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.
GOP Leaves Alaska Drilling Off Platform
Associated Press
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Aug 27, 2008 1:37 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The committee assembling the Republican Party’s election platform has officially taken drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge off the table, in an effort to help John McCain’s presidential campaign, the AP reports. McCain doesn’t support tapping the protected lands, and committee members say they’d rather convert McCain...
Fewer Marines Needed in Iraq's Anbar: General
Associated Press
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Aug 27, 2008 1:31 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The Marines’ top general says his two combat units in Iraq’s Anbar province could stand to be deployed elsewhere after the US hands over control there to Iraqi forces next week, the AP reports. “There aren't a whole heck of a lot of bad guys there left to fight,” Gen. James Conway says Marines told him during a recent visit....
Campbell Soup Sacks NFL Moms
Wall Street Journal
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Aug 27, 2008 1:18 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Wilma McNabb and the other NFL moms are finished as corporate spokespeople, the Wall Street Journal reports. Campbell's Chunky Soup has launched a new distinctly mom-less advertising campaign after market research indicated that the 30-year-old men they’re targeting weren’t relying on their mothers’ food advice. Their new ad likens...
Obama Campaign Asks Pelosi to Quiet Down
American Spectator
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Aug 27, 2008 12:36 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Nancy Pelosi has been politely asked by Barack Obama’s campaign to refrain from making more public statements, the American Spectator reports. The House Speaker is reportedly angry about not being more included in campaign decision-making, and Catholic fury over her bungled answer to the “when does life begin?” question on Meet...
Bushnell Reflects on Middle Age
Times (UK)
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Aug 27, 2008 12:32 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Nearing her 50th birthday, Sex and the City author Candace Bushnell is facing the fact that even with Botox, men no longer flock to her at parties, the Times of London reports. “Somewhere in your forties…everyone starts to look the same! Middle-aged. Now when I look in the mirror I see the old lady underneath,” she said.
Things to Do in Denver When You're Dems: Hate
New York Times
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Aug 27, 2008 12:24 PM CDT
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A former John McCain strategist described the odd mood in Denver perfectly, Maureen Dowd writes in the New York Times : “Submerged hate.” That would explain the uneasy proceedings, which have been marked more by Clintonian drama than anything else. At a recent new conference, Dowd observes, “Hillary looked as if she were straining...
Sam Using LiLo for Book, Dad Says
E! Online
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Aug 27, 2008 12:03 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Ever-opinionated, Michael Lohan is furious over rumors that his daughter Lindsay’s girlfriend is penning a tell-all tome. "She's using my daughter. People never even knew who Samantha Ronson was until she met Lindsay. She was just some LA DJ. And now she's writing a book? I am at wit's end with this stuff,” Lohan fumed to E! Online....
Biden Complicates McCain's Veep Calculus
Politico
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Aug 27, 2008 11:55 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Joe Biden presents a problem for John McCain, Jeanne Cummings notes on Politico. “McCain knows Biden well," says one Republican insider. "He knows how good he is as a knife fighter." Stacked up against Biden, all of the rumored GOP short-listers reveal potentially fatal flaws: Mitt Romney: Considering Biden's middle-class...
Sudanese Hijackers Surrender
Reuters
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Aug 27, 2008 11:45 AM CDT
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The hijackers of a Sudanese flight from Darfur surrendered to authorities in Libya today after releasing all 95 passengers. The two men gave no motive, but asked for refugee status in France, Reuters reports. The pilot said the suspects are from the Sudanese Liberation Movement, a charge the group's leader denies. An SLM member on the plane said, "Last...
Right's Ridicule of Obama 'Cult' Appeal Masks Jealousy
New Republic
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Aug 27, 2008 11:39 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Conservative griping about Barack Obama’s supposed cult of personality is both misplaced and hypocritical, Jonathan Chait writes in the New Republic . Pundits’ case against the Democrat relies on willful misinterpretation of his slogans. “Did you know that McCain’s slogan, ‘Country first,’ could be translated via...
Demented Hamlet 2's the Thing
Rotten Tomatoes
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Aug 27, 2008 11:38 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Hamlet 2 may not put the Bard out of business but it's not lacking for invention, critics say. The "genuinely bizarre and frequently hilarious comedy" follows the outrageous fortunes of a failed actor turned high-school drama teacher who tries to pen a Hamlet sequel, Rafer Guzman writes in Newsday .
Mich. Gov OKs Ouster Hearing on Kilpatrick
Detroit News
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Aug 27, 2008 11:19 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm will hold hearings next week on allegations that Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick misled City Council for personal gain, the Detroit News reports. The proceedings, which could remove Kilpatrick from public office for 3 years, are above and beyond criminal perjury and assault charges the beleaguered mayor faces.
Gustav Kills 11, Weakens
Associated Press
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Aug 27, 2008 11:09 AM CDT
(AP) -
Thousands fled their homes as Hurricane Gustav triggered flooding and landslides that killed at least 11 people in the Dominican Republic and Haiti before weakening to a tropical storm, but forecasters said today that he still represents a major threat to the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico. They suggested the storm could head toward the US Gulf Coast...
Investors Eye Airports, Bridges, Roads
New York Times
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Aug 27, 2008 10:56 AM CDT
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Weary of investments infected by the subprime contagion, investors are looking to purchase and operate some more substantial assets: the nation’s bridges, toll roads, and airports, reports the New York Times . Goldman Sachs, KKR, Morgan Stanley, and Credit Suisse are among those who have stockpiled some $250 billion for infrastructure projects,...
Hillary's Faithful Unswayed by Speech
Washington Post
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Aug 27, 2008 10:50 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Many Hillary Clinton supporters still won't vote for Obama despite her calls for unity last night at the Democratic Convention, the Washington Post reports. "Even if she can move on easily, that's not as easy for everybody else," said one Clinton supporter. Dissatisfied loyalists set up a Clinton campaign museum, led a parade, and lit thousands...
Last 2 Veep Nominees Are Party Pariahs
New York Times
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Aug 27, 2008 10:35 AM CDT
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As Joe Biden takes the stage tonight in Denver, his last two predecessors won't be there, and they're not welcome, the New York Times reports. While the philandering John Edwards has his share of detractors—one delegate called him "a sick puppy"—it's turncoat Joe Lieberman who elicits the most hatred.
MSNBC Anchors in DNC Slugfest
New York Post
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Aug 27, 2008 10:17 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Infighting between MSNBC anchors is turning the Democratic National Convention into a partisan catfight. Joe Scarborough, who once served as Republican representative, got touchy when David Shuster yesterday referred to “your party, the Republican Party” and Scarborough and Tom Brokaw are miffed at the channel’s decision to increase...
A Convention Outsider Moves to Center Stage
New York Times
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Aug 27, 2008 9:57 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Barack Obama arrives in Denver today one election away from the presidency—a far cry from the 2000 convention, when he couldn't even get a seat on the floor. As Al Gore received the Democrats' nomination in Los Angeles, the state senator barely had enough money to rent a car. "I have no memory of him there," Obama's Illinois colleague...
Cambodia's Food Crisis Fix? Eat Rats
Guardian (UK)
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Aug 27, 2008 9:45 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Food prices have rocketed so high in Cambodia that even the humblest of foods has seen its price quadruple this year. That humblest of foods is rat meat, and it’s going up precisely because so many Cambodians can’t afford any other meat, the Guardian reports. Rats have been fleeing to higher ground lately as the Mekong Delta floods, making...
Banks Bracing as Their Own Debts Come Due
Wall Street Journal
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Aug 27, 2008 9:24 AM CDT
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Billions of dollars worth of floating rate notes—vehicles used by banks to borrow money—taken out in 2006 are coming due in the next few months, and the industry is bracing for a wave of bank failures and asset sales as institutions struggle to pay off obligations, the Wall Street Journal reports. As a result, analysts say, credit will...
Berlin Opens Hitler's 'Future City' Tunnels
Reuters
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Aug 27, 2008 9:19 AM CDT
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Berlin has opened three vast tunnels under the city built as part of Adolf Hitler's vision of a grandiose Nazi capital, Reuters reports. The tunnels were to house a transit system beneath planned boulevards, squares, and huge buildings, including a Great Hall with room for 180,000 people. The Albert Speer-designed plans for the new capital—known...
Medvedev: Why I Recognized 2 Provinces
Financial Times (UK)
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Aug 27, 2008 9:04 AM CDT
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Yesterday Russia recognized the Georgian provinces of South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states—a move that Dmitry Medvedev calls "a heavy decision." Writing in the Financial Times , the Russian president says that independence for the two breakaway regions, which have suffered under Georgia's "vicious war on its minority...
Hillary Left Too Much Unsaid
Guardian (UK)
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Aug 27, 2008 8:48 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Hillary Clinton’s speech last night is getting rave reviews from the pundits, but she left too many key points unaddressed to get her most stubborn supporters on the Obama bandwagon, writes Michael Tomasky in the Guardian. The Dems' also-ran, in her critical pitch for party unity, failed to extol Obama’s character, say he was ready to...
Forget Renting: Friends Now Buying Homes Together
Time
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Aug 27, 2008 8:34 AM CDT
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The cooled-down housing market and lower prices are attracting new buyers: groups of young professionals who want to invest but don’t quite have the dough to buy their own place. Instead, they’re buying homes with friends and splitting the mortgage, maintenance costs—and the tax break, Time reports. “You have to do this with...
Bolton, Housewives Vamp Hit Splitsville
People
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Aug 27, 2008 8:26 AM CDT
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Actress Nicollette Sheridan and musician Michael Bolton are calling it quits—again, Sheridan’s rep tells People . The couple announced their engagement 2 years ago after rekindling a romance that had ended nearly a decade earlier. A spokesman for the 44-year-old Desperate Housewives star characterized the breakup as "amicable."...
House Dems Told to Pony Up for Kanye Show
ABC News
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Aug 27, 2008 8:00 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Tonight's Kanye West concert at the Democratic Convention is the unlikely source of an ethics quandary, ABC News reports, as Senate Democrats attend for free while the House is making staffers pay up. Under new rules intended to reduce the influence of lobbyists, members of Congress aren't allowed to take gifts beyond a very limited amount. Senate...
Second US Ship Docks in Georgia
Associated Press
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Aug 27, 2008 7:42 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A US military ship docked at the Georgian port of Batumi today on a humanitarian aid mission, the AP reports. Early reports had the ship headed to Poti, which was heavily damaged and is still occupied by Russian troops, but Batumi is well south of the combat zone. One top Russian general called the US use of a military vessel for humanitarian work...
Yeah, She Made History—What About the Guy Who Won?
New York Times
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Aug 27, 2008 7:37 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Last night's Hillaryfest was the culmination of a months-long homage to the New York senator's "historic" achievement of almost winning a major party's presidential nomination. But it's odd, notes Alessandra Stanley, that while an "also-ran" has made her candidacy a milestone, there's been little mention of the "arguably more...
Hijackers Free 87 Hostages in Libya
Associated Press
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Aug 27, 2008 7:29 AM CDT
(AP) -
Hijackers began releasing the 87 passengers today at a remote desert airfield in southern Libya, reports the AP, a day after they took control of a Sudanese 737 jetliner as it took off from Darfur. The hijackers continued to hold eight crewmembers. Sudan officials called the hijacking an "irresponsible terrorist act" and called for the hijackers...
Indictments Be Damned, Stevens Wins Alaska Primary
Associated Press
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Aug 27, 2008 7:19 AM CDT
(AP) -
Alaska’s Ted Stevens, the longest-serving Republican in the Senate, may be facing federal charges, but he’ll also be running for re-election after drawing 63% of the vote in his primary race yesterday, reports the AP. And, says Stevens, 84, his upcoming fight with popular Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich will be a “piece of cake”...
China's Power Pollution to Pass US
Washington Post
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Aug 27, 2008 6:56 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Carbon emissions from China's mostly coal-fired electric power industry will exceed those of the US this year for the first time, the Washington Post reports. China's runaway economic growth means its power industry's carbon emissions will double by 2020, predicts the Center for Global Development, a Washington-based think tank. Power generation...
Obama, Don't Squander This Moment
Washington Post
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Aug 27, 2008 6:26 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The right convention speech at the right moment can transcend politics, and Barack Obama may miss his moment with his plans to give a "workmanlike" speech tomorrow, writes Michael Gerson in the Washington Post . The candidate should focus on big themes like faith and equality, and return to his early theme of national unity, Gerson argues....
2,000 Cops Surround Thai Protesters
Reuters
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Aug 27, 2008 6:04 AM CDT
(Newser) -
As anti-government protests continued outside the Thai prime minister's office, 2,000 police officers surrounded demonstrators and a court issued arrest warrants for nine of the protest's leaders, Reuters reports. The People's Alliance for Democracy—a monarchist movement—is seeking to bring down the government of Samak Sundaravej. But the...
US Officers: We Executed Handcuffed Iraqi Captives
New York Times
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Aug 27, 2008 5:29 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Three US officers shot four blindfolded and handcuffed Iraqi detainees early last year and dumped their bodies in a canal, according to statements made to military investigators and obtained by the New York Times . The men are likely to face murder charges. Four others from the same platoon have been charged with murder conspiracy for agreeing to...
1,300-Year-Old Mummy Found in Peru
Reuters
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Aug 27, 2008 4:50 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Archaeologists have discovered an ancient mummy in a tomb from a culture that flourished in Peru before the Incas. A complete female mummy, along with the remains of two other adults and a child, have been found in the Wari burial site in a residential district of Lima, Reuters reports. The site dates from about 700 AD. The Wari people ruled what...
Pressured Priest: We'll Have Nun of Catwalks
BBC
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Aug 27, 2008 4:28 AM CDT
(Newser) -
An Italian priest's plans for a nun beauty pageant have been nixed by his higher-ups, the BBC reports. Father Antonio Rungi, who said the idea was to highlight the inner beauty of nuns and smash stereotypes of the sisters as old and dour, decided to draw a veil over the idea after the local bishop and other church officials expressed their displeasure....
Romney Rips Biden
Washington Post
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Aug 27, 2008 3:57 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Behaving more and more like John MCain's still-unnamed running mate, Mitt Romney yesterday tore into Joe Biden, reports the Washington Post . “His record being wrong on foreign policy is as long as his years in foreign policy,” zinged Romney. When asked if he was ready to debate Biden, Romney called the senator an "impenetrable thicket...
Harvard Probes Racism Charges Against Its Cops
Boston Globe
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Aug 27, 2008 3:35 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Harvard University is reviewing its security procedures after black students and professors charged that they're being unfairly targeted, the Boston Glob e reports. A six-member committee will review the campus force following a number of incidents, including one in which a black professor was stopped when he was mistaken for a robbery suspect.
595 Nabbed in Immigration Raid
Reuters
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Aug 27, 2008 3:17 AM CDT
(Newser) -
In the largest immigration raid in US history, federal agents have arrested 595 suspected illegal aliens at a Mississippi electronics factory. The detainees rounded up Monday included citizens of Peru, Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Panama, Honduras, Brazil and Germany, reports Reuters.
Rough Diamond Offers Refunds for Concert
Columbus Dispatch
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Aug 27, 2008 2:55 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Singer Neil Diamond is offering fans a full refund for a raspy-voiced Ohio concert, reports the Columbus Dispatch s. Several fans were angry when the crooner croaked his way through the Ohio State University gig Monday night. Diamond, 67, posted a message on his website asking for fans’ forgiveness. He has been diagnosed with acute laryngitis...
West to Put Screws to Russia
Reuters
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Aug 27, 2008 2:25 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The West is preparing to crank up diplomatic pressure on Russia after its challenging move formally recognizing breakaway Ossetia and Abkhazia in the wake of its invasion of Georgia. The US, Europe and NATO have condemned the action, but Russia remains defiant. "We are not afraid of anything, including a new cold war," said Russian President...
Outdated Power Grid Blowing Wind Energy Hopes: Experts
New York Times
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Aug 27, 2008 1:58 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The nation's outdated and congested power grid is putting a damper on plans to expand renewable energy programs, the New York Times reports. Generating power from the wind and sun is becoming easier—but getting the power to consumers who live far from the country's windiest and sunniest places remains a problem.
Hillary: 'Time Is Now to Unite'
CNN
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Aug 26, 2008 10:09 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Hillary Clinton delivered her long-awaited address tonight to the Democratic convention and drove home the point quickly and repeatedly: The party must unite and elect Barack Obama. Clinton, after a lengthy standing ovation, said she hasn't worked for the past 35 years on health care and women's rights only to have it all "squandered" by...
No Comeback for Strahan: He Turns Down Giants Offer
Fox Sports
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Aug 26, 2008 9:29 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Former Giants defensive end Michael Strahan won’t be back on the field for another season. Strahan has turned down the injury-plagued team’s offer to bring him back from retirement, FOXSports.com reports. The Pro Bowler said the price was right, but he wasn’t willing to put his body through another NFL season. Instead, he’ll...
Warner: McCain 'Stuck in Past'
MSNBC
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Aug 26, 2008 9:09 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner made an emphatic case for Barack Obama and framed the coming race in his keynote address tonight, asserting that the race is not between Democrat and Republican, but between the future and the past, MSNBC reports. And John McCain, he said, is "stuck in the past." Obama can bring real solutions on energy, defense,...
Bayer Knew Pesticide Killed Bees, Critics Charge
News & Observer (Raleigh)
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Aug 26, 2008 8:35 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A German prosecutor is investigating allegations that chemical giant Bayer CropScience knowingly sold a pesticide that kills honeybees, the Raleigh News & Observer reports. The investigation follows complaints from German beekeepers and environmentalists that the company covered up incriminating data on chlothianidine. In the US, meanwhile, an...
McCain Steps Up Foreign Policy Attacks
Politico
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Aug 26, 2008 8:08 PM CDT
(Newser) -
John McCain continued his effort today to paint Barack Obama’s as a soft, cocky cosmopolitan who would diminish the nation's strength, Politico reports. Before a crowd of veterans, McCain attacked Obama’s foreign policy credibility. "If he really thinks that, by liberating Iraq from a dangerous tyrant, America somehow set a bad example...
Little League's Foul Plays
Deadspin
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Aug 26, 2008 7:51 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Just like their big-league heroes, Little League players compete each year in their own small-fry World Series. But Deadspin offers 10 reasons to cancel the big game: Flat-brimmed caps: Learn to crease those caps boys. Giving up home runs to Canada: No self-respecting team should lose to hockey players. The National...
Utah Carps About 6M Bottom-Feeders
Associated Press
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Aug 26, 2008 7:41 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Bottom-feeders get no respect. Utah is trying to get rid of 6 million carp—as fish sticks, compost, fish meal, whatever, the AP reports. The reason? Biologists want to save the endangered June sucker fish in Utah Lake, and to do so, they must remove the carp first.
Digital Age Makes It Harder to Cheat
Independent (UK)
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Aug 26, 2008 7:07 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The Wii may look family-friendly, but tell that to the US soldier who discovered from the console that his wife was having an affair, virtual-bowling with her lover while he was in Iraq. Welcome to the digital age, Nick Harding writes in the Independent , where secrets are impossible to keep, “like specks of DNA sprayed across the bedsheet of...
