Newser Story Index from June, 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.
Hef Had Family Foursome, Gay Tryst
New York Post
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Jun 23, 2008 11:00 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Hugh Hefner has signed off on a new biography that delves into the Playboy kingpin's sexual liberation, the New York Post reports. In "Mr. Playboy: Hugh Hefner and the American Dream," Steven Watts writes how the skin-mag magnate had a foursome with his first wife, his brother Keith and his sister-in-law, starred in a porno, and received...
Microsoft Without Bill Gates? His Final Week Begins
Newsweek
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Jun 23, 2008 10:41 AM CDT
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This will be Bill Gates’ last Monday at Microsoft, the company that the 52-year-old founded with business partner Paul Allen as a teenager. He’s retiring Friday from Microsoft’s day-to-day business and beginning full-time work with his $37.3 billion philanthropic organization, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He's been planning...
It's the End of the World as We Know It—and He Feels Fine
Washington Post
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Jun 23, 2008 10:26 AM CDT
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The soaring cost of travel is forcing a fundamental change in the identity of America, writes Bill McKibben in the Washington Post : "The frontier of endless mobility that we've known our entire lives is closing." And that's not necessarily a bad thing, because sprawl has "eroded our sense of community with grievous results."
Forget MySpace—Neighbors Should Work on Our Space
New York Times
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Jun 23, 2008 10:10 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Feeling a disquieting disconnect, author Peter Lovenheim recounts his attempt to weave a neighborhood—one sleepover at a time. Americans interact with their neighbors less than ever, Lovenheim writes in the New York Times ; by some estimates, the decline has been underway since 1950. So Lovenheim decided to get to know his neighbors by asking...
Obama Reintroduces Himself
Washington Post
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Jun 23, 2008 10:00 AM CDT
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Barack Obama is going back to basics as he launches his general election campaign, the Washington Post reports. The Democrat's first ad is a getting-to-know-you effort, recounting his biography and his values. “You can't presume that everybody was paying attention during the primary season,” explains one adviser—or, between the...
Aussie Man's Life Fetches $2M on eBay
West Australian
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Jun 23, 2008 9:45 AM CDT
(Newser) -
An Australia resident may rake in over $2 million after he put his life—including his house, job, and friends—for sale on eBay, the Western Australian reports. The deal, which the man says hatched when his wife left him, comes complete with a jet ski and motorcycle. The reserve price was some $475,000, but bidders have now offered over...
UN Takes Up Zimbabwe Action Today
Guardian (UK)
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Jun 23, 2008 9:29 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The UN Security Council today will address the struggle for power in Zimbabwe, one day after opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai dropped out of the presidential race because of violent intimidation, the Guardian reports. The US, Britain, and France hope to convince China and Russia to condemn Robert Mugabe's government. The EU, meanwhile, is...
Big Brown's Owner Scraps Steroids
New York Times
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Jun 23, 2008 9:11 AM CDT
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The owners of Big Brown say they will no longer give their horses steroids and called on others in the industry to do the same, the New York Times reports. The near Triple Crown winner drew scrutiny and some criticism when trainer Rick Dutrow admitted injecting the horse—legally—with steroids in the lead-up to the Kentucky Derby.
Study IDs Plaque Linked to Alzheimer's
Associated Press
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Jun 23, 2008 9:07 AM CDT
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Researchers have triggered Alzheimer's disease in rats by injecting them with a particular type of sticky plaque found in the brains of human dementia patients, AP reports. Only one of three different types of plaques found in elderly brains sparked the disease—compelling evidence that scientists may have narrowed down the cause of the devastating...
What's So Great About Home Ownership?
New York Times
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Jun 23, 2008 8:45 AM CDT
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“Owning a home lies at the heart of the American Dream,” George W. Bush once said, and US policy certainly seems to agree with him. Mortgage interest is tax deductible, and government-sponsored enterprises such as Fannie Mae provide cheap financing for home buyers. Why is that, asks Paul Krugman of the New York Times . Owning a home isn’t...
Rescuers May Bore Hole in Filipino Ferry
Associated Press
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Jun 23, 2008 8:25 AM CDT
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As strong waves keep rescue ships at bay, Philippine officials are weighing two plans for getting inside the massive ferry that capsized with more than 740 people aboard. They will likely either send divers from below or bore a hole in the ship’s hull, the AP reports. “We're not ruling out that somebody there is still alive,” said...
Lesbians Bear Brunt of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'
New York Times
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Jun 23, 2008 8:08 AM CDT
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Debates about gays in the military have focused on men, but new information reveals that lesbians have faced much greater "don't ask, don't tell" challenges. Although women make up only 15% of Army and Air Force personnel, nearly half of the soldiers and airmen discharged for open homosexuality were women. Both the military and gay rights...
'Genius' Carlin Broke Boundaries
Associated Press
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Jun 23, 2008 7:51 AM CDT
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George Carlin was an anti-establishment legend who constantly pushed the boundaries of free speech and comedy, writes Keith St. Clair for the AP. No doubt, his “Seven Words You Should Never Say on Television”—he was arrested for uttering them in 1972, and they eventually led to a Supreme Court ruling upholding the government's right...
Housing Slump Won't Ease Anytime Soon, Says Study
Reuters
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Jun 23, 2008 7:48 AM CDT
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Rising mortgage rates and a tenacious slump in sales and home values will continue to depress the worst housing market in decades, reports Reuters. Don't expect potential saviors—new home buyers—to make a dent any time soon, says a Harvard study. With mortgage rates at a 9-month high, credit tight, and foreclosures on the rise, they will...
In Internet Age, No Story Can Be Held
New York Times
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Jun 23, 2008 7:26 AM CDT
(Newser) -
When Tim Russert died on June 13, NBC News held off reporting his death until it had notified the broadcaster's family. But by the time Tom Brokaw announced the news, NBC had been scooped—by Wikipedia, which broke the story 40 minutes earlier. As the New York Times reports, the Internet is ending traditional media's ability to hold a story,...
Texas Kids Fed Pills in Forced 'Sex Shows'
Associated Press
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Jun 23, 2008 7:10 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Four children, the youngest just 5 years old, were fed powerful painkillers they knew as "silly pills" and forced to perform sex shows for crowds in a small Texas town, AP reports. Locals had believed the site of the shows was just a swinger’s club. Six adults have been charged in the case, including a parent of children involved; two...
'Star' Hillary Keeps Vow With Bronx Grad Speech
New York Daily News
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Jun 23, 2008 6:46 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Hillary Clinton was given a rock star's reception yesterday at her first public appearance in New York since surrendering the Democratic field to to Barack Obama. She presented the graduation address at Pelham Preparatory Academy in the Bronx, fulfilling a promise she made years ago to attend the commencement of a supporter's daughter.
Dudes! Surfers 'Beat' Photog Snapping McConaughey
Los Angeles Times
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Jun 23, 2008 6:28 AM CDT
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A paparazzo trying to take photos of actor Matthew McConaughey on a Malibu beach reported to police he was attacked by a mob of surfers, the Los Angeles Times reports. The surfers approached the man and other photographers, demanded they stop filming and taking pictures and threw the man’s video camera in the water, according to the photgrapher....
UK Tennis Officials Get Tough on Corruption
Independent (UK)
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Jun 23, 2008 6:13 AM CDT
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With Wimbledon set to start today, tennis officials are cracking down on corruption in light of probes into 45 recent matches, the Independent reports. Four of the matches are from last year’s Wimbledon men’s singles, and top international players are suspected of wrongdoing. Many players said they were aware of opponents being asked...
Mayor: No Proof of Teen Pregnancy Pact
Associated Press
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Jun 23, 2008 6:00 AM CDT
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The mayor of Gloucester says there’s no proof that teenage girls in the Massachusetts town made a pact to have babies together, the AP reports. The principal of Gloucester High School, where a bizarre spate of 17 girls got pregnant this year, was quoted in Time saying the girls had conspired to conceive. But the principal can’t remember...
Ties to Corn Industry Shape Obama's Policy
New York Times
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Jun 23, 2008 5:41 AM CDT
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Barack Obama trumpets corn-derived ethanol as an alternative energy source and has endorsed tariffs that benefit the industry. But the Times reports that many in the Obama campaign, from Tom Daschle to the candidate's top environmental adviser, have close ties to the corn industry—a kernel of the surprise victory in Iowa.
'I'm Left of Nic,' Carla Confesses
Telegraph (UK)
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Jun 23, 2008 4:57 AM CDT
(Newser) -
They may look like an always-happy couple, but France's First Lady Carla Bruni has confessed she doesn't agree with husband Nicolas Sarkozy's right-wing politics. She's not alone. Just a year after his election, polls have shown Sarkozy is the most unpopular president in six decades, reports the Daily Telegraph. "My instinctive reflexes are...
Writer Charged in Murders He Reported
Associated Press
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Jun 23, 2008 4:35 AM CDT
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Getting the scoop proved costly for a Macedonian journalist who has been charged with the murder of two elderly women after reporting on their deaths in his newspaper. Police began to suspect Vlado Tanevski after realizing his articles about the murders contained details that hadn't been revealed to the public. His DNA was later found on the bodies,...
70s Comic Icon George Carlin Dies
Reuters
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Jun 23, 2008 3:59 AM CDT
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Provocative comedian George Carlin died yesterday of heart failure in a Santa Monica hospital at the age of 71, Reuters reports. The counterculture hero, who long battled heart and drug problems, had been admitted earlier in the day complaining of chest pains. He was known for boundary-stretching, drug-referencing routines. One of his most famous schticks...
Chavez: US Confrontation 'Inevitable'
New Yorker
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Jun 23, 2008 3:25 AM CDT
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With the US distracted by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has been busy amassing a Latin American power bloc to blunt Washington’s influence. But the firebrand leader, who calls President Bush “the devil” and the US “the empire,” is receiving level-headed advice from none other than Fidel...
Midwest Braces for Mississippi Crest
USA Today
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Jun 23, 2008 3:00 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Deluged midwesterners were preparing for tonight’s expected cresting of the Mississippi River, piling up sandbags to support levees, USA Today reports. Some residents have already moved to higher ground, while others are staying home to guard against looters. The river is likely to crest at a number of areas north of St. Louis. Floodwaters...
Divorced Berlusconi Challenges Communion Ban
Guardian (UK)
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Jun 23, 2008 2:29 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Beleaguered Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi caused a scene in a church over the weekend, loudly demanding from a startled bishop in the middle of mass: "When are you going to change this rule that stops me taking communion?" Berlusconi, like other divorced Catholics who remarry, is banned from receiving the sacrament. The prime minister,...
McMansions Make Way for Green Pads
New York Times
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Jun 22, 2008 8:41 PM CDT
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When it comes to building green, a LEED rating is the ultimate cachet-- but they're tough to get, the New York Times reports. And homes approved by the Leadership in Energy and Evironmental Design council tend to be small and pricey, with one platinum-certified four-bedroom house in California on the market for $2.8 million. Still, cities and homebuilders...
Battered Citigroup Plans Major Layoffs
Wall Street Journal
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Jun 22, 2008 7:53 PM CDT
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After being in the red for two quarters, Citigroup will this week hand out pink slips in its investment-banking division, looking to sack 10% of the group’s 65,000 employees. The move, which would eliminate entire trading desks worldwide, is unusually severe, the Wall Street Journal says. CEO Vikram Pandit hopes to cut Citi’s annual expenses...
Sentences That 'Evoke an Entire Universe'
Esquire
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Jun 22, 2008 7:32 PM CDT
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Celebrating 75 years of fiction, Esquire offers some samples from "writers who could evoke an entire universe with a single sentence." A smattering: "Now he would never write the things that he had saved to write until he knew enough to write them well," Ernest Hemingway, The Snows of Kilimanjaro , August, 1936.
McCain Tackles the Serious Questions...
St. Paul Pioneer Press (Minn.)
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Jun 22, 2008 7:13 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Who says McCain isn't hip? Turns out he listens to Usher and "laughs out loud" when he watches The Office , reveals Bob Sansevere in the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Eschewing details like the candidate's veep choice, Sansevere asks the tough questions—like about his favorite comic strips (he liked Tarzan and Dick Tracy ), pet...
9 Must-Have Cohen Classics
More Intelligent Life
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Jun 22, 2008 6:46 PM CDT
(Newser) -
"Adored by about a million fans and misunderstood by nearly everyone else," Leonard Cohen is set for his first tour in 15 years. So what better time to load up on "nine Cohen songs no self-respecting iPod should be without," writes Tim de Lisle in More Intelligent Life: Suzanne : "Cohen announces himself with an educated...
Barr Could Be the Ralph Nader of 2008: GOP
Associated Press
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Jun 22, 2008 6:23 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A former ally has Republicans sweating the possibility that he could siphon votes away from John McCain, the AP says. Bob Barr, an outspoken ex-GOP congressman and Libertarian Party presidential nominee, is now trying to get on the ballot in 20 states in time for November. “Bob could be the Ralph Nader of 2008,” warned a Republican consultant.
Big Pharma Sickens Universities
Chronicle of Higher Education
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Jun 22, 2008 6:07 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Weak legislation allows professors to collect huge under-the-table payments from Big Pharma, and it’s time to fight back, Dan Greenberg writes in the Chronicle of Higher Education . Pharmaceutical companies pay professors to shill drugs and lend their names to industry research, and the only oversight is an honor-system mechanism requiring profs...
Breastfeeding Officer Sparks Debate in China
Reuters
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Jun 22, 2008 5:44 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A policewoman has sparked debate in Beijing after breastfeeding nine orphaned babies during last month's earthquake, Reuters reports. Officials have promoted Jiang Xiaojuan, 30, calling her "hero and model police officer," but others argue that merit, not deeds, should lead to promotion. Xiaojuan left her baby at home to help with disaster...
8-Limbed Girl Learns to Walk
CNN
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Jun 22, 2008 5:32 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A 2-year-old Indian girl born with eight limbs and worshiped as an incarnation of a Hindu goddess is learning to walk after surgery last fall, CNN reports. Doctors say that Lakshmi Tatma continues to recover from the marathon 27-hour operation that severed a parasitic twin, but that her organs are all functional and she may even be able to have children...
Baby's First Bustier?
Associated Press
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Jun 22, 2008 4:58 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Not exactly a candidate for father of the year, Larry Birkhead, Anna Nicole Smith's ex-boyfriend and babydaddy, shelled out $3,000 at a Las Vegas auction to take home some of the former Playboy playmate's unmentionables—for daughter Danielynn. Birkhead plans to keep it packed away until his daughter is older. "It's not going to be in any...
In Mexico's Drug War, US Guns Fire Shots
Portfolio
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Jun 22, 2008 4:31 PM CDT
(Newser) -
When Mexican authorities seize a cache of weapons from a drug-cartel hitman, their first call is long distance: to the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. Because, Portfolio reports, chances are any gun used in Mexico’s noxious drug war—which has left close to 10,000 dead since 2001—was made in the US and smuggled through...
Saudis May Boost Oil Supply Even Higher
Bloomberg
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Jun 22, 2008 4:11 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A hastily organized summit meeting in Saudi Arabia today offered little relief to oil consumers, Bloomberg reports. The Saudis did vow to increase production if needed, but OPEC blamed speculators and the credit crisis, not markets, for surging oil prices. "Saudi Arabia is prepared and willing to produce additional barrels of crude above and...
Get Smart Gets Rich at Box Office
Variety
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Jun 22, 2008 3:36 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Mike Myers' Love Guru failed to work its mojo at the box office this weekend, caving to Get Smart , which raked in $39.1 million. It wasn't a close race: Myers' live-action comedy grossed $14 million, coming in at No. 4. The Incredible Hulk and Kung Fu Panda —in their second and third weeks respectively—virtually tied for second spot,...
Nigerian Youths Blow Up Oil Pipeline
Reuters
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Jun 22, 2008 3:19 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A youth gang blew up a Chevron pipeline in Nigeria yesterday, reducing output from the world's eighth-largest oil producer by 120,000 barrels a day. Such attacks are common in Nigeria, Reuters reports: Sparked by poverty and hatred of foreign companies, militants have cut oil production there by one-fifth over the past 2 years.
Summer's Best Craft Beers
San Jose Mercury News
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Jun 22, 2008 2:59 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Sick of the bland beer everyone else is drinking? As summer officially kicks off, William Brand pours a frosty glass of small-but-mighty suds suggestions in the San Jose Mercury News : Alaskan Summer Ale (Alaskan Brewing): This gold-medal-winning Juneau native makes an excellent thirst-quencher, in the Kolsch style you might've savored in Cologne....
Brokaw to Replace Russert
Chicago Tribune
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Jun 22, 2008 2:40 PM CDT
(Newser) -
NBC has anointed Tom Brokaw as Tim Russert's heir on "Meet the Press" through the 2008 election, the network announced today. "I feel right at home," said Brokaw, who has appeared on the public affairs show since the Watergate days. But Brian Williams—who took over NBC's Nightly News when Brokaw stepped down in 2004—was...
Curt Schilling: A Very Human Superman
Baltimore Sun
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Jun 22, 2008 2:15 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Plenty of fans adore Curt Schilling, plenty more harbor less admiring thoughts about him, and Kevin van Valkenburg, writing in the Baltimore Sun , feels a little bit of both. As the Red Sox pitcher faces a season-ending surgery, a look back at his career shows a gifted athlete with a compelling mix of arrogance, neediness, and grit.
Cops on Hook for Fatal Mexico Stampede
CNN
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Jun 22, 2008 1:36 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Mexico City has suspended the cops who triggered a nightclub stampede that left twelve dead on Friday, CNN reports. Responding to reports of alcohol and drugs sold to minors, the police sparked a riot when the raid was announced. Police made "serious errors" in the operation, Mexico City's mayor said, but club owners "acted with evident...
World's Best Athlete? Never Heard of Her
ESPN
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Jun 22, 2008 1:03 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The greatest athlete in the world today is 5'3'', 115 pounds, and named Sheila Taormina. You've probably never heard of her, but you should give this "force of nature" your attention now, writes ESPN the Magazine . Poised to become the first woman ever to compete at the Olympics in three different sports, Taormina is a model of versatility.
When a Wealthy Jock Needs a Ride...
New York Times
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Jun 22, 2008 12:28 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Macky Dancy has a deal for you, if you're a millionaire athlete with $200,000 to drop on an upscale ride, the New York Times reports. The 31-year-old salesman, based on Long Island, has delivered Rolls Royces and Lamborghinis to athletes like Allen Iverson and Zab Judah—yet admits he's still in awe of his buyers. “It’s an incredible...
Business Woes? Call a Corporate Psychic
Newsweek
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Jun 22, 2008 11:58 AM CDT
(Newser) -
More businesses are seeking a new breed of consultant to give them guidance in tough economic times, Newsweek reports: psychics . Blue chip operations across the nation, from tech concerns to corporate law firms, are coughing up big bucks to hire “intuitionists,” with executives hoping their otherworldly expertise will give them an edge...
Amy Winehouse Struck with Emphysema
Sunday Mirror (UK)
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Jun 22, 2008 11:23 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Amy Winehouse has emphysema and may soon be crippled if she keeps smoking crack, her father told the Sunday Mirror yesterday. Winehouse, 24, was diagnosed with the fatal disease after fainting in her London home this week. A terrified Winehouse, who faces the prospect of a permanent oxygen mask, has vowed to go into rehab.
30% in US Admit to Being Racist
Washington Post
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Jun 22, 2008 10:50 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Three in 10 Americans admit to being racist, and more than half say US race relations are bad—but that's better than ratings in the 1990s. White and black views diverge more today, with 6 in 10 blacks calling race relations not good, and 53% of whites saying they're positive, according to a new Washington Post -ABC News poll.
