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<title><![CDATA[Virginia's newest lame duck]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/07/AR2009110702656.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ AMID POMP and ceremony, receptions and balls, a church service and a parade, Robert F. McDonnell's inauguration as Virginia's 71st chief executive will take place next Jan. 16 in Richmond, whereupon he will become . . . a lame duck. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Virginia's]]></category><category><![CDATA[newest]]></category><category><![CDATA[lame]]></category><category><![CDATA[duck]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Editorial: Copenhagen talks could yield small steps on climate change]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/07/AR2009110702651.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ FOR TWO YEARS, the Danish capital of Copenhagen has been a beacon for environmentalists seeking a breakthrough international treaty on climate change. But with the long-awaited Copenhagen conference now just weeks away, it has become clear that the talks will not produce a grand, new accord mandating global reductions in carbon emissions. The United Nations' envoy conceded as much last week in Barcelona, the site of the last formal talks before Copenhagen. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
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<category><![CDATA[Editorial:]]></category><category><![CDATA[Copenhagen]]></category><category><![CDATA[talks]]></category><category><![CDATA[could]]></category><category><![CDATA[yield]]></category><category><![CDATA[small]]></category><category><![CDATA[steps]]></category><category><![CDATA[on]]></category><category><![CDATA[climate]]></category><category><![CDATA[change]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Wheels of fortune?]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/07/AR2009110702652.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ AT LAST, THERE'S some cheerful news out of Detroit. General Motors, feeling confident after an improvement in sales during October, announced that it had enough financial strength to hang on to Opel, its European subsidiary, rather than sell it to a Russian-Canadian consortium. Chrysler rolled out a new turnaround plan. And, most promising of all, Ford -- the only American carmaker to avoid a federally funded bankruptcy reorganization -- announced a billion-dollar third-quarter profit, boosted by a substantial increase in its market share. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Wheels]]></category><category><![CDATA[of]]></category><category><![CDATA[fortune?]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Italy take 2-0 lead over U.S. in Fed Cup final]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/07/AR2009110701198.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Sat, 07 Nov 2009 12:07:29 EST</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ REGGIO CALABRIA, Italy (Reuters) - Italy stormed into a 2-0 lead over the United States in the Fed Cup final when Francesca Schiavone outfoxed Melanie Oudin 7-6 6-2 on Saturday.<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575526285" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575526285" border="0" vspace="5"></a> ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Reuters]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/sports/index.html">Sports</category>
<category><![CDATA[Italy]]></category><category><![CDATA[take]]></category><category><![CDATA[2-0]]></category><category><![CDATA[lead]]></category><category><![CDATA[over]]></category><category><![CDATA[U.S.]]></category><category><![CDATA[in]]></category><category><![CDATA[Fed]]></category><category><![CDATA[Cup]]></category><category><![CDATA[final]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[What would improve the House health-care bill]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/06/AR2009110603801.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ MUCH OF the criticism of the health-care measure before the House of Representatives is overwrought. Another part is simply wrong. Unfortunately, that does not mean that this is a good bill. As we have said, it does not do enough to control costs, and it is not funded in a sustainable way. Expanding coverage for the uninsured is imperative, but so, too, is getting the country on a credible fiscal path. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
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<category><![CDATA[What]]></category><category><![CDATA[would]]></category><category><![CDATA[improve]]></category><category><![CDATA[the]]></category><category><![CDATA[House]]></category><category><![CDATA[health-care]]></category><category><![CDATA[bill]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Editorial: The Fort Hood tragedy leaves many questions]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/06/AR2009110603803.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ President Obama was right to warn on Friday, in the aftermath of the horrific Fort Hood, Tex., slayings, "against jumping to conclusions until we have all the facts." It will be too easy for some to make that mistake, given the Arab heritage of alleged gunman Nidal Malik Hasan, his reported daily attendance at a Silver Spring mosque during his years in Washington and the anti-Muslim harassment that a relative said he endured in the Army. In fact, the terrible crime of which Maj. Hasan is accused was not the expression of any faith, nor the work of a terrorist organization, but rather, it appears, the act of an evil or deranged individual. It says nothing about American Muslims -- an estimated 3,000 of whom serve honorably in the armed forces. Maj. Hasan's own family issued a statement calling the attack "despicable and deplorable." "Our family loves America," the statement said. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
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<category><![CDATA[Editorial:]]></category><category><![CDATA[The]]></category><category><![CDATA[Fort]]></category><category><![CDATA[Hood]]></category><category><![CDATA[tragedy]]></category><category><![CDATA[leaves]]></category><category><![CDATA[many]]></category><category><![CDATA[questions]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Editorial: The race to nowhere on Virginia's roads]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/06/AR2009110603802.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ THERE WAS a brief round of finger-pointing last month after Rep. James L. Oberstar (Minn.), the Democratic chairman of the House committee that oversees transportation and infrastructure, criticized Virginia for being last among the states in spending federal stimulus dollars on highway projects. In the heat of the state's gubernatorial campaign, Virginia Republicans seized on Mr. Oberstar's pronouncement as evidence that the state's transportation department (under Democratic administration these past eight years) needs reform. In response, Gov. Timothy M. Kaine wrote a letter defending the state's approach and noting that, by another measure, Virginia was closer to the national average when it came to directing stimulus funds to infrastructure projects. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
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<category><![CDATA[Editorial:]]></category><category><![CDATA[The]]></category><category><![CDATA[race]]></category><category><![CDATA[to]]></category><category><![CDATA[nowhere]]></category><category><![CDATA[on]]></category><category><![CDATA[Virginia's]]></category><category><![CDATA[roads]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[We are underdogs without Serena, say U.S. Fed Cup team]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/06/AR2009110601266.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:33:27 EST</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ REGGIO CALABRIA, Italy (Reuters) - The United States feel like underdogs in their Fed Cup final against Italy this weekend after Serena Williams pulled out, captain Mary Joe Fernandez said on Friday.<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575530481" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575530481" border="0" vspace="5"></a> ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Reuters]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/sports/index.html">Sports</category>
<category><![CDATA[We]]></category><category><![CDATA[are]]></category><category><![CDATA[underdogs]]></category><category><![CDATA[without]]></category><category><![CDATA[Serena,]]></category><category><![CDATA[say]]></category><category><![CDATA[U.S.]]></category><category><![CDATA[Fed]]></category><category><![CDATA[Cup]]></category><category><![CDATA[team]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Extending the homebuyer tax credit is a mistake]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/05/AR2009110504525.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ OFFICIAL unemployment is hovering perilously close to 10 percent, and about a third of the jobless have been out of work for at least six months. Therefore Congress was right on Thursday to extend unemployment benefits, for reasons of social justice and economic stimulus. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
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<category><![CDATA[Extending]]></category><category><![CDATA[the]]></category><category><![CDATA[homebuyer]]></category><category><![CDATA[tax]]></category><category><![CDATA[credit]]></category><category><![CDATA[is]]></category><category><![CDATA[a]]></category><category><![CDATA[mistake]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[How much more time for Iranian intransigence?]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/05/AR2009110504523.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ IT'S BEEN five weeks since the Obama administration announced that Iran had agreed to ship most of its enriched uranium out of the country in exchange for fuel rods for a research reactor -- a deal that promised to delay Tehran's nuclear program by a year or so. But there have been no shipments; instead, Iran rejected the technical terms proposed by the International Atomic Energy Agency. It is trying to change the deal in a way that would remove the slight benefit it offered to the West. And it is continuing its refusal even to discuss the central demand of the U.N. Security Council, which is that it suspend uranium enrichment. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
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<category><![CDATA[How]]></category><category><![CDATA[much]]></category><category><![CDATA[more]]></category><category><![CDATA[time]]></category><category><![CDATA[for]]></category><category><![CDATA[Iranian]]></category><category><![CDATA[intransigence?]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Fenty, Gray must settle issue of UDC trustees]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/05/AR2009110504500.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ MAYOR ADRIAN M. FENTY and D.C. Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray are playing political chicken with the University of the District of Columbia. That is a real shame, because for the first time in its troubled history, UDC is showing hopeful signs of progress. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
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<category><![CDATA[Fenty,]]></category><category><![CDATA[Gray]]></category><category><![CDATA[must]]></category><category><![CDATA[settle]]></category><category><![CDATA[issue]]></category><category><![CDATA[of]]></category><category><![CDATA[UDC]]></category><category><![CDATA[trustees]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Fed's balance sheet expands in latest week]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/05/AR2009110504137.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:32:01 EST</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Reserve's balance sheet grew slightly in the latest week on increased holdings of government and mortgage agency debt, Fed data showed on Thursday.<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575535252" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575535252" border="0" vspace="5"></a> ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Reuters]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/business/index.html">Business</category>
<category><![CDATA[Fed's]]></category><category><![CDATA[balance]]></category><category><![CDATA[sheet]]></category><category><![CDATA[expands]]></category><category><![CDATA[in]]></category><category><![CDATA[latest]]></category><category><![CDATA[week]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[The Mideast impasse]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/04/AR2009110403768.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ PALESTINIAN President Mahmoud Abbas has participated in peace negotiations with five Israeli governments that refused to halt Jewish settlement construction. Yet Mr. Abbas has rejected an appeal from the Obama administration to start talks with the center-right coalition of Binyamin Netanyahu, putting one of the administration's primary foreign policy goals on indefinite hold. The reason: "America cannot get Israel to implement a settlement freeze," a statement said. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[The]]></category><category><![CDATA[Mideast]]></category><category><![CDATA[impasse]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[The center holds in Tuesday's elections]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/04/AR2009110403769.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ THOUGH we endorsed candidates in local races this year, we didn't have a dog in the fight for the Upstate New York congressional seat that went to Democratic candidate Bill Owens on Tuesday. So we neither laud nor lament Mr. Owens's victory over Conservative Party standard-bearer Doug Hoffman. However, we do have an interest in the overall tone and content of this country's political debate, and in a strong, credible two-party system. In that sense, the New York result is good news. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[The]]></category><category><![CDATA[center]]></category><category><![CDATA[holds]]></category><category><![CDATA[in]]></category><category><![CDATA[Tuesday's]]></category><category><![CDATA[elections]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[A deal on a federal media shield is close.]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/04/AR2009110403767.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ AFTER PROPOSING a federal media shield law that did little to protect the relationship between journalists and their sources, the White House has agreed with the Senate Judiciary Committee on a revised -- and much improved -- version of the Free Flow of Information Act. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[A]]></category><category><![CDATA[deal]]></category><category><![CDATA[on]]></category><category><![CDATA[a]]></category><category><![CDATA[federal]]></category><category><![CDATA[media]]></category><category><![CDATA[shield]]></category><category><![CDATA[is]]></category><category><![CDATA[close.]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Our man in Kabul]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/03/AR2009110303071.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ HAMID KARZAI said a lot of the right words on Tuesday after his mandate for another term as Afghanistan's president was confirmed. He said he would form an inclusive administration, that he would welcome members of the Taliban who are ready to work with the government, and that he would "use all our forces, by any means, to remove this stain" of corruption. As President Obama pointedly noted in recognizing Mr. Karzai's reelection a day earlier, "the proof is not going to be in words. It's going to be in deeds." True enough -- but it's also the case that the direction of Mr. Karzai's deeds is going to depend to a large degree on whether he believes he can depend on the United States, its forces and especially its president to back him up.<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575540009" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575540009" border="0" vspace="5"></a> ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Our]]></category><category><![CDATA[man]]></category><category><![CDATA[in]]></category><category><![CDATA[Kabul]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Editorial: Lessons from Robert F. McDonnell's victory in Virginia]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/03/AR2009110303069.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ ROBERT F. MCDONNELL'S crushing victory in Virginia's gubernatorial election Tuesday testified to his skills as a politician and to his disciplined, focused and generally positive, issues-based campaign. Mr. McDonnell, the Republican former state attorney general, rose above the toxic partisanship that suffuses electoral politics to conduct himself with civility, dignity and an even temper. Those qualities will be welcome, and politically useful, as he takes office in January as Virginia's 71st governor, and the first Republican to hold the job since 2002. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
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<title><![CDATA[Unhelpful atmosphere]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/03/AR2009110303237.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ THE SENATE Environment and Public Works Committee began its markup of a massive climate change bill on Tuesday -- without its Republican members. The Republicans have some reasonable concerns about the legislation. But their boycott isn't helpful. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Unhelpful]]></category><category><![CDATA[atmosphere]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Our endorsements in Virginia: For statewide, legislative and other races]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/02/AR2009110203235.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ VIRGINIA VOTERS go to the polls today to elect a governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and members of the House of Delegates. The following is a list of candidates who have been endorsed by The Washington Post, with links to those endorsements. All Post opinions about the Virginia race, including op-eds from both gubernatorial candidates, from Post columnists and from readers can be found here.  ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Our]]></category><category><![CDATA[endorsements]]></category><category><![CDATA[in]]></category><category><![CDATA[Virginia:]]></category><category><![CDATA[For]]></category><category><![CDATA[statewide,]]></category><category><![CDATA[legislative]]></category><category><![CDATA[and]]></category><category><![CDATA[other]]></category><category><![CDATA[races]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Contracts in the shadows]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/02/AR2009110203440.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ THE MORE you learn about how Mayor Adrian M. Fenty's administration bypassed the D.C. Council to award tens of millions of dollars in contracts, the more troubling it becomes. It's critical that these deals be submitted to the council for thorough review and, if warranted, revocation.<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575546195" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575546195" border="0" vspace="5"></a> ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Contracts]]></category><category><![CDATA[in]]></category><category><![CDATA[the]]></category><category><![CDATA[shadows]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Higher higher ed]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/02/AR2009110203442.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/02/AR2009110203442.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ CONSUMER PRICES fell 2.1 percent between July 2008 and July 2009, but college tuition kept going up. Students entering public four-year institutions this fall confront published tuition rates more than 6 percent higher than they were a year ago. Private colleges and universities ticked up 4.4 percent. To be sure, these figures apply to the "sticker price" of college only: grants and loans (many of them subsidized) cover much of the tab. But the contrast between the country's belt-tightening and higher ed's price hikes is striking nonetheless. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Higher]]></category><category><![CDATA[higher]]></category><category><![CDATA[ed]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Google Trader Gets A Web-Based Companion In Uganda]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/02/AR2009110202094.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/02/AR2009110202094.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Mon, 02 Nov 2009 07:12:01 EST</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ Last June, Google introduced a number of SMS-based services specifically designed to suit the mobile needs of Africans, kicking off in the Republic of Uganda. Today, the search giant is complementing one of the cellphone services it had launched in the country, an SMS-based marketplace dubbed Google Trader, with a web-based version of its own. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[TechCrunch]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/technology/index.html">Technology</category>
<category><![CDATA[Google]]></category><category><![CDATA[Trader]]></category><category><![CDATA[Gets]]></category><category><![CDATA[A]]></category><category><![CDATA[Web-Based]]></category><category><![CDATA[Companion]]></category><category><![CDATA[In]]></category><category><![CDATA[Uganda]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[The threat from Somalia]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/01/AR2009110101774.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/01/AR2009110101774.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ ONE OF THE rhetorical questions frequently tossed out in the debate over Afghanistan concerns the brewing trouble in Somalia and Yemen, both of which are known to host al-Qaeda cadres and training camps. If it's necessary to pacify Afghanistan to protect U.S. security, goes the taunt, must we also intervene in Somalia and Yemen? ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[The]]></category><category><![CDATA[threat]]></category><category><![CDATA[from]]></category><category><![CDATA[Somalia]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[The right not to be framed]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/01/AR2009110101950.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/01/AR2009110101950.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ "THERE IS NO Freestanding Constitutional 'Right Not To Be Framed.' " So states a brief filed by Iowa prosecutors hoping to persuade the Supreme Court to dismiss a lawsuit against them for allegedly fabricating evidence that led to the 25-year incarceration of two innocent men. It's a breathtaking proposition that the justices should roundly reject when they hear the case Wednesday.<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575550916" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575550916" border="0" vspace="5"></a> ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[The]]></category><category><![CDATA[right]]></category><category><![CDATA[not]]></category><category><![CDATA[to]]></category><category><![CDATA[be]]></category><category><![CDATA[framed]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Too young to drop out]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/01/AR2009110101952.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/01/AR2009110101952.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ PERHAPS NOW that its largest, and one of its best, school systems has embraced an effort to make it harder for students to drop out, Maryland will consider changing the compulsory age of school attendance. Such a change wouldn't be a magic solution to the dropout problem but it could help. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Too]]></category><category><![CDATA[young]]></category><category><![CDATA[to]]></category><category><![CDATA[drop]]></category><category><![CDATA[out]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Moral hazards]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/31/AR2009103101761.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/31/AR2009103101761.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ IN THE ideal world of economics, firms that take excessive risks go bankrupt, their competitors pick up the pieces and the economy marches on. Some call it "creative destruction." In the real world, certain financial institutions are so big and so interconnected that their collapse -- no matter how richly deserved -- threatens plain old destructive destruction. Government steps in, with taxpayer money, to prevent that. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Moral]]></category><category><![CDATA[hazards]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Quash the press]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/31/AR2009103101764.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/31/AR2009103101764.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ ANITA ALVAREZ, the state's attorney in Cook County, Ill., has slapped student journalists at the Medill Innocence Project with subpoenas to get them to hand over additional information from their investigation of the incarceration of an Illinois man for the past 31 years. But she's not just asking for notes from off-the-record or unpublished interviews. She also want the class syllabus; grades and e-mail communications of the students; and reimbursement records for their travel expenses. These subpoenas -- and the stunning overreach they represent -- should be quashed. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Quash]]></category><category><![CDATA[the]]></category><category><![CDATA[press]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Getting serious about the Chesapeake Bay]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/31/AR2009103101767.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/31/AR2009103101767.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ PRESIDENT OBAMA recently issued an executive order aimed at cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay. Now comes Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin (D-Md.) with a bill that offers carrots and sticks to push states to follow through on their plans to restore the 64,000-mile watershed.<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575556549" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575556549" border="0" vspace="5"></a> ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Getting]]></category><category><![CDATA[serious]]></category><category><![CDATA[about]]></category><category><![CDATA[the]]></category><category><![CDATA[Chesapeake]]></category><category><![CDATA[Bay]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Serena pulls out of Fed Cup final]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/31/AR2009103100921.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/31/AR2009103100921.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Sat, 31 Oct 2009 12:15:46 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ DOHA (Reuters) - Serena Williams has withdrawn from U.S. Fed Cup team for next week's final against Italy in Calabria, the USTA said on Saturday. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Reuters]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/sports/index.html">Sports</category>
<category><![CDATA[Serena]]></category><category><![CDATA[pulls]]></category><category><![CDATA[out]]></category><category><![CDATA[of]]></category><category><![CDATA[Fed]]></category><category><![CDATA[Cup]]></category><category><![CDATA[final]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Ms. Rhee's show trial]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/30/AR2009103003314.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/30/AR2009103003314.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ D.C. SCHOOLS Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee stands accused, it seems, of trying to manage her budget in a way that will do the least harm to students. Not a crime, you might think -- unless, like Ms. Rhee's accusers on the D.C. Council, you are more interested in scoring political points than in hearing what she is doing for children. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Ms.]]></category><category><![CDATA[Rhee's]]></category><category><![CDATA[show]]></category><category><![CDATA[trial]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Honduras breakthrough is win for democracy]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/30/AR2009103003360.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/30/AR2009103003360.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ THE STAKES in Honduras's political crisis have always been bigger than the country's tiny size would suggest -- and so it follows that the breakthrough engineered this week by the Obama administration is more than a minor diplomatic triumph. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Honduras]]></category><category><![CDATA[breakthrough]]></category><category><![CDATA[is]]></category><category><![CDATA[win]]></category><category><![CDATA[for]]></category><category><![CDATA[democracy]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Virginia's secret election]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/30/AR2009103003376.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/30/AR2009103003376.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ MORE THAN a million Northern Virginians are eligible to vote in Tuesday's statewide races for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general, and most have made up their minds. That's the easy part of voting. Unfortunately, the State Board of Elections has made it needlessly complicated to determine ahead of Election Day which candidates will appear a little further down the ballot -- especially in races for the House of Delegates.<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575601048" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575601048" border="0" vspace="5"></a> ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Virginia's]]></category><category><![CDATA[secret]]></category><category><![CDATA[election]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Fed to meet bank execs on pay reviews]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/30/AR2009103003776.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Fri, 30 Oct 2009 22:19:54 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Federal Reserve officials are scheduled to meet with bank executives on Monday to discuss executive pay at large financial firms, a Fed spokesperson said on Friday. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Reuters]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/business/index.html">Business</category>
<category><![CDATA[Fed]]></category><category><![CDATA[to]]></category><category><![CDATA[meet]]></category><category><![CDATA[bank]]></category><category><![CDATA[execs]]></category><category><![CDATA[on]]></category><category><![CDATA[pay]]></category><category><![CDATA[reviews]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Lawmaker wants New York Fed, AIG documents]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/30/AR2009103003303.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/30/AR2009103003303.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 30 Oct 2009 18:28:16 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Republican lawmaker on Friday asked the New York Federal Reserve and insurer American International Group for records relating to AIG's reimbursements to holders of credit-default swaps issued by AIG. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Reuters]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/nation/index.html">Nation</category>
<category><![CDATA[Lawmaker]]></category><category><![CDATA[wants]]></category><category><![CDATA[New]]></category><category><![CDATA[York]]></category><category><![CDATA[Fed,]]></category><category><![CDATA[AIG]]></category><category><![CDATA[documents]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Facebook Director of Mobile Jed Stremel Resigns]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/30/AR2009103003538.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/30/AR2009103003538.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:58:37 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ Jed Stremel, Facebook's Director of Mobile who has been with the company for four years, has resigned, according to a post on his Facebook profile. Stremel was charged with leading the company's mobile strategy, and was previously involved in Business Development at Facebook. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[TechCrunch]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/technology/index.html">Technology</category>
<category><![CDATA[Facebook]]></category><category><![CDATA[Director]]></category><category><![CDATA[of]]></category><category><![CDATA[Mobile]]></category><category><![CDATA[Jed]]></category><category><![CDATA[Stremel]]></category><category><![CDATA[Resigns]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Fed lets emergency liquidity measure expire]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/30/AR2009103002699.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/30/AR2009103002699.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:31:03 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Reserve on Friday let expire an emergency provision that had permitted banks to provide liquidity to affiliates unable to obtain funding during the crisis, citing normalizing credit markets.<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575607914" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575607914" border="0" vspace="5"></a> ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Reuters]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/business/index.html">Business</category>
<category><![CDATA[Fed]]></category><category><![CDATA[lets]]></category><category><![CDATA[emergency]]></category><category><![CDATA[liquidity]]></category><category><![CDATA[measure]]></category><category><![CDATA[expire]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Mr. Cuccinelli's bigotry]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/29/AR2009102904197.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/29/AR2009102904197.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ KENNETH CUCCINELLI, the Republican candidate for Virginia state attorney general, believes it's "appropriate" to formulate public policy on the premise that homosexuals engage in behavior that is "intrinsically wrong" and offensive to "natural law." His comments -- which retrofit the old rhetoric of racism, bias and intolerance in a new context -- were made in an interview with the Virginian-Pilot, a newspaper in Norfolk. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Mr.]]></category><category><![CDATA[Cuccinelli's]]></category><category><![CDATA[bigotry]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[House health plan has worthy aim, poor funding]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/29/AR2009102904196.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/29/AR2009102904196.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ THE FUNDAMENTAL aims of the health-care bill unveiled Thursday by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) -- covering the uninsured and reforming insurance markets to end abusive practices -- are laudable. But the legislation, while creating an expensive new entitlement program (subsidies to purchase health insurance) and dramatically expanding an existing one (Medicaid), does not do enough to address rising health-care costs and is not financed in a sensible, sustainable way. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[House]]></category><category><![CDATA[health]]></category><category><![CDATA[plan]]></category><category><![CDATA[has]]></category><category><![CDATA[worthy]]></category><category><![CDATA[aim,]]></category><category><![CDATA[poor]]></category><category><![CDATA[funding]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[The Post's endorsements in local Va. races]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/29/AR2009102904195.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/29/AR2009102904195.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ VIRGINIA'S STATEWIDE races for governor and attorney general, along with competitive delegate contests, have overshadowed county elections in Arlington and Fairfax. Voters should not overlook these local races when they go to the polls next week. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[The]]></category><category><![CDATA[Post's]]></category><category><![CDATA[endorsements]]></category><category><![CDATA[in]]></category><category><![CDATA[local]]></category><category><![CDATA[Va.]]></category><category><![CDATA[races]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Layoffs Confirmed At 23andMe]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/29/AR2009102905088.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/29/AR2009102905088.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:42:47 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ Personal genomics startup 23andMe has just gone through a round of layoffs, we've confirmed. The company declined to comment on how many people were laid off, but offered this statement:<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575613094" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575613094" border="0" vspace="5"></a> ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[TechCrunch]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/technology/index.html">Technology</category>
<category><![CDATA[Layoffs]]></category><category><![CDATA[Confirmed]]></category><category><![CDATA[At]]></category><category><![CDATA[23andMe]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Congress needs to weigh crack's risks in reforming drug sentencing]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/28/AR2009102804166.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/28/AR2009102804166.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ IN THE 1980s, entire communities were devastated by the addiction and violence that accompanied crack, a smokable form of cocaine. Congress reacted by passing extraordinarily tough laws, including one that mandated a minimum prison sentence of five years for those in possession of as little as five grams of crack. Those arrested with 50 grams were automatically slapped with a 10-year sentence. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Congress]]></category><category><![CDATA[needs]]></category><category><![CDATA[to]]></category><category><![CDATA[weigh]]></category><category><![CDATA[crack's]]></category><category><![CDATA[risks]]></category><category><![CDATA[in]]></category><category><![CDATA[reforming]]></category><category><![CDATA[drug]]></category><category><![CDATA[sentencing]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Denying D.C. representation is a civil rights issue]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/28/AR2009102804142.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ "DO THE DEMOCRATS have the political will to get this done?" That's the question recently posed by an advocate for voting rights for the District. If action is the measure, the answer -- sadly -- is no. Despite Democratic control of the White House and Congress, the 600,000-odd residents of the nation's capital are no closer to getting their rights as American citizens. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Denying]]></category><category><![CDATA[D.C.]]></category><category><![CDATA[representation]]></category><category><![CDATA[is]]></category><category><![CDATA[a]]></category><category><![CDATA[civil]]></category><category><![CDATA[rights]]></category><category><![CDATA[issue]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Russia's political murders have to stop]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/28/AR2009102804143.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/28/AR2009102804143.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ MURDERS OF human rights activists in Russia have been happening with such frequency that some will be tempted to shrug at the brutal slaying on Sunday of Maksharip Aushev, who campaigned against abuses by the security forces in the Caucasian republic of Ingushetia. Mr. Maksharip was driving on a major highway, in broad daylight, when a car pulled up beside him and delivered a fusillade of bullets. His funeral came two months after that of Zarema Sadulayeva, the head of a children's charity in neighboring Chechnya, and her husband, who were shot and stuffed in a car trunk. Those murders, in turn, followed the July 15 killing of Natalya Estemirova, Chechnya's most prominent human rights activist. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
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<category><![CDATA[Russia's]]></category><category><![CDATA[political]]></category><category><![CDATA[murders]]></category><category><![CDATA[have]]></category><category><![CDATA[to]]></category><category><![CDATA[stop]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Serena Williams to play in Fed Cup final against Italy]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/28/AR2009102802305.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/28/AR2009102802305.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:29:50 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ DOHA (Reuters) - Serena Williams will play for the U.S. in next month's Fed Cup final against Italy, the United States Tennis Association said on Wednesday.<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575618995" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575618995" border="0" vspace="5"></a> ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Reuters]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/sports/index.html">Sports</category>
<category><![CDATA[Serena]]></category><category><![CDATA[Williams]]></category><category><![CDATA[to]]></category><category><![CDATA[play]]></category><category><![CDATA[in]]></category><category><![CDATA[Fed]]></category><category><![CDATA[Cup]]></category><category><![CDATA[final]]></category><category><![CDATA[against]]></category><category><![CDATA[Italy]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Mayor Fenty's end run on parks and rec contracts merits D.C. Council scrutiny]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/26/AR2009102602713.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/26/AR2009102602713.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ MAYOR ADRIAN M. Fenty boasts that his administration represents a break from the old ways of doing business in the District, when whom you knew mattered more than what you could do for the city. What, then, to make of reports that the administration bypassed the D.C. Council to award tens of millions of dollars in contracts and that some of the firms may have ties to Mr. Fenty? Council members are right to ask what is going on. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
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<category><![CDATA[Mayor]]></category><category><![CDATA[Fenty's]]></category><category><![CDATA[end]]></category><category><![CDATA[run]]></category><category><![CDATA[on]]></category><category><![CDATA[parks]]></category><category><![CDATA[and]]></category><category><![CDATA[rec]]></category><category><![CDATA[contracts]]></category><category><![CDATA[merits]]></category><category><![CDATA[D.C.]]></category><category><![CDATA[Council]]></category><category><![CDATA[scrutiny]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[The public Fisker]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/27/AR2009102703165.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ SEVEN MONTHS AGO, President Obama's auto industry task force rained skepticism on the Chevrolet Volt, General Motors' plug-in electric hybrid car. Projected to sell for roughly $35,000 -- after a $7,500 federal tax rebate -- the four-seat car "is currently projected to be much more expensive than its gasoline-fueled peers and will likely need substantial reductions in manufacturing cost in order to become commercially viable," the task force noted. Nevertheless, the administration rescued GM by buying a 60 percent equity stake -- and Volt production starts a year from now. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[The]]></category><category><![CDATA[public]]></category><category><![CDATA[Fisker]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[A civil rights advance]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/27/AR2009102703166.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/27/AR2009102703166.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ PRESIDENT OBAMA is scheduled to sign Wednesday what is being described as the nation's first significant pro-gay rights legislation. Attached to the defense authorization act, the measure would add sexual orientation, gender, gender identity and disability to the list of protected classes under the 1969 federal hate-crimes law. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[A]]></category><category><![CDATA[civil]]></category><category><![CDATA[rights]]></category><category><![CDATA[advance]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Supreme Court lets stand a bad Va. decision on drunk driving]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/26/AR2009102603235.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ IN THE EARLY morning hours of Dec. 31, 2005, Richmond police received an anonymous call describing "an intoxicated driver . . . named Joseph Harris" driving a green Nissan Altima south on Meadowbridge Road. The caller gave a partial license plate number and said the driver was wearing a striped shirt.<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575625533" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575625533" border="0" vspace="5"></a> ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Supreme]]></category><category><![CDATA[Court]]></category><category><![CDATA[lets]]></category><category><![CDATA[stand]]></category><category><![CDATA[a]]></category><category><![CDATA[bad]]></category><category><![CDATA[Va.]]></category><category><![CDATA[decision]]></category><category><![CDATA[on]]></category><category><![CDATA[drunk]]></category><category><![CDATA[driving]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Mr. Kim's scam]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/26/AR2009102602712.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/26/AR2009102602712.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ SUPPOSE THAT North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il decided last January to try luring the Obama administration into the same lucrative and fraudulent transaction his regime pulled off with the two previous U.S. presidents. In that case, Mr. Kim may feel he's getting close to executing another sting. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Mr.]]></category><category><![CDATA[Kim's]]></category><category><![CDATA[scam]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[The U.S. Chamber vs. honesty]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/26/AR2009102602714.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ THE U.S. CHAMBER of Commerce has been airing expensive TV ads in Northern Virginia lately involving the race for governor. The ad's first words are "Traffic's worse." Its last words are "The U.S. Chamber of Commerce paid for this ad." Most of the intervening words -- about 70, by our count -- are blatant distortions. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[The]]></category><category><![CDATA[U.S.]]></category><category><![CDATA[Chamber]]></category><category><![CDATA[vs.]]></category><category><![CDATA[honesty]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Price Revealed For BBN Deal: $350 Million]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/26/AR2009102602797.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/26/AR2009102602797.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:35:45 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ In September, defense contractor Raytheon announced an agreement to purchase R&amp;D innovator BBN Technologies, but didn't say for how much. Today, the deal closed and the price came out. It is $350 million. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[TechCrunch]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/technology/index.html">Technology</category>
<category><![CDATA[Price]]></category><category><![CDATA[Revealed]]></category><category><![CDATA[For]]></category><category><![CDATA[BBN]]></category><category><![CDATA[Deal:]]></category><category><![CDATA[$350]]></category><category><![CDATA[Million]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Putting children first]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/25/AR2009102502291.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/25/AR2009102502291.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ THE 18-HOUR hearing into the recent teacher layoffs was D.C. politics at its angriest. Speakers called for Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) to be impeached, impugned the integrity of Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee and denigrated, in sometimes ugly racial terms, any who dared disagree. There's plenty of blame to go around for the nasty tone of the debate -- union leaders with self-interest in fomenting unrest, a mayor obtuse to his obligation to work cooperatively, D.C. Council members intent on undermining the executive -- but, in the end, none of that really matters.<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575633702" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575633702" border="0" vspace="5"></a> ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Putting]]></category><category><![CDATA[children]]></category><category><![CDATA[first]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Pay pals]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/25/AR2009102502292.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/25/AR2009102502292.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ TAKE THAT, Wall Street: In a single day, the nation's financiers absorbed pay hits from both the Treasury Department (in the person of compensation czar Kenneth Feinberg) and the Federal Reserve. Mr. Feinberg capped the salaries of top executives of seven large bailed-out firms at $500,000, and pushed more of their stock compensation into the future. The Fed announced that it would conduct more aggressive oversight of compensation plans at bank holding companies, to make sure they do not encourage "undue" risk-taking, as Fed Chairman Ben S. Bernanke put it. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Pay]]></category><category><![CDATA[pals]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Questions about pot]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/25/AR2009102502293.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/25/AR2009102502293.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ THE JUSTICE Department announced last week that it would not prosecute patients who legally obtain marijuana from licensed dispensaries in the 13 states that allow medicinal use. The decision is both sensible and potentially problematic. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Questions]]></category><category><![CDATA[about]]></category><category><![CDATA[pot]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[LawCrunch: Some (More) Ideas On Why Nokia Sued Apple]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/25/AR2009102502511.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Sun, 25 Oct 2009 16:15:59 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ Disclaimer: Jeremy Kessel has a J.D., but is still waiting for his (July 2009) California Bar Exam results. Thus, he is not (yet) a licensed attorney. Barry L. Cohen, who also shares some insights below, is a licensed attorney. Regardless, this post is not meant as legal advice or analysis and should not be construed as such.As many of you are aware, Nokia filed a lawsuit against Apple last week in the Federal District Court in Delaware. Nokia's complaint alleges that Apple has infringed on 10 of Nokia's patents for various, "fundamental" GSM, UMTS and wireless LAN (WLAN) technologies. In particular, the patents cover wireless data, speech coding, security and encryption. Nokia believes that all 10 patents have been infringed by all Apple iPhone models shipped since the iPhone was introduced back in 2007. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[TechCrunch]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/technology/index.html">Technology</category>
<category><![CDATA[LawCrunch:]]></category><category><![CDATA[Some]]></category><category><![CDATA[(More)]]></category><category><![CDATA[Ideas]]></category><category><![CDATA[On]]></category><category><![CDATA[Why]]></category><category><![CDATA[Nokia]]></category><category><![CDATA[Sued]]></category><category><![CDATA[Apple]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[The third-best reform]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/24/AR2009102401779.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/24/AR2009102401779.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 25 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ ECONOMIST ALAN Blinder once proposed Murphy's Law of Economic Policy, which goes in part: "Economists have the least influence on policy where they know the most and are most agreed." The health-care debate is threatening to show Blinder's law in action.<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575639450" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575639450" border="0" vspace="5"></a> ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[The]]></category><category><![CDATA[third-best]]></category><category><![CDATA[reform]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Virginia's lower house]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/24/AR2009102401778.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/24/AR2009102401778.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 25 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ THE POST began publishing endorsements for this year's contested races for the Virginia House of Delegates in Friday's paper. This is the conclusion of the three-part series; our picks appear below in bold type. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Virginia's]]></category><category><![CDATA[lower]]></category><category><![CDATA[house]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Why fund wars with debt, but not health care?]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/23/AR2009102303666.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/23/AR2009102303666.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ A READER recently challenged us to explain what he sees as a contradiction in our editorial positions. We support the goal of universal health care, but argue that President Obama must keep his pledge not to pay for it with borrowed money. We have also backed Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal's request for additional troops and other resources for Afghanistan -- but without specifying how the reinforcements should be funded. Why is it okay to finance wars with debt, asks our reader, but not to pay for health care that way? ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Why]]></category><category><![CDATA[fund]]></category><category><![CDATA[wars]]></category><category><![CDATA[with]]></category><category><![CDATA[debt,]]></category><category><![CDATA[but]]></category><category><![CDATA[not]]></category><category><![CDATA[health]]></category><category><![CDATA[care?]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Endorsements in Va. House of Delegates races]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/23/AR2009102303810.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/23/AR2009102303810.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ THE POST began publishing endorsements for this year's contested races for the Virginia House of Delegates in Friday's paper. This is a continuation; our picks appear below in bold type. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Endorsements]]></category><category><![CDATA[in]]></category><category><![CDATA[Va.]]></category><category><![CDATA[House]]></category><category><![CDATA[of]]></category><category><![CDATA[Delegates]]></category><category><![CDATA[races]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[A Couple iPhone Apps Named "Twitter" Are Tricking Users]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/23/AR2009102302723.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/23/AR2009102302723.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 23 Oct 2009 10:46:39 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ So, I don't know if you've heard, but these iPhone app things are a pretty big deal. With the iPhone continuing to sell in record numbers, more and more new users are exploring the App Store everyday to find the apps they want. One of the most popular type of apps are Twitter apps. And the obvious way to find those is to type "Twitter" into the iTunes search box. This query brings up a couple apps called "Twitter." The only problem? They are in no way official Twitter apps, as the name might imply. And one of them isn't even actually called that.<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575645664" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575645664" border="0" vspace="5"></a> ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[TechCrunch]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/technology/index.html">Technology</category>
<category><![CDATA[A]]></category><category><![CDATA[Couple]]></category><category><![CDATA[iPhone]]></category><category><![CDATA[Apps]]></category><category><![CDATA[Named]]></category><category><![CDATA["Twitter"]]></category><category><![CDATA[Are]]></category><category><![CDATA[Tricking]]></category><category><![CDATA[Users]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[The Ad-Supported World: Ready or Not, Here It Comes]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/23/AR2009102302075.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Fri, 23 Oct 2009 07:31:01 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ A few weeks ago, Microsoft made a minor splash by announcing they'd offer an ad-supported version of Microsoft Office. Most of the functionality would be there, but there'd be an ad down there in the corner. A tempest briefly raged in this teapot, but died down once people realized they'd been using ad-supported software for years and never even thought to complain. After all, every time you search for something Â¿ look, ads! Have a free email account? Ads here and there (targeted based on the content of your email, which surprisingly few people find disturbing), and sometimes even included in your outgoing messages. Ad-supported services and software are embedded in our technological landscape whether you realize it or not, and it's beyond question that they've cultivated improvement.So when word came down that Apple had filed a patent for what appears to be an ad-supported version of OS X, my shock abated almost instantly. In fact, I only felt more justified in backing ad-supported products. There will be objections, some legitimate, some hysterical, but I think it will become increasingly clear over the next few years that this sort of thing is not only unavoidable, but ultimately desirable. As with other major emerging concepts like globalization, peer to peer connectivity, net neutrality, and device convergence, the evolution of advertising will be denied, debated, and championed in a million different ways. And that's okay. Like those other processes (all of them still ongoing), you don't have to accept them right away, but it helps if you realize that resistance is futile. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[TechCrunch]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/technology/index.html">Technology</category>
<category><![CDATA[The]]></category><category><![CDATA[Ad-Supported]]></category><category><![CDATA[World:]]></category><category><![CDATA[Ready]]></category><category><![CDATA[or]]></category><category><![CDATA[Not,]]></category><category><![CDATA[Here]]></category><category><![CDATA[It]]></category><category><![CDATA[Comes]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Swine flu vaccination problems show poor performance on planning]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/22/AR2009102204003.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/22/AR2009102204003.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 23 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ AS VACCINATION efforts go, the one underway for the H1N1 virus (a.k.a swine flu) has not gone smoothly. Lower-than-expected vaccine yields have reduced the number of doses available, and this has led to the cancellation or scaling back of vaccination clinics across the country, including in Maryland and Virginia. After eight years of talk about preparing for either biological attacks or life-threatening pandemic influenza, the performance is worse than disappointing. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Swine]]></category><category><![CDATA[flu]]></category><category><![CDATA[vaccination]]></category><category><![CDATA[problems]]></category><category><![CDATA[show]]></category><category><![CDATA[poor]]></category><category><![CDATA[performance]]></category><category><![CDATA[on]]></category><category><![CDATA[planning]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Endorsements for delegate in Districts 13, 32 and 34-38]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/22/AR2009102204002.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/22/AR2009102204002.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 23 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ AS RECENTLY as a decade ago, the Republican Party's grip on Virginia's House of Delegates looked secure. But as the state has turned purple and as Republican hard-liners have repeatedly blocked efforts by Democrats and their own party's dwindling corps of moderates to address the state's critical transportation problems, voters have turned increasingly against the GOP. Having lost control of the state Senate, the Republicans' fiat in the House is now shaky, too. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Endorsements]]></category><category><![CDATA[for]]></category><category><![CDATA[delegate]]></category><category><![CDATA[in]]></category><category><![CDATA[Districts]]></category><category><![CDATA[13,]]></category><category><![CDATA[32]]></category><category><![CDATA[and]]></category><category><![CDATA[34-38]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[TweetMixx Launches Branded Twitter Channels]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/22/AR2009102202918.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Thu, 22 Oct 2009 09:26:12 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ TweetMixx, the newly launched service from social voting site Mixx that allows you to find relevant links on Twitter, is venturing into new territory today with the launch of TweetMixx Channels. The service basically lets brands, celebs and companies consolidate their Twitter traffic and mentions on one page.<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575652246" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575652246" border="0" vspace="5"></a> ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[TechCrunch]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/technology/index.html">Technology</category>
<category><![CDATA[TweetMixx]]></category><category><![CDATA[Launches]]></category><category><![CDATA[Branded]]></category><category><![CDATA[Twitter]]></category><category><![CDATA[Channels]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Iran's treatment of an American puts detente on ice]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/21/AR2009102103646.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/21/AR2009102103646.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ THERE WERE hints of progress in the nuclear talks with Iran on Wednesday as Iranian negotiators in Vienna accepted for consideration a plan under which Iran would ship most of its current stockpile of enriched uranium out of the country. But there also was a contrary signal from Tehran about the desire of its extremist regime for detente with the West. That was the reported sentencing of Iranian American academic Kian Tajbakhsh to 15 years in prison on a blatantly bogus charge of espionage. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Iran's]]></category><category><![CDATA[treatment]]></category><category><![CDATA[of]]></category><category><![CDATA[an]]></category><category><![CDATA[American]]></category><category><![CDATA[puts]]></category><category><![CDATA[detente]]></category><category><![CDATA[on]]></category><category><![CDATA[ice]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[FOIA and the Fed]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/21/AR2009102103649.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/21/AR2009102103649.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ THE FEDERAL Reserve Board has long been one of the rare institutions in our democracy -- like the Supreme Court -- whose internal processes are largely shielded from public view. Though not quite a fourth branch of government, the Fed's independence is no less vital, in its own way, than that of the justices. There wouldn't be much point in having a central bank if its every technical decision about the money supply were subject to short-term political debate. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/business/index.html">Business</category>
<category><![CDATA[FOIA]]></category><category><![CDATA[and]]></category><category><![CDATA[the]]></category><category><![CDATA[Fed]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Playing fair in the District]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/21/AR2009102103648.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/21/AR2009102103648.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ POLITICAL CRONYISM derailed efforts last year by D.C. Chief Financial Officer Natwar M. Gandhi to improve the city's troubled lottery operation. Not only did the D.C. Council reject a firm that promised to upgrade the lottery and make more money, but it also besmirched the process by which the city awards contracts. Council members now have a second chance to get a better deal for the cash-strapped city and restore integrity in how it does the public's business. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Playing]]></category><category><![CDATA[fair]]></category><category><![CDATA[in]]></category><category><![CDATA[the]]></category><category><![CDATA[District]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Yammer Extended Outage. Update: It's Back!]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/21/AR2009102100633.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Wed, 21 Oct 2009 01:47:29 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ <br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575658794" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575658794" border="0" vspace="5"></a> ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[TechCrunch]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/technology/index.html">Technology</category>
<category><![CDATA[Yammer]]></category><category><![CDATA[Extended]]></category><category><![CDATA[Outage.]]></category><category><![CDATA[Update:]]></category><category><![CDATA[It's]]></category><category><![CDATA[Back!]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Budget deficits can't be viewed in light of World War II experience]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/20/AR2009102003081.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/20/AR2009102003081.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ THE FINAL White House estimate for the fiscal 2009 budget deficit is in: $1.4 trillion, or 10 percent of gross domestic product. To mark the occasion, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke called for "a sustainable fiscal trajectory, anchored by a clear commitment to substantially reduce federal deficits over time." President Obama's budget director, Peter Orszag, promised that very thing: "As part of [next year's] budget policy process, we are considering proposals to put our country back on firm fiscal footing," he said. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Budget]]></category><category><![CDATA[deficits]]></category><category><![CDATA[can't]]></category><category><![CDATA[be]]></category><category><![CDATA[viewed]]></category><category><![CDATA[in]]></category><category><![CDATA[light]]></category><category><![CDATA[of]]></category><category><![CDATA[World]]></category><category><![CDATA[War]]></category><category><![CDATA[II]]></category><category><![CDATA[experience]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[White House and Congress can still do right by the Uighurs]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/20/AR2009102003082.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/20/AR2009102003082.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ THERE IS only one way for the White House and Congress to read the Supreme Court's decision on Tuesday to take up the case of Chinese Muslims wrongly imprisoned at the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba: Either provide real and meaningful freedom for the Uighurs now or risk that the justices will do it -- and possibly in a manner that could reach well beyond these cases. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[White]]></category><category><![CDATA[House]]></category><category><![CDATA[and]]></category><category><![CDATA[Congress]]></category><category><![CDATA[can]]></category><category><![CDATA[still]]></category><category><![CDATA[do]]></category><category><![CDATA[right]]></category><category><![CDATA[by]]></category><category><![CDATA[the]]></category><category><![CDATA[Uighurs]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Post endorses Del. Stephen C. Shannon for Virginia attorney general]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/20/AR2009102003080.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/20/AR2009102003080.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ THE RACE for attorney general in Virginia is a face-off between a pair of youngish lawyers, each from Fairfax County, each elected to the General Assembly this decade, and each now running his first statewide race. The similarities end there. While the Democratic candidate, Del. Stephen C. Shannon, is a mainstream former prosecutor -- strait-laced, sober, earnest almost to a fault -- his Republican opponent, state Sen. Kenneth T. Cuccinelli II, is a provocative hard-liner who at times has struggled vainly to attract a single vote for his more far-fetched initiatives. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Post]]></category><category><![CDATA[endorses]]></category><category><![CDATA[Del.]]></category><category><![CDATA[Stephen]]></category><category><![CDATA[C.]]></category><category><![CDATA[Shannon]]></category><category><![CDATA[for]]></category><category><![CDATA[Virginia]]></category><category><![CDATA[attorney]]></category><category><![CDATA[general]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Video: The Rejected Windows Marketplace Apps (Humor)]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/20/AR2009102002748.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/20/AR2009102002748.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Tue, 20 Oct 2009 12:20:21 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ Today, Microsoft's Windows Mobile Dev team released a humorous video giving a sneak peek inside the Microsoft Apps Lab. Here, you get a behind-the-scenes look at a few of the apps Microsoft dreamed up for its new Windows Marketplace, but were forced to reject for various reasons ranging from stupidity to lawsuits to physical pain.<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575704405" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575704405" border="0" vspace="5"></a> ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[TechCrunch]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/technology/index.html">Technology</category>
<category><![CDATA[Video:]]></category><category><![CDATA[The]]></category><category><![CDATA[Rejected]]></category><category><![CDATA[Windows]]></category><category><![CDATA[Marketplace]]></category><category><![CDATA[Apps]]></category><category><![CDATA[(Humor)]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Rider reversal: House Democrats' D.C. vote strategy]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/19/AR2009101903044.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/19/AR2009101903044.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Tue, 20 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ REPUBLICANS ARE upset that House Democratic leaders may try to get the D.C. voting rights bill passed by attaching it to the fiscal 2010 defense appropriations bill. They argue that it would be wrong to include controversial legislation in an unrelated bill. Do they really think everyone has forgotten that they used the same ploy to sabotage voting rights in the first place? ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Rider]]></category><category><![CDATA[reversal:]]></category><category><![CDATA[House]]></category><category><![CDATA[Democrats']]></category><category><![CDATA[D.C.]]></category><category><![CDATA[vote]]></category><category><![CDATA[strategy]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Nuclear swap]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/19/AR2009101903043.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/19/AR2009101903043.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Tue, 20 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ FOR NOW, at least, nuclear negotiations between Iran and the West have narrowed to an issue that was not even on the agenda a month ago: Iran's possible export of most of its existing stockpile of enriched uranium to Russia and France, which would turn it into fuel for an Iranian research reactor. This is both a bad and a good development. It is bad because it diverts attention from Iran's continuing refusal to comply with U.N. resolutions ordering it to cease uranium enrichment and from its failure to accept Western proposals even for a temporary freeze. But if Iran goes through with the agreement in principle announced by the Obama administration on Oct. 1, the tangible good would be the removal from Iran of most of the known raw material it could use to make a bomb -- and a probable delay of one to two years in the West's estimates of how quickly it could produce one. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Nuclear]]></category><category><![CDATA[swap]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[The sad legacy of the District's HIV/AIDS agency]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/19/AR2009101902767.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/19/AR2009101902767.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Tue, 20 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ THE MORASS of fraud and dysfunction at the District's HIV/AIDS Administration revealed in "Wasting Away," the two-day exposÃ© by Post staff writer Debbie Cenziper, is sickening. Scarce housing dollars went to assistance programs with little or no oversight or accounting of how they were spent. There was sloppy record-keeping and falsified documentation. Conflicts of interest abounded. What red flags that were raised were ignored. And many in need went without as phone calls went unanswered, and services that were promised were either not forthcoming or poorly delivered. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[The]]></category><category><![CDATA[sad]]></category><category><![CDATA[legacy]]></category><category><![CDATA[of]]></category><category><![CDATA[the]]></category><category><![CDATA[District's]]></category><category><![CDATA[HIV/AIDS]]></category><category><![CDATA[agency]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Zoho Projects Now Integrated With Google Apps]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/19/AR2009101900735.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/19/AR2009101900735.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Mon, 19 Oct 2009 02:45:02 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ Web-based productivity suite Zoho has continued to integrate its products with Google in order to make it easier to use Gmail and Zoho apps simultaneously. Last summer, Zoho, a web-based software suite that includes document, project and invoicing management tools, integrated Google and Yahoo sign-ins, allowing users to sign into Zoho using a Google or Yahoo account. And over the summer, Zoho is launched sign-in integration with Google Apps, letting users login to Zoho using their Google Apps credentials. Today, Zoho's project collaboration product, Zoho Projects, will become an extended application to Google Apps.<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575710470" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575710470" border="0" vspace="5"></a> ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[TechCrunch]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/technology/index.html">Technology</category>
<category><![CDATA[Zoho]]></category><category><![CDATA[Projects]]></category><category><![CDATA[Now]]></category><category><![CDATA[Integrated]]></category><category><![CDATA[With]]></category><category><![CDATA[Google]]></category><category><![CDATA[Apps]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Doctor pay, and its cost, are part of health reform]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/18/AR2009101801995.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/18/AR2009101801995.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ IN THE WORLD according to Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.), setting Medicare payment levels for doctors has nothing to do with health reform. Really. "Correcting the Medicare doctors' payment discrepancy is a budgetary problem -- health insurance reform tackles a serious regulatory problem," Reid's office said in a statement. "That's why we need to fix the Medicare doctors' payments first, outside of health reform." ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Doctor]]></category><category><![CDATA[pay,]]></category><category><![CDATA[and]]></category><category><![CDATA[its]]></category><category><![CDATA[cost,]]></category><category><![CDATA[are]]></category><category><![CDATA[part]]></category><category><![CDATA[of]]></category><category><![CDATA[health]]></category><category><![CDATA[reform]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Jody Wagner for Virginia lieutenant governor]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/18/AR2009101801993.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/18/AR2009101801993.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ JODY WAGNER, Virginia's former secretary of finance, is the sort of Democrat that helped cement the Old Dominion's status as among the cleanest, best managed and most business-friendly states in the country. She is easily the better choice as Virginia's next lieutenant governor and would represent a sharp improvement over the incumbent Republican seeking reelection, Bill Bolling. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Jody]]></category><category><![CDATA[Wagner]]></category><category><![CDATA[for]]></category><category><![CDATA[Virginia]]></category><category><![CDATA[lieutenant]]></category><category><![CDATA[governor]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Jaded justice]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/18/AR2009101801994.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/18/AR2009101801994.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ ON ITS FACE the proposition seems reasonable enough: Anyone who pleads guilty to a federal crime must give up the right to use DNA evidence in the future to challenge that conviction. This Bush-era policy would work just fine in a perfect world, where only those who actually committed crimes pleaded guilty to those offenses. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Jaded]]></category><category><![CDATA[justice]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Math teacher urges explanations over plugging in formulas]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/18/AR2009101802385.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/18/AR2009101802385.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ The teenagers in Stephanie Nichols's algebra class have nothing on her blank stare. And they can't even come close to her best confused expression: eyebrows furrowed, mouth frowning, a flash of ditziness framed by a blond bob.<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575718570" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575718570" border="0" vspace="5"></a> ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Michael Alison Chandler]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://voices.washingtonpost.com/education">Education</category>
<category><![CDATA[Math]]></category><category><![CDATA[teacher]]></category><category><![CDATA[urges]]></category><category><![CDATA[explanations]]></category><category><![CDATA[over]]></category><category><![CDATA[plugging]]></category><category><![CDATA[in]]></category><category><![CDATA[formulas]]></category>
<media:content url="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/photo/2009/10/18/PH2009101802390.jpg" type="image/jpeg" height="80" width="72"/>
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<title><![CDATA[The Answer Sheet VALERIE STRAUSS]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/18/AR2009101802384.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ Here are excerpts from The Answer Sheet by Valerie Strauss, The Washington Post's education blog. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/local.html">Metro</category>
<category><![CDATA[The]]></category><category><![CDATA[Answer]]></category><category><![CDATA[Sheet]]></category><category><![CDATA[VALERIE]]></category><category><![CDATA[STRAUSS]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Google Figured Out Where New Zealand Is]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/18/AR2009101801451.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Sun, 18 Oct 2009 10:44:58 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ Last week we wrote about Google's odd habit of putting the Google New Zealand web site as the top result for a ton of queries like Google Ireland and Google Egypt (and the commenters found many more). ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[TechCrunch]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/technology/index.html">Technology</category>
<category><![CDATA[Google]]></category><category><![CDATA[Figured]]></category><category><![CDATA[Out]]></category><category><![CDATA[Where]]></category><category><![CDATA[New]]></category><category><![CDATA[Zealand]]></category><category><![CDATA[Is]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Mr. Deeds for Governor]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/17/AR2009101701477.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/17/AR2009101701477.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 18 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ A LEGACY of sound policies, coupled with the proximity of the federal government, has partially protected Virginia from the harsh retrenchments that the recession has forced on many states. Yet the commonwealth faces a daunting crisis in the form of a drastic shortfall in transportation funding, measured in the tens of billions of dollars, that threatens future prosperity. If the current campaign for governor has clarified anything, it is that state Sen. R. Creigh Deeds, the Democratic nominee, has the good sense and political courage to maintain the forward-looking policies of the past while addressing the looming challenge of fixing the state's dangerously inadequate roads. The Republican candidate, former attorney general Robert F. McDonnell, offers something different: a blizzard of bogus, unworkable, chimerical proposals, repackaged as new ideas, that crumble on contact with reality. They would do little if anything to build a better transportation system. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Mr.]]></category><category><![CDATA[Deeds]]></category><category><![CDATA[for]]></category><category><![CDATA[Governor]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[White House has chance to foster Afghan future]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/16/AR2009101603245.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/16/AR2009101603245.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Sat, 17 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ ONE FACTOR in President Obama's decision to rethink the strategy he adopted for Afghanistan was the fraud-riddled fiasco that was Afghanistan's presidential election. The United States and its allies were counting on the August vote to lend new legitimacy to the Afghan government and complement the military strategy of defeating the Taliban by winning over the population. Instead ballot-box stuffing on behalf of the incumbent, Hamid Karzai, threatened to further weaken a regime known for corruption and inefficiency. Within the Obama administration, advocates of abandoning the strategy have been saying it cannot work with such a compromised government.<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575726227" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575726227" border="0" vspace="5"></a> ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[White]]></category><category><![CDATA[House]]></category><category><![CDATA[has]]></category><category><![CDATA[chance]]></category><category><![CDATA[to]]></category><category><![CDATA[foster]]></category><category><![CDATA[Afghan]]></category><category><![CDATA[future]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[A Judge's Hasty Decision to Close a Blackwater Hearing]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/16/AR2009101603241.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/16/AR2009101603241.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Sat, 17 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ JUDGE Ricardo M. Urbina of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia has been holding closed-door hearings this week in the case of five Blackwater security contractors accused of gunning down unarmed Iraqi civilians. A reporter from The Post learned of the hearings, which appear not to have been listed on the public docket; Judge Urbina declined the newspaper's request to lift the secrecy order. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[A]]></category><category><![CDATA[Judge's]]></category><category><![CDATA[Hasty]]></category><category><![CDATA[Decision]]></category><category><![CDATA[to]]></category><category><![CDATA[Close]]></category><category><![CDATA[a]]></category><category><![CDATA[Blackwater]]></category><category><![CDATA[Hearing]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Secretary Clinton's Inspiring Message to Russian Democracy-Seekers]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/16/AR2009101603243.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Sat, 17 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ IT'S BECOME SO commonplace that the world little noticed last Sunday when Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin staged another phony, Soviet-style election. As in the old days, the ruling party (now known as "United Russia" instead of "Communist Party of the Soviet Union") won a smashing victory in local jurisdictions across the country, with opposing party politicians reduced to bit parts permitted for decorative effect only. Mr. Medvedev, who frequently impresses Western politicians with his statements in praise of democracy, hailed the elections as "well organized," which we suppose is undeniable. Mr. Putin, who is less sentimental about these things, dismissed protesting politicians as whiners: "Those who don't win are never happy," he sniffed. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Secretary]]></category><category><![CDATA[Clinton's]]></category><category><![CDATA[Inspiring]]></category><category><![CDATA[Message]]></category><category><![CDATA[to]]></category><category><![CDATA[Russian]]></category><category><![CDATA[Democracy-Seekers]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[A flat cost-of-living adjustment is no excuse for a $250 handout to seniors.]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/15/AR2009101503211.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/15/AR2009101503211.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ AS YOU WATCH the depressing spectacle of President Obama proposing to buy off senior citizens with a $250 handout and thereby boost the national debt by another $13 billion, here's something to keep in mind: If seniors' benefits were to be calculated fairly, they would actually go down next year. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/business/index.html">Business</category>
<category><![CDATA[A]]></category><category><![CDATA[flat]]></category><category><![CDATA[cost-of-living]]></category><category><![CDATA[adjustment]]></category><category><![CDATA[is]]></category><category><![CDATA[no]]></category><category><![CDATA[excuse]]></category><category><![CDATA[for]]></category><category><![CDATA[a]]></category><category><![CDATA[$250]]></category><category><![CDATA[handout]]></category><category><![CDATA[to]]></category><category><![CDATA[seniors.]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Rebuilding New Orleans Requires Smart Planning]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/15/AR2009101503222.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ MANY IN New Orleans were not happy with President Obama's brief visit Thursday. They wanted him to spend more time talking with them about what's been happening since hurricanes Katrina and Rita unleashed misery there four years ago. We're sympathetic to their desire for substantial presidential face time. But neither Mr. Obama nor his administration is a stranger to the devastation of the Gulf Coast or the frustrations with the pace of recovery. What's more relevant than how many times he visits is how much more needs to be done.<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575733885" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575733885" border="0" vspace="5"></a> ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Rebuilding]]></category><category><![CDATA[New]]></category><category><![CDATA[Orleans]]></category><category><![CDATA[Requires]]></category><category><![CDATA[Smart]]></category><category><![CDATA[Planning]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Economic Reality Trips Up Va. Republicans]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/15/AR2009101503223.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ IN VIRGINIA'S statewide and legislative elections this fall, a key Republican talking point is that spending in the commonwealth has outstripped population growth and inflation. In fact, the suggestion that Richmond is on a check-writing binge flies in the face of this reality: Over the past decade, Virginia's spending has actually risen somewhat more slowly than the national average. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Economic]]></category><category><![CDATA[Reality]]></category><category><![CDATA[Trips]]></category><category><![CDATA[Up]]></category><category><![CDATA[Va.]]></category><category><![CDATA[Republicans]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Who's Scorched Up comScore In September, You Ask?]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/15/AR2009101501148.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/15/AR2009101501148.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 15 Oct 2009 04:59:16 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[  ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[TechCrunch]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/technology/index.html">Technology</category>
<category><![CDATA[Who's]]></category><category><![CDATA[Scorched]]></category><category><![CDATA[Up]]></category><category><![CDATA[comScore]]></category><category><![CDATA[In]]></category><category><![CDATA[September,]]></category><category><![CDATA[You]]></category><category><![CDATA[Ask?]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[NAEP math scores are promising sign for Michelle Rhee's school reform efforts]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/14/AR2009101403265.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/14/AR2009101403265.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ NATIONAL TESTS showing that D.C. public school students made significant gains in mathematics are an important reminder of what's at stake in the city's struggle to remake its troubled education system. Student achievement -- not politics nor process, nor even jobs -- is the only issue that truly matters. If the District is to have any hope of doing right by its children, it must sustain the reforms of Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) and Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee that helped produce these heartening results. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[NAEP]]></category><category><![CDATA[math]]></category><category><![CDATA[scores]]></category><category><![CDATA[are]]></category><category><![CDATA[promising]]></category><category><![CDATA[sign]]></category><category><![CDATA[for]]></category><category><![CDATA[Michelle]]></category><category><![CDATA[Rhee's]]></category><category><![CDATA[school]]></category><category><![CDATA[reform]]></category><category><![CDATA[efforts]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Advice From an Iranian Nobel Laureate About Her Country]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/14/AR2009101403267.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/14/AR2009101403267.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ SHIRIN EBADI, a 62-year-old Iranian lawyer who won the Nobel Peace Prize six years ago, is generally cautious and measured in her speech. She is a human rights lawyer who says that she does not involve herself in politics. She says that it's not her job to favor one party over another, as long as the government respects people's right to express themselves.<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575741207" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575741207" border="0" vspace="5"></a> ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Advice]]></category><category><![CDATA[From]]></category><category><![CDATA[an]]></category><category><![CDATA[Iranian]]></category><category><![CDATA[Nobel]]></category><category><![CDATA[Laureate]]></category><category><![CDATA[About]]></category><category><![CDATA[Her]]></category><category><![CDATA[Country]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Congress to Move on Military Commissions Law and Trials for Detainees]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/14/AR2009101403266.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ ONE OF THE first acts of President Obama after being sworn in was to suspend the military commissions at the U.S. Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, that were being used to prosecute high-level detainees, including alleged Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Congress]]></category><category><![CDATA[to]]></category><category><![CDATA[Move]]></category><category><![CDATA[on]]></category><category><![CDATA[Military]]></category><category><![CDATA[Commissions]]></category><category><![CDATA[Law]]></category><category><![CDATA[and]]></category><category><![CDATA[Trials]]></category><category><![CDATA[for]]></category><category><![CDATA[Detainees]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Blogged.com Gets A Real-Time Makeover]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/14/AR2009101401904.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/14/AR2009101401904.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Wed, 14 Oct 2009 07:55:40 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[  ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[TechCrunch]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/technology/index.html">Technology</category>
<category><![CDATA[Blogged.com]]></category><category><![CDATA[Gets]]></category><category><![CDATA[A]]></category><category><![CDATA[Real-Time]]></category><category><![CDATA[Makeover]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[The Taliban Threat]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/13/AR2009101302796.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/13/AR2009101302796.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Wed, 14 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ DURING THE past 10 days, Pakistan's conflict with the Taliban movement has escalated toward full-scale war -- and the extreme Islamist movement has mostly held the initiative. On Tuesday, government warplanes bombed targets in the Taliban stronghold of South Waziristan in what may be the prelude to a major army offensive there. Over the previous eight days, however, the Taliban carried out four major attacks that demonstrated both its growing power and its ambitions. One, against Pakistan's army headquarters, was staged with the help of a terrorist organization from the country's ethnic Punjabi heartland. That alliance underlines the fact that the Taliban no longer aims merely at controlling the ethnic Pashtun areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan but at gaining control over a nuclear-armed state. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[The]]></category><category><![CDATA[Taliban]]></category><category><![CDATA[Threat]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Turkey and Armenia Take a Step Toward Rapprochement]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/13/AR2009101302798.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Wed, 14 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ SECRETARY OF STATE Hillary Rodham Clinton executed some deft diplomacy last weekend as the leaders of Turkey and Armenia signed a potentially historic deal to establish normal diplomatic relations and reopen their borders. We say "potentially" because there are some big obstacles to implementing the accord, which we'll come back to. But Ms. Clinton helped to ensure that the signing ceremony in Zurich went forward after four hours of last-minute mediation. Not for the first time in her short tenure, she proved capable of overcoming an impasse and teasing out a favorable outcome for the United States.<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575747710" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575747710" border="0" vspace="5"></a> ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Turkey]]></category><category><![CDATA[and]]></category><category><![CDATA[Armenia]]></category><category><![CDATA[Take]]></category><category><![CDATA[a]]></category><category><![CDATA[Step]]></category><category><![CDATA[Toward]]></category><category><![CDATA[Rapprochement]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[A Job for the District]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/13/AR2009101302799.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/13/AR2009101302799.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Wed, 14 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ THREE DECADES ago, a federal judge concluded that the District had violated the constitutional rights "to be free from harm" of some 1,050 mentally disabled people committed to the Forest Haven facility. The city's notorious asylum -- where residents languished on urine-soaked mattresses, were beaten by staff members and lacked basic medical care -- has long since closed. Many of the residents have died, but the rest are in community-based living arrangements that reflect how the District is trying to transform the care of these vulnerable people. Nonetheless, the litigation persists, with the District remaining under federal court supervision. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[A]]></category><category><![CDATA[Job]]></category><category><![CDATA[for]]></category><category><![CDATA[the]]></category><category><![CDATA[District]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Leadership on Gay Rights: President Obama isn't the only one falling short.]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/12/AR2009101202439.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/12/AR2009101202439.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ FULL EQUALITY for gays and lesbians is the civil rights issue of our time. Men and women who want to preserve and protect the ideals of this nation are being booted from the military because of who they are. Same-sex couples who seek the recognition of their relationships that their heterosexual counterparts take for granted are denied the rights and responsibilities that come from civil marriage. Ending these and other forms of institutional discrimination based on sexual orientation requires leadership. Pity there's not enough of it coming from either end of Pennsylvania Avenue. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Leadership]]></category><category><![CDATA[on]]></category><category><![CDATA[Gay]]></category><category><![CDATA[Rights:]]></category><category><![CDATA[President]]></category><category><![CDATA[Obama]]></category><category><![CDATA[isn't]]></category><category><![CDATA[the]]></category><category><![CDATA[only]]></category><category><![CDATA[one]]></category><category><![CDATA[falling]]></category><category><![CDATA[short.]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Patriot High-Wire Act]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/12/AR2009101202442.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ THE PATRIOT ACT was rushed through Congress weeks after the 2001 terrorist strikes to give law enforcement new tools to prevent another attack. Lawmakers reassessed the law about five years later, reworking some provisions to better protect civil liberties. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Patriot]]></category><category><![CDATA[High-Wire]]></category><category><![CDATA[Act]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Supreme Court can rectify bad legal advice in case of Padilla v. Kentucky.]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/12/AR2009101202441.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ TRUCK DRIVER Jose Padilla was stopped at a weigh station in Kentucky in 2001 when he gave a law enforcement officer permission to examine the contents of his 18-wheeler. Stashed among the registered cargo were some 23 Styrofoam boxes containing 1,000 pounds of marijuana.<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575753826" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575753826" border="0" vspace="5"></a> ]]></description>
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<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Supreme]]></category><category><![CDATA[Court]]></category><category><![CDATA[can]]></category><category><![CDATA[rectify]]></category><category><![CDATA[bad]]></category><category><![CDATA[legal]]></category><category><![CDATA[advice]]></category><category><![CDATA[in]]></category><category><![CDATA[case]]></category><category><![CDATA[of]]></category><category><![CDATA[Padilla]]></category><category><![CDATA[v.]]></category><category><![CDATA[Kentucky.]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Pain, Prozac and the Pump]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/11/AR2009101101547.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Mon, 12 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ ONLY A HANDFUL of states tax gasoline at the pump as lightly as Virginia does. The state's drivers may applaud this -- until they find themselves sitting in traffic, wondering why the road system is such an underfunded disaster. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Pain,]]></category><category><![CDATA[Prozac]]></category><category><![CDATA[and]]></category><category><![CDATA[the]]></category><category><![CDATA[Pump]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Treasury Considers More Aid for Housing]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/11/AR2009101101549.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Mon, 12 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ HOW BADLY DID the U.S. housing market crash? Well, just look at how much federal aid it has taken to stabilize it, at least for now. The Federal Reserve has bought almost $700 billion worth of mortgage-backed securities, with more to come. The Treasury Department is covering the losses of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Congress has enacted tax credits to spur home buying, including an $8,000 bonus to first-time buyers that expires Nov. 30 but may well be extended. The Federal Housing Administration has dramatically expanded its mortgage insurance portfolio. The Obama administration offers government-backed refinancing to middle-income homeowners who are up to 25 percent underwater in their current mortgages. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Treasury]]></category><category><![CDATA[Considers]]></category><category><![CDATA[More]]></category><category><![CDATA[Aid]]></category><category><![CDATA[for]]></category><category><![CDATA[Housing]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Rated XXX]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/11/AR2009101101548.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Mon, 12 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ UNIVERSITY ADMINISTRATORS have a lot on their minds these days, from shoring up sagging enrollment to keeping soaring costs in check. Add this to the to-do lists of Maryland's college officials: Craft pornography rules. Due date: Oct. 23. ]]></description>
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<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Rated]]></category><category><![CDATA[XXX]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[THE ANSWER SHEET : A School Survival Guide for Parents (And Everyone Else)]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/11/AR2009101101962.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Mon, 12 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ Here are excerpts from The Answer Sheet by Valerie Strauss, The Washington Post's new education blog.<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575800570" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575800570" border="0" vspace="5"></a> ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[THE]]></category><category><![CDATA[ANSWER]]></category><category><![CDATA[SHEET]]></category><category><![CDATA[:]]></category><category><![CDATA[A]]></category><category><![CDATA[School]]></category><category><![CDATA[Survival]]></category><category><![CDATA[Guide]]></category><category><![CDATA[for]]></category><category><![CDATA[Parents]]></category><category><![CDATA[(And]]></category><category><![CDATA[Everyone]]></category><category><![CDATA[Else)]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Re-Stimulating]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/10/AR2009101001913.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Sun, 11 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ AT 9.8 PERCENT, the unemployment rate is higher than it has been since it hit 10.1 percent in June 1983. Since the recession began 21 months ago, the economy has shed nearly 7 million jobs. Whole industries -- cars, housing, finance -- have been devastated and may never recover fully. ]]></description>
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<category><![CDATA[Re-Stimulating]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[School Friction]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/10/AR2009101001914.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Sun, 11 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ AFL-CIO PRESIDENT Richard L. Trumka took center stage Thursday at a well-orchestrated rally in downtown Washington to denounce the "cold, hard" tactics of D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee. Washington Teachers' Union President George Parker wrote a letter that appeared on this page Friday saying that his organization has tried to collaborate with Ms. Rhee. There is the suggestion that Ms. Rhee's recent layoff of 229 teachers could dampen the chance of future cooperation. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[School]]></category><category><![CDATA[Friction]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Empty Promises]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/10/AR2009101001918.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Sun, 11 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ LISTEN TO the promises of Virginia's two gubernatorial candidates regarding higher education, and it's hard to tell the difference. Democrat R. Creigh Deeds and Republican Robert F. McDonnell both say that they will increase the number of degrees awarded while also making college more affordable. Also common to both: Neither has a clue as to where the state will find the money. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Empty]]></category><category><![CDATA[Promises]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[President Obama wins the Nobel Prize for Peace ÃÂ but that's not his fault.]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/09/AR2009100903860.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Sat, 10 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ IT'S AN ODD Nobel Peace Prize that almost makes you embarrassed for the honoree. In blessing President Obama, the Nobel Committee intended to boost what it called his "extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples." A more suitable time for the prize would have been after those efforts had borne some fruit.<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575809000" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575809000" border="0" vspace="5"></a> ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[President]]></category><category><![CDATA[Obama]]></category><category><![CDATA[wins]]></category><category><![CDATA[the]]></category><category><![CDATA[Nobel]]></category><category><![CDATA[Prize]]></category><category><![CDATA[for]]></category><category><![CDATA[Peace]]></category><category><![CDATA[ÃÂ]]></category><category><![CDATA[but]]></category><category><![CDATA[that's]]></category><category><![CDATA[not]]></category><category><![CDATA[his]]></category><category><![CDATA[fault.]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[A Shell Game for Disguising Health Reform Costs]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/09/AR2009100904189.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/09/AR2009100904189.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Sat, 10 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ THE SENATE Finance Committee's health-reform bill is fully paid for, according to the Congressional Budget Office; in fact, the CBO says, it would save $81 billion in the first 10 years. The House version of health reform, by contrast, would add $239 billion to the deficit over that period. So the Senate bill is more fiscally responsible, right? Not exactly. ]]></description>
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<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[A]]></category><category><![CDATA[Shell]]></category><category><![CDATA[Game]]></category><category><![CDATA[for]]></category><category><![CDATA[Disguising]]></category><category><![CDATA[Health]]></category><category><![CDATA[Reform]]></category><category><![CDATA[Costs]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Congress gets a chance to codify sensible NIH rules for stem cell research.]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/09/AR2009100904188.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Sat, 10 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ THE SWIRL of controversy that greeted President Obama's executive order lifting the ban on federal funding of stem cell research in March didn't make a significant return when the final rules were released over the summer. That's because the National Institutes of Health successfully navigated a minefield of ethical and moral questions. To protect those regulations from politics and changes by another administration, Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) soon will introduce the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2009. The legislation would codify Mr. Obama's executive order permitting federal funding of such research within guidelines established by the NIH and would require that they be reviewed periodically. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/technology/index.html">Technology</category>
<category><![CDATA[Congress]]></category><category><![CDATA[gets]]></category><category><![CDATA[a]]></category><category><![CDATA[chance]]></category><category><![CDATA[to]]></category><category><![CDATA[codify]]></category><category><![CDATA[sensible]]></category><category><![CDATA[NIH]]></category><category><![CDATA[rules]]></category><category><![CDATA[for]]></category><category><![CDATA[stem]]></category><category><![CDATA[cell]]></category><category><![CDATA[research.]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Peace! Obama v. The CrunchPad]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/09/AR2009100903698.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Fri, 09 Oct 2009 13:13:33 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ Oh-Bah-Mah! ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[TechCrunch]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/technology/index.html">Technology</category>
<category><![CDATA[Peace!]]></category><category><![CDATA[Obama]]></category><category><![CDATA[v.]]></category><category><![CDATA[The]]></category><category><![CDATA[CrunchPad]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[The Dairy Industry Milks Congress for Another Bailout]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/08/AR2009100803578.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Fri, 09 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ AT $2.87 a gallon, the average price of milk is down 27 percent from a year ago. That means cheaper groceries for recession-weary consumers and more bang for the taxpayer's buck in food stamps and other federal nutrition programs. What's not to like? Well, dairy farmers hate it: They are facing a $12 billion decline in sales this year, according to the National Milk Producers Federation. Many could shut down; some farmers are slaughtering their cows for beef. Rushing to their rescue, Congress has approved a $350 million dairy bailout -- on top of more than $1 billion in regular price-support and direct-payment programs.<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575818462" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575818462" border="0" vspace="5"></a> ]]></description>
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<category><![CDATA[The]]></category><category><![CDATA[Dairy]]></category><category><![CDATA[Industry]]></category><category><![CDATA[Milks]]></category><category><![CDATA[Congress]]></category><category><![CDATA[for]]></category><category><![CDATA[Another]]></category><category><![CDATA[Bailout]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Congress Refuses to Seriously Address the Guantanamo Issue]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/08/AR2009100803579.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Fri, 09 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ CONGRESS continues its irrational and damaging bluster over the fate of detainees at the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Congress]]></category><category><![CDATA[Refuses]]></category><category><![CDATA[to]]></category><category><![CDATA[Seriously]]></category><category><![CDATA[Address]]></category><category><![CDATA[the]]></category><category><![CDATA[Guantanamo]]></category><category><![CDATA[Issue]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[D.C. Council Moves to Permit Same-Sex Marriage]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/08/AR2009100803637.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Fri, 09 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ BY INTRODUCING the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Equality Amendment Act of 2009, D.C. Council member David A. Catania (I-At-Large) has started the District's long-awaited effort to permit same-sex marriage. The bill is short on pages, but its impact on the lives of gays and lesbians, and on the advancement of civil rights generally, is immeasurable. ]]></description>
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<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[D.C.]]></category><category><![CDATA[Council]]></category><category><![CDATA[Moves]]></category><category><![CDATA[to]]></category><category><![CDATA[Permit]]></category><category><![CDATA[Same-Sex]]></category><category><![CDATA[Marriage]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[INQ To Build Spotify Branded Phone]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/08/AR2009100801989.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Thu, 08 Oct 2009 07:15:58 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ Wow, if nothing else, new European music service Spotify, which is yet to launch in the U.S., has captured everyone's attention. TechCrunch Europe reports that Swedish telecommunication service provider Telia will soon release a Spotify-branded mobile phone. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[TechCrunch]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/technology/index.html">Technology</category>
<category><![CDATA[INQ]]></category><category><![CDATA[To]]></category><category><![CDATA[Build]]></category><category><![CDATA[Spotify]]></category><category><![CDATA[Branded]]></category><category><![CDATA[Phone]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[The Alternative Afghanistan Plan Looks Like a Loser]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/07/AR2009100703259.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Thu, 08 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ PRESIDENT OBAMA kicked off his reconsideration of strategy in Afghanistan by questioning on national television whether the United States needed to keep supporting the Afghan government and army. But the alternatives the president appears to be considering do not depart so radically from the plan proposed by Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal. Mr. Obama told congressional leaders Tuesday that he did not intend to reduce U.S. troop levels or limit U.S. operations to drone attacks on al-Qaeda. Nor, according to his national security adviser, would he give up on building the Afghan government and army.<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575826051" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575826051" border="0" vspace="5"></a> ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[The]]></category><category><![CDATA[Alternative]]></category><category><![CDATA[Afghanistan]]></category><category><![CDATA[Plan]]></category><category><![CDATA[Looks]]></category><category><![CDATA[Like]]></category><category><![CDATA[a]]></category><category><![CDATA[Loser]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Legal Clash Over a Cross in the Wilderness]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/07/AR2009100703238.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Thu, 08 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ SINCE 1934, a cross commemorating fallen World War I soldiers has stood sentry over the Joshua trees in what is now the Mojave National Preserve. The structure, which was erected by the Veterans of Foreign Wars, went largely unnoticed during its first 65 years, but has for the past decade been the focal point of an often messy dispute over the government's decision to allow the symbol on federal lands. The Supreme Court took up the controversy Wednesday. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Legal]]></category><category><![CDATA[Clash]]></category><category><![CDATA[Over]]></category><category><![CDATA[a]]></category><category><![CDATA[Cross]]></category><category><![CDATA[in]]></category><category><![CDATA[the]]></category><category><![CDATA[Wilderness]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Kudos to Mr. Swain's Whistle-Blowing on D.C. Bribery Scheme]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/07/AR2009100703323.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Thu, 08 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ "MY MOTHER didn't raise me that way." That's the modest explanation offered by Leon J. Swain Jr. on why he wouldn't be bought off as chair of the D.C. Taxicab Commission. He instead alerted authorities and, at their urging, pretended to go along with a massive bribery scheme. It's hard to imagine how harrowing the next two years were for Mr. Swain, which makes his cooperation all the more exemplary. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
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<category><![CDATA[Kudos]]></category><category><![CDATA[to]]></category><category><![CDATA[Mr.]]></category><category><![CDATA[Swain's]]></category><category><![CDATA[Whistle-Blowing]]></category><category><![CDATA[on]]></category><category><![CDATA[D.C.]]></category><category><![CDATA[Bribery]]></category><category><![CDATA[Scheme]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Dressed To Kill: Modu 2 To Sport Android Jacket]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/07/AR2009100702040.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Wed, 07 Oct 2009 09:03:14 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ Israeli modular phone manufacturer, Modu, looks to be shaking things up with its next modular gadget - Modu 2. In a recent interview with TechRadar, Modu CEO, Dov Moran, has let (some of) the beans spill on Modu's ambitions for its next generation of devices.For anyone who is unfamiliar, Modu?s modular ecosystem includes various ?jackets? which ?create a new look and provide added functionality? to the underlying Modu phone. In the same way that you and I change our clothes based on our plans, Modu?s phone can change jackets for different functions, such as playing MP3s, taking digital photos, or at its simplest, changing its outward appearance with a dressy ?suit? jacket. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[TechCrunch]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/technology/index.html">Technology</category>
<category><![CDATA[Dressed]]></category><category><![CDATA[To]]></category><category><![CDATA[Kill:]]></category><category><![CDATA[Modu]]></category><category><![CDATA[2]]></category><category><![CDATA[To]]></category><category><![CDATA[Sport]]></category><category><![CDATA[Android]]></category><category><![CDATA[Jacket]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Pakistani Government Dismayed by U.S. Wavering on Afghanistan]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/06/AR2009100603068.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Wed, 07 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ ONE OF the ideas the Obama administration is considering in response to the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan reportedly is called "Pakistan First." Championed by Vice President Biden, the idea is to focus U.S. efforts on attacking al-Qaeda targets in Pakistan's tribal areas with drones or Special Forces, while backing the government's efforts to pacify and develop the lawless areas where al-Qaeda and the Taliban are based. The battle against the Taliban in Afghanistan, meanwhile, would be put on the back burner.<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575832631" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575832631" border="0" vspace="5"></a> ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Pakistani]]></category><category><![CDATA[Government]]></category><category><![CDATA[Dismayed]]></category><category><![CDATA[by]]></category><category><![CDATA[U.S.]]></category><category><![CDATA[Wavering]]></category><category><![CDATA[on]]></category><category><![CDATA[Afghanistan]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[In Virginia, a Plea for Taxes to Fix Traffic]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/06/AR2009100603069.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Wed, 07 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ A COALITION of 17 of the biggest business groups in Northern Virginia, representing thousands of companies and hundreds of thousands of employees, has just issued an extraordinary plea. After a dozen "whereases" and four "be it resolveds," the plea amounts to this: If Virginia does not raise taxes for its badly underfunded and rapidly crumbling transportation system, it won't get fixed -- period. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[In]]></category><category><![CDATA[Virginia,]]></category><category><![CDATA[a]]></category><category><![CDATA[Plea]]></category><category><![CDATA[for]]></category><category><![CDATA[Taxes]]></category><category><![CDATA[to]]></category><category><![CDATA[Fix]]></category><category><![CDATA[Traffic]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[D.C. Council Members Are Peeved, and the City Pays a Price]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/06/AR2009100603070.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Wed, 07 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ THE D.C. COUNCIL was shamed Tuesday into apologizing for the racist and sexist comments that marred the confirmation hearing of Ximena Hartsock for director of parks and recreation. The bigger shame, though, is that the council, acting largely out of political spite, refused to confirm this eminently qualified and capable woman. No doubt Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) suffered a political loss, but the real loser is the city. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[D.C.]]></category><category><![CDATA[Council]]></category><category><![CDATA[Members]]></category><category><![CDATA[Are]]></category><category><![CDATA[Peeved,]]></category><category><![CDATA[and]]></category><category><![CDATA[the]]></category><category><![CDATA[City]]></category><category><![CDATA[Pays]]></category><category><![CDATA[a]]></category><category><![CDATA[Price]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[If We Lose Afghanistan]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/05/AR2009100503184.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Tue, 06 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ AT THE heart of the Obama administration's deliberations about Afghanistan is the question of whether U.S. security rests on the defeat of the Afghan Taliban movement. The discussion often gets narrowed to the point of whether al-Qaeda, which is based in Pakistan, would gain a new haven in Afghanistan if the Taliban returned to power, so we'll start there. We won't, however, linger long, because for almost all military and civilian experts on the region the question is a no-brainer. ]]></description>
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<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[If]]></category><category><![CDATA[We]]></category><category><![CDATA[Lose]]></category><category><![CDATA[Afghanistan]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[A Plan to Make Government Ownership of Business Less Political]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/05/AR2009100503183.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/05/AR2009100503183.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Tue, 06 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ GOVERNMENT OWNERSHIP of banks, car factories and insurance companies has little or no precedent in U.S. history -- and a poor track record in countries that have tried it. When governments own companies, they succumb to the temptation to manage them according to political rather than economic criteria. Losses mount, and government bleeds the rest of the economy to cover them.<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575839576" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575839576" border="0" vspace="5"></a> ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[A]]></category><category><![CDATA[Plan]]></category><category><![CDATA[to]]></category><category><![CDATA[Make]]></category><category><![CDATA[Government]]></category><category><![CDATA[Ownership]]></category><category><![CDATA[of]]></category><category><![CDATA[Business]]></category><category><![CDATA[Less]]></category><category><![CDATA[Political]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[A D.C. Council Embarrassment]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/05/AR2009100503182.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Tue, 06 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ THERE ARE valid questions to be asked about whether Ximena Hartsock is the best qualified candidate to head the District's department of parks and recreation. Shockingly, though, D.C. Council members at a recent hearing on her confirmation seemed more interested in her ethnicity, gender and immigration status than in her work and educational background. No matter what one's opinion of Ms. Hartsock, D.C. residents should be appalled that their elected officials would subject anyone to such disrespectful treatment. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[A]]></category><category><![CDATA[D.C.]]></category><category><![CDATA[Council]]></category><category><![CDATA[Embarrassment]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Trapster Speed Trap App Downloads Hit 50,000/Day]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/06/AR2009100600471.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/06/AR2009100600471.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Mon, 05 Oct 2009 23:21:21 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ A must-have iPhone application for people who drive a lot is Trapster Â¿ the app for avoiding speed traps. Or a better description by Paul Carr before he was fired from The Guardian: "Yes, that's Trapster: the mobile distraction for when driving at high speed isn't fucking dangerous enough." ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[TechCrunch]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/technology/index.html">Technology</category>
<category><![CDATA[Trapster]]></category><category><![CDATA[Speed]]></category><category><![CDATA[Trap]]></category><category><![CDATA[App]]></category><category><![CDATA[Downloads]]></category><category><![CDATA[Hit]]></category><category><![CDATA[50,000/Day]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[FTC Values Sponsored Conversations at $11,000 Apiece.]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/05/AR2009100502427.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Mon, 05 Oct 2009 10:28:57 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ Today, the Federal Trade Commission made good on its threat promise to change the way it regulates endorsements from bloggers by releasing its final revisions to the guidance it gives advertisers on how to keep their endorsement and testimonial ads in line with the FTC Act. Last May, we reviewed the proposed FTC guidelines that will now change the disclosure rules around paid endorsements and testimonials, and thus how brands use online endorsements in their marketing, advertising, and communications programs. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[TechCrunch]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/technology/index.html">Technology</category>
<category><![CDATA[FTC]]></category><category><![CDATA[Values]]></category><category><![CDATA[Sponsored]]></category><category><![CDATA[Conversations]]></category><category><![CDATA[at]]></category><category><![CDATA[$11,000]]></category><category><![CDATA[Apiece.]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Virginia's Electoral Farce]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/04/AR2009100402299.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Mon, 05 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ MOST VIRGINIANS are under the quaint impression that their state has a competitive two-party system. If only. The sad fact is that for the vast majority of legislative races in the state, real competition is a thing of the past. For that, Virginians can thank state lawmakers of both parties, who for decades have drawn lines on the voting maps for no higher purpose than to preserve their own grip on power.<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575845376" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575845376" border="0" vspace="5"></a> ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Virginia's]]></category><category><![CDATA[Electoral]]></category><category><![CDATA[Farce]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[The Real Sen. Ensign]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/04/AR2009100402298.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Mon, 05 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ SO TROUBLING are the latest revelations about Nevada Sen. John Ensign's efforts to keep secret his extramarital affair with a former campaign aide that not even his friends are speaking up for him. "Judgment gets impaired by arrogance, and that's what's going on here," said Okla. Sen. Tom Coburn, relating how his fellow Republican got trapped in a stupid act and then followed it with a lot of mistakes. Mr. Ensign's behavior goes far beyond mistakes; he misused his office, and he must be held to account. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[The]]></category><category><![CDATA[Real]]></category><category><![CDATA[Sen.]]></category><category><![CDATA[Ensign]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Dogs, Videos and Violence]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/04/AR2009100402301.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Mon, 05 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ DEPENDING ON whom you ask, Robert J. Stevens is either an avowed canine enthusiast and educational filmmaker or a man who traffics in the misery and violence of dogfights. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Dogs,]]></category><category><![CDATA[Videos]]></category><category><![CDATA[and]]></category><category><![CDATA[Violence]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Einstein Fellowship Lets Teachers Broaden Their Horizons]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/04/AR2009100403074.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Mon, 05 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ During his nine years at the District's Benjamin Banneker Academic High School, Mark Hannum taught math, from algebra to calculus and nearly every level in between. It was more work than sticking with the same course, but it gave him a broader perspective than he might have otherwise had. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Emma Brown]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://voices.washingtonpost.com/education">Education</category>
<category><![CDATA[Einstein]]></category><category><![CDATA[Fellowship]]></category><category><![CDATA[Lets]]></category><category><![CDATA[Teachers]]></category><category><![CDATA[Broaden]]></category><category><![CDATA[Their]]></category><category><![CDATA[Horizons]]></category>
<media:content url="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/photo/2009/10/04/PH2009100403080.jpg" type="image/jpeg" height="80" width="72"/>
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<title><![CDATA[To Pass an Imperfect Health Bill, Mr. Obama Must Jump In]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/03/AR2009100302471.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Sun, 04 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ THE BILL that will emerge this week from the Senate Finance Committee is the best version of health-care reform that Congress has mustered so far. That is both a testament to the committee chairman, Max Baucus (D-Mont.), and a rebuke to Congress, for even this latest version falls short of the standards that President Obama has set. And it is a warning, too, because from here on most of the pressures in Congress will push the legislation in a less responsible direction. If Congress is to pass a bill that greatly expands coverage, does not expand the deficit and begins to reduce health-care costs -- Mr. Obama's criteria -- he will have to begin playing a larger role.<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575853770" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575853770" border="0" vspace="5"></a> ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[To]]></category><category><![CDATA[Pass]]></category><category><![CDATA[an]]></category><category><![CDATA[Imperfect]]></category><category><![CDATA[Health]]></category><category><![CDATA[Bill,]]></category><category><![CDATA[Mr.]]></category><category><![CDATA[Obama]]></category><category><![CDATA[Must]]></category><category><![CDATA[Jump]]></category><category><![CDATA[In]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[The President's Shaky Support for a Journalist's Confidential Sources]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/03/AR2009100302470.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Sun, 04 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ PRESIDENT OBAMA has long said that he supports a law protecting the relationship between journalists and their sources. But his administration's latest proposal hardly reflects that. The language it has given the Senate Judiciary Committee belies the president's stated support for having judges balance the public interest in news gathering against the need to compel disclosure of a journalist's sources. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[The]]></category><category><![CDATA[President's]]></category><category><![CDATA[Shaky]]></category><category><![CDATA[Support]]></category><category><![CDATA[for]]></category><category><![CDATA[a]]></category><category><![CDATA[Journalist's]]></category><category><![CDATA[Confidential]]></category><category><![CDATA[Sources]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Open to Vouchers?]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/03/AR2009100302468.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/03/AR2009100302468.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 04 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ SEN. RICHARD J. Durbin (D-Ill.), never a big fan of the federally funded vouchers that allow disadvantaged D.C. children to go to private schools, was downright brutal as he questioned one of the program's operators at a recent oversight hearing. We were glad, though, to hear Mr. Durbin ask why some schools aren't accredited, rail about teacher qualifications and wonder about testing. Instead of talking about doing away with vouchers, this influential Democrat seemed focused on ways to improve the program -- and that's a good sign for parents wanting to get a better education for their children. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Open]]></category><category><![CDATA[to]]></category><category><![CDATA[Vouchers?]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Bailing Out the FDIC]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/02/AR2009100205039.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Sat, 03 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ AMERICANS have faced scary scenarios during this financial crisis but not, thankfully, the ultimate catastrophe: a run on the banks. Even as bank after bank failed, or came close, depositors remained calmly at home, safe in the knowledge that they would ultimately get their cash. For this, credit the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., established during the Great Depression to prevent a repetition of the bank runs in that miserable era. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Bailing]]></category><category><![CDATA[Out]]></category><category><![CDATA[the]]></category><category><![CDATA[FDIC]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Europe's Verdict on the Georgia War]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/02/AR2009100205040.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/02/AR2009100205040.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</guid>
<pubDate>Sat, 03 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ EVEN BEFORE the shooting ended, Russia's invasion of Georgia last year prompted an international debate about who bore responsibility for the conflict. For many in the United States, the answer was fairly obvious: Russia, after all, had been overtly preparing for war for months before its troops began their rampage, and Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin made clear from the outset that his goal was to overthrow the pro-American government of Mikheil Saakashvili. But many Europeans were reluctant to allow their relations with Russia to be soured by a small country in the Caucuses. So at the impetus of Germany, an independent "fact-finding mission" was established.<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575902923" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575902923" border="0" vspace="5"></a> ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Europe's]]></category><category><![CDATA[Verdict]]></category><category><![CDATA[on]]></category><category><![CDATA[the]]></category><category><![CDATA[Georgia]]></category><category><![CDATA[War]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[D.C. School Layoffs Are Instructive Step Toward Improving Classrooms]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/02/AR2009100205036.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Sat, 03 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ NEW YORK CITY schools are notorious for their rubber rooms, holding tanks for incompetent teachers who are paid full salaries to do nothing. D.C schools don't have rubber rooms but an even worse situation: Bad teachers stay in the classroom. It's a problem too long tolerated by school officials. So, as painful as Friday's layoffs are, D.C. Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee was right to shake up her instructional force. ]]></description>
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<category><![CDATA[D.C.]]></category><category><![CDATA[School]]></category><category><![CDATA[Layoffs]]></category><category><![CDATA[Are]]></category><category><![CDATA[Instructive]]></category><category><![CDATA[Step]]></category><category><![CDATA[Toward]]></category><category><![CDATA[Improving]]></category><category><![CDATA[Classrooms]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[The U.S. Can Find Small Gains Regarding Iran]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/01/AR2009100104307.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Fri, 02 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ THE OBAMA administration's first formal diplomatic encounter with Iran had much in common with the Bush administration's last one. On July 19, 2008, Undersecretary of State William J. Burns joined officials from five other nations in Geneva as they presented Iranian representative Saeed Jalili with a proposal they called "freeze for freeze." On Thursday Mr. Burns, now representing the Obama administration, joined the same five governments in the same city with the same Iranian official -- and once again "freeze for freeze" was on the table. ]]></description>
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<category><![CDATA[The]]></category><category><![CDATA[U.S.]]></category><category><![CDATA[Can]]></category><category><![CDATA[Find]]></category><category><![CDATA[Small]]></category><category><![CDATA[Gains]]></category><category><![CDATA[Regarding]]></category><category><![CDATA[Iran]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Justices to Hear a Critical Gun Law Case]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/01/AR2009100104306.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Fri, 02 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ WITH ITS landmark ruling in the 2008 case of District of Columbia v. Heller, the Supreme Court held that the Second Amendment bestows an individual right to keep and bear arms. The fact that this case originated in the District -- a federal enclave -- saved for a later day the question of whether the Second Amendment also applied to states, thus extending this right to all citizens. That day has come in the form of McDonald v. Chicago, in which Chicago residents challenged the constitutionality of that city's broad and strict gun laws. The justices will probably hear the case early next year. ]]></description>
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<category><![CDATA[Justices]]></category><category><![CDATA[to]]></category><category><![CDATA[Hear]]></category><category><![CDATA[a]]></category><category><![CDATA[Critical]]></category><category><![CDATA[Gun]]></category><category><![CDATA[Law]]></category><category><![CDATA[Case]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Bringing Order to D.C. Council]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/01/AR2009100104305.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Fri, 02 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ THE D.C. COUNCIL was self-congratulatory last week as it established a new code of conduct for its members. Observers assailed the measure as so weak as to be meaningless. Both reactions were appropriate: Council members should be commended for enacting first-ever ethic standards, but much more needs to be done.<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575909668" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575909668" border="0" vspace="5"></a> ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
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<category><![CDATA[Bringing]]></category><category><![CDATA[Order]]></category><category><![CDATA[to]]></category><category><![CDATA[D.C.]]></category><category><![CDATA[Council]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Medicare Mythmaking]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/30/AR2009093004243.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Thu, 01 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ PRESIDENT OBAMA is wrong when he says that his health-reform proposals would not affect benefits received by seniors. Republicans are hypocritical when they assail the proposed changes and portray themselves as the defenders of Medicare against Democrats' predations. ]]></description>
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<category><![CDATA[Medicare]]></category><category><![CDATA[Mythmaking]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[The Kerry-Boxer Climate Bill Misses a Key Component]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/30/AR2009093004242.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Thu, 01 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ AFTER MONTHS of meetings, Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) released their long-awaited climate bill with great fanfare. But missing from the 800-page Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act is a cap-and-trade system. That's disappointing, since Ms. Boxer announced earlier this year that the Environment and Public Works Committee would start from scratch on devising a system of capping greenhouse gas emissions and issuing a declining number of pollution allowances to covered industries. Instead, she and Mr. Kerry released a bill that is being called a starting point. ]]></description>
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<category><![CDATA[The]]></category><category><![CDATA[Kerry-Boxer]]></category><category><![CDATA[Climate]]></category><category><![CDATA[Bill]]></category><category><![CDATA[Misses]]></category><category><![CDATA[a]]></category><category><![CDATA[Key]]></category><category><![CDATA[Component]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[The Sordidness of Polanski's Crime Justifies U.S. Adjudication]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/30/AR2009093004245.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Thu, 01 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ FIRST, THERE was: "He's a brilliant guy, and he made a little mistake 32 years ago." Next came: "Whatever you think about the so-called crime . . . it is a shocking way to treat such a man." And, then: "I know it wasn't rape-rape. It was something else, but I don't believe it was rape-rape." ]]></description>
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<category><![CDATA[The]]></category><category><![CDATA[Sordidness]]></category><category><![CDATA[of]]></category><category><![CDATA[Polanski's]]></category><category><![CDATA[Crime]]></category><category><![CDATA[Justifies]]></category><category><![CDATA[U.S.]]></category><category><![CDATA[Adjudication]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Bojam Launches Web-Based Collaborative Sound Studio]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/30/AR2009093005154.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Wed, 30 Sep 2009 17:23:06 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ <br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575916278" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575916278" border="0" vspace="5"></a> ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[TechCrunch]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/technology/index.html">Technology</category>
<category><![CDATA[Bojam]]></category><category><![CDATA[Launches]]></category><category><![CDATA[Web-Based]]></category><category><![CDATA[Collaborative]]></category><category><![CDATA[Sound]]></category><category><![CDATA[Studio]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Common Sense at Metro]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/29/AR2009092902934.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Wed, 30 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ METRO OFFICIALS insist that their decision, after last June's fatal accident, to "sandwich" older subway cars -- repositioning them into the middle of six- and eight-car trains, buffered by newer, more resilient cars -- was prompted not (or not only) by public relations but by safety logic. Although they had no specific engineering studies proving the older cars would be less vulnerable when bracketed by newer cars, officials said modeling studies of crashworthiness suggested they would be. They added that it was plain common sense. ]]></description>
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<category><![CDATA[Common]]></category><category><![CDATA[Sense]]></category><category><![CDATA[at]]></category><category><![CDATA[Metro]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Advice From NATO]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/29/AR2009092902933.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Wed, 30 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ PRESIDENT OBAMA'S very public wavering over whether to stick with the strategy for Afghanistan that he adopted six months ago is producing some unusual spectacles. One is the awkward gap that has opened between the president and the military commander he appointed in June, Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, who drew up a plan to implement the strategy -- only to learn he had been left out on a limb that might be sawn off. Another is the lobbying of the president by NATO allies who find themselves trying to keep the United States from abandoning the mission they joined. Their spokesman in Washington this week has been the NATO secretary general, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who in a diplomatic but direct way has been telling Mr. Obama that "we don't need a new strategy." ]]></description>
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<category><![CDATA[Advice]]></category><category><![CDATA[From]]></category><category><![CDATA[NATO]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[More Merkel]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/29/AR2009092902936.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Wed, 30 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ GERMAN CHANCELLOR Angela Merkel's reelection at the head of a center-right coalition with the pro-business Free Democrats suggests that Germany's voters have responded to the economic crisis with a tentative inclination toward more market-friendly policies. After five years of near-policy deadlock under a conservative-socialist coalition, Europe's largest economy is now likely to see tax, regulation and spending cuts. These could help it become less reliant on exports for growth -- a result consonant with President Obama's call for a re-balancing among the world's major economies. ]]></description>
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<category><![CDATA[More]]></category><category><![CDATA[Merkel]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Ruby-On-Rails Startup FiveRuns Acquired By WorkThink]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/29/AR2009092903157.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Tue, 29 Sep 2009 14:17:04 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ Ruby-on-Rails startup FiveRuns has been acquired by WorkThink, according to FiveRuns' site. FiveRuns provides a variety of monitoring products for Ruby on Rails and related open source and commercial systems. Built on Rails and delivered as a hosted service, FiveRuns??? products manage the complete Rails application lifecycle ??? from installation to production.<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575923117" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575923117" border="0" vspace="5"></a> ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[TechCrunch]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/technology/index.html">Technology</category>
<category><![CDATA[Ruby-On-Rails]]></category><category><![CDATA[Startup]]></category><category><![CDATA[FiveRuns]]></category><category><![CDATA[Acquired]]></category><category><![CDATA[By]]></category><category><![CDATA[WorkThink]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[The Meaning of Freedom]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/28/AR2009092803062.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Tue, 29 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ MORE THAN one year after it decided that detainees at the U.S. Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, had a right to challenge their detentions in federal courts, the Supreme Court is being asked to deal with the latest controversy: Do federal judges have the power to order detainees released into the United States? ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
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<category><![CDATA[The]]></category><category><![CDATA[Meaning]]></category><category><![CDATA[of]]></category><category><![CDATA[Freedom]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Two Ways the U.S. Can Promote More Progress in Pakistan]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/28/AR2009092803063.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Tue, 29 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ PAKISTAN -- the "Pak" in the critical "Afpak" theater where the United States faces the twin threats of al-Qaeda and the Taliban -- has taken a back seat in the emerging debate over U.S. strategy in Afghanistan. That reflects some modest but significant good news: In contrast to last April, when many in Washington feared that Pakistan was in danger of collapse as a secular state, the civilian government and the army have rallied. ]]></description>
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<category><![CDATA[Two]]></category><category><![CDATA[Ways]]></category><category><![CDATA[the]]></category><category><![CDATA[U.S.]]></category><category><![CDATA[Can]]></category><category><![CDATA[Promote]]></category><category><![CDATA[More]]></category><category><![CDATA[Progress]]></category><category><![CDATA[in]]></category><category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Maryland Must Continue to Push for Stronger School Standards]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/28/AR2009092803105.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Tue, 29 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ THE FEAR that a huge number of Maryland students would be denied high school diplomas because they couldn't pass state-mandated exit exams never materialized. Only 11 students -- out of more than 60,000 in the Class of 2009 -- were barred from graduating after failing the tests. It's likely that the low number is due to changes that made it easier to meet the requirements. But Maryland education officials are right to celebrate the results as a step forward in their continuing effort to strengthen standards. ]]></description>
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<category><![CDATA[Maryland]]></category><category><![CDATA[Must]]></category><category><![CDATA[Continue]]></category><category><![CDATA[to]]></category><category><![CDATA[Push]]></category><category><![CDATA[for]]></category><category><![CDATA[Stronger]]></category><category><![CDATA[School]]></category><category><![CDATA[Standards]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[The FCC's Heavy Hand]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/27/AR2009092703026.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Mon, 28 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ IN A SPEECH at the Brookings Institution last week, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski promised that his agency's plan for regulating Internet service providers (ISPs) will be "fair, transparent, fact-based and data-driven."<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575932055" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575932055" border="0" vspace="5"></a> ]]></description>
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<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[The]]></category><category><![CDATA[FCC's]]></category><category><![CDATA[Heavy]]></category><category><![CDATA[Hand]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Burma Policy Needs Sticks As Well As Carrots]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/27/AR2009092703027.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Mon, 28 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ HAVING SPENT much of a year reviewing U.S. policy toward Burma, the Obama administration soon will unveil a reasonable new strategy, as far as it goes. It doesn't yet go far enough, however. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Burma]]></category><category><![CDATA[Policy]]></category><category><![CDATA[Needs]]></category><category><![CDATA[Sticks]]></category><category><![CDATA[As]]></category><category><![CDATA[Well]]></category><category><![CDATA[As]]></category><category><![CDATA[Carrots]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Sucker Punch]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/27/AR2009092703029.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Mon, 28 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ REP. STEPHEN I. Cohen (D-Tenn.) has represented the 9th Congressional District since 2006. He is white, but his district is majority African American. Mr. Cohen has worked hard to earn his constituents' votes in two consecutive elections. But that hasn't stopped him from being sucker-punched with the race card by his black Democratic opponent, former Memphis mayor Willie W. Herenton. ]]></description>
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<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Sucker]]></category><category><![CDATA[Punch]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Mr. Obama Punts on Seeking a New Detention Scheme]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/26/AR2009092602004.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Sun, 27 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ THE OBAMA administration announced last week that it did not need and would not seek new legislation to govern indefinite detention of some terrorism suspects at the U.S. Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. In so doing, the administration has chosen the politically expedient and intellectually dishonest route. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
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<category><![CDATA[Mr.]]></category><category><![CDATA[Obama]]></category><category><![CDATA[Punts]]></category><category><![CDATA[on]]></category><category><![CDATA[Seeking]]></category><category><![CDATA[a]]></category><category><![CDATA[New]]></category><category><![CDATA[Detention]]></category><category><![CDATA[Scheme]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Charter Success]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/26/AR2009092602002.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Sun, 27 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ OPPONENTS OF charter schools are going to have to come up with a new excuse: They can't claim any longer that these non-traditional public schools don't succeed. A rigorous new study of charter schools in New York City demolishes the argument that charter schools outperform traditional public schools only because they get the "best students." This evidence should spur states to change policies that inhibit charter-school growth. It also should cause traditional schools to emulate practices that produce these remarkable results.<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575941189" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575941189" border="0" vspace="5"></a> ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Charter]]></category><category><![CDATA[Success]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Wanted: 'Mindful Brains']]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/26/AR2009092602020.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Sun, 27 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ HOBBIES ARE nice but sometimes they can be costly. Montgomery County has resolved that conundrum for some of its employees through a policy -- if it can be called that -- of having taxpayers foot the bill for just about any hobbyist class its employees care to take. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Wanted:]]></category><category><![CDATA['Mindful]]></category><category><![CDATA[Brains']]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Iran's Nuclear Plant Revelation Changes the Calculus on Stopping It]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/25/AR2009092503389.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Sat, 26 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ THE REVELATION that Iran has been illegally hiding another nuclear plant represented an intelligence coup for the United States and its allies, and it was delivered at an important moment -- just days before the first meeting in a year between Iran and the international coalition that has been pressing for a suspension of its nuclear program. The uranium enrichment facility, hidden in tunnels under a mountain near the city of Qom, looks like the sort of clandestine plant that U.S. intelligence agencies predicted Iran would use to produce a weapon; officials say that when it is operational, it could deliver the material for a bomb in a year. If that was its purpose, then its discovery has dealt Iran's program a setback. ]]></description>
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<category><![CDATA[Iran's]]></category><category><![CDATA[Nuclear]]></category><category><![CDATA[Plant]]></category><category><![CDATA[Revelation]]></category><category><![CDATA[Changes]]></category><category><![CDATA[the]]></category><category><![CDATA[Calculus]]></category><category><![CDATA[on]]></category><category><![CDATA[Stopping]]></category><category><![CDATA[It]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Drunk Driving]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/25/AR2009092502608.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Sat, 26 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ ROBERT F. McDONNELL, the Republican nominee for governor of Virginia, takes every opportunity to tout his 20-page, single-spaced transportation plan. But a close reading of the plan yields only disappointment. ]]></description>
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<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Drunk]]></category><category><![CDATA[Driving]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Spotted: Ultimate Apple Fanboy Visits The Mothership]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/25/AR2009092502511.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Fri, 25 Sep 2009 12:28:52 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ People always send in tips about Steve Jobs' Mercedes being spotted (usually parked at some weird angle or in the handicap spot) at Apple HQ in Cupertino, CA. But today we have an even better Apple parking lot tip.<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575948914" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575948914" border="0" vspace="5"></a> ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[TechCrunch]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/technology/index.html">Technology</category>
<category><![CDATA[Spotted:]]></category><category><![CDATA[Ultimate]]></category><category><![CDATA[Apple]]></category><category><![CDATA[Fanboy]]></category><category><![CDATA[Visits]]></category><category><![CDATA[The]]></category><category><![CDATA[Mothership]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Progress on State Secrets]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/24/AR2009092404266.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Fri, 25 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ DURING the Bush administration, litigants who sued the government alleging they had been illegally spied on or snatched up in an "extraordinary rendition" faced dim prospects for success. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Progress]]></category><category><![CDATA[on]]></category><category><![CDATA[State]]></category><category><![CDATA[Secrets]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Elections Will Help Clean Up Honduras's Mess]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/24/AR2009092404311.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Fri, 25 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ THE LAST time we addressed the political crisis in Honduras, a tiny Central American country that has become the focal point of a big regional power struggle, we pointed out that the leaders of a de facto government were playing into the hands of their enemies. Roberto Micheletti, the head of that regime, says that he is determined to prevent ousted president Manuel Zelaya from aping the assault on democratic order pioneered by Mr. Zelaya's mentor, Venezuelan President Hugo Ch?vez. Yet, by refusing to accept an international mediator's plan that would have paved the way for elections and ensured Mr. Zelaya's political retirement, Mr. Micheletti -- egged on by a handful of allies in Washington -- gave the Ch?vez camp an opening. ]]></description>
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<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Elections]]></category><category><![CDATA[Will]]></category><category><![CDATA[Help]]></category><category><![CDATA[Clean]]></category><category><![CDATA[Up]]></category><category><![CDATA[Honduras's]]></category><category><![CDATA[Mess]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[A Troubling Arrest in D.C.]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/24/AR2009092404309.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Fri, 25 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ HOURS after the arrest of his longtime chief of staff on bribery charges, D.C. Council member Jim Graham (D-Ward 1) told reporters that he was "deeply troubled," that he would cooperate with law enforcement authorities and that he -- most emphatically -- denied any "engagement whatsoever in any illegal or unethical behaviors." It was reassuring to hear Mr. Graham's forceful words, and he is right that no allegations ("not even a hint") have been lodged against him. Nonetheless, more needs to be known about Mr. Graham introducing legislation at the time his aide is alleged to have been taking money to push it. ]]></description>
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<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[A]]></category><category><![CDATA[Troubling]]></category><category><![CDATA[Arrest]]></category><category><![CDATA[in]]></category><category><![CDATA[D.C.]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Google Sites Get Liberated By New API]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/24/AR2009092404045.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Thu, 24 Sep 2009 14:01:04 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ For the last 18 months Google Sites has given businesses a way to quickly build their own websites with no HTML knowledge required, making for an easy way to help coordinate efforts internally and to also build consumer facing sites. But there's been one fairly major complaint about the service: there was no easy way to export your data if you wanted to take it elsewhere. Today that changes, as Google introduces its new Sites API.<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575957151" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=4575957151" border="0" vspace="5"></a> ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[TechCrunch]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/technology/index.html">Technology</category>
<category><![CDATA[Google]]></category><category><![CDATA[Sites]]></category><category><![CDATA[Get]]></category><category><![CDATA[Liberated]]></category><category><![CDATA[By]]></category><category><![CDATA[New]]></category><category><![CDATA[API]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Mr. Obama's Wise Message for the G-20]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/23/AR2009092304137.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Thu, 24 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ WE DON'T expect too much in the way of results from the gathering of Group of 20 leaders that begins Thursday in Pittsburgh. Any assembly of leaders from North America, Europe, China, Japan and Brazil -- as well as sundry other nations and international organizations -- would have a hard time ordering dinner, much less fixing the world economy, which is the G-20's purpose. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Mr.]]></category><category><![CDATA[Obama's]]></category><category><![CDATA[Wise]]></category><category><![CDATA[Message]]></category><category><![CDATA[for]]></category><category><![CDATA[the]]></category><category><![CDATA[G-20]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Creigh Deeds Levels With Virginia Voters on Transportation]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/23/AR2009092304136.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Thu, 24 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ R.CREIGH DEEDS, the Democrat running for governor in Virginia, has now unequivocally committed himself to support higher taxes to rescue the state's sclerotic road system. His stance is nothing more or less than common sense: Virginia needs tens of billions of dollars in new revenue for roads, and it will not materialize without asking taxpayers -- the same taxpayers who rightly groan about traffic -- to foot a good part of the bill. Still, by articulating that position in plain English on the opposite page Wednesday, Mr. Deeds showed political guts, which is more than one can say for the smoke-and-mirrors, wing-and-a-prayer approach to transportation endorsed by his opponent, Republican nominee Robert F. McDonnell. ]]></description>
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<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Creigh]]></category><category><![CDATA[Deeds]]></category><category><![CDATA[Levels]]></category><category><![CDATA[With]]></category><category><![CDATA[Virginia]]></category><category><![CDATA[Voters]]></category><category><![CDATA[on]]></category><category><![CDATA[Transportation]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Massachusetts Voters Are Bystanders in Senate Seat Replacement]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/23/AR2009092304135.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Thu, 24 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ PLAYING partisan politics once again with a U.S. Senate seat, the Massachusetts state legislature voted to give the governor the power to appoint a successor to the seat held by the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D). While we respect its desire to fulfill the wishes of Mr. Kennedy, this is no way to treat the voters of the commonwealth. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Massachusetts]]></category><category><![CDATA[Voters]]></category><category><![CDATA[Are]]></category><category><![CDATA[Bystanders]]></category><category><![CDATA[in]]></category><category><![CDATA[Senate]]></category><category><![CDATA[Seat]]></category><category><![CDATA[Replacement]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Google Steps Where Many Have Stumbled: Sidewiki]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/23/AR2009092302011.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Wed, 23 Sep 2009 06:00:04 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ By 2001 web startup Third Voice, which let people annotate websites via a browser plugin, was done. Website owners just didn't like the idea of people "defacing" their websites with comments they couldn't control.<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=45751005962" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=45751005962" border="0" vspace="5"></a> ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[TechCrunch]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/technology/index.html">Technology</category>
<category><![CDATA[Google]]></category><category><![CDATA[Steps]]></category><category><![CDATA[Where]]></category><category><![CDATA[Many]]></category><category><![CDATA[Have]]></category><category><![CDATA[Stumbled:]]></category><category><![CDATA[Sidewiki]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[A Mideast Handshake]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/22/AR2009092203474.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Wed, 23 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ THE SUMMIT President Obama convened Tuesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas fell well short of the administration's hopes. Mr. Obama had wanted to announce agreement on the opening of talks on the creation of a Palestinian state, with a deadline of two years. He wanted to outline agreements on how those negotiations would proceed and some of the principles that would underpin them. And he expected to reveal a series of opening confidence-building measures by the two sides, including a freeze on Israeli settlement construction and steps toward normalization by several Arab states. ]]></description>
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<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[A]]></category><category><![CDATA[Mideast]]></category><category><![CDATA[Handshake]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Should Legislators Pledge to Read Every Word of Ever Bill They Vote On?]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/22/AR2009092203473.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Wed, 23 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ POLITICIANS are asked to make all sorts of unwise promises. The latest: A group of well-meaning professional activists -- and, so far, over nearly 60,000 online petitioners -- want members of Congress to sign a pledge never to vote on any bill unless they have read "every word" of it. ]]></description>
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<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Should]]></category><category><![CDATA[Legislators]]></category><category><![CDATA[Pledge]]></category><category><![CDATA[to]]></category><category><![CDATA[Read]]></category><category><![CDATA[Every]]></category><category><![CDATA[Word]]></category><category><![CDATA[of]]></category><category><![CDATA[Ever]]></category><category><![CDATA[Bill]]></category><category><![CDATA[They]]></category><category><![CDATA[Vote]]></category><category><![CDATA[On?]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Why Should Michelle Rhee's Budget Cuts Spare Ineffective Teachers?]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/22/AR2009092203476.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Wed, 23 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ CRITICS OF D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee say she is using the city's budget problems as a way to get rid of teachers she doesn't want. They're probably right. But that doesn't make Ms. Rhee wrong to take action against teachers whose hold on their jobs has little to do with their value to students. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Why]]></category><category><![CDATA[Should]]></category><category><![CDATA[Michelle]]></category><category><![CDATA[Rhee's]]></category><category><![CDATA[Budget]]></category><category><![CDATA[Cuts]]></category><category><![CDATA[Spare]]></category><category><![CDATA[Ineffective]]></category><category><![CDATA[Teachers?]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Ad.ly Brings Sponsored Tweets From Celebrities]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/22/AR2009092201561.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Tue, 22 Sep 2009 06:50:12 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ As Twitter continues to mull over how to make money, startups are looking to capitalize on the advertising potential of the microblogging platform. Media network Glam Media is going to be launching a Twitter ad network. And today, Ad.ly, an Los Angeles-based startup, is launching a Twitter-based advertising network to connect high-end brand advertisers with celebrity and high-profile Twitter users. The idea behind the startup is simple: advertisers can pick which celeb they want to Tweet about their product and once the celeb approves the Tweet, he or she will be paid handsomely by the advertisers. Basically, Ad.ly is the middleman between advertisers and the Twitterati. In fact, founder and CEO Sean Rad says that he wants Ad.ly to be the Federated Media for Twitter.<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=45751014526" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=45751014526" border="0" vspace="5"></a> ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[TechCrunch]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/technology/index.html">Technology</category>
<category><![CDATA[Ad.ly]]></category><category><![CDATA[Brings]]></category><category><![CDATA[Sponsored]]></category><category><![CDATA[Tweets]]></category><category><![CDATA[From]]></category><category><![CDATA[Celebrities]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Is President Obama Wobbling on Afghan Counterinsurgency?]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/21/AR2009092103086.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Tue, 22 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ IT WAS ONLY last March 27 that President Obama outlined in a major speech what he called "a comprehensive new strategy for Afghanistan" that, he added, "marks the conclusion of a careful policy review." That strategy unambiguously stated that the United States would prevent the return of a Taliban government and "enhance the military, governance and economic capacity" of the country. We strongly supported the president's conclusion that those goals were essential to preventing another attack on the United States by al-Qaeda and its extremist allies. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Is]]></category><category><![CDATA[President]]></category><category><![CDATA[Obama]]></category><category><![CDATA[Wobbling]]></category><category><![CDATA[on]]></category><category><![CDATA[Afghan]]></category><category><![CDATA[Counterinsurgency?]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Consumers deserve a heads-up before they get hit with overdraft fees.]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/21/AR2009092103087.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Tue, 22 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ QUICK: EXACTLY how much money do you have in the bank right now? You're probably not sure, especially if you share an account with someone else, a spouse, say, who doesn't necessarily check in with you every time he or she uses a debit card. And so, from time to time, you may have found yourself inadvertently making a debit card purchase that exceeds your remaining funds. Alas, the way you may have found out about the overdraft was a notice from your bank, days later, informing you that you owe a $30 service fee. The bank just automatically floated you a small loan and charged you for it without giving you a chance to accept or reject the offer. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Consumers]]></category><category><![CDATA[deserve]]></category><category><![CDATA[a]]></category><category><![CDATA[heads-up]]></category><category><![CDATA[before]]></category><category><![CDATA[they]]></category><category><![CDATA[get]]></category><category><![CDATA[hit]]></category><category><![CDATA[with]]></category><category><![CDATA[overdraft]]></category><category><![CDATA[fees.]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Cleaning Up the Chesapeake]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/21/AR2009092103109.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Tue, 22 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ THE ROLE OF the federal government in cleaning the Chesapeake Bay is about to increase substantially, if draft reports released this month are to be believed. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Cleaning]]></category><category><![CDATA[Up]]></category><category><![CDATA[the]]></category><category><![CDATA[Chesapeake]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Regulating Carbon]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/20/AR2009092001965.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Mon, 21 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ THE MOST effective way for the United States to fight global warming is for Congress to put a price on carbon, either through a cap-and-trade system or, as we'd prefer, a carbon tax that rebates the revenue to taxpayers. But last month the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee announced a delay in introducing its climate change bill. Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) said last week that such legislation might not be acted on until next year. Meanwhile, the Environmental Protection Agency is preparing to regulate carbon under the Clean Air Act. As Rep. John D. Dingell (D-Mich.) once warned, EPA action would create "a glorious mess" of regulation. How much of a mess is only beginning to become clear.<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=45751024256" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=45751024256" border="0" vspace="5"></a> ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
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<category><![CDATA[Regulating]]></category><category><![CDATA[Carbon]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[School Lunch Punch]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/20/AR2009092001966.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Mon, 21 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ CHILDREN ARE back in school. For many, that means regular meals as part of the federally subsidized school lunch program. Unfortunately, it also means, too often, food that isn't good for them. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[School]]></category><category><![CDATA[Lunch]]></category><category><![CDATA[Punch]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[First, Pay the Lawyers]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/20/AR2009092001967.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Mon, 21 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ ONE INVOICE is two years old. Dozens of others date almost that long. In total, Michael S. Arif and his law firm are owed some $73,000 for work performed in numerous matters before the Fairfax County Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court. Other lawyers also are owed money for work performed long ago, although there are no statistics to quantify the problem. This lapse is inexcusable. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
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<category><![CDATA[First,]]></category><category><![CDATA[Pay]]></category><category><![CDATA[the]]></category><category><![CDATA[Lawyers]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Expert Objects to Rampant Subjectivity in Grading]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/20/AR2009092001804.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Mon, 21 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ Here are excerpts from The Answer Sheet by Valerie Strauss, The Post's new education blog. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://voices.washingtonpost.com/education">Education</category>
<category><![CDATA[Expert]]></category><category><![CDATA[Objects]]></category><category><![CDATA[to]]></category><category><![CDATA[Rampant]]></category><category><![CDATA[Subjectivity]]></category><category><![CDATA[in]]></category><category><![CDATA[Grading]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Mr. Deeds's Dilemma]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/19/AR2009091901932.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Sun, 20 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ THE LAST gubernatorial candidate in Virginia to offer a responsible, realistic, adequate funding plan to fix the state's crumbling roadways was H. Russell Potts Jr., an uncommonly straight-talking, curmudgeonly state senator, formerly a Republican, who ran as an independent in 2005. He proposed $2 billion annually in fresh transportation revenue, mostly from new taxes and tolls. His honesty, both about the dimensions of the state's transportation mess and the means necessary to fix it, netted him a grand total of 2.2 percent of the vote.<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=45751034367" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=45751034367" border="0" vspace="5"></a> ]]></description>
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<category><![CDATA[Mr.]]></category><category><![CDATA[Deeds's]]></category><category><![CDATA[Dilemma]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[The Baucus Plan]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/19/AR2009091901933.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Sun, 20 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ BY SEVERAL important measures -- most notably the way it is financed and the effect it could have on health-care costs -- the health reform package unveiled last week by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) stacks up well. Its most valuable contribution is a tax on high-priced insurance policies, which would both generate revenue and restrain health-cost inflation. We would prefer a more straightforward limit on the amount of employer-sponsored insurance that can be provided tax free, but the proposed tax on insurance companies offering high-value plans can have the same salutary effects. The provision, along with some other taxes on providers, is estimated to bring in $215 billion in the first 10 years. More significant, estimates are that revenue from the tax would grow faster than the cost of the overall program in the subsequent decade. ]]></description>
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<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[The]]></category><category><![CDATA[Baucus]]></category><category><![CDATA[Plan]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Time for Congress to Cancel a Temporary Tax Subsidy for Homebuyers]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/18/AR2009091803389.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Sat, 19 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ FOR THE NATION'S troubled housing market, things are looking tentatively but undeniably better. New-home sales, though still well below where they were a year previously, rose at a nearly 10 percent monthly rate in July. The median home price ticked up in 15 of 20 metropolitan areas in June, according to the S&amp;P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index. This is important good news for the economy, because it promises an end to the foreclosure wave that has rippled across the country and because even families not threatened by foreclosure tend to trim their spending in times of declining home equity. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Time]]></category><category><![CDATA[for]]></category><category><![CDATA[Congress]]></category><category><![CDATA[to]]></category><category><![CDATA[Cancel]]></category><category><![CDATA[a]]></category><category><![CDATA[Temporary]]></category><category><![CDATA[Tax]]></category><category><![CDATA[Subsidy]]></category><category><![CDATA[for]]></category><category><![CDATA[Homebuyers]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Obama Administration Moves Closer to Reduced Auto Emissions]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/18/AR2009091803374.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Sat, 19 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ THE ANNOUNCEMENT by Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson in the White House press room on Tuesday was brief. But their plan to reduce emissions from motor vehicles and light trucks was significant. Not only would it provide the nation's first greenhouse gas emissions standard, but the new rules, devised with automakers' participation, would also bring about the biggest increase in gas mileage in history. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Obama]]></category><category><![CDATA[Administration]]></category><category><![CDATA[Moves]]></category><category><![CDATA[Closer]]></category><category><![CDATA[to]]></category><category><![CDATA[Reduced]]></category><category><![CDATA[Auto]]></category><category><![CDATA[Emissions]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[What Disqualifies Someone From Driving a Metrobus? Not Much.]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/18/AR2009091803373.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Sat, 19 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ CARLA A. PROCTOR should not have been driving a Metrobus on Sept. 3, the day she struck Amanda Mahnke, a 30-year-old jogger, at the corner of Connecticut and Florida avenues Northwest. She should not have been behind the wheel of a bus at any time in the past few years, either. In fact, no one with Ms. Proctor's driving record, which is studded with serious on- and off-duty accidents, has any business driving a Metrobus. That she was doing so points to a lapse in Metro policies and procedures.<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=45751044309" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=45751044309" border="0" vspace="5"></a> ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[What]]></category><category><![CDATA[Disqualifies]]></category><category><![CDATA[Someone]]></category><category><![CDATA[From]]></category><category><![CDATA[Driving]]></category><category><![CDATA[a]]></category><category><![CDATA[Metrobus?]]></category><category><![CDATA[Not]]></category><category><![CDATA[Much.]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[U.S. Missile Defense Shift Bruises Some European Friends but Pleases Moscow]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/17/AR2009091703625.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Fri, 18 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ DEFENSE SECRETARY Robert M. Gates said Thursday that the Obama administration's decision to scrap plans for a missile defense system based in Poland and the Czech Republic was based "almost exclusively" on a "changed intelligence assessment" about Iran's missile capabilities and by "enhanced technology." No doubt there is much truth in that: Iran has been working harder on the intermediate-range missiles that a new system is intended to intercept, and it is more ready to deploy them. It always seemed to us that the Bush administration's push to install a largely unproven interceptor system for long-range missiles was poorly justified. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
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<category><![CDATA[U.S.]]></category><category><![CDATA[Missile]]></category><category><![CDATA[Defense]]></category><category><![CDATA[Shift]]></category><category><![CDATA[Bruises]]></category><category><![CDATA[Some]]></category><category><![CDATA[European]]></category><category><![CDATA[Friends]]></category><category><![CDATA[but]]></category><category><![CDATA[Pleases]]></category><category><![CDATA[Moscow]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Fighting Bias in Virginia]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/17/AR2009091703626.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Fri, 18 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ ROBERT F. McDonnell, the Republican candidate for governor in Virginia, says his erstwhile view that homosexuality is, like drug abuse, an evil that "government must restrain, punish, and deter" has changed since he wrote that in his now-notorious dissertation 20 years ago. State Sen. R. Creigh Deeds, the Democratic candidate, has referred to himself as a "work in progress" on issues pertaining to sexual orientation, having campaigned against the state's constitutional amendment banning gay marriage -- but only after he voted to put it on the ballot. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Fighting]]></category><category><![CDATA[Bias]]></category><category><![CDATA[in]]></category><category><![CDATA[Virginia]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Rethinking Detention Policies in Afghanistan]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/16/AR2009091602968.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Thu, 17 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ THE OBAMA administration deserves credit for proposing changes to the detainee review process at Bagram Air Base. In theory, the changes should increase the likelihood that only those who should be held will be imprisoned there. ]]></description>
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<category><![CDATA[Rethinking]]></category><category><![CDATA[Detention]]></category><category><![CDATA[Policies]]></category><category><![CDATA[in]]></category><category><![CDATA[Afghanistan]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[President Obama: All Talk on Trade]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/16/AR2009091602966.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Thu, 17 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ IS PRESIDENT Obama a free trader? He has said so -- many times. At the April Group of 20 summit in London, he announced that he and the other assembled leaders had "rejected the protectionism that could deepen this crisis. History tells us that turning inward can help turn a downturn into a depression." From Wall Street on Monday, he declared that "this administration is committed to pursuing expanded trade and new trade agreements." And in a CNBC interview later that day, he said it is in "our interest and the world's interest to avoid protectionism." He urged Congress to mute -- though not eliminate -- "Buy American" provisions in the stimulus bill.<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=45751051237" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=45751051237" border="0" vspace="5"></a> ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[President]]></category><category><![CDATA[Obama:]]></category><category><![CDATA[All]]></category><category><![CDATA[Talk]]></category><category><![CDATA[on]]></category><category><![CDATA[Trade]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Fenty Aims to Alter the Southeast Tennis Center, But Why?]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/16/AR2009091602967.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Thu, 17 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ PERHAPS MAYOR Adrian M. Fenty has good reasons for wanting to make changes at the Southeast Tennis and Learning Center. But, to date, he's not deigned to share them -- not with those who helped inspire the center and not with the young people who have come to rely on its services. That makes his administration's assault on the center all the more bewildering and offensive. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Fenty]]></category><category><![CDATA[Aims]]></category><category><![CDATA[to]]></category><category><![CDATA[Alter]]></category><category><![CDATA[the]]></category><category><![CDATA[Southeast]]></category><category><![CDATA[Tennis]]></category><category><![CDATA[Center,]]></category><category><![CDATA[But]]></category><category><![CDATA[Why?]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[A Test for Iran]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/15/AR2009091503187.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Wed, 16 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ THE OBAMA administration has chosen to support international negotiations with Iran next month in spite of Tehran's declarations that it will not discuss its nuclear program. The White House says the United States and its five partners will insist on raising the U.N. Security Council's demand for a suspension of Iranian uranium enrichment. Yet if engagement with Iran is to have any hope of success, at least one other item should be on the agenda: the government's recent repression of domestic opposition, and in particular its prosecution of Western citizens. ]]></description>
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<category><![CDATA[A]]></category><category><![CDATA[Test]]></category><category><![CDATA[for]]></category><category><![CDATA[Iran]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Threatening School Reform]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/15/AR2009091503198.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Wed, 16 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ IN UNDERTAKING reform of D.C. schools, officials two years ago wisely prescribed a limited role for the school board. Sentimentality about the city's first elected body protected it from elimination, but officials recognized its absolute failure in serving the interests of children. Yet already the D.C. Council seems to want to give the board more prominence. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Threatening]]></category><category><![CDATA[School]]></category><category><![CDATA[Reform]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[A solid reform of student loans inches closer to passage.]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/15/AR2009091503188.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Wed, 16 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ EXCEPT FOR a lucky few, paying for college isn't easy. Judging from how long it has taken, neither is reforming how the government provides the loans that make higher education affordable to millions. Yet Wednesday, as the House considers a bill that promises to save taxpayers billions of dollars, it's clear that the right choice is to vote yes.<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=45751100191" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=45751100191" border="0" vspace="5"></a> ]]></description>
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<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[A]]></category><category><![CDATA[solid]]></category><category><![CDATA[reform]]></category><category><![CDATA[of]]></category><category><![CDATA[student]]></category><category><![CDATA[loans]]></category><category><![CDATA[inches]]></category><category><![CDATA[closer]]></category><category><![CDATA[to]]></category><category><![CDATA[passage.]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[It's Time For Donut! Android v1.6 Launched For Developers]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/15/AR2009091503268.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Tue, 15 Sep 2009 16:01:22 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ Starting to feel like Android's "Cupcake" update (v1.5) from May is getting a bit stale? Google's got a new treat for you. They've just launched version 1.6 (which, under Google's pastry-oriented naming scheme, is known as "Donut") of Android to developers, which packs a hefty handful of new features and polishes up much of what was already there.The bit that plays best to our geeky-blogger side (rather than our geeky-consumer side) is whats been added for the sake of lineup expandability. Namely, we're talking about CDMA support - which, while not immediately awesome, opens the doors to Android handsets on the likes of Verizon, Sprint, and Virgin Mobile. Beyond that, they've also bumped the supported resolutions list to include screens all the way up to 800x480 - in other words, Android can now push much prettier images to higher-end screens. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[TechCrunch]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/technology/index.html">Technology</category>
<category><![CDATA[It's]]></category><category><![CDATA[Time]]></category><category><![CDATA[For]]></category><category><![CDATA[Donut!]]></category><category><![CDATA[Android]]></category><category><![CDATA[v1.6]]></category><category><![CDATA[Launched]]></category><category><![CDATA[For]]></category><category><![CDATA[Developers]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Sexual Abuse Behind Bars]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/14/AR2009091402782.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Tue, 15 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ THE men and women charged with ensuring an orderly and safe environment behind bars too often use their positions to sexually abuse prisoners. So concludes a recently released report from the Justice Department Office of Inspector General, which documents a litany of problems that still plague the nation's federal prisons. The report, which comes on the heels of a thorough study by the National Prison Rape Elimination Commission, should serve as a catalyst for immediate action. ]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Post]]></dc:creator>
<category domain="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/index.html">Print Edition</category>
<category><![CDATA[Sexual]]></category><category><![CDATA[Abuse]]></category><category><![CDATA[Behind]]></category><category><![CDATA[Bars]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Small Pain, Real Gain]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/14/AR2009091402784.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Tue, 15 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ WITH the federal deficit headed toward $1.5 trillion both this year and next, the Obama administration is under pressure to produce a plan for fiscal stability. Some of that pressure has come from editorial pages, including this one, so we thought it was only fair that we offer a few specific ideas of our own. ]]></description>
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<category><![CDATA[Small]]></category><category><![CDATA[Pain,]]></category><category><![CDATA[Real]]></category><category><![CDATA[Gain]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[FDA Moves to Improve Food Safety, but Much Work Remains]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/14/AR2009091402783.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Tue, 15 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ NEW POWERS for the federal government to further protect a relatively safe food supply reside in a bill that passed the House in July. The Food Safety Enhancement Act would require companies to develop procedures for conducting hazard analysis and instituting preventive controls. The Food and Drug Administration could gain access to those records and order product recalls, if necessary. The secretary of health and human services would establish a system to trace the origins of food from farm to fork. Unfortunately, the legislation now sits parked in the Senate.<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=45751107661" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=45751107661" border="0" vspace="5"></a> ]]></description>
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<category><![CDATA[FDA]]></category><category><![CDATA[Moves]]></category><category><![CDATA[to]]></category><category><![CDATA[Improve]]></category><category><![CDATA[Food]]></category><category><![CDATA[Safety,]]></category><category><![CDATA[but]]></category><category><![CDATA[Much]]></category><category><![CDATA[Work]]></category><category><![CDATA[Remains]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[The 'Forgotten War']]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/13/AR2009091302444.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Mon, 14 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ FIVE YEARS AGO, Sen. John F. Kerry argued during his presidential campaign that the United States had dangerously neglected the war in Afghanistan. On Thursday, when he convened a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to hear a status report on Iraq from U.S. Ambassador Christopher R. Hill, only five of the panel's 19 members showed up long enough to ask a question. "Iraq today . . . has become the now-forgotten war," Mr. Kerry rather ruefully concluded. ]]></description>
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<category><![CDATA[The]]></category><category><![CDATA['Forgotten]]></category><category><![CDATA[War']]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[Tax Dollars Shouldn't Be Used to Hype Alternatives to Fossil Fuels.]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/13/AR2009091302448.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Mon, 14 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ MOVING THE United States to a clean energy future is a priority for the Obama administration. There's nothing wrong with that. But should it really be paying trade organizations to tout the benefits of their pet energy sources? ]]></description>
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<category><![CDATA[Tax]]></category><category><![CDATA[Dollars]]></category><category><![CDATA[Shouldn't]]></category><category><![CDATA[Be]]></category><category><![CDATA[Used]]></category><category><![CDATA[to]]></category><category><![CDATA[Hype]]></category><category><![CDATA[Alternatives]]></category><category><![CDATA[to]]></category><category><![CDATA[Fossil]]></category><category><![CDATA[Fuels.]]></category>
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<title><![CDATA[It's Not All Smoke]]></title>
<link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/12/AR2009091202366.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns</link>
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<pubDate>Sun, 13 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ FOR YEARS, the cigarette, arguably the most dangerous legal product in America, was also one of the least regulated, subject to less government oversight than dental floss. That has finally changed -- but now a group of tobacco companies has challenged in court parts of the law that gives the Food and Drug Administration authority to regulate tobacco products. ]]></description>
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<category><![CDATA[It's]]></category><category><![CDATA[Not]]></category><category><![CDATA[All]]></category><category><![CDATA[Smoke]]></category>
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