Word: held
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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Only 27, Federer has energized tennis's GOAT - Greatest of All Time - debate by winning the only one of the sport's four Grand Slam titles to have eluded him (he already held multiple Wimbledon, U.S. and Australian Open titles). His victories have come with a grace that has ended tennis's reputation for spawning churlish brats and with a style of play that blurs the line between artistry and athleticism. His traditional, flowing strokes generate unorthodox angles and spins; he's both a throwback and an innovator...
...Czech Village gathering, which drew a handful of neighbors, is among several commemorations being held this month in Cedar Rapids and across eastern Iowa to mark the one-year anniversary of flooding that deluged cities large and small, upending many lives and causing an estimated $10 billion worth of damage ($6 billion in Cedar Rapids alone). Eighty-eight of Iowa's 99 counties were declared a natural disaster area as a result of last year's flooding and two deadly tornadoes. While progress has been made to recover from Iowa's worst disaster, many frustrated homeowners still await government help...
...Czech Village last weekend, the mood was subdued. A hog roast to mark the anniversary, held in the still recovering one-block historic shopping district, was sparsely attended by midafternoon and dominated by the accordion of a three-piece band. "We have to celebrate how far we've come, but we have a long way to go," says Gail Naughton, CEO of the nearby National Czech and Slovak Museum, which sponsored the roast. The museum was shuttered by the flood, but officials hope to rebuild. "People here are resilient, they're hardworking and they'll do what they need...
...however, goes back much further than you'd expect. It's rooted in ancient history - as early as the 5th century B.C. It is believed that the ancient Spartans were the first to make a celebration out of the groom's last night as a single man. Spartan soldiers held a dinner in their friend's honor and made toasts on his behalf - with, one assumes, a Spartan sense of decorum. Since then, the events have generally grown more raucous. In 1896, a stag party thrown by Herbert Barnum Seeley - a grandson of P.T. Barnum - for his brother was raided...
...Insurers have consolidated," says Linda Blumberg, an economist and health-care expert at the Urban Institute. "Similar things have happened in the provider community. In a lot of areas, insurers will tell you they have no negotiating power with providers and they're held over a barrel. [A public plan] would force insurers and providers to negotiate with each other, which they aren't doing today...