Newser Story Index from July, 2007
Welcome to the Newser Story Index. Here you find stories written by Newser writers and editors, assembled with supporting photos and videos from the files of the news story.
Tainted Imports Originate All Over the World
New York Times
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Jul 12, 2007 10:40 AM CDT
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Contaminated Chinese seafood is the latest high-profile export turning American consumers off their feed, but they might want to save some caution for Dominican produce and Danish candy, FDA stats suggest. Inspectors stopped more food shipments from India and Mexico than from China in the past year, the Times reports, and the flood of imports is...
Unethical Donor Phoner Is Latest McCain Slip-Up
New York Times
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Jul 12, 2007 9:47 AM CDT
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Facing the wrong end of presidential hopes after two senior staffers deserted his campaign, John McCain stepped into the Senate cloakroom Tuesday and made a call to some big spenders. Trouble is that it's unethical—potentially illegal—to solicit funds while in the Capitol. The Times reports that the phoner’s legality is unclear,...
Barack, Hillary Swap Gender Roles for '08
Salon
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Jul 12, 2007 9:08 AM CDT
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In the Democrats' dramatic race to the White House, Michael Scherer writes in Salon, “the leading man is a woman and the leading woman is a man." While Barack Obama soothes audiences with his nurturing baritone, Hillary Clinton attempts to parry the disadvantages of a female candidacy with broad-shouldered tough talk, borrowing military...
Firefighter Video Blasts Giuliani
New York Times
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Jul 12, 2007 8:21 AM CDT
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A video produced by the nation's largest union of firefighters attacks Giuliani's leadership during and after 9/11 and urges members not to vote for him. The 13-minute spot features interviews with relatives of fallen firefighters. “The fact of the matter is that we think it is ludicrous that Giuliani wants to become commander in chief,”...
Cubans Ignore Static on Illegal TV
Christian Science Monitor
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Jul 12, 2007 7:54 AM CDT
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Cubans are turning to black-market satellite TV to watch soap operas, US news and music videos, and even the Chicago White Sox—in defiance of a national ban on the programs, the Christian Science Monitor reports. "If there is censorship, there is business," said one provider who faces up to 5 years in prison if caught.
Parking Spot for Sale: $225,000
New York Times
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Jul 12, 2007 7:28 AM CDT
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The price of New York City parking has doubled in five years, with some drivers currently vying for the chance to pay an astronomical $225,000 for one of five private parking spaces in the basement of a Manhattan condo, the New York Times reports. That's the price of a three-bedroom house with pool and hot tub in Houston.
Sting Op Reveals NRC Security Gaps
Washington Post
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Jul 12, 2007 6:56 AM CDT
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Using little more than a post-office box at Mail Boxes Etc., a telephone and a fax machine, undercover congressional investigators were able to obtain and counterfeit licenses enabling them to buy enough radioactive material to build a deadly dirty bomb. This is just the latest in a series of post-9/11 government reports detailing gaps in NRC security.
Blazers Buy Out Francis
CBC (Canada)
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Jul 12, 2007 6:23 AM CDT
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The Trail Blazers bought out Steve Francis's contract yesterday, handing the guard roughly $30 million of the $33.6 million due for his remaining two years. Portland acquired the 30-year-old former All-Star in a deal with the Knicks, who dished out Francis and Channing Frye for Zach Randolph, Dan Dickau, and Fred Jones on draft night.
House Votes to Overhaul Student Loans
New York Times
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Jul 12, 2007 6:10 AM CDT
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The House OKed a major shakeup of student loans yesterday, in a plan that will eliminate $19 billion in subsidies to lending companies and send the cash directly to students. The bill will increase funding for Pell grants and cut the interest rates on all federally-funded loans—assuming it survives a veto threat from the White House.
Jim Morrison OD'd in Paris Club: Book
Associated Press
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Jul 12, 2007 6:02 AM CDT
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A former nightclub manager has reopened the mystery of cult rocker Jim Morrison's death 36 years ago at the age of 27. The official story is that the Doors legend died of a heart attack in a bath in his Paris hotel. But the manager insists in a new French book that Morrison passed away in a bathroom of his bar, apparently of a heroin overdose.
White House Iraq Report: Mixed Progress
Washington Post
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Jul 12, 2007 5:57 AM CDT
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The White House's interim report on its progress in Iraq, to be released today, will cite "satisfactory" work on eight of 18 benchmarks set by Congress, insufficient improvement on eight more, and mixed results on the final two. Most of the positive movement has been on the military front, the Washington Post reports, and the...
New Report Shows Al Qaeda Strenghtening
Associated Press
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Jul 12, 2007 5:33 AM CDT
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A new National Intelligence report reveals Al Qaeda has rebuilt, strengthened by their ability to operate freely along the Pakistani border, and is approaching an operational capability level not seen since just prior to 9/11. The still-classified report makes clear that there's no credible intelligence on any specific terror targets, but instead describes...
Don't Think Pink: Factory Threatens Flamingo Species
Guardian (UK)
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Jul 12, 2007 5:17 AM CDT
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An Indian company's plans to build a plant to harvest soda ash, or sodium carbonate, from Lake Natron in northern Tanzania could spell the end for the endangered lesser flamingo, the smallest of the six flamingo species. The lake is the only major breeding site, and half a million of the pink birds flock to the lake every summer.
PoshBecks Bare Souls—& More
Vogue
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Jul 12, 2007 5:14 AM CDT
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They're ripped, stripped and determined to become American idols. Brit soccer superstar David Beckham and his former Spice Girl wife Victoria land in the US on the cover of W Magazine wearing little more than come-on scowls . The delectable duo claim they "like to lock the doors and wander around naked."
Send Cons Home to Do Time, Says Paris Sheriff
Los Angeles Times
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Jul 12, 2007 5:07 AM CDT
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The sheriff who put Paris Hilton on mansion arrest is now championing a bill that would curb the overcrowding in California jails by sending thousands of other Los Angeles County inmates home to carry out their sentences. Some 2,000 low-level offenders would be tracked via ankle monitoring devices under the plan.
Iraq in Free Fall, CIA Boss Warned
Washington Post
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Jul 12, 2007 5:01 AM CDT
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The CIA director painted a grim picture of a deteriorating situation in Iraq sharply at odds with President Bush's sunny view in a closed-door session of the Iraq Study Group last November, Bob Woodward reports in the Washington Post . "The government is unable to govern," Michael Hayden flatly warned in the meeting.
Food Fight: CEO Ripped Rival in Secret Posts
Wall Street Journal
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Jul 12, 2007 4:54 AM CDT
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The founder of Whole Foods secretly posted messages on a Yahoo stock investors forum—boosting his own company and damning competitor Wild Oats, the Wall Street Journal reports. Now, as CEO John Mackey tries to buy the company he trash-talked, the posts that ran for eight years have come back to haunt him.
Brazil to Face Argentina in Copa Final
goal.com
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Jul 12, 2007 4:22 AM CDT
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Brazil out-shot Uruguay 5-4 in penalty kicks this Tuesday, earning itself a fifth Copa America final in six attempts. Argentina shut out Mexico 3-0 last night for the other spot in this year's championship Sunday in Venezuela. The match will be a recapitulation of 2004's final, in which Brazil downed Argentina in a shootout.
Grizzlies Grab Milicic
MSNBC
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Jul 12, 2007 4:17 AM CDT
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The Grizzlies will sign Darko Milicic to a three- or four-year deal worth $6-7 million, the Memphis Commercial Appeal reports. The Serb apparently lost his Magic when the team picked up Seattle free agent Rashard Lewis this week. Milicic, who was the second overall pick in 2003's draft, put up 8.0 PPG last season with 5.5 rebounds.
All-Star TV Ratings Strike Out
Bloomberg
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Jul 12, 2007 4:12 AM CDT
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Television ratings for Major League Baseball's All-Star game this week dipped 10% under last year, Bloomberg reports. The 8.4% rating is the second lowest for an All-Star game since 1967, even though the total number of viewers increased to 31.4 million from last year's 31.2 million.
Oklahoma to Erase 2005 Season
ESPN
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Jul 12, 2007 4:09 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The Oklahoma Sooners will forfeit scholarship money and void their 2005 wins, the NCAA ruled yesterday, after finding that the school failed "to monitor" two of its players, QB Rhett Bomar and J.D. Quinn, who took money for time not worked at an area car dealership. An appeal citing the players' release is unlikely to sway the league, which...
Lady Bird Johnson Dead at 94
Dallas Morning News
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Jul 11, 2007 5:20 PM CDT
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Lady Bird Johnson, wife of former president Lyndon Johnson, is dead today at 94. Johnson was a vociferous—if always graceful—campaigner for the beautification of the country and, during one of the most turbulent presidencies of all time, for civil rights and the betterment of the poor.
Victim in Pizza-Bomb Robbery Was in on the Plot
CNN
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Jul 11, 2007 4:44 PM CDT
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A pizza deliveryman who died following a bizarre 2003 robbery was in on it all along, according to new federal indictments, CNN reports. Wearing a bomb around his neck, Brian Wells robbed a bank in Erie, PA, then told police that gunmen had forced him to do it. A bomb squad was called, but the device went off, killing Wells before help arrived.
Famed Tenor On Life Support
New York Times
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Jul 11, 2007 4:30 PM CDT
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American tenor Jerry Hadley suffered severe brain damage after shooting himself in the head with an air rifle outside his upstate New York home, the New York Times reports. The Grammy Award-winning opera star, 55, is on life support, and police are treating the case as an attempted suicide. Hadley's career was in decline.
Senate Nixes Limits on Iraq Deployments
New York Times
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Jul 11, 2007 4:23 PM CDT
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The Senate failed to push through an amendment to a military appropriations bill that would have drastically cut troop deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, effectively slicing the number of troops on the ground. The measure, cosponsored by Virginia Democrat Jim Webb and increasingly fractious Republican Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, fell 4 votes short of...
Hagel, Snowe Jump Ship
Associated Press
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Jul 11, 2007 4:14 PM CDT
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Two more Republican senators crossed party lines today to back legislation that calls for the US to start pulling out of Iraq within 4 months and withdraw by April. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska and Maine's Olympia Snowe of Maine signed on on as co-sponsors of the measure, along with Oregon's Gordon Smith and Democrats Carl Levin and Jack Reed.
Planet with Water Discovered
Yahoo
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Jul 11, 2007 3:57 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Astronomers located the first planet beyond our solar system that hosts water—a giant gas ball bigger than Jupiter and named HD 189733b. Its sizzling climate, which can reach upwards of 3,600 degrees, renders it uninhabitable to any extraterrestrials, but the discovery shows that water is more common in outer space than previously thought.
Ex-Aide Stays Tight Lipped on Attorneys
Washington Post
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Jul 11, 2007 3:32 PM CDT
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Former White House political adviser Sara Taylor never discussed the ouster of nine US attorneys with President Bush, she told the Senate Judiciary Committee today. The subpoenaed Taylor said little else about the Justice Department scandal, citing executive privilege, but waffled occasionally between discretion and disclosure—for instance apologizing...
White House Orders Miers to Clam Up
Associated Press
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Jul 11, 2007 3:12 PM CDT
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On President Bush's orders, Harriet Miers will ignore a subpoena and will not appear tomorrow before a House committee investigating the US attorney firings. The ex-White house counsel "has absolute immunity from compelled congressional testimony," current counsel Fred Fielding wrote to her lawyer in a letter made public this afternoon, the...
Death Toll in Red Mosque Siege Tops 80
Associated Press
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Jul 11, 2007 2:13 PM CDT
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Soldiers completed the takeover of the Red Mosque early today, removing the final militants who had occupied the Islamabad compound during an 8-day siege. At least 80 were killed and 33 wounded in the past week, including 50 radicals and 10 soldiers in the climactic 35-hour final assault. "Now it's mopping up," said Pakistan's PM.
You Say 'Tomato,' FDA Says 'Not a Cancer Cure-All'
Reuters
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Jul 11, 2007 1:25 PM CDT
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Tomatoes and lycopene, the pigment that gives them their color, do not prevent cancer, the FDA says, contradicting preliminary research. Researchers analyzed 145 studies of lycopene, tomatoes, and cancer risk and found "no credible evidence" that the vegetable wards off lung, colorectal, breast, cervical or uterine cancers, according to a...
Brits Fight Genital Mutilation
Associated Press
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Jul 11, 2007 12:21 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Britain is cracking down on female genital mutilation, banned in 2003 but still prevalent among immigrants from Africa and the Mideast. A campaign that begins today aims to raise awareness and enlist help in tracking down those who arrange or carry out the procedure, done on an estimated 400 to 500 girls a year. A $40,000 reward is offered for info...
Giant Squid Storms Australia
Associated Press
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Jul 11, 2007 11:26 AM CDT
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A giant squid that weighs 550 pounds and measures 26 feet from the tip of its body to the end of its fearsome tentacles washed up on an Australian beach today. The rarely spotted sea creature is the largest specimen encountered since February, when fishermen in New Zealand netted a 33-foot catch that weighed 1,100 pounds.
Foiled London Bombers Draw Life Sentences
Guardian (UK)
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Jul 11, 2007 10:34 AM CDT
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Four men who planned to bomb London's transit system weeks after the deadly 7/7/05 bus and tube attacks were sentenced to life terms today in a British court. A jury failed to reach a decision on two other men charged as members of the conspiracy, which officials said might have killed thousands of London residents.
Harry May Not Cast Spell on Young Readers
New York Times
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Jul 11, 2007 9:55 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Part of the "Harry Potter" series' claim to fame has been the way it reintroduced kids to reading for pleasure, but some educators are skeptical. The percentage of children who read for fun decreases every year as they age, with no measurable impact from Harry. Still, teachers and parents swear that for individual kids, the boy wizard made...
Funds Can't Find Friends in Anti-Tax Fight
Wall Street Journal
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Jul 11, 2007 9:01 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Wall Street's hedge-fund and private-equity titans are looking for allies in their fight to prevent a tax hike on profits—but they're having trouble recruiting, today's Journal reports. As the first Senate hearings on the proposed hikes get under way, representatives from venture capital, public pension funds, and investment firms are seeking...
Libyan Court Upholds Death for Nurses
BBC
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Jul 11, 2007 8:13 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Libya's Supreme Court today upheld the death sentences handed down to six Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor accused of deliberately infecting hundreds of children with HIV. But the medics, whose trial has provoked international outrage, may get a reprieve via a financial settlement with the kids' families.
Chicago TV Reporter All Wet
CBS News
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Jul 11, 2007 8:02 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Chicago's NBC affiliate station severed ties with reporter Amy Jacobson after its crosstown rival, the CBS station, caught Jacobson with her tan lines showing. CBS showed video of Jacobson in a bikini top attending a pool party at the home of Craig Stebic, the husband of missing Lisa Stebic. Jacobson has been covering the story.
Sun Sets on Solar Global Warming Theory
BBC
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Jul 11, 2007 7:29 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A theory that global warming is caused by increased solar output is bunk, according to climate-change scientists. Although the world has grown hotter over the last 20 years, solar activity has actually dropped, the BBC reports, and an international panel concluded that greenhouse gases are 13 times more responsible for global warming than the sun.
Coney Island on Track for Ritzy Makeover
Washington Post
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Jul 11, 2007 6:54 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Landmark Brooklyn amusement park Coney Island is set to undergo a major makeover as an upscale techno-theme park with ritzy retail space and timeshare towers, the Washington Post reports. Thor Equities bought much of the six-block thrill park and officials hope to launch the $1.5B renovation in 18 months—much to the disappointment of Coney...
Bud Plans to Ditch Earnhardt
ESPN
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Jul 11, 2007 6:06 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s number 8 car is fixing for a makeover: ESPN says the Hendricks Motorsports driver is likely to lose his Budweiser sponsorship to number 9 Kasey Kahne. And though negotiations are largely undisclosed, rumor has it that Jr.'s Chevy will be painted in PepsiCo colors next season.
Bush Aide Will Invoke Exec Privilege
Associated Press
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Jul 11, 2007 5:32 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Former Bush political director Sara Taylor will answer limited questions from Congress but steer clear of anything she thinks would violate executive privilege, according to a copy of her opening statement released early this morning. Taylor is set to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee later today as part of its inquiry into the US attorney...
Pope Pounds Protestants
Reuters
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Jul 11, 2007 5:32 AM CDT
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In a remarkable nod to the 16th century, Pope Benedict XVI’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which he once led, said of Protestant denominations, 'it is nevertheless difficult to see how the title of 'Church' could possibly be attributed to them." The document restates Benedict's position set forth in 2000 when he was still Cardinal...
Japanese TV Is Losing to Wii
Times (UK)
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Jul 11, 2007 5:29 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Ratings are plummeting for Japanese prime-time TV shows as audiences increasingly turn to playing games on Nintendo's Wii system. Wii, which dominates the nation's $30B video games market, has stolen TV's "golden hour," thanks in part to parents who are choosing to share family time on Wii's interactive sports-simulating games rather...
Nielsen to Rank Sites by View Time, Not Hits
Los Angeles Times
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Jul 11, 2007 5:16 AM CDT
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Nielsen will move to ranking web sites based on how long sites are viewed rather than how many hits a page receives. The shift will boost ratings for AOL and Yahoo, where millions have email accounts, over Google and MySpace. Advertisers will likely still pay rates based on hits, but the change could spur a restructuring of sites, the Los Angeles...
Rivals Team Up on 11th-Hour Dow Offer
Wall Street Journal
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Jul 11, 2007 5:08 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Supermarket billionaire Ron Burkle and former MySpace CEO Brad Greenspan may join forces to make at least a partial bid for the Wall Street Journal 's parent company, say sources close to the discussions. The pair met yesterday with members of the Dow Jones board to craft an alternative to Rupert Murdoch's $5 billion proposal, though accounts detailing...
Selig to Attend Bonds's 756th
Sports Illustrated
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Jul 11, 2007 4:50 AM CDT
(Newser) -
MLB Commissioner Bud Selig will be in the stands for slugger Barry Bonds's imminent coronation as all-time home run king, Sports Illustrated reports. It had been widely rumored that the commish might snub Bonds, who's now only four shy of Hank Aaron's 755 career record, in part because of the Giant's alleged steroid use.
American League Scores 10th Straight All-Star Win
MLB.com
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Jul 11, 2007 4:46 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The American League won its 10th straight Midsummer Classic last night, besting the National League 5-4. The game, hosted by San Francisco at AT&T Park, was a slugging match: MVP Ichiro Suzuki chalked up the first in-the-parker in All-Star game history, and blasts from Carl Crawford and Victor Martinez helped hand the AL a 1-run victory.
Chertoff Bares 'Gut Feeling' of Mounting Terror Threat
Chicago Tribune
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Jul 11, 2007 4:39 AM CDT
(Newser) -
America faces a heightened risk of attack this summer and must be more vigilant, warned Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff, who told the Chicago Tribune he has a "gut feeling" al-Qaeda is mobilizing. "We worry that they are rebuilding their activities," he said. A report from his agency earlier warned of a summer terror...
Airwaves Sale to Break Open Cell Phone Biz
Wall Street Journal
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Jul 11, 2007 4:35 AM CDT
(Newser) -
An auction of government-owned frequencies could break open the cell phone industry and loosen the grip of giant telecom carriers, the Wall Street Journal reports. The FCC is likely to set aside a band of radio-spectrum frequencies for an open network free of restraints imposed by Verizon and AT&T.
