Newser Story Index from August, 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.
Deserts Eat Up China's Usable Land
Christian Science Monitor
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Aug 16, 2007 5:03 PM CDT
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With China's deserts spreading another 950 square miles each year, the government is evicting families and replanting farms to stem the tide, the Christian Science Monitor reports from Gansu province. With 20% of the world's population but 7% of its arable land, China's decades-old problem has worsened due to overfarming, deforestation and global...
Italian Grapes Make Early Debut
Chicago Tribune
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Aug 16, 2007 4:53 PM CDT
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This year's grape harvest in Italy will be unlike any one in living memory—for starters because it's happening in August. Because of sky-high temperatures and scanty rainfall, grapes are ripening three to four weeks ahead of normal schedules. Some grape growers blame it on global warming, but scientists warn not to be too hasty.
ESPN Mainstay Patrick Signs Off
Cincinnati Enquirer
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Aug 16, 2007 4:36 PM CDT
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After 18 years in which he came the face of a sports-broadcasting juggernaut, anchor Dan Patrick will leave ESPN tomorrow. In an Q-and-A with the Cincinnati Enquirer , the 51-year-old outlines his next moves, including a radio show, with a new multimedia outfit.
Springsteen Makes 'Magic' Again
Reuters
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Aug 16, 2007 4:27 PM CDT
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Bruce Springsteen will release "Magic"—his first album with his iconic E Street Band in half a decade—on October 2. The 11-track album is produced by Brendan O'Brien, who also produced the Grammy-winning "The Rising," the last Springsteen/E Street collaboration.
Stocks Seesaw as Credit Crisis Deepens
Wall Street Journal
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Aug 16, 2007 3:35 PM CDT
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The Dow closed down 15.69 at 12845.78 today, after plummeting 343 points in early morning trading on fears the credit debacle was spilling into the larger market. Investors continued to fret about the rising yen and nervous foreign markets, but rumors that the Fed would cut interest rates continued to percolate late into the day, despite contrary hints...
Max Roach Dies at 83
New York Times
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Aug 16, 2007 3:18 PM CDT
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Max Roach, a drummer who moved to his own beat and became a seminal figure in modern jazz, died today at 83. Roach renovated his genre's traditional instrumentation, and pioneered a layered, contrapuntal style that became the trademark of contemporary percussion. Even his recent albums defied the conventions he helped forge. "You can't write the...
Girl Talk from Transsexual Sports Columnist
NPR
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Aug 16, 2007 3:16 PM CDT
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Mike Penner is back in business as a sports writer for the Los Angeles Times , but under a new byline: Christine Daniels. In an interview with NPR, Daniels talks about the decision to come out as a transsexual, the response she got after writing about it in her column in April, and her reception back on the ball field.
Kick-Ass Jobs of the Future
CNN
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Aug 16, 2007 2:47 PM CDT
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Doctors and lawyers are so old-school— CNNMoney lists the movers and shakers of the future: Disease Mapper: Use satellite technology to track and predict epidemics. Robot Programmer: Today's robots can analyze blood samples and mix cocktails—if someone shows them how.
Pentagon Spent $1M on 2 Washers
Bloomberg
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Aug 16, 2007 2:34 PM CDT
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Twin sisters at a parts supplier scammed the Pentagon out of $20.5 million in fraudulent shipping costs, including $998,798 they charged to ship two 19-cent washers and half a mil to ship three machine screws to Iraq. The Pentagon took six years to catch on to the sisters' tricks: Apparently bills marked "priority" were paid automatically.
Padilla Guilty of Aiding Terrorism
Associated Press
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Aug 16, 2007 1:36 PM CDT
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A US District Court convicted Jose Padilla, a US citizen once suspected in a dirty-bomb plot, of conspiring to commit terrorism abroad by providing aid to Islamic extremists. Padilla, a former Guantanamo detainee who became symbolic of the Bush administration's aggressive legal arguments for detaining suspected terrorists, was not charged with the...
Stephen King Spooks Bookshop Staff
BBC
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Aug 16, 2007 1:30 PM CDT
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Stephen King recently dropped by an Australian bookstore and autographed a few copies of his own works—without telling anyone he was coming, or who he was. Nervous sale staff alerted management to a man vandalizing books, the BBC reports. It wasn't until King had wandered off, and someone checked out the damage, that they realized who the desecrater...
Jenna Bush Engaged
Associated Press
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Aug 16, 2007 1:00 PM CDT
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Jenna Bush will beat her twin sister Barbara to the altar. The President's fair-haired daughter plans to wed Henry Hager, son of former Virginia Lieutenant Governor John Hager, and himself a former intern to outgoing Bush aide Karl Rove. The couple, who've been seeing one another for several years, have yet to set a wedding date, the White...
Credit Squeeze's One Winner: The Dollar
Bloomberg
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Aug 16, 2007 12:59 PM CDT
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After years of decline, the American dollar has reasserted itself in the face of the worldwide credit crunch. The dollar has rallied against the euro and the pound as banks and investors drop hazardous financial instruments and hold cash, Bloomberg reports, making the implication clear: For all its woes, the dollar remains the world's unrivaled reserve...
Disney Goes Back to High School
Los Angeles Times
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Aug 16, 2007 12:44 PM CDT
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The sequel to Disney's smash hit 'High School Musical' will air Friday, and with a barrage of merchandise including CDs, DVDs, musical handbags, stationery, bedding, and a board game, the two kids' flicks are expected to rake in $100M for the Mickey Mouse company, reports the LA Times .
Household Chemicals Sickening Cats
Los Angeles Times
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Aug 16, 2007 12:21 PM CDT
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Cats are falling ill with thyroid disease caused by toxic flame retardants found in household dust and some pet food, says the EPA. Chemicals known as PBDEs—polybrominated diphenyl ethers—found in consumer products and furniture are mimicking hormones which send a cat's thyroid into overdrive. Since humans are the only other mammal with...
WWE Wrestles With Drugs, Lifestyle
Washington Post
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Aug 16, 2007 11:47 AM CDT
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Chris Benoit's murder-suicide last June spotlighted the disproportionate number of early deaths among professional wrestlers; one activist has counted more than 60 dead before reaching 50 over the past 10 years. And a taxing, drug-addled lifestyle plays a big role.
Paulson: Downturn Won't Provoke Recession
Wall Street Journal
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Aug 16, 2007 10:51 AM CDT
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The current turmoil in the financial markets will take its toll on the economy, but won't cause a recession, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson tells the Wall Street Journal in his first interview since the downturn began. Paulson says the crisis comes in the context of a very strong global economy—the strongest he's seen in his 32-year...
Army Suicides Climb; Rate Highest in 26 Years
Associated Press
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Aug 16, 2007 10:18 AM CDT
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American soldiers are killing themselves at the highest rate since the Persian Gulf War, the AP reports. Statistics out today show 99 active-duty soldiers committed suicide in 2006, both the highest single number and the highest rate per deployed since 1991. The problem was worst in Iraq, the most common deployment location for attempts and suicides.
Market Opens Sharply Down
Bloomberg
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Aug 16, 2007 10:18 AM CDT
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US stocks dipped this morning, following steep declines in Europe and Asia as distress over the expanding credit crisis heightened. The Dow Jones sank over 100 points this morning, and the S&P was off nearly 0.8% after erasing its entire year's gains yesterday. "Everyone is waiting for the other shoe to drop,'' said an investment strategist.
US Presses Musharraf to Share Power With Rival
New York Times
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Aug 16, 2007 9:28 AM CDT
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To strengthen Gen. Pervez Musharraf 's shaky hold on crisis-rocked Pakistan, the US is pressing him to share power with his biggest rival, the New York Times reports. Musharraf is deeply unpopular, and the White House thinks his best chance of remaining president is to join forces with former PM Benazir Bhutto. The US fears that a Musharraf ouster...
Danes Apologize for Viking Raids
Guardian (UK)
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Aug 16, 2007 8:59 AM CDT
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More than 12 centuries after Viking raiders began pillaging settlements in Ireland, the Danish government has apologized for their behavior. The country's culture minister offered the collective mea culpa yesterday in Dublin, where he marked the arrival of the Havhingsten, a replica Viking longboat, after a 1,000-mile journey across the North Sea.
Erin Reaches Texas; Dean Becomes Hurricane
Associated Press
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Aug 16, 2007 8:21 AM CDT
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Tropical Storm Erin made landfall on the Texas coast this morning and became a tropical depression, bringing powerful rains and a risk of flash flooding to the saturated state. The governor ordered emergency vehicles to the area, northeast of Corpus Christi, but many vacationers were unconcerned. "Unless I see a shark or whale go flying by, I'm...
Moscow Court Acquits Music Site Boss
Reuters
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Aug 16, 2007 8:12 AM CDT
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A Russian court has acquitted the founder of Allofmp3.com of breach of copyright, Reuters reports. The now-defunct Russian website infuriated American and Western European music companies by offering cut-rate downloads that they said infringed on their copyright. EMI, Time Warner, and other major corporations insisted on prosecution, but a judge found...
Loan Giant Downgraded to 'Sell,' Faces Bankruptcy
Los Angeles Times
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Aug 16, 2007 7:44 AM CDT
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Loan giant Countrywide saw its shares plummet 13% yesterday after the company experienced trouble borrowing money in the market for short-term debt. A Merrill Lynch analyst downgraded the stock from "buy" to "sell," sparking talk of possible bankruptcy, reports the LA Times . Before today's open, the company announced it's drawing...
European Markets Dive
Guardian (UK)
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Aug 16, 2007 7:22 AM CDT
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European markets took a dive this morning—after the Dow's plunge yesterday and the overnight collapse of Asian stocks. London's FTSE 100 index has fallen below 6,000, its lowest level since last October. London weathered the storm yesterday, but had nowhere to run today, the Guardian reported, as the credit crisis continues to widen. Markets...
Smoking Clouds Workplace Productivity
CNN
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Aug 16, 2007 7:16 AM CDT
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Employees who smoke also call in sick more frequently and demonstrate poorer productivity, to the tune of $92 billion in annual losses, a Swedish researcher says. All that huddling by the loading dock translates to startling hard numbers, CareerBuilder.com reports: In a study of 14,000 workers, smokers took, on average, 11 more sick days than non-smokers.
Elvis Fans Offer Burning Love
Reuters
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Aug 16, 2007 6:49 AM CDT
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Elvis fans braved 100-degree heat to make the pilgrimage to Graceland for the 30th anniversary of the King's death, lining up last night for a candlelight vigil and chance to pay their respects. Tens of thousands were expected to file past the grave and snap up commemorative T-shirts.
The Less You Suffer, the More You Buy
Newsweek
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Aug 16, 2007 6:30 AM CDT
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Everyone feels guilt—it's how long the guilt lasts that differentiates the impulse buyer—and the binge drinker, and the scarfer of a dozen chocolate truffles—from his or her more prudent counterparts. Time reports on a study of college students that discovered that for the former, guilt lasted half as long as it did for the latter....
New Images Offer Hope at Mine
Associated Press
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Aug 16, 2007 5:56 AM CDT
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Hours after rescuers in Utah detected noise from the collapsed mine, images from a videocamera lowered into the disaster site offered a glimmer of hope, the AP reports. Although the camera did not pick up the miners, it did film a ventilation curtain used to ensure workers have access to good air. Behind the curtain would be a pocket of fresh air,...
GOP Is Chasing Away Latino Voters
American Prospect
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Aug 16, 2007 5:56 AM CDT
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With 69% of Latino voters going Democratic in 2006, anti-immigration sentiment among GOP presidential hopefuls may only serve to turn off the remaining 30. Meanwhile, the Latino population is growing, especially in swing states. "Even Texas could become a swing state a couple of elections from now," the American Prospect 's Paul Waldman...
MLB Gives Geeks a New Toy
Slate
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Aug 16, 2007 5:02 AM CDT
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In this already-halcyon period for the stats nerds of the sporting world, writes Slate 's Nate DiMeo, Major League Baseball has quietly enabled a quantum advance with a new technology: Pitch f/x. It tracks the vital statistics of each pitch: initial and final velocity, initial and final location, and deviation from the straight line between those...
330 Killed in Peruvian Quake
BBC
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Aug 16, 2007 4:59 AM CDT
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The death toll has reached at least 330, with hundreds injured, in a powerful earthquake that jolted the coast of Peru last night, the BBC reports. While buildings in LIma, 90 miles away, were rattled by the 7.9 shaker, most of the casualties were in the province of Ica, where buildings were flattened and power disrupted.
'Blood Hits Streets' as Asian Markets Plunge
Reuters
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Aug 16, 2007 4:42 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Asian stock markets continued to slide today, pounded by fears of a global credit squeeze, recording their most precipitous drop in five years, Reuters reports. South Korea's Kospi index skidded 6.9 percent as major corporations and financial institutions took horrific beatings. Australia's Rams Home Loans Group revealed it can't refinance $5 billion...
Beckham Scores!
Associated Press
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Aug 16, 2007 3:59 AM CDT
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Multi-millionaire soccer superstar David Beckham scored his first goal on this side of the pond last night, hammering home a free kick in the 27th minute of the Los Angeles Galaxy's 2-0 win over D.C. United. The giant hoopla that accompanied Becks' arrival in California with his ex-Spice Girls wife, Victoria, had deflated in recent weeks as he cooled...
Dying Star Unlocks Life Cycle Mystery
Washington Post
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Aug 16, 2007 3:42 AM CDT
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Astronomers have recently spotted a dying red giant star trailing material knocked off by winds created by its high-speed orbit, providing an important clue to the life cycle of stars. Scientists have long theorized that the detritus of old stars become the seeds for new ones, but they've never before seen the process.
Chavez Proposal Clears Way for Lifelong Presidency
BBC
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Aug 16, 2007 3:06 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has made a power grab toward a president-for-life position, packaging a proposal granting him unlimited terms with a measure to cap the workday at six hours. The constitutional amendment would extend terms from six to seven years and remove the two-term limit that would otherwise force Chavez to step down in 2012.
Biotech Giant Slashes Jobs
Wall Street Journal
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Aug 16, 2007 1:34 AM CDT
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Biotech giant Amgen is slashing spending by $1.9 billion by cutting up to 14 percent of its workforce— 2,600 jobs—and closing some production facilities. The restructuring was triggered by plummeting sales of the company's anemia drug Aranesp. The shake up demonstrates that biotech operations are not immune to the problems that plague traditional...
Deadly Swine Disease Sweeps China
New York Times
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Aug 16, 2007 1:10 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A virulent strain of deadly swine disease is sweeping through Chinese livestock, triggering a pork shortage, rampant inflation and worldwide worries about where the virus will appear next, the New York Times reports. China, one the world's biggest hog exporters, is refusing to cooperate with international health organizations and may already have...
Tribe Tramples Tigers to Tie Division Lead
MSNBC
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Aug 16, 2007 12:40 AM CDT
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After dropping the first of a two-game series, the Indians bested the Tigers last night 5-2, tying Detroit for the top spot in the American League Central division. The Indian's Fausto Carmona fanned a career-best 10 batters on the way to his 14th victory, with ace closer Joe Borowski recording his 33rd save in 37 outings.
Iraq Blasts Toll Rises to 500
Time
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Aug 16, 2007 12:35 AM CDT
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The death toll from Tuesday's series of suicide truck bombings in northern Iraq may exceed 500, with scores more lying injured in hospitals, CNN reports. The attacks were reportedly launched by al-Qaeda against the Yazidi, a pre-Islamic sect, spotlighting the religious warfare that US troop surge sought to quell.
Blazing Switches Trigger Massive Ford Recall
CNN
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Aug 15, 2007 11:56 PM CDT
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Ford is recalling 3.6 million vehicles with cruise-control switches that have caused fires even with the engine off, CNN reports. The company recently settled a lawsuit in the death of a woman killed in her home after her husband said their Ford pickup burst into flames in the garage.
This Bud—and No. 8—Is Not for Earnhardt
ESPN
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Aug 15, 2007 11:30 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Dale Earnhardt Jr., whose Budweiser ride has long been iconic among NASCAR fans, will have to surrender the number 8 under the terms of a new team contract. The racer, who's leaving his father's Dale Earnhardt, Inc., to replace Kyle Busch at Hendrick Motorsports, will also strip the Budweiser paint-job in a sponsorship move.
Orioles Blast Yanks as Rivera Melts Down
New York Times
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Aug 15, 2007 11:07 PM CDT
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The Yankees lost a heartbreaker in the Bronx yesterday. After rookie Shelley Duncan's three-run shot leveled the score in the bottom of the ninth, ace reliever Mariano Rivera faltered, handing the Orioles a 6-3 win in the tenth. "I'm a human being," admitted the normally reliable closer, whose Bombers remain five back of Boston in the American...
Rescuers Hear 'Noise' in Mine
Deseret News (Salt Lake)
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Aug 15, 2007 10:46 PM CDT
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Rescuers digging for men who have been trapped underground for 10 days heard noise inside the mine today, prompting crews to drill a fourth hole in the sound's direction. They described hearing 5 minutes of “noise” through seismic geophones, ignighting some hope in an otherwise-discouraging rescue effort. "There's a very good chance...
White House to Ghostwrite Surge Report
ThinkProgress
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Aug 15, 2007 9:47 PM CDT
(Newser) -
An irate blogger has blown up the fine print in today's news, exposing a plan by Washington to pen a long-awaited report on Iraq’s troop surge. Think Progress blogger Faiz posted a paragraph he discovered deep in a Los Angeles Times story, revealing that the White House will secretly write next month's review and give US General Patraeus...
Are They Pollocks or Bollocks?
Newsweek
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Aug 15, 2007 8:42 PM CDT
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Paintings dug out of an old Hamptons locker might light up the art world with multi-million dollar sales or prove to be utter fakes, Newsweek reports. Marked “Pollock Experiments” and dribbled in the American artist’s style, the small pictures on cardboard will be drawing crowds in Boston next month – and sparking arguments...
Huge Earthquake Rattles Peru
CNN
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Aug 15, 2007 8:18 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A massive earthquake shook central Peru tonight, raising fears of a tsunami along the Pacific coast of Central and South America. The quake hit about 90 miles southeast of the capital of Lima, but witnesses felt it deep into the hinterlands. The country has been put on alert for deadly waves, as have several nearby countries and Hawaii.
Texas Braces for Tropical Storm Erin
CNN
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Aug 15, 2007 7:15 PM CDT
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National Guard teams are hunkering down on the Texas coast as Tropical Storm Erin moves in, carrying a “high risk of dangerous flash flooding,” the governor has warned. CNN reports that Erin intensified in the Gulf of Mexico today and will strike the Lone Star State tomorrow morning with 40 mph winds and 8 inches of rain. But it will not...
No Terrorists at the Top of the Pops
Salon
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Aug 15, 2007 6:41 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A certain Pakistani pop song would be piffle if it were a love song, but it's not: it's an anti-terrorist ballad, an emblem of a “society-wide identity crisis,” and as such it has meaning, writes Salon ’s Andrew Leonard. Eight pop idols recorded the “We Are the World”-style ballad, and it’s become a major...
McQueen's Wheels Up for a Spin
Los Angeles Times
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Aug 15, 2007 5:45 PM CDT
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Growling exhaust and a thumping V-12 engine doesn't usually garner $2 million at luxury auctions, but then this speedster was once owned by a movie star “synonymous with cars, horsepower, racing.” It's Steve McQueen who used to cruise in this ’63 Ferrari, a classic so polished that even the door trim screws are handpicked to perfection....
