A Brief History of Memorial Day

Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer, and it may conjure images of picnics, barbecues or just a lazy day off. But originally the holiday was charged with deeper meaning—and with controversy. The exact origins of Memorial Day are disputed, with at least five towns claiming to have given birth to the holiday some time near the end of the Civil War

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Advocates await specifics of Obama’s plan for vets program

As President Obama reminds Americans that Memorial Day is more than the casual start of summer, many veterans advocates are eagerly waiting for more details about his plans for a revamped veterans program. Monday is “a time to reflect on what this holiday is all about; to pay tribute to our fallen heroes; and to remember the servicemen and women who cannot be with us this year because they are standing post far from home — in Iraq, Afghanistan and around the world,” Obama said in his weekly address Saturday

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Pirates free ship and crew held for 5 months

Somali pirates released a Philippine tanker and its 23 crew Tuesday — five months after the ship was seized in the Gulf of Aden. Philip Markoff, a pre-med student at Boston University with no criminal record, also was charged with the armed robbery and kidnapping of another victim, Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis announced Monday evening

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Pre-med student to be arraigned in Craigslist slaying

A college student will be arraigned on a murder charge in Boston Municipal Court on Tuesday in connection with the death of a woman who may have been contacted through a Craigslist ad, police said. Philip Markoff, a pre-med student at Boston University with no criminal record, also was charged with the armed robbery and kidnapping of another victim, Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis announced Monday evening

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College student charged in slaying possibly linked to Craigslist

A 22-year-old college student in Boston, Massachusetts, has been charged with murder in connection with the death of a woman who may have been contacted through a Craigslist ad, police said. Philip Markoff, a pre-med student at Boston University with no criminal record, also was charged with the armed robbery and kidnapping of another victim, Police Commissioner Ed Davis announced Monday evening.

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Man sought in killing possibly linked to Craigslist

Police in Boston, Massachusetts, are searching for a man suspected in the murder of one woman and the armed robbery of two others, all of whom, they say, he may have met through their Craigslist ads for personal services. Officers discovered New York resident Julissa Brisman, 26, unconscious with multiple gunshot wounds at Boston’s Copley Marriott Hotel on Tuesday night.

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Why the Stock Market Keeps Plummeting

Faced with ubiquitous signs of global economic meltdown, investors sold stocks in force on Tuesday, dragging the broad market indexes down near the lows reached last November. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index, weighed down by financials, fell 4.56%, while the Dow Industrials sank 3.8%, falling to within a fraction of its November 2008 low. Among the hardest hit sectors were bank stocks, down 10%, oil service stocks, down 8.2%, and semiconductor stocks, which fell 6.7%

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