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UN aid groups have finally begun delivering supplies to areas controlled by islamist militants in Somalia, as the Horn of Africa faces its worst drought in 60 years, reports the BBC . Al-Shabab, an al-Qaeda-linked militant group, banned international aid groups two years ago, but tens of thousands of refugees streaming…

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Women’s World Cup Final: 5 Things to Watch for in USA vs. Japan

The women’s World Cup title game, between the U.S. and Japan, in Frankfurt, kicks off at 2:45 Eastern time today. Here are five things to watch for in of the most highly anticipated games in U.S. soccer history. 1. Can the U.S. Play the Possession Game? U.S. coach Pia Sundhage has indicated that the U.S.

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There are plenty of theories and explanations for the economic crisis that has afflicted the United States for years now, but they all miss the element of the continuing malaise—it’s really about the bursting of the decades-long consumer spending bubble, writes David Leonhardt in the New York Times . “Discretionary…

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Fiction mostly trumps real life, at least on Twitter. Mashable recommends 10 fictional Twitter accounts that are worth following. Immediately. Batman: Gotham City meets the real world in witty fashion by way of @God_Damn_Batman . Sample tweet : “Mr. Freeze has started calling himself Lord Cold-emort. Thank God this will be the…

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Women’s World Cup Final 2011 LIVE UPDATES: USA vs. Japan

The USA women’s soccer team takes on Japan on Sunday in the Women’s World Cup final. The game will begin at 2:45 p.m ET on ESPN. In the quarterfinals against Brazil, the U.S. came back in the 122nd minute after Abby Wambach scored on an incredible header to tie the match at two. They went on to win in a penalty shootout and then dominated France 3-1 in the semifinals. Despite getting shut out by England in the group stage, Japan managed to crush Germany and then take down Sweden in the semifinals. Will USA win a record third World Cup? Or will Japan shock the world and pull off the miraculous upset? Follow our Women’s World Cup final live blog for updates!

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Dog Bites Shark, Australians Narrate (VIDEO)

We thought they had this one backwards, but then we watched the video. In fact, we think this dog has some real guts. Going after a shark isn’t exactly what you’d expect this dog to do. The narration accompanied by the excited Australian accents make it just a tad more awesome. We think the owners could have shown a bit more concern for their pets, however. Apparently the Dog-Shark relationship isn’t as strong as the Dog-Dolphin one. Earlier this year, a set of dolphins rescued a Doberman Pinscher from the water. We doubt that sharks would be willing to help out a dog after this incident. WATCH:

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Fox & Friends Discover the Real Victims

by Alex Massie Via Eric Wemple, this clip from Fox & Friends is delicious. Now you might think suggesting the News of the World is the victim in this story is a creative approach to the matter but that reckons… Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : The Daily Dish Discovery Date : 17/07/2011 19:48 Number of articles : 4

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Van Hollen: GOP wants constitutional amendment to end Medicare

Click here to view this media A top Democrat Sunday accused Republicans of demanding a balanced budget amendment to “manipulate” the Constitution and end Medicare as it exists today. “What is wrong with ‘cut, cap and balance’ and what are the chances it will get through the House, through the Senate and signed by the president?” Fox News’ Chris Wallace asked Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), the ranking Democrat on the House Budget Committee. “No one should be fooled about this,” Van Hollen said. “They’re not proposing a clean balanced budget amendment. What they are proposing is to manipulate the Constitution and use it to impose the Republican budget plan. He continued: “If you look at that plan, it does end the Medicare guarantee. It slashes Medicaid. It slashes deeply to education and it protects tax breaks for special interests. They would write that into the United States Constitution. Under their proposal, it would be easier to cut Medicare than to cut subsidies for oil and gas companies. You have majority vote to cut Medicare and majority vote to create special interest loopholes. You need two-thirds to close tax breaks. That is an anti-majoritarian position. The framers would be turning in their grave if they read their provision.”

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Van Hollen: GOP wants constitutional amendment to end Medicare

Click here to view this media A top Democrat Sunday accused Republicans of demanding a balanced budget amendment to “manipulate” the Constitution and end Medicare as it exists today. “What is wrong with ‘cut, cap and balance’ and what are the chances it will get through the House, through the Senate and signed by the president?” Fox News’ Chris Wallace asked Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), the ranking Democrat on the House Budget Committee. “No one should be fooled about this,” Van Hollen said. “They’re not proposing a clean balanced budget amendment. What they are proposing is to manipulate the Constitution and use it to impose the Republican budget plan. He continued: “If you look at that plan, it does end the Medicare guarantee. It slashes Medicaid. It slashes deeply to education and it protects tax breaks for special interests. They would write that into the United States Constitution. Under their proposal, it would be easier to cut Medicare than to cut subsidies for oil and gas companies. You have majority vote to cut Medicare and majority vote to create special interest loopholes. You need two-thirds to close tax breaks. That is an anti-majoritarian position. The framers would be turning in their grave if they read their provision.”

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Time’s Joe Klein: Obama’s ‘Winning’ Debt Ceiling Debate – Americans Understand ‘Eat Your Peas’

Time magazine's Joe Klein said this weekend that President Obama “is winning” the debt ceiling debate. Klein told his fellow panelists on the syndicated “Chris Matthews Show,” “He is coming across as the most reasonable guy in a crazy city…When he says things like 'Eat your peas,' that's language Americans can understand” (video follows with transcript and commentary): JOE KLEIN, TIME: Can I just say – he's winning this thing. I mean really. He is coming across as the most reasonable guy… CHRIS MATTHEWS, HOST: Because? KLEIN: …in a crazy city. MATTHEWS: How so? KLEIN: Because he seems reasonable. GLORIA BORGER, CNN: He put a deal on the table. KLEIN: And, and, when he says things like “Eat your peas,” that's language Americans can understand. KELLY O’DONNELL, NBC NEWS: People do like that. KLEIN: The real important thing to understand about the whole debt ceiling business is that no one in America really knows what it means and they care less about it. They care about the economy and jobs. BORGER: Well, they care about Social Security. KLEIN: He seems to be a guy who's trying to do, well they don't understand that's a consequence. They didn't understand it until this week. MATTHEWS: It's coming. Oh yeah – Obama looked so good telling Republicans, “Eat your peas.” That's language Americans can understand, especially coming weeks after he told them his young daughters behave better than they do. I guess to a shill like Klein, that's coming across as “reasonable” – talking to political leaders on the other side of the aisle like they're children. Somehow I doubt Klein would be so approving of a Republican president talking this way to Democrats.

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