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.
Surprising Rocco Leads Open
New Zealand Herald
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Jul 17, 2008 7:15 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Rocco Mediate, the journeyman-golfer who came out of nowhere to give Tiger Woods a run for his money in the US Open, is picking up where he left off at the British Open, the New Zealand Herald reports. After a first round marked by miserable weather, Mediate is tied with Graeme McDowell and Robert Allenby atop the leader board with a 1-under-par...
In Japan, Jailhouse Chic Rules Fashion
Associated Press
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Jul 17, 2008 6:53 PM CDT
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Japan's fashion-forward set is flocking to a line made by an unlikely group—prison inmates. Aprons, bags, and pouches emblazoned with the character for "jail" inside a circle are selling out just as quickly as inmates at a juvenile prison in Hokkaido can make them, the AP reports. "Especially, young people seem to like it,"...
NYC Not Eating Up Calorie-Count Law
MSNBC
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Jul 17, 2008 6:28 PM CDT
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As chain restaurants waddle their way toward compliance with a New York City law that requires them to post the calorie counts of food, the numbers behind the items have diners grappling with some unappetizing knowledge, MSNBC reports. The restaurant skinny is turning out to be anything but, from 630-calorie Dunkin' Donuts muffins to a pecan-crusted...
Soccer Star Wambach Breaks Leg, Will Miss Olympics
Democrat and Chronicle
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Jul 17, 2008 6:01 PM CDT
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The US women's soccer team's hopes for a gold medal in Beijing took a devastating blow yesterday when star Abby Wambach broke her leg in an exhibition match. Wambach, the team's leading scorer, underwent a two-hour surgery today that went "perfectly, beautifully," her mother told the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle . Wambach, though, will...
GM Developing Futuristic Windshield
Associated Press
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Jul 17, 2008 5:45 PM CDT
(Newser) -
America’s driving population is aging, and GM aims to do something to help older motorists: develop a high-tech windshield that compensates for declining eyesight, the AP reports. The system, now in the research phase, uses lasers and infrared sensors to identify hazards in the road—or perhaps the edge of the road itself in bad weather—and...
Amazon's New Video Service Part Netflix, Part YouTube
Ars Technica
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Jul 17, 2008 5:20 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Amazon entered the streaming video tangle today with Amazon Video on Demand, a service that resembles Netflix and Hulu far more than the company’s Unbox service, Ars Technica notes. While Unbox functioned on a principle similar to the iTunes Store, Amazon Video will stream movies and TV shows directly to customers' computers (and, later, TVs),...
Clinton Boosts Efforts to Fight Malaria, GOP
Associated Press
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Jul 17, 2008 5:00 PM CDT
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Bill Clinton's philanthropic foundation has struck a deal to keep a lid on the price of anti-malaria drugs, the AP reports. The former president today outlined a plan that would help limit wild fluctuation in the market for artemisinin, an extract key to treating malaria, which sickens 500 million a year. Six suppliers, and the UN, are on board, and...
EPA Forecasts Longer, Smoggier Summers for US
Washington Post
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Jul 17, 2008 4:46 PM CDT
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Climate change will bring longer, hotter, smoggier summers in the coming decades across the US, a new EPA reports says. Expect more wildfires and hurricanes, too, along with water problems in the West, the Washington Post reports. The federal report is noteworthy because it refutes the Bush administration's rosier outlook on global warming, the ...
Textbook Revolution? Free and Paperless
Time
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Jul 17, 2008 4:32 PM CDT
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The hefty cost of university textbooks now averages $900 per student each year, and financial aid can't be counted on to cover the expense. But starting in September, one publisher will be offering its textbooks online—for free, Time reports. "Nobody's satisfied with the status quo," said the founder of Flat World, a start-up with...
Weak Dollar Scaring Off Foreign Funds
Financial Times (UK)
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Jul 17, 2008 4:18 PM CDT
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With the dollar declining and US economic outlook uncertain, some large sovereign wealth funds are looking to cut down on greenbacks, the Financial Times reports. One such Persian Gulf fund has cut its dollar-denominated investments from 80% to 60%, and China’s State Administration of Foreign Exchange is aggressively exploring European investments—a...
Idealism Met Different End for Obama Sr.
Los Angeles Times
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Jul 17, 2008 4:03 PM CDT
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Like his candidate son, Barack Obama Sr. was charismatic, eloquent and idealistic, those who knew him say—so idealistic he was devastated by the corruption he saw in his native Kenya. The Harvard grad was so disillusioned upon his return to Africa, the Los Angeles Times reports, he turned to drink, with several DUI accidents preceding the car...
Rat's Nest of Urban Politics Behind Philly's 'Big Stall'
Philadelphia Inquirer
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Jul 17, 2008 3:50 PM CDT
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Lamenting the lack of progress in another urban redevelopment project, Karen Heller takes aim at the Pennsylvania Convention Center expansion in the Philadelphia Inquirer . The Center expansion has been in the works since 1993, spurring numerous building demolitions, but few new constructions: in short, North Broad Street, advertised as a coming “avenue...
Stocks Continue Strong Rally
Wall Street Journal
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Jul 17, 2008 3:35 PM CDT
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The markets continued yesterday’s rally as oil kept falling—hitting a low of $131 a barrel for the first time in 6 weeks—and traders bought up financial shares with renewed confidence, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Dow gained 207.38 points to close at 11,446.66; its 484-point jump since yesterday is the best two-day gain...
Journo 'Ecstatic' Over Demise of HIV Travel Ban
The Atlantic
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Jul 17, 2008 3:29 PM CDT
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HIV-positive journalist Andrew Sullivan is “ecstatic” over yesterday's passage by the Senate of a bill that would lift a US ban on visitors and immigrants with the virus that causes AIDS, he writes in his Atlantic blog. "I'm not exaggerating when I say that it's one of the happiest days of my whole life," writes the openly gay,...
Tomatoes OK, FDA Says
Associated Press
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Jul 17, 2008 3:20 PM CDT
(AP) -
The US government has declared it's OK to eat tomatoes again, lifting its salmonella warning amid signs that the outbreak, while not over, may finally be slowing. Officials reiterated earlier warnings that the people most at risk of salmonella should avoid hot peppers, particularly jalapenos and serranos. The Food and Drug Administration is sending...
UBS: No More Swiss Cheese for US Clients
Wall Street Journal
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Jul 17, 2008 3:08 PM CDT
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A UBS executive told a Senate probe today the bank will no longer host accounts for US clients, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Swiss bank is under investigation by the IRS for marketing tax-evasion strategies involving its offshore accounts to wealthy Americans. The Senate panel estimates that the US loses about $100 billion annually due to offshore...
AK-47s Flooding US Cities
Mother Jones
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Jul 17, 2008 3:03 PM CDT
(Newser) -
At least one of America’s borders is wide open: Gun manufacturers are selling imported semiautomatic weapons with ease ever since the Bush administration allowed 1994's assault weapons ban to lapse, writes Bruce Falconer for Mother Jones . “We’re being flooded with these AK-47s,” said Miami’s police chief, who has seen...
Fiorina Hosts NY Event for Hillary Funders
Wall Street Journal
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Jul 17, 2008 2:53 PM CDT
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About 25 disgruntled Hillary Clinton donors met Tuesday with a top adviser to John McCain, and promised “hundreds of thousands and maybe millions of votes” for the Republican—if their conditions were met. Carly Fiorina said the women she met in New York were “intensely uncomfortable with the notion of a President Obama,”...
'King of Beers' Gets a Taste of Own Medicine
Salon
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Jul 17, 2008 2:40 PM CDT
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Anyone who thinks InBev’s buyout of Budweiser represents the end of American beer needs a history lesson, writes Edward McClelland in Salon. Budweiser became the “King of Beers” by killing every other heir to the throne. In 1960, America had 175 traditional, regional breweries, making lagers just like Bud. Anheuser-Busch systematically...
Freed Militants Vow to Continue Fight With Israel
Associated Press
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Jul 17, 2008 2:30 PM CDT
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A day after being freed in a prisoner exchange, Hezbollah fighters vowed to continue to fight Israel as they prayed at the grave of a fallen commander, the AP reports. “At this moment, I am yearning more than before to confront them,” Samir Qantar, who had been jailed in Israel for almost 30 years, said at a cemetery near Beirut.
Lefty Kinda Still Likes This Guy
New Republic
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Jul 17, 2008 2:23 PM CDT
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“What can I say?” writes left-leaning Jonathan Chait in revealing his continued affection for John McCain. “Bush has lowered my standards.” Remember, McCain was once “the country’s foremost progressive champion”—battling the religious right and tax cuts while pushing immigration and anti-global warming...
Chicago Transit Explores Groceries in Train Stations
Chicago Tribune
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Jul 17, 2008 2:00 PM CDT
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The Chicago Transit Authority is looking make more money from the real estate it owns, and is investigating installing grocery stores and restaurants inside “L” (elevated train) stations, the Tribune reports—with the agency hoping to generate $100 million over the next 5 years from such commercial development. "People could...
No Stopping Gay Marriage's Mass. Appeal
New York Times
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Jul 17, 2008 1:54 PM CDT
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With Massachusetts legislators set to repeal a law ex-Gov. Mitt Romney hoped would prevent the state from becoming “the Las Vegas of same-sex marriage,” Gail Collins, in the New York Times , looks at the march toward equality. For one thing, with the economy the way it is, “becoming the Las Vegas of anything whatsoever began to sound...
Trial of Bin Laden's Driver Can Begin, Judge Rules
Associated Press
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Jul 17, 2008 1:37 PM CDT
(AP) -
The first war crimes trial at Guantanamo Bay can begin Monday, a federal judge ruled today, saying civilian courts should let the military process play out as Congress intended. A US District judge rejected an effort by Osama bin Laden's former driver, Salim Hamdan, to postpone his trial.
Tips to Avoid Online Scams
Forbes
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Jul 17, 2008 1:29 PM CDT
(Newser) -
If it looks too good to be true, it might be. Counterfeit goods are no stranger to sites as mainstream as eBay, so you'll want to take a few precautions to avoid forking it over for a fake. Forbes outlines tips for a safe and reliable e-shopping spree. Know what to look for: Before purchasing a pricey purse item, read a corresponding authenticity...
US Closer to Establishing Diplomatic Outpost in Iran
Guardian (UK)
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Jul 17, 2008 1:10 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The Bush administration is moving forward with plans to establish a US interest section—precursor to a formal embassy—in Iran, the Guardian reports. An announcement will come in the next month about the office, which will put US diplomats in Iran for the first time since the hostage crisis in 1979. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad voiced...
Michael J. Fox Returns to TV
Associated Press
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Jul 17, 2008 12:50 PM CDT
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Michael J. Fox will return to the small screen next year in a four-episode guest role on FX's "Rescue Me,” the AP reports. The “Spin City” star, whose symptoms of Parkinson’s disease have become evident since his 1991 diagnosis, will play the wheelchair-bound love-interest of the Denis Leary character’s estranged...
Bush and McCain: A Rocky Road, With Switchbacks
Time
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Jul 17, 2008 12:40 PM CDT
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When George Bush denied involvement in infamous smears that ended John McCain's 2000 presidential bid, the feisty senator barked, “Don’t give me that shit. And take your hands off me.” But just 4 years later he gave the somber president a pre-debate pep talk: “You’re gonna be great.” The relationship between the...
Jamie Lynn 'Glorifying' Teen Pregnancy
Infos Jeunes
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Jul 17, 2008 12:23 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Jamie Lynn Spears’ gushing OK! magazine spread, with its poetic waxings about motherhood, sends the exact wrong message—telling teens it's “perfect” to have a baby, critics say. “There's no way I would describe caring for a new baby as “fun.” “Fulfilling,” maybe, but it's possible Jamie Lynn lacks...
Fed's Broader Portfolio Raises Some Worries
Washington Post
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Jul 17, 2008 12:18 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Ben Bernanke has been busy recently—too busy, in the minds of some. The chairman has expanded the Federal Reserve's role beyond traditional monetary policymaker to being an all-purpose protector of the financial system. Many of his dramatic moves—the Bear Stearns buyout, backstopping Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac—averted disasters, but...
Bush Pays Respects to Snow
Associated Press
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Jul 17, 2008 12:05 PM CDT
(AP) -
President Bush fondly remembered Tony Snow today, telling mourners at his funeral that the conservative commentator-turned-White House press secretary "amassed a rare record of accomplishment." "He knew the job of a reporter was vigorous. He understood the profession and always treated it with respect," Bush said during a service...
'So Gay' Tourist Ad Stirs Flap in South Carolina
Greenville (SC) News
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Jul 17, 2008 12:01 PM CDT
(Newser) -
"South Carolina is so gay," announce posters in the London Underground. Part of an advertising campaign targeting visitors to London's gay pride events, the posters have set off a backlash in South Carolina, drawing sharp criticism from senator David Thomas and resulting in the resignation of a state staffer involved in the ad campaign, reports...
Brit Cuts New Album; Madge Touts K-Fed Reunion
Los Angeles Times
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Jul 17, 2008 11:51 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Britney Spears is busy rebounding from her yearlong downward spiral by working on a new album, her label says, while Madonna is said to be lobbying Britney and Kevin Federline to put in a live "reunion" appearance on her upcoming tour, the Sun reports. And if that's not enough, a postponement of the latest hearing in her custody battle...
Anheuser-Busch: The Deal That Sleeps With the Fishes
Wall Street Journal
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Jul 17, 2008 11:40 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Anyone mourning the takeover of Anheuser Busch by Belgium's InBev might want to know that the real turning point in that battle occurred more than a decade ago. On a fishing trip. In Mexico. The last real chance to outmaneuver InBev was lost when the US brewer failed to get a controlling stake in Mexico’s Grupo Modelo, writes David Kesmodel in...
'Clean Coal' Advocates Blowing Smoke
Yale Environment 360
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Jul 17, 2008 11:31 AM CDT
(Newser) -
“Clean coal” is the buzzword of the moment, with industry groups and presidential candidates swearing by a work-in-progress technique known as carbon capture and storage (CCS), which ultimately buries carbon dioxide emissions deep underground. But Jeff Goodell, writing in Yale Environment 360 , doesn’t buy it. “We don’t...
Mark Ronson 'Approves' of LiLo-Sam Love
Daily Mirror (UK)
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Jul 17, 2008 11:23 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Lindsay Lohan and celebrity DJ Samantha Ronson’s lesbian relationship is all but out of the closet—and now Ronson’s Grammy-winning brother Mark Ronson gives their love two thumbs up.“Her and Sam make a lovely couple—they seem really happy,” Mark's girlfriend Daisy Lowe told the Daily Mirror . “Their relationship...
Dark Knight Dazzles
Rotten Tomatoes
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Jul 17, 2008 11:09 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Dark Knight swoops into cinemas tomorrow and critics say the hype is more than justified. "This is not merely a Batman movie," Amy Biancolli writes in the Houston Chronicle . It is one of the year's best films "and far and away the most hypnotic chiller." The bleak Gotham tale is "audacious and unnerving while consistently...
Methodist Ministers Defy Ban on Marrying Gays
Los Angeles Times
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Jul 17, 2008 11:02 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Methodist ministers in California are revolting against religious edicts that forbid them from performing same-sex marriages, the Los Angeles Times reports, in a struggle that many consider "the civil rights cause of their generation." Dozens of Methodist pastors have officiated at gay and lesbian weddings since they were legalized in California,...
Tennis Playmate: 'I'm Not Very Modest'
ESPN
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Jul 17, 2008 10:53 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Ashley Harkleroad isn’t that effusive when she talks about her chosen profession—tennis. “I have to think it's better than having a ‘real job,’” she tells ESPN. But when it comes to posing nude for Playboy, the world’s 65th-ranked player gushes. “I'm not a very modest person, so I was really feeling...
Gas Crunch Steers Soaring Hybrid Sales
Wired
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Jul 17, 2008 10:45 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Sales of hybrid cars could soar to 2 million a year by 2013 as higher gas prices and concerns about global warming spark surging interest in fuel efficient vehicles, Wired reports. Well over half—62%—of new car buyers are already considering a hybrid, according to a recent survey. Consumers who aren't satisfied with the current hybrid...
US Health Care Stinks: Study
Reuters
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Jul 17, 2008 10:33 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The US health care system gets dismal grades in a ranking of 19 industrialized countries, Reuters reports. A private foundation looked at key indicators like efficiency and access, and found the US did very poorly despite spending the most money—putting it last on the list. Health-care dollars were squandered on administrative costs and illnesses...
Gore Challenge: 100% Clean Electricity by 2018
Time
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Jul 17, 2008 10:20 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Al Gore is challenging the US to produce all its electricity through wind, sun, and other clean sources by 2018. Speaking to the AP ahead of a major address today, the Nobel laureate compared the goal to JFK’s 1961 pledge to make it to the moon—and said that both Barack Obama and John McCain are “way ahead” of most politicians...
Trump Sells Mansion for $100M
Associated Press
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Jul 17, 2008 10:08 AM CDT
(AP) -
The real estate market may be slumping, but not for Donald Trump, who sold his Palm Beach mansion to a Russian fertilizer billionaire for $100 million, the AP reports. It's the most ever paid for a US estate, a spokesman claims. "In an age of so many people getting hurt in real estate, it shows that you can still do well in real estate,"...
Rich Countries Getting Soaked for a Change
Washington Post
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Jul 17, 2008 10:02 AM CDT
(Newser) -
As the US and other developed economies feel the crunch of a housing collapse and credit crisis, emerging economies, especially those fueled by commodities, have yet to feel the pinch, the Washington Post reports. "We are overloaded with money, crazy amounts of money from the energy market," a professor says of oil-rich Russia.
As Rome Burns, Bush Plays T-Ball
Washington Post
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Jul 17, 2008 9:51 AM CDT
(Newser) -
With Washington roiled yesterday by economic woes and bad news from Afghanistan, George W. Bush spent an hour watching 6- and 7-year-olds play T-ball, Dana Milbank notes in the Washington Post —the 95th sports-related event he's hosted as president, to 45 cabinet meetings. "For a president facing little good news at the office," Milbank...
Calif. Court Leaves Gay Marriage Ban on the Ballot
Los Angeles Times
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Jul 17, 2008 9:38 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A voter initiative to ban gay marriage is staying on California’s ballot this November, the state’s supreme court ruled unanimously yesterday, setting the stage for a bitter November battle. Gay rights groups had argued that the proposition was an illegal constitutional revision, and that petitions for the initiative had been misleading....
Texans Shocked by Spiking Power Bills
Wall Street Journal
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Jul 17, 2008 9:30 AM CDT
(Newser) -
As energy prices soar, many Texans are wishing they had added "regulation of electrical companies" to the list of things not to mess with. Authorities predicted competition would lower prices when they deregulated the industry in 1999, the Wall Street Journal reports, but inadequate infrastructure, rising fuel costs, and other factors have...
Mad Men, Damages Make History With Emmy Nods
Associated Press
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Jul 17, 2008 9:11 AM CDT
(AP) -
Mad Men , AMC's sleek 1950s advertising drama, and FX's legal thriller Damages made Emmy nominations history today as the first basic cable programs to gain best-series nods. HBO's John Adams , meanwhile, was the overall frontrunner with 23 bids, including a lead-actor nomination for Paul Giamatti's turn as Adams.
Mexico Seizes Homemade Drug Submarine
Associated Press
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Jul 17, 2008 9:00 AM CDT
(AP) -
Mexico's navy seized a homemade submarine carrying a drug shipment off the Pacific coast yesterday and arrested its four-man crew. The 30-foot makeshift vessel was detected heading north about 200 miles off the southern state of Oaxaca, and intercepted when it surfaced. The crew offered no resistance, and say drug lords forced them to make the journey....
In Tough Times, McDonald's Revives a Jingle
New York Times
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Jul 17, 2008 8:47 AM CDT
(Newser) -
In 1974, with an unpopular war raging and inflation on the rise, McDonald's launched a jingle—"Two all beef patties, special sauce..."—to promote its signature product, the Big Mac. Decades later, in similar circumstances, the fast food giant is reintroducing the mantra-like list of ingredients via a MySpace competition. The ...
