US – Friday, March 19
National
IS THAT A BANJO ON YOUR KNEE?
I spent the week in Alabama, and let me tell you it was an eye-opener. With all the cheese grits, fried shrimp and barbecue, it was also something of a heart valve-closer, but that’s a different story.
 
International
Pakistan charges U.S. 5 with terror
A Pakistani court formally charged five young Americans of plotting terrorism in the country yesterday, their lawyer said, in a case that has raised alarm over the danger posed by militants using the Internet.
 
The Word
James admits to ‘poor judgment’
Sandra Bullock is having quite a week with her dogs. On Thursday, husband Jesse James released a statement to People magazine about the affair rumors swirling around the couple, stating that a “vast majority” of the allegations are “untrue and unfounded,” but says, “It’s because of my poor judgment that I deserve everything bad that is coming my way.
 
My Entertainment
THE WEEK THAT WAS
This week, the news community ate up the story of world’s fattest mom Donna Simpson — who, reports claim, actually hopes to increase her already ample girth to claim a new record.
 
Business
‘Free’ ad leads to fraud suit
NEW YORK. A Wisconsin college student is suing credit firm Experian — the brains behind the ubiquitous FreeCreditReport.com jingles — for fraudulent advertising after she inadvertently signed up for a monthly $14.95 monitoring service.
 
My Travel
The key to Kyoto
Kyoto’s temples and Geisha culture are legendary, but this city is no slouch when it comes to mixing in a large slice of contemporary, too.
 
Final push is on for health care reform
Democrats in the House of Representatives on Thursday predicted weekend passage of a sweeping health care overhaul that budget analysts said would cut the U.S. deficit over 10 years and dramatically expand health coverage.
 
National
Data points to recovery
New applications for U.S. jobless benefits fell last week and factory activity in the mid-Atlantic region accelerated in March, suggesting the economy remained on a modest recovery path.
 
National
Tea Party: We’re not Republicans, just all-American
Accounts of a Feb. 16 meeting between Tea Party members and the GOP challenge a common perception that the grassroots-style movement was founded, funded and dominated by the Republican Party.
National
Congress passes job-creation bill
A package of tax breaks and highway spending cleared Congress yesterday, the first of what Democrats hope will be several efforts to bring down the 9.7 percent unemployment rate.
 

Photo: GETTY IMAGESReport: HIV patients canceled by insurer
Previously undisclosed records reveal that insurance company Fortis had a company policy of targeting policyholders with HIV. A computer program and algorithm targeted every policyholder recently diagnosed with HIV for an automatic fraud investigation, as the company searched for any pretext to revoke their policy.
 
National
Hawaii puts ‘birthers’ on hold
HAWAII. Hawaii’s state House Judiciary Committee this week debated a measure that would allow the state to ignore people who send repeated requests for President Barack Obama’s birth certificate.
National
Masters are stage for Tiger’s return
Tiger Woods will start trying to restore a reputation battered by marital infidelities at next month’s U.S. Masters, the tournament which helped him become the world’s most marketable sportsman.
 
 
 

Photo: GETTY IMAGES
National
Go green! It’s the best way to eschew ethics
The idea that driving an electric car and buying fair-trade coffee makes you a good person is grass-fed bull crap, according to psychologists at the University of Toronto.
 

Photo: GETTY IMAGESPetraeus: ‘Progress in Iraq is still fragile’
WASHINGTON. Iraq’s progress remains fragile and could still be reversed, despite decreased violence, successful national elections in March and other advances, Gen. David Petraeus said yesterday.