Newser Story Index from June, 2009
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.
Fawcett, O'Neal to Wed
ABC News
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Jun 22, 2009 1:48 PM CDT
(Newser) -
There’s one bright spot in Farrah Fawcett’s struggle with cancer: She and Ryan O’Neal are finally tying the knot. The 68-year-old O’Neal, who has dated Fawcett, 62, since 1980 and “used to ask her to marry me all the time,” popped the question again recently and she said yes, he tells ABC. The two will wed “as...
McConaughey Preggers Again
Us Weekly
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Jun 22, 2009 1:26 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Baby No. 2 is on the way for Matthew McConaughey and girlfriend Camila Alves, Us reports. “Yeah, we pulled off the greatest miracle in the world one more time, Camila and I are expecting our second child, bringing more life into the world, making more to live for,” McConaughey wrote on his website yesterday. Elsewhere:
Fed Mulls Overhaul of Overnight Lending
Financial Times (UK)
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Jun 22, 2009 1:15 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The Fed is planning an overhaul of the repurchase markets involved in banks’ overnight trading—including the creation of a new unit to oversee transactions, the Financial Times reports. Such a facility would take the place of clearing banks, such as JPMorgan Chase, that currently act as middlemen for loans, assessing collateral and advancing...
Edwards Aide Who Said Love Child Was His Shops Tell-All
Daily Beast
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Jun 22, 2009 1:11 PM CDT
(Newser) -
There could soon be another tome trying to cash in on the John Edwards melodrama. Andrew Young, the Edwards aide who claimed to be the father of Rielle Hunter’s child, is shopping a tell-all book, the Daily Beast reports. Young says he feels betrayed by Edwards, who cut off all contact with him after the scandal became public.
US to Cut Down on Afghan Airstrikes
New York Times
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Jun 22, 2009 1:08 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The US military is tightening its rules regarding airstrikes in Afghanistan, in the face of mounting civilian casualties, the New York Times reports. Airstrikes will now be used mostly to prevent coalition forces from being overrun, new Afghan commander Stanley McChrystal announced. “Air power contains the seeds of our own destruction if we...
Burka Is 'Not Welcome' in France: Sarkozy
BBC
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Jun 22, 2009 1:03 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Nicolas Sarkozy today spoke out strongly against Islamic coverings for women, like the burka, the BBC reports. In a rare speech to parliament, which is considering a ban, the French president said, “we cannot accept to have in our country women who are prisoners behind netting. … The burka is not a sign of religion, it is a sign of subservience....
Glover Takes US Open Title
MSNBC
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Jun 22, 2009 12:48 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Lucas Glover hung on today as golf's elite struggled to catch him, winning this year’s US Open at Bethpage Black, NBC Sports reports. A birdie on the 16th hole put Glover two shots ahead of a pack that included David Duval, Phil Mickelson, and Ricky Barnes. Glover did not give up that lead until the round was over, finishing 4 under the 276-stroke...
'Craigslist Killer' Pleads Not Guilty
Boston Globe
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Jun 22, 2009 12:41 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Philip Markoff spoke a resounding “not guilty” at his arraignment today for the murder of a masseuse, the Boston Globe reports. Prosecutors described “brutal” attacks against three women as the so-called “Craigslist killer” was arraigned on seven charges, including first-degree murder, armed robbery, armed kidnapping,...
Site Showcases Awful Obama Art
The Stimulist
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Jun 22, 2009 12:26 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Barack Obama inspired a lot of art during his meteoric rise to the highest office of the land. Paintings, videos, and songs are still trickling in, and some of it is good. But much of it isn’t. Much of it is, to put it gently, utter bird poop. But some of that bird poop is really funny, and, the Stimulist points out, that’s where BadPaintingsofBarackObama.com...
Ill. Parents Seek to Ban Award-Winning Novel
Chicago Tribune
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Jun 22, 2009 12:23 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Parents at an Illinois high school are trying to get Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian taken off the summer reading list, and out of the school’s library, the Chicago Tribune reports. “I can’t imagine anyone finding this book appropriate for 13- or 14-year-olds,” said one who showed up...
Three-Legged Bobcat Goes Back to Wild
Dallas Morning News
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Jun 22, 2009 12:08 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Darlean, a three-legged bobcat, was released into the wild southeast of Dallas yesterday along with several raccoons and families of possums, the Morning News reports. Darlean lost her back right paw in a claw trap, and subsequently learned to balance on three legs before she was captured by animal-control officers a few months later.
Legendary Hacker: It Was 'a Huge Game'
CNET
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Jun 22, 2009 12:00 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Tagged a “computer terrorist,” Kevin Mitnick served jail time after eluding the FBI for 3 years; today, he’s a security consultant. The best-known hacker ever tells CNET his infiltration of firms like Motorola and Sun “was like a huge game”: “thrilling, adventurous,” and “all about solving the puzzle.”...
Royal Wedding Rumors Heat Up
Australia's News Network
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Jun 22, 2009 11:51 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The engagement rumors about Prince William and Kate Middleton just keep on coming, fueled most recently by the retreat they plan to attend, the News of the World reports. Middleton will join the queen for her traditional hunting trip to Scotland for the first time.
Justice Dept. Opposes Effort to Dig Up Geronimo
BBC
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Jun 22, 2009 11:38 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The Justice Department has asked a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit seeking to unearth the bones of Geronimo from his Oklahoma tomb and rebury them in his native New Mexico, the BBC reports. The Apache leader’s descendants also name Yale University and the Skull and Bones society, which allegedly stole some of the bones to keep in its New Haven...
Will.i.am Assaulted Me: Perez Hilton
Huffington Post
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Jun 22, 2009 11:14 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The Twitterati are aflutter with reports that Perez Hilton was allegedly assaulted early this morning by Will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas, the Huffington Post reports. But the Peas’ general manager is the one who turned himself in to police, according to TMZ. Celebrity gossip blogger Hilton tweeted a series of messages asking followers to call...
Supreme Court Sidesteps Major Voting-Rights Ruling
Associated Press
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Jun 22, 2009 11:04 AM CDT
(AP) -
The Supreme Court ruled narrowly today in a challenge to the Voting Rights Act, exempting a small Texas district from a key provision of the law, but side-stepping the larger constitutional issue. The act requires Southern areas with a history of discrimination to get advance federal approval before changing election procedures. The larger issue of...
Obama May Attend 2010 World Cup
Associated Press
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Jun 22, 2009 10:51 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The world's soccer body has invited Barack Obama to next year's World Cup in South Africa, reports the AP, the first time the tournament will be held on the continent. "Obama has said, 'If I can, I will come,'" says FIFA chief Sepp Blatter. The United States team barreled into the semifinals of the Confederations Cup this weekend with...
If Health Care Push Fails, Blame Dems
New York Times
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Jun 22, 2009 10:48 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Now ought to be a good time to reform health care. With costs up and coverage down, polls show the public overwhelmingly favors change. Unfortunately, “a handful of Democratic senators are still determined to party like it’s 1993,” writes Paul Krugman of the New York Times . These so-called “centrists” want to kill the...
Kodak Shutters Kodachrome
Democrat and Chronicle
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Jun 22, 2009 10:40 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Kodak is discontinuing its storied Kodachrome film line, the company announced today. Introduced in 1935, Kodachrome was the first commercially successful color film, and was immortalized in a Paul Simon song in 1973. But these days it represents less than 1% of Kodak’s film sales, and only one lab in the world—Dwayne’s Photo in Parsons,...
Baggage Fees Soar as Fuel Prices Drop
Kansas City Star
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Jun 22, 2009 10:37 AM CDT
(Newser) -
When airlines instituted new baggage fees, they said it was to offset high fuel prices. Since then, even though energy prices have fallen, the fees haven't gone anywhere but up. In the first quarter, airlines pulled in $566 million in fees, putting them on pace to double last year’s take, the Kansas City Star reports. “I feel frustrated,”...
Smartphones Dial Up Etiquette Debate
New York Times
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Jun 22, 2009 10:20 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Most companies don’t have rules about smartphone use at work—but with more people eying their BlackBerrys during meetings, a debate is raging over smartphone conduct, the New York Times reports. Many call excessive BlackBerrying the height of rudeness, but others hold that today’s world requires constant electronic availability....
Positive Thinking Can Make You Feel Worse: Study
Washington Post
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Jun 22, 2009 10:10 AM CDT
(Newser) -
It turns out the Little Engine That Could had it all wrong. Repeating positive statements to yourself doesn’t appear to help people with low self-esteem, according to a new study. Researchers asked students to repeat statements like “I am a lovable person” to themselves, then measured their mood. Those with low self-esteem typically...
Posh Inspires Nipple Surgery Fad
Daily Mail (UK)
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Jun 22, 2009 10:05 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Victoria Beckham has apparently helped fuel a mini-fad of nipple surgery following rather noticeable changes that she has been flaunting behind T-shirts, reports the Daily Mail . The operations--which the former Spice Girl may or may not have had--can modify size, color, and shape. One busy London clinic reports a 30% rise in nipple surgeries in...
Wandering Kids' Parents Get High-Tech Help
Baltimore Sun
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Jun 22, 2009 9:47 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Some 90% of families lose their kids briefly in public places, and more and more are turning to new methods of preventing major mishaps, the Baltimore Sun reports. Some parents track kids with GPS; others use watches that give off loud alarms. Lower-tech temporary tattoos that show parents’ phone numbers have also taken off. Still, “nothing...
Police End Tehran Protest With Tear Gas
Guardian (UK)
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Jun 22, 2009 9:38 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Police used tear gas against hundreds of protesters in Tehran today and fired warning shots into the air, the Guardian reports. About 200 had gathered to protest in Haft-e-Tir square, defying the Revolutionary Guard’s warning that it would crack down on further demonstrations. Hundreds of police descended to disperse them, preventing even small...
Rihanna, Chris to Meet at Hearing
Los Angeles Times
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Jun 22, 2009 9:23 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Los Angeles courthouses are no strangers to paparazzi, but today’s preliminary hearing for Chris Brown promises to be one for the record books. Brown’s case is proving more popular than those of fellow tabloid magnets Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, and Lindsay Lohan, with 52 media outlets requesting attendance. “I’ve never seen...
Recession Puts Damper on July 4th Fireworks
Washington Times
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Jun 22, 2009 9:19 AM CDT
(Newser) -
With times tight, many US towns are toning down their Independence Day festivities, the Washington Times reports. Rather than deal with the cost of pyrotechnics, police overtime, and even liability insurance, municipalities are scaling back on the big bangs and even switching to simpler ideas such as poetry contests, dog parades, and bike races.
Stocks Sink on World Bank Report
Wall Street Journal
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Jun 22, 2009 9:04 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Stocks tumbled this morning after the release of a grim forecast by the World Bank. The Dow tumbled about 100 points, while the Nasdaq and S&P each dropped 1.6%. The World Bank predicted the economy would shrink 2.9% this year, a big downward revision from its previous forecast of a 1.7% drop. Commodities were declining, with oil down more than...
Congress Weighs Wider Home Tax Credit
USA Today
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Jun 22, 2009 9:00 AM CDT
(Newser) -
With the tax credit for first-time homebuyers set to expire in November, congressional efforts to increase it and broaden its reach are ramping up, reports USA Today. Chris Dodd, who leads the Senate Banking Committee, supports a proposal to raise the credit to $15,000 and extend it to all buyers. The measures have wide support, but the fact...
Iran Uses Internet to Spy on Dissidents
Wall Street Journal
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Jun 22, 2009 8:37 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Iran has relied on European telecom companies, including Siemens and Nokia, to develop one of the world's most intricate systems for monitoring and censoring the Internet, reports the Wall Street Journal . The regime's surveillance goes beyond blocking access; it gathers information on individual users using a technique known as deep packet inspection...
Sotomayor Proves Poor Lightning Rod for GOP
Politico
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Jun 22, 2009 8:16 AM CDT
(Newser) -
After nearly a month in the public eye, Sonia Sotomayor isn’t proving nearly as controversial as Republicans had hoped, Politico reports. “She doesn’t have the punch out there in terms of fundraising and recruiting, at least so far," said Republican congressman John Thune. Things could change during the actual hearings—particularly...
Goldman Readies Record Bonuses
Guardian (UK)
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Jun 22, 2009 8:07 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A wildly successful first half is pointing to the best year ever for Goldman Sachs, and that means record staff bonuses in the midst of the recession, the Guardian reports. Revenues have soared at the bank, which now has little competition; it promised in April that half of its nearly $2 billion first-quarter profit would go to employees. But some...
Berlusconi Gave Me $14K 'Present': Escort
Times (UK)
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Jun 22, 2009 8:02 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Silvio Berlusconi is facing further pressure to resign after a 23-year-old revealed she had received a $14,000 "present" from the Italian PM after attending a party, reports the Times of London. The woman also says that Patrizia D'Addario, the escort at the center of the growing prostitution scandal, told her she and Berlusconi had...
Welfare Rolls Soar Along With Unemployment
Wall Street Journal
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Jun 22, 2009 7:48 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Welfare rolls are on the rise nationwide for the first time since President Clinton signed a bill overhauling the system in 1996, the Wall Street Journal reports. Welfare recipients’ ranks fell in some areas at the beginning of the recession, but now 23 of the 30 biggest US states are seeing an increase as residents' unemployment compensation...
Newsier Gawker Looks Beyond Manhattan
Washington Post
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Jun 22, 2009 7:36 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Gawker.com began life as a gossip site for the New York media industry, but these days the site is increasingly looking away from incestuous Manhattan—it's covering everything from reality TV to global politics, and recently the site hired an actual investigative reporter. Nick Denton, the site's founder, tells Howard Kurtz of the Washington...
Plants Warn Each Other: Study
Telegraph (UK)
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Jun 22, 2009 7:11 AM CDT
(Newser) -
They can't quite Twitter, but plants have sophisticated means of communication nonetheless, reports the Telegraph . A new study suggests they use complex chemical signals to discuss both predators and pollinators. In one test, sagebrush shrubs whose neighbors had their leaves clipped, as if by grasshoppers, appeared to grow more resilient, suggesting...
Death of 'Neda' May Echo for Weeks in Iran
Time
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Jun 22, 2009 6:40 AM CDT
(Newser) -
It's not clear who killed the Iranian protester known as Neda, but footage of her gruesome shooting in the streets of Tehran may transform the demonstrations gripping Iran, Time reports. Shia Muslims mourn their dead three, seven, and 40 days after death, and Iranians often use those commemorations for protests. Neda is already being hailed as a...
Miami Forces Sex Offenders Into Tent City
BBC
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Jun 22, 2009 6:20 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Miami’s sex offenders have been corralled into a squalid tent city under a highway overpass thanks to a law that critics call inhumane, the BBC reports. Sex offenders are barred from living within 2,500 feet of any place in the city where children congregate, including libraries and parks—which leaves few options for the roughly 70 convicted...
Times Reporter Planned Escape for Weeks
New York Times
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Jun 22, 2009 5:50 AM CDT
(Newser) -
David Rohde escaped from the Taliban only after weeks of planning, taking advantage of a length of rope to aid his descent down a 20-foot wall, the New York Times reports. The journalist and his Afghan colleague waited until a night when the city had electrical power, so the sound of their falls would be muffled by whirring air conditioners.
Glaciers May Vanish in 'Geologic Instant'
LiveScience
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Jun 22, 2009 5:20 AM CDT
(Newser) -
New data about a prehistoric Canadian glacier that rapidly vanished is giving scientists a stronger model to predict the radical effects of climate change. It's very possible that the same conditions could quickly shrink today's larger ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica, prompting sea levels to soar in a "geographic instant," LiveScience...
Dalai Lama to Tibet: You Need 2 of Me
Independent (UK)
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Jun 22, 2009 4:55 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The Dalai Lama has told Tibetans his successor should not bear the burden of being both spiritual and political leader to their community, the Independent reports. "When we put the whole responsibility in the person of the Dalai Lama, it is dangerous," he said in a video address at a Tibetan election symposium in India. Tibetans need both...
Cowell: I Goofed With Boyle
Daily Mail (UK)
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Jun 22, 2009 4:26 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Simon Cowell admitted that he overestimated the strength of startling songbird Susan Boyle during her trials in Britain's Got Talent . The fragile overnight-superstar has been emotionally overwhelmed, canceling another concert last week. "She seemed fine with all the attention. I thought perhaps naively that she was in control," Cowell wrote...
Krishnas Offer Sacred Cows for Adoption
Wall Street Journal
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Jun 22, 2009 3:56 AM CDT
(Newser) -
America's first bovine Krishna sanctuary is trying out a new strategy for lean times: adoption. For just $51 a month, supporters of West Virginia's New Vrindaban will get photos and regular updates about their cow, the Wall Street Journal reports. Built by the Hare Krishnas in 1968, the small village is struggling to care for its 80 cows—mainly...
Iran Arrests Newsweek Reporter
CNN
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Jun 22, 2009 3:34 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Iranian authorities have arrested a Canadian journalist who works for Newsweek, reports the magazine. Maziar Bahari—who has covered Iran for a decade from his home there—was asleep when officers raided the apartment he shares with his mom, seized his laptop and videotapes, and took him away. A photojournalist who works for Life magazine...
Markoff Indicted for Craigslist Murder
Boston Globe
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Jun 22, 2009 3:10 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Accused Craigslist killer Philip Markoff has been formally charged with murdering 26-year-old Julissa Brisman, the Boston Globe reports. The former med student is being arraigned today on seven charges, including first-degree murder, in connection with Brisman’s death and another attack on a prostitute. Both women advertised their services...
Iran Finds Fraud But Calls Election Clean Enough
New York Times
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Jun 22, 2009 2:46 AM CDT
(Newser) -
An eerie silence descended on Tehran early today as Iranian officials admitted to discrepancies in the controversial presidential election, but still declared it legal. More votes were cast in 50 cities than the number of registered voters, officials concluded. But authorities said the discrepancy, which affects some 3 million votes, was a "normal...
Studios Fight Theaters on Cost of 3-D Glasses
Chicago Tribune
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Jun 22, 2009 2:17 AM CDT
(Newser) -
With 50 3-D films due out within two years, studios and theaters are squabbling over who should pay for the requisite glasses. At $1 per moviegoer, 3-D glasses can tack on $10 million to production costs, the Chicago Tribune reports. Movie execs and theaters split a $2 to $3 ticket surcharge on those films, but neither wants to buy glasses with their...
Google Street View Nabs Dutch Thieves
BBC
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Jun 22, 2009 1:52 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The Google Street View that has infuriated many privacy advocates has helped solve a crime, the BBC reports. A Dutch boy, 14, chanced upon a months-old photo on Street View that shows him with two men right before they allegedly mugged him. Authorities retrieved the original photo from Google—the web version is blurred—and have arrested...
Episcopal Splinter Group to Ban Gay, Female Clergy
USA Today
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Jun 22, 2009 1:25 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Hundreds of former Episcopal parishes are meeting to form the Anglican Church in North America this week, parting ways with their previous church to ban women and gays in the clergy. Robert Duncan, the former bishop of Pittsburgh, is leading the congregation of 300—including 50 bishops—and is expected to become the new church's archbishop,...
Great Whites Hunt Like Serial Killers
Associated Press
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Jun 21, 2009 7:45 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Great white sharks lurk in the dark and follow young victims much like serial killers on the prowl, the AP reports. Far from being random attackers, the sharks pursue specific victims from 100 yards off—far enough to see but not be seen—hiding in areas they know well. "There's some strategy going on," said University of Miami...
