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.
Emails Don't Mention Sanford Affair; Critics Smell a Rat
State (Columbia, SC)
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Jul 17, 2009 2:06 PM CDT
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A trove of emails from Mark Sanford's office contains no discussion of his recent disappearance or the resulting scandal, the State reports. Critics suspect the South Carolina governor is holding something back. “It’s a very legitimate suspicion,” a professor says. “Complex organizations in the 21st century are highly dependent...
At Last, Endeavour Reaches ISS
Space.com
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Jul 17, 2009 1:58 PM CDT
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Space shuttle Endeavour docked today at the International Space Station, an important milestone in its oft-delayed mission, Space.com reports. The crew is scheduled to board the ISS later today. When the Endeavour's seven astronauts climb on, they will push the station's total population to a record-high 13.
Sneak Attack on Electoral College Gains Ground
Weekly Standard
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Jul 17, 2009 1:42 PM CDT
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Opponents of the Electoral College are making progress on an end run around the institution with the goal of setting up a system that would decide the presidential election solely on the popular vote, Tara Ross writes for the Weekly Standard . “Formally eliminating the Electoral College through a constitutional amendment would be unhealthy for...
For One All-Star, Playboy Trumps Obama
Subway Squawkers
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Jul 17, 2009 1:23 PM CDT
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Red Sox hurler Jonathan Papelbon says having the president around at the All-Star Game was “fun”—but not as fun as Playboy 's hospitality, Subway Squawkers reports. “I enjoyed the parties more than the president, to be honest with you,” the skin mag's shindig being his favorite, Papelbon told a Florida radio station....
Chavez: Ousted Prez Back to Honduras 'in Hours'
Reuters
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Jul 17, 2009 1:12 PM CDT
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Ousted Honduran president Manuel Zelaya will return to the country “in the coming hours,” Hugo Chavez says. “We're behind him, we have to support him,” the Venezuelan leader said ahead of crisis talks hosted by Costa Rica’s president this weekend, Reuters reports. “This is a country where almost all the roads are...
Caffeinated Booze Prompts State Probes
Wall Street Journal
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Jul 17, 2009 1:01 PM CDT
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State attorneys general are taking a hard look at increasingly popular caffeinated alcohol beverages amid fears the combination is dangerous and targeted at underage drinkers, the Wall Street Journal reports. The AGs are calling for company records from the makers of Joose and Four Loko. At 7-Eleven, Joose has had faster sales growth than any other...
US May Lift Ban on HIV-Positive Travelers
MSNBC
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Jul 17, 2009 12:50 PM CDT
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The CDC is considering ending the rule forbidding HIV-positive foreigners from entering the US, MSNBC reports. Congress voted last year to dump 1987 restrictions on entry to those with the condition, but the exclusion policy will remain in place until the department of health and human services lifts it. “We’re trying to end the stigma...
Economy 'Back From the Abyss:' Summers
ABC News
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Jul 17, 2009 12:39 PM CDT
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President Obama's top economist is confident that swift action by the administration averted disaster, ABC News reports. “We were at the brink of catastrophe at the beginning of the year,” Larry Summers says, “but we have walked some substantial distance back from the abyss.” Summers credits the recovery to the two-tiered plan...
Feds Nab Man Who Sold Gun to McNair Killer
Associated Press
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Jul 17, 2009 12:23 PM CDT
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ATF agents have arrested the man who sold the gun that killed Steve McNair, the AP reports. The suspect, Adrian J. Gilliam Jr., has prior convictions for murder and attempted robbery. He admits he sold a fully loaded 9mm pistol to McNair’s girlfriend in a mall parking lot 2 days before the shooting. As a convicted felon, Gilliam isn’t allowed...
Sotomayor Wins Republicans' Backing
Washington Post
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Jul 17, 2009 12:17 PM CDT
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Richard Lugar said today he’ll back Sonia Sotomayor’s Supreme Court bid, making him the first GOP senator to do so, the Washington Post reports. Mel Martinez of Florida, the chamber's sole Republican Latino, quickly followed suit. “Judge Sotomayor has demonstrated a judicial temperament during her week-long nomination hearing,”...
Boxed Wine's Time Has Come
Forbes
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Jul 17, 2009 12:01 PM CDT
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It’s time to stop sneering at boxed wine: “A box of rosé wine in the fridge is almost a rite of summer in France,” writes Tyler Colman for Forbes . True, boxed wine in the US often deserves its miserable reputation, but quality—and sales—are improving. Even “the chef who once gained headlines for selling...
In Sex Satisfaction, 'Hotlanta' Lives Up to Name
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Jul 17, 2009 11:38 AM CDT
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Not satisfied sexually? Perhaps it’s time to move to Atlanta. “Hotlanta” is the nation’s most sexually satisfied—and second most sexually active—metropolis, reports the Journal-Constitution . “Atlanta doesn’t wait for the weekend,” says a rep for the company that conducted the survey for Trojan...
Twitter Talks Alliance With Google, Plans World Takeover
TechCrunch
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Jul 17, 2009 11:25 AM CDT
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Twitter executives are dreaming big, holding talks with seemingly every tech company on the planet, including Google and Microsoft, say confidential e-mails a hacker sent to TechCrunch. Among the revelations: Twitter was working on a reality TV pitch, has been in serious talks with Google, and aims to ultimately rack up 1 billion users, making it “the...
Countess Eyes $55M Divorce Settlement
New York Post
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Jul 17, 2009 11:10 AM CDT
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The contentious divorce between Swedish countess Marie Douglas-David and Internet mogul George David is expected to be settled today, reports the New York Post . Douglas-David will have to make do with about $55 million, and she won’t get the $16 million penthouse or $1.5 million earrings she wanted. The mudslinging proceedings first made headlines...
Dave Trounces Conan (With a Little Help From Paul)
Baltimore Sun
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Jul 17, 2009 11:07 AM CDT
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Things are not going well lately for Conan O’Brien. The Tonight Show ’s fall to the bottom of its timeslot ratings was punctuated Wednesday when David Letterman pulled in 4.4 million viewers while Conan drew just 2.5 million, the Baltimore Sun reports. That’s the worst number for the Tonight Show since measuring started. To be...
New Chocolate Has 90% Fewer Calories, Doesn't Melt
Guardian (UK)
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Jul 17, 2009 10:47 AM CDT
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A mistake in the labs of the world's largest chocolate producer inadvertently led researchers to the ultimate in confectionery: a recipe that's not only heat-resistant, but that contains 90% fewer calories than normal chocolate. Food engineers fooling around at Barry Callebaut, which makes products for Nestlé and Cadbury, ended up creating a...
Critics In Love With (500) Days
Rotten Tomatoes
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Jul 17, 2009 10:29 AM CDT
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Critics are head over heels for (500) Days of Summer , a boy-meets-girl flick that shakes things up by telling the story out of order. Here’s what they’re saying: The movie “turns the genre on its empty head and sees relationships for what they are—a bruising business,” writes Peter Travers in Rolling Stone...
Finke Has Hollywood Running Scared
New York Times
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Jul 17, 2009 10:16 AM CDT
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Few people in Hollywood have ever seen the hermit-like Nikki Finke, but they fear her anyway, David Carr reports in the New York Times . Finke’s Deadline Hollywood Daily blog has become essential reading for tinseltown players, a source of scoops and gossip that afflict the powerful. "In a town where people often secretly hope for the worst,...
Angelina Is No. 1 Lesbian Hero
Telegraph (UK)
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Jul 17, 2009 10:11 AM CDT
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Angelina Jolie is the ultimate lesbian heroine, the Telegraph reports. “Angelina was the clear winner, and she also has a dark side which many lesbians like,” says a rep for One Poll, which oversaw the survey of 2,600 lesbians. “All of the ladies in the poll appeal to women of all ages.” The top 10:
Goldman's Gains Are America's Losses
New York Times
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Jul 17, 2009 10:01 AM CDT
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Goldman Sachs’ record profits are good for the firm and “bad for America,” writes an irate Paul Krugman in the New York Times . With unemployment soaring, we’re seeing that “Wall Street’s bad habits” haven’t changed, and the government has actually made another crisis more likely by bailing out the system...
10 Who Can Make or Break Health Reform
Time
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Jul 17, 2009 9:51 AM CDT
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As health care talk heats up in Washington, Mark Halperin of Time lists the key players to watch: Sen. Max Baucus is trying to wring out as much GOP support as possible on his finance panel. White House health czar Nancy-Ann DeParle has been winning concessions from the health care industry to cut costs. Congressional...
Vatican Warms to Wilde
Times (UK)
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Jul 17, 2009 9:38 AM CDT
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The Vatican long regarded Oscar Wilde as a “dissolute homosexual,” but things have changed, writes Richard Owen in the Times of London. A review in the Vatican newspaper of a study on the Irish writer celebrates him as “one of the personalities of the 19th century who most lucidly analyzed the modern world in its disturbing as well...
Bank of America, Citigroup Post Ugly Wins
New York Times
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Jul 17, 2009 9:22 AM CDT
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Bank of America and Citigroup both posted estimate-topping profits today, but neither inspired much confidence, the New York Times reports. Both numbers hinged on one-time gains from asset sales. In Bank of America’s case, earnings fell 5.5% to $3.22 billion, a number propped up by the sale of its stake in a big Chinese bank. Citigroup pulled...
Rowe Sues Fake 'Friend'
Radar
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Jul 17, 2009 9:16 AM CDT
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Let the Michael Jackson lawsuits begin. Ex-wife Debbie Rowe filed a defamation suit against Rebecca White, Radar reports. White who claimed to be a friend of Rowe's, publicized an e-mail in which she said Rowe wrote, “Do I want the kids? Hell no.” Rowe denies being friends with White and writing the e-mail—and White has been accused...
Emmy Nod Would Make Fawcett Proud
Associated Press
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Jul 17, 2009 9:00 AM CDT
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Farrah Fawcett’s Emmy nomination came 3 weeks after her death at 62, but it would have made her proud, pal Alana Stewart tells the Los Angeles Times . “This would have meant so much to Farrah,” says Stewart of the outstanding nonfiction special nod for Farrah’s Story , on which Fawcett was an executive producer. Her companion...
Putin, Chechnya Silence Yet Another Voice
Washington Post
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Jul 17, 2009 8:53 AM CDT
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The kidnapping and murder of activist Natalya Estemirova in Chechnya was horrific, her friend writes in a Washington Post op-ed, but not surprising in the "grossly misruled" region where "anyone who challenges the authorities risks her life." Tanya Loshkina, a director of Human Rights Watch, had just left Chechnya, where...
Canada Says Facebook Breaks Privacy Laws
Financial Times (UK)
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Jul 17, 2009 8:41 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Facebook suffers from "serious privacy gaps" and must become more transparent about how personal information is handled to comply with the law, says a government watchdog in Canada. The report by the country's privacy commissioner marks the first time a government has found Facebook to be acting illegally, reports the Financial Times . The...
Second Person Dead in Madonna Stage Collapse
CNN
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Jul 17, 2009 8:23 AM CDT
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The collapse of a stage where Madonna was to perform this weekend has claimed a second victim. A 32-year-old British citizen has died, CNN reports. The first casualty was a 53-year-old Frenchman who died yesterday; three more are in the hospital in Marseille, and seven were treated and released, says a hospital spokesperson. Madonna was “devastated”...
Conservative Group Tried to Sell its Support for $2M
Politico
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Jul 17, 2009 8:21 AM CDT
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A major conservative group offered its backing to FedEx on a bill before the Senate—for a price tag of at least $2 million, Politico reports—and then, when FedEx didn't take the bait, switched sides. A letter to FedEx shows the American Conservative Union proffered services like writing op-eds in support of the company's position against...
CNN Boots Roesgen, Tea-Party Ranter
Mediabistro
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Jul 17, 2009 7:59 AM CDT
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Susan Roesgen, the CNN correspondent who gained infamy for her rant at April’s tax day tea parties,has been shown the door, TVNewser reports. Roesgen was criticized for saying, on air, that the Chicago tea party she was covering was “anti-CNN since this is highly promoted by the right-wing, conservative network Fox.” Roesgen took...
Kids Spitting Image of Bio Dad Michael: Tito
Daily Mirror (UK)
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Jul 17, 2009 7:50 AM CDT
(Newser) -
It's obvious to any member of the Jackson family that Paris, Prince Michael, and Blanket are Michael Jackson's biological children, Tito Jackson tells the Mirror . "Prince looks just like my grandfather. There’s no question they are Michael’s," Tito said. "They are 100% his. The kids are like three peas in a pod. They remind...
Reformers Teargassed as Iran's Top Cleric Demands Change
Al Jazeera
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Jul 17, 2009 7:43 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the former Iranian president and most powerful supporter of Mir Hossein Mousavi, addressed thousands of young reformists in green today in a highly anticipated sermon that may trigger further protests. The visibly upset cleric demanded that all political prisoners be freed and lamented that "we had the chance to become...
Card Checks Dropped From Card-Check Bill
New York Times
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Jul 17, 2009 7:33 AM CDT
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The so-called "card-check" bill no longer includes its namesake card checks. Labor-friendly Democratic senators have agreed to ditch a central part of the union-organizing measure to ensure its passage, the New York Times reports. The controversial provision would have required employers to recognize a union when a majority of workers simply...
Yo-Yo Biz Rebounds in Bad Times
Wall Street Journal
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Jul 17, 2009 7:14 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Hard times can't keep a good yo-yo down, finds the Wall Street Journal . Sales of the centuries-old toy are soaring, and top-end designs with precision ball-bearings have revolutionized the sport over the last few years, shattering world records and making new tricks like the whirling "Yosemite Escape" possible.
Its Economy in Ruins, Iceland Votes to Join the EU
Wall Street Journal
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Jul 17, 2009 7:09 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Iceland held fast to its independence as it rocketed to become one of the world's richest nations. But after a spectacular bust that decimated its currency and felled its government, the island nation has voted to join the EU. The accession plans are a victory for the country's new PM, Jóhanna Sigurdardóttir, who is trying to stabilize...
AMA Backs House Health Bill
The Hill
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Jul 17, 2009 6:39 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The American Medical Association has given the all-clear to the health care reform bill making it way through the House, the Hill reports. The endorsement from the nation's biggest doctors' group, which helped sink President Clinton's efforts at reforming health care, gave the Democrats a boost following the Congressional Budget Office's announcement...
Economy Is on an Upswing, Says Dr. Doom
Reuters
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Jul 17, 2009 6:31 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The financial crisis is over and the worst of the recession is behind us, writes Nouriel Roubini, the extremely pessimistic economist who was among the few who predicted the scale of the downturn. "The light at the end of the tunnel is for once not an incoming train," he told investors at a lecture yesterday in New York. But with unemployment...
Olmert: Stop Obsessing Over Settlements
Washington Post
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Jul 17, 2009 6:27 AM CDT
(Newser) -
It's fine for Barack Obama to make overtures to the Arab world, but Ehud Olmert, reminding him in a Washington Post op-ed that Israel is "the only real Middle Eastern democracy," complains that he has focused too much of his attentions on Israel's settlements in the West Bank. Olmert says the two-state solution agreed to by George W. Bush—with...
House Votes to Block Dealership Closings
Detroit News
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Jul 17, 2009 5:41 AM CDT
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A spending bill passed by the House last night includes a provision to reopen hundreds of Chrysler dealerships and prevent the closing of over 2,000 more planned by GM, the Detroit News reports. The measure, opposed by the White House, will force the automakers to give dealers targeted for closing under bankruptcy agreements "a decent review...
Ex Liberian Prez Defends Skull Displays
Times (UK)
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Jul 17, 2009 5:30 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Former Liberian President Charles Taylor defended displaying human skulls along roadways in his country to scare people into obeying soldiers' orders, reports the Times of London. “Skulls were used as symbols of death,” he told the judges at his trial at the Hague. “Enemy soldiers had been killed and their skulls were used. We...
Beckham Shrugs Off Boos During LA Galaxy Return
Los Angeles Times
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Jul 17, 2009 4:47 AM CDT
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David Beckham's return to Major League Soccer was booed by sections of the crowd in Giants Stadium as the Galaxy demolished the New York Red Bulls last night, the Los Angeles Times reports. Beckham, under fire for criticizing the US game during his time on loan to AC Milan, failed to score, but played a solid role in midfield and appeared to take...
Aussie Snipers Guard Penguins
BBC
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Jul 17, 2009 4:23 AM CDT
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Sharpshooters with night-vision goggles have been dispatched to protect a penguin colony near Sydney, Australia, the BBC reports. The mutilated bodies of nine fairy penguins—the world's smallest penguin species at just 15 inches high—from the vulnerable colony have been found over the last two weeks. Wildlife officials have ruled out...
Jakarta Bombings Blamed on Resurgent Terror Group
ABC News
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Jul 17, 2009 4:00 AM CDT
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Today's terror attack in Jakarta appears to be the work of a group Indonesia thought it had put out of business years ago, experts tell ABC News. The twin attacks on luxury hotels that killed 8 people and injured at least 50 are being blamed on Jemayah Islamiyah, a group linked to al-Qaeda that carried out deadly bombings in Bali in 2002 and 2005.
Pope Slips on Vacation, Breaks Wrist
New York Times
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Jul 17, 2009 3:47 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Pope Benedict XVI broke his wrist today after slipping and falling in his room during a vacation in the Italian Alps, reports the New York Times . "It's nothing serious," said a Vatican spokesman. Benedict, who even celebrated Mass before going to the hospital by car, is expected to stay on vacation in northern Italy until the end...
GOP Web Game Yanked After Anti-Semitic Flap
Politico
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Jul 17, 2009 3:18 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The Republican National Committee has yanked an online game from one of its websites after complaints that aspects of the game were anti-Semitic and sexually graphic, reports Politico. The "Obama Card Game (Life Costs Nothing)" was intended to demonstrate how much could be purchased with the $3.4 trillion requested by the president for the...
Mischa Barton in Psychiatric Lockdown
Access Hollywood
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Jul 17, 2009 2:43 AM CDT
(Newser) -
OC star Mischa Barton was removed from her Hollywood home by police and placed under an involuntary psychiatric hold last night, reports Access Hollywood. A spokesman for the British-born actress confirmed that she will miss the premiere of her new movie Homecoming in New York tonight because of medical treatment.
In Search of a Good Death for Lobsters
The Atlantic
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Jul 17, 2009 2:18 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The debate is growing heated over killing lobsters by boiling them alive, reports the Atlantic . Experiments earlier this year that purported to prove that shellfish feel pain have given momentum to efforts to ban the scalding death sentence. Shellfish are already covered by animals rights laws in New Zealand, and popping them into a boiling pot live...
20 Years Later, Berlin Starts Saving Wall
Der Spiegel
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Jul 17, 2009 1:46 AM CDT
(Newser) -
After many years of indifference, Berliners have started getting serious about saving what's left of the most famous symbol of the Cold War, Der Spiegel reports. When the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, locals viewed it as merely an unfortunate reminder of a bad past and little thought was given to preservation. Researchers believe more pieces of...
Jackson Kids Want to Stay With Janet
OK!
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Jul 17, 2009 1:24 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Janet Jackson has become Michael Jackson kids' key caregiver in the weeks since their father's death and that's how the four of them want it to stay, sources tell OK! "Janet has completely bonded with those children in the last two weeks,” said a family friend. “She has been their rock. It’s clear to everyone that they...
Zell Miller: Use 'Gorilla Glue' on Obama
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Jul 16, 2009 9:31 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Zell Miller, the former Georgia governor and senator, told a group of conservatives today that Rahm Emanuel should "get some Gorilla Glue" and use it to keep President Obama in his Oval Office chair, reports the Atlanta Journal-Constitution . Two black leaders who know Miller tell the AP they were not offended by the choice of words. "I...
