Newser Story Index from August, 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.
Stomach Pain Lands Dalai Lama in Hospital
BBC
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Aug 28, 2008 5:03 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The Dalai Lama was hospitalized today in India after complaining of stomach pains, BBC says. The Tibetan spiritual leader, who recently received a clean bill of health, canceled two international trips yesterday due to exhaustion. “There is nothing major to feel concerned about,” said his spokesman. The Dalai Lama, 73, has been traveling...
Pacman Can Play, NFL Says
Dallas Morning News
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Aug 28, 2008 4:51 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Troublemaking cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones will be allowed to play in the Cowboys' season opener against Cleveland, the Dallas Morning News reports. Jones, traded from Tennessee this year, hasn’t played a regular-season game since Dec. 31, 2006. The league suspended him after six arrests and 12 off-field incidents, including one...
Cindy McCain's Half-Sister Goes for Obama
Us Weekly
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Aug 28, 2008 4:42 PM CDT
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Cindy McCain’s estranged half-sister is not voting Republican, Us Magazine reports. “I’m voting for Obama,” says Kathleen Hensley Portalski, 65, adding she has “a different political standpoint. I’m not a big war believer.”
Moss: Fashion Biz Made Me Thin
Guardian (UK)
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Aug 28, 2008 4:30 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Über-thin supermodel Kate Moss blames the fashion industry, not anorexia, for the "heroin chic" look she made famous in the '90s. Moss sets the record straight in Interview , saying her hectic modeling schedule contributed to her scant weight: "You go to a show, and there's no food at all, so if you're doing shows back to back,...
NFL Defenses Tuning In This Season
USA Today
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Aug 28, 2008 4:16 PM CDT
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NFL defenders are hearing voices in their heads—often the screams of their coaches. An off-season rule change allows select defensive players to use the same helmet communication devices quarterbacks have long been using, USA Today reports. While kinks are being ironed out, the system means incidents like the Patriots’ stealing of opponents’...
Fake Reporters Are Rock Stars in Denver
USA Today
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Aug 28, 2008 4:05 PM CDT
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it's hard enough for the reporters swarming all over the Democratic Convention to score good interviews; fake reporters have it even harder. The Daily Show 's correspondents are now such big stars they draw admirers—and hecklers—every time they try to record, USA Today reports. Which doesn't exactly help them catch catch unguarded delegates...
Britney Not Planning Encore for MTV Awards Show
Associated Press
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Aug 28, 2008 3:52 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Britney Spears won’t be doing it again, after all. The singer, whose erratic performance at last year’s MTV Video Music Awards had her critics buzzing, won’t be staging a comeback for this year’s ceremony. Instead, Spears, a nominee for video of the year, will focus on her next album, “which is going amazingly well,”...
Both Arctic Passages Navigable for First Time
Der Spiegel
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Aug 28, 2008 3:41 PM CDT
(Newser) -
In what scientists say is an historic moment, both Northeast and Northwest Passages are navigable as of this week, and shipping firms are salivating over the possibilities, Der Spiegel reports. With an increasing number of largely ice-free days every summer, the radical shortcuts offered by the once-treacherous routes will eventually be incredibly...
Big Stage Leaves Plenty of Room for GOP Potshots
Politico
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Aug 28, 2008 3:29 PM CDT
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Top Democrats are fretting over the mile-high risks their party faces tonight in Denver when Barack Obama takes the stage at Invesco Field. Officials fear rock-star treatment, complete with Greek-inspired staging Republicans dubbed “Barackopolis,” could reinforce claims of an out-of-touch candidate. “It’s likely that the campaign...
Stocks Rally on GDP Revision
MarketWatch
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Aug 28, 2008 3:15 PM CDT
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Stocks rallied today as MBIA led gains for bond insurers and the news of an upward revision to the second-quarter US gross domestic product brightened investor sentiment, MarketWatch reports. The Dow rose 212.67 to close at 11,715.18. The Nasdaq gained 29.18, closing at 2,411.64, and the S&P 500 climbed 19.01 to settle at 1,300.67.
Viper Might Be Luxury Chrysler Can Do Without
BusinessWeek
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Aug 28, 2008 3:15 PM CDT
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Despite a $1.1 billion operating profit in the first half of the year, Chrysler is hemorrhaging money. In a bid to raise another billion, the company is looking to sell off its iconic Dodge Viper line, BusinessWeek reports. The Viper has sold a mere 594 cars since January, and has become a specialty product removed from the rest of Chrysler's line,...
Philly Lets Students Leave Perilous Schools
Philadelphia Inquirer
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Aug 28, 2008 3:09 PM CDT
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Twenty schools in Philadelphia are so “persistently dangerous” that the state is giving students the right to go elsewhere, reports the Inquirer . This figure is nearly double last year’s and includes a bump from one middle school to six, according to a list released yesterday by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. But state...
The Rays Are Winning. So Buy A Ticket, Tampa!
St. Petersburg Times (Russia)
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Aug 28, 2008 3:08 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The Tampa Bay Rays have the best record in the American League, but you wouldn’t know it from the turnout at Tropicana Field, John Romano writes in the St. Petersburg Times . Even a heretofore-hapless franchise contending for the first time ever fills just a third of the seats. “It really takes the wind out of our sails,” the team’s...
Dems Plan to Crash GOP Convention, Too
Chicago Tribune
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Aug 28, 2008 2:53 PM CDT
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All's fair in the war between conventions, and the Democrats are readying their spoiling machine ahead of the GOP gathering next week, the Swamp reports. An Obama campaign operative’s email lays out the attack Dems will launch from their war room literally across the street from the RNC: A mobile billboard (pictured) showing McCain hugging...
Survivors Tell of K2 Disaster
Independent (UK)
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Aug 28, 2008 2:36 PM CDT
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After braving a challenge that trumps Everest—one that claimed the lives of 11 fellow mountaineers—the survivors of this month's K2 disaster tell Andrew Buncombe of the Independent about their harrowing descent. Battling frostbite, Italian guide Marco Confortola watched helplessly as his friends died, while Dutch climber Wilco van Rooijen...
Seeing Red Over Russia, US May Cozy Up to China
Financial Times (UK)
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Aug 28, 2008 2:23 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Moscow may physically stand in between Beijing and Washington, but Russia’s aggressive behavior could bring the US and China closer together, Geoff Dyer argues in the Financial Times . The Kremlin’s interference in Georgia has Washington seething, and “a low-level confrontation in Georgia that pits Russia against the US helps China’s...
Newborn Is Mile-High Miracle
Associated Press
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Aug 28, 2008 2:13 PM CDT
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An Indian newborn can claim his birthplace is miles in the sky after his mother gave birth during a flight from Hong Kong to Australia yesterday, the AP reports. Four doctors helped deliver the premature 6-pound boy. Mom—who was flying for the first time ever to reunite with her hubby—and baby were admitted safely into a hospital after...
Next Prez Will Have to Save the Planet
Washington Post
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Aug 28, 2008 2:00 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Whether it's John McCain or Barack Obama, the next US president will instantly face "the most momentous political challenge of all time"—saving the world from catastrophic climate change, Carlos Pascual and Strobe Talbott write in the Washington Post . We have 7 years to begin reducing greenhouse gas emissions to avoid catastrophe:...
Salmonella Outbreak Likely Over: CDC
Associated Press
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Aug 28, 2008 1:40 PM CDT
(AP) -
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said today the salmonella outbreak that sickened more than 1,440 people appears to be over. A joint investigation by the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration found strong evidence that jalapeno peppers were a major carrier of the bacteria, and that serrano peppers were also a carrier.
As Troops Exit Iraq, US Spends More on Contractors
USA Today
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Aug 28, 2008 1:21 PM CDT
(Newser) -
American troops are trickling home, but at a hefty cost: The US has spent more than $1.2 billion this year on private security contractors—mostly to protect diplomats, but also to secure infrastructure and supplies, USA Today reports. The State Department says now that focus has shifted to rebuilding, officials are venturing out of secure areas...
Brutal Monk Beatings Shock Italy
Times (UK)
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Aug 28, 2008 1:16 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A manhunt is under way to find the three hooded men who gagged, bound, and beat four Franciscan monks in an Italian monastery Tuesday night, the Times of London reports. Father Sergio Baldin, the monastery's 48-year-old guardian, was having dinner with three elderly monks when they were attacked. Baldin remains in a coma in a hospital near the northern...
Obama Turns Army Loose on Chicago's WGN
Chicago Tribune
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Aug 28, 2008 1:09 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Barack Obama's camp deployed its devoted followers to flood the phone lines of Chicago's WGN-AM last night during an appearance by writer Stanley Kurtz, an Obama critic. A WGN producer tells the Tribune the campaign's push generated “the biggest response we've ever got” during the 2-hour segment with Kurtz, who recently penned a story...
US Arrests Key Shiite Official in Iraq
Associated Press
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Aug 28, 2008 1:00 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A top Shiite in Iraq’s government was arrested today by US forces, which believe he played a role in a June bombing that killed 10 people, including four Americans, the AP reports. The arrest of Ali al-Lami, who heads a committee that keeps Saddam Hussein loyalists out of government, could bring strong pressure from Sunni groups concerned about...
Vatican Debates Paying Tribute to Galileo
Wall Street Journal
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Aug 28, 2008 12:58 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Galileo Galilei is riling the Catholic church yet again, the Wall Street Journal reports, as an anonymous donor has offered to pay to erect a statue in the Vatican of Catholicism’s most famous heretic. But though the church has come around on science, Galileo remains a touchy subject. He’s “like a Mexican soap opera,” said...
Seinfeld Defense: Lawsuits are Funny
New York Post
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Aug 28, 2008 12:42 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Jerry Seinfeld insisted yesterday that he didn’t slander a woman suing his wife for cookbook plagiarism because silly lawsuits are fodder for good comedy. The comic cited episodes from Seinfeld as well as his kid-friendly Bee Movie in a court filing as examples of the First Amendment-protected comedic license to poke fun at the legal system,...
McCain to Air Rebuttal Ad, Could Leak VP Choice Tonight
Politico
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Aug 28, 2008 12:41 PM CDT
(Newser) -
John McCain has a top-secret ad scheduled to run during or just after Barack Obama’s acceptance speech in battleground states—and the campaign could leak news of the Republican’s running mate even earlier, Mike Allen writes on Politico. Little is known about the ad, save that McCain will address Obama personally, speaking directly...
What Journos Really Do at the DNC
Columbia Journalism Review
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Aug 28, 2008 12:29 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A whopping 15,000 journalists arrived in Denver to cover the Democratic National Convention. The Columbia Journalism Review sent Justin Peters to find out what they're doing: 7,500 mostly mill about: "Only a small number of reporters actually have a reason to be here." 2, 294 pace the parking lot, "mournfully wandering...
Doc, I Think I'm on Reality TV
New York Times
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Aug 28, 2008 12:17 PM CDT
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In The Truman Show , Jim Carrey's life was nothing more than a reality TV program, with actors playing his friends and family and millions of viewers watching his every move. Those themes of surveillance and artificiality pervade the lives of a growing number of psychiatric patients—people who think they are always on camera, surrounded by performers,...
Biden & Co. Take Cue From Rove
Salon
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Aug 28, 2008 12:14 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Joe Biden’s speech last night mapped out the new plan of attack for Democrats against John McCain, and it’s positively Rovian, Walter Shapiro writes on Salon. The Democrats went directly for McCain’s biggest strength—national security—and tried to turn it into a weakness. “These times require more than a good soldier—they...
GDP Grew More in Q2 Than First Reported
Wall Street Journal
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Aug 28, 2008 12:06 PM CDT
(Newser) -
GDP growth was higher than initially reported in the second quarter, the Wall Street Journal reports. Commerce Department revisions put the increase at a seasonally adjusted 3.3% annual rate—the original estimate was 1.9%. Businesses decreased their inventories less than previously thought. At the same time, exports rose more than thought,...
54% Against Calif. Gay-Marriage Ban
Los Angeles Times
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Aug 28, 2008 12:00 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Though California voters are evenly divided over whether gay couples should be allowed to wed, more than half believe it shouldn’t be barred by law, a Los Angeles Times poll finds. Some 54% of likely voters oppose a November ballot measure that would define marriage as only between a man and a woman; 40% support Proposition 8.
Would-Be Butcher Tackles Meaty Issues
Esquire
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Aug 28, 2008 11:51 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Tom Chiarella had the perfect customer-butcher relationship—the shop near his home gave him good meat and good advice. But he wanted more. He wanted, as he writes in Esquire , to live on the other side of the counter, "to be a guy with answers." So his Indianapolis meat market let him throw on an apron and try his hand at trimming,...
Garth, Doherty Reunite for 90210
Entertainment Weekly
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Aug 28, 2008 11:49 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Jennie Garth and Shannen Doherty were nervous about reuniting for the new incarnation of Beverly Hills, 90210 , reports Entertainment Weekly . The actresses talked about the drama behind the 1990s drama, which ultimately resulted in Doherty’s departure from the show. "I don't think we ever hit each other,” Garth said of their tumultuous...
6.1-Magnitude Quake Hits Off British Columbia Coast
Associated Press
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Aug 28, 2008 11:35 AM CDT
(AP) -
A 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck off Canada's west coast today near Vancouver Island. There were no immediate reports of major damage or injuries. The quake was the latest in a series of coastal tremors since Monday. Two quakes rattled the area yesterday, both with magnitudes of around 5. There have been 18 quakes with a magnitude greater than 4 in...
Obama Girls Hoped for Jonas Bros, Got Dad Instead
CNN
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Aug 28, 2008 11:33 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Malia and Sasha Obama had hoped that a surprise visit Monday night after their mom’s convention speech was from someone with a little more rock-star quality than their dad, CNN reports. “Is it the Jonas Brothers?” 10-year-old Malia asked when Michelle Obama leaned down on stage to tell the girls “I’ve got a surprise for...
Bounty Hunter: I Don't Think Caylee Is Alive
CBS13
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Aug 28, 2008 11:31 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The bounty hunter who confidently posted Casey Anthony's bail because he believed her 3-year-old daughter was alive says he no longer thinks that's the case, reports CBS13. Leonard Padilla touted that he could uncover Caylee's whereabouts in 5 days, but said Casey "didn't talk"; he's considering revoking her bail and sending her back to jail....
Denver: Not the Life of the Party
New York Times
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Aug 28, 2008 11:22 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Democrats are having an unusual problem at this year’s convention: They’re not having much fun, the New York Times reports. “Normally at conventions, you’d have people regaling you with what happened the night before,” said one exec who’s been party-hopping. “This time, not a single person has given me a...
McCain Says He Hasn't Made VP Choice Yet
Associated Press
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Aug 28, 2008 11:00 AM CDT
(AP) -
John McCain has yet to decide on a running mate, the Republican told a Pittsburgh radio station today. The presidential nominee-in-waiting was expected to name his vice presidential pick later this week, in the hopes of curbing Barack Obama's convention bounce. McCain and his running mate then are expected to appear together at one or more rallies,...
Japanese Women Dodge Men ISO Mommies, Stay Single
Washington Post
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Aug 28, 2008 10:46 AM CDT
(Newser) -
"WANTED: Female to cook, clean, wash my socks, bear and raise my children, and generally enable my workaholism—all while maintaining your own career in a sexist environment." Sound good? Given the choice, many Japanese women are saying to heck with marriage and staying single, reports the Washington Post, which is all well and good...
Slow-Food Fest Plans Political Mouthful in San Fran
San Francisco Chronicle
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Aug 28, 2008 10:28 AM CDT
(Newser) -
With the slow-food movement taking center stage in San Francisco at a 4-day festival beginning tomorrow, organizers are hoping the momentum carries all the way to Washington, the Chronicle reports. With lectures, garden tours, cooking demos, and restaurant dinners, Slow Food Nation aims to change US food policy by promoting green farming and fair...
Blogger Arrested in GN'R Leak
Associated Press
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Aug 28, 2008 10:16 AM CDT
(AP) -
FBI agents arrested a blogger suspected of posting songs from the unreleased Guns N' Roses album Chinese Democracy on his website; the 27-year-old appeared in court yesterday, where bail was set at $10,000. Kevin Cogill, who reportedly admitted to streaming nine songs on his website in June, was charged on suspicion of violating federal copyright...
After 43 Years, LBJ's Dream Is Realized Tonight
New York Times
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Aug 28, 2008 10:12 AM CDT
(Newser) -
As Barack Obama accepts the Democratic nomination tonight, author Robert A. Caro will be remembering another speech: Lyndon Johnson's 1965 address to Congress urging the passage of the Voting Rights Act. In that speech, which reduced Martin Luther King to tears, LBJ "adopted the great anthem of the civil rights movement," calling on legislators...
Clinton Passes the Torch— or Does He?
Time
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Aug 28, 2008 10:00 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Pundits are raving over Bill Clinton’s speech at the Democratic Convention last night. Here’s what they’re saying: Mark Halperin of Time gives Clinton an A+ for a speech seemingly untouched by primary bitterness. “Let's face it: while Obama is a marvelous speaker, Clinton is better,” he writes. The LA Times...
Investors, Companies Benefit by Accounting Switch: SEC
Wall Street Journal
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Aug 28, 2008 9:50 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The Securities and Exchange Commission sees a smoother ride for American companies, and investors, in its plan for the US to adopt international accounting standards, the Wall Street Journal reports—though the shift would be an expensive, “massive effort,” some say, requiring new training from business schools on up. Critics worry...
Labels Flee iTunes to Push Album Sales
Wall Street Journal
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Aug 28, 2008 9:36 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Record labels have begun yanking their artists’ work from the iTunes, reports the Wall Street Journal , saying they can make more money selling intact albums than 99-cent singles downloads. Last year Atlantic Records kept Kid Rock's Rock 'n Roll Jesus album off the online shelves; when that album sold a hefty 1.7 million copies, they pulled...
Construction Theft Is Building Concern
New York Times
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Aug 28, 2008 9:33 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Increasing theft of building materials from construction sites, especially residential projects, is driving up the cost of homes to consumers as much as 10%, the New York Times reports. Experts say as much as $5 billion a year is being lost to thieves looking to profit from skyrocketing prices for building materials and metal prices.
PI: Mob Took Down Spitzer
New York Post
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Aug 28, 2008 9:12 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A new epilogue to the best-selling book King of the Club suggests that Eliot Spitzer’s political and personal downfall was payback by the mafia, the New York Post reports. "I think it's the Gambinos," a private eye tells CNBC's Charles Gasparino in his book’s paperback edition.
Firebrand Sets Russia's Tone at NATO
New York Times
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Aug 28, 2008 9:05 AM CDT
(Newser) -
If you needed proof of Russia's contempt for NATO, look no further than Dmitri Rogozin, Moscow's representative to the military alliance. A fiery ultranationalist who once had a poster of Stalin hanging in his office, Rogozin has seemed more showman than diplomat. But since the South Ossetian war, something's changed—the whole Russian government...
Summer Movies Smash Record
Los Angeles Times
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Aug 28, 2008 9:00 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Hollywood studios are reeling in their highest-grossing summer ever, the Los Angeles Times reports. Domestic ticket sales stand at $3.9 billion, up from last year's record-breaking summer. A steady stream of smash hits—and higher ticket prices—accounted for the record take, more than making up for costly flops like Speed Racer .
Energy Firm to Tell Investors of Risks From Global Warming
New York Times
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Aug 28, 2008 8:56 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A major builder of coal-fired power plants has agreed to fully inform investors of the risks global warming poses to its business in a landmark deal with New York's attorney general. Green groups hope the agreement by Xcel Energy will spur other firms to follow suit, reports the New York Times.
