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.
Cancer Vaccine Shows Promise
Reuters
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Jun 24, 2008 5:11 PM CDT
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Encouraging results in experiments on mice are raising hopes of an effective colon cancer vaccine, Reuters reports. Capitalizing on the fact that the intestines have their own immune system, researchers isolated a protein that occurs only in the gut to create a vaccine. In treated mice, an average of three tumors appeared in the lungs or liver. In...
High-Rolling Hathaway Ex Charged With Fraud
The Smoking Gun
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Jun 24, 2008 4:52 PM CDT
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Actress Anne Hathaway’s ex-boyfriend was charged today with defrauding investors of millions with a real-estate scheme in which Raffaello Follieri claimed intimate connections with the Vatican, the Smoking Gun reports. Billionaire Ron Burkle appears to be the "principal investor" scammed by Follieri, 29, who used Burkle’s money...
24M Americans Diabetic: CDC
Reuters
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Jun 24, 2008 4:39 PM CDT
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Almost 8% of the US population has diabetes, the government reported today. About 24 million Americans suffer from type-1 or -2 diabetes, an increase of 3 million since 2005, Reuters notes. Another 57 million Americans are pre-diabetic, a condition of insulin insensitivity that predisposes them to type-2 diabetes, the Centers for Disease Control and...
Free Expression Comes to Domain Names
BBC
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Jun 24, 2008 4:25 PM CDT
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Domain names may soon be open for anyone to create, providing companies and individuals with unprecedented freedom to carve out their own corner of the Net, the BBC reports. The Internet's biggest shakeup in decades "will allow groups, communities and business to express their identities online,” sad the head of the independent nonprofit...
'Dress Rehearsal' Tomorrow for American's Wi-Fi
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
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Jun 24, 2008 4:12 PM CDT
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American Airlines will offer a trial of its in-flight wireless Internet service tomorrow, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports. "Gogo" will be installed on 15 of American’s 767s, and available on flights departing New York’s JFK for Los Angeles, San Francisco and Miami. Free tomorrow, the service will eventually cost $12.95...
Obama Needs to Work on 'Big Idea'
New Yorker
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Jun 24, 2008 3:59 PM CDT
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Despite Barack Obama’s remarkable policy consistency, he "remains a puzzle to many voters," writes Dorothy Wickenden in the New Yorker . It's time to articulate a governing philosophy, she argues: “He has proved his steadiness of purpose without clearly defining his priorities.What, above all, does he intend to accomplish if...
Stocks Dip as Fed Meets
MarketWatch
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Jun 24, 2008 3:46 PM CDT
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The markets seesawed throughout today's session, closing down slightly as a minor rally in financials offset bad economic news and warnings of a poor quarter for UPS, MarketWatch reports. The Dow fell 34.93 to 11,807.43, Nasdaq dropped 17.46 to 2,368.28, and the S&P 500 lost 3.71 to finish at 1,314.29.
Silicon Valley, Big Apple, DC Remain Top US 'Cybercities'
MarketWatch
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Jun 24, 2008 3:38 PM CDT
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Silicon Valley, New York, and Washington, DC, still have the most tech workers among US metro areas, a new report shows. New York has the most techies, but when San Francisco and the greater Bay Area are combined with Silicon Valley, it tops the list, MarketWatch notes. The Valley is also tops in concentration of workers and average salary—$144,800.
Probe Finds Bias in Justice Dept. Hiring
Washington Post
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Jun 24, 2008 3:25 PM CDT
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The Justice Department screened applicants to its internship and recruitment programs for conservative attitudes and credentials, rejecting applicants with liberal-sounding resumes, the Washington Post reports. Today's report by the department’s inspector general details a history of partisan hiring practices beginning in 2002 and concludes...
That Irritating Itch? It May Just Be Your Brain
New Yorker
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Jun 24, 2008 3:17 PM CDT
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A woman suffers from an itch so severe that she scratches right through to her brain—yet doctors find no medical ailment. War victims feel the sensations of a real limb—but from phantom appendages. What does it all add up to? Perhaps a new understanding of how our brains perceive reality: Call it the “brain’s best guess”...
NH Town in a Tizzy as Obama, Clinton Seek Unity
Concord (NH) Monitor
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Jun 24, 2008 3:04 PM CDT
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A no-traffic-light, one-store New Hampshire town is scrambling to prepare for Friday's joint appearance by Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, the first since she bowed out of the presidential race and endorsed him, reports the Concord Monitor. They're the biggest names to hit town since Arlo Guthrie in 1979, but maybe civic leaders shouldn't be too...
Brit, K-Fed Cross Paths in Court
People
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Jun 24, 2008 2:53 PM CDT
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Britney Spears and Kevin Federline were in court today for a custody hearing, as the colorful pop star apparently sought changes in her visitation schedule—which is currently set at three visits per week to her two children. People described both exes as “somber.” A custody trial looms in August if the two can’t settle their...
Cigar Woes Snare Another Politician
Times (UK)
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Jun 24, 2008 2:40 PM CDT
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London's mayor found out yesterday that he is “the one and only Western politician to be brought to justice for crimes committed in Iraq.” Boris Johnson's misdeed? Taking a cigar case as a souvenir from the smashed villa of Iraq’s former deputy prime minister while on assignment as a journalist in 2003, the Times of London reports.
Lefties Livid Over Obama's Right Moves
Wall Street Journal
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Jun 24, 2008 2:28 PM CDT
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Barack Obama’s general-election shift to the center is in full effect on issues from spy powers to taxes, and the liberal left is getting a little steamed, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Democrat's support for cutting corporate taxes, an undivided Israeli Jerusalem and—perhaps most importantly to left activists—the domestic...
Nokia Moves to Counter iPhone
Wall Street Journal
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Jun 24, 2008 2:16 PM CDT
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In a move aimed at bolstering its ability to compete with Apple's iPhone, Nokia is acquiring smartphone software-maker Symbian and moving toward increased cooperation with other mobile-phone industry veterans. Top handset makers and providers will participate in a nonprofit foundation to handle marketing and coordination for developers, and Symbian...
Condors Pulled From Calif. Fires
San Francisco Chronicle
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Jun 24, 2008 2:02 PM CDT
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Wildfires in Northern California spurred the rescue of eight California condors from their Monterey County refuge, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The unusual operation was performed by a US Coast Guard helicopter crew after a wildlife organization said that the fires threatened the condor sanctuary. The birds were taken to another preserve...
Church Asks Mormons to Oppose Calif. Gay Unions
Deseret News (Salt Lake)
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Jun 24, 2008 1:55 PM CDT
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The Mormon church is pushing its members to vote for a California ballot measure that would ban gay marriage, the Deseret News reports. As "marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God," leaders exhort Mormons to “do all you can” to ensure November passage of an amendment to the state’s constitution
New Planets Yield Hopes of Life Beyond
New York Times
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Jun 24, 2008 1:43 PM CDT
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The discovery, announced last week, that rocky, Earth-sized planets appear to be circling sun-sized stars in our own galaxy should thrill the closet Star Trek geek in all of us, Natalie Angier writes in the New York Times. "If planets abound, scientists suspect that life abounds, too, at least of the microbial kind," she writes—exciting...
In Oil Switch, McCain Drilling for Swing-State Votes
Los Angeles Times
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Jun 24, 2008 1:30 PM CDT
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Negative Californian reaction to John McCain’s offshore drilling flip-flop makes it appear the Republican has lost his strategic marbles, the Los Angeles Times notes—but McCain is gambling that efforts to lower gas prices will trump environmental concerns for voters in states like Michigan and Ohio. He’s “essentially conceding”...
The Standoff Over Central Park
New York
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Jun 24, 2008 1:16 PM CDT
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Central Park is an oasis in the middle of Manhattan, but it’s also an early-morning battleground. New York magazine surveys the battlefield and finds open hostility. Cyclists shake their fists in rage at headphone-impaired joggers, dogs and owners fear for life and limb at bike crossings, and everyone nurses a hatred of cars.
Al-Qaeda Plenty Safe, Thriving on Web
Washington Post
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Jun 24, 2008 1:01 PM CDT
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Americans might think of al-Qaeda as a cave-dwelling group of primitives, but the terror group operates one of the most sophisticated propaganda operations on the web, the Washington Post reports. Al-Qaeda releases documentary-quality videos every 3-4 days through tightly secured channels. “It’s beautifully crafted propaganda,”...
Donaghy Fights NBA's $1.4M Bill
Associated Press
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Jun 24, 2008 12:53 PM CDT
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A lawyer for Tim Donaghy, the NBA referee who bet on games he officiated, has accused the NBA of going after his client in retaliation for statements that detracted from the NBA Finals, AP reports. "The message from the NBA is quite clear: If you cooperate in a federal investigation against the organization, we will take you out," John Lauro...
Cop's Suicide Interrupts Sarkozy's Israel Send-Off
Jerusalem Post (Israel)
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Jun 24, 2008 12:33 PM CDT
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An elite Israeli border policeman shot himself in the head today in the middle of a departure ceremony for Nicolas Sarkozy. Security officers, worried about a possible assassination attempt, rushed Sarkozy and wife Carla Bruni onto their plane, while others spirited away Ehud Olmert and Shimon Peres, who were there to see the French president off.
Evangelical Dobson Slams Obama
Associated Press
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Jun 24, 2008 12:23 PM CDT
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One of the country's most prominent evangelical leaders says Barack Obama is "distorting the traditional understanding of the Bible to fit his own world view," the AP reports. Focus on the Family head James Dobson recorded an 18-minute screed that was released ahead of his radio show today, accusing Obama of “dragging biblical understanding...
Google Plans Service to Track Surfers' Activity
Wall Street Journal
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Jun 24, 2008 12:11 PM CDT
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A new Google service will track web users’ activity to help companies target ads, raising concerns about conflict of interest, the Wall Street Journal reports. The free tool will use server data to track hits, a plan that threatens current industry giants comScore and Nielsen Online. Those paid services employ user panels and surveys, methods...
Madonna Divorce Rumors in Air
Daily Mirror (UK)
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Jun 24, 2008 12:02 PM CDT
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Madonna and Guy Ritchie are so unhappy they’re discussing divorce, the Daily Mirror reports. The two rarely go out in public together anymore, and they live essentially separate lives in their London mansion. Both admit that any romance between them has long ended and insist there are no hard feelings. “They're obviously sad,” said...
Elian Spotlight Shows Obama Weak Spot
Politico
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Jun 24, 2008 11:58 AM CDT
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Eight years after the Elian Gonzalez standoff contributed to Al Gore’s defeat, the row is back in the headlines and causing trouble for Barack Obama. Obama’s stance on Cuban issues, not to mention the prominent roles Elian’s father’s lawyer and a Clinton deputy AG play in his campaign, have angered many members of Florida’s...
Gisele: Catwalker, Smooth Talker
GQ
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Jun 24, 2008 11:39 AM CDT
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“Talking with Gisele Bundchen about eating disorders is like talking with a pro athlete about steroids,” concludes Nate Penn in GQ magazine. An apt analogy for the "reigning symbol of female perfection." “Look, I’ve never met anyone who has it,” says the diplomatic Bundchen. Then: "Your questions are funny."
Fall Gitmo Trials Could Present Campaign Landmine
Politico
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Jun 24, 2008 11:13 AM CDT
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If everything goes right, the trial of the five Guantanamo Bay detainees charged in connection with the 9/11 attacks could begin within days of their seventh anniversary—and just as the presidential campaign begins its most heated stretch, Politico reports. Such a development would usually be a gift to Republicans, but this year it could help—or...
Ledger's Ex Irate Over Will Snub
New York Post
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Jun 24, 2008 10:56 AM CDT
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Heath Ledger’s ex-girlfriend Michelle Williams is livid at the exclusion of her and her daughter from the execution of Ledger’s will, the NY Post reports. Ledger’s will, which leaves everything to his parents and sisters, predates the birth of their daughter Matilda—who is now the legal beneficiary of his estate and has yet...
Home Prices Take Steepest Tumble Since 2000
Associated Press
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Jun 24, 2008 10:42 AM CDT
(AP) -
US home prices tumbled in April at the fastest rate since the Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller index started keeping track in 2000, with all 20 metropolitan areas surveyed posting annual declines for the first time. The index fell by 15.3% in April versus a year ago, according to today's report. Prices nationwide are at levels not seen since August...
Can Obama Talk Smart to Dumbed-Down America?
New York
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Jun 24, 2008 10:33 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Barack Obama’s trip to the DNC podium is expected to be the "rhetorical blockbuster of the summer," writes Sam Anderson in New York . But is the senator up to using his oratorical sophistication to expand his popularity among Americans hooked on a junk-food diet of low-brow stump speeches? Can a "Clinton-style natural who...
Tune Would Pave Zeppelin a $572M 'Stairway to Heaven'
Portfolio
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Jun 24, 2008 10:18 AM CDT
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With Led Zeppelin's first iTunes-sold album boosting the classic Stairway to Heaven back into various charts, Portfolio sounded out entertainment execs on what the tune might really be worth if the "notoriously protective" band would loosen the shackles. The final math: $572 million. A look at the breakdown:
Fashion, Friendship Take Center Court at Wimbledon
Los Angeles Times
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Jun 24, 2008 9:51 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Roger Federer and Serena Williams can't make news just by winning anymore—all the Wimbledon buzz about them seems to be about seating and sartorial choices. Williams had the press all aflutter with her choice of warmup gear: a short white trench coat ("stitched with gold") that she removed before dispatching Kaia Kanepi 7-5, 6-3, the...
Rockets Hit Israel, Olmert Ends Ceasefire
Associated Press
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Jun 24, 2008 9:48 AM CDT
(AP) -
Police say three Palestinian rockets have hit southern Israel and Ehud Olmert's office says the ceasefire that took effect last week has been broken. Islamic Jihad militants in the Gaza Strip say they carried out the attack to avenge an Israeli military raid that killed one of their fighters in the West Bank early today; two people were lightly wounded...
Astronomers Trace Homer's Wandering Hero
New York Times
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Jun 24, 2008 9:39 AM CDT
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Homer's Odyssey is 2,700 years old, and the events it describes happened centuries earlier. But two scientists claim in a new paper that they've traced one line in the epic poem—a possible reference to an eclipse—to a real astronomical event. Classicists might take issue, writes the New York Times , but the astronomers say that Odysseus'...
Winehouse Leaves Hospital... Smoking
Daily Mail (UK)
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Jun 24, 2008 9:37 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Amy Winehouse was released from the hospital today, but her emphysema scare doesn’t seem to have left much of an impression on the singer. As she emerged from the facility, Winehouse was seen lighting a cigarette, the Daily Mail reports. Though Winehouse has only early-stage lung disease, odds are that was against doctor's orders. But doctors...
Happiest Night of His Life: Drunk in a Ditch
Der Spiegel
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Jun 24, 2008 9:28 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Cops found a German man drunk on the side of the autobahn early Sunday after he was abandoned there—by his new bride. The newlywed was taken to the hospital and later reunited with his wife of several hours, Der Spiegel reports. "It is not known whether the doctors succeeded in making the groom fit for his wedding night," the police...
Christian Novel Outstrips Oprah Pick
New York Times
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Jun 24, 2008 9:16 AM CDT
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Once rejected by multiple mainstream publishers, the slim Christian novel The Shack is flying off shelves, topping the New York Times trade paperback bestseller list. “Everybody that I know has bought at least 10 copies,” says one devotee. The Times looks at a blockbuster built around an unconventional depiction of God—as a...
Lawyer Uses Google to Judge Obscenity
New York Times
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Jun 24, 2008 9:13 AM CDT
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A defense lawyer in a Florida obscenity case is trying out a new technique for determining those elusive “community standards” courts have been fighting over for years: what locals search for on Google. The resourceful attorney compared the frequency of local searches for words like “orgy” and “apple pie,” and found...
Elvis Photo Leaves Enquirer Building
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
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Jun 24, 2008 9:00 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The National Enquirer's famous photo of Elvis Presley in his casket—the source of decades of rumors that the King was still alive—was shredded during anthrax decontamination at the mag's old headquarters, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports. The King's final image is now at the heart of a lawsuit between the developer who bought...
Soccer Is Key to Get S. Africa to Play Ball on Zimbabwe
New York Times
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Jun 24, 2008 8:37 AM CDT
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The last few weeks have further exposed Robert Mugabe as a tyrant—and Thabo Mbeki, South Africa's president, as a "vacillating, dithering, morally compromised figure," writes Peter Godwin. In an op-ed for the New York Times , the Zimbabwe-born author says that the West must force Mbeki to act by playing its trump card: threaten to...
What to Do With the Sandbags?
Washington Post
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Jun 24, 2008 8:32 AM CDT
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Sandbags were saviors for many in the Midwest flooding—but as the waters recede, the hefty lumps remain, often weighed down by all the toxins in the water, the Washington Post reports. Bags can weigh 60-80 pounds even when dry, so heaving one after another to the curb for pickup is a serious task, especially without the hordes of adrenaline-driven...
Sadr City Bomb Kills 4 Americans
Los Angeles Times
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Jun 24, 2008 8:23 AM CDT
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Two US troops and two US government employees were killed today during a suicide bombing at a local council building in Baghdad's Sadr City, the LA Times reports. The blast, the second this week that targeted Americans meeting with local officials, also claimed the lives of two Iraqis and wounded several others. Yesterday a gunman killed two US soldiers...
Muslims Disappointed as Obama Keeps Distance
New York Times
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Jun 24, 2008 8:06 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Barack Obama’s campaign, welcomed by Muslim Americans as a harbinger of religious tolerance and a more diplomatic foreign policy, has been reluctant to return their enthusiasm, the New York Times reports, leaving some leaders disappointed and angry. The candidate has appeared at churches and synagogues, but no mosques; aides asked the country's...
Seinfeld: Death Was a Laughing Matter for Carlin
New York Times
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Jun 24, 2008 7:44 AM CDT
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Nine days ago death was just another thing to joke about for George Carlin, writes Jerry Seinfeld in the New York Times. The comics were talking about the deaths of Tim Russert and Bo Diddley, and Carlin said, “I feel safe for a while. There will probably be a break before they come after the next one.”
MC Shaq Rips Kobe in Rap
Los Angeles Times
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Jun 24, 2008 7:39 AM CDT
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Even with the Lakers and Celtics matchup over, all is not quiet on the NBA rivalry front. Shaquille O'Neal took the mic at a New York club to perform a freestyle rap suggesting that Kobe Bryant couldn't win a championship without his former teammate: "You know how I be. Last week Kobe couldn't do without me." Shaq says his (mostly...
US Ambassador Implicated in China Arms Deal
New York Times
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Jun 24, 2008 7:23 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The American ambassador to Albania personally endorsed a plan to disguise the origin of munitions bought by a Pentagon contractor, according to Congressional testimony. The New York Times traveled to Albania during an earlier investigation of a shady 22-year-old arms dealer operating out of Miami Beach. But the Albanian defense minister, with the...
Audi Aims to 'Outsnob Mercedes'
Esquire
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Jun 24, 2008 7:13 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Prestigious Audi seeks to turn its nose even higher and “outsnob Mercedes” by 2015, Esquire reports—not in sales, but in swanky elements, including: Over-the-top bells and whistles: A Bang & Olufsen stereo system has tweeters popping out of the dash, which aim to silence the nearest BMW.
I Was Being Sarcastic, Not Racist: Imus
Associated Press
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Jun 24, 2008 7:00 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Don Imus was just making a “sarcastic point” when he asked “what color” oft-arrested cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones is, he said on his show today. When informed that Jones was black, Imus replied, “There you go. Now we know.” The rejoinder sparked complaints against the reformed shock jock,...
