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.
Brady: I'll Be Ready for Opener
Associated Press
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Aug 26, 2008 8:46 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Tom Brady's mysterious right foot injury won't be keeping him sidelined for much longer, the New England Patriot vows. Brady told a local radio station that he wants to play in this Thursday's final exhibition game—but even if he doesn't, he insists there's no way he'll miss the season opener, AP reports.
Dems Shun Elizabeth on Affair Cover-Up
Associated Press
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Aug 26, 2008 8:35 AM CDT
(Newser) -
As the Democratic stars are shining over Denver, Elizabeth Edwards barely glimmers in seclusion in North Carolina, reports the AP. Cancer-stricken Edwards was expected to lead the convention charge toward health care reform, but sympathy is running short for her by Dems who believe that her failure to lift the lid on the couple's explosive secret could...
US-Led Strike Killed 90 Afghan Civilians: UN
Reuters
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Aug 26, 2008 8:29 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The UN has evidence that a coalition airstrike did indeed kill roughly 90 civilians, most of them children, in Afghanistan last week, Reuters reports. The US has been insisting that only 30 were killed in the strike, most of them Taliban militants, but the UN’s special mission to Afghanistan today announced that it had “convincing evidence”...
Advice for Obama: Don't Take Any Advice
New York Times
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Aug 26, 2008 8:12 AM CDT
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As Barack Obama arrives in Denver, the once-buoyant candidate is being assailed with bad advice from all sides, writes David Brooks. From a Dukakis-style policy blitz to Michael Moore-ish pugilism, the suggestions for Obama's team are a "Greatest Misses compilation" of past failures. Obama knows what he should do, says the New York Times...
Blasts Kill at Least 34 in Iraq
Associated Press
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Aug 26, 2008 8:00 AM CDT
(AP) -
Three blasts killed at least 34 Iraqis today, most of them in a suicide car bombing that struck a group of police recruits, the AP reports. It was one of the highest daily casualty tolls in recent months. Two of the bombs went off in Diyala province, which has been the site of much of the recent violence and a stronghold of Sunni insurgents.
Bhutto Widower Plagued by Mental Illness
Financial Times (UK)
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Aug 26, 2008 7:57 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The leading candidate to succeed Pervez Musharraf as president of Pakistan has a long history of mental illness and was suffering from severe psychiatric problems as recently as 2007, reports the Financial Times . Asif Ali Zardari, who took over the Pakistan People's Party after the assassination of his wife Benazir Bhutto, has been diagnosed with...
Hurricane Gustav to Hit Haiti
Bloomberg
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Aug 26, 2008 7:48 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Hurricane Gustav is expected to make landfall in Haiti later today, Bloomberg reports, buffeting a country already hard hit by Tropical Storm Fay earlier this month. Gustav was upgraded from a tropical storm earlier this morning, after strengthening over the Caribbean. The National Hurricane Center said that preparations should “be rushed to...
Russia Recognizes Georgia's Breakaway Regions
BBC
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Aug 26, 2008 7:29 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Thumbing its nose at the West, Russia has officially recognized the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, Dmitry Medvedev announced today, following votes in the Russian parliament. The move flies in the face of a plea from President Bush that Russia refrain from doing so, and the US State Department’s warning that it could be “inconsistent...
Tough 1st Round Tests Nadal
New York Times
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Aug 26, 2008 6:59 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Rafael Nadal moved on to the second round of the US Open last night, but the world's new No. 1 seed had a tougher fight than expected against a qualifier. The Spaniard took three hours and two tiebreakers to defeat Bjorn Phau, 7-6 (4), 6-3, 7-6 (4). After winning the French Open, Wimbledon, and the Olympics, Nadal admitted, "Probably I’m...
Obama's Veep Text Reached Record 2.9M
CNET
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Aug 26, 2008 6:46 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Barack Obama's cell phone text to supporters naming Joe Biden as his running mate reached 2.9 million people, according to Nielsen—enough for a $290,000 bill at normal text rates. The statistics company ranks the message the nation's "single largest mobile marketing event" to date.
N. Korea Suspends Nuclear Shutdown
Reuters
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Aug 26, 2008 6:31 AM CDT
(Newser) -
North Korea has halted the disablement of its nuclear facilities and says it may restore a reactor that can make material for atomic weapons, Reuters reports. Analysts say the move, which follows a visit to arch-enemy South Korea by pseudo-ally and Chinese President Hu Jintao, appears to be an effort by North Korea to maintain leverage to get the US...
GOP Looks to Rain on Convention Parade
New York Times
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Aug 26, 2008 5:53 AM CDT
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The days of the parties giving each other a breather during convention week are long gone, the New York Times reports. As Democrats reveled in Denver yesterday, the Republicans began popping balloons--launching attack ads, holding press conferences underscoring the Clinton-Obama divide, and trotting their candidate out on the Tonight Show. The...
Thai Protesters Storm PM's Office, TV Station
BBC
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Aug 26, 2008 5:37 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Thousands of protesters have spread out across Bangkok, storming the prime minister's office and forcing Thai state television off the air, reports the BBC. The mass protest movement seeks to force out the government of Samak Sundaravej, whom they see as a stooge for ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, now on the lam. "We are now controlling...
Chinese Athletes Went Through Hell for Gold
Los Angeles Times
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Aug 26, 2008 5:16 AM CDT
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China topped the gold medal tally at the Beijing Olympics but the road to glory was a tough one for many athletes, the Los Angeles Times reports. Judo gold medalist Xian Dongmei, the only mother in the squad, did not see her 18-month-old daughter for a year before the Games, while 15-year-old diving champ Chen Ruolin was ordered to skip dinner for...
Law School Rankings May Be Revised to Stop 'Gaming'
Wall Street Journal
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Aug 26, 2008 4:44 AM CDT
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Some US law schools have been caught manipulating programs to climb college rankings in US News & World Report, the Wall Street Journal reports. Institutions boost their performance statistics by channeling first-year students with lower test scores and grades into part-time programs that aren't considered in the rankings. The magazine is considering...
US Envoy Dodges Gun Attack in Pakistan
CNN
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Aug 26, 2008 4:18 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The top official in a US consulate in Pakistan and two others escaped serious injury today when a gunman opened fire on their car, CNN reports. Official Lynne Tracey, her bodyguard and driver were heading to the consulate office in violence-wracked Peshawar when their car was blocked by a shooter in a Land Cruiser. Tracey's driver threw the car...
Statue of Roman Ruler Unearthed in Turkey
BBC
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Aug 26, 2008 3:47 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A rich archaeological site in southern Turkey has yielded another spectacular find: the head and limbs of an enormous statue of the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius. Excavators at Sagalassos, who had previously discovered bits of Hadrian and the Empress Faustina, say the new discovery, with its 3-foot head, represents some of the finest work of its time,...
Michelle Speech Brings Obamas Back to Earth
Politico
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Aug 26, 2008 3:14 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Michelle Obama's rousing speech at the Democratic National Convention kept things down to earth where her husband has the tendency to soar skyward, Roger Simon writes in Politico. She introduced herself as a sister, wife and mother, underscoring the campaign's effort to show the Obamas as an ordinary American family.
Leno's McCain Jokes Hit Homes
Politico
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Aug 26, 2008 2:51 AM CDT
(Newser) -
John McCain yesterday made what has become a mandatory stop on the campaign trail: The Tonight Show . He used the appearance to defuse jokes about his age in advance of his 72d birthday this week and attempt to do some damage control over his recent confusion about how many homes he owns. Leno quipped in his monologue that "thousands" of...
Troop Brain Injuries Often Overlooked
New York Times
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Aug 26, 2008 2:29 AM CDT
(Newser) -
An alarming number of US veterans are returning home from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars suffering long-term effects from concussions, the New York Time s reports. Half of those who have suffered concussions quickly recover, but others have symptoms—including memory loss and mood swings—that can resurface months after the injury.
They Weren't Such 'Neanderthals'
Independent (UK)
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Aug 26, 2008 2:05 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Neanderthals were just as smart as their stone-age rivals, the latest research into the roots of mankind concludes . Scientific teams who learned how to make and use Neanderthal tools found their technology just as efficient as that used by Homo sapiens, reports the Independent . The study runs counter to theories that inferior intellect and technology...
Cops Foil Possible Plot Against Obama
Rocky Mountain News
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Aug 25, 2008 11:13 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Colorado authorities say at least three people are under arrest in connection with a possible plot to assassinate Barack Obama during his acceptance speech Thursday at Invesco Field, the Rocky Mountain News reports. Four weapons, including two high-powered scope rifles, have been seized. Sources told Denver's 9NEWS that the suspects have links to...
Michelle Extols Barack's Values
Associated Press
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Aug 25, 2008 10:27 PM CDT
(AP) -
Michelle Obama declared "I love this country" Monday as she sought to reassure America that she and husband Barack share their bedrock values, the AP reports. In the first major address at the Democratic National Convention, Obama described herself as a daughter, a sister, a wife, and a mother, no different from many women. She told a boisterous...
NRA Guilty of Poor Aim in Fla. Guns-at-Work Case
Reason Magazine
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Aug 25, 2008 10:10 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Florida’s "take your guns to work” law seems like it’s upholding the right to bear arms (which is what the National Rifle Association wants us to believe), but in fact it’s a violation of property rights, Steve Chapman argues in Reason . The law allows permit-holders to keep a gun in their car on the employee parking lot—whether...
Kennedy: 'Dream Lives On'
MSNBC
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Aug 25, 2008 9:07 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Ted Kennedy, vowing that "nothing is going to keep me away," made an impassioned plea for Barack Obama tonight at the Democratic convention, MSNBC reports. Kennedy, who's battling brain cancer, declared it a "season of hope" and said the nation needs Obama's lofty ambitions. "When John Kennedy thought of going to the moon,...
Obama Out to Stop Ad Linking Him to Radical
Associated Press
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Aug 25, 2008 8:56 PM CDT
(AP) -
Barack Obama is striking back to stamp out an ad that links him to a 1960s radical, eager to demonstrate a far more aggressive response to attacks than John Kerry did when faced with the 2004 "Swift Boat" campaign. Obama not only aired a response ad to the spot linking him to William Ayers, but sought to block stations from running the commercial...
School Offers Slot Machine Repair Course
Miami Herald
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Aug 25, 2008 8:08 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A Florida vocational school is helping students hit the jackpot in the lucrative world of slot machine repair. The Sheridan Technical Center recently became the first school to offer a state-approved slot repair course, the Miami Herald reports. The inaugural class of 25 students is already underway. “We try to stay really relevant,”...
Facebook Getting Aggressive With 'Wall Spam'
CNET
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Aug 25, 2008 8:07 PM CDT
(Newser) -
“Wall spam” has gone from minor annoyance to publicity problem for Facebook, and it seems the social-networking giant is getting more aggressive in its attempts to combat it, reports Caroline McCarthy in CNET. Within 2 hours of receiving a spam post yesterday, McCarthy found it had been deleted by Facebook. Until recently, the site has...
Wagyu: 'the Hummer of Beef'
Esquire
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Aug 25, 2008 7:41 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Wagyu beef, a Japanese tradition catching on in the US, uses cows “bred so that fat corrupts the striations of every muscle,” Tom Junod writes in Esquire . After sampling some at $130 per pound, Junod ponders how Americans can be attracted to such excess. Despite America's ecological awakening, "we respond with the Hummer of beef,...
Biggest Convention Donors Usually Need Favors
Los Angeles Times
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Aug 25, 2008 7:13 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Major donors to the Democratic and GOP conventions this year either have business pending with politicians or have recently received a favorable ruling, the Los Angeles Times reports. From cable companies to a government union to an electric utility, millions of dollars have flowed into party coffers—but both sides deny any attempt to buy votes.
Russian MPs Back Georgian Separatists
Independent (UK)
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Aug 25, 2008 6:37 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Russian lawmakers voted unanimously today to recognize the independence of two Georgian breakaway regions, leaving the final decision to President Dmitry Medvedev, the Independent reports. The move threatens to further strain Russian-Western relations as Russian troops remained in Georgia with orders to inspect all shipments arriving at a Black Sea...
Research Paves Way for Better Wi-Fi in Autos
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
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Aug 25, 2008 6:20 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Researchers at Microsoft and two US universities have designed a system to give drivers better Wi-Fi connections, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports. The technology, presented last week in Seattle, allows a moving computer to hook into one Wi-Fi station as an "anchor" while using other stations as support. Researchers say this will...
Polish Actors Paid to Fake iPhone Frenzy
Reuters
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Aug 25, 2008 6:04 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Poland’s largest mobile provider is refreshingly straightforward about its efforts to boost iPhone sales, Reuters reports. “We have these fake queues at front of 20 stores around the country to drum up interest in the iPhone,” a spokesman for Orange said. The iPhone flew off the shelves in the US, but pricey monthly fees may put a...
Hurt German Extras Sue Cruise's Studio
Der Spiegel
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Aug 25, 2008 5:54 PM CDT
(Newser) -
German extras from the upcoming Tom Cruise movie Valkyrie are suing the actor’s film studio for $11 million after they fell out of a moving truck during shooting. The accident, which happened a year ago in Berlin, landed all 11 in the hospital. “The studio knew the trucks were rickety," a lawyer tells Der Spiegel . "There had...
Castro Backs Cuban Athlete Who Kicked Ref
Associated Press
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Aug 25, 2008 5:41 PM CDT
(Newser) -
An ailing Fidel Castro expressed "total solidarity" today with a Cuban martial artist who kicked an Olympics referee in the face, the AP reports. Castro supported a claim by the taekwondo athlete's coach that the contest was fixed and marred by a bribery attempt. "They had tried to buy his own coach," Castro wrote of Angel Matos,...
Kennedy Speech Among 5 Things to See at DNC
Politico
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Aug 25, 2008 5:28 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Here's what to watch at the Democratic National Convention tonight, Politico reports: Ted Kennedy, still recovering from surgery, "is definitely speaking tonight," one Dem said, and plans a memorable torch-passing to Barack Obama. Michelle Obama will try to sell herself as a strong but inoffensive first lady; whether America...
Cross-Country Hydro-Car Tour Wraps Up In LA
Reuters
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Aug 25, 2008 5:12 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A fleet of hydrogen-powered cars wrapped up a 31-city cross-country US tour in Los Angeles this weekend, Reuters reports. The first such trip by zero-emission vehicles aimed to promote the cars, supplied by nine automakers, and the need for more accessible zero-emission fuel. The US has 60 hydrogen stations so far but drivers have easy access to only...
Dems, Still Bruised, Open Convention
Associated Press
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Aug 25, 2008 4:57 PM CDT
(AP) -
The Democrats opened their 2008 presidential nominating convention today in Denver, a four-day political festival to nominate Barack Obama for president and fellow Sen. Joe Biden as his running mate. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, who is battling brain cancer, was in Denver for the opening and might speak tonight to fellow Democrats still trying to recover...
Mac Trots Out Star Backing on Dems' Big Day
Politico
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Aug 25, 2008 4:44 PM CDT
(Newser) -
John McCain shunned tradition today by grabbing media attention during his opponent's convention kick-off, Politico reports. At a high school in Phoenix, McCain trotted out supporter and reggaeton star Daddy Yankee. McCain "has been a fighter for the Hispanic community… a fighter for immigration," Daddy Yankee told students at the...
Recession Makes Us Healthier
Los Angeles Times
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Aug 25, 2008 4:35 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A slow economy might mean more people are stressed, but research shows that tough times are actually good for us, the Los Angeles Times reports. Rates of illnesses—particularly those related to lifestyle changes, like heart disease—decrease, as do accident and death rates. And while some may drown their financial woes in drinking, overall...
Bass, Braxton Join Dancing With the Stars
ABC News
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Aug 25, 2008 4:23 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Dancing With the Stars ' seventh season will be a record-breaker, ABC News reports. Thirteen celebrities will vie for victory, including the show’s youngest- and oldest-ever contestants. A few more familiar faces to expect: Lance Bass: The former 'N Sync heartthrob and wannabe astronaut’s dancing experience should give him an edge...
Greener Colleges Take Pass on Cafeteria Trays
Associated Press
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Aug 25, 2008 4:12 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Campus cafeterias across the US are phasing out lunch trays, but the move has some students feeling, ahem, de-trayed, the AP reports. The point is to conserve dishwashing water and reduce food waste by discouraging huge piles of food, though hungry scholars say it’s not worth it. "I'll just keep coming back for seconds," one says.
Bon Jovi, Springsteen to Rock Obama's DNC Speech
Rocky Mountain News
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Aug 25, 2008 4:00 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Barack Obama's acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention on Thursday evening will be music to our ears—or will at least be accompanied by it, the Rocky Mountain News reports. Jon Bon Jovi and Bruce Springsteen will perform acoustic songs during the star-studded festivities in Denver—though sources wouldn’t divulge...
Border Fence Blamed for Ariz. Flooding
Associated Press
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Aug 25, 2008 3:51 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Environmentalists say the US border-security fence is to blame for water backups in southwestern Arizona and Mexico, where steel-mesh panels meant to keep illegal immigrants out are getting clogged with flood debris, the AP reports. Critics are focusing their attacks on Homeland Defense Secretary Michael Chertoff, who waived environmental laws three...
3rd Spanair Flight Suffers Technical Problems
Associated Press
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Aug 25, 2008 3:40 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Technical issues forced Spanair to divert one of its jets today, the second consecutive day that’s happened for the Spanish airline rocked by last week’s deadly crash in Madrid, the AP reports. An MD-80 jet—the same series as Wednesday’s ill-fated aircraft—returned to Granada after communications problems appeared 45 minutes...
Jesse Jackson Jr.: Obama's Like Jackie Robinson
Politico
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Aug 25, 2008 3:34 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Barack Obama is like Jackie Robinson: he’s got to perform despite racist taunts, Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., son of the civil-rights leader, said during a Politico-sponsored panel discussion today ahead of the Democratic convention. Like the baseball pioneer, Obama “has to keep smiling,” in the face of vicious rumors “because no...
Housing, AIG Spur Losses
Wall Street Journal
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Aug 25, 2008 3:27 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Stocks fell today as bad news from the housing and financial sectors diminished hopes that the economic slump will lift soon, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Dow fell 241.81 points to 11,386.25, led by a 5.5% loss at beleaguered insurer AIG. The Nasdaq fell 49.12 points to close at 2,365.59, while the S&P 500 shed 25.36 points to settle...
Deal Would Give Clinton Some Convention Props
Associated Press
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Aug 25, 2008 3:22 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are close to a deal to allow symbolic voting during Wednesday’s Democratic roll call, the AP reports, which Clinton herself might stop by asking for unanimous backing for Obama from the convention floor. While Clinton says she plans to vote for Obama, she wouldn’t demand the same of her delegates who “feel...
Thomas Weller, Who Won Nobel for Polio Work, Dead at 93
Boston Globe
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Aug 25, 2008 3:12 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Thomas Weller, whose research on polio won him a share of a Nobel Prize in 1954, died this weekend at 93, the Boston Globe reports. Weller, along with colleagues John Enders and Frederick Robbins, discovered that the polio virus preyed on muscles, not nerve tissue as had been previously thought. Their cultures paved the way for the Salk and Sabin...
Despite Arrests, Zimbabwe Opposition Elects Speaker
Times (UK)
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Aug 25, 2008 3:00 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Opposition groups in Zimbabwe's parliament today defeated the candidate for speaker put forward by President Robert Mugabe, electing instead a member of the Movement for Democratic Change, the Times of London reports. Though security forces arrested several MDC members ahead of the vote, MDC lawmakers sang anti-Mugabe songs in a parliament speaker...
