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.
Harvard Scholar Arrested at Mass. Home
Harvard Crimson
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Jul 20, 2009 1:50 PM CDT
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A prominent Harvard scholar was arrested last week outside his Cambridge, Mass., home and charged with disorderly conduct after “exhibiting loud and tumultuous behavior,” the Harvard Crimson reports. Henry Louis Gates, a renowned professor of African-American studies, was trying to get into the locked house when a neighbor called the...
Dumbledore Sparks Fight for Real-World Justice
Los Angeles Times
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Jul 20, 2009 1:45 PM CDT
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Harry Potter’s battle against injustice in the wizarding world has prompted fans to take the fight to the Muggle universe, the Los Angeles Times reports. Inspired by moral teachings of Albus Dumbledore, Harry’s mentor, the nonprofit Harry Potter Alliance has registered voters, collected some 13,000 books to donate to community centers,...
Beastie Boy Yauch Has Cancer; Group Cancels Dates
Billboard
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Jul 20, 2009 1:34 PM CDT
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Beastie Boy Adam Yauch has been diagnosed with cancer of the salivary gland and will undergo treatment, Billboard reports. The surgery and radiation forced the group to cancel summer tour dates and postpone the release of a new album. The outlook, though, is good. “It’s a pain in the ass, but … very treatable,” says Yauch,...
Teen Pregnancies, STDs Increase: CDC
HealthDay News
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Jul 20, 2009 1:28 PM CDT
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After declining in 1991-2005, the US teen birth rate climbed in 2006 and 2007, HealthDay News reports. Crunching numbers from 2002-07, the Centers for Disease Control found a number of trends had flatlined or worsened after a period of improvement. 2004 saw 745,000 pregnancies among females under 20, including 16,000 among girls 10 to 14 years...
Third Time's a Charm for Jay-Z, Rap's Cash King
Billboard
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Jul 20, 2009 1:15 PM CDT
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As he comes full circle with the Sept. 11 release of The Blueprint 3 , exactly 8 years after the original Blueprint , Jay-Z discusses his journey from the projects of Brooklyn to the top of Forbes’ Hip-Hop Cash King list with Billboard . “We—Usher, Justin Timberlake, Beyoncé, myself—are becoming the people that we...
CBS: Cronkite Will Keep Introducing Evening News
New York Times
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Jul 20, 2009 1:02 PM CDT
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The voice of the late Walter Cronkite will continue to introduce the CBS Evening News , the New York Times reports. The network’s decision marks a reversal after talks with Cronkite family members, who were “very clear that if we continued to use his voice, they would consider it an honor,” said CBS News’ president. Cronkite’s...
Sorry, Nike, We Evolved to Run Barefoot: Author
Philadelphia Inquirer
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Jul 20, 2009 12:54 PM CDT
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Humans may be built for day-long hunts that could take a pack 100 miles, all without shoes, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. “We didn’t evolve as weight lifters, yoga gurus, or swimmers,” says barefoot runner Christopher McDougall, whose book Born to Run explores the hypothesis. “We evolved as long-distance runners.”...
Taliban Hostage's Hometown Stayed Quiet on Kidnapping
Associated Press
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Jul 20, 2009 12:43 PM CDT
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The Taliban's capture of an American soldier in Afghanistan is old news for some residents of his hometown, but they kept quiet out of concern for his safety, the AP reports. The family of Bowe R. Bergdahl asked neighbors and other community members in Hailey, Idaho, not to discuss his situation publicly—a request they honored for weeks. The...
1959: The Apex of Jazz
The Root
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Jul 20, 2009 12:36 PM CDT
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2009 marks the 50th anniversary of jazz’s best year jazz ever, Martin Johnson writes for the Root. 1959 saw canonical discs from genre royalty: “Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue , John Coltrane’s Giant Steps , Ornette Coleman’s The Shape of Jazz to Come , Dave Brubeck’s Time Out and two by Charles Mingus, Blues and...
Bad Career Move! Trump's Golf Cart Stolen
Star-Ledger
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Jul 20, 2009 12:22 PM CDT
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Donald Trump’s personal golf cart was stolen this morning, the first day of competition in a tournament at his Trump National Golf Club-Bedminster, the Newark Star-Ledger reports. It’s known around the course that cart No. 13 is reserved for Trump whenever he’s around, and it went missing—along with his cell phone—after...
Jindal: Dems' Health Care Reform 'Devastating'
Politico
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Jul 20, 2009 12:13 PM CDT
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President Obama “is currently just flinging stuff against the wall, in trillion-dollar chunks, to see what sticks,” and his plans for health care are no different, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal writes on Politico. Thanks to failed bailouts and a “trillion-dollar stimulus that has not stimulated,” America is up to its neck in deficits,...
Google Earth Visits Moon
Financial Post
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Jul 20, 2009 11:58 AM CDT
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Google Earth is no longer restricted to its namesake: on the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission, the latest version of the software lets users explore the moon in 3-D, the Financial Post reports. “Forty years ago, two human beings walked on the Moon," said the project manager. "Starting today, with Moon in Google Earth,...
iPhone App Offers School Shooter Game
PC World
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Jul 20, 2009 11:45 AM CDT
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A new iPhone game that glorifies school shootings somehow got through the Apple screeners, PC World reports. “Zombie School,” from the just-as-politically-incorrect company Retarded Arts, lets players pick off “zombie” cheerleaders, principals, and quarterbacks from atop a “zombie shooting tower.” Worse, adds TechCrunch,...
Obama Health Care a 'Reckless Experiment': Steele
Washington Post
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Jul 20, 2009 11:38 AM CDT
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Drawing on the momentum the GOP has gained in the health care debate, RNC chair Michael Steele today called President Obama’s plans a “dangerous experiment,” the Washington Post reports. "This reckless approach is an ill-conceived attempt to push through an experiment and all of us should be scared to death," Steele said...
Why Don't We Have Cool Japanese Cell Phones?
New York Times
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Jul 20, 2009 11:31 AM CDT
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Able to surf the internet, stand in for credit cards, and check body fat, Japan’s smartphones make ours look primitive—yet we’re sticking with what we have. That’s because Japan’s phone makers have been “a little too clever,” writes Hiroko Tabuchi in the New York Times . Thanks to standards no other country...
Poll: Obama Sinks Below 50% on Health Care
Washington Post
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Jul 20, 2009 11:15 AM CDT
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President Obama’s approval rating on health care has dropped from 57% in April to below half for the first time, as resistance heats up, even among Democrats, to the reform bill working its way through Congress, a Washington Post -ABC News poll finds. Some 49% approve and 44% (up from 29%) disapprove of Obama’s handling of health care,...
Dumpsters Make Splash as Swimming Pools
New York Times
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Jul 20, 2009 11:00 AM CDT
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The newest hangout for the recession chic set is the Dumpster—transformed into a swanky pool. The repurposed, invitation-only trash bins, hidden on a private lot in Brooklyn, are gaining a reputation in the blogosphere and could soon pop up in formerly dingy strip malls. “It’s a very simple concept. There aren’t that many places...
Enough With the Skimpy Office Attire
Daily Mail (UK)
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Jul 20, 2009 10:52 AM CDT
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It’s all well and good that women in the workplace have dropped the power suit for more feminine attire, but does it have to come with "yards of cleavage," micro-minis, and peekaboo bra straps? Relaxed attire has wandered way into bimbo territory, and it's a big mistake, magazine editor Maureen Rice writes in the Daily Mail . Rice...
US Military Review Calls for Afghan Prison Changes
New York Times
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Jul 20, 2009 10:45 AM CDT
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Afghanistan’s prison system, including the American-run Bagram facility, needs a complete overhaul, according to a new US military review. The current system, which has a dreadful reputation with both human rights advocates and Afghan civilians, houses radical inmates with more moderate prisoners. The offensive in the southern part of the...
Jon Plus Yet Another Kate
New York Daily News
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Jul 20, 2009 10:36 AM CDT
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Jon Gosselin is “and Kate” again. No, not that Kate—Kate Major, a Star reporter he was pictured out with Saturday night, the New York Daily News reports. The new Kate "has a tendency to blur the lines between ‘work’ and ‘friendship,’” says a source. “This isn’t the first time she’s...
Feds Spring Vick; Appeal to NFL Up Next
Associated Press
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Jul 20, 2009 10:30 AM CDT
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Michael Vick’s 23-month federal dogfighting sentence ended today, paving the way for the disgraced football player to finagle a return to the NFL, the AP reports. Two prison officials appeared at Vick’s house today, likely to remove the electronic ankle monitor he’s sported for the past two months. The NFL commissioner would like...
Madoff's 'Prison Hell' Not So Hellish
New York Post
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Jul 20, 2009 10:11 AM CDT
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The New York Post got a little excited on today's front page, promising a look "Inside Madoff’s Prison Hell." But that turns out to be a bit of wishful thinking: “Some of the guys were talking about smacking him around a little, just to get the notoriety of it,” says a source, but no beatdown actually occurred—and...
Michelle Tapped Longtime Pal, Mentor as Staff Chief
Chicago Tribune
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Jul 20, 2009 9:56 AM CDT
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Looking for change, Michelle Obama turned to longtime mentor and friend Susan Sher to serve as her chief of staff, the Chicago Tribune reports. They met when Obama dropped off a resume at Chicago’s City Hall; Sher, then the city’s No. 2 lawyer, was immediately impressed by the younger woman. Now, Sher will be handling Obama’s affairs...
Brutal North Korean Labor Camps Hold 200K
Washington Post
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Jul 20, 2009 9:44 AM CDT
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Some 200,000 political prisoners are held in North Korean labor camps, where they work up to 15 hours a day before dying of malnutrition by about age 50, the Washington Post reports. Testimony from survivors and former guards has been newly published by the Korean Bar Association, and new satellite photos corroborate their stories. But the subject...
Shaq, La Toya Share MJ Tributes
TMZ
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Jul 20, 2009 9:27 AM CDT
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The tributes to Michael Jackson keep on coming. Basketball stars Shaquille O’Neal and Damon Jones recorded their own version of the dance-off/knife fight from Jackson’s “Beat It” video, TMZ reports. Meanwhile, La Toya Jackson released a song, “Home,” in her brother's memory, Cover Awards reports. Both can be seen...
Blame Everyone Involved for Shallow Sotomayor Hearings
USA Today
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Jul 20, 2009 8:55 AM CDT
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With Sonia Sotomayor's confirmation a virtual certainty and her appointment unlikely to change the direction of the Supreme Court, last week's toothless hearings held few surprises. Except, that is, for observers who were hoping the Senate Judiciary Committee would press for substantive Q-and-A, Joan Biskupic writes for USA Today. “I was dumbstruck...
Obama Steps Boldly Into Health Care Battle
Washington Post
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Jul 20, 2009 8:37 AM CDT
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As Congress waffles on health care reform and a chorus of naysayers turns up the volume, President Barack Obama is about to step aggressively into the fray, pushing the issue both publicly and privately, the Washington Post reports. With online videos, a visit to Cleveland, and a primetime press conference, Obama is expected to go into "full-time...
New iPhone App Locates Pot Spots
Mashable
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Jul 20, 2009 8:34 AM CDT
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Instead of hotspots, IPhone users can now find pot spots, thanks to a new app that locates legal medical marijuana outlets, reports Mashable. Apple has approved the $2.99 iPhone app, Canabis, which seeks out legal pot clinics, collectives, advocacy organizations, and prescribing docs throughout the US. The smokin' application also directs travelers...
Is Obama Turning Into Carter?
Washington Post
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Jul 20, 2009 8:28 AM CDT
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Facing a burdensome political agenda, decreased popularity, and widespread opposition to his key policies, President Barack Obama appears poised to become the next Jimmy Carter, Matt Welch and Nick Gillespie write in the Washington Post. Both are "smart, moralistic" presidents who inherited brutal economies, but both responded with top-heavy...
Food Allergies? 75% Are Bogus
Los Angeles Times
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Jul 20, 2009 8:24 AM CDT
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Food allergies are on the rise, but faulty tests are behind much of that increase, the Los Angeles Times reports. Eating controlled amounts of a certain food under medical supervision is the only way of knowing whether you’re allergic to it, but primary-care doctors are more likely to employ less-accurate blood testing, resulting in a proliferation...
Drug Lords' Bling Dazzles Mexican Agency
Wall Street Journal
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Jul 20, 2009 7:59 AM CDT
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Amid the ongoing drug wars in Mexico, one small branch of the country's finance ministry has a special job: selling off the jewel-encrusted pistols, armor-plated Hummers, and even wild panthers and lions seized from dealers' bling-tastic mansions. "You realize that the mansions in movies like Scarface aren't exaggerations," one official...
Subprime Salesmen Now Refinance Experts
New York Times
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Jul 20, 2009 7:38 AM CDT
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The market for subprime mortgages may have dried up, but former salesmen have found a new calling: as loan modification advisers who help clients refinance the high-risk loans they used to sell, reports the New York Times . For a fee of around $3,500—the bulk paid upfront—former subprime marketers now offer to negotiate lower payments...
Spoiled Harry a Hero for 'Entitled Generation'
New York Post
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Jul 20, 2009 7:21 AM CDT
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Harry Potter is a fitting hero for a generation of readers: his powers arrive on a silver platter, and from there it’s “all zapping bad guys, no taking out the trash,” writes Kyle Smith in the New York Post . While heroes like Luke Skywalker face obstacles to achieving their potential, JK Rowling’s creation, "like many...
Churchill's WWII Bunker Was Bogus
BBC
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Jul 20, 2009 7:00 AM CDT
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Winston Churchill kept the British government running through World War II from a bunker underneath central London, but a new exhibition reveals the prime minister's fury that his office was vulnerable to attack. The hastily converted war rooms, where Churchill and his staff worked and slept, lay only 10 feet underground and probably would not...
Dems' Tax Plans Raise Fears of Rich Rebellion
Wall Street Journal
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Jul 20, 2009 6:54 AM CDT
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Over the last few elections Democrats have captured House seats from the GOP in some of the wealthiest constituencies in the nation, from northern Virginia to suburban Denver. But as the White House and leaders in Congress look to tax hikes to fund the health care overhaul, recently elected congressmen are in open rebellion, the Wall Street Journal...
40 Years On, Armstrong Remains an Enigma
Washington Post
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Jul 20, 2009 6:45 AM CDT
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Forty years ago today Neil Armstrong strode across the surface of the moon and became the most famous man in the galaxy. Then he disappeared—leaving NASA for a university job, attending almost no public functions, and refusing nearly all interview requests. "Neil was very much the same person after Apollo 11 as he was before it," a...
Tab: Middleton's Uncle Deals Coke, Hookers
News of the World (UK)
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Jul 20, 2009 6:27 AM CDT
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The uncle of would-be royal fiancée Kate Middleton has apparently been filmed cutting lines of cocaine by the News of the World . He also boasts of delivering drugs and hookers, and of calling Prince William an obscenity—to his face, even though he was actually quite "lovely," Gary Goldsmith tells the tabloid's minions. Middleton's...
In China, Binge Drinking Is All in a Day's Work
Reuters
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Jul 20, 2009 6:20 AM CDT
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Getting wasted is all part of the job for many Chinese bureaucrats, and it's becoming such a serious problem that it has led to illness and death, reports Reuters. Government officials are required to offer large amounts of alcohol at public functions and drink frequent toasts to honor guests. "We would lose face if we could not get our guests...
Honduras Crisis Talks Collapse
Reuters
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Jul 20, 2009 5:50 AM CDT
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Talks to end the political crisis in Honduras collapsed last night, raising the prospect of violence in the Central American nation if ousted president Manuel Zelaya fulfills his promise to return with or without a deal. Pro-Zelaya protesters are marching in the capital today after the interim government rejected a compromise plan to allow Zelaya to...
NY AG Slaps Schwab With Suit Over Defrauding Clients
Wall Street Journal
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Jul 20, 2009 5:44 AM CDT
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The New York attorney general has told Charles Schwab he will sue the brokerage for civil fraud over its marketing of securities to clients, reports the Wall Street Journal . Andrew Cuomo alleges that Schwab's brokers had little understanding of the financial instruments and then failed to inform clients that the market for them had tanked. One broker...
Gunman Pleads Guilty to Mumbai Attacks
Times of India (India)
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Jul 20, 2009 5:30 AM CDT
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The only surviving gunman of the deadly terror attacks in Mumbai admitted his role in the November rampage in a dramatic courtroom confession today, reports the Times of India . "Sir, I plead guilty to my crime," Ajmal Kasab told the presiding judge, before describing how the attacks were carried out. The Pakistani national also named...
'Zodiac Killer Was Merchant Seaman'
San Francisco Chronicle
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Jul 20, 2009 4:58 AM CDT
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A new suspect has emerged in the long-unsolved Zodiac Killer case, reports the San Francisco Chronicle . A "cowardly" merchant seaman paid $50 for an hour-long consultation with an attorney 30 years ago, and revealed that he killed five people beginning in 1968, and was considering confessing to police, said the attorney he spoke to.
Key West Ogles Nude Beach
Miami Herald
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Jul 20, 2009 4:31 AM CDT
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Uninhibited Key West may loosen up even more if naturists gets their way, reports the Miami Herald . A city commissioner plans to introduce a referendum in October to amend an ordinance barring public nudity—much to the delight of nude sunbathing advocates who want a small strip of rarely used beach designated clothing optional.
Brit Flights Will Bar 'Flu-ish' Passengers
Times (UK)
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Jul 20, 2009 4:05 AM CDT
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British Airways and Virgin Atlantic will refuse to check in passengers with symptoms of swine flu unless they have doctors' notes saying they're healthy, reports the Times of London. Passengers with runny noses, headaches, or sore throats will be told not to board their flights. The new policy has outraged the British Medical Association, which calls...
Banks Misused Bailout Funds
Washington Post
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Jul 20, 2009 3:42 AM CDT
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Instead of using federal bailout money to increase lending as the money was intended, many banks used TARP funds to make investments, repay loans, and even buy other banks, reports the Washington Post , citing a government audit report. Of 360 banks surveyed, 110 invested at least some of their bailout funds, 52 repaid debts, and 15 bought other banks.
Workers Flood Blogs With Company Secrets
Wall Street Journal
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Jul 20, 2009 3:19 AM CDT
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Company secrets are an endangered species in our blog-happy society, reports the Wall Street Journal . A survey has found that 14% of US workers admit to leaking confidential or embarrassing company information to outsiders. Salary cuts and impending layoffs are common topics leaked to industry blogs.
Concert Firm Hawks Jackson 'Final Days' Film
Wall Street Journal
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Jul 20, 2009 2:52 AM CDT
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The promoter for Michael Jackson's never-to-be comeback concerts and the late singer's estate are seeking $50 million from Hollywood studios for the rights to distribute a film about the King of Pop's final days that will include concert rehearsal videos, reports the Wall Street Journal . AEG Live, which made the videos, lost millions from the aborted...
Adulterous Saudi Princess Facing Death Wins UK Refuge
Independent (UK)
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Jul 20, 2009 2:30 AM CDT
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The UK has granted secret asylum to a Saudi Arabian princess who feared being stoned to death after having a child with a non-Muslim British lover, reports the Independent . The woman's elderly husband is a member of the Saudi Royal family, so asylum was kept hush-hush to avoid appearing to criticize the House of Saud.
Twitter Grabs $48M in Press Over Month
Advertising Age
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Jul 20, 2009 2:07 AM CDT
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Media darling Twitter has tweeted its way to news coverage over the last 30 days that's worth the equivalent of $48 million in advertising and public relations, reports Advertising Age . Twitter trounced coverage of even giant Microsoft's biggest product launch of the year, Bing. Microsoft's advertising budget for Bing is at least $96 million, but...
11,000 Flee Raging Wildfires in British Columbia
Vancouver Sun
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Jul 20, 2009 1:44 AM CDT
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"Hellish" wildfires have forced some 11,000 from their homes in Kelowna, British Columbia, reports the Vancouver Sun . Strong winds over the weekend quickly turned two small fires into separate infernos just six miles apart, engulfing more than 1,000 acres of a scenic area 150 miles east of Vancouver. “We grabbed our pictures, our...
