US – Sunday, March 21

Health care gets shot in the arm with House OK

The U.S. House of Representatives gave final approval to a sweeping health care overhaul yesterday, expanding insurance coverage to nearly all Americans and handing President Barack Obama a landmark victory.

Abuse apology not enough, critics say

Pope Benedict’s apology to Ireland went further than any other papal statement on child sex abuse by priests, but still fell far too short for many victims of the scandals shaking the Roman Catholic Church across Europe.

Just when it couldn’t get worse for Bullock, here come the neo-Nazis

Sure, it’s Monday, but it could be worse — you could be Jesse James. On Saturday, James went back to work at West Coast Choppers, days after allegations surfaced that he cheated on his wife, Sandra Bullock, with a tattoo model. Us Weekly notes he was wearing a wedding ring.

SXSW ’10: Get your dance on, great songs optional

The trends that emerged from the SXSW Music Conference in Austin last week are still bubbling to the top as I make sense of the hundreds of songs that filled the city for four days, but one thing I definitely noticed is that popular music may soon have a lot more emphasis on flexibility.

‘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.

At AKC, it’s score one for the mutts

Founded in 1884 as a registry for pure-bred dogs, the American Kennel Club didn’t traditionally offer many perks for your beloved lab-poodle-schnauzer mix. But as of April 1, the AKC Canine Partners Program will offer mutts not only membership benefits, but opportunities to compete at dog sporting events.

Published 23:31, February the 8th, 2010

Pressure grows for sanctions

International pressure for new sanctions against Iran grew yesterday after Tehran announced plans to make higher-enriched uranium and add 10 nuclear sites in a year, raising Western fears it wants to develop atom bombs.

The U.S. and France led calls for what would be a fourth, broader set of punitive sanctions, while a senior lawmaker in Russia, which in the past has urged talks rather than punishment, said economic measures should be considered.

A senior U.S. administration official called Iran’s announcement “a provocative move” that was in defiance of U.N. Security Council resolutions.

REUTERS

The March MMMpod features conversation and music from Surfer Blood and The Allman Brothers Band (There's a double-bill you're not too likely to see. However, Gregg Allman does mention Hannah Montana!). We also speak with Vampire Weekend and the Dropkick Murphys.

[Flyers by PaperG]