay offers nothing but visual and aural chaos.

My Sister's Keeper
Cameron Diaz & Abigail Breslin in My Sister's Keeper

The harder this cinematic assault weapon went at my tear ducts, the more duct tape I wrapped around them as a defensive measure. Anna (Abigail Breslin), a girl who was a test-tube baby conceived to provide bone marrow to her older sister (Sofia Vassilieva), who has leukemia, sues her parents (Cameron Diaz, Jason Patric) for "medical emancipation," and while you'd think inter-family legal action would stop all the lovey-dovey montages of everybody cherishing every minute together, think again.

Whatever Works
Larry David & Evan Rachel Wood in Whatever Works

On the heels of last year's "Vicky Cristina Barcelona," the freshest Woody Allen film in more than a decade, "Whatever Works" (Allen's 40th feature as director) plays like a hoary old Broadway stage comedy yanked, reluctantly, into the present. Larry David ("Curb Your Enthusiasm") plays a New York City misanthrope whose worldview is tempered by a relationship with a much younger Southern runaway (Evan Rachel Wood)

Jack Black & Michael Cera

Year One
Jack Black & Michael Cera in Year One

Hit and miss doesn't begin to describe this frequently wince-worthy comedy. Jack Black and Michael Cera play outcast members of a Paleolithic tribal village whose wanderings bring them into contact with Cain and Abel and Abraham and Isaac and Sodom and Gomorrah. Harold Ramis directs, and while this won't join his list of essential comedies, some of the dumb jokes manage to elicit a laugh.

 

Up
Ed Asner & Christopher Plummer in the Pixar Animated Feature Up

Balloon salesman Carl (voiced by Ed Asner) shared a dream with his wife to visit South America. After his wife dies, Carl's yearning for adventure dies as well. Yet it rises again, and "Up" becomes a chronicle of an unlikely friendship between Carl and an 8-year-old (Jordan Nagai). This Disney-Pixar film feels nervy and adventurous and a little messy, the result of formidable creators working on an enormous budget, enormously well-spent.

 

Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian
Ben Stiller & Amy Adams in Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian

Ben Stiller reprises the role of the Museum of Natural History security guard who saved the day in the 2006 original, making peace among the warring tribes and beasts and magically energized figurines. Here, the old gang, including the mammoth Teddy Roosevelt (Robin Williams), mini-cowboy Jed (Owen Wilson) and micro-Roman Octavius (Steve Coogan), are being shipped off for storage in the bowels of the Smithsonian Institution.

Star Trek
Chris Pine & Zachary Quinto in Star Trek

The new "Star Trek" seeks to extend a lucrative brand with a young demographic. But it's a real movie -- breathlessly paced bordering on manic, but propulsively entertaining.

The script ping-pongs early on between Iowa and Vulcan, as the destinies of James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) and Spock (Zachary Quinto) entwine.

 

IN THEATERS: MOVIE REVIEWS & MOVIE TRAILERS

 

SUMMER RECIPES

Barbecues: Celebrity Chefs Bobby Flay, Sara Moulton & Mollie Katzen Recommend - Tips & Recipes
Francine Segan

For this 4th of July's cookout and summer barbecues, I asked TV chefs Bobby Flay and Sara Moulton, as well as award-winning cookbook author Mollie Katzen, to share tips and recipes.

Dessert Recipes

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.

Potato, Leek and Spinach Frittata

Potato, Leek and Spinach Frittata Recipe
Diane Rossen Worthington

The classic Italian frittata is a flat, open-faced omelet cooked over low heat until firm on the bottom and then finished in the oven. This version, which has potatoes, leeks and spinach tucked inside, can be decorated with sun-dried tomatoes, dollops of sour cream and shredded basil. You can be as inventive as you wish.

 

 

Vacation Travel

Five-Star Luxury at Family Prices in Sedona
Enchantment Resort (Sedona, Arizona)

Enchantment Resort
(Sedona, Arizona)

For as long as it's been open, Enchantment Resort, in Arizona's Red Rock Country, has earned dozens of stars and diamonds, climbed onto most "top ten best" lists and generated thousands of adjectives, many of them, rather oddly, starting with the letter M.

Magical, mystical, mythical, magnetic, magnificent and monumental head the deluge, at high tide since 1987 when the Enchantment Resort opened at the end of secluded Boynton Canyon, five miles from central Sedona, Arizona.

 

Italy's Cinque Terre & Vernazza
Rick Steves' Europe

Italy's Cinque Terre is a quintet of villages clinging to a bit of rugged coastline between Genoa and Pisa. You can choose any village for a home base, but Vernazza is my favorite.

At the top end of town a little road hits a post, effectively a dead end for drivers. Like the breakwater keeps out the waves at the bottom of town, the post keeps out the modern storm at the top. No cars enter this village of 600 people.

 

 

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.

 

 

US Airways Flight 1549: "Miracle on the Hudson"

US Airways Flight 1549 (Airbus 320) carrying 148 passengers and six crew on a domestic flight crashed into the Hudson River on the west side of Manhattan minutes after it took off on Thursday. Rescue workers and passenger ferries reached the scene within minutes.

New York State Governor Paterson said:

"We had a Miracle on 34th Street, now, I believe, we have a Miracle on the Hudson."

 

NEWS, TOP STORIES, BREAKING NEWS & HEADLINES

With Palin Leaving, National Spotlight on Alaska Is Likely to Go, Too - New York Times

Telegraph.co.uk

With Palin Leaving, National Spotlight on Alaska Is Likely to Go, Too New York Times The latest on President Obama, the new administration and other news from Washington and around the nation. Join the discussion. Long before she became governor, Sarah Palin startled fellow Republicans when she called out the state's ... Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin quits; plans to resign July 26, keeps mum ...New York Daily News Palin resigns as governor; leaves plans secretThe Associated Press Tired of the Full-Court PressWashington Post Los Angeles Times -CBS News -San Francisco Chronicle all 1,879 news articles »

Los Angeles officials brace for Jackson memorial - Reuters

Times Online

Los Angeles officials brace for Jackson memorial Reuters LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Los Angeles city officials are planning a massive security operation for Michael Jackson's public memorial service next week, and on Friday urged fans who do not win a ticket in a random drawing to stay away ... E! to air Michael Jackson memorialHollywood Reporter Planning Michael Jackson's Memorial A 'Phenomenal Undertaking'MTV.com Michael Jackson memorial tickets available via online lotteryEntertainment Weekly KTLA -89.3 KPCC -New York Daily News all 5,487 news articles »

North Korea 'tests two missiles' - BBC News

Straits Times

North Korea 'tests two missiles' BBC News North Korea has tested two short-range missiles, South Korean media report, as concern mounts in the region that a long-range test could be days away. It test-fired other missiles earlier this week and has incurred fresh UN sanctions since holding a ... S. Korean report: N. Korea test-fires 2 long-range missilesJerusalem Post North Korea fires Scud missiles: reportReuters NKorea test-fires two missiles: defence ministryAFP Reuters India -CNN International -Washington Post all 2,674 news articles »

Envoy Seeks Ousted Honduran President's Return - New York Times

BBC News

Envoy Seeks Ousted Honduran President's Return New York Times Dario Lopez-Mills/AP Roberto Micheletti, who replaced Manuel Zelaya as president of Honduras after the latter was ousted in a military operation last Sunday, spoke at a rally in the capital, Tegucigalpa, on Friday. By MARC LACEY TEGUCIGALPA, ... Amid deadlock, Honduras faces expulsion from OASAFP Honduran court defiant on ZelayaBBC News Ousted Honduran president riled old guard, businessReuters Xinhua -CNN -Voice of America all 11,957 news articles »

Hardline sermons in Iran stiffen EU resolve - Times Online

Telegraph.co.uk

Hardline sermons in Iran stiffen EU resolve Times Online Call it pulpit diplomacy. While Western politicians agonise over how to rebuke Iran without undermining talks on its nuclear aspirations, hardline mullahs use their Friday sermons to bullhorn their defiance to the world. Three Fridays ago Ayatollah Ali ... Miliband defends Iran embassy staffThe Press Association Iranian cleric: British Embassy staff to be triedThe Associated Press Iran will put British Embassy staffers on trialLos Angeles Times Christian Science Monitor -AFP -FOXNews all 7,070 news articles »

US Marine commander out shopping in Afghanistan - AFP

Los Angeles Times

US Marine commander out shopping in Afghanistan AFP GARMSIR, Afghanistan (AFP) β€” Brigadier General Larry Nicholson demonstrated the more open approach he wants to see among the new US troops sent to southern Afghanistan by going shopping for melons. Nicholson, commander of the 4000 Marines deployed on ... Insurgents Step Up Attacks on MarinesWashington Post Failed strategy in Afghanistanguardian.co.uk Gen. Petraeus says Taliban is a resilient enemyThe Associated Press CNN -Christian Science Monitor -Bloomberg all 4,794 news articles »

Sanford heads for Florida for tense reunion with wife - New York Daily News

New York Daily News

Sanford heads for Florida for tense reunion with wife New York Daily News Love-sick Gov. Mark Sanford ditched his security detail before jetting to an Argentine rendezvous with his mistress last month. But he took the guards with him Friday for a Florida groveling session with his wife and in-laws. ... Sanford spending holiday weekend with family in FloridaCNN International SC residents mixed over fate of cheating govThe Associated Press Sanford Did Not Spend Improperly, Official SaysNew York Times Wall Street Journal -TheNewsTribune.com -The State all 6,714 news articles »

UN secretary-general defends his approach to the job - Los Angeles Times

Telegraph.co.uk

UN secretary-general defends his approach to the job Los Angeles Times United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon rejects the notions that the world body has been shunted aside on security matters and that his moral voice has been lacking. By Bruce Wallace Reporting from The United Nations -- UN Secretary-General Ban ... UN chief gambles on Burma breakthroughBBC News UN Chief Asks Burmese Junta for Meeting with Aung San Suu KyiVoice of America UN chief faces steep challenge in BurmaChristian Science Monitor Aljazeera.net -CNN International -Reuters all 1,007 news articles »

Africa refuses to act on Sudan war crimes warrant - AFP

CTV.ca

Africa refuses to act on Sudan war crimes warrant AFP SIRTE, Libya (AFP) β€” The African Union refused to act on an international war crimes warrant for Sudan's president, at a summit that also yielded a deal on the powers of a new regional Authority. The refusal to arrest Sudan President Omar al-Beshir ... African leaders denounce international courtThe Associated Press Charity worker kidnapped in SudanBBC News AU leaders reach agreement on new authority, ICC Bashir indictmentXinhua Sudan Tribune -Reuters -The Press Association all 411 news articles »

US Drone Targets Taliban in Pakistan - Washington Post

CTV.ca

US Drone Targets Taliban in Pakistan Washington Post ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, July 3 -- The followers of one of Pakistan's most feared Taliban commanders, Baitullah Mehsud, came under a fresh round of US drone attacks Friday in bombings that killed at least six people, ... US drone attacks said to kill 17 at Taliban outposts in PakistanLos Angeles Times 'Militant deaths' in US drone hitBBC News 15 dead in suspected US missile strike in PakistanThe Associated Press Aljazeera.net -Daily Times -The News International all 1,276 news articles »

Top Stories - Google News
Google News

 

Six killed in tower block blaze
Three children and three adults die after a blaze swept through a tower block in London.

North Korea 'tests two missiles'
North Korea reportedly tests two short-range missiles as concern mounts in the region that a long-range test could be days away.

Alaska Governor Palin to resign
Republican ex-vice-presidential hopeful Sarah Palin is to quit as Alaska governor amid speculation about a possible presidential bid.

Killed soldiers being repatriated
Two soldiers killed in Afghanistan, including the most senior Army officer to die in action since the Falklands, are to be repatriated.

UN chief to hold more Burma talks
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is set to hold a second meeting with Burma's top military leaders.

'Iran trial' for UK embassy staff
Some of the British embassy staff arrested in Iran for "inciting protests" will be put on trial, a top cleric says.

Killer jailed after jeopardy case
A man acquitted of killing his ex-girlfriend seven years ago is found guilty after a new trial under double jeopardy laws.

Mandelson hints at Vauxhall loans
The UK is prepared to make loans or loan guarantees to help push through the sale of Vauxhall, says Lord Mandelson.

Jackson tickets via internet draw
Tickets for a memorial service for Michael Jackson in Los Angeles will be made available via the internet, organisers reveal.

Murray suffers semi-final misery
Britain's long wait for a men's finalist at Wimbledon goes on after Andy Murray loses a nail-biting semi-final against an inspired Andy Roddick in four sets.

Owen completes switch to Man Utd
Manchester United seal the capture of free agent Michael Owen after he signs a two-year deal with the club.

Federer eases into seventh final
Roger Federer beats Tommy Haas in straight sets to reach a seventh consecutive Wimbledon final and close in on a record 15th Grand Slam title.

Portuguese minister quits for cuckold gesture in parliament
Portugal's Economy Minister Manuel Pinho resigns after making a rude cuckold gesture at an opposition MP in parliament.

North Korea tunes into commercial world with beer advert
North Korea launches television adverts for a beer, in a rare commercial move for the resolutely communist nation.

Should the school placement system be reformed?
The prosecution of a parent has been dropped but how far should parents go to get a child into the best school?

Custody battle
Legal wrangles may lie ahead over Jackson's children

Fine balance
Does the Viking armoured vehicle have a future?

Murray's progress
From surly teen to feted hero, the Scot has a huge talent

Swine flu
Chief medical officer answers your questions

Double jeopardy
The hammer attack victim who helped get a killer jailed

Around the horn
So what exactly does the cuckold sign mean?

First swine flu death in London
A 19-year-old London man with underlying health problems becomes the fourth person with swine flu to die in the UK.

North 'cheapest for seaside home'
The cheapest place to buy a home by the sea is in the north of Scotland, according to the latest property figures.

Sex assault head teacher jailed
A head teacher convicted of sex assaults against children is jailed for two years but his family maintain his innocence.

Chef case collapse sparks queries
A man who was to be charged in connection with a break-in at Special Branch offices in 2002 will not be brought to trial.

African Union in rift with court
The African Union halts co-operation with the International Criminal Court over its war-crimes charges against Sudan's leader.

Honduran court defiant on Zelaya
The Supreme Court of Honduras rejects a demand by the Organisation of American States to reinstate the ousted President, Manuel Zelaya.

Gaza girl killed in border clash
A 17-year-old Palestinian girl has been killed in Gaza by Israeli fire in a clash with Palestinian militants near the border.

Japan rethinks silent hybrid cars
Japan considers adding noise-making devices to quiet hybrid cars to improve safety for blind pedestrians.

Russia 'agrees US troop transit'
An Obama administration official says Russia has agreed to let US troops bound for Afghanistan fly through its airspace.

Deadly military crash in Pakistan
Up to 26 Pakistani soldiers are feared dead after an army transport helicopter crashes in a tribal region, officials say.

Rogue trades cost oil broker $10m
A rogue trader at a London-based oil brokerage causes his employer to lose $10m (£6m) after making unauthorised trades.

Tory anger over homophobia claim
Alan Duncan reacts angrily to Labour claims many Tory MPs are 'homophobic", as Harriet Harman wades into the row.

Self-help 'makes you feel worse'
Bridget Jones is not alone in turning to self-help mantras to boost her spirits, but a study warns they may have the opposite effect.

Check on school places cheating
Schools Secretary Ed Balls has asked for an assessment of the problem of parents cheating to get school places.

Moon probe returns first images
The US space agency's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft sends back its first images since reaching the Moon.

Del Boy returns to TV as teenager
Only Fools and Horses wide boy Derek Trotter is returning to BBC One in a comedy drama about his teenage years.

Mixed results for green IT goals
A majority of tech workers in the public sector do not know about the emission reduction targets they face, says a survey.

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.

 

 

81st Academy Awards - 2009 Oscar Winners & Nominations

"Slumdog Millionaire" Leads the Way
8 Oscars for Slumdog Millionaire 81st Academy Award Oscar Winners 2009

In much the same manner that the film captured the hearts of movie-goers, "Slumdog Millionaire" captured the hearts and votes of the Academy garnering 8 Oscars in total, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Cinematography and Best Adapted Screenplay.

• The Full List of this Year's Academy Award Oscar Winners
• An in depth look including Movie Reviews & Trailers at this year's Oscar Nominees

 

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

Super Bowl XLIII:
Better Than Super
Super Bowl XLIII: Steelers 27 Cardinals 23

The Super Bowl keeps topping itself.

Last year in Super Bowl XLII, it was Giants quarterback Eli Manning escaping a horde of Patriots rushers to connect with David Tyree on that unreal "helmet catch."

This year in Super Bowl XLIII, it was Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger flinging a pass to Santonio Holmes, who made the latest "greatest Super Bowl catch ever."

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.

• Super Bowl XLIII on NBC, Largest TV Audience in History
• A Look at the Sixburgh Steeler's 6 Historic Super Bowl Victories
• Super Bowl XLIII: Quotes & Commentary
• Box Score, Scoring Summary & Statistics
• Super Bowl XLIII Play by Play

 

POLITICS

Times Square New Years Eve Ball (New York)

Bye-Bye 2008: Things I Want to Forget
Arianna Huffington

2008 was a very memorable year, featuring one of the most unforgettable presidential campaigns in history. I'd like to take a moment to focus on the things that happened over the last 12 months that I'd love to forget.

• Laissez-Faire Capitalism
• The Madoff Debacle
• Rewarding Those Who Got It Right
• The Economic Meltdown Will Be Blogged
• Hillary Plus Obama Equals High Drama
• Barack Obama's Call to Service
• Can Obama Make Historic Double Play?