Group of 22 U.S. students quarantined in China

A group of 22 students from the greater District of Columbia and Maryland area have been quarantined in China after several tested positive for the H1N1 flu virus, school officials said Tuesday. Total eclipses occur about twice a year as the moon passes between the Earth and the sun on the same plane as Earth’s orbit.

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Total eclipse envelops Asia in darkness

Darkness fell across parts of China and India on Wednesday morning as a total solar eclipse passed across the world’s most populous countries, bringing throngs of people outside to watch the phenomenon. Total eclipses occur about twice a year as the moon passes between the Earth and the sun on the same plane as Earth’s orbit

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As nation gains, ‘overweight’ is relative

The little number on the tag on a pair of pants that indicates size can mean a lot to a person, and retailers know it. That’s why, in recent years, as the American population has become generally more overweight, brands from the luxury names to the mass retail chains have scaled down the size labels on their clothing. “You may actually be a size 14 and, according to whatever particular store you’re in, you come out a size 10,” said Natalie Nixon, associate professor of fashion industry management at Philadelphia University

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Massachusetts sues federal government over marriage law

Massachusetts sued the U.S. government on Wednesday, challenging the constitutionality of a federal law that defines marriage as the union of a man and a woman. “We’re taking this action today because, first, we believe that [the Defense of Marriage Act] directly interferes with Massachusetts’ long-standing sovereign authority to define and regulate the marital status of its residents,” Attorney General Martha Coakley said Wednesday afternoon

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Why Sarah Palin Quit

In bowing out as Governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin harkened back to her high school basketball days — although there was no sign of the “Barracuda,” as she was nicknamed for her ability to cut through the opposing team’s offenses. In a hastily called press conference on the eve of a three-day holiday, Palin presented herself as a point guard exhausted by the “full court press from the national level.” The 2008 Republican vice-presidential nominee explained how the metaphorical point guard should respond

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In Peru Sports, Men Bumble, And Women Shine

Peruvians have gone mad for the boxer Kina Malpartida, an unlikely sports figure in this South American country where soccer, even if not played well, is king. You see, Malpartida is a woman but she is idolized by the traditionally macho men of Peru because there is no equivalent male athlete in the country. Malpartida, known as “Dynamite” to her fans, is the World Boxing Association’s female super featherweight champion

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Will Obama Tax Employer-Provided Health Benefits?

As lawmakers continue to struggle to find a way to pay for a health reform that could cost $1 trillion or more over the next decade, Barack Obama seems to be opening the door a little wider to an approach that he rejected soundly when John McCain proposed it during last year’s presidential campaign: taxing the health benefits that employers provide their workers.

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