Kerry: Administration lacks 'real strategy' for handling Pakistan - USATODAY.com

KERRY CRITICIZES OBAMA AFGHAN POLICY
Just back from a visit to Pakistan, Sen. John Kerry says the Obama administration's plan for that volatile country, rolled out last month with great fanfare, "is not a real strategy." His statement amounted to one of the sharpest appraisals by a Democrat of one of the President's signature foreign policies. They also marked a change from his initial reaction to Obama's announcement of his plan for the region in a speech March 27, when Kerry issued a statement calling it "realistic and bold."
(USATODAY, suggested by OUR TROOPS NEWSLADDER)

Mom-to-be hit by car while fleeing bear is OK | ajc.com

WALK AWAY FROM THE BONG!:
A pregnant woman who was fleeing a bear when she was struck by a car said she would honor the animal by giving her baby the middle name "Bear."
(ATLANTA JOURNAL CONSTITUTION)

Shocking: Today, Life in the South for Poor Latinos Is Pure Hell! | Rights and Liberties | AlterNet

LIVING IN SOUTHERN WAR ZONE
A new Southern Poverty Law Center report has found that instead of acting to prohibit and eliminate systematic exploitation and discrimination against Latinos, state and local governments in much of the South have exacerbated the situation through harsh local policies and over-the-top rhetoric about illegal immigration.
(ALTERNET)

Happy 4/20! The True Story Behind Stoners' Favorite Number | DrugReporter | AlterNet

HAPPY 4/20!
The origin of the term 420, celebrated around the world by pot smokers every April 20th, has long been obscured by the clouded memories of the folks who made it a phenomenon. Well, it's not because it's Joe Drews' birthday! Depending on who you ask, or their state of inebriation, there are as many varieties of answers as strains of medical bud in California. It's the number of active chemicals in marijuana. It's teatime in Holland. It has something to do with Hitler's birthday. It's those numbers in that Bob Dylan song multiplied.
(ALTERNET)