Newser Story Index from July, 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.
House Passes Huge Housing Rescue Bill
The Hill
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Jul 23, 2008 5:34 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The House today approved a massive bill to provide relief for struggling homeowners, communities hit hard by the housing crisis, and mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the Hill reports. The bill passed 272-152 hours after President Bush switched course and said he would not veto it. The measure is expected to clear the Senate by the end...
Disease Stalks Florida's Palms
Associated Press
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Jul 23, 2008 5:10 PM CDT
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A mystery disease is eating away at the sabal palm, Florida’s state tree, and scientists say the prospects of successfully fighting the disease are slim. The AP reports that an increasing number of the trees, which can grow up to 50 feet tall, have suffered collapsed canopies. "There's going to be fewer palms,” one state pathologist...
Spoiler Cubs Fan Offered $25K for Autograph
Orlando Sentinel
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Jul 23, 2008 4:54 PM CDT
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Will Steve Bartman—the fan blamed for costing the long-suffering Chicago Cubs a trip to the 2003 World Series—come out of hiding for $25,000? A pair of sports memorabilia outfits are offering the bounty, the Orlando Sentinel reports, if Bartman shows up at a July 31 convention in suburban Chicago and autographs a single copy of a photo...
What Was I Writing?
Times (UK)
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Jul 23, 2008 4:39 PM CDT
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We all complain about the myriad distractions in the wired world, but Bryan Appleyard goes further in the Guardian: Distraction is not just annoying, it can kill you, and will be the downfall of democracy. “Chronic, long-term distraction” may be as deadly as smoking, and the habits of the contemporary, Googled-in human, “scanning...
Obama Impressed Law School's Conservatives
New Republic
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Jul 23, 2008 4:23 PM CDT
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The University of Chicago Law School—an institution noted for its conservative leanings—tried hard to recruit part-time lecturer Barack Obama into academia when his early political career was foundering, the New Republic reports. Some of the school's conservative scholars say they disagreed with Obama's political bent but were impressed...
UC-Berkeley Can Chop Sitters' Trees: Judge
San Francisco Chronicle
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Jul 23, 2008 4:11 PM CDT
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After a year and a half of wrangling, a California judge gave UC Berkeley the green light yesterday to cut down dozens of trees in order to build an athletic training center next to its football stadium. Three protesters are still living in one tree at the site and are refusing to leave, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
McCain Jab on War Most 'Scurrilous' in Memory: Klein
Time
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Jul 23, 2008 3:58 PM CDT
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John McCain’s latest jab at Barack Obama—“It seems to me that Obama would rather lose a war in order to win a political campaign”–stuns Joe Klein, who writes in Time that the Republican’s Iraq claim is the most “scurrilous statement by a major party candidate” he’s heard in nine elections. “It...
Google's Walking Map Gives True Step-By-Step Directions
Wired
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Jul 23, 2008 3:45 PM CDT
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Google unveiled a new feature to its Maps site yesterday, Wired reports: walking directions. Users can now plot true step-by-step directions, taking into account one-way streets and a growing database of pedestrian pathways. The walking option will appear for distances less than 6.2 miles.
European Demands Vex Obama Camp
Der Spiegel
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Jul 23, 2008 3:30 PM CDT
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Barack Obama’s campaign is frustrated that his Berlin visit tomorrow is being over-analyzed, Der Spiegel reports—with Europeans complaining that he’s giving a mere stump speech, or that his address might lack substance. Obama is dropping in to outline his vision for trans-Atlantic alliances—he’s expected to give some...
No Survivors in Crash of US Bomber off Guam
Associated Press
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Jul 23, 2008 3:16 PM CDT
(AP) -
The US Air Force said today all six crew members aboard a B-52 bomber that crashed Monday off Guam were killed. A wide search effort has shifted focus from rescue to recovery of the crew, said officials at Andersen Air Force Base on the Pacific island.
Mixed News Keeps Gains Slim
Wall Street Journal
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Jul 23, 2008 3:15 PM CDT
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The markets pared earlier gains to end just slightly positive today, amid mixed earnings reports and a gloomy-but-expected Federal Reserve data on the US economy, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Dow gained 29.88, closing at 11,632.38. The Nasdaq gained 21.92, settling at 2,325.88, while the S&P 500 fell 5.19 to 1,282.19.
Credit Crunch Squeezes Student Loans
Boston Globe
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Jul 23, 2008 3:04 PM CDT
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The slump in the credit markets has shrunk capital available to brokers of student loans, complicating the already-difficult task of financing a college education. The Boston Globe relates the story of one Massachusetts family, the Ferragutos, who received word this year from the state’s education finance agency informing them that federal...
DC Still Defying Court on Guns
Reason Magazine
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Jul 23, 2008 2:43 PM CDT
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The District of Columbia is defying the Supreme Court with efforts to preserve the handgun ban deemed unconstitutional last month, Jacob Sullum writes in Reason . A new law changes the wording of the controversial “disassemble and trigger-lock” provision, meaning owners won’t be allowed to keep guns loaded and must wait for a “reasonably...
Ripping Media on One Hand, Mac Says It's 'Fun to Watch'
Huffington Post
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Jul 23, 2008 2:34 PM CDT
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Yesterday, as his campaign released an ad mocking the press corps’ affection for Barack Obama—and handed out press credentials rubbing it in—John McCain said the opposite to CBS’ Katie Couric. Mac “doesn’t think” the media has been unfair: “I'm certainly not complaining. And, in fact, I think it’s...
Minimum Wage Gets Bump
Baltimore Sun
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Jul 23, 2008 2:31 PM CDT
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The federal minimum wage will get a 70-cent boost tomorrow to $6.55 an hour, reports the Baltimore Sun , but it's not good news for everyone. The bump will help workers chip away at rising food, gas, and health care costs, raising the annual payoff of a 40-hour work week to $13,624, about $3,000 over the federal poverty level. Small businesses, facing...
Mossberg Picks iPhone Apps
Wall Street Journal
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Jul 23, 2008 2:22 PM CDT
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Impressed with Apple's spread of iPhone apps, Wall Street Journal tech gurus Walt Mossberg and Katherine Boehret list their favorites. AOL Radio: The best Internet radio player for the iPhone Evernote: A good port of the elegant note-taking program Instapaper: Instantly download Web pages for offline reading. Travelocity...
Comedy Legend Skewers Left in Slapstick Carol
Politico
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Jul 23, 2008 2:15 PM CDT
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They're calling it “a spoof of A Christmas Carol and contemporary American culture,” from the director that brought you Naked Gun and Airplane! But what the press release doesn't say is that the director is David Zucker, a self-proclaimed “9/11 Republican,” and that American Carol is a brazenly right-wing send-up...
Dolly Makes Texas Landfall
Associated Press
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Jul 23, 2008 2:06 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Hurricane Dolly has come ashore near South Padre Island, Texas, the AP reports, forcing thousands on both sides of the US-Mexico border to forsake their homes for shelters. Heavy winds and rains have already destroyed a building’s roof and cut power for thousands; authorities say levees along the Rio Grande are holding.
Charming Army Brass Get Little Rebuke From Vet Care Panel
Washington Post
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Jul 23, 2008 1:59 PM CDT
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Faced with little evidence of progress in caring for wounded veterans 16 months after the Walter Reed scandal, US Army generals resorted to battlefield tactics in a hearing before a House subcommittee yesterday, Dana Milbank writes in the Washington Post : “A tactical retreat in the face of an overwhelming enemy: the facts.” The generals...
African Sun Could Power EU
Guardian (UK)
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Jul 23, 2008 1:50 PM CDT
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All of the European continent’s electrical needs could be generated by massive solar farms in Africa, scientists posited today, unveiling a plan to do just that, the Guardian reports. The proposal, which would require an area the size of Wales—insignificant in the vast expanse of the Sahara Desert, they note—is highly speculative;...
Feds Push to Ease Workplace Toxin Regs
Washington Post
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Jul 23, 2008 1:43 PM CDT
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The Department of Labor is rushing to push through policy that would make it more difficult to regulate workers’ exposure to toxins, the Washington Post reports. The proposal was never publicly disclosed, as required by law, but rather surfaced on the website of the White House Office of Management and Budget, noting its pending review.
How Mac Can Get His Groove Back
Time
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Jul 23, 2008 1:36 PM CDT
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It's not quite time for John McCain's "obit," Mark Halperin writes in Time , but we're getting there. How the Republican could right the ship: Realize that voters “want an upbeat president”—and stop pointing out his old age. Recognize that Americans care more about mortgages and health-care costs than about...
Bloomberg, Gates Take On Smoking
Associated Press
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Jul 23, 2008 1:20 PM CDT
(AP) -
Microsoft founder Bill Gates and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg are pooling their piles of money and pouring $375 million into a global effort to cut smoking. The two philanthropists—who have a combined worth of more than $70 billion—say the new effort will target developing countries where tobacco use is highest.
Beijing to Set Up Olympic Protest Zones
Associated Press
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Jul 23, 2008 1:08 PM CDT
(AP) -
Beijing will set up specially designated zones for protesters during next month's Olympics, a security official said today, in a sign that China's authoritarian government may allow some demonstrations during the games. "This will allow people to protest without disrupting the Olympics," said the director of the Shanghai Institute of American...
Jean-Georges Has Appetite for Empire
Portfolio
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Jul 23, 2008 1:00 PM CDT
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Jean-Georges Vongerichten has been busy indeed outside the kitchen—too busy, in the minds of some. In the next 5 years, the restaurateur plans to open between 30 and 50 new establishments in Starwood Hotels worldwide. The dramatic move, brokered by a private-equity firm, will make consistency a challenge and could lessen his cachet before long,...
Obama Visits Sderot, Meets Olmert, Abbas
Associated Press
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Jul 23, 2008 12:45 PM CDT
(AP) -
Barack Obama waded into the thicket of Mideast politics today, siting down with Israeli and Palestinian leaders and visiting Sderot, an Israeli city near the Gaza border that's a frequent target of rocket attacks. If Iran were to obtain nuclear weapons, Obama said at a press conference, it would mark a "game-changing situation not only in the...
Tabloid: We Caught Edwards Visiting Mistress, Love Child
National Enquirer
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Jul 23, 2008 12:39 PM CDT
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The National Enquirer claims to have cornered and confronted John Edwards yesterday after a late-night tryst with the woman they have been saying for months is his mistress and the mother of his infant child. The tabloid says its reporters tracked Edwards as he entered a Los Angeles hotel through a side door and used a basement elevator; left the...
McConaughey: Birth Was 'Tribal'
OK!
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Jul 23, 2008 12:34 PM CDT
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When contractions started for new mother Camila Alves, Matthew McConaughey was “right between her legs. We got tribal on it, we danced to it! I was DJing this Brazilian music," he tells OK! magazine for baby Levi’s reportedly $3 million photo debut. Despite his surfer-dude cool, the actor says, “Having a baby is a bloody, pukey,...
Viagra Benefits Women on Antidepressants: Study
Los Angeles Times
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Jul 23, 2008 12:30 PM CDT
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Viagra increases sexual performance in women suffering from arousal problems as a result of antidepressant drugs, a study finds. Some 72% of the women in the small study—funded by Pfizer, which makes the pill that has become a blockbuster for men seeking improved sexual function—noted an improvement, compared with 27% of those given a placebo,...
Obama Appears Cocky, Presidential
New York Times
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Jul 23, 2008 12:19 PM CDT
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The better Barack Obama’s foreign excursion goes, the more nervous Republicans get, Maureen Dowd writes in the New York Times. Images of John McCain happily sharing a golf cart with Bush 41 don’t contrast well with images of Obama happily sharing a helicopter with David Petraeus. But there is also an element of arrogance in the...
An Independent Yahoo Is Hard to Imagine
BusinessWeek
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Jul 23, 2008 12:09 PM CDT
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Yahoo’s earnings report yesterday didn’t portend an immediate turnaround, Catherine Holahan writes in BusinessWeek , meaning the company must do something to meet the “grandiose claims” it made in rejecting Microsoft’s bid. Some still see Yahoo ultimately taking that path, and expanding its deal with Google is another...
Love Sued Over Nirvana Catalog
Associated Press
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Jul 23, 2008 12:05 PM CDT
(AP) -
Business firm London & Co. sued Kurt Cobain's widow, Courtney Love, for $975,000 yesterday, claiming she didn’t give them their share of the $19.5 million she earned from selling part of Nirvana's publishing catalog. They allege Love broke a verbal contract to share 5% of profits from The End of Music, her company that oversees Cobain's intellectual...
In Switch, Bush Will Sign Bill Overhauling Fannie, Freddie
Wall Street Journal
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Jul 23, 2008 11:54 AM CDT
(Newser) -
President Bush will support a housing package being considered in the Senate, the Wall Street Journal reports. Bush threatened to veto the bill, which includes as much as $300 billion of insurance for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, but decided, given market turmoil, that now “is not the time for a prolonged veto fight” press secretary Dana...
Paps Nabbed Near Brit's Pad
Associated Press
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Jul 23, 2008 11:42 AM CDT
(AP) -
Los Angeles police busted two photographers near Britney Spears' home Monday on loitering charges. After ignoring warnings to leave the city-owned road near the exclusive gated community that is also home to Ed McMahon, the paps were arrested and their car impounded.
Canoe Con Man, Wife Get 6 Years for Fake Death
Guardian (UK)
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Jul 23, 2008 11:30 AM CDT
(Newser) -
John Darwin didn’t force his wife to help fake his death, a jury ruled today, convicting Anne Darwin on 15 counts of deception and money laundering before the two were each sentenced to 6 years in prison for their $500,000 insurance scheme. Anne’s “marital coercion” defense, which posited that the “canoe man” had...
Karadzic Arrest Shows the Hague's Value
Time
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Jul 23, 2008 11:09 AM CDT
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For all those who doubt the effectiveness of an International Criminal Court warrant, just look at Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic. Samantha Power imagined the arrest differently when she was reporting from Sarajevo in 1995, but his diminished circumstances now show just how crippling and demeaning it is to run from the international community,...
'Whole Grain' Lawsuit Hits at Truth About Health Food
BusinessWeek
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Jul 23, 2008 11:05 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The food industry is coming under pressure to start telling the whole truth about whole grain products, BusinessWeek reports. Sara Lee, facing a lawsuit from a consumer advocacy group, has agreed to change the labels on its Soft & Smooth bread to reflect that it's made from just 30% whole grains, with refined white flour making up the rest.
The 10 Best-Paid Actors
Forbes
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Jul 23, 2008 11:01 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Hancock isn't the "have you seen it" superhero movie of the season, but star Will Smith isn't crying in his beer: The ex-Fresh Prince raked in $80 million in the year that ended June 1. The rest of the Forbes top 10: Johnny Depp ($72 million) Eddie Murphy ($55 million) Mike Myers ($55 million) Leonardo DiCaprio...
Son of Bermuda Leader Facing Sex, Fraud Rap
Associated Press
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Jul 23, 2008 11:00 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The son of Bermuda’s premier, a 37-year-old Los Angeles doctor, is facing 19 felony charges, the AP reports, including raping and molesting patients. Kevin Antario Brown, son of Premier Ewart Brown, is also under investigation for “multiple health care fraud schemes,” the LA Times reports. Bail was set at a hefty $4 million, with...
Credit Woes Move Bank to Offload $2B in Coke Shares
Guardian (UK)
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Jul 23, 2008 10:42 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Continuing credit losses have prompted SunTrust Bank to offload its 43.6 million shares of Coca-Cola, breaking ties with the soft-drink maker that stretch more than 90 years and include a copy of the cola’s secret recipe stored in the bank’s Atlanta vault, the Guardian reports. SunTrust’s announcement that it would dispose of its...
Dolly Strengthens to Category 2
Associated Press
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Jul 23, 2008 10:37 AM CDT
(AP) -
Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center in Miami say Hurricane Dolly has strengthened to a Category 2 storm, with maximum sustained winds near 100 mph. The storm center is about 30 miles east-northeast of Brownsville, Texas.
Best Iraq Policy Would Mix Mac, Obama Plans
New York Times
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Jul 23, 2008 10:08 AM CDT
(Newser) -
John McCain was right about the surge, so it’s natural he’s eager to talk about it. But thanks to that very success, Barack Obama finds himself, by luck or cunning, positioned perfectly, Thomas Friedman writes in the New York Times . As security improves, Iraqis want Americans to leave. If they don’t, Iraq will coalesce into a unified...
'Sgt.' Schmidt Hones McCain's Pitch
Wall Street Journal
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Jul 23, 2008 9:51 AM CDT
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Fiery Republican strategist Steve Schmidt argues that above all, a campaign needs something good to say about its own candidate, and something bad to say about the opponent. The Wall Street Journal takes a look at how 'Sgt. Schmidt', newly given the reins to John McCain's campaign, is methodically and unequivocally remaking the presidential bid with...
Karadzic to Defend Himself in Genocide Trial
BBC
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Jul 23, 2008 9:24 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Bosnian genocide suspect Radovan Karadzic plans to defend himself when he stands trial in the Hague, his lawyer said today. He also plans to lose the Santa Claus beard and pony tail, having requested a shave and haircut, the BBC reports. Karadzic, a former psychiatrist who spent more than a decade on the lam, was posing as a doctor of alternative medicine...
VF Spoof Bumps New Yorker
Boston Globe
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Jul 23, 2008 9:15 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Vanity Fair has taken a jab at the New Yorker , posting a spoof of the magazine’s controversial Barack Obama cover on its website. VF ’s "cover" shows a doddering John McCain gripping a walker and fist-bumping his wife, Cindy, who cradles a pile of prescription drugs. In the background, the Constitution burns in the fireplace...
Manhole Cover Thieves Hit Streets of Philadelphia
New York Times
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Jul 23, 2008 8:47 AM CDT
(Newser) -
These days you have to watch your step in Philadelphia. The City of Brotherly Love is suffering from an epidemic of manhole-cover theft, as rising scrap metal prices have led to a 2,500% increase in stolen covers and grates. Thieves are selling the covers for $5 to $10 at junkyards, reports the New York Times, and some streets now have so many orange...
UK Protester Glues Self to Brown
Times (UK)
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Jul 23, 2008 8:40 AM CDT
(Newser) -
An environmentalist tried to superglue himself to Gordon Brown last night inside 10 Downing St. Dan Glass was receiving an award from the British PM when he put his adhesive-slathered hand on the prime minister's forearm. The demonstrator stayed stuck to the PM for less than a minute, writes the Times of London, and will not face charges.
Chinese Athletes Destitute After Glory Days
NPR
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Jul 23, 2008 8:35 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Zhao Yonghua was a Chinese national skiing champion and won several gold medals. But now, at 31, she is bedridden from diabetes, exacerbated by overtraining. With no hope of recovery or employment, the former star finally had to sell one of her gold medals to raise money for treatment. As NPR reports, Zhao is only one of many athletes whose lives have...
Rumors About Jobs' Health Hit Ghoulish Point
CNET
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Jul 23, 2008 8:21 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Speculation about the state of Steve Jobs' health is reaching fever pitch, and the scramble to know more is over the top, Tom Krazit writes in CNET. Shareholders, concerned by the Apple CEO's recent weight loss and the fact that he once had pancreatic cancer, are calling for full disclosure. But as long as it's not a liability to the firm, Jobs' health...
Obama Health Care Cure May Prove Elusive
New York Times
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Jul 23, 2008 8:09 AM CDT
(Newser) -
In a campaign that has made several big promises, perhaps Barack Obama's most ambitious vow is that he will bring down health care premiums by $2,500 by the end of his first term as president. But whether he can deliver that is an open question, writes the New York Times . Even if he can muster the political will to cut down a bloated system, the...
