The Interloper: Lee Harvey Oswald Inside the Soviet Union

Lee Harvey Oswald’s assassination of President Kennedy in 1963 remains one of the most horrifying and hotly debated crimes in American history. Just as perplexing as the assassination is the assassin himself; the 24-year-old Oswald’s hazy background and motivations—and his subsequent murder at the hands of Jack Ruby—make him an intriguing yet frustratingly enigmatic figure. Because Oswald briefly defected to the Soviet Union, some historians allege he was a Soviet agent. But as Peter Savodnik shows in The Interloper, Oswald’s time in the U.S.S.R. reveals a stranger, more chilling story.

Oswald ventured to Russia at the age of 19, after a failed stint in the U.S. Marine Corps and a childhood spent shuffling from address to address with his unstable, needy mother. Like many of his generation, Oswald struggled for a sense of belonging in postwar American society, which could be materialistic, atomized, and alienating. The Soviet Union, with its promise of collectivism and camaraderie, seemed to offer an alternative. While traveling in Europe, Oswald slipped across the Soviet border, soon settling in Minsk where he worked at a radio and television factory. But Oswald quickly became just as disillusioned with his adopted country as he had been with the United States. He spoke very little Russian, had difficulty adapting to the culture of his new home, and found few trustworthy friends; indeed most, it became clear, were informing on him to the KGB. After nearly three years, Oswald returned to America feeling utterly defeated and more alone than ever—and as Savodnik shows, he began to look for an outlet for his frustration and rage.

Drawing on groundbreaking research, including interviews with Oswald’s friends and acquaintances in Russia and the United States, The Interloper brilliantly evokes the shattered psyche not just of Oswald himself, but also of the era he so tragically defined.

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A Call for Photos of Vietnam Veterans Lost in the War - Submit Photos for Inclusion in Education Center at The Wall in Washington, DC

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund has coordinated with local organizations and volunteers nationwide in a call for photographs and back stories of the servicemen and women who gave their lives in the Vietnam War. The photos and stories will be displayed at The Education Center at The Wall in Washington, D.C.  VVMF is also calling on the generous support of Americans to help raise the funds to build this facility.

In 2003, legislation passed that authorized the construction of the Educational Center at The Wall by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund. Plans for the exhibitions at the center include the display of pictures and stories of those who made the ultimate sacrifice in Vietnam, some of the 400,000 items left at The Wall and a celebration of American service from Bunker Hill to Baghdad.

Out of the 58,286 men and women who did not return from the Vietnam War there are still over 26,000 Vietnam veterans listed on The Wall who need corresponding photographs and stories. We are losing Vietnam veterans at an alarmingly fast rate. Each day we lose about 390 to illness and age. Their stories are in danger of being lost forever if we don't take action now to ensure they become a part of our collective national memory. Tens of thousands gave their lives during the many years of conflict and their names are etched into the black granite. But as they are on the memorial, they are more than names and so we must do our part to remember them.

The call for photos is part of the Faces Never Forgotten campaign, encouraging friends and families of veterans, as well as every citizen, to ensure that the memories and stories of those inscribed on The Wall are never forgotten.  VVMF hopes to give every service member the honor of being fully remembered as a person and not just a name.

"To complete the mission and begin construction of the Education Center, we will continue to depend on the dedication and generosity of those individuals, organizations and communities that make it their goal to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice and contribute in their honor," says Jan C. Scruggs, President and Founder of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund. The cost of construction for the Education Center is $115 million, of which $26.9 million has been raised to date. Like the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the Education Center at The Wall will be completely funded through private donations.

Established in 1979, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund is dedicated to preserving the legacy of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., promoting healing and educating about the impact of the Vietnam War.

The Education Center at The Wall will be a place on our National Mall where our military heroes' stories and sacrifice will never be forgotten. With plans to begin construction in 2016, the Center is a technologically-innovative learning facility to be built on the grounds of the Vietnam Veterans and Lincoln Memorials. Visitors will better understand the profound impact that the Vietnam War and other wars had on their friends and family members, their hometowns and the nation. The Center will feature the faces and stories of the more than 58,000 men and women on The Wall, honoring those who fell in Vietnam, those who fought and returned, as well as the friends and families of all who served. The Center will also celebrate the legacy of service that links the heroes of America's past to those still serving today.

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Top Ten Questions People Have About Obamacare

Top Ten Questions People Have About Obamacare

10. "Will Obama examine me?"

9. "Should I continue to self-medicate with Sambuca?"

8. "Should there be a hyphen between 'Obama' and 'care'?"

7. "How much to make my knees hinge like a flamingo?"

6. "Is my deductible waived if I'm beaten by the yard dick?"

5. "Will it cover injuries caused by twerking?"

4. "If everyone has health care coverage, won't it stop being cool?"

3. "Will I be reimbursed for strippers dressed like nurses?"

2. "Will I be reimbursed for strippers dressed like nurses?"

1. "Can I still take phony sick days?"

Courtesy of the Late Show with David Letterman

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U.S. Capitol Police Send Out Shelter in Place Emergency Alert Due to #ActiveShooter Incident!

"SHELTER IN PLACE. Gunshots have been reported on Capitol Hill requiring all occupants in all House Office Buildings to shelter in place. Close, lock and stay away from external doors and windows. Take annunciators, Go Kits and escape hoods; and move to the innermost part of the office away from external doors or windows. If you are not in your office, take shelter in the nearest office, check in with your OEC and wait for USCP to clear the incident. No one will be permitted to enter or exit the building until directed by USCP. All staff should monitor the situation. Further information will be provided as it becomes available."

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10 Students Arrested on Felony Mob Action Charges After Brawl Outside of Rich South High School

Ten students are facing felony mob action charges after a brawl outside a suburban Chicago high school.

Authorities say three students were injured at Rich South High School as a fracas erupted Monday between students from the school and Rich Central High.

Officials say about 1,400 Rich Central students were bused to Rich South after a bomb threat. While they were waiting in the gym, someone pulled a fire alarm, sending about 2,800 students from both schools outside.

That's when fights erupted. It took more than two dozen police officers about an hour to control the crowd.

All the teenagers are charged in juvenile court except for one. District 227 Superintendent Doris Langon says more charges are expected.

School board members say their emergency plan had been approved by police.

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