The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier has just gotten quite a bit of company: As many as 6,600 graves at the country’s hallowed Arlington National Cemetery for fallen U.S. service members may be mislabeled, one lawmaker said on Thursday.Political movements are becoming ever more like a match tossed into a room full of dynamite: No matter which stick you are aiming for, chances are a lot of others will fire off, too.A drama about a woman diagnosed with terminal cancer doesn’t exactly sound like the most entertaining new series on the fall prime-time slate. But there is more buzz surrounding Showtime’s “The Big C” than perhaps any other series premiering this season, and the incomparable Laura Linney is a major reason why the series is high on critics’ must-see lists.Although facts on the famed Clinton-Mezvinsky wedding, which is rumored to happen this weekend, are tighter than Hillary Clinton’s smile, some details have leaked out. Sources report that groom Marc Mezvinsky has “hurt” his father’s family by not inviting them to the wedding (Ed Mezvinsky pleaded guilty in 2002 to swindling investors out of $10 million.For Paul Rudd, the decision to star in Jay Roach’s new comedy, “Dinner for Schmucks,” was an easy one. “I thought the script was really funny,” he says. “That was it. It was kind of a no-brainer.” Of course Rudd, who’s built an impressive resume of smart comedies, was just as enamored of the man behind the camera. Subletting in NYC typically involves some kind of covert transaction. Try to find a budget traveler who hasn’t enjoyed the risk of Craigslist’s lease-free rentals. But thanks to a bill Gov. David Paterson signed into law last Friday, renting an apartment for less than 30 days isn’t kosher. Fortunately, there’s a saving grace for those in search of short-term living: Jersey City.New claims for unemployment benefits slipped last week, but stayed at a stubbornly high level that underscored the labor market recovery was having trouble gaining traction.Could nail mats like the Acushakti be the next Snuggies?Unless the locals covered you in meatballs and sang “Nessun Dorma” upon arrival, this vacation could hardly be more Italian. For this is a “Vespa vacation” — a two-wheeled tour of the nooks and crannies, the winding back roads and the off-the-beaten-track hidden gems of breathtaking Umbria, a beautiful region located in Central Italy.For many job-hopping careerists, smuggling a resignation letter in their bag like a guilty secret, there are few workplace rituals so hard as saying so long.
During 2004-2007, child soldiers were used in conflicts in 19 countries or territories, including Afghanistan, Somalia, Sudan and Uganda.
In recent years, tens of thousands of child soldiers have been released from fighting forces in Afghanistan, Burundi, Ivory Coast, Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia and southern Sudan.
But child soldiers have been recruited following increased violence in the Central African Republic, Chad, Iraq and Sudan (Darfur).
Oct. 9, 1996, seemed like normal day at St. Mary’s College, a girls’ school in Uganda. “But the nuns who ran the school seemed a bit nervous,” recalls Grace Akallo, then a 15-year-old student.
The nuns had heard rumors that the rebel Lord’s Resistance Army were nearby. That night, the LRA attacked the boarding school, taking 139 girls, including Akallo.
“Sister Rachele caught up with us in the morning,” she recalls. “The rebels threatened to rape and kill her, but she pleaded with them until they released 109 of us.”
Akallo was one of the 30 girls the rebels refused to free. “The next week I had to start fighting,” she explains. “The rebels beat people to death, and I had to kill, too. That, and having to marry one of the rebels, was the worst part.”
According to the U.N., 90 percent of the LRA’s soldiers are children; they are forced to cut off ears, hands and lips, or to kill, civilians suspected of being loyal to the government.
After seven months of killing hell, Akallo managed to escape. “Who am I to complain?” she says. “I survived. Five or six of my friends were killed; others were raped; and some were infected with AIDS.”
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In the July MMMpod, Young Veins talk about breaking away from Panic! at the Disco, Keith Lockhart talks about Buckwheat Zydeco throwing the Boston Pops for a loop, Zooey Deschanel talks about how Roy Orbison inspired a She & Him song, Derek Miller of Sleigh Bells talks about how awesome Funkadelic is, and we talk about how awesome Jimmy Cliff is, who in turn talks about Sam Cooke and divine intervention. An explosive show for July! Oh yeah, and we also test your knowledge of America songs in the MMMPod medley.
