KABUL — In a country where the recent past has unfolded like a war epic, officials think they have found a way to teach Afghan history without widening the fractures between long-quarreling ethnic and political groups: leave out the past four decades.  Read full article > >

Follow this link:
In Afghanistan, a new approach to teaching history: Leave out the wars

Kitakyushu has declared war on the yakuza, just as authorities say any romantic aura that may have enveloped gangsters in the past is falling away in Japanese society.

Read more:
With Risk, Japanese City Takes On Once Accepted Fact of Life: Its Gangsters

President Obama drew on the Bible and his interpretation of the Christian faith Thursday to deliver a sharp, if tacit, critique of his chief Republican rival’s economic program, speaking at a forum that in the past has been largely free of electoral politics. Read full article > >

See the original post:
At prayer breakfast and with birth-control decision, Obama riles religious conservatives

From the investigations of the Clinton White House to the more than 1,000 subpoenas he issued almost single-handedly, Rep. Dan Burton (R-Ind.) cut an investigative path along Pennsylvania Avenue unlike that of almost any other committee chairman of the past 50 years. Read full article > >

Follow this link:
Rep. Dan Burton, who transformed House panel into a feared committee, to retire

At least eight sea lions have been shot dead in the US state of Washington in the past few weeks, wildlife officials say.

Read more:
Sea lions ‘shot’ on US west coast

Hijackings have declined sharply in the past year, but where interdiction ends, a problem begins: what to do with the detained pirates?

Read this article:
News Analysis: Seized Pirates in Legal Limbo, With No Formula for Trials

There is plenty of blame to go around for the U.S. housing bubble, but not much of it belongs to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The two giant housing-finance institutions made many mistakes over the decades, some of them real whoppers, but causing house prices to soar and then crater during the past decade weren’t among them. Read full article > >

Go here to read the rest:
Fannie and Freddie don’t deserve blame for bubble

There is plenty of blame to go around for the U.S. housing bubble, but not much of it belongs to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The two giant housing-finance institutions made many mistakes over the decades, some of them real whoppers, but causing house prices to soar and then crater during the past decade weren’t among them. Read full article > >

Excerpt from:
Fannie and Freddie don’t deserve blame for bubble

The United States lost more than a quarter of its high-tech manufacturing jobs during the past decade as U.S.-based multinational companies placed a growing percentage of their research-and-development operations overseas, the National Science Board reported Tuesday. Read full article > >

Continue reading here:
U.S. losing high-tech manufacturing jobs to Asia

The Emir of Qatar says that Arab troops should be sent to Syria to stop a deadly crackdown that has claimed the lives of thousands of people in the past ten months.

Read more here:
Emir of Qatar Calls for Arab Troops in Syria

MOSCOW — Ignoring the political upheaval that has shaken Russia over the past month, Vladimir Putin’s presidential campaign unveiled a hefty new Web site Thursday that promises a fistful of important reforms but sidesteps the complaints that have drawn tens of thousands of protesters to the streets. Read full article > >

Follow this link:
Putin Web launch ignores Russian protests

I love basketball. But I admit to being an elitist. Typically I’ll take the best players in the world over scrappy student athletes any day. But the past few months were a dark time. The NBA went through an infuriating lockout, pitting billionaire owners against millionaire players with little concern for the fans. Read full article > >

Continued here:
To find up-close, affordable hoops action, college teams deliver

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Dozens of National Guard troops have arrived to help an Alaska fishing town dig out from massive snows that have collapsed roofs, trapped some people in homes, and triggered avalanches. Cordova is used to snow, but not like this season’s blanketing. The Guard reported more than 18 feet of snow has fallen in the past weeks, although the National Weather Service did not immediately have a measurement. Read full article > >

Go here to see the original:
National Guard helps Alaska fishing town dig out from massive snows

SAN JOSE — The Washington Capitals arrived here riding their longest winning streak since October but just like they have on every visit to Northern California over the past 18 years, they will leave with a loss. Washington fell, 5-2 , to the San Jose Sharks Saturday night at HP Pavilion, snapping a four-game winning streak and extending the team’s road woes as it dropped its fourth out of five away from Verizon Center. Read full article > >

See original here:
Capitals vs. Sharks: Mike Green hurt as Washington’s winning streak is snapped

The number of shootings has increased dramatically in Oakland in the past year, and many children end up being the victims.

See the original post here:
The Bay Citizen: Children Are Often Victims as Shootings Soar in Oakland