Newser Story Index from August, 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.
Karzai Stole Afghanistan Election: Rival
Guardian (UK)
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Aug 23, 2009 1:13 PM CDT
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Abdullah Abdullah, Hamid Karzai’s strongest political rival in the Afghan presidential race, is charging his opponent with engineering widespread voter fraud in the southern and eastern regions, the Guardian reports. A watchdog group controlled by international officials, which says the official election commission is controlled by Karzai supporters,...
Women, Time to Compete Against the Men
Times (UK)
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Aug 23, 2009 12:56 PM CDT
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Female athletes will always be inherently inferior to their male counterparts unless they can directly prove their mettle against them, Dominic Lawson writes in a provocative column for the Times of London. His solution: “Let there be no male or female athletics championships. Instead, let men and women—and all those anomalously and uncomfortably...
McCain Kinda Defends Palin's 'Death Panel' Remark
ABC News
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Aug 23, 2009 12:31 PM CDT
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John McCain offered qualified support for Sarah Palin’s notorious “death panel” comment—defending, at least, the substance of his former running mate’s remarks in an interview with George Stephanapoulos for ABC News: “Look, I don't think they were called death panels, don't get me wrong,” McCain said. “There...
Health Battle Tests Obama Grassroots Group
Washington Post
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Aug 23, 2009 12:08 PM CDT
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For Jeremy Bird, deputy director of Organizing for America, the battle for health care reform takes the shape of the numerous meetings he’s had with discouraged volunteers across Wisconsin this weekend. The OFA network is smaller and underfunded compared with its campaign-era version, and volunteers feel “outshouted” by conservative...
New Heroin Addiction Treatment? Heroin
ABC News
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Aug 23, 2009 11:42 AM CDT
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Medical heroin may be effectively used to treat heroin addiction, Canadian scientists have discovered, but their dramatic findings may be railroaded over political and financial concerns, ABC News reports. Injectable diacetylmorphine, the active ingredient in heroin, resulted in 67% less illegal activity and illicit drug use after one year when compared...
Modern Farming Has Lost Its Soul
New York Times
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Aug 23, 2009 10:56 AM CDT
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We know today’s food industry cranks out “unhealthy food, mishandles waste, and overuses antibiotics,” writes Nicholas Kristof in the New York Times , but the heart of the matter is that today’s industrial farms have “no soul.” In a visit back to his old stomping grounds, Kristof reflects that the “kind of...
Snags Threaten Massive Vaccination Drive
Washington Post
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Aug 23, 2009 10:40 AM CDT
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US health officials are readying an unprecedented swine flu vaccination campaign for this fall, but the initiative is already dogged by experts' doubts and a raft of unknowns, the Washington Post reports. Only a third of the expected vaccine supply will arrive by October, and officials fear confusing the public about overlapping efforts to combat...
Mullen: Afghan Security 'Serious,' 'Disintegrating'
Politico
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Aug 23, 2009 10:11 AM CDT
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The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs today acknowledged waning public support for the war in Afghanistan, but cautioned that the threat of extremist takeover is real, reports Politico. The security situation is "pretty bad right now and getting worse," Adm. Mike Mullen told NBC's Meet the Press. With Gen. Stanley McChrystal's strategic plan...
Gadhafi Son to Bomber: We Cut Deal With UK for You
Telegraph (UK)
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Aug 23, 2009 9:47 AM CDT
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Even as Scotland insists its decision to release the Lockerbie bomber was a compassionate one, a conversation between Moammar Gadhafi’s son and the bomber suggests some backroom wheeling and dealing, the Sunday Telegraph reports. A transcript has Saif Gadhafi telling the bomber, “You were on the table in all commercial, oil, and gas agreements...
Is Obama's Afghanistan Turning Into LBJ's Vietnam?
New York Times
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Aug 23, 2009 9:23 AM CDT
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As the war in Afghanistan rages alongside President Obama’s sweeping domestic battles, he’s keenly aware of the dangers of becoming a modern-day LBJ, an insider tells the New York Times. Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society program at home was dogged by the Vietnam war, a historian says; Obama must “worry about the outcome”...
Cronkite Will Leaves Gal Pal High and Dry
New York Post
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Aug 23, 2009 8:59 AM CDT
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Walter Cronkite left nada in his will for his opera star girlfriend, reports the New York Post . The 2005 document, written before he and singer Joanna Simon became attached at the hip, divides Cronkite's estate among his three kids and his CBS staff. The newsman’s daughter says Cronkite never planned to include Simon in the document.
Here Comes the Cheap Wedding
Salon
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Aug 23, 2009 8:36 AM CDT
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With Vera Wang gowns and tropical honeymoons well out of budget reach, recession brides can turn to hand-sewn invitations, homemade cakes, and a general community "barn-raising" approach for a dream wedding on the cheap, writes Melissa Dalton for Salon. "Anyone with a good idea, and a willingness to get their hands dirty, was welcome...
Accounting Firm Faces $2B in Lawsuits in Madoff Scam
Telegraph (UK)
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Aug 23, 2009 8:04 AM CDT
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The Canadian branch of the world’s largest accounting firm is facing seven lawsuits for up to $2 billion on behalf of investors who fell victim to Bernard Madoff, the Telegraph reports. PricewaterhouseCoopers Canada was the auditor of a feeder fund, Fairfield Sentry, that directed cash to the Ponzi schemer. PwC faces claims of negligence for...
Berlusconi's Wife: He's Ridiculous
Guardian (UK)
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Aug 23, 2009 7:44 AM CDT
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Already ridiculed for sex scandals, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi now has to hear it from his estranged wife in a new book, reports the Guardian . Berlusconi is a "ridiculous figure before the world," said Veronica Lario, who filed for divorce in April.
'Skank Blogger' Remains Defiant
New York Daily News
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Aug 23, 2009 7:22 AM CDT
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The blogger at the center of a lawsuit against Google has defended comments calling a model a skank, reports the New York Daily News. "I feel my right to privacy has been violated," said New Yorker Rosemary Porter, 29, whose identity was revealed under court order after model Liskula Cohen, 37, filed suit. "This has become a public...
Woman in Dane's Nudie Vid a 'Madam'
New York Daily News
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Aug 23, 2009 6:46 AM CDT
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The situation keeps getting ickier for poor Eric Dane and his nude video. Now it turns out the second woman who appears with the Grey's Anatomy star and wife Rebecca Gayheart in their hot-tub threesome has worked as a "madam" setting up hookers on jobs, reports the New York Daily News. Former Miss Teen Queen Kari Anne Peniche talked to...
Elizabeth Opens Furniture Store, John Still in Hot Seat
ABC News
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Aug 23, 2009 6:18 AM CDT
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After two failed tries at moving into the White House, John and Elizabeth Edwards are moving chairs around a new furniture store they just opened in North Carolina, reports ABC. The Chapel Hill establishment, Red Window, had been a personal dream since childhood, Elizabeth revealed. She hinted the venture was a welcome distraction from the federal...
Gun Nuts Firing Blanks in Power Play
New York Times
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Aug 23, 2009 5:52 AM CDT
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Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn has some gall. The fact that he can defend gun nuts calling for blood to "water the tree of liberty" after terrorist Timothy McVeigh wore the same Thomas Jefferson quote on his shirt in the Oklahoma City bombing infuriates New York Times columnist Frank Rich. When asked about pistol-packing protesters, "Coburn...
Hillary Forges Diplomatic Revolution
Washington Post
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Aug 23, 2009 5:22 AM CDT
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Hillary Clinton isn't answering the White House crisis calls predicted in her famous campaign commercials. But as secretary of state, she's "quietly begun rethinking the very nature of diplomacy and translating that vision into a revitalized State Department, one that approaches US allies and rivals in ways that challenge long-held traditions,"...
N. Korea Envoy Meets With South's Prez
Reuters
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Aug 23, 2009 4:54 AM CDT
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An envoy from Kim Jong-il met with South Korea's president today to deliver the first direct communication between the two nations in 18 months, reports Reuters. The content of Kim's message to President Lee Myung-bak was not disclosed. But the fact that the 30-minute meeting happened at all indicates an easing of tensions between the two nations.
Hurricane Bill Weakens, Surfers Party
Associated Press
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Aug 22, 2009 7:50 PM CDT
(AP) -
A weakening Hurricane Bill spun northward today, churning up rough seas, creating dangerous rip tides and closing beaches to swimmers up and down the eastern seaboard, including President Obama's planned vacation spot, Martha's Vineyard. The Category 1 hurricane was expected to pass the mainland well off New England, but was still packing high winds...
Why Bardot Is Back in Style
Independent (UK)
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Aug 22, 2009 7:30 PM CDT
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Brigitte Bardot's pouty, carefree sexuality is back, and just in time for her 75th birthday next month. With fashion designers aping her look and London girls imitating her outfit in And God Created Woman —cropped jeans, pumps, and striped top—John Walsh looks back in the Independent at the sex kitten's career, from "the countess...
Fiore Was Texting Ex on Day She Died
Telegraph (UK)
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Aug 22, 2009 7:00 PM CDT
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Murdered model Jasmine Fiore exchanged several text messages with an ex-boyfriend in the hours before her death, the Telegraph reports. The ex, Robert Hasman, received a message after her murder reading simply, "Suck it." A video obtained by TMZ shows Hasman and Fiore vacationing in Los Cabos, Mexico, last month, 4 months after she married...
Germany Probes 100 Profs Over PhD Bribes
The Local
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Aug 22, 2009 6:28 PM CDT
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About a hundred professors across Germany are under investigation for allegedly accepting bribes for doctoral degrees, the Local reports. Prosecutors say professors may have taken bribes as high as $28,000 through an intermediary firm to give PhDs to undeserving students. "It involves teaching professors from all subjects, from medicine through...
GM Longs to Build Electric Cadillacs
BusinessWeek
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Aug 22, 2009 6:00 PM CDT
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Old dreams apparently die hard at GM. For months, the automaker has been yearning to build a gasoline-electric luxury Cadillac, but the Treasury Department and naysayers within the company say the price tag would be too high. Now, with the company dramatically reorganized, the Cadillac Converj could be coming to a showroom near you—if funding...
Raging Wildfires Force Greeks to Flee
BBC
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Aug 22, 2009 5:34 PM CDT
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Dozens of wildfires are raging across Greece today, forcing villagers to flee and threatening to scorch ancient landmarks, the BBC reports. Fanned by gale-force winds, the flames are also creeping up on the nation's capital, where one suburb has already received evacuation orders, the AP reports. "The coming night will be especially difficult,"...
Omaha Man Swipes Virgin Mary Painting for Abortion
Omaha World-Herald
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Aug 22, 2009 5:07 PM CDT
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An Omaha man stole a painting of the Virgin Mary to pay for the abortion of his teenage rape victim, the Omaha World-Herald reports. Aurelio Vallecillo-Sanchez, 39, described by his attorney as "remorseful and ashamed," pleaded no contest yesterday to charges of theft and sexual assault and faces up to 70 years in prison. Prosecutors say...
25 Car Tunes for Kids and Parents
Babble
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Aug 22, 2009 4:42 PM CDT
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Parents, don’t let Disney's catalog of saccharine tunes ruin any more of your road trips. There are songs that can bridge the generation gap, Lindsay Armstrong writes on Babble: Jackson Five’s “ABC”: School the kids on the alphabet and pop music—all at once. Billy Idol’s “Dancing with Myself":...
Taliban Chops Off Fingers of Afghan Voters
Los Angeles Times
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Aug 22, 2009 4:17 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The Taliban is following through on its threat to chop off the fingers of Afghan voters, the Los Angeles Times reports. In southern Afghanistan, considered the most hazardous place for Afghans to vote, militants attacked two voters and cut off their ink-dyed fingers, authorities said. A third case is under investigation in an eastern province.
Pensioner Rides Wheelchair 125 Miles to Propose
Der Spiegel
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Aug 22, 2009 3:55 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Lovestruck in northern Germany, a 67-year-old pensioner traveled more than 125 miles in an arm-powered wheelchair to propose to the woman he loved, Der Spiegel reports. When she turned him down, he turned around for the 4-day journey home and stopped in a cornfield for food. But he couldn't get back in his wheelchair. So he called for help on his...
FBI Chief Calls Lockerbie Release 'Mockery' of Law
CNN
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Aug 22, 2009 3:30 PM CDT
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FBI chief Robert Mueller condemned the release of the Lockerbie bomber as “a mockery of the rule of law,” CNN reports. “Your action rewards a terrorist,” Mueller wrote to the Scottish official who released Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi on compassionate grounds. “Where, I ask, is the justice?” wrote Mueller, who helped...
Taliban Pick Young Leader to Replace Mehsud
BBC
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Aug 22, 2009 3:08 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Despite their insistence that a US drone strike didn’t kill their leader, members of Pakistan’s Taliban movement have already replaced him, the BBC reports. Hakimullah Mehsud, a military chief in his late 20s, will succeed Baitullah Mehsud, a close ally reportedly killed earlier this month. The unanimous decision comes after weeks of rumored...
Pentagon Tells Red Cross Who's in Secret Prisons
New York Times
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Aug 22, 2009 2:40 PM CDT
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After years of refusing the Red Cross information about terror suspects held in two secret camps in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Pentagon has quietly reversed course, the New York Times reports. The military has begun providing the identities of prisoners at the sites in Balad, Iraq, and Bagram, Afghanstan. Under the new rules, the information must...
UK Official: Talk of Shady Lockerbie Deal 'Offensive'
Guardian (UK)
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Aug 22, 2009 2:17 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A British official today denied suggestions that the government struck a deal to free the Lockerbie bomber in exchange for a nice price on Libyan oil, reports the Guardian . "It's not only completely wrong to make such a suggestion, it's also quite offensive," said the business secretary. The allegation arose after Moammar Gadhafi's son...
Flickr Cowardly for Taking Down Obama Joker
TechCrunch
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Aug 22, 2009 1:50 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Flickr is catching fire for its decision to take down the now-infamous image of Barack Obama photoshopped to look like the joker. Flickr says it received a takedown notice under the federal Digital Millennium Copyright Act for the Time cover mockup, but that excuse doesn’t fly for Michael Arrington of TechCrunch. “Screwing over your users...
Basterds ' Opening Day Is Tarantino's Best
Variety
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Aug 22, 2009 1:22 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Harvey Weinstein can breathe a sigh of relief. Inglourious Basterds mowed down the competition at the box office yesterday with an estimated haul of $14.3 million, reports Variety . That makes it Tarantino’s best opening ever, and the second-highest R-rated opener August has ever seen—behind American Pie 2 ($16.5 million) and just...
Hay Rustlers Roam Wild in Texas
Wall Street Journal
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Aug 22, 2009 1:02 PM CDT
(Newser) -
With Texas caught in the midst of a brutal drought, a new crime is on the rise: hay rustling. Hay has been disappearing from farms, depriving cattle of much-needed nourishment, the Wall Street Journal reports. Stolen hay reports remain sporadic—the Journal catches up with one farmer who lost 1,700 bales inside a week—but there have...
Ron Paul's Son Raises $433K for Senate Run
CQ Politics
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Aug 22, 2009 12:35 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Rand Paul borrowed a page from his dad’s playbook this week, raking in $433,509 in online donations in just 24 hours, reports CQ Politics. That’s may not approach the $6 million “money bomb” Ron Paul managed for his presidential run—or the $1 million Rand had hoped for—but it’s a pretty good start for...
China Rethinking One-Child Policy
Globe and Mail
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Aug 22, 2009 12:09 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Visit Shanghai these days and you're likely to come across an unusual sight: More families having second children. The city—a key cog in China's economic boom—is aging fast thanks to the nation's 30-year-old one-child policy, writes Mark MacKinnon in the Toronto Globe and Mail . As a result, Shanghai officials have begun quietly encouraging...
Danish Lawmaker: Kill All Mutts
Economist
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Aug 22, 2009 11:40 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A rash of attacks by aggressive dogs in Denmark has lawmakers considering a ban on breeds such as pit bulls and mastiffs. But one member of parliament—a veterinarian, no less—has raised a stink by proposing a far more radical solution, reports the Economist . He wants to kill all mongrels and require that future pups be sanctioned by the...
Daschle Still Working With Obama Behind the Scenes
Washington Post
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Aug 22, 2009 11:12 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Tom Daschle may not be Health and Human Services secretary, but he still has President Obama’s ear. The ex-senator met with Obama yesterday to discuss health care reform, the Washington Post reports. Daschle has been informally advising senior aide Pete Rouse and health care czar Nancy-Ann DeParle throughout the process, but some Democrats...
Hurricane May Foul Obamas' Vacation
Associated Press
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Aug 22, 2009 10:46 AM CDT
(AP) -
Hurricane Bill prompted tropical storm warnings for parts of the East Coast today, including President Obama's planned vacation spot of Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts. The storm isn't expected to hit the mainland, but it could bring "extremely dangerous surf and life-threatening rip currents," warn meteorologists. The Obamas are due to...
Released Lockerbie Bomber Chats With UK Reporter
Times (UK)
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Aug 22, 2009 10:25 AM CDT
(Newser) -
London Times reporter Martin Fletcher didn’t expect to be admitted when he visited the home of Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi, the convicted Lockerbie bomber who was released and flown home to Tripoli to a hero's welcome. But admitted he was. “You came to our house,” Megrahi explained in perfect English. “It is our culture.”...
Why I Love Britain's Health Care System
Salon
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Aug 22, 2009 10:01 AM CDT
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US conservatives are doing their best to turn Britain’s National Health Service into a cautionary tale. Author Stephen Amidon was nervous as well when he moved to Britain; how good could free care be? But the birth of his first child taught him to love the system, he writes for Salon. The moment his newborn developed jaundice, senior doctors...
Kristol: Conservatives 'Impressive' in Opposition
Weekly Standard
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Aug 22, 2009 9:32 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Bill Kristol says Republicans and conservatives should be bursting with pride at how they've handled themselves as the opposition. They have been "impressive," "principled," and "savvy and sensible," he writes in the Weekly Standard . Among other things, he gives a pat on the back to "conservative polemicists"...
Lockerbie Bomber: Was He Traded to Libya for Oil?
BBC
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Aug 22, 2009 8:40 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Opposition parties are turning up the heat on Gordon Brown after Moammar Gadhafi’s son said the fate of the Lockerbie bomber came up often in trade talks between Libya and the UK. Tories say that raises “serious questions” about 10 Downing St.’s role in the release of Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi on humanitarian grounds. The public...
First Obama Rendition Says FBI Starved, Threatened Him
Los Angeles Times
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Aug 22, 2009 8:33 AM CDT
(Newser) -
When military contractor Raymond Azar was arrested in Afghanistan, he was hooded, shackled, stripped, photographed naked, then flown to Alexandria, Va., in the first known rendition of the Obama administration. But Azar isn’t accused of terrorism. The Lebanese citizen is accused of bribery, a charge he pleaded guilty to on Tuesday, the LA Times...
Where to Find Real America
USA Today
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Aug 22, 2009 8:32 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Travel writer Gary McKechnie helps USA Today round up some of the best places to get a taste of old-fashioned Americana: Little League World Series, Williamsport, Pa.: The end-of-August tradition is free. Mark Twain America, Hannibal, Mo.: Be like Tom Sawyer and go on a guided cave tour. All-American Soap Box Derby, Akron,...
Avatar Aims to Be Bigger Than Star Wars
The Stimulist
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Aug 22, 2009 8:27 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Fox threw caution to the wind and screened 15 minutes of Avatar, not due out until December, to 100,000 people in theaters across the country last night. Audiences for James Cameron's 3-D groundbreaker were enthusiastic, the New York Times reports, if not as blown away as Cameron needs them to be. The Titanic director aims to conquer what Stimulus...
Police ID'd Slain Model by Breast Implants
Associated Press
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Aug 22, 2009 8:01 AM CDT
(AP) -
The remains of a former model whose killing has set off an international manhunt for a reality TV star were so badly mutilated that investigators had to use the serial numbers on her breast implants to identify her. Previous reports have suggested that the killer of Jasmine Fiore removed her fingers and teeth to prevent identification. The man...
