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.
Houston, We Have a (Potty) Problem
New York Times
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May 27, 2008 7:36 PM CDT
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The three-member crew aboard the International Space Station has a delicate problem—the toilet's on the fritz. The station's liquid-waste collector—a tricky system involving fans and the lack of gravity—is kaput, the New York Times reports. (The solid-waste collector still works.) Astronauts are working on a backup system and may...
What It Takes to Become a C-H-A-M-P-I-O-N
USA Today
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May 27, 2008 7:05 PM CDT
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Prevailing in the Scripps National Spelling Bee isn't easy, say former contestants and winners, but it can change your life. "To be a champion, I think it takes a certain tenaciousness and a will to succeed, and that will pretty much take you far in anything," 1973 winner and MIT grad Barrie Trinkle tells USA Today . This year's bee is under...
Obama, McCain Mix It Up on Nuclear Policy
Chicago Tribune
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May 27, 2008 6:43 PM CDT
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John McCain called for a new nuclear arms pact with Russia and said the US should show more "broad-minded internationalism" to reduce weapons around the world. McCain seemed to distance himself from President Bush's policies, and he took a veiled swipe at Barack Obama for the notion that sitting down with "hostile governments" is...
Childhood Obesity Rate Levels Off
Washington Post
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May 27, 2008 6:09 PM CDT
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The rate of childhood obesity appears to have peaked, providing the first "glimmer of hope" on the problem in decades, federal researchers say. About 15% of kids ages 2 to 19 are obese, a slight decrease from the percentage in 1999, the Washington Post reports. It's the first time since the 1980s that the percentage has not gone up, though...
New Weezer Video Rules, Borrows From YouTube
Wall Street Journal
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May 27, 2008 6:05 PM CDT
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In less than a week, Weezer's video for the new single "Pork and Beans" has attracted more than 3 million viewers to YouTube—partly by featuring nearly that many existing YouTube sensations. Miss Teen South Carolina, aka Caitlin "the Iraq" Upton, appears, happily lip-syncing the catchy ditty, as does the star of the "Leave...
Powder Could Help Wounded Regrow Limbs
CNN
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May 27, 2008 5:40 PM CDT
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Powder sprinkled on the wounded hand of an Iraq veteran might help him regrow a lost finger, CNN reports. The new therapy, taking a cue from the regenerative abilities of salamanders, uses a powder made from pig tissue to trick the body into using stem cells to attract other cells—and eventually grow whole new body parts.
Supreme Court Backs Workers on Retaliation Suits
Los Angeles Times
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May 27, 2008 5:19 PM CDT
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The Supreme Court today issued two rulings fortifying workplace-discrimination law, finding that employees can sue over retaliation for bias complaints. In one case, an 1866 law was used to protect a black employee who alleged he was fired after complaining about a black colleague’s treatment—though he’d failed to meet procedure requirements...
Stress Disorder Surges Among US Troops
Reuters
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May 27, 2008 5:00 PM CDT
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Post-traumatic stress disorder is surging among US troops sent to Iraq and Afghanistan. New cases rose by more than 46% to nearly 14,000 in 2007, reports Reuters. In the last five years, about 40,000 cases have been diagnosed, most of them in the Army.
Burma Relief Effort Belies Need
Times (UK)
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May 27, 2008 4:48 PM CDT
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Burma's junta would have one believe it's got the situation under control in the wake of Cyclone Nargis, and even has a test-case diorama as evidence for foreign envoys, the Times of London reports. Sinkan refugee camp hosts 180 well-fed, healthy inhabitants in clean blue tents—while 10 minutes down the road, destitution, sickness and homelessness...
German Telecom Spying Ignites Privacy Uproar
New York Times
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May 27, 2008 4:35 PM CDT
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German phone giant Deutsche Telekom has ignited a privacy firestorm by admitting it tracked board members’ phone calls to root out the source of embarrassing press leaks. The dominant national fixed-line provider revealed “severe and far-reaching” misuse of private information, generating anger in a country sensitive to civil liberties...
McCain Can't Afford, Literally, to Ignore Bush
Bloomberg
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May 27, 2008 4:22 PM CDT
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Though he may be “absolutely radioactive” for Republican candidates (in the words of one GOP legislator), Bloomberg reports, President Bush is no easy hurdle for John McCain, who must build distance with the historically unpopular incumbent while using him to raise money and build conservative bona fides. Hence tonight's fundraiser in Phoenix,...
Networks Will Partner For Cancer Telethon
New York Times
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May 27, 2008 4:10 PM CDT
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ABC, CBS and NBC have decided to work together to fight cancer, the New York Times reports. Each network's lead news anchor will appear on a Sept. 5 telethon broadcast on all three channels simultaneously. The principles—CBS's Katie Couric, NBC's Brian Williams and ABC's Charlie Gibson—have all lost immediate relatives to cancer.
Digital Switch May KO Ratings
New York Times
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May 27, 2008 3:58 PM CDT
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Almost 25 million US homes own at least one set that will go dark when broadcast TV switches to digital next year—which could wreak havoc on ratings, the New York Times reports. Roughly 17% of network prime-time viewers are using unprepared TVs, according to Nielsen. Secondary TVs, like those in bedrooms or kitchens, were especially vulnerable,...
Pollack's 'Films Always Felt Like Best Pictures'
Washington Post
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May 27, 2008 3:45 PM CDT
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Sydney Pollack was a throwback, Desson Thomson writes in the Washington Post . He liked to say he didn’t have a style, and it was true—he "made movies in what seemed like every conceivable genre—thrillers, westerns, epics, actioners and comedies. But his formula was pretty much the same: Cast great actors as even greater characters."
Oil Plunges; Stocks Gain
Wall Street Journal
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May 27, 2008 3:31 PM CDT
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The markets pulled out modest gains today on plunging oil prices, despite housing price indices that showed the biggest drop in 20 years, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Dow ended up 68.72 at 12,548.35, the Nasdaq up 36.57 at 2,481.24, and the S&P 500 up 9.42 at 1,385.35.
More Advertisers Text to (Willing) Customers
Wall Street Journal
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May 27, 2008 3:27 PM CDT
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Text-message advertisements are catching on with marketers, largely because consumers actually ask to receive them—or at least to receive content that ads are attached to, the Wall Street Journal reports. Coors Light, for example, added marketing blurbs to text alerts requested by fans during last month's NFL draft, of which it was a sponsor.
Scientists Building Better Bug Spray
WebMD
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May 27, 2008 3:20 PM CDT
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Researchers have found bug repellents that keep mosquitoes from biting for up to 73 days, WebMD reports. Compounds found in pepper kept bugs away nearly three times as long as industry leader DEET, which manages just 17.5 days under the same conditions—though a normal human would sweat or wash away the spray in that length of time.
Chipmakers Get Graphic in 'Battle Royal' for Future
Wall Street Journal
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May 27, 2008 3:07 PM CDT
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Three Silicon Valley companies are jockeying to plot the future course for chips that create the most realistic computer graphics, the Wall Street Journal reports. "All of them agree that graphics are the field where the battle is going to be fought," one analyst says of Intel, Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices. "They're going down...
Cambridge Poetry Students Analyze This
Telegraph (UK)
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May 27, 2008 2:49 PM CDT
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Stodgy? Never! Cambridge University surprised its English students with an exam requesting literary analysis of Amy Winehouse lyrics last week. Students compared a poem by 16th century poet and ne’er-do-well adventurer Sir Walter Raleigh with Winehouse’s “Love is a Losing Game,” and songs by Bob Dylan and Billie Holiday, reported...
Docs Bringing Fritzl Daughter Out of Coma
Guardian (UK)
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May 27, 2008 2:22 PM CDT
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Doctors are attempting to bring Kerstin Fritzl—the girl Josef Fritzl fathered with his own daughter in an Austrian dungeon—out of an induced coma, the Guardian reports. Kerstin, 19, was admitted to hospital April 19 with multiple organ failure, and was sent into a coma to give her time to recover.
Bill Decries 'Cover-Up' By Dem Brass
CNN
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May 27, 2008 2:14 PM CDT
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Bill Clinton claimed this weekend that there is a conspiracy to bury polls showing Hillary to be the better Democratic general-election candidate against John McCain, adding, “I have never seen a candidate treated so disrespectfully just for running.” “Oh, this is so terrible," said the former president of conspirators' reaction...
$600M Windfall Aims to Boost Risky Research
Washington Post
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May 27, 2008 2:07 PM CDT
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American medical research got a big boost today, courtesy of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. The philanthropic body, one of the world’s largest, committed $600 million to fund the research of 56 scientists that it thinks can change the world. The institute hopes to back high-risk, high-reward research that normal grants wouldn’t touch,...
Energy Drinks Linked to Risk-Taking
New York Times
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May 27, 2008 1:59 PM CDT
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Beside nausea and stomach trouble, there’s a new reason to be concerned when you see your teen slamming four Red Bulls in an afternoon, the New York Times reports: risky behavior. A study in the Journal of American College Health links use of energy drinks with risky behavior such as violence, unprotected sex and binge drinking.
Sadr Cultivates Respect, Image to Reflect Power
Washington Post
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May 27, 2008 1:49 PM CDT
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Muqtada al-Sadr aims to shed his reputation as a dim-witted thug and become a respected Iraqi cleric like his father, the Washington Post reports, and has even spent the past year studying in Iran. Sadr, then nicknamed "Muqtada Atari" for his love of video games, was 25 when the 1999 assassination of his father left him head of Iraq's largest...
New Bond Hits Bookstores
AFP
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May 27, 2008 1:26 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A new James Bond novel will hit bookstores tomorrow, marking what would have been the 100th birthday of creator Ian Fleming, AFP reports. Details of the new thriller, Devil May Care , have been kept secret, but author Sebastian Faulks—given a license to write Bond books by the Fleming estate—says the new 007 novel "is in the spirit...
Soaring Fertilizer Prices Another Cog in Food Crisis
Wall Street Journal
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May 27, 2008 1:09 PM CDT
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Farmers worldwide are fuming over soaring fertilizer prices, the Wall Street Journal reports. Costs are 65% higher in the US than a year ago, making it difficult for farmers to boost production in response to an international food crisis. Meanwhile, fertilizer companies have reaped big profits from a cartel-based system that can leave them exempt...
China Aftershocks Level 420K Homes
BBC
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May 27, 2008 12:58 PM CDT
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More aftershocks rocked China today, destroying another 420,000 homes in battered Sichuan province, BBC reports. The aftershocks, including one that measured 5.7 magnitude, injured six people, although the majority of the homes were empty when the buildings were leveled. Eight people died when the same area was hit by an aftershock of similar magnitude...
It's Every Man for Himself in the Senate GOP
Politico
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May 27, 2008 12:49 PM CDT
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Skittish Senate Republicans are ignoring attempts at leadership from George Bush and John McCain and forging their own paths with an eye toward reelection. Twenty-five GOP senators defied would-be party leaders and crossed the aisle to vote for Jim Webb's new GI Bill, the Politico reports. "The Senate has already basically decided to disregard...
Apple Eyes Solar-Powered Gadgets
Forbes
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May 27, 2008 12:35 PM CDT
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Apple is seeking a different kind of moment in the sun, reports Forbes, as the behemoth has filed a patent that would integrate solar cells with its iPods and iPhones. The technology would boost the amount of area available for cells, paving the way for truly mobile gadgets free totally unplugged from the power grid.
Coffee, Tea Not Seen to Boost Breast Cancer Risk
Reuters
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May 27, 2008 12:27 PM CDT
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Coffee and tea don't elevate risk of breast cancer, researchers report after a 22-year study involving nearly 86,000 women. Those who drank four cups of coffee or tea—caffeinated or decaf—a day had the same incidence as those who drank a cup or less. "Coffee and tea are remarkably safe beverages when used in moderation," one scientist...
Obama Woos Key Western Swing States
Politico
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May 27, 2008 12:15 PM CDT
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Barack Obama is touring the Mountain West, Politico reports, territory advisers believe could be crucial in the general election. At stake are Colorado, New Mexico, and Nevada, states George Bush won by small margins in 2004—and in which the GOP has since lost popularity, especially on immigration and among Hispanics.
'Project Runway' Winner to Dress Whoopi for Tonys
E! Online
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May 27, 2008 12:00 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Flamboyant "Project Runway" winner Christian Siriano—he of the "bi-level fashion hawk" updo—describes himself as a "musical theater kid who loved costumes." For his next challenge he'll be right at home, then, designing Whoopi Goldberg's outfits when she hosts the Tony Awards next month in New York City, reports...
Obama's Campaign Manager Denies Being a Lobbyist
Newsweek
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May 27, 2008 11:47 AM CDT
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As John McCain struggles to purge his campaign staff of lobbyists, Barack Obama’s campaign manager is denying he fits the bill, too. "I've never lobbied anybody in my life," says David Axelrod, who is the senior partner at a consulting firm that has done what Newsweek calls "creative lobbying," in the form of ad campaigns...
Kimbo Slice: Where Rage Meets Honor
ESPN
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May 27, 2008 11:44 AM CDT
(Newser) -
ESPN takes the measure of Kimbo Slice, streetfighting YouTube star and soon-to-be network TV darling, when mixed martial arts makes its broadcast TV debut Friday."Kimbo combines Mike Tyson's mystique and Mr. T's personality," Dan le Batard writes of the man who hit it big when a video of one of his street brawls racked up 2 million hits on...
Wolves, Back From Brink, Are Targets Again
Salon
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May 27, 2008 11:22 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A success story is at risk of turning into a bloodbath as gray wolves, newly removed from the US endangered-species list, are no longer protected from being hunted outside national parks. A coalition of environmental groups is suing the Bush administration, claiming that the wolves still need protection in the northern Rockies due to low genetic diversity,...
Jodie Dumps 15-Year Partner for New Gal
Daily Mail (UK)
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May 27, 2008 11:11 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Jodie Foster has traded in Cydney Bernard—her slightly frumpy, older stay-at-home lesbian partner of 15 years—for a younger hotshot screenwriter, the Daily Mail reports. The 45-year-old Oscar-winner met Cynthia Mort two years ago on a movie set and their families became fast friends.
Things Not to Say on the Campaign Trail
Politico
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May 27, 2008 11:06 AM CDT
(Newser) -
In a year of gaffe-rich campaign speeches, Republicans in particular are worried that some errant phrase will seem racist or sexist to general-election voters. Politico helpfully catalogs the mines the candidates have already stepped on. Some phrases to avoid: “Sweetie”: Barack Obama used the endearment to address a female reporter....
Stone Sees 'Karma' in China Quake
People
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May 27, 2008 10:53 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Sharon Stone might consider leaving international politics and the mysteries of the universe alone. The outspoken activist actress raised eyebrows on a Cannes red carpet last week when, during an on-air interview, she suggested that the Chinese earthquake that is believed to have killed 67,000 might have resulted from "karma" in Tibet, People...
For Sale: Stadium Seating, Lightly Used
Guardian (UK)
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May 27, 2008 10:45 AM CDT
(Newser) -
If Chicago wins its bid to host the 2016 Olympic Games, it might follow more closely in London 2012's footsteps than expected. The cities have begun discussing the possible sale of large parts of London's new stadium to Chicago, the Guardian reports. The deal could result in 55,000 seats crossing the Atlantic for reuse in a new Windy City arena.
(MS)NBC Generates, Draws Heat
Associated Press
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May 27, 2008 10:40 AM CDT
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MSNBC's recent success is a thorn in the side of its competitors, the politicians who accuse the network of bias, and an unlikely third party—NBC News. The cable network's opinionated anchors and the broadcast sibling's more traditional approach are increasingly entangled, the AP reports, and critics don't share the NBC News president's confidence...
Ditching TV Ads Helps Put Gap Back on Track
Advertising Age
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May 27, 2008 10:27 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The Gap's balance sheet is back in the black, helped along by its decision to stop spending on TV ads, Advertising Age reports. The clothing retailer slashed marketing spending by nearly a fifth in the first quarter and saw profits leap 40%, even as sales slumped. The Gap has switched its focus to merchandising initiatives instead.
Brangelina Drop $60M on French Nest
E! Online
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May 27, 2008 10:00 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Whoa, baby. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have found plenty of space for their burgeoning brood now that they've plunked down a cool $60 million for a 35-bedroom chateau in southern France with 1,000 acres, an indoor and outdoor pool, 29 fountains, a vineyard, a lake, and ponies. They'll hunker down in the new digs with their four young kids at least...
Big Quakes Beget More Shakes Worldwide
LiveScience
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May 27, 2008 9:45 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Massive earthquakes like this month's in China's Sichuan province can quite literally make waves on the other side of the Earth, a new seismology study finds. The surface tremors resulting from events like Indonesia's tsunami-triggering quake in 2004 lead to increased seismic activity around the globe—from two to five times the average, LiveScience...
Truck Protest Freezes London
Telegraph (UK)
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May 27, 2008 9:24 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Truck drivers came from miles around to protest high fuel prices in London today, the Daily Telegraph reports. Lining along specially-closed sections of highway, the drivers blared horns and waved signs, demanding a reduction in the government’s diesel tax. “I think soon the public will actually join us,” said one hauler. “The...
Antipsychotic Drugs Triple Health Risks in Elderly
Reuters
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May 27, 2008 8:53 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Elderly dementia patients given antipsychotic drugs, even briefly, are three times as likely to end up hospitalized or dead within a month, new research has found. The study looked at 40,000 elderly Canadians, half of them in nursing homes, and found that the drugs increased the risk of heart problems, pneumonia, and falls, Reuters reports.
Peru Lawmaker Under Fire in Dog Shooting
BBC
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May 27, 2008 8:45 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A Peruvian lawmaker is under investigation after a neighbor complained that the politician shot and killed her dog for bothering ducks. He's "a madman who takes pot-shots from his house every time he's upset,” said the neighbor, who lost her giant schnauzer. The member of Parliament, Miro Ruiz, has denied the charge, but a cabinet minister...
Meet Obama's Shadow
New York Times
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May 27, 2008 8:34 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Reggie Love is rarely more than a body length away from Barack Obama, but the ever-present aide isn’t a body guard or a strategist—heck, the 26-year-old doesn’t even have a job description. “It was just like, ‘You just go out there and… Take. Care. Of. Stuff,’” Love tells the New York Times. Love is...
Burma Junta: No Freedom for Opposition Leader
Guardian (UK)
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May 27, 2008 8:13 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The Nobel Prize-winning leader of the Burmese opposition will spend another year under house arrest, the country's military government announced today. Hopes that international pressure, along with the national crisis in the wake of Cyclone Nargis, might lead the junta to release Aung San Suu Kyi were dashed by a 10-minute official visit to her Rangoon...
McCain: Obama Should Tour Iraq
Associated Press
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May 27, 2008 7:50 AM CDT
(Newser) -
John McCain hammered at Barack Obama's Iraq credentials yesterday, knocking the Democrat in an AP interview for not having set foot in the country since 2006—and proposing a joint trip so that he could "educate Senator Obama." Obama hasn't witnessed firsthand the benefits of the troop surge, McCain noted, and “has no experience...
Foreclosure Sales Rebound as Buyers Snap Up Deals
Wall Street Journal
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May 27, 2008 7:31 AM CDT
(Newser) -
April generally was not a great month for home sales, the Wall Street Journal reports—except in the areas hardest hit by the subprime crisis as lenders slash prices on foreclosed homes and buyers snap them up. Subprime-riddled Detroit, for example, has seen home sales rise 48% in the past four months over last year; but prices have dropped...
