March 2010 Archives

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It's been more 30 years since I, as a relatively new Christian, was first introduced to the music of Amy Grant--a fellow teen at the time (and the object of much smitten-ness from my college buddies and me).
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Sir Ian McKellen was last night crowned the Empire Icon for his long and varied film career at the Jameson Empire Awards 2010.
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Most of us claim that we do not want to be single. Few cherish going home to an empty place. Major decisions are made on our own while if we have been married in the past we often find ourselves missing certain things despite a marriage breakdown.
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Andy Roddick of the United States, follows through with a serve to Benjamin Becker, of Germany, during the Sony Ericsson Open tennis tournament in Key Biscayne, Fla., Tuesday, March 30, 2010.

The hour was past midnight when Roger Federer found himself one big serve from salvaging a sloppy victory.

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America's churches and Christians need to practice a "prayer-care-share approach" to "loving their neighbors to Christ," according to a challenge by Mission America Coalition.
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Tamela Mann is one of the most-recognizable names in the contemporary Gospel music industry. Her tremendous success story and long string of accolades are even more impressive, however, when one considers the difficulty religious figures often have in attracting and maintaining secular audiences. 
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In a control room, a scientist toasted the start of the Large Hadron Collider outside Geneva on Tuesday.
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Wall Street ended slightly higher on Tuesday as an energized technology sector helped offset worries about foreign debt.

The Sandra Bullock Trade, by David Brooks

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Two things happened to Sandra Bullock this month. First, she won an Academy Award for best actress. Then came the news reports claiming that her husband is an adulterous jerk. So the philosophic question of the day is: Would you take that as a deal? Would you exchange a tremendous professional triumph for a severe personal blow?
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President Obama, with an F-18 "Green Hornet" that will run partly on bio fuel, during his speech on energy security on Wednesday at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland.

President Obama's proposal to open vast expanses of American coastlines to oil and natural gas drilling drew criticism from both sides in the drilling debate.
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At the Park Kultury subway station in Moscow on Tuesday, a photo had been posted of a girl who was missing after the bombing there the day before. 

When two bombs ripped through Moscow subway stations at rush hour on Monday morning, Russia's leaders reached for the kind of hunt-them-down-and-kill-them statements that propelled the country through two brutal wars in the Caucasus.
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The site of two explosions in the southern Russian town of Kizlyar on Wednesday.

Two suicide bombers attacked police in southern Russia today, killing at least 12 people and injuring 27. The attack comes as Russia is still reeling from Monday's twin suicide bombing in the city's subway system that killed 39 people.

Easter Crusade Aims to Help Resurrect Haiti

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Healing 4 Haiti will be held outside the government's National Palace, which was devastated by the earthquake.

Roughly 1,000 pastors in Haiti are expected to participate in a two-day event aimed at teaching church leaders to pray for physical and emotional healing in nation still reeling from a January earthquake that killed more than 200,000 people.
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President Obama is talking tough against Iran.

President Obama interrupted a diplomatic love fest with visiting French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Tuesday to declare Iran will face tougher international sanctions within weeks.
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The Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 and the official pens after the signing ceremony at the college.

Delaware and Tennessee beat out 38 other states and the District of Columbia to win a share of $4 billion in federal education grants, convincing the Obama administration that they have bold plans for overhauling their public school systems.
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South Hadley students at a vigil after their classmate's death in January.

It is not clear what some students at South Hadley High School expected to achieve by subjecting a freshman to the relentless taunting described by a prosecutor and classmates.
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President Barack Obama meets with President Nicolas Sarkozy of France in the Oval Office, March 30, 2010. 

President Barack Obama and French President Nicolas Sarkozy went out of their way on Tuesday to show there are no frictions between them.
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Members Julliard school present manuscripts of"La flute enchantee" from Mozart and another one from Beethoven to French First Lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy during her visit at Julliard school on March 29, 2010 in New York . She is traveling with her husband, French President Nicolas Sarkozy on a two day-visit in the United States. They will meet US President Barack Obama in Washington.

Forget tea with Michelle Obama. Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, on her first trip to Washington as France's first lady, visited a school in a poor neighborhood and had lunch at Ben's Chili Bowl.

Finalizing two major pieces of his agenda, President Barack Obama on Tuesday sealed his health care overhaul and made the government the primary lender to students by cutting banks out of the process.
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This file photo shows Senate Minority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) (L) and House Minority Leader Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) on Capitol Hill July 22, 2009 in Washington, DC.

Republican leaders in Congress have moved to distance themselves from GOP national chairman Michael Steele, but that job will become more difficult as the spotlight on the midterm election intensifies.
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One thing is very clear in the controversy now swamping Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele: The RNC very much wants to stop talking about it.

The Grit and Glory of Holy Week

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There is a grittiness to Holy Week. To be sure, the Gospels throughout point to the fact of the incarnation, but the incarnation, for me, takes on a particularly earthy and tactile quality in the Passion narratives.

'Everyone Needs Forgiveness'

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Screenwriter Nicholas Sparks and Miley Cyrus, breaking out of her Hannah Montana mold, discuss their drama, The Last Song, opening in theaters this week.
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This rising generation isn't losing its religion. These young people are simply resisting the tried-and-true brands of American religion and politics. Can you blame them?

T. D. Jakes and Jim Daly Talk About Heaven

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Officials said 24 were killed in the Lubyanka blast, while 12 were killed in the Park Kultury.

Russia's cities are bracing themselves for a fresh terrorist bombing campaign after two "black widow" suicide bombers launched a rush-hour attack on the Moscow metro killing 38 people and injuring 64.
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Nine people federal prosecutors say belong to a "Christian warrior" militia were accused Monday of plotting to kill a Michigan law enforcement officer and then attack other police at the funeral.
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Russian President Dmitry Medvedev speaks during an emergency meeting in Moscow's Kremlin on Monday, March 29, 2010. Two female suicide bombers blew themselves up on Moscow's subway system as it was jam-packed with rush-hour passengers Monday, killing at least 35 people and wounding more than 30.
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The pastor of the Christian Church of El Dios Vivo, center, has promised to start a high-budget outreach program on Wednesday.

In December, the pastor of a fledgling storefront church in Red Hook, Brooklyn, began spreading word among several dozen evangelical Christian congregations that he was hiring employees for a huge new social service program.
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Relatives of missing sailors of the sunken South Korean naval ship Cheonan, complain to a military officer during a briefing on the rescue operation at a naval base in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul, South Korea, Monday, March 29, 2010. Any navy crewmen still alive and trapped inside watertight cabins aboard a sunken South Korean ship would have just a few hours of oxygen left, military officials said Monday as divers plunged back into the Yellow Sea to find the wreckage.

"Dragon" Slays "Alice" At the Box Office

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Animated 3-D family movie "How to Train Your Dragon" slayed audiences this weekend, ousting "Alice in Wonderland" from its three-week run at the top of the North American box office in another strong showing for the 3-D format.
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Andy Serkis has revealed that The Hobbit will start production at the end of this year.
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Our beloved and favorite children's book series "Ramona" by Beverly Cleary will finally come to life on the big screen in the new adaptation, "Ramona and Beezus," starring Selena Gomez as the over-achiever Beezus Quimby.
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iShine LIVE!, a unique faith-based concert tour designed specifically for the tween (ages 8-14) market, will head back out on the road this spring, hitting more than 20 cities nationwide in April and May. 

Are Aquariums Getting Too Lifelike?

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HELP WANTED
Joseph Yaiullo takes a break from cleaning the reef tank at Atlantis Marine World. "If I can put some critters in there that make my life easier, I'll do it," he says. "I'd rather have urchins scraping away than me doing it."

Can You Be Addicted To Food?

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Obese patients who have been saying for years that food binging is like an addiction for them may finally have scientific support. Scientists have found some mechanisms behind drug addiction are also driving forces behind compulsive eating, which can lead to obesity.

Chris Sanders' Very Own Personal Dragon

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Very few people play with dragons for a living. Consider Chris Sanders one of the lucky.
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Spring is here--and along with it come the sneezing and stuffy noses characteristic of allergy season. 

5 New Rules for a Healthy Credit Score

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The rules that credit-card companies have to live by changed dramatically with the enactment of new regulations last month. Now, some of the rules for consumers striving to maintain good credit are changing, too.
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Rescuers loaded victims of the explosion at the Park Kultury metro station in Moscow on Monday. 
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Last night, I had the strangest dream. There was Shaquille O'Neal, standing in the snow,  quizzically looking upward to the heavens. Then I realized I was wide awake and I was just watching the new Owl City video for "Vanilla Twilight."

When Owning Your Home Doesn't Pay

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In 20 metro areas around the U.S., the cost of buying a home is only a little more -- and in two metros actually less -- than renting
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The new Sony store in Nagoya, Japan. Some visitors found the similarity to Apple's retail outlets notable.

Can the iPad Live Up to Its Hype?

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When the Apple iPad goes on sale on Saturday, most of the major questions surrounding the device will have been answered, save for one: can it live up to the hype?
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Toyota Motor (7203.T) and Mazda Motor (7261.T) announced a deal under which Japan's top automaker will supply its hybrid technology under licence to Mazda, in the latest link-up within the fast-changing auto industry.
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Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has changed his working schedule and will return to Moscow after two deadly blasts in the Russian capital's subway, Putin's spokesman said Monday.
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Rescue workers carried a body from the Lubyanka metro station in central Moscow. Female suicide bombers set off huge explosions during Monday rush hour in two subway stations, killing at least 35 people.

U.S. President Barack Obama on Monday condemned suicide bombings in Moscow that killed at least 37 people and injured 65 on packed metro trains.
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Duke players after their victory.
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Michigan State after Tennessee missed a desperation shot at the buzzer. The Spartans, who lost in last year's championship game, are headed back to the Final Four.
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Brian McLaren is considered one of the country's most influential evangelicals, and his new book , A New Kind of Christianity, takes aim at some core doctrinal beliefs.

March 29 marks the beginning of the holiest week for Christians -- when believers reflect on the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. This year, there's something of a dust-up among evangelicals over core beliefs about who Jesus was and whether he is the only way to salvation.
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When I saw that Kathleen Parker's March 24 op-ed, "Stupak's original sin," defined me as a "backstabber," it reminded me of a Bible verse. Matthew 7:3 asks, "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?"
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They say that if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere, and the founders of Sydney's Hillsong church are about to find out.
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A little-noticed provision of the health legislation has rescued federal support for a controversial form of sex education: teaching youths to remain virgins until marriage.
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Rafael Nadal was made to dig deep before edging past David Nalbandian in the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami.
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A new Lifetime movie based on the Nickel Mines shooting lacks the power of the real-life story.
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City Council on Wednesday gave a cool response to Mayor Annise Parker's plan to sell the former site of the Compaq Center to Lakewood Church for $7.5 million, the first hint of discord between the newly elected mayor and the 14-member council.
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Nearly 40% of churches reported declines in giving in 2009, according to the annual "State of the Plate" research, with megachurches and West Coast churches suffering most.
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Sheryl Kauffman, right, consoles Marianne Sommers as they walk to the fellowship lunch following a church service that celebrated the lives of the Esh family, that was killed in an accident on Friday, March 26.

Scores of Mennonites gathered in a large prayer circle and sang at a Marrowbone warehouse Sunday evening, their four-part harmony echoing off the concrete walls as they sang a hymn of faith amid searing grief.

Obamas Plan White House Seder

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Last year's Seder, a White House first, saw the Macaroon Security Standoff.

The Obama family is hosting a seder in the White House.
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Top advisers to President Barack Obama say the relationship between the U.S. and Israel remains strong despite sometimes blunt talk and disagreements between the two countries.
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(L-R) White House senior advisers David Axelrod and Valerie Jarrett smile at one another as Press Secretary Robert Gibbs listens to U.S. President Barack Obama during a news conference in the James S. Brady Briefing Room of the White House June 23, 2009 in Washington, DC. 

A top White House adviser says the U.S. is making progress in its efforts to find allies to hold the line on Iran's nuclear ambitions.
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Steven Geier said the priest who molested him as a boy told him he had to keep it a secret.

They were deaf, but they were not silent. For decades, a group of men who were sexually abused as children by the Rev. Lawrence C. Murphy at a school for the deaf in Wisconsin reported to every type of official they could think of that he was a danger, according to the victims and church documents.
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President Obama greets troops in the dining hall at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan. His visit was kept secret beforehand for security reasons.
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Hee Kyung Seo celebrates after winning inaugural Kia Classic.

Michelle Wie provided the drama in Hee Kyung Seo's runaway victory yesterday in the Kia Classic. It just wasn't the kind of intrigue she had in mind.
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The Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove.

At least two longtime vendors for the Crystal Cathedral's Glory of Christmas and Glory of Easter pageant say the megachurch has failed to pay them tens of thousands of dollars they are owed for the 2009 Christmas pageant and has not indicated when they will be paid.
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The South Korean military searched on rubber boats for survivors from a sunken South Korean navy ship near South Korea's Baengnyeong Island on Sunday.

Divers finally reached the wreckage of a naval ship that sank nearly three days ago and rapped with hammers on the stern where 46 crew members are believed trapped, but got no response, military officials said Monday.
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This family photo provided by Lee Williamson shows members of the Esh family posing for a snapshot in 2005. Left to Right: Naomi Esh, Leroy Esh, Betty Esh, Rose Esh, Johnny Esh, Rachel Esh, Amos Esh, Anna Esh and Abner Esh. Anna, Rose, Rachel, Leroy and Leroy Esh's wife, Naomi were killed after a tractor-trailer loaded with auto parts crossed the highway median early Friday March 26, 2010, near Munfordville, Ky., and slammed head-on into the van carrying members of the family. 
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Devin Ebanks of the West Virginia Mountaineers drives to the basket against Patrick Patterson of the Kentucky Wildcats.

After West Virginia's loss at Connecticut on Feb. 22, West Virginia Coach Bob Huggins sat his team in a circle in the locker room. Huggins has broken a few chairs and made some power forwards blush with his language over the years, but that day he calmly reminded the Mountaineers of their potential.
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Butler players celebrate their win over Kansas State in the West Regional championship game.

As Butler's buses rolled to the Indianapolis airport earlier this week, they passed Lucas Oil Stadium, the site of the Final Four. Hanging from the side of the stadium is a sign that reads: The Road Ends Here.

Seeking a Safe Masters for Woods

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Tiger Woods will be protected from the masses by the tour's security staff, which is composed of former F.B.I. agents, and Augusta National guards.
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Team Jacob was triumphant at the Kids' Choice Awards. "Twilight" star Taylor Lautner picked up two orange, blimp-shaped trophies at Saturday's 23rd annual shenanigan-packed Nickelodeon spectacle inside UCLA's Pauley Pavilion. 
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Apple CEO Steve Jobs greets Google CEO Eric Schmidt during the keynote speech at Macworld on January 9, 2007 in San Francisco, California. 

Do people ever meet for coffee intending to just, well, drink coffee? Of course not. So the tech world, aka the whole world, trembled with titillated tension at the mere idea that Steve Jobs and Eric Schmidt sat across from each other in some sort of upscale shopping mall and shot the breeze.

Apple Is Sold Out of iPads for Launch Day

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Apple's often accused of running its hype machine to new levels in advance of a product launch. This naturally makes its anonymous claims of pre-selling hundreds of thousands of its latest gizmo, the famed Apple iPad, a bit tougher to digest.
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Pictured: Maj. Gen. Robert A. Harding

The agency that guards airline security inside the United States is likely to remain without a Senate-confirmed leader for months to come after President Obama's nominee for the position abruptly withdrew late Friday night amid questions from Congress about his work as a defense contractor.
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Sarah Palin told thousands of tea party activists assembled in the Nevada desert Saturday that Sen. Harry Reid will have to explain his votes when he comes back to his hometown to campaign.
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The skyline of Hong Kong Island and Kowloon, seen from the Peak, with lights off.
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Lord Carey called on the government to end its "discrimination".

A group of Church of England Bishops have accused the government of discriminating against Christians while treating other faiths more leniently.

How Christian Is Health Care Reform?

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The Republican Party wasn't the only group hit hard a week ago by the passage of U.S. health care legislation. The Christian right, led for years by Focus on the Family Founder James Dobson, is also reeling.
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President Barack Obama intends to nominate Massachusetts pediatrician Donald Berwick, known for his work to improve patient care, to oversee Medicare and Medicaid.
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Former first lady Barbara Bush was hospitalized Saturday in Houston to undergo routine tests but doctors don't suspect anything serious, a family spokeswoman said.
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Strong winds and rough waves Sunday dimmed hopes of rescuing 46 South Korean sailors as search efforts entered their second day following the Friday night sinking of their navy ship off the North Korean coast.
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This summer fans will get to experience a tour like none other when award-winning and platinum-selling artists Chris Tomlin and TobyMac team up to hit arenas and amphitheaters in seven select cities for the HELLO TONIGHT tour. Tickets for many shows are on sale now and can be purchased at the links next to each city below.
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Paramount has released another trailer for M. Night Shyamalan's The Last Airbender.
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Ministry pioneer Freda Lindsay, who founded Christ For The Nations Institute in 1970 alongside her late-husband Gordon, has died. She was 95.
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U.S. President Barack Obama shakes hands with Gen. George W. Casey Jr., Army Chief of Staff, during the dedication of the Abraham Lincoln Hall at the National Defense University as Commandant USMC Gen. James Conway (L) and Air Force Chief of Staff General Norton Schwartz (R) look on, March 12, 2009 at Ft. McNair in Washington, DC.
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US President Barack Obama delivers remarks beside US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, during a news briefing on the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START). 

On a Friday that began in Washington with a triumphant presidential news conference about the conclusion of arms talks with Russia, Moscow seemed to have its mind on other things.
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A South Korean woman watches a TV screen reporting about a navy ship sinking in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, March 26, 2010. Officials say a South Korean navy ship is sinking off the country's west coast near the maritime border with North Korea.

Russia Cuts Time Zones to 9 On Sunday

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Chief Kremlin economist Arkady Dvorkovich and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev

The world's largest country by land mass is challenging time: This weekend, Russia is cutting the number of its time zones from 11 to 9.
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Evangelist Luis Palau and the Rev. James Meeks preached to more than 14,000 people in China March 20-21 at the Hangzhou Chong-yi Christian church. Joining the two American preachers was Rev. Meeks' 52-voice Salem Baptist Church Choir from Chicago.
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The story goes that Jesus and Satan had argued for days about who was more tech-savvy, and God grew sick of the bickering. He told them he would judge a two-hour task set. They e-mailed, e-mailed with attachments, downloaded and created spreadsheets, labels, charts and graphs.

The Science of Prayer

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Everyone who is in any kind of serious relationship--with a partner, a child, a close friend--has been guilty of transgression as one time or another. That's because we're not perfect. We all commit hurtful acts, violate trust, and hope for forgiveness.
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It wasn't long ago that Rachel Cales volunteered at her church's food pantry, bagging canned goods and emergency provisions for families that had fallen on hard times.
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A proposal to ban abortion in Colorado will be on state ballots this fall.
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A group of more than 100 prominent Christians ranging from evangelical minister Jim Wallis on the political left to Nixon White House aide Chuck Colson on the right released a document Thursday calling for an end to the fight club tone of the national political discourse.
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Laura Silsby, the head of New Life Children's Refuge accused of child trafficking, is escorted into a court hearing February 4, 2010 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The five women and five men are part of a church organization that attempted to cross into the Dominican Republic with 33 Haitian children.
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President Barack Obama speaks about health care reform at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Thursday, March 25, 2010. 
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Millions of U.S. homes, 2,200 businesses such as Walgreens and 45 national landmarks including Seattle's Space Needle will go dark for an hour Saturday night to draw attention to global warming.
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Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruchel) and Toothless in "How to Train Your Dragon."

Moviegoers who just took off their 3D glasses after seeing "Alice in Wonderland" will put them back on again this weekend as Paramount unleashes DreamWorks Animation's "How to Train Your Dragon."
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There's this odd sleight of hand going on in the nation's capital.It used to be that you called the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) or someone at the Vatican to get the Catholic Church's side of things. With evangelicals - a far more diverse and scattered group - you could call a certain handful of organizations, magazine editors and pastors and pretty much get the drift of what the born-again crowd thought.
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Pictured: Yusuf Mehdi and Steve Balmer demo Bing

Microsoft lags so far behind Google in the search engine market because it didn't acknowledge the long tail, said Yusuf Mehdi, senior vice president of the Online Audience Group for Microsoft Bing, at Search Engine Strategies NYC March 25.
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A fossil hip bone from a newfound T. rex ancestor found in Australia.
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The Obama administration plans to overhaul how it is tackling the foreclosure crisis, in part by requiring lenders to temporarily slash or eliminate monthly mortgage payments for many borrowers who are unemployed, senior officials said Thursday.

Pastor Sapp's Chart Miracle

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It's not every day that an ordained minister debuts in the top five on the Billboard 200, but that's what happens this week. Marvin Sapp, the founder and senior pastor of Lighthouse Full Life Center Church in Grand Rapids, Mich., enters the chart at #2 with Here I Am

Easter: Living Life in the Future Tense

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I recently read an article called, "How You Can Tell When It's Going to be a Rotten Day." It was signed "Author Unknown But Troubled." You're going to have a bad day when:
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After three days of intensive talks, the effort by U.S. and Israeli leaders to move past recent tensions appeared no closer to resolution as of press time.

Nick to Honor FLOTUS at Kids Choice Awards

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Cable channel Nickelodeon announced today it will honor Michelle Obama with its "Big Help" award at the annual Kids' Choice Awards, to be held Saturday at 8 p.m. from Los Angeles.
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Liverpool, the hometown of famous Beatles member, John Lennon, will partake in a special "tribute season" this fall.

Netanyahu's Son Wins National Bible Quiz

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Son of prime minister and wife Sara wins prestigious quiz in Kiryat Shmona.
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With the Senate working through an all-night session on a package of changes to the Democrats' sweeping health care legislation, Republicans early Thursday morning identified parliamentary problems with at least two provisions that will require the measure to be sent back to the House for yet another vote, once the Senate adopts it.
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Normal-weight women who want to prevent weight gain as they age need to do an hour a day of moderate-intensity physical activity such as brisk walking, a study shows.

Report: China 'Faces Diabetes Epidemic'

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China faces a diabetes epidemic, a new report warned Thursday, with rising obesity levels and an ageing population helping to trigger a major public health problem.

Caesarean Births Are at a High in U.S.

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The Caesarean section rate in the United States reached 32 percent in 2007, the country's highest rate ever, health officials are reporting.
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This Wildcat squad doesn't mind the anti-Kentucky sentiment.

Tiger Woods Ready for Return and Hecklers

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Colin Montgomerie who has had run-ins with American galleries, said Tiger Woods was wise to use the Masters for his return to competitive golf.

NFL Passes Player Safety Rules

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Dallas Cowboys head football coach Wade Phillips answers questions from reporters during an early morning question-and-answer session during the NFL meetings in Orlando, Fla., Wednesday, March 24, 2010.
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Today is Ada Lovelace Day, a day to celebrate women and girls in technology. It is in honor of Ada Lovelace, obviously, who is often credited with writing the first computer program.
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As the CTIA kicked off its annual conference in Las Vegas yesterday, it also released the results of its semiannual US wireless industry survey for the last half of 2009. Even in the face of the largest economic recession since the Great Depression, results show that the wireless industry continues to grow as a vast majority of the US population is using a mobile phone.
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The leaner Starbucks Corp (SBUX.O) that emerged after months of slashing costs is dripping with enough cash to make its first-ever dividend or a share buyback likely, analysts and investors told Reuters.
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As a cardinal, Pope Benedict XVI and other Vatican officials did not punish or even hold a trial within the Catholic church for a Wisconsin priest who may have molested as many as 200 deaf boys, according to The New York Times.
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More than a million baby slings made by Infantino were recalled Wednesday after reports linking them to three infant deaths.
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Barack Obama's journey to reform America's health care system comes full circle Thursday as he returns to the place where he launched his ideas.
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President Barack Obama signs an Executive Order that reaffirms the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act's conssistency with longstanding restrictions on the use of federal funds for abortion, in the Oval Office, March 24, 2010.
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President Barack Obama talks on the phone with Haitian President René Préval in the Oval Office, Jan. 15, 2010.

President Barack Obama is asking Congress for $2.8 billion in aid for earthquake-wracked Haiti, jump-starting a global push to raise billions of dollars for the country's reconstruction.
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President Obama meeting last year in London with President Dmitri A. Medvedev of Russia. They have negotiated arms cuts.
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Representative Barney Frank, left, and Senator Christopher J. Dodd outside the White House.

Buoyed by passage of landmark health care legislation, the Obama administration and Democrats in Congress said Wednesday that an overhaul of financial regulations was the next legislative priority.
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U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (C) shakes hands with Pakistani Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi (R) and Afghan Foreign Minister Rangin Dadfar during trilateral talks at the State Department February 26, 2009 in Washington, DC. Clinton announced another round of talks in April after today's were considered productive. 
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Employees gather on the side of a street after they rushed out of their office building after an earthquake Thursday, March 25, 2010 in Manila, Philippines. The 6.2 magnitude earthquake shook buildings and sent workers out of their offices in the city, though no immediate reports of damages or casualties.
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President Barack Obama's signature on the health insurance reform bill at the White House, March 23, 2010. 
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Tyler, Texas-based band Luminate releases its self-titled debut nationwide today. Luminate's lead single, "Shine (Love Is An Action)," is currently New and Active at CHR, while the band has been confirmed to appear on GRAMMY Award nominated Superchick's "Alive Tour" this spring.
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Oprah Winfrey has settled a defamation lawsuit filed by a headmistress she had accused of performing poorly at her South African girls school, where some students claimed they were abused, lawyers said Tuesday.
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Nashville-based sister-rock-trio Everlife today released a brand new, eye-popping music video for their latest single, "What's Beautiful," at Ransom.tv. 

Trusting Our "Intuition" as Parents

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When our daughter fainted at church camp, and tearfully asked if she could come home, I felt a sickening thud in my stomach. My husband and I had not felt peace about sending her to camp, yet we buckled under the pressure of well-intentioned others.
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A billboard campaign in Atlanta sends an incendiary message connection abortion to genocide. If the outreach tactic to black communities is considered a success in Georgia, pro-choice groups believe it will be replicated across the country.

How Do You Spend Your Leisure Time?

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Free time is not a trivial matter. The activities we participate in during our moments of leisure shape our identity.
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Kathryn Stockett and Tate Taylor have been best friends all their lives. Now they're collaborating on a major motion picture.
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Samia al-Hdaidun with three of her children in the site of their East Jerusalem home, which Israel demolished last week.

Undeterred by turbulence in its ties with the United States and Britain, Israel on Wednesday confirmed further plans to expand the Jewish presence in occupied East Jerusalem, with more building freshly approved.

Put Some Spring in Your Step

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Do you remember how excited you were to get up early in the morning, eat your breakfast, then dash out the door, just to be outside?
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, second from left, address members of the media after arriving on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, March 23, 2010. From left are, House Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio, Netanyahu, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif. and House Majority Whip James Clyburn of S.C.
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Earlier today, a rumor started circulating the internet that 20th Century Fox will release both The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and Gulliver's Travels in 3D this December.
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A Chinese flag flies next to the Google company logo outside the Google China headquarters in Beijing on Monday.
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President Obama signed major health care legislation into law on Tuesday.

With the stroke of President Obama's pen, his health care overhaul -- the most sweeping social legislation enacted in decades -- became law on Tuesday.

Sheila Walsh: When a Woman Trusts God

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THE GREATEST GIFT
Trust is the greatest gift we can give God.  Sheila says she believes that trust is what love looks like, and her latest book is an in-depth Bible study about how you can trust God. 
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"For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek." - Romans 1:16

Teen Sensation Bieber Gears Up for Busy Year

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"He causes riots everywhere he goes, and my mom loves him almost as much as I do!" sputters a blond girl in a bubble-gum-pink sweater, flanked by two other breathless tweens.
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The Ferrari World roof will span 200,000 m2.

When Ferrari World opens its doors in Abu Dhabi later this year, fans of the prancing horse will be treated to a monster roller coaster with a difference. 
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Olympic organiser Locog has been receiving around 10,000 registrations an hour since launching its London 2012 tickets website yesterday (22 March).
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President Barack Obama pumps his fists during a meeting with senior staff in the Chief of Staff 's office at the White House, March 21, 2010.

President Obama will sign sweeping health care reform legislation into law at the White House on Tuesday, according to two Democratic officials familiar with the planning.
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Since the surprise discovery last year of trace amounts of water on the moon, scientists have been redefining their concept of Earth's rocky neighbor. Now researchers say the water on the moon comes in three different flavors.
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Churches, by and large, still haven't entered the digital age when it comes to evangelism -- but those who have are reaping huge rewards, according to a new survey.
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In this March 16, 2010 file photo, Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, holds up a copy of the proposed Senate health care reform bill as he speaks at a health care rally by The American Grassroots Coalition and The Tea Party Express on Capitol Hill in Washington.

Tea party activists aren't just angry that Democrats passed a major health care overhaul, they are out for revenge.
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Israelis watch a live broadcast of U.S. President Barak Obama's speech to the Muslim world from Cairo University on televisions in an appliance shop in Jerusalem, June 4, 2009. President Obama's speech is translated into Hebrew on the Israeli channel.
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Nancy Pelosi, the House speaker, carried the gavel that was used when Medicare was passed.

Congress cleared the historic health care bill, and sends it to Obama for his signature 
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Art designer: Peter Jackson brought in Guillermo Del Toro to give 'Hobbit' movie a new look

'Alice' Remains In Box Office Wonderland

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Alice remains the queen of the box office.
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Grammy-nominated Superchick returns to the studio to reinvent its favorite songs from the band's more than 10-year career. 
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The UK-based, RIAA Certified Gold-selling, GRAMMY-nominated and Dove Award winning band Delirious? played its final, farewell concert at London's HMV Hammersmith Apollo Nov. 29.  
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5-time Grammy winner Larnelle Harris has been named as one of the newest inductees to the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame.
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The Space Shuttle Atlantis lands at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in California in 2007.

New York officials are upping the ante in the push to win a coveted space shuttle - calling it one small step for NASA but a giant step for New York City.
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Scientists at CERN, the European nuclear research agency, announced Friday morning that they had accelerated beams of protons at the world's largest particle accelerator, the Large Hadron Collider near Geneva, to energies of 3.5 trillion electron volts. 

Rush Is On to Be First in iPad Apps

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The executive team at Panelfly: Wade Slitkin, seated, the chief executive, with Brett Dovman, center, and Stephen Lynch.

Why @ Is Held in Such High Design Esteem

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The @ sign key on a computer keyboard.
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The iPad launch is drawing near, so it's not surprising that much of our most popular Apple news for the week was about the highly anticipated device. However, we also saw some news about iPhone app use, Kindle software coming to the Mac, and more.
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Tiger Woods gave two interviews that aired Sunday evening, the first time he has answered questions since his post-Thanksgiving car accident. According to ESPN, Woods' representatives did not restrict the network's questions, but the interview was limited to just five minutes. Another interview aired simultaneously on the Golf Channel.
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Duncan Wants 40 Percent Graduation Rate or Schools Cannot Play in Postseason
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Andy Roddick fell short in two tie breakers Sunday and lost the BNP Paribas Open final to Ivan Ljubicic.

Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia outlasted Andy Roddick, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (5), to win the BNP Paribas Open on Sunday.
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Children are piling on the pounds while still in grade school, with 6 percent qualifying as extremely obese, according to an extensive new survey of kids in California.
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A 5-step action plan for lowering heart risks associated with diabetes

A Map to Grocery Store Savings

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If you're like many people, you stroll through your local supermarket without giving much attention to its design.

What's a Degree Really Worth?

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A college education may not be worth as much as you think.

3 Ways to Use Your Tax Refund

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Question: I'm trying to figure out what to do with my $500 tax refund. I'm looking to save for the long-term rather than waste it on a TV. Any suggestions? -- Chez, Colorado Springs
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China's commerce minister warned the United States on Sunday that if it launches a "trade war" against China by levying punitive tariffs on Chinese imports, the United States will suffer the most.
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NANCY PELOSI, JAN. 28
"We will go through the gate. If the gate is closed, we will go over the fence. If the fence is too high, we will pole vault in. If that doesn't work, we will parachute in. But we are going to get health care reform passed."
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British Airways Plc and the union representing its 12,000 cabin crew are no closer to resolving a dispute on pay and staffing levels as a strike at the airline enters its third day.

The Single Life: Salad Daze

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I'm sure you're familiar with fast food--what member of the civilized world is not?--but have you heard about slow food? 

Five Steps to Get Organized

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I won't try to kid you into thinking I'm some kind of organizational expert. I am the most disorganized person ever. My professional office is a mess. My home, remarkably, appears to be orderly as long as you don't open a cupboard, drawer or closet.

Netanyahu and Obama Will Talk on Tuesday

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Noura Qawariq, 85, hugged her dead grandson Salah Muhammad Qawariq, 18, who was killed near a Jewish settlement in the West Bank on Sunday.
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Worshipers attending Mass in West Belfast. In interviews, many Catholics in Ireland said they shared abuse victims' anger about the clerical scandals and cover-ups by bishops.
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Nicolas Sarkozy, accompanied by first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, shakes hands with supporters after casting his vote.
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About 500 people were evacuated when Eyjafjallajokull volcano erupted.

Iceland is preparing for an even more powerful and potentially destructive volcano after a small eruption at the weekend shot red-hot molten lava high into the sky.
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