In the News: Oct-14

VA to ease way for vets to get stress disability - 14 Oct 2009 at 2:34pm - WASHINGTON -- Female soldiers and others serving in dangerous roles behind the front lines in Iraq and Afghanistan have long complained it was hard to prove their combat experience when applying for disability for post-traumatic stress disorder.

Math tests: Fourth-grader progress stalls - 14 Oct 2009 at 12:11pm - WASHINGTON -- After two decades of slow and steady progress in math, U.S. fourth-graders made no improvement over 2007, according to nationwide test scores released Wednesday.

Afghan mission chief wants more U.S. troops - 14 Oct 2009 at 11:45am - The top military commander in Afghanistan is expected to tell U.S. President Barack Obama that up to 80,000 more troops should be deployed to the war-torn country.

Abu Ghraib appeal centers on military confusion - 14 Oct 2009 at 11:32am - WASHINGTON -- A female soldier who was photographed at Abu Ghraib prison giving a smiling "thumbs-up" beside a pyramid of naked detainees says she hopes her appeal to the military's highest court will exonerate all whose reputations were tarnished by the scandal.

Iraq puts 2004-08 death toll at over 85,000 - 14 Oct 2009 at 10:03am - Iraq says 85,694 people lost their lives in the country's violence from 2004-08, the first official report by the government on the death toll since the war began with the United States invasion.

N.B. police change stun-gun policy - 14 Oct 2009 at 8:02am - New Brunswick police forces are adopting new guidelines on using stun guns that call for officers not to aim for the chest.

Brown confirms Afghan troops boost - 14 Oct 2009 at 9:20am - British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has announced that he will be sending 500 more troops to Afghanistan.

Thought(s) for the day:
You can only be young once. But you can always be immature. -Dave Barry (1947 - )
My fellow Americans, I am pleased to tell you I just signed legislation which outlaws Russia forever. The bombing begins in five minutes. -Ronald Reagan (1911 - 2004)