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.
19 Men Busted in Canary Fight Ring
WFSB
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Jul 27, 2009 3:00 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Police busted 19 men suspected of operating a canary fight ring in Connecticut, reports WFSB TV. Some 150 canaries and saffron finches were confiscated in Shelton. “There were 100 canaries fighting, and they were betting on them 'til they were dead. It’s absolutely shocking,” said a neighbor. Canaries are increasingly being used in...
Dead Whale Found Stuck on Cruise Ship
Vancouver Sun
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Jul 27, 2009 2:34 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Researchers want to know what killed a rare whale found lodged on the bow of an Alaskan cruise ship docked in Vancouver. It took two tug boats to remove the impaled 70-ton middle-aged fin whale from the Sapphire Princess' bow, reports the Vancouver Sun . Tourists gathered to watch the gruesome spectacle.
Erectile Drug Complicates Teen's Booze-Party Death
San Francisco Chronicle
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Jul 27, 2009 2:14 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A northern California coroner's report revealed two surprises about the recent booze-party death of a 16-year-old boy: he wasn't drunk and he had ingested high levels of an erectile dysfunction drug, reports the San Francisco Chronicle . Now investigators want to know if Joseph Loudon was slipped the drug, or deliberately took it before choking on...
Film Sneak Peeks Thrill Comic-Con Fans
USA Today
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Jul 27, 2009 1:45 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Some 125,000 giddy comic book fans converged on the San Diego Convention Center over the weekend to jockey for a spot at the film portion Comic-Con to get tantalizing sneak peeks at upcoming movies and hear insiders rave about projects. USA Today reports a few of the tantalizing tidbits Hollywood dangled: A four-minute preview of Iron Man...
French Leaders Keep Health Hush-Hush
AFP
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Jul 27, 2009 1:19 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Don't expect French President Nicolas Sarkozy to talk about being rushed to the hospital after he collapsed during a jog yesterday. If he's anything like his predecessors, he'll probably say nothing at all, reports AFP. Since 1974, when President Georges Pompidou died while in office from leukemia, French leaders have vowed to be open about their health...
Aussie Aerial Shoot Could Cull 1M Camels
Independent (UK)
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Jul 26, 2009 7:45 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Australian officials are debating how to cull more than 1 million camels currently munching across the outback and irritating Aboriginals, the Independent reports. Some experts support an aerial shoot to save the desert ecosystem, but say it must be thorough; killing 80,000 would only match their birth rate. Estimated to cost $16 million, the cull...
Scientists Aim to Help Young Schizophrenics
Associated Press
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Jul 26, 2009 7:00 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Schizophrenia experts are using a grab-bag of tools to help young people experiencing early signs of the disease, the AP reports. Hormone research, DNA studies, and brain scans are helping patients in the early "prodrome" phase, before deeper psychosis sets in. Many sufferers are trying the 8-year-old PIER program, used in...
Palin Quits in Fiery Speech
Anchorage Daily News
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Jul 26, 2009 6:25 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Sarah Palin resigned as Alaska's governor in a feisty speech today, ducking details about her future but promising to fight for conservative ideals, the Anchorage Daily News reports. "I will be able to fight even harder for you, for what is right, and for truth. And I have never felt that you need a title to do that." She also...
New Craigslist Lesson: Don't Rent to Reality Stars
Gawker
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Jul 26, 2009 6:15 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Although not fatal, renting out your pad to a reality star babe through Craigslist can be destructive, Gawker reports. A tipster says she rented out her apartment to America's Next Top Model contestant CariDee English and her beau, and returned home 2 weeks later to witness the remains: "fake orange tan dust all over everything," lipstick...
Accused Killer of Abortion Doc Wrestles With Pro-Life Group
Kansas City Star
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Jul 26, 2009 5:50 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The Kansas City man accused of gunning down an abortion provider is upset over his rocky relationship with a major pro-life group, the Kansas City Star reports. In a jailhouse interview, Scott Roeder said he has donated thousands of dollars to Operation Rescue—which denies the donations, denounces Roeder, and condemns the killing of Dr. George...
Henderson, Rice Join Hall of Fame
Associated Press
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Jul 26, 2009 5:22 PM CDT
(AP) -
Jim Rice's icy glare melted into a wide smile. Brash, flamboyant Rickey Henderson was humbled by it all. The former left fielders were inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame today along with the late Joe Gordon, and Henderson, baseball's all-time leading base stealer, was briefly overcome before evoking some hearty laughs. "My journey as a player...
US Brands Refugees 'Terrorists', Denies Asylum
McClatchy Newspapers
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Jul 26, 2009 4:58 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Refugees hoping to stay in America are SOL if they backed armed movements back home—even if they fought dictators or have since worked for the United States, McClatchy reports. Following a Patriot Act provision, officials have denied more than 7,000 requests for green cards, refugee status, and asylum to refugees in the US. "I can't tell...
Recession Is Kaput; Now for the 'Smart Economy'
Newsweek
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Jul 26, 2009 4:23 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The Great Recession is cooling off, but Americans will feel the heat for a while—because recovery is tricky this time, Daniel Gross writes in Newsweek . Another economic bubble inflated by consumption would be a mere Band-Aid. That's why President Obama is trying to create a four-sided "smart economy" based on health care, broadband,...
Need a Vacation? World's Top 5 Nude Events
Reuters
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Jul 26, 2009 3:55 PM CDT
(Newser) -
To mark the 32nd year of Nude Recreation Week, TripAdvisor has put together a list of the top five nude events worldwide, Reuters reports: World Naked Bike Ride, worldwide, June and July : Riders, advocating cycling over driving, often paint messages on their bodies. World Record Skinny Dip, across North America, July : This event, hosted...
Mexican Wolf Recovery Is Howling Flop
Los Angeles Times
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Jul 26, 2009 3:20 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A US effort to relocate endangered wolves along the Arizona-New Mexico border is actually rendering them extinct, the Los Angeles Times reports. Officials moved eleven Mexican gray wolves to the Gila National Forest in 1998, where managers are trapping, penning, and shooting the wolves to control their roaming and cattle-killing instincts. "We...
Chinese Sow Stakes in French Wine Country
Washington Post
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Jul 26, 2009 3:00 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Mao wouldn't likely approve on a couple of fronts, but Chinese investors looking to introduce their countrymen to the best in wine are buying up storied chateaus in the heart of French wine country, the Washington Post reports. Two companies paid several million dollars each to own Chateau Richelieu and Chateau Latour-Laguens, with the intention...
Clinton: Iran's Nuke Program 'Futile'
Politico
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Jul 26, 2009 2:28 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton took square aim at Iran's nuclear ambitions today, bluntly warning Tehran that "Your pursuit is futile." Clinton’s statements mark a step back from her musings earlier this week about creating a “defense umbrella” to protect other Middle Eastern countries from a nuclear Iran, Politico reports....
G-Force Blasts to Top With $32.2M
Associated Press
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Jul 26, 2009 2:13 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The digital guinea pigs of G-Force took a bite out of Harry Potter this weekend, with an unexpected $32.2 million take, the Los Angeles Times reports. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince fell harder than most other films in the franchise, landing second with $30 million. Critically-loathed rom-com The Ugly Truth took $27 million, while...
Taliban's No. 2 a Fierce, Intelligent Opponent of US
Newsweek
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Jul 26, 2009 1:50 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Though most Americans know of Mullah Omar, head of the Taliban’s insurgency in Afghanistan, few know his capable lieutenant, Mullah Baradar. As a high-profile US target, Omar has kept a low profile over the last 3 years—while Baradar commands day-to-day operations, Newsweek reports. But Baradar’s cunning leadership may be behind...
Hitler Sent Troops to Russia's Frozen Hell
Telegraph (UK)
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Jul 26, 2009 1:10 PM CDT
(Newser) -
When Adolf Hitler sent his troops to invade Russia, he gave little thought to their warmth—leaving them in “desperate need” of millions of hats, gloves, and coats, writes historian Andrew Roberts in a Daily Telegraph book excerpt. “One can't put any trust in the meteorological forecasts,” Hitler once said. But the consequences...
EU Moves to Fast-Track Swine Flu Vaccine
Associated Press
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Jul 26, 2009 12:45 PM CDT
(AP) -
In a drive to inoculate people against swine flu before winter, many European governments say they will fast-track the testing of a new flu vaccine, arousing concern among some experts about safety and proper vaccine doses. Europe's top drug regulator is accelerating the approval process for swine flu vaccine, and countries such as Britain, Greece,...
Rihanna, Brown Spend Weekend in Same Hotel
New York Post
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Jul 26, 2009 12:10 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Rihanna and Chris Brown spent this weekend at separate rooms in the Trump Tower Hotel in Manhattan, the New York Post reports. The two weren’t seen together—which would be a violation of a restraining order issued against Brown—but left and returned to the hotel several times in separate chauffeured vehicles. Neither performer had...
Contador Takes Tour de France
Associated Press
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Jul 26, 2009 11:50 AM CDT
(AP) -
Alberto Contador won the Tour de France for a second time today, and Lance Armstrong capped his return to the race with an impressive third-place finish. Mark Cavendish of Britain became the first rider to win six Tour stages in a sprint, collecting his sixth stage win after the 101.9-mile course ride from Montereau-Fault-Yonne to the Champs-Elysees....
Clinton Hits Back at N. Korea
Politico
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Jul 26, 2009 11:36 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Hillary Clinton minced no words on North Korea today, telling Meet the Press Pyongyang’s days of “acting out” are over, Politico reports. The secretary of State, whom the North called “a primary school girl” because of tough comments she made, said the North’s pursuit of nuclear weapons won’t be rewarded,...
Freak Accident Nearly Kills Grand Prix Racer
Independent (UK)
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Jul 26, 2009 11:05 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A Brazilian auto racer is in “life-threatening,” though stable, condition after a spring from another car bounced off the track and hit the driver in the helmet, knocking him unconscious as he drove into a barrier, the Independent reports. Felipe Massa’s surgery for multiple skull fractures was “reassuring,” noted his...
'Faint' Sarkozy Hospitalized After Jog
Guardian (UK)
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Jul 26, 2009 10:23 AM CDT
(AP) -
Nicolas Sarkozy “felt faint” during his usual morning jog today, reports the Guardian, and was admitted to the hospital where he was under observation and undergoing further tests. Elysee Palace declined to comment further, saying it would release further details this afternoon. The energetic French president is known as something of...
Biden: Recovery Act Is Working
New York Times
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Jul 26, 2009 10:07 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Those who dismiss the Recovery Act as “being spent on pet programs” are wrong, writes the man tasked with administering it. Writing in a New York Times op-ed, VP Joe Biden contends that the stimulus has “brought us back from the precipice.” Two-thirds of it “goes directly to tax cuts, state governments, and families...
Facing Primary Battle, Specter Shifts Leftward
FiveThirtyEight
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Jul 26, 2009 9:50 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Since going blue, Arlen Specter voted with Democrats some two-thirds of the time on “Contentious Votes”—defined by Nate Silver of FiveThirtyEight.com as “anything that comes up for a floor vote and where the majority of each party splits their votes.” That is, up until Rep. Joe Sestak announced a primary challenge to the...
Media Should Learn From Cronkite: Grow a Backbone
New York Times
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Jul 26, 2009 9:20 AM CDT
(Newser) -
It wasn’t Walter Cronkite’s “avuncular persona” or his reaction to the JFK assassination that made him “the most trusted man in America,” Frank Rich writes in the New York Times —it was his willingness to challenge the halls of power. That’s become increasingly rare in today’s media, which failed...
Charles Manson Reaches Out to Spector in Prison
New York Post
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Jul 26, 2009 8:45 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Charles Mason has reached out to former music producer Phil Spector, sending the actress-killer fan mail in the California prison they now share, reports the New York Post . Manson, a mediocre musician before he turned cult leader, sent Spector a note via a guard that he wanted to meet and thought he was the greatest producer who ever lived, said...
Post-Palin Alaska Heads for Less Glitz, More Substance
Anchorage Daily News
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Jul 26, 2009 8:17 AM CDT
(Newser) -
As the spotlight follows Sarah Palin out of the Alaska governor's mansion today, a less dazzling, more conventional light shines on new governor Sean Parnell, notes an Anchorage Daily News editorial. "Expect a Parnell administration to be less People magazine, more Governing magazine. Letterman won't be interested. Ditto Politico,"...
Jon Gosselin's Reporter: I'm No Hooker
New York Daily News
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Jul 26, 2009 7:54 AM CDT
(Newser) -
For those who thought the Gosselin saga couldn't get more tawdry: The Star reporter who quit after "falling for" interview-subject-and-dad-of-eight Jon is now denying reports that she once pounded the pavement in search of johns, reports the New York Daily News . Another NYC gossip monger tells the News that over drinks earlier this...
Monster Black Hole Sucking Up Space
Telegraph (UK)
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Jul 26, 2009 7:26 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A monstrous black hole near the center of a distant galaxy is sucking up stars, gas and dust, and spitting out baby stars, NASA scientists have discovered. The black hole is 100 million times the mass of the sun, reports the Telegraph . It lies at the center of a galaxy 50 million light years away known as NGC-1097, and has been photographed by NASA's...
Sassy Idol Wannabe Killed in Hit-and-Run
New York Daily News
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Jul 26, 2009 7:01 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A feisty former American Idol contestant who boldly lashed out at Simon Cowell has been killed in a hit-and-run accident in a Jersey seaside resort, reports the New York Daily News . Alexis Cohen, known to TV viewers as "Glitter Girl" because of the glitter she wore during an Idol song, was found crumpled along a roadway in Seaside Heights....
Success Pumps Up Cost of Heart Attack Care
Washington Post
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Jul 26, 2009 6:37 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Advanced treatments have given heart attack victims a vastly better chance of survival than decades ago, but at chest-clutching prices, reports the Washington Post . In the 1960s, up to 40% of patients died soon after a heart attack. Today, it's only 6%. But treatment cost $5,700 in 1977—and a huge $54,400 per person in 2007.
Foursquare Bounces After Twitter
Mashable
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Jul 26, 2009 6:12 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Like Twitter before it, Foursquare must be used before social network afficionados can understand how entertaining it is. Once they do, Foursquare could soon become the new Twitter, says Mashable.com. The location-based networking application not only helps friends meet up in key metro hubs, but it also mixes in "social gameplay." Users...
Kennedy Pushing Health Reform From Sickbed
Los Angeles Times
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Jul 26, 2009 5:43 AM CDT
(Newser) -
After fighting for universal health care for 46 years, brain cancer has forced Sen. Ted Kennedy to lead the final charge from his sickbed, reports the Los Angeles Times . From his Cape Cod home, Kennedy, 77, watches Washington hearings online, and will cast his vote on healthcare reform on the Senate floor in a wheelchair or perhaps in a bed.
Bill Gates Too Popular for Facebook
AFP
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Jul 26, 2009 5:17 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has signed off Facebook for good, saying so many people wanted to befriend him that it was difficult to tell who he knew or didn't know, reports AFP. There were "10,000 people wanting to be my friends," Gates said while accepting a philanthropy award in New Delhi.
Taliban Scarier Than Iraq Enemy
New York Times
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Jul 26, 2009 4:52 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Taliban forces in Afghanistan are bolder, better organized, and more tenacious than the deadliest Iraqi insurgents, a war-hardened Marine told the New York Times . “In Iraq, they’d hit you and run,” said Sgt. Jacob Tambunga, who spent three tours fighting in Anbar Province. “But these guys stick around and maneuver on you.”...
Jon Still Wants Kate's Friendship: Papa Lohan
People
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Jul 25, 2009 7:50 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Divorce and family breakup aside, Jon Gosselin still wants Kate's friendship—at least according to his new pal Michael Lohan, People reports. "He would love to be friends with her," says Lindsay Lohan's estranged dad. "They had eight kids and he would like to work things out the right way." Lohan's bromance with Jon flourished...
Experts Fear Robots Will Outsmart Humans
New York Times
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Jul 25, 2009 7:37 PM CDT
(Newser) -
With Predator drones bombing villages and robots plugging themselves in, is Hal from 2 001: A Space Odyssey around the corner? Leading researchers met recently in Monterery Bay, Calif., to address such fears. Runaway superintelligence seems unlikely, they concluded, but speech synthesis technology could aid data-hunting crooks, and autonomous...
Can't Afford a Hotel? Swap Homes With a Stranger
Time
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Jul 25, 2009 7:01 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The recession is giving new meaning to the phrase “mi casa es su casa.” Instead of springing for pricey hotel rooms and car rentals, thrifty holidaymakers are swapping with strangers for a summer getaway, Time reports. While home exchanges aren’t new—one company has been around since 1953—business is moving briskly,...
Forget It: You'll Never Be Famous
New York Post
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Jul 25, 2009 6:36 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Celebrities are everywhere, grinning from magazine stands and TV screens galore. But good luck trying to join the glossy ranks of fame, Jim Hanas writes in the New York Post . The odds are daunting: Only 4,763 people are famous, says a market research company, and only 2% of them have a high "awareness score." That puts your odds...
CBO Slams Dem Move to Lower Health Costs
Politico
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Jul 25, 2009 6:14 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A White House proposal to give an independent panel the power to rein in Medicare spending would save the country almost no money over 10 years, the Congressional Budget Office declared today. The nonpartisan group’s findings—that savings would total only $2 billion from the $1 trillion program—dealt a second CBO blow this month to...
Boogie Wedding Vid: a YouTube Cash Cow?
CNET
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Jul 25, 2009 5:48 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The “Jill and Kevin” wedding video that's drawing millions of hits on YouTube includes uninvited guests: ads. Alongside the charming video of groomsmen and bridesmaids getting jiggy, YouTube yesterday ran an advertisement for a wedding product; today, "the ad space encouraged me to go to the California State Fair,” Chris Matyszczyk...
Disabled Identify With Heroes at Comic-Con
Los Angeles Times
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Jul 25, 2009 5:30 PM CDT
(Newser) -
It’s no accident that some of Comic-Con's most popular heroes are X-Men ’s wheelchair-bound professor and Daredevil ’s blind avenger. Many of the San Diego convention’s 125,000 guests say they relate to the struggles of their favorite superheroes, the Los Angeles Times reports. “You feel like you can be one of them,”...
Obama Keeps Celeb Ties Under Wraps
New York Times
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Jul 25, 2009 5:04 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Kalpen Modi has ditched the TV series House and moved into the White House—and that’s just the way the president wants it, Sheryl Gay Stolberg writes in the New York Times . Now an obscure bureaucrat in Obama's administration, Modi typifies the president's low-key relationship with Hollywood. Obama has hosted stars like Pierce Brosnan...
Greenies Freeze Out Ben & Jerry's for Water Waste
News of the World (UK)
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Jul 25, 2009 4:40 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Ben & Jerry’s locations around the world are wasting nearly 300,000 gallons of water per day, a News of the World investigation finds. The whimsical ice cream maker, famous for its green ethics and environmental activism, requires employees to wash scoops in sinks under constantly running water to hinder bacterial growth. But even Ben &...
Texas Gov: Obama Health Reforms Violate States' Rights
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
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Jul 25, 2009 4:19 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Texas Gov. Rick Perry is gearing up for a constitutional fight over President Obama's health care plans. He warned that he might invoke the 10th Amendment’s protections for states’ rights to resist them, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports. “I’m certainly willing and ready for the fight if this administration continues to...
Mizrahi Hits Cable TV, Hawks Cheesecake
Wall Street Journal
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Jul 25, 2009 3:58 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi is back, designing for Liz Claiborne, hosting a Bravo show, and … hawking cheesecake? A new QVC series will follow Mizrahi in his daily life and record his colorful chatter as he sells everything from food to furniture, the Wall Street Journal reports. As for the cheesecake, Mizrahi decorates them like spring...
