Newser Story Index from May, 2008
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.
Hamilton Beats Drugs, Odds in Comeback
Sports Illustrated
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May 29, 2008 10:15 AM CDT
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Josh Hamilton can appreciate the high he's riding now, because his personal lows have been pretty rough. The first pick of baseball's 1999 draft was booted in 2004 for failing drug tests after picking up a cocaine habit. But now the Rangers outfielder has traded a bottle of Crown Royal a day for a swing at the triple crown, Sports Illustrated reports.
Air Force Pulls Misleading Ad
Military Times
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May 29, 2008 10:09 AM CDT
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An Air Force commercial that shows a US communications satellite exploding and implies a single missile could knock out cell phones, GPS navigation, banking transactions, and TV broadcasts has been pulled for being misleading, the Military Times reports. The ad, part of the Air Force’s “Above All” campaign will get a new story line...
CNN Reporter: Corp. Execs Pushed Media to Play Up War
Salon
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May 29, 2008 9:58 AM CDT
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CNN reporter Jessica Yellin charged on-air last night that “the press corps was under enormous pressure from corporate executives” to present the Iraq war consistently “with the patriotic fever in the nation and the president's high approval ratings.” Responding to Scott McClellan’s complaint that reporters were too “deferential,”...
Naomi Charged in Cop Assault
Daily Mail (UK)
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May 29, 2008 9:52 AM CDT
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Surly supermodel Naomi Campbell was officially charged today with assaulting a police officer, reports the Daily Mail, dating back to an April incident at Heathrow Airport in which she was hauled screaming and spitting from a British Airways jet after a dispute over baggage. The cantankerous catwalker—also slapped with disorderly conduct and...
Amazon to Launch On-Demand Video Streaming
Reuters
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May 29, 2008 9:41 AM CDT
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Amazon plans to open the sluices for pay-per-view video streaming within weeks, Reuters reports. The Internet retail giant already rents videos for download via the Web but is enhancing its digital media service to better compete with rivals like Apple and Netflix. Amazon boss Jeff Bezos told a conference yesterday the service will be "a new version...
Rove: Obama's Stretching Truth
Wall Street Journal
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May 29, 2008 9:34 AM CDT
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Barack Obama is a man who "instinctively resorts to parsing, evasions, and misdirection" writes Karl Rove in the Wall Street Journal. Take the Rev. Jeremiah Wright episode—in 62 days, Obama offered eight different characterizations of the controversial preacher ranging from "an old uncle" to someone who "denigrate[s]...
Ballooning Gas Costs Fuel Mass Protests in Europe
Time
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May 29, 2008 9:29 AM CDT
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Skyrocketing fuel prices are hitting Americans hard, but drivers across the Atlantic are shelling out twice as much, Time reports. Europeans pay an average of $8.70 for a gallon of gas, and the hefty price hikes this year are leading to protests that threaten to shut down cities, ports, and whole sectors of the economy. Oil terminals have been blockaded...
McClellan: I Believed Bush
Politico
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May 29, 2008 9:16 AM CDT
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Affection and loyalty blinded Scott McClellan in the run-up to the Iraq war, but now the former press secretary has found a higher allegiance—“a loyalty to the truth.” McClellan, whose book is causing a media storm for alleging President Bush ran a “propaganda” campaign about the war, defended his work this morning on...
Dead Calif. Family Was All Clad in Black
ABC News
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May 29, 2008 8:58 AM CDT
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The mysterious Turkish-American family with three generations of members found dead in their tony San Clemente home last week were all dressed in black, ABC reports. The 21-year-old twin daughters lay side-by-side on a bed. Their parents, a retired professor and his wife, along with her elderly mother were also dead in the bedroom. Handguns were found...
'NewlyWentz' Already Expecting
People
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May 29, 2008 8:48 AM CDT
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Newlyweds Pete and Ashlee (Simpson) Wentz have put an end to months of speculation and confirmed that they're definitely going be new parents before the year is out, reports People. The Fall Out Boy singer and his bride—who is legally changing her name to Wentz—announced their happy news on the groom's website following their Caribbean...
Eleventh-Hour Witness Holds Up R. Kelly Trial
Chicago Tribune
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May 29, 2008 8:22 AM CDT
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The R. Kelly trial will resume today, after the defense called a 24-hour halt so it could interview a surprise new witness. The defense said yesterday that someone called them, promising to undermine the prosecution’s key witness, who is expected to testify that she had a threesome with Kelly and the girl in the video. The prosecution will call...
Big Brown Back on Track
ESPN
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May 29, 2008 7:55 AM CDT
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Triple Crown hopeful Big Brown looked to be on the mend from his foot injury yesterday, making his longest practice run yet at the Belmont track. The Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner galloped 1 1/8 mile under the careful supervision of an exercise rider, ESPN reports. A crack in his left front hoof had trainers holding him back since Friday.
Jeffs Photos Used to Bolster Custody Case
Salt Lake Tribune
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May 29, 2008 7:41 AM CDT
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It was an obvious stunt by Texas child services: entering photos of Warren Jeffs kissing two "child brides" in a custody hearing for a newborn. Reeling from an appeals court ruling that they failed to show that 450 children were at risk, officials wanted to hype the "pervasive" abuse at Yearning for Zion. No surprise. The surprise,...
Pinched Oxford Wants $2.5B
Christian Science Monitor
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May 29, 2008 7:08 AM CDT
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Prestigious Oxford University is pleading poverty and has begun a campaign to raise funds to make it competitive with Harvard, Yale, and Princeton for academic talent, reports the Christian Science Monitor. The university—actually a collection of individual colleges—aims to raise $2.5 billion, but even that is chump change compared to...
Burma Rips 'Chocolate Bar' Aid; US Ships Threaten to Sail
Reuters
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May 29, 2008 6:50 AM CDT
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Burma's military junta ripped international cyclone relief efforts today, slamming demands for access to the disaster zone and proclaiming "The people from Irrawaddy can survive without chocolate bars donated by foreign countries," Reuters reports. The slam comes a day after a US admiral threatened to yank warships from the region if the...
London Mayor Bans Subway Boozing
USA Today
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May 29, 2008 6:40 AM CDT
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One of the first acts of the newly elected mayor of London was to ban drinking alcohol on London's Tube subway system and buses , USA Today reports. The ban, which was a campaign pledge by Boris Johnson, will take effect Sunday. Public drinking has been commonplace in Britain for decades.
AA Should Bag Boneheaded Luggage Fee
Portfolio
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May 29, 2008 6:28 AM CDT
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American Airlines’ plan to charge passengers $15 to check a bag is likely to cost the carrier more money than it generates, Joe Brancatelli argues in Portfolio . “Not only will it infuriate flyers—who are already annoyed with American’s lousy operating efficiency and its recent maintenance snafus—it’s likely to...
New York State to Recognize Gay Marriages
New York Times
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May 29, 2008 5:56 AM CDT
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New York's governor has directed all state agencies to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states and countries, the New York Times reports. Terms like "spouse," "husband," and "wife" will now legally apply to same-sex partners in state regulations concerning everything from income tax filings to fishing...
Stone 'So Sorry' About Quake Karma Crack
Associated Press
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May 29, 2008 5:30 AM CDT
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Sharon Stone has apologized for remarks suggesting bad "karma" for China's treatment of Tibet could have caused the Sichuan earthquake, AP reports. The apology came in a statement released through fashion company Christian Dior, which has dropped Stone from its Chinese ads. Stone's remarks caused widespread fury in China, with the state-controlled...
Greens Blast Arctic 'Carve Up'
Guardian (UK)
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May 29, 2008 4:49 AM CDT
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Environmentalists are slamming an agreement reached at a closed-door meeting among nations with Arctic claims as a resource free-for-all, the Guardian reports. Ministers from the US, Canada, Russia, Denmark, and Norway insist they simply agreed to abide by the law of the sea—but green groups charge that the nations are arranging who'll get...
Obama Weighs McCain-Free Trip to Iraq
New York Times
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May 29, 2008 4:20 AM CDT
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Barack Obama is considering visiting Iraq after clinching the Democratic nomination, the New York Times reports. The candidate, slammed by John McCain for not having traveled to Iraq since 2006, has turned down the offer of a joint visit with McCain, referring to such a trip as a "stunt." He told reporters that his campaign is considering...
JK Rowling Pens Potter Prequel
Telegraph (UK)
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May 29, 2008 3:49 AM CDT
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Harry Potter fans mourned when JK Rowling ended the enormously popular schoolboy wizard saga with the seventh and final book last year. But now she has written a surprise short prequel likely to trigger a bidding frenzy. Rowling has donated an 800-word handwritten manuscript to the British bookseller Waterstone's to be auctioned for charity.
Man Sues Delta for Ruined Vacation
Reuters
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May 29, 2008 3:19 AM CDT
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A furious lawyer is suing Delta airlines for $1 million for turning a dream trip to Argentina for his mother's 80th birthday into a nightmare, Reuters reports. "Obnoxious and incompetent" airline staff refused to allow the man and his family onto a connecting flight from Atlanta, so it took them three days to get to Buenos Aires and another...
Damn Straight! Leaning Tower Stabilized
Times (UK)
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May 29, 2008 3:06 AM CDT
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Italian engineers have stabilized the leaning Tower of Pisa, safeguarding it from toppling over for at least another 300 years, the Times of London reports. The famously off-kilter tower began tilting shortly after construction started in 1173, and was in danger of falling. Engineers didn't try to straighten it completely, as Benito Mussolini once...
Rockefellers' Green Revolt Fails at Exxon
Guardian (UK)
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May 29, 2008 2:47 AM CDT
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A shareholder revolt at Exxon Mobil by descendants of company founder John D. Rockefeller has failed to force management to split up the dual chairmanship and CEO roles of Rex Tillerson. The proposal to appoint an independent chairman in part to stimulate board debate about global warming garnered 40% of shareholder votes at the annual meeting in Dallas,...
Crosby Nets Two; Pens Take Game 3
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
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May 28, 2008 10:00 PM CDT
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Sid the Kid saved his team from the brink tonight. Teen phenom Sidney Crosby scored twice to lead the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 3-2 victory over Detroit in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals, the Post-Gazette reports. The Penguins finally found their offense after being shut out in the first two games. Now they hope to even the series when they host...
Anchors (Except for Katie) Just Don't Get It
Salon
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May 28, 2008 9:13 PM CDT
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Katie Couric thinks Scott McClellan has a point with his criticism of the media in the lead-up to the war, but Charlie Gibson and Brian Williams beg to differ—and that's a disgrace, writes Glenn Greenwald in Salon. During a get-together of network anchors, the "painfully empty-headed Gibson" and the "mindlessly establishment-defending"...
Boston Trains Collide; Young Operator Killed
Boston Globe
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May 28, 2008 8:46 PM CDT
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A commuter train slammed into the rear of another during rush hour near Boston today, killing the operator of one of the trains, the Boston Globe reports. The victim, a 24-year-old woman, had been on the job less than a year. The cause remains unclear, and one person is still hospitalized. The accident follows a derailment this morning in Chicago...
'Legal Weed' Beer Slogan Has Feds Hopping Mad
Los Angeles Times
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May 28, 2008 8:32 PM CDT
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The feds are cracking down on a small brewer in Weed, Calif., because they're very much unamused by the slogan on his bottle caps: "Try Legal Weed." A bureau of the Treasury Department says the phrase not only alludes to marijuana but misleads consumers about the ingredients of Weed Ales, reports the Los Angeles Times . The 61-year old brewer...
Study Sees Wal-Mart in India's Future
Economist
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May 28, 2008 8:10 PM CDT
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South Asia is still dominated by mom-and-pop grocery stores, but—as in the US about 70 years ago—the supermarket sector is expanding and will eventually overtake family-run shops, the Economist gleans from a new study. "Many people assume that Asia's shopping habits are peculiar to the region and uniquely resistant to change,"...
CEOs of United, US Airways Will Meet to Talk Merger
Wall Street Journal
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May 28, 2008 7:42 PM CDT
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The CEOs from United Airlines and US Airways will meet tomorrow to try to nudge ahead talks of a possible merger, the Wall Street Journal reports. If they make headway, the executives could present a possible deal to their respective boards in mid-June. The deal, in the works for two months but rumored to be in trouble recently, could easily fall...
New Food Blogs Take Devotion to a New Level
Wall Street Journal
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May 28, 2008 7:07 PM CDT
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Food blogs are usually simple things, fun and easy to create, writes Lee Gomes in the Wall Street Journal . And then there are the increasingly popular "cook-through" blogs, in which devoted chefs of all skill levels pick a book, say the French Laundry Cookbook or the Gourmet Cookbook , and make every single recipe.
Monkeys Move Robotic Arm With Brains
New York Times
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May 28, 2008 6:49 PM CDT
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Monkeys were able to control a prosthetic arm with their brains, a development that could someday give paralyzed people and amputees more mobility, the New York Times reports. Researchers put sensors in the monkeys' brains, then trained them to manipulate the robotic arm through their thoughts. It's the most promising breakthrough to date in so-called...
When Marriage Goes to Dogs, Where Do Dogs Go?
USA Today
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May 28, 2008 6:16 PM CDT
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Joint custody, visitation rights, continued care, and financial support—custody negotiations are no longer restricted to the kids, USA Today reports, as more ex-partners wrangle over the pooch. In a recent survey, 25% of divorce lawyers reported an increase in pet-custody issues, with 90% of those cases involving dogs. It’s a “very...
US Slams EU Over Tariffs on High Tech
Reuters
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May 28, 2008 6:09 PM CDT
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The US butted heads with the European Union today over import tariffs on more than $70 billion worth of computer screens and other technology products, Reuters reports. "The EU should be working with the United States to promote new technologies, not finding protectionist gimmicks to apply new duties to these products," said a trade representative.
US 'Learning as We Go' in Iraq, Says Bush
Washington Post
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May 28, 2008 5:59 PM CDT
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President Bush said today the US is "learning as we go" in trying to bring democracy to Iraq and urged Americans not to lose faith. Delivering the commencement address at the Air Force Academy, Bush likened today's campaign against Islamic extremism to the fight against fascism of last century, the Washington Post reports. He also noted...
Clinton Insiders Offer Post Mortem
New Republic
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May 28, 2008 5:42 PM CDT
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The New Republic asked (anonymous) Hillary Clinton camp insiders why their candidate isn’t booking her ticket to Denver: “I just don't think she was hungry enough for it …It wasn't really until the 10-in-a-row loss that she started doing stuff like Saturday Night Live and Jon Stewart.” “Devastating vulnerabilities...
Clooney's Back on the Market
In Touch
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May 28, 2008 5:21 PM CDT
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George Clooney and Sarah Larson are splitsville after a year of dating, inTouch reports today. "He just didn't want to be tied down," a friend of 29-year-old Larson said, claiming that Clooney, 47, has moved out of his Los Angeles home, and the former Las Vegas cocktail waitress packed up her things. The actor's rep gave People the standard...
Chinese Create Slang for New Technology
I.D. Magazine
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May 28, 2008 5:05 PM CDT
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New technology has kids in China generating their own modern lingo, I.D. Magazine reports. The millennia-old Mandarin language lacks terms for things like cell phones (which go as shou ji , or "hand machine") and USB (which goes as yo pan , a word created partly phonetically), forcing users to resort to slang. The new words are spread...
Save the Spurmo: Straight, Single Men Face Extinction
Times (UK)
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May 28, 2008 4:51 PM CDT
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Are you a straight, proud, unmarried man over 30? Then you're part of a dying breed, writes Tad Safran in the Times UK . Dubbed "Spurmos," these endangered bachelors drink in increasing isolation as friends succumb to marriage, wine racks and child-rearing. Having roamed in great herds in their 20s, Spurmos can find themselves hard up for...
Bill Could Cripple Minn. Governor in Mac Veepstakes
Wall Street Journal
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May 28, 2008 4:37 PM CDT
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A top Republican vice-presidential possible is in a fix, as his pending decision on state housing legislation could come back to hurt in the general election. Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty has a foreclosure-deferment bill sitting on his desk; he’s already voiced opposition to it, but vetoing it might make him look “insensitive to homeowners,”...
China-Taiwan Talks a Landmark
BBC
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May 28, 2008 4:23 PM CDT
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China's president met today with the leader of Taiwan's governing party, the BBC reports, in the highest-level talks between the two entities since the split in 1949. Wu Poh-hsiung is visiting China to discuss cooperation on transport and tourism, and pressed Hu Jintao for a greater global presence for the island; Hu expressed gratitude for Taiwan's...
Takeover Could Leave Anheuser A Bit Skunked
Wall Street Journal
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May 28, 2008 4:10 PM CDT
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Anheuser-Busch executives are surely examining the fate of Interbrew, the Belgian company swallowed in 2004 by InBev, the Brazilian juggernaut reportedly preparing to grab the iconic US brewer, the Wall Street Journal reports. InBev's locker-room, bottom-line-oriented corporate culture has quickly replaced beer-loving Belgians with Brazilian execs,...
Journos Pick at McClellan Portrayal
Time
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May 28, 2008 3:56 PM CDT
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Scott McClellan writes in his memoir that “the ‘liberal media’ didn't live up to its reputation” on Iraq. “If it had, the country would have been better served.” Some insider reactions: “You know you're a wussy press corps when the former White House Press Secretary says you were too easy on him,”...
New Zealand Says Sorry to Vietnam Vets
Reuters
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May 28, 2008 3:42 PM CDT
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The government of New Zealand expressed regret today over its unfair and harsh treatment of Vietnam veterans upon their return, Reuters reports. Prime Minister Helen Clark, who protested the war as a student in the 1970s, made the apology before parliament to the 37 killed and 187 wounded as a result New Zealand's mid-60s involvment with US forces...
Markets Up in Rollercoaster Day
Wall Street Journal
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May 28, 2008 3:34 PM CDT
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Stocks rose, fell, and rose again as mixed economic news pulled the market in opposite directions today, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Dow ended up 45.68, at 12,594.03. The Nasdaq climbed 5.46 to 2,486.70, and the S&P 500 rose 5.49 to 1,390.84.
Carpe Diem , Yes, But Avoid Stitches, Eh?
Guardian (UK)
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May 28, 2008 3:20 PM CDT
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It’s fun, it’s tradition—and it’s off-limits at one British institution. Cambridge's Anglia Ruskin University has asked graduates to refrain from the customary mortarboard-toss, arguing that it damages the hats and is dangerous beside, the Guardian reports, after a student needed stitches recently. Grads-to-be, perhaps predictably,...
Pushy Waiters Should Put a Cork in It
Slate
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May 28, 2008 3:08 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Barbaric waiters are storming the dinner table, "butting in and pouring wine without being asked" and expecting diners to hurry up and pony up to replace the drained bottle, laments Christopher Hitchens in Slate. Leaving punchlines and evenings in tatters, their unsolicited interruptions aren't just a sign of bad manners; they jack up the...
Preconditions or Not, Iran Doesn't Want to Talk to Us
Wall Street Journal
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May 28, 2008 2:42 PM CDT
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Barack Obama can berate President Bush for refusing to "sit down with" Iran, and John McCain can beat up Obama for proposing to do just that, but the fact is that every administration in the past 30 years has tried talking to Iran—without preconditions—and been rejected. Including Condoleezza Rice, who worked in the White House...
Germany Pledges Billions for Rainforest Protection
Der Spiegel
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May 28, 2008 2:33 PM CDT
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Germany will spend billions of euros protecting tropical rainforests in an effort to halt global warming. Chancellor Angela Merkel said today at the United Nations' biodiversity conference that Germany will increase its funding for the conservation of rainforests from $330 million to $1.1 billion in the next three years and an additional $785 million...
