Newser Story Index from July, 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.
PETA Releases Video of Circus Elephant Abuse
Orange County Register
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Jul 24, 2009 1:28 PM CDT
(Newser) -
PETA has released video it says shows cruelty to circus elephants, the Orange County Register reports. The tape shows Ringling Bros. handlers swatting elephants with “bull hooks,” and one pachyderm exhibiting signs of “severe psychological distress.” “This video again shows what we have been saying for years,”...
Apollo 11 Crew Cleared Customs After Splashdown
Space.com
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Jul 24, 2009 1:15 PM CDT
(Newser) -
What do you do when you’re the first men back from the moon and you have a cargo of moon rocks and other lunar specimens? Make a customs declaration, of course. Well, not really, Space.com reports. A customs form, filed in Honolulu and released by NASA to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11’s return to earth, bears the signatures...
GI's Capture Fuels Desertion Controversy
Washington Times
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Jul 24, 2009 1:05 PM CDT
(Newser) -
With some speculating that the US soldier kidnapped by the Taliban deserted his Afghanistan post, conservative media are hot on the trail. Pfc. Bowe Bergdahl “walked off (his base) with a water bottle and (a military ration pack) on some kind of he-man expedition,” a military blogger tells the Washington Times , saying insiders back him...
On Race Issues, Meet the Real Obama
New York Times
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Jul 24, 2009 12:53 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The Gates controversy might finally change—for the better—the way the media portray President Obama on race issues, writes Brent Staples in the New York Times . "Up to now, he has been consistently and wrongly portrayed as a stern black exceptionalist who takes Negroes to task for not meeting his standard," writes Staples. Obama...
Jon Leibowitz, Stop Hiding Your Real Name
Slate
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Jul 24, 2009 12:44 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Michael Jackson’s transformation from black to white makes Ron Rosenbaum of Slate think of Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz—the guy you may know as Jon Stewart. Just as Jackson was probably responding to racism that’s now much less prevalent, the Daily Show host’s stage name “is just so 20th-century, a relic of that dark age”...
Mass. Police Unions Want Apology From Obama
Boston Globe
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Jul 24, 2009 12:30 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Massachusetts police unions today called on President Obama, Gov. Deval Patrick, and others to apologize for criticizing the cops who arrested Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates, the Boston Globe reports. “The president should make an apology to all law-enforcement personnel throughout the entire country,” said one Cambridge policeman....
Evangelist Convicted on 10 Counts of Sex Abuse
Associated Press
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Jul 24, 2009 12:23 PM CDT
(AP) -
Tony Alamo, a one-time street preacher who became an outfitter to the stars and fought the federal government over claims he underpaid followers for church work, was convicted today in Arkansas of taking five girls across state lines for sex. The jury of nine men and three women found Alamo guilty of transporting girls as young as 9, in violation of...
G-Force Spins Its Wheel
Rotten Tomatoes
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Jul 24, 2009 12:13 PM CDT
(Newser) -
If their mission was to please critics, the adorable spies of G-Force have failed. Here's what the critics saying: Director Hoyt Yeatman should be ashamed, writes Ty Burr in the Boston Globe . “If you can’t squeeze a decent movie out of talking 3-D superagent guinea pigs, you may as well throw in the towel and consider a career...
'Cash for Clunkers' Can't Beat Buying Used
ABC News
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Jul 24, 2009 12:00 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The government’s Car Allowance Rebate System—the “Cash for Clunkers” plan—goes into effect today, but it might not be such a good deal for you or the environment, Elisabeth Leamy and Nathalie Tadena write for ABC News. New-car buyers who trade up more than 4mpg in mileage get $3,500; make it 10 mpg and you get $4,500....
Minimum Wage Rises to $7.25
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Jul 24, 2009 11:45 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The minimum wage today jumps 70 cents to $7.25 an hour, a move that rekindles a debate as old as the wage itself, notes the Atlanta Journal-Constitution . Some worry that the increase puts an unfair burden on small businesses, especially with times so tight; others say low-wage earners will quickly put the extra cash back into circulation.
Let's Do to Big Food What We Did to Big Tobacco
Boston Globe
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Jul 24, 2009 11:30 AM CDT
(Newser) -
After decades of anti-smoking campaigns, Big Tobacco has been brought low and ashtrays have “gone the way of spittoons,” writes Ellen Goodman of the Boston Globe . It’s high time we gave Big Food the same treatment. “Now that two-thirds of Americans are overweight, the lethal effects of fat are catching up to those of cigarette...
In the Loop Is Bloody Good Fun
Metacritic
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Jul 24, 2009 11:18 AM CDT
(Newser) -
In the Loop is a blistering, satirical tale of unsavory characters in the British and American governments pushing their nations to war in the Middle East. “While In the Loop is a highly disciplined inquiry into a very serious subject, it is also, line by filthy line, scene by chaotic scene, by far the funniest big-screen satire in...
Gingrich: Waxman Lets Health Care Fraud Flourish
Washington Examiner
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Jul 24, 2009 10:52 AM CDT
(Newser) -
America’s health care system is riddled with so much fraud that eliminating it would pay for universal coverage, but Congress doesn’t seem to care, writes Newt Gingrich in the Washington Examiner . He singles out as his particular villain Henry Waxman, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Waxman, he charges, hasn’t...
Cameron Previews 3D Film at Comic-Con
Associated Press
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Jul 24, 2009 10:35 AM CDT
(Newser) -
James Cameron offered Comic-Con attendees a 25-minute preview of his first commercial film since Titanic 12 years ago—and it looks “every bit the spectacle” of his 1997 effort, writes Denise Martin in the Los Angeles Times . The film’s new technology superimposes computer-made humanoids onto actors to create the “super-saturated”...
Winehouse Cleared of Assault
BBC
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Jul 24, 2009 10:23 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Amy Winehouse was cleared of assault today, with a judge determining evidence did not show dancer Sherene Flash suffered “the sort of injury that often occurs when there is a forceful punch to the eye,” the BBC reports. Winehouse told reporters, “I’m relieved. I’m going home.” Elsewhere: Roger Federer and...
Twitter Plans Homepage Facelift
All Things Digital
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Jul 24, 2009 10:10 AM CDT
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Twitter will introduce a new homepage next week “to better show who we are,” its co-founder tells Kara Swisher at All Things Digital. As it stands, the homepage is confusing to visitors intrigued by media reports, Biz Stone says. “We need to do a better job of explaining ourselves to people who hear about us and then have no idea...
Jackson Death 'Almost Certainly' Homicide
TMZ
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Jul 24, 2009 9:54 AM CDT
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When the coroner releases Michael Jackson’s autopsy results—scheduled for next week—the cause of death will “almost certainly” be listed as homicide, law enforcement sources tell TMZ. Elsewhere: Omer Bhatti “had a father-and-son type of connection” with Michael, a pal tells People , “but I never...
FEMA Too Slow on Katrina Trailer Toxins: Federal Report
USA Today
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Jul 24, 2009 9:42 AM CDT
(Newser) -
FEMA was too slow to deal with reports of toxins in trailers used to house Hurricane Katrina victims, potentially posing a “significant health risk” to thousands along the Gulf Coast, a Homeland Security report says. Residents of the trailers had reported bloody noses, headaches, and worse as a result of exposure to formaldehyde, a carcinogenic...
Graham Blasts GOP's 'Blind Ideology'
Politico
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Jul 24, 2009 9:33 AM CDT
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Lindsey Graham’s been on the Republican hot seat since throwing his support behind Sonia Sotomayor, but he doesn’t think much of the purity police attacking him. “I have no desire to be up here in an irrelevant status,” the senior senator from South Carolina tells Politico. “If we chase this attitude that you have to say...
Smokey Bear's Fire Still Burning at 65
Los Angeles Times
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Jul 24, 2009 9:24 AM CDT
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He turns 65 this year, but Smokey Bear’s nowhere near extinguished, the Los Angeles Times reports. The mascot remains as fiercely beloved by baby boomers as he is fiercely protected by the government: Federal law keeps his image from unauthorized use, which can result in a $150,000 fine. Annually, he brings in $1 million—but over the...
Good News: We've Hit Bottom!
Wall Street Journal
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Jul 24, 2009 9:13 AM CDT
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Former Fed vice chairman Alan Blinder has some good news and some bad news about the economy, and it’s the same news: We’ve hit bottom. Third-quarter GDP should turn positive, and the fourth quarter could even hold an upside surprise. Growth of 3% or even 4% is utterly plausible. It’s basic arithmetic, Blinder writes for the Wall...
Zelaya Plans Honduras Return
Miami Herald
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Jul 24, 2009 9:03 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Manuel Zelaya intends to cross from Nicaragua into Honduras today or tomorrow, a move that could land him in prison or worse, the Miami Herald reports. Honduras has stepped up its border security, with interim president Roberto Micheletti promising that the deposed leader will be arrested on sight and charged with treason and abuse of power. Aides...
Madoff Crafty but Dumb: New Book
New York Post
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Jul 24, 2009 8:48 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Bernie Madoff was a swindler from a young age—but many acquaintances also considered him “the dumbest man on earth," says an upcoming exposé. Jerry Oppenheimer’s new book, Madoff With the Money, also reveals that the Ponzi schemer skirted 2 years of Army Reserve duty during the Vietnam War, paid off at least one female...
Gates' Rage: It's Class, not Race
This Week in Blackness
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Jul 24, 2009 8:26 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Skip Gates isn’t outraged because he was the victim of racial profiling. He’s outraged because the cops didn’t recognize his Ivy League credentials, a fellow black Ivy Leaguer writes anonymously on This Week in Blackness and Salon. "He didn’t resent being identified as Black; he resented being identified as that kind...
Jagger's Kid Goes Topless
Daily Mail (UK)
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Jul 24, 2009 8:24 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Another Jagger kid is stripping down in public, despite dad's displeasure. First Mick’s daughter Elizabeth bared her breasts at London’s 2004 Fashion Week, and now her 17-year-old sister is following suit. Georgia goes topless in an ad for Hudson Jeans, her first major modeling gig, that will appear on billboards and in magazines in September,...
High-Living Fugitive Brits Starved on Getaway Yacht
Times (UK)
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Jul 24, 2009 7:56 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A pair of British fraudsters who enjoyed a "champagne and cocaine lifestyle" spent their last days drinking sea water and urine on a stolen yacht, an inquest was told yesterday. The bodies of the couple, who stole a boat and became fugitives while awaiting trial for hoodwinking wealthy investors, were found aboard the vessel as it drifted...
Noonan: Obama Misjudged America
Wall Street Journal
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Jul 24, 2009 7:47 AM CDT
(Newser) -
For once, President Obama’s “fine-tuned antennae” seem to have betrayed him: it looks as though he’s “misjudged the nation’s mood” on health care reform, writes Peggy Noonan in the Wall Street Journal . We’re seeing opposition to the plan, even if it’s not yet showing up in the polls. Why? “Simple...
Ugly Truth Is Pretty Bad
Rotten Tomatoes
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Jul 24, 2009 7:20 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Battle-of-the-sexes comedy Ugly Truth combines the worst aspects of male-friendly gross-out comedies with the worst aspects of female-friendly romantic comedies and the results aren't pretty, say unimpressed critics. Refer Guzmán, Newsday : The movie "does a disservice to both genders. Its crass sex jokes feel like chum for mentally...
Man Forced to Drink Acid in UK 'Honor Attack'
Daily Mail (UK)
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Jul 24, 2009 7:02 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A London man was beaten, stabbed, and forced to drink acid in what police believe was an "honor attack," the Daily Mail reports. The victim lost his tongue in the attack and remains in critical condition. Police believe the man, who was originally Danish, was attacked because he was suspected of having an affair with a married Muslim woman...
Prez to Unveil $4B Education Boost Today
Washington Post
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Jul 24, 2009 6:46 AM CDT
(Newser) -
President Obama will offer struggling states a carrot and a stick today, as he unveils draft guidelines for a new $4.35 billion education initiative designed to push charter schools, linking teacher pay to performance, and adopting common academic standards. The Race for the Top program, part of the stimulus package, will award grants to states that...
Jon's Galpal Resigns From Tab
New York Daily News
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Jul 24, 2009 6:45 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Stop the presses. Jon Gosselin's new Kate—not the one in Jon and Kate Plus 8— resigned from her post as a reporter at Star yesterday, citing a conflict of interest with her new relationship. But giving up her job doesn't quiet skeptics on Jon's latest flame, Kate Major. She’s just using Gosselin, sources tell the New York Daily...
Strapped States Fall Behind on Unemployment Checks
New York Times
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Jul 24, 2009 6:22 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Years of tax and budget cuts have left the nation's unemployment system badly weakened just as it's most needed, the New York Times reports. At least a million applications are still stuck in the system and many applicants have to wait months for their first check. Sixteen states have exhausted their reserves and are now using borrowed money...
Palin Support Sinks in Poll
Washington Post
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Jul 24, 2009 6:11 AM CDT
(Newser) -
As she prepares to exit Alaska's governor's mansion Sunday, Sarah Palin's nationwide support is lower than it has been at any time since she became John McCain's running mate, according to the latest Washington Post /ABC News poll. Some 53% of Americans now view Palin negatively, the poll finds, while just 40% see her in a positive light....
Laptop Hunter Ads Tweaked After Apple Gripe
Advertising Age
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Jul 24, 2009 5:55 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Microsoft has changed at least one of its highly successful "Laptop Hunter" ads after Apple called to complain about it, Advertising Age reports. In the original, a law student shopping for a laptop observes: "This Mac is $2,000, and that's before adding anything." Her mother adds, "Why would you pay twice the price?"...
Liddy Plays Birther Hardball
Gawker
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Jul 24, 2009 5:07 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Nixon henchman G. Gordon Liddy branded Barack Obama an "illegal alien" on Hardball yesterday, dodging a barrage of evidence and documents cited by Chris Matthews that the US president was born in Hawaii. Liddy insisted that Obama's "invalid" birth certificate couldn't be used to get a passport or even "to register your son...
American, Japanese Climbers Die on Mt. Fuji
Associated Press
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Jul 24, 2009 4:33 AM CDT
(Newser) -
An American climber and his Japanese colleague have been found frozen to death on Mount Fuji, AP reports. Authorities believe the men, reported missing last weekend, perished on their way down from the summit. The deaths on the famous mountain follow those of ten elderly hikers who died of exposure while climbing a mountain on Hokkaido island last...
4 Killed in Md. Highway Copter Crash
Associated Press
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Jul 24, 2009 4:05 AM CDT
(Newser) -
All four people on board were killed when a helicopter crashed into an interstate highway in western Maryland last night and burst into flames, AP reports. No cars were hit as the commercial helicopter smashed into the I-70. Witnesses say the helicopter appeared to be trying to land on the highway when it hit a power line.
Jews Tweet Prayers to Wailing Wall
Telegraph (UK)
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Jul 24, 2009 3:41 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Jews seeking to send a message to God can now do so via Twitter, the Daily Telegraph reports. The "Tweet Your Prayers" service prints out tweeted prayers and deposits them between the stones in Jerusalem's 2,000-year-old Western Wall. Its founders accept no responsibility for unanswered prayers. "Take it up with the Big Guy upstairs,"...
Fido Blankets Fur-Ever
Associated Press
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Jul 24, 2009 3:19 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Pet lovers can always keep their hounds close with blankets spun from Fido's shed fur, a quirky new product developed by a North Carolina entrepreneur, reports the Los Angeles Times. One golden retriever owner stashed her pet's sheddings for 11 years and now has a nice afghan to show for it, even though her dog passed on to the giant fire hydrant...
Ultra-Fast Computers Corner Stock Market
New York Times
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Jul 24, 2009 2:52 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Traders using high-speed computers are making billions of dollars and leaving the rest of the stock market in the dust, the New York Times reports. "High-frequency" traders, who use algorithms to make millions of trades in microseconds, have helped big banks and hedge funds bounce back quickly, but critics say the rise of the robots is...
Racy New Berlusconi Sex Tape Released
Telegraph (UK)
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Jul 24, 2009 2:20 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A newly released audio tape apparently captures Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi in a graphic sexual conversation with a female escort, reports the Daily Telegraph . Two voices on the tape discuss orgasm and a just-ended satisfying sexual encounter, with the man recommending that the woman "touch" herself "often." The tape...
New Yorker Was 'Ready to Deliver Suicide Bomb'
CNN
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Jul 24, 2009 1:53 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A Queens man who pleaded guilty to aiding al-Qaeda was ready and willing to deliver a suicide bomb for the terrorist organization, he revealed to investigators. His handlers told 26-year-old Bryant Neal Vinas, however, that he needed more "religious" training before he could carry out such a mission, he told officials in Belgium, where he...
Denny's Sued Over Salty Food
Reuters
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Jul 24, 2009 1:28 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A consumer activist group is taking Denny's to court over the "dangerously high" salt levels in the restaurant chain's food, Reuters reports. The suit, filed on behalf of a New Jersey man with high blood pressure, seeks to require Denny's to list the sodium content of its food on its menus. Health experts warn that most Americans should consume...
LeBron Book: Teen Fame Made Me a 'Big-Headed Jerk'
New York Daily News
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Jul 23, 2009 9:36 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Not every 17-year-old gets on the cover of Sports Illustrated , and LeBron James admits in his upcoming book he had trouble with the instant fame, the Daily News reports. He and his high school teammates became "big-headed jerks," he writes in Shooting Stars. "We are to blame for that, but so are adults who treated us that way and...
Blue Dogs Raking In Campaign Donations
CQPolitics
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Jul 23, 2009 8:42 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Blue Dog Democrats may be ticking off President Obama and party leaders with their opposition to health care overhaul, but the move is doing wonders for their campaign coffers, reports CQ Politics. The Blue Dog Political Action Committee has pulled in $1.1 million for the 2010 races, more than any other leadership PAC. About $300,000 of that is...
Top Aides Leaving Ensign
Las Vegas Sun
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Jul 23, 2009 8:19 PM CDT
(Newser) -
More trouble for John Ensign in Nevada. The Republican senator has lost two senior aides in as many days, reports the Las Vegas Sun . The developments follow Ensign's admission that he had an affair with a former staffer and that his wealthy parents then paid her $100,000. What's worse, the staff departures are fueling speculation that more embarrassing...
NFL Will Let Vick Play Again
ESPN
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Jul 23, 2009 7:54 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Michael Vick can play football again, ESPN reports. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell met with the newly free quarterback today and settled on a conditional reinstatement, sources say. Vick will be allowed to sign with a team—so far, none have said they want him—but will be suspended four games once the season starts. During their...
Microsoft Posts First Yearly Sales Decline
Associated Press
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Jul 23, 2009 7:23 PM CDT
(AP) -
Microsoft Corp. said today its profit in the last quarter plunged 29% because of weak computer sales, ending a fiscal year in which the software maker's revenue fell for the first time since the company went public in 1986. The results reflect how Microsoft's fortunes are tied to the PC industry, which is expected to sell fewer computers this year...
DeMint Knows How to Lower Discourse Himself
Talking Points Memo
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Jul 23, 2009 6:54 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Sen. Jim DeMint says President Obama has "lowered the discourse" because of a new ad that blasts DeMint over his "Waterloo" comment. That prompted Eric Kleefeld of Talking Points Memo to run down highlights of DeMint's own contributions to civil discourse over the past year: He called the stimulus a "mugging" and...
5-Legged Puppy Has Amputation to Foil Suit
Charlotte Observer
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Jul 23, 2009 6:17 PM CDT
(Newser) -
And you thought the story of the five-legged puppy and the Coney Island freak show couldn't get any stranger. The woman who swooped in at the last minute to save Lily from the fate of becoming a public spectacle says the dog has had her fifth leg amputated, the Charlotte Observer reports. Case closed, right? "Even if it's been taken off, we're...
