'Inglourious Basterds' latest in Jewish vengeance film genre



Afghanistan strategy must change, US commander McChrystal says



Ted Kennedy's wife Vicki Kennedy good fit for Senate seat, say pols (*photo source:Google)



Threats, fear, tradition, apathy and poor planning - kept many Afghan women from voting



This election has been all about changing the government, DPJ leader Yukio Hatoyama



Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal, chairman of the Kingdom Holdings Company is the richest Saudi Arabian



Attack on Pakistan police center kills 18 officers (@guardian)



Caroline On Her Uncle (@CBS)



Myanmar fighting with an armed ethnic group forces up to 30,000 to flee to China



H1N1 swine flu has reached epidemic levels in Japan (@who)



Prince bin Nayef, Saudi Royal in charge of anti-terrorism survived al Qaeda suicide attack



Jaycee Dugard, South Lake Tahoe woman, missing 18 years, possibly surfaces in Concord



Taiwan: President Ma Ying-jeou approves Dalai Lama visit; China opposes



Australia's Aboriginal Policies as Racist (UN)



Afghan Taliban Commander Is Captured



Celebrating Women's Equality Day 2009



Binyamin Netanyahu, Israel PM, and George Mitchell, the US Middle East envoy, disagree over West Bank settlements.



ACLU discloses CIA procedures for breaking detainees



Memories of the Kennedy Brothers: Three lifes through photos

Photo rank provided by Google, Live/Bing, Yahoo, and Flickr. We apologize for the inappropriate photos via Google for Ted Kennedy. RIP.





Joe Kennedy, Jr - the forgotten hero


Coroner rules Jackson's death a homicide; lethal dose of propofol



John Carter Sci-Fi Signs HBO Stars West, Walker, Morton

The sci-fi epic John Carter of Mars just infused three more talented actors into it's casting pool. Today must be a good day for HBO alumni because Dominic West, Polly Walker, and Samantha Morton all signed on...


Ebay bidding on tomb above Marilyn Monroe at $4.6 million



Health Care Profiles: Kennedy, Daschle and Kratovil



Study Finds Teens Abusing ADHD Prescription Drugs



DOJ wants CIA abuse cases reopened



New images show healthier Fidel Castro



Israel and Sweden in diplomatic row over story about Palestinian organ theft


Pakistan Taliban Rift Intensifies after death of Mehsud, more leaders killed



Manhunt for millionaire reality TV star accused of murdering a swimsuit model, Jasmine Fiore



Rioting inmates set central Ky. prison ablaze



Libyan Colonel Gaddafi thanks UK Brown for release of Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrah



Lutherans set to vote today on lifting ban on noncelibate gay clergy



Polls Suggest Japan DPJ Set For Landslide Lower House Win; DPJ Leader Hatoyama Says Domestic Demand Priority



Meeting between President Barak Obama and Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak



Karzai rival, Abdullah Abdullah, claims half of Afghan vote



Bernanke: Economy could grow soon (@cnnmoney)



Whole Foods CEO John Mackey Under Fire for Healthcare Views



Biden to Announce Grants to Spur Electronic Medical-Record Use



Chancellor Angela Merkel spotlight: German Public Increasingly Wants Troops Out Of Afghanistan



Ailing Ted Kennedy Asks for Speedy Replacement Process (Post) suffering from brain cancer



Carly Fiorina, the former HP CEO, to challenge US Sen. Barbara Boxer from California



Muslims celebrate Ramadan; fasting from sunrise to sunset; Nightclubs banned in Jakarta area



Hurricane Bill grows to Category 4 storm



Frank outwits Obamacare critic at town hall; Obama Rethinks Health Pitch (@foxnews)



Obama Prods Congress to Reform Health. Who's blocking change?

This is the moment our movement was built for.

For one month, the fight for health insurance reform leaves the backrooms of Washington, D.C., and returns to communities across America. Throughout August, members of Congress are back home, where the hands they shake and the voices they hear will not belong to lobbyists, but to people like you.

Home is where we're strongest. We didn't win last year's election together at a committee hearing in D.C. We won it on the doorsteps and the phone lines, at the softball games and the town meetings, and in every part of this great country where people gather to talk about what matters most. And if you're willing to step up once again, that's exactly where we're going to win this historic campaign for the guaranteed, affordable health insurance that every American deserves.

There are those who profit from the status quo, or see this debate as a political game, and they will stop at nothing to block reform. They are filling the airwaves and the internet with outrageous falsehoods to scare people into opposing change. And some people, not surprisingly, are getting pretty nervous. So we've got to get out there, fight lies with truth, and set the record straight.

That's why Organizing for America is putting together thousands of events this month where you can reach out to neighbors, show your support, and make certain your members of Congress know that you're counting on them to act.

But these canvasses, town halls, and gatherings only make a difference if you turn up to knock on doors, share your views, and show your support. So here's what I need from you:

Can you commit to join at least one event in your community this month?

In politics, there's a rule that says when you ask people to get involved, always tell them it'll be easy. Well, let's be honest here: Passing comprehensive health insurance reform will not be easy. Every President since Harry Truman has talked about it, and the most powerful and experienced lobbyists in Washington stand in the way.

But every day we don't act, Americans watch their premiums rise three times faster than wages, small businesses and families are pushed towards bankruptcy, and 14,000 people lose their coverage entirely. The cost of inaction is simply too much for the people of this nation to bear.

So yes, fixing this crisis will not be easy. Our opponents will attack us every day for daring to try. It will require time, and hard work, and there will be days when we don't know if we have anything more to give. But there comes a moment when we all have to choose between doing what's easy, and doing what's right.

This is one of those times. And moments like this are what this movement was built for. So, are you ready?

Please commit now to taking at least one action in your community this month to build support for health insurance reform:

http://my.barackobama.com/CommitAugust

Let's seize this moment and win this historic victory for our economy, our health and our families.

Thank you,

President Barack Obama


Three Steps for Real Solutions

  1. Pass laws to cap personal injury claims - eliminate the get-rich incentives for sky-high legal and insurance fees.

  2. Set deadlines requiring the automation and disclosure of health information and prices. Services and prices need to be transparent like goods at a grocery store. Allow no excuse to prevent meeting the schedule. Let doctors and nurses practice medicine - not push paper, create mistakes leading to lawsuits, and raise costs for everyone.

  3. Make health insurance mandatory - creating economies of scale. Small businesses want insurance for their workers, but make it affordable. Without step 1 and 2, this step would be meaningless.
If doctors are twice as productive with real healthcare while reducing their risks by multiple folds, wouldn't that drastically reduce the insurance premiums - making healthcare accessible to millions more?

Ignore the lobbying of insurance companies and lawyers that protect their high and growing top line at the expense of the public.

Other countries have taken these steps. Claims that the US provides better care, thus charge more - are arguments that blind Americans from the real problems. The vested interest of a powerful minority hurt the general interest of the vast majority.

Please retweet to show your support.

Russia tackles Siberia oil slick, result of explosion at Sayano Shushenskaya hydroelectric



75 killed, 310 injured in Baghdad attacks



Visit the beach before summer ends



Jenny Sanford on Gov. Mark Sanford: The ball is in his court



Macon Phillips, director of new media at the White House, in the middle of email spam controversy



In pictures: Life of Kim Dae-jung RIP