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.
Becks' Ankle Better; Could Play Tonight
Washington Post
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Aug 9, 2007 6:29 AM CDT
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Big-ticket Galaxy star David Beckham says the prognosis is "looking up" for an ankle that sidelined him for his US debut—and there's even a chance he could play as early as tonight. His match against D.C. United at RFK stadium is already sold out.
Colorado Rocks Milwaukee, 19-4
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Aug 9, 2007 6:19 AM CDT
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Rookie Brewer Yovani Gallardo had a string of quality starts disrupted by a 2.2-inning, 11-run massacre in Colorado, the most runs given up by a Brewers pitcher in almost five years. Despite a miserable two-out walk-double-triple-double-single-homer sequence in the second, Gallardo was sent out to start the third to protect a weary bullpen.
Sabotage Eyed In Outbreak of Foot-and-Mouth
Times (UK)
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Aug 9, 2007 6:17 AM CDT
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British officials are pursuing the possibility that latest outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease could be the result of sabotage, the Times reports. They've ruled out water leaks spreading the virus from a research lab to nearby farms,and have concluded that "release by human movement must be considered a real possibility," said a report prepared...
New Orleans Hits 60% of Pre-Katrina Population
Associated Press
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Aug 9, 2007 5:55 AM CDT
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The population of New Orleans has rebounded to 60% of its pre-Katrina level nearly two years after the storm, the AP reports, based on the lastest survey. The city had 273,600 residents last month, up 50,200 from a year ago; 455,000 called the Big Easy home in July 2005.
'Stupid' Feud Continues
MSNBC
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Aug 9, 2007 5:42 AM CDT
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The Blue Jays third base coach accused two Yankees of "terrible" slides that endangered his middle infielders, a perpetuation of the bad blood between the teams that began with A-Rod's infielder-distracting yawp on May 30. Toronto second baseman Aaron Hill, however, has had enough of the sniping and the plunkings, calling the feud "stupid."
Feds Spot Bridge Support Flaw
New York Times
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Aug 9, 2007 5:28 AM CDT
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Federal experts investigating the Minneapolis bridge disaster have identified a structural flaw that may have led to the collapse, reports the New York Times . Investigators suspect that steel gusset plates used to connect the girders weren't strong enough to support the bridge right from the start. Federal authorities immediately warned states to...
Stolen Picassos Recovered
Independent (UK)
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Aug 9, 2007 5:18 AM CDT
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Two stolen Picassos worth more than $66 million have been recovered by French police who swooped in as the thieves were about to sell the rolled-up canvases. Tipped off by a suspicious art dealer, investigators set up round-the-clock surveillance of the suspects for more than a month. Three men have been arrested.
South Carolina Prompts Primary Chaos
Washington Post
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Aug 9, 2007 5:14 AM CDT
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South Carolina's Republican Party is about to shift its primary to January 19, triggering a chain reaction of primary rescheduling that is infuriating candidates and campaign managers, the Washington Post reports. The New Hampshire primary will likely be rescheduled for early January and the Iowa caucuses as early as December. Other states, seeking...
Glue Company Indicted in Big Dig Death
Boston Globe
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Aug 9, 2007 5:03 AM CDT
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A glue company has been indicted for manslaughter for its role in a fatal accident in Boston's controversial Big Dig tunnel. Powers Fasteners of New York supplied adhesives for use in a ceiling which collapsed, killing a 38-year-old woman in a car. The adhesive used in the construction was not intended for long term use.
Wells Cut by Padres; May Hang It Up
Associated Press
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Aug 9, 2007 5:00 AM CDT
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David Wells may have pitched his last game. The Padres released the 44-year-old left-hander yesterday to make room for Chris Young, who's coming off the disabled list. It's up to Wells now whether he'll retire or stay available and try to land a spot with another team. The boisterous Boomer hasn't shown any signs of mellowing; just last week commish...
Freak Twister Wallops Brooklyn
New York Daily News
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Aug 9, 2007 4:47 AM CDT
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Trees were toppled, cars mangled and roofs ripped off houses when the first tornado in 118 years ripped through Brooklyn yesterday in the midst of a vicious storm that pummeled New York. Winds clocked speeds of 135 mph. "I thought it was 'The Wizard of Oz,'" said a stunned homeowner.
Pakistan Braces for State of Emergency
Guardian (UK)
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Aug 9, 2007 4:47 AM CDT
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Pervez Musharraf held a meeting this morning to discuss the declaration of a state of emergency in Pakistan, says the Guardian . Although the government claimed that recent suicide attacks and recent belligerent talk from the White House—not to speak of the Barack Obama campaign—may necessitate emergency measures, opponents of Musharraf...
First Teacher Rockets to Space
Orlando Sentinel
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Aug 9, 2007 4:42 AM CDT
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Former schoolteacher Barbara Morgan safely reached space last night when the shuttle Endeavour rocketed through a problem-free launch. Ten minutes after its evening blastoff, the shuttle was orbiting 140 miles above the Earth in preparation for docking with the International Space Station tomorrow. Morgan is the first astronaut teacher since Christa...
Google Lets News Figures Fire Back
Ars Technica
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Aug 8, 2007 9:54 PM CDT
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People who want to talk back to the press received a major invitation from Google News yesterday when it announced a plan to post user comments alongside links to news articles, ars technica reports. But only people and groups specifically mentioned in the articles will be allowed into Google’s new peanut gallery, which will open its doors later...
New Search Engine Seeks Out... You
Ars Technica
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Aug 8, 2007 9:15 PM CDT
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A new search engine launched today won't help you find a bargain on a new microwave or the capital of Burma, but rather other human beings. Spock.com bills itself as "the online leader in personal search," and boasts over 100 million individuals already indexed. Spock combs social networking sites for public information and then ties the...
Four in 10 US Kids Can Balance Books
Washington Post
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Aug 8, 2007 9:12 PM CDT
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A new national test reveals that four in 10 U.S. high school students can grasp economic concepts like tariffs, banking and investment—a result that one expert says is “not discouraging.” Results showed that three in five students can point to factors that increase national debt while 11% know how shifts in the unemployment rate impact...
Sacre Bleu! Harry Potter Translator Pinched
Associated Press
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Aug 8, 2007 8:53 PM CDT
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A French boy suspected of posting a translation of the latest Harry Potter novel was arrested Monday, the AP reported today. The 16-year-old didn't appear to have financial gain in mind, a prosecutor said—with the French version not due until October, "he just wanted to get the book online."
Gov. Blames Poor Drainage for NYC Mess
New York Times
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Aug 8, 2007 8:50 PM CDT
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An inadequate drainage system and little advance warning left New York City transit vulnerable to this morning's powerful storm, Gov. Eliot Spitzer said. The New York Times reports that today's transit meltdown, which disabled or delayed every city subway line and snarled the morning commute, was the third such debilitating event in seven months.
Gay Support Turns Off Swing Voters
Politico
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Aug 8, 2007 7:15 PM CDT
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The backing of gay rights groups could turn swing-state voters against a candidate, new polls show. Politico reports that Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania voters, by a large margin, consider the support of such groups reason to vote against rather than for a candidate; no one since JFK has been elected president without winning two of those states.
Stranded by War, Forest Yields Treasures
Reuters
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Aug 8, 2007 6:53 PM CDT
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Scientists have discovered six animal species in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, an area closed to scientists for nearly 50 years. The region is rich in biodiversity, Reuters reports, and beyond the bat, rodents, frogs, and shrews found on a brief trip this past winter, the Wildlife Conservation Society may also have discovered...
Judge May Have Sued His Own Pants Off
Washington Post
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Aug 8, 2007 6:42 PM CDT
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Roy Pearson, the DC judge who sued his dry cleaners for $54 million after they lost his pants, may need to start tailoring his resume. A city commission informed Pearson yesterday that his reappointment is in jeopardy, reports the Washington Post. Though the pants trial made Pearson a national laughingstock, it's only one of many questions about...
Generics Curb Rise in Drug Costs
New York Times
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Aug 8, 2007 6:37 PM CDT
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Scores of prescription drugs are getting cheaper, as name-brand patents expire and open the door to generic imitators. That's bad news for pharmaceutical companies, the Times reports, but it means that an aging population ever more reliant on drugs will be paying as much as 80 percent less for them.
A Fool and His Money ... You Know
Consumerist
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Aug 8, 2007 6:22 PM CDT
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Too much money? Here's some much-needed advice from the Consumerist: Make shopping your hobby. Don't budget. Buy your friends gifts you can't afford Grocery shop hungry, don't bring a list, and buy everything you sample. Use the ATM at the gas station.
Inspectors Highlighted Bridge Faults
Minneapolis Star Tribune
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Aug 8, 2007 6:17 PM CDT
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The I-35W bridge collapse followed 10 years' worth of warnings from bridge inspectors, who eventually recommended that the structure be replaced, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. Experts disagree on the urgency with which the warnings were issued and should have been addressed, and Gov. Tim Pawlenty said yesterday that no experts indicated the...
Why Small Government Has Collapsed
American Prospect
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Aug 8, 2007 6:08 PM CDT
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Democrats have never been so well positioned to sell big-government liberalism—as the other side looks pathetically out of step with Americans’ desires to expand health care and bolster infrastructure, says the American Prospect ’s Paul Waldman. After the Minnesota bridge collapse, the public is ready for the party that says “we’re...
Judge Declines to Dismiss Vista Lawsuit
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
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Aug 8, 2007 6:00 PM CDT
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A federal judge has denied Microsoft's motion to dismiss a lawsuit alleging its "Vista Capable" campaign misled consumers, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports. Although PCs bearing "Vista Capable" stickers run the new OS, many can handle only the bare-bones Vista Home Basic system, which lacks highly touted features included...
NY Storm Delays New Airline's First Flight
Reuters
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Aug 8, 2007 5:37 PM CDT
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Highlighting the difficulties of the US domestic market, inclement weather delayed today's first flight of Virgin America, the airline backed by impish British billionaire Richard Branson. The airline, which aims to provide first-class amenities at budget-friendly fares, operates from its San Francisco hub to Los Angeles and New York's JFK airport,...
US Kills 30 in Baghdad
BBC
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Aug 8, 2007 5:21 PM CDT
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The US killed 30 militants and detained another dozen in an overnight air strike on a military stronghold in a Shiite district of Baghdad. Witnesses counted women and children among the slain, though the US claims all 30 were insurgents linked to radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.
Which Came First: Quake or Collapse?
Los Angeles Times
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Aug 8, 2007 5:19 PM CDT
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A cave-in method of coal extraction called “retreat mining,” recently okayed by regulators for Crandall Canyon, was more likely to have caused the Utah mine disaster than an earthquake, seismographers tell the Los Angeles Times . And they say the massive tremor was consistent with the type “induced by underground coal mining.”...
CIA Superspy Unmasks After 3 Decades
Associated Press
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Aug 8, 2007 5:09 PM CDT
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As he prepares for retirement, the CIA's chief spymaster has elected to reveal his true identity, the AP reports. Jose Rodriguez spent more than 30 years undercover, much of the time in Latin America; the Puerto Rico native has headed the agency's clandestine service since 2004. An agency spokesman says Rodriguez's cover was lifted a month ago.
UK Inspects 3rd Foot and Mouth Case
Reuters
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Aug 8, 2007 4:47 PM CDT
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A third suspected case of foot and mouth disease has been located in southern England, health officials said, as the EU lifted a ban on slaughtering animals but kept up the prohibition on exporting animal products. Meanwhile, the Guardian reports that British veterinary investigators pinpointed two research labs they say have a “strong probability”...
Techs Surge Despite Late Drop
Wall Street Journal
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Aug 8, 2007 4:46 PM CDT
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The major indexes were up again today, buoyed by the tech sector as the Nasdaq gained 51.38—more than 2%—to close at 2612.98. Losses just before the bell came close to erasing earlier gains, as rumors amplified that Goldman Sachs would liquidate a major fund and that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac wouldn’t get regulatory permission to...
Does Armani Make a Football Helmet?
USA Today
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Aug 8, 2007 4:22 PM CDT
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On a best-dressed list, one might expect a few actors—but world leaders, a presidential hopeful, and couple of journalists, all trailing a guy who often works in sweatpants? Esquire , you've officially blown our minds. The top 10: Tom Brady Jay-Z Daniel Craig Barack Obama André Balazs
Earthquake Rattles Indonesia
BBC
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Aug 8, 2007 4:04 PM CDT
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A massive undersea earthquake off the Indonesian coast rocked the capital of Jakarta today. Though no casualties have been reported, the quake hit 7.5, shaking the city's tall buildings and leaving its inhabitants in shock. But the earthquake occurred 180 miles under ground, nixing the possibility of a tsunami on the scale of 2004's disaster.
DNA From Café Does Not Match Missing Maddy
Guardian (UK)
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Aug 8, 2007 3:42 PM CDT
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DNA taken from a bottle found at a Belgian café is not missing British 4-year-old Madeleine McCann's, say local police. Tests were ordered after a child therapist said she was "100% sure" she saw the girl sitting with an English-speaking woman and a Dutch man in his 40s whose "behaviour was not that of normal parents," reports...
Bush Gets a Line on Bonds
Chicago Tribune
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Aug 8, 2007 3:14 PM CDT
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Barry Bonds took 21 years to set the career home run record, so the half-day delay in President Bush's congratulatory phone call probably seems like the blink of an eye. The call went out from the White House this afternoon, the Chicago Tribune reports, and Tony Snow attributed the delay to conflicting sleep schedules.
Records Reveal Hitler Fan of 'Sub Human' Musicians
Guardian (UK)
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Aug 8, 2007 2:44 PM CDT
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Adolf Hitler’s recently discovered personal record collection reveals the fuhrer listened to music produced by Russians and Jews that he had publicly reviled as "sub-human," the Guardian reports. The fascinating collection of 100 gramaphone records surfaced after the death of a former Soviet officer who had kept it hidden in...
Diet Foods May Help Make Kids Fat
BBC
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Aug 8, 2007 2:30 PM CDT
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Feeding children diet food may actually help make them fat, the BBC reports. Young rats who had been given low-calorie versions of ordinarily high-calorie food begin to gain weight when they were switched to regular fare, a new study found. Rather than stop eating when they reached a certain calorie level, they continued to consume at the same level...
Musharraf Bails on Karzai Meeting
Associated Press
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Aug 8, 2007 2:16 PM CDT
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Pervez Musharraf has backed out of meetings with his Afghan counterpart in an abrupt snub that initially shocked Washington. Musharraf told Hamid Karzai he has other “engagements" at home in Pakistan and can't attend the meeting of tribal leaders intended to discuss military violence. The US is looking into the announcement, but says it's...
All Systems Go for Teacher
Orlando Sentinel
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Aug 8, 2007 1:48 PM CDT
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Countdown is continuing in Florida toward blastoff for the space shuttle Endeavour, the Orlando Sentinel reports, with an 80% chance of favorable conditions at tonight's scheduled launch time of 6:36pm Eastern. Teacher-turned-astronaut Barbara Morgan, a backup to the educator killed in the 1986 Challenger disaster, has brought national attention...
Lohan Hopes Third Time's a Charm in Rehab
The Insider
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Aug 8, 2007 1:35 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Lindsay Lohan checked into a luxe Utah rehab facility over the weekend, the Insider reports, on the heels of an arrest for drunk driving and drug possession. Boasting a battery of therapies and a price tag of at least $30K, the Cirque Lodge is rumored to have hosted celebs David Hasselhoff and Mary-Kate Olsen.
German Leaders Reject Scientology Ban
Der Spiegel
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Aug 8, 2007 1:30 PM CDT
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German leaders say they won't press for a ban on Scientology—not because they're against it, but because they don't think it would succeed. The German government officially considers the organization a cult, Der Spiegel reports, but politicians from both major parties say that they probably don't have enough evidence to take their case to court.
US Nears Deal to Fight Mexican Drug Cartels
Washington Post
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Aug 8, 2007 1:15 PM CDT
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The Bush administration will send hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to Mexico to combat drug cartels in a deal that's on the verge of approval, the Washington Post reports. The package, which would include equipment and training for anti-drug teams, represents a new level of cooperation. "The days of the finger-pointing are over,"...
Beijing Smog May Postpone Olympic Events
BBC
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Aug 8, 2007 12:53 PM CDT
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The air pollution in Beijing is so bad that some 2008 Olympic events may have to be postponed. IOC president Jacques Rogge is worried about participants in endurance events like cycling because air quality remains dismal despite government efforts, such as shutting down factories, to improve it. Construction for the Games has actually made the problem...
US Blames Iran for Bomb Toll
New York Times
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Aug 8, 2007 12:31 PM CDT
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A sophisticated bomb that the US military has tracked to Iran was used in a record number of attacks on American-led troops last month, the New York Times reports. The bombs—called explosively formed penetrators—fire a semi-molten copper slug that can break through the armor of a Humvee. They were responsible for 99 strikes...
Google Maps Turns Cameras on Hollywood
Los Angeles Times
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Aug 8, 2007 12:11 PM CDT
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Google has added street-level views of Los Angeles and other cities to its popular mapping service, the Los Angeles Times reports, raising a chorus of privacy concerns that echoes objections to the feature elsewhere. Though a useful navigation tool, Street View "is a visual reminder of how our private spaces are really shrinking," one privacy...
Flying Monkey Travels Coach
BBC
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Aug 8, 2007 11:51 AM CDT
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A man smuggled a monkey onto a Spirit Airlines flight from Ft. Lauderdale to LaGuardia yesterday by hiding it under his hat. Fellow passengers caught on when the small primate—a baby marmoset the size of a fist—came out and hung on the man's ponytail. The monkey-smuggler, whose flight originated in Lima, Peru, is being questioned at La...
Flooding Halts NYC Mass Transit
New York Times
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Aug 8, 2007 11:01 AM CDT
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New York City public transportation ground to a standstill early this morning after violent thunderstorms tore up trees, damaged cars, and flooded underground train tracks, halting or delaying every single subway line, reports the New York Times . Flights at all three major airports in the metropolitan area were pushed back or canceled.
Pack Your Bags and Shout 'Aieee!'
Discovery News
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Aug 8, 2007 10:54 AM CDT
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Do you like scary movies? Then you may enjoy the real thing even more. The Discovery Channel finds 10 spots guaranteed to send your shorts to the dry cleaners. Lizzy Borden Bed-and-Breakfast, Fall River, Mass. Winchester Mystery House, San Jose, Calif. Roswell, NM Salem, Mass. New Orleans
Exit Scrambles Fidelity Succession Picture
Wall Street Journal
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Aug 8, 2007 10:33 AM CDT
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A top Fidelity Investments exec has resigned her post, reigniting speculation about the closely held firm's line of succession, reports the Wall Street Journal . Ellyn McColgan, 53, who was president of a division of the largest American mutual-fund company, was seen as a front-runner in the race to succeed 77-year-old Ned Johnson.
