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.
Cannibal Mom Diagnosed With Schizophrenia, Depression
San Antonio Express-News
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Jul 28, 2009 12:16 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Otty Sanchez, the Texas 33-year-old who confessed to stabbing, decapitating, skinning, and eating portions of her newborn son, had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and postpartum psychosis before Sunday’s slaying, the San Antonio Express-News reports. She’s been charged with capital murder, and is currently in hospital under 24-hour...
1 NC Jihadi Still at Large: Feds
Associated Press
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Jul 28, 2009 11:47 AM CDT
(AP) -
Federal prosecutors said today that one member of a North Carolina group that sought to wage "violent jihad" is still at large. US Attorney George Holding says authorities hope to soon apprehend an eighth person described in an indictment unsealed yesterday. The person's name is redacted from court papers.
Meet the Birthers in Congress
Salon
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Jul 28, 2009 11:40 AM CDT
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The “birther” movement isn’t relegated to backwoods crazies—many members of Congress are perfectly willing to throw fuel on the fire. Salon calls out the Hill’s known birthers: Rep. Bill Posey: Congress’ first birther, the Florida Republican is the sponsor of a bill requiring presidents to submit a birth certificate....
Jazz Pioneer George Russell Dead at 86
Boston Globe
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Jul 28, 2009 11:28 AM CDT
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Jazz innovator George Russell died at 86 yesterday in Boston of Alzheimer’s complications, the Globe reports. Russell developed a jazz theory that played a key role on landmark records like Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue and John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme . Russell’s theory “gives you a lot more freedom and space to hear...
Blue Food Dye May Help Treat Spinal Injury
Science Blog
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Jul 28, 2009 11:16 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A dye used to color blue M&Ms and Gatorade may have a higher calling: Scientists say it could help treat spinal-cord injury, ScienceBlog reports. After a spinal injury, a chemical called ATP, usually key to cells’ health, rushes to the site and kills cells, worsening paralysis. With more research, Brilliant Blue G dye may be able to halt...
Judiciary Committee Approves Sotomayor
Associated Press
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Jul 28, 2009 11:09 AM CDT
(AP) -
The Senate Judiciary Committee has voted to approve Sonia Sotomayor to be the first Hispanic justice on the Supreme Court. The committee voted 13-6 this morning to send Sotomayor's nomination to the full Senate, where she's expected to be confirmed easily next week. Just one Republican, South Carolina's Lindsey Graham, joined Democrats in the vote.
Fall-Back Job for Japanese Women: Flirting
New York Times
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Jul 28, 2009 10:55 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Jobs are scarce in Japan, so women are turning to a once-shunned profession: “hostessing.” They’re paid handsomely to serve drinks to, and, more importantly, lavish attention on, the patrons of gentlemen’s clubs, the New York Times reports. A good flirt can easily earn $100,000 a year. “There is less resistance to becoming...
Octuplets Get Financial Guardian
Associated Press
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Jul 28, 2009 10:38 AM CDT
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The world's most famous octuplets are getting a new guardian—for their finances. After a child-labor activist filed suit against Nadya Suleman for allowing her 14 children to be videotaped for a gossip site, an Orange County judge appointed the guardian to examine the kids' finances, the Los Angeles Times reports. The lawsuit aims to create...
Waxman Offers Secret Health Deal to Blue Dogs
The Hill
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Jul 28, 2009 10:19 AM CDT
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Rep. Henry Waxman is optimistic he can get a health care bill out of his committee after pitching Blue Dog Democrats a compromise late last night, the Hill reports. After three hours of negotiations, the Dogs asked Waxman to get a cost estimate from the Congressional Budget Office before they commit. “I feel very good right now,” said...
Got $40K? Own Madonna's Naughty Messages
New York Daily News
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Jul 28, 2009 10:14 AM CDT
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One way to make a quick buck: Sell erotic phone messages Madonna left on your answering machine. That’s what former bodyguard-turned-boyfriend Jim Albright is doing, the New York Daily News reports, and the 17 minutes of recordings are expected to fetch $40,000. Also up for grabs: A 15-minute “very personal and intimate video” the...
Divorce May Permanently Damage Health
HealthDay News
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Jul 28, 2009 9:56 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The end of a marriage means the end of good health for many people, a new study finds. Researchers discovered that people who lost a spouse, whether through divorce or death, were roughly 20% more likely to suffer chronic health problems even if they later remarried, HealthDay reports. The scientists believe the stress of loss causes lasting physical...
Amy Gets New Guy, New Studio
Daily Mirror (UK)
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Jul 28, 2009 9:44 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Amy Winehouse is focusing on what really matters: flying her recording gear from St. Lucia back home and, of course, a new guy. Not just any guy: Mischa Barton ex James Regan, who “has a penchant for famous car crashes,” a friend tells the Mirror . Meanwhile, Winehouse’s record label paid to bring her gear home from her island vacation,...
Despite Obama Push, Banks Often Prefer Foreclosing
Washington Post
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Jul 28, 2009 9:40 AM CDT
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There’s a big problem with government efforts to keep delinquents in their homes by modifying mortgages: Banks would usually rather foreclose, economists tell the Washington Post . Lenders are only interested in modification for the small group of borrowers who will keep paying only if they get help. For those who’ll eventually default...
Baghdad Gunmen Kill 8, Grab $7M in Bank Heist
Associated Press
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Jul 28, 2009 9:14 AM CDT
(AP) -
Gunmen killed eight security guards and made off with nearly $7 million today during an early morning robbery at a bank in central Baghdad that police say is the work of insurgents attempting to finance their operations. It’s the second deadly robbery in a week in Baghdad's commercial Karradah district. A special committee made up of Iraqi army,...
Jacko Doc May Have Dozed During IV Drip
TMZ
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Jul 28, 2009 9:09 AM CDT
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Conrad Murray told police he gave Michael Jackson a powerful IV drip hours before he died, but authorities suspect the doctor dozed off only to awaken and find the singer already dead of heart failure, reports TMZ. Experts consider it “reckless” to administer Propofol without using an EKG to keep tabs on a patient; no such device was...
May Home Prices Post 1st Gain in 3 Years
Wall Street Journal
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Jul 28, 2009 8:53 AM CDT
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May home prices rose month-over-month for the first time in almost three years, according to the S&P Case-Shiller Index, edging up 0.4% from April. That still left them 17% lower than they were a year ago, however, the Wall Street Journal reports, with home prices at around 2003 levels. “We likely do have a way to go before we see sustained...
Senate Group of 6 Moves Health Reform to the Center
New York Times
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Jul 28, 2009 8:46 AM CDT
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The bipartisan group of senators who've been hammering out their own health reform plan, led by Montana’s Max Baucus, are close to a compromise that leaves out key pillars of the Obama-backed plan, including the government insurance option to compete with private plans and the mandate that employers offer insurance, the New York Times reports....
Hillary's Not Under Barack's Thumb
Washington Post
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Jul 28, 2009 8:32 AM CDT
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Critics who say Barack Obama is forcing Hillary Clinton to keep a low profile, a la a Daily Beast charge that it's time to let her take off the burqa, don't understand how foreign policy gets made in America, Anne Applebaum writes at the Washington Post . Clinton's post at State is a "fabulously ill-defined job," Applebaum writes, and one...
Child Cancer Survivors Risk Heart Trouble Years Later
Wall Street Journal
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Jul 28, 2009 8:10 AM CDT
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Kids who’ve conquered cancer can end up battling the effects of treatment years later as young adults, the Wall Street Journal reports. Some 10% of kids treated with drugs called anthracyclines, powerful against leukemia and other cancers, later suffer from progressive weakening of the heart that can lead to congestive heart failure....
Greenpeace: 3 China Firms Emit More Carbon Than All of UK
Guardian (UK)
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Jul 28, 2009 8:00 AM CDT
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China's inefficient power plants and heavy reliance on coal are dragging down global efforts to curb climate change, a Greenpeace report warned yesterday. The report found that major Chinese power companies are responsible for a huge amount of the country's coal use and emissions, with the top three producers alone creating more carbon dioxide emissions...
Idol Hit-and-Run Suspect Was Fleeing Cops
People
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Jul 28, 2009 7:56 AM CDT
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The driver suspected of killing outspoken American Idol contestant Alexis Cohen was fleeing police at the time of the hit-and-run, People reports. Authorities say Daniel J. Bark, 23, hit a parked car, refused to stop for a bicycle cop, and was pulled over minutes later—allegedly after fatally hitting Cohen. Bark, convicted of drunk driving...
Migrant Boat Capsizes Near Haiti; 85 Missing
Associated Press
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Jul 28, 2009 7:35 AM CDT
(AP) -
A boat carrying Haitian migrants capsized and sank off the Turks and Caicos Islands and up to 85 people are missing, the US Coast Guard says. One survivor said the boat struck a reef as it tried to elude police. Rescuers found 113 survivors stranded on two reefs and recovered two bodies, says a Coast Guard spokesman in Miami.
70% of US Doesn't Like the Fed
Gallup
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Jul 28, 2009 7:18 AM CDT
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The Federal Reserve is the least trusted of all federal agencies, a new Gallup poll finds. Just 30% of respondents said the Fed was doing a “good” or “excellent” job, giving it the lowest score out of nine agencies included in the poll. That’s a steep decline from the 53% who gave it high marks in 2003, the last time the...
Got Milk? Kids Who Eat More Dairy Live Longer
BBC
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Jul 28, 2009 7:06 AM CDT
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A new study suggests that children who eat more dairy products live longer lives, the BBC reports. Researchers followed up a 1930s study of childhood diets and found that those who had diets rich in milk, butter, and cheese had lower mortality rates from strokes and other causes. The children with high dairy intakes were not likelier to suffer heart...
Blocked From White House, Shaq Loses Bet
Washington Post
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Jul 28, 2009 6:39 AM CDT
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Shaquille O’Neal bet a friend he’d be let in the White House if he simply showed up—and he lost the wager, the Washington Post reports. “The rule was I couldn't use any of my political connections," Shaq said. "Couldn't show a badge. I couldn't call anybody. They took my phone away, I jumped in a cab, went up there,...
Cash-Poor Bunning Won't Run in 2010
Courier-Journal (Louisville, Ky.)
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Jul 28, 2009 6:08 AM CDT
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An irate Jim Bunning said last night he won't run for a third term in the US Senate because his fellow Republicans "have done everything in their power to dry up my fundraising" amid pressure to step aside, the Louisville Courier-Journal reports. Bunning, 77, has focused his ire on fellow Kentuckian Mitch McConnell, who issued a conciliatory...
Hawaii: For the Last Time, Obama Was Born Here
Associated Press
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Jul 28, 2009 5:30 AM CDT
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The birther movement may have conservatives whipped into a hopeful frenzy that President Obama was born abroad, but Hawaiian officials have had just about enough of that, the AP reports. Top state health officials have again produced Obama's birth certificate. I "have seen the original vital records maintained on file by the Hawaii State Department...
Jacko Hair to Be Made Into Diamonds
New York Daily News
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Jul 28, 2009 5:20 AM CDT
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A diamond company plans to turn the King of Pop's hair into bling, the New York Daily News reports. Company officials claim they have a lock of Michael Jackson's hair—obtained from the producer of the Pepsi commercial that set the singer's hair ablaze—and it intends to extract the carbon to produce some 10 diamonds. Diamonds made by the...
Dodd, Conrad 'Knew They Scored Mortgage Deals'
Associated Press
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Jul 28, 2009 4:56 AM CDT
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Democratic Sens. Chris Dodd and Kent Conrad were fully aware they were getting sweetened mortgage deals, the Countrywide Financial exec who handled their loans has told congressional investigators. The testimony from the loan officer to the House Oversight and Senate Ethics committees directly contradicts the senators' assertions that they had no idea...
Farrah Left It All to Redmond
KTLA-TV
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Jul 28, 2009 4:32 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Farrah Fawcett left the vast bulk of her estate to her troubled 24-year-old son, Redmond, and nothing to Ryan O'Neal, sources have told KTLA-TV. Most of her $6 million estate was left in trust to Redmond in the will, which Fawcett updated in 2007. The fund will be controlled by two trustees, and Redmond will get money to purchase a home and a monthly...
Serial Female Bigamist Dodges UK Jail
Telegraph (UK)
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Jul 28, 2009 4:07 AM CDT
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A British woman who married five times but never divorced was spared a jail sentence for bigamy yesterday, the Telegraph reports. The judge told former model Emily Horne that while her behavior had undermined the institution of marriage, he would give her a suspended sentence because she was making progress with treatment for psychiatric disorders.
7 NC Men Charged With Plotting Foreign Terror Attacks
BBC
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Jul 28, 2009 3:42 AM CDT
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A North Carolina construction worker, his two sons and four other men in the state have been charged with plotting to carry out terror attacks abroad, the BBC reports. The men, all but one of whom are US citizens, conspired to carry out jihad attacks in countries including Jordan and Israel, say authorities. Alleged ringleader Daniel Boyd,...
Gates Makes Surprise Visit to Iraq
Associated Press
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Jul 28, 2009 3:17 AM CDT
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US Defense Secretary Robert Gates has landed in Iraq for a surprise visit, the AP reports. He'll meet with troops stationed at a command post in southern Iraq who are largely serving as advisers. He's also expected to see Iraq Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, and visit the restive Kurdish region.
Barack Stars in Superhero Ink
New York Daily News
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Jul 28, 2009 2:56 AM CDT
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Bam! Biff! Pow! President Obama might be struggling over health care reform, but he's going gangbusters in comic books, reports the New York Daily News . No longer content to play second fiddle to Spidey, the comic version of Barack Obama is now grabbing top billing in a new series of indie comic book editions. Devil's Due Publishing has made him...
US, Brits Press Plans for Taliban Talks
Guardian (UK)
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Jul 28, 2009 2:35 AM CDT
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British commanders backed by US officials aim to use the success of recent offensives to persuade mid-level Taliban leaders to come in for talks and give up the fight, the Guardian reports. Conditions are right for the "second-tier" leaders who control large numbers of fighters in southern Afghanistan to reconnect with the Afghan government,...
Palestinian Militants Threaten Bruno
Guardian (UK)
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Jul 28, 2009 2:12 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A Palestinian militant group mocked in the movie Bruno has warned ominously that it will "respond in the way we find suitable" against the film's star Sacha Baron Cohen. The movie "was part of a conspiracy against the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade," said a statement from the group.
Texting Boosts Driver Crash Risk 23 Times
New York Times
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Jul 28, 2009 1:49 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A first-of-its-kind study has found that sending and receiving text messages is the deadliest distraction for drivers by far, the New York Times reports. The study, which involved cameras in the cabs of long-haul trucks, found that texting raised a driver's risk of collision a whopping 23 times, putting it "in its own universe of risk,"...
Obesity Costs Swell to 10% of Health Spending
Bloomberg
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Jul 28, 2009 1:23 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The medical cost of obesity has almost doubled over the last decade to $147 billion annually, a new study finds. Treating obesity-related disorders now accounts for almost 10% of the total spending on health care, reports Bloomberg. Each obese person costs the government or insurers an average of $1,429—or 42%—more each year than people...
A President, a Prof, and a Cop Walk Into the White House ...
ABC News
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Jul 27, 2009 9:58 PM CDT
(Newser) -
President Obama has set a date for a conciliatory beer with a Cambridge police sergeant and the Harvard professor he arrested, ABC News reports. James Crowley and Henry Louis Gates will visit the White House Thursday for a frosty brew and some racial reconciliation. On the menu, according to CNN, are Blue Moon for Crowley and Budweiser for the...
iPhone App Turns Social Networking Into a Game
Wall Street Journal
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Jul 27, 2009 7:55 PM CDT
(Newser) -
An application available today free for Apple’s iPhone gives users points for letting their social networks know about various real-life accomplishments, the Wall Street Journal reports. For instance, a post about your workout on Twitter or Facebook gets you a “Fitness Flicker” award in Booyah Society, and 10 comments within a week...
Raising Drinking Age to 21 'Regrettable': Key Doctor
Associated Press
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Jul 27, 2009 7:03 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A psychiatrist who was part of a presidential committee that recommended raising the US drinking age to 21 now calls those efforts “the single most regrettable decision,” the Los Angeles Times reports. Morris Chafetz, in an opinion piece being shopped for publication, says seeing the “collateral, off-road damage”—binge...
For UK Armed Forces, Gay Isn't a Dirty Word
Independent (UK)
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Jul 27, 2009 6:30 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The UK’s official military publication features an openly gay service member on its cover for the first time ever in its current issue—a milestone in the integration of homosexual service members, Terri Judd notes in the Independent , and one that has US officials intently, if quietly, studying how the British have made the transition....
Barcode of Future Is Tiny, Shiny
BBC
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Jul 27, 2009 5:50 PM CDT
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MIT researchers have designed a possible replacement for the conventional barcode, the BBC reports. Called Bokodes, the tags are made up of a powered light-emitting diode, a mask and a lens, and can store much more information than the black-and-white stripe variety. More, the scientists say, the Bokodes can be read by cellphone cameras, and from much...
Jackson Doc Gave Fatal Drug Dose: Source
Associated Press
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Jul 27, 2009 5:30 PM CDT
(AP) -
A law-enforcement official with knowledge of the investigation into Michael Jackson's death says the star's personal doctor administered the powerful drug authorities believe killed him. Jackson regularly received the anesthetic Propofol to go to sleep. The official, who requested anonymity because the probe is ongoing, said today that Dr. Conrad Murray...
Blogosphere Reinventing Journalism, Not Bleeding It
New York Review of Books
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Jul 27, 2009 5:15 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The blogosphere might not be the future of news sprung fully formed from the corpse of old media, Michael Massing writes in the New York Review of Books , but neither is it “parasite” feeding on newspapers. “The practice of journalism, far from being leeched by the Web, is being reinvented there, with a variety of fascinating experiments...
Coke Tests Milk Soft Drink in NY
Guardian (UK)
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Jul 27, 2009 4:40 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Coca-Cola has launched a consumer trial of Vio, a “vibrancy” soft drink that combines skimmed milk with a carbonated fruit soda, the Guardian reports. Vio is available only in New York as Coke measures demand for the beverage. Milk-based soft drinks are popular in Asia but have yet to find a foothold in American or European markets.
Doomed United Is Textbook of Biz Don'ts
Forbes
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Jul 27, 2009 4:20 PM CDT
(Newser) -
United Airlines’ dismal service and financial stature may soon send it to Chapter 11, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a “teachable moment,” Shaun Rein writes in Forbes . Herewith, three lessons: Loyal customers return: "Consumers are more price sensitive in this economy, and they are trading down, but it's...
Conficker Worm's Still Out There ... Doing Nothing
CNN
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Jul 27, 2009 3:56 PM CDT
(Newser) -
An April Fools information apocalypse did not occur, but the widespread Conficker virus that caused so much fear of is still out there, CNN reports. Experts are puzzled over the lack of an attack, but the sheer size of the Conficker infection—5 million computers—yields a clue. “The more experienced attackers don’t let their...
NFL Commish Conditionally Reinstates Vick
Associated Press
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Jul 27, 2009 3:43 PM CDT
(AP) -
Michael Vick was reinstated by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell today and could play in regular-season games as early as October. Vick can immediately participate in preseason practices, workouts and meetings and can play in the final two preseason games—if he can find a team that will sign him. A number have already said they would not.
Communication Is What Ails Obama on Health Reform
The Hill
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Jul 27, 2009 3:32 PM CDT
(Newser) -
President Obama’s failure to get health-care reform on a faster track, despite early legislative victories, is a personal one, Sam Youngman writes in the Hill . “While it is shocking to consider that Obama is anything less than one of the best communicators in modern political history,” Youngman writes, “when it comes to health...
