No ‘silver bullet’ to health care overhaul, Obama says

There is no "silver bullet" solution to health care overhaul, President Obama said on Saturday, but the system needs to change to avoid "a world of hurt" down the road. “There is no perfect, painless silver bullet out there that solves everyone’s problem, that gives everyone perfect health care for free.

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Behind the scenes: A refugee camp for Pakistani Christians

They are not war refugees, not displaced by violence; rather they believe they’re here because they are Christian. ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) — They are not war refugees, not displaced by violence; rather they believe they’re here because they are Christian

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Britain imposes direct rule of Turks and Caicos isles

Britain says it has suspended the government of the Turks and Caicos Islands and imposed direct rule after allegations of systemic corruption and "serious dishonesty". Bolt, the star attraction of the championships after his Beijing Olympic heroics last year, won the ninth of 12 heats, easing down in customary style in the last 30 meters

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Drought and Famine: Ethiopia’s Vicious Cycle Continues

As Ethiopia remains caught in a deadly cycle of drought and famine, aid agencies warn that erratic rainfall and ever-rising food costs are compounding the problems carried over from last year’s drought to leave 6.2 million people in need of food assistance, on top of the 7.5 million already getting aid from the government. Close to 14 million Ethiopians — 20% of the country’s total population — now have difficulty finding enough to eat, including, according to UNICEF, 62,000 children under five in the worst-affected areas who received treatment for severe acute malnutrition during the first half of 2009. And that number is set to rise

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Home Nurse Visits: A New Health-Care Fear for Conservatives

George Orwell never wrote about health insurance, but his ghost hovers over the current health-care debate, providing inspiration for all manner of fears about Big Brother-like intrusions by the government into the lives of ordinary Americans. First was the rumor—promoted by high-profile Republicans like Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich and Iowa Senator Charles Grassley—that Democratic health care plans would create “death panels” which would pass judgment on which citizens deserved to live.

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‘Pioneer’ in online sports betting pleads guilty

The man who founded and ran the online sports gambling operation BetOnSports pleaded guilty and agreed to forfeit more than $43 million in proceeds, prosecutors announced Friday. Now, I know that’s a strong opening statement, but consider this: The government decides where your kids go to school; what curriculum they’ll study; and even develops long-term educational plans just like the Communists devised five-year plans.

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U.S. ‘Soviet-style’ education system not cutting it

Our educational system is essentially a Soviet-style government-run monopoly that could only be loved by the likes of Lenin and Stalin. Now, I know that’s a strong opening statement, but consider this: The government decides where your kids go to school; what curriculum they’ll study; and even develops long-term educational plans just like the Communists devised five-year plans. This kind of “one-size-fits-all” approach really punishes kids.

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Obama Has a Polite Town-Hall Meeting on Health Care

The beginning of the town-hall meeting in Belgrade, Mont., was ominous. As Katie Gibson, the petite woman chosen to introduce President Obama, began, her soft-spoken testimony about losing medical-insurance coverage amid cancer treatment was suddenly overwhelmed by thunderclaps and a heavy downpour of rain and hailstones that reverberated through the cavernous metal airport hangar.

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Mexican state postpones school start because of flu fears

Officials in Mexico’s Chiapas state postponed classes Friday for more than 1 million students in an effort to avoid a resurgence of H1N1 flu, which has sickened thousands throughout Mexico this year. Chiapas Education Secretary Javier Alvarez Ramos and state Health Secretary James Gomez Montes said classes will start August 31 for middle and high school students and September 7 for elementary pupils, the state-run Notimex news agency said.

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