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.
That's Sir Salman Rushdie
Associated Press
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Jun 25, 2008 12:54 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Queen Elizabeth officially knighted Salman Rushdie today, the AP reports, a year after the award was announced to widespread Muslim protest. “I have no regrets about any of my work,” said Rushdie, when asked about his novel The Satanic Verses, for which the Shah of Iran awarded him a “death sentence” and forced him into hiding....
Campy Documentarians Focus on Fleiss
W
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Jun 25, 2008 12:42 PM CDT
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The makers of such revelatory documentaries as Inside Deep Throat and The Eyes of Tammy Faye have a new film in the works, about Heidi Fleiss’ bid to open an all-male brothel in the Nevada desert, W reports. Fleiss, who had a falling out with directors Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato, said, “I was hoping it would be fun, but instead...
US Can't Be Sure Pakistan's $5.6B Went to Fight Terror
CNN
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Jun 25, 2008 12:28 PM CDT
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The Defense Department cannot show that nearly $6 billion the US has sent to Pakistan since 2001 has been used, as intended, to fight terrorism. In a report yesterday, the Government Accountability Office said the Pentagon hadn’t properly tracked the funds, CNN reports, blindly signing off on questionable charges—leading critics to charge...
China Reopens Tibetan Tourism
BBC
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Jun 25, 2008 12:13 PM CDT
(Newser) -
China is allowing foreign tourists to enter Tibet for the first time since March protests, sources tell the BBC. The Olympic torch’s smooth reception in Lhasa over the weekend means "Tibet is safe,” a Tibetan tourism director tells state media. "We welcome the domestic and foreign tourists." Tibet remains essentially off-limits,...
As Celtic Tiger Slows, Ireland Again Empties
Wall Street Journal
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Jun 25, 2008 12:01 PM CDT
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The massive Irish economic engine of the '90s brought decades of emigration to a screeching halt and hordes of EU immigrants flooding through open borders to lay claim to plentiful jobs. But as the Celtic Tiger begins to look like a kitty, the Wall Street Journal reports, many of those immigrants are packing their bags and heading home—where...
Why Dodge Drivers Totally Suck
Esquire
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Jun 25, 2008 11:46 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Of all the rules of the road, there is one cardinal, hands-down, no-exceptions tenet: “The guy who ignores the stop sign, who blasts past me in a no-passing zone, who plays chicken on a potholed strip of county two-lane, drives a Ram,” Benjamin Percy writes in Esquire . Dodge may be dead last in truck sales, but that doesn't dampen a Ram...
No Crying in the Courtroom!
Time
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Jun 25, 2008 11:32 AM CDT
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State prosecutors in Ohio want to ban teary-eyed appeals to the jury in an upcoming capital murder case, Time reports. A motion seeking to prohibit blubbering defense attorneys accuses them of crying on cue and violating a 1999 Ohio Supreme Court ruling that it’s “improper to inflame a jury’s emotions by crying.” A defense...
Columbia Cans 'Noose' Prof Over Plagiarism
CNN
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Jun 25, 2008 11:16 AM CDT
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A Columbia University professor who last year sparked racial controversy after finding a noose hanging from her door has been fired over allegations of plagiarism, CNN reports. Madonna Constantine, a faculty member at the university’s Teachers College, claims the decision is the result of a plot against her.
Chinese Menus Retranslated for Olympics
New York Times
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Jun 25, 2008 11:05 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The Chinese government is issuing a list of revised names for some of the country's more obliquely translated dishes in preparation for the wave of tourists the Beijing Olympics will draw this August, the New York Times reports. A disconcerting plate of “husband-and-wife lung slices” will be rechristened as a slightly more appetizing...
Not So Easy to Green a Dem Convention
Wall Street Journal
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Jun 25, 2008 10:47 AM CDT
(Newser) -
You can pledge to make your Dem convention “the greenest…in the history of the planet” (as Denver’s mayor recently did), you can hire a Director of Greening—but it’s still no small task to throw a sustainable presidential nominating conference. That's what the Journal discovered in a look at party preparations,...
Justices Strike Death Penalty for Child Rape
Associated Press
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Jun 25, 2008 10:19 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The Supreme Court found today that the “death penalty is not a proportional punishment for the rape of a child,” striking down a Louisiana law as cruel and unusual punishment. While the court split 5-4 on the hot-button issue—swing justice Anthony Kennedy penned the opinion—there has not been an execution in 44 years for a crime...
What's Hot? Some Guzzlers Among the Sippers
Wall Street Journal
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Jun 25, 2008 10:03 AM CDT
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Soaring gas prices have predictably driven sales of gas-sipping vehicles such as Honda’s Fit and Toyota’s Scion xB, which have seen increases of 64% and 59% respectively, reports the Wall Street Journal. But guzzlers such as Toyota's Sequoia and Tundra are also selling surprisingly well (29% and 8.5%, respectively).
White House Ignored EPA Pollutants Email
New York Times
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Jun 25, 2008 9:34 AM CDT
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The White House didn’t like the findings in a Supreme Court-mandated report on pollutants from the EPA—so it simply refused to open the email, the New York Times reports. Instead, the administration has successfully pressured the agency into releasing a watered-down, recommendation-free report. Among the omitted sections: analysis showing...
Can Your Bra Power Your iPod?
Slate
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Jun 25, 2008 9:28 AM CDT
(Newser) -
For all the embarrassing bouncing and awkward jiggling they do, there must be a way to capture the power of breast motion, Adrienne So writes in Slate. “Human-powered devices are showing up everywhere. … Could someone design an iPod-powering bra for me?” she asks. A sports bra design consultant tells her she’d need the right...
Dowd to GOP: The Elitism Crap Won't Work
New York Times
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Jun 25, 2008 9:14 AM CDT
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The Republicans have been unrelenting in their attempts to paint Barack Obama as an elitist—pretty rich stuff, writes Times columnist Maureen Dowd, coming from a party led by a Connecticut-born "Richie Rich" whose daddy has bailed out his snide self time and again. The cosseted conservatives' "hypocritical comedy" might...
Tsvangirai: Africa, UN Must Broker Deal
BBC
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Jun 25, 2008 9:02 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Morgan Tsvangirai is calling for a “negotiated political settlement” to begin a period of “healing” for Zimbabwe, the BBC reports. Speaking at his home after leaving the Dutch embassy, the opposition leader called Friday’s election a sham, and asked the African Union and Southern African Development Community to lead a...
Illinois to Sue Countrywide, CEO Over Foreclosure Fiasco
Wall Street Journal
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Jun 25, 2008 8:57 AM CDT
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The state of Illinois will sue Countrywide and its CEO today for "unfair and deceptive practices" in the first suit related to the current mortgage crisis. The company is accused of pushing loans on homeowners even if they couldn't repay them, the Wall Street Journal reports. Illinois' attorney general blamed Countrywide's actions for widespread...
MasterCard to Pay Amex $1.8B
Wall Street Journal
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Jun 25, 2008 8:51 AM CDT
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MasterCard will pay American Express $1.8 billion in 12 quarterly installments, settling a lawsuit that claimed it had blocked banks from offering American Express cards to customers, the Wall Street Journal reports. American Express said the antitrust settlement would "help to lessen the impact of this weakening economic cycle." Amex also...
Barclays Seeks Liquidity With $8.85B Offering
Associated Press
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Jun 25, 2008 8:45 AM CDT
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Add Barclays to the ranks of banks that are floating new shares in an effort to restore liquidity in the lingering wake of the subprime debacle, reports the AP. Barclays will offer up $8.85 billion in shares—with large stakes being purchased by Japanese bank Sumitomo Mitsui and the Qatar Investment Authority.
Grand Theft Auto Sex Scenes Fail to Excite
New York Times
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Jun 25, 2008 8:34 AM CDT
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Moral outrage that sparked a class action lawsuit over the hidden sex scenes in the wildly popular Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas has failed to translate into complaints, the New York Times reports. Despite the millions of copies of the game sold to date, only 2,676 offended owners have stepped forward to file a claim under a settlement agreement...
Chrysler Plans Wi-Fi on 2009 Models
Los Angeles Times
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Jun 25, 2008 8:30 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Struggling automaker Chrysler—the weakest of Detroit’s Big Three—is looking to the information highway to gain an advantage. To the dismay of some highway safety experts, the automaker will offer wireless Internet access as an option in all of its 2009 models, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Energy Prices Hammer Suburban Housing Market
New York Times
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Jun 25, 2008 8:17 AM CDT
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The soaring cost of energy has started the buck the half-century-old trend of migration to suburbs and exurbs, the New York Times reports. The cost of reaching a far-off home, let alone heating and cooling it, is becoming untenable for many. From Atlanta and Philadelphia to San Francisco and Minneapolis, prices of homes outside the urban core have...
Mysterious Human Feet Baffle Police
Newsweek
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Jun 25, 2008 7:56 AM CDT
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Police are struggling to explain a string of washed up human feet found on beaches along one 125-mile stretch of British Columbia. So far five of the grisly, sneaker-clad appendages have been found, and all are right feet. “It’s a mystery,” said one Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer. “We’ve certainly heard lots of...
How to Work Museums Into Kids' Summers
Slate
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Jun 25, 2008 7:36 AM CDT
(Newser) -
For kids, summer means endless hours at the pool—but parents don't want them to grow up culturally underfed cretins, either. Emily Bazelon offers Slate readers a few suggestions for turning a summer museum trip into an outing the young'uns (and you) will actually enjoy: Keep it simple. Kids have short attention spans and hate to walk for...
Roosevelt. Reagan. Obama?
New York Times
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Jun 25, 2008 7:26 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The novelty of minorities seeking the White House has occluded the more profound historical importance of this year's contest, Gary Hart says. The 2008 election is a hinge moment that could usher in a new era in American life, writes the former senator in the New York Times , and a victorious Barack Obama would have a chance to define "the next...
Rock, Paper, Scissors Champ Wins $50K in Vegas
Boston Globe
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Jun 25, 2008 6:47 AM CDT
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A Massachusetts systems analyst covered, cut, and smashed his opponents to win the USA Rock, Paper, Scissors championship in Las Vegas. Sean Sears, 23, is now headed to China to play for the world title. He beat out 300 opponents to win the $50,000 championship purse.
Fed Likely to Hold Rates— for Now
Reuters
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Jun 25, 2008 6:17 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Despite fears that inflationary forces are revving, the Federal Reserve will probably hold the interbank federal funds rate at 2% today, hoping the bargain basement rate can help kick-start a stalled economy that’s been hamstrung by a tenacious housing slump and a credit crunch hangover, Reuters reports.
Tsvangirai: Why I Dropped Out
Guardian (UK)
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Jun 25, 2008 5:58 AM CDT
(Newser) -
ZImbabwe's opposition leader tells the Guardian that he dropped out of Friday's run-off election because he "can no longer allow Zimbabwe's people to suffer this torture." Morgan Tsvangirai explains that ending his campaign was "not a political decision" but an attempt to stop the violence inflicted by Robert Mugabe's thugs.
Olmert Pact Saves Israeli Parliament
Haaretz (Israel)
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Jun 25, 2008 5:38 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Ehud Olmert narrowly averted the collapse of the Israeli government today by pledging that his party would hold a leadership election by late September, Haaretz reports. In exchange, Labor Party withdrew its support for a motion of non-confidence. Olmert is facing investigation in connection with $150,000 he took from an American financier before...
GOP Going 'Green,' With Oil on the Side
The Hill
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Jun 25, 2008 5:14 AM CDT
(Newser) -
An elite group of Republican senators met yesterday to craft an energy policy which the GOP claims is greener than the Democrats' plan, and more likely to control gas prices. Republicans will emphasize conservation—along with more nuclear plants and oil drilling—and have dubbed Barack Obama's opposition to increased drilling "Obamanomics,"...
Huge Homeowner Aid Bill Nears Approval
New York Times
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Jun 25, 2008 4:54 AM CDT
(Newser) -
With 8,000 foreclosures daily and looming elections, Congress is close to approving the most sweeping changes to mortgage financing since the New Deal, reports the New York Times. The pricey aid bill aimed at helping hundreds of thousands of homeowners facing foreclosure has bipartisan support, despite the threat of a presidential veto.
Dungeon Daughter 'Not Prepared' to Testify
Guardian (UK)
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Jun 25, 2008 4:31 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Two months after being rescued from an Austrian cellar where her father imprisoned her as a sex slave for 24 years, Elisabeth Fritzl isn’t emotionally prepared to testify against him, reports the Guardian . Her doctors have postponed the ordeal for at least three weeks. The 42-year-old woman was scheduled to testify next week in a video hearing...
Pregnant Soldier Found Dead in North Carolina Motel
CNN
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Jun 25, 2008 4:09 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Authorities are investigating the suspicious death of a pregnant soldier found in a North Carolina motel. Dental specialist Megan Lynn Touma, 23, of Kentucky arrived at nearby Fort Bragg only two weeks ago. She was seven months pregnant. Earlier this year, pregnant Marine Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach was found dead in her boyfriend's North Carolina...
Yanks Flood Mexico for Cheap Gas
New York Times
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Jun 25, 2008 3:46 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Soaring gas prices have Californians and Texans racing for the border and braving drug cartel violence to save some $20 per tank filling up in Mexico. American pumps have passed the $4 mark, but Mexican gas is still just $2.66 a gallon thanks to subsidies intended for poor Mexicans. Americans are buying it up instead, triggering a 50% surge in sales—and...
Yahoo, Microsoft Talks On Again
Fortune Magazine
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Jun 25, 2008 3:05 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A deal may still be in the works between Microsoft and Yahoo—but not for a full acquisition of Yahoo, according to Fortune . Microsoft may be after Yahoo's search business, which the software giant needs to tackle competitor Google. Yahoo is also under investor pressure to revive talks. Its shares dropped 18% after buyout talks ended and have...
Axis of Wealth Shifting East
Wall Street Journal
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Jun 25, 2008 2:43 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Nations once known for extremes of poverty—China, India and Brazil—are now producing more of the world's millionaires and super rich than ever before, according to a new study of the globe's wealthiest entrepreneurs. The US is losing ground to emerging markets when it comes to producing personal wealth, reports the Wall Street Journal...
Top Engineers Shun Military
New York Times
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Jun 25, 2008 2:15 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Greater "geek cachet" and higher pay is diverting engineering managers from the military into places like Microsoft and Google, the New York Times reports. The result is a dearth of managers overseeing military projects, which government investigators largely blame for long delays and $295 billion in cost overruns. The shortage has...
As Clinton Returns, Obama Asks His Donors to Help Her
Reuters
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Jun 24, 2008 10:49 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Hillary Clinton received a hero's welcome today with two standing ovations when she returned to Capitol Hill, Reuters reports. "There was a tear or two and a lot of high-fives," said Sen. Barbara Mikulski of Maryland. Clinton may be getting more than moral support, however. Barack Obama asked his top donors in a conference call to help Clinton...
Locklear Checks Into Rehab for Anxiety, Depression
Associated Press
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Jun 24, 2008 9:57 PM CDT
(AP) -
Heather Locklear is seeking treatment for anxiety and depression at a facility in Arizona. "She requested an in-depth evaluation of her medication," said a spokeswoman for the 46-year-old actress, offering no further details. Locklear's divorce from Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora was finalized in April 2007, and she is reportedly dating...
Monet Sells for Record $80.4M
New York Times
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Jun 24, 2008 9:30 PM CDT
(Newser) -
One of Monet’s rare waterlily paintings sold at Christie’s in London tonight for more than $80 million, a record price for the artist, the New York Times reports. At least six buyers competed for Le Bassin aux Nympheas , a 1919 work from a series of paintings considered among Monet’s most important. An anonymous buyer won the painting...
Obama's No Fool: He Made Right Choice on Funding
National Journal
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Jun 24, 2008 9:08 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Barack Obama may be taking flak for opting out of public financing, but he would have been foolish to do otherwise, writes Charlie Cook in the National Journal . Cook is "relieved" that a potential president is savvy enough to hang on to a huge spending advantage. And in this race—in which "most voters are being asked, for the...
Keep Your Feet Pain-Free
NPR
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Jun 24, 2008 8:42 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Watch out for those summertime flip-flops and ballet flats: Prolonged use could give you a painful foot condition, a podiatrist tells NPR. Shoes without enough arch or back support put too much strain on an important piece of tissue called the plantar fascia. Fashionable or not, it's better to go with a lightweight, comfortable pair of running shoes.
Raise a Glass to the Joys (and Pains) of Happy Hour
Reuters
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Jun 24, 2008 8:02 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Is it happy hour yet? About 20% of Americans regularly go out for drinks with colleagues after work, says a survey from careerbuilder.com. Reuters runs down the highlights: Most go out just to be social, but about 30% say they do so to gossip or only because they feel obligated. Only 4% dared admit to breaking out in karaoke with co-workers....
Obama Opens 12-Point Lead
Los Angeles Times
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Jun 24, 2008 7:22 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Barack Obama has a 12-point lead (49%-37%) over John McCain in a new Los Angeles Times/ Bloomberg poll. With Bob Barr and Ralph Nader in the mix, the margin grows to 15 points (48% to 33%). The poll suggests that both Democrats and independents think Obama will do the best job of fixing the economy, the top issue among voters. The candidates are tied...
Feds Warn of Scam on 'Free' Digital Converter Box
MSNBC
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Jun 24, 2008 7:00 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Consumers beware: “Free” digital converter boxes for analog TVs, advertised in newspapers across the country, could run you $100—some $80 more than just buying a box using a government coupon. The Better Business Bureau has issued a warning about the ad from Universal TechTronics, designed to look like a news article, which can "confuse...
Google's Data Avalanche Trumps Scientific Method
Wired
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Jun 24, 2008 6:38 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The data avalanche Google made possible has buried the scientific method, Chris Anderson argues in Wired , begging the question, “What can science learn from Google?” We’re in the “Petabyte Age,” he argues, when massive amounts of data obviate need for models and theories—the imperfect, if useful, imaginings of...
Navy Ship Leaves Port —Without 100 Sailors
Associated Press
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Jun 24, 2008 6:34 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A US aircraft carrier set sail from Hong Kong early Sunday with about 100 of its crew still on shore leave, the AP reports. The USS Ronald Reagan and its support ships left port early because Typhoon Fengshen was bearing down. Officials are scrambling to book flights to reunite the sailors and their ship—though security prevented them from saying...
He Brings World Peace, One Goofy Dance at a Time
Wall Street Journal
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Jun 24, 2008 5:56 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Fred Astaire he's not, but Matt Harding sure inspires the masses. The globetrotting former video-game designer, whose goofy dance set the Internet abuzz, is back at it. His latest video shows him dancing—OK, maybe flailing— with fans from Seattle to Fiji to Rwanda, and it's approaching 2 million hits on YouTube, Michelle Kung notes in the...
Swing States Loom Large
Salon
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Jun 24, 2008 5:35 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Forget the old swing-state conventional wisdom. Salon rounds up some experts and asks where the electoral map might flip in November: The eastern Rust belt (Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan) is John McCain’s best hope. Ohio is traditionally weakest for Democrats, but the Michigan primary remains a problem, and aging Pennsylvanians are GOP-friendly....
Florida Buys Sugar Land to Save Everglades
St. Petersburg Times (Russia)
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Jun 24, 2008 5:20 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Florida plans to buy 187,000 acres of land from the nation's biggest sugar company in what both state officials and environmentalists are hailing as a landmark deal to save the Everglades, the St. Petersburg Times reports. Under the deal, which may not be finalized until November, Florida will pay $1.75 billion to acquire the land from US Sugar Corp....
