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.
Bud Light's School-Color Cans Anger Colleges
Wall Street Journal
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Aug 21, 2009 8:40 AM CDT
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Bud Light is rolling out cans in the colors of the nation's big colleges just in time for football season—and that has some schools fuming, the Wall Street Journal reports. Colleges worried about binge drinking think they'll be seen as sponsors of the “Fan Cans” campaign, which boasts 27 different color schemes and begins this month....
Cops Investigate Nude Tape
Us Weekly
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Aug 21, 2009 8:25 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The McSteamy nudie vid could turn into more than just an embarrassment for the stars involved: The LAPD is investigating the tape for evidence of “celebrities engaging in illegal activity,” detectives say in a statement. An unnamed source handed the DVD over to cops on July 30 with that accusation. The LAPD says it was "in the process...
CIA Uses Blackwater to Help Run Drone Attacks
New York Times
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Aug 21, 2009 8:08 AM CDT
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The CIA has relied on a secret division inside the company once known as Blackwater for its drone operations in Pakistan and Afghanistan, private employees and government officials tell the New York Times . The for-profit company assembles and loads Hellfire missiles and quarter-ton bombs on secret CIA bases on both sides of the border....
News Corp. Talks Universal Paywall With Times , Post
Los Angeles Times
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Aug 21, 2009 8:05 AM CDT
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Executives at Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. have been meeting with rival newspaper publishers about a consortium that would charge for web content. The publishers of the New York Times , Washington Post , and Los Angeles Times are all believed to have met with Jonathan Miller, the News Corp. officer overseeing digital strategy. But analysts remain...
Obama Starting to Look Weak: Krugman
New York Times
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Aug 21, 2009 7:55 AM CDT
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When Barack Obama threw the public option under the bus, the White House was reportedly "shocked and surprised" by the ensuing liberal fury, writes Paul Krugman in the New York Times . “Well, I’m shocked and surprised at their shock and surprise,” he writes. From Obama's reluctance to challenge Bush’s torture and...
Ancient Rite Fades in Japan: Communing With the Dead
New York Times
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Aug 21, 2009 7:47 AM CDT
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Far from Japan's hypermodern cities, a few old, blind women are among the last of a centuries-old tradition—they are mediums, or the "itako," calling forth the spirits of the dead for paying visitors. In medieval times, Japan was full of women communing with spirits, but now so few remain that the tradition may not survive another generation....
Bolt's So Good, You Have to Ask: Is He Clean?
Washington Post
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Aug 21, 2009 7:35 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Usain Bolt doesn’t even bother running through the tape at full speed. By the end of his sprints—even his mind-boggling, record-breaking 200-meters in Berlin—he’s mugging for the cameras. “Every race he leaves us wondering, ‘How fast could this guy go?’” writes Michael Wilbon in the Washington Post ....
Conn. Boarding School Sued Over Molester Dean
Danbury News Times
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Aug 21, 2009 7:21 AM CDT
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A Connecticut boarding school has been hit with two lawsuits over a former dean’s alleged sexual abuse of students he is charged with having as "overnight guests" in his apartment, the Danbury News-Times reports. The now-fired dean at The Gunnery School was charged Aug. 5 with sexual assault, but the school itself is the target of...
Fla. Judge May Return Muslim Teen Runaway to Family
Associated Press
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Aug 21, 2009 7:00 AM CDT
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An Orlando judge will hear arguments today in the case of Rafqa Bary, a 17-year-old ethnic Sri Lankan who ran away from her Muslim home because she feared her family would punish her for converting to Christianity. The judge will decide whether she should remain in state custody in Florida or be returned to her family’s Ohio home, the AP reports....
Noonan to Obama: Retreat, Call It Your Bay of Pigs
Wall Street Journal
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Aug 21, 2009 6:45 AM CDT
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The best way for President Obama to emerge from his health care reform sinkhole is to pull the plug on the whole thing, writes Peggy Noonan in the Wall Street Journal . "It all got hotter, quicker than the White House expected," she writes. Furthermore, "no one understands 'single payer,' 'public option,' 'insurance marketplace exchange'—nobody...
Japan McDonald's Turns Geek Joke on US
Huffington Post
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Aug 21, 2009 6:32 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Meet Mr. James, the star of McDonald's new ad campaign in Japan: He's a wacky white guy in nerd glasses who speaks broken Japanese, hitches his pants up to his armpits, and probably strikes out with the ladies. Americans living in Japan call the Mr. James campaign racism, while the Huffington Post's Disgrasian blog calls it payback. "Karma's one...
Iran Launches Islamic Video Games
BBC
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Aug 21, 2009 5:54 AM CDT
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Video game developers are in Cologne for one of Europe's biggest gaming conventions, and one booth is standing out: the Iranian National Foundation for Computer Games, which is trying to get a foothold in the West. The games have a decidedly nationalist slant, reports the BBC. One game is a tank shooter set during the Iran-Iraq war, while another follows...
Travel King Frommer to Boycott Arizona Over Guns
Gawker
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Aug 21, 2009 5:41 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Travel guide dynasty founder Arthur Frommer is personally boycotting the state of Arizona to protest state gun laws that allowed heavily armed demonstrators to gather outside an Obama speech, Gawker reports. The elder statesman of travel writers, 80, said that while he's not sure yet whether he wants to encourage others in a boycott, he "will...
Karzai, Rival Both Claim Victory
Reuters
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Aug 21, 2009 5:09 AM CDT
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As Afghanistan gets down to the difficult job of counting ballots from 6,200 polling stations, both Hamid Karzai and his main challenger Abdullah Abdullah havd claimed victory in the presidential race. No confirmed results have been released, but a Karzai staffer said reports from election monitors indicate that the president has been re-elected in...
O'Reilly: Stewart's Off the Rails
Huffington Post
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Aug 21, 2009 4:49 AM CDT
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Bill O'Reilly hit back at Jon Stewart last night, saying the Daily Show host had gone "off the rails" with recent jokes about Fox News. Stewart Wednesday night sarcastically called Fox "secretly liberal," because commentators like O'Reilly are now doing all the things they attacked liberals for in old clips Stewart showed gleefully—supporting...
WHO Sounds Alarm on Homeopathy
BBC
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Aug 21, 2009 4:24 AM CDT
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The World Health Organization has issued a warning against homeopathic treatments for TB and other life-threatening illnesses, reports the BBC. The organization issued the alert after pressure from a group of young researchers who complained that homeopathy was being promoted in poor countries as a treatment for TB, infant diarrhea, HIV, and malaria....
Teeth, Fingers Removed From Slain Model
Los Angeles Times
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Aug 21, 2009 3:50 AM CDT
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Teeth and fingers were removed from swimsuit model Jasmine Fiore, believed to be murdered by her reality-star former husband, according to law enforcement authorities. The dismemberment was apparently an effort to stymie efforts at identifying her body, which was found earlier this week in a suitcase in a trash bin in Southern California. Police are...
Stars Bomb at the Box Office
New York Times
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Aug 21, 2009 3:29 AM CDT
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Hollywood executives are scratching their heads over why so many mega-wattage stars are failing to fill movie houses. A record number of usual box-office successes like Denzel Washington, Will Ferrell, Julia Roberts and Tom Hanks came up short, in some cases not even attracting enough viewers for producers to break even, reports the New York Times...
Beer-Drinking Model Demands Public Caning
CNN
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Aug 21, 2009 3:06 AM CDT
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A Malaysian model sentenced to caning for drinking beer wants her punishment carried out in public, CNN reports. Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno, 32, will be the first woman to be flogged for alcohol consumption in the Muslim-majority nation. "Let's be transparent" about the punishment, Kartika has insisted. Her father said a public caning will...
Faith in Obama Slips
Washington Post
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Aug 21, 2009 2:38 AM CDT
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Faith in President Obama is falling sharply amid the increasing polarization of the health care debate, according to a new Washington Post -ABC News poll. The president's overall approval stands at just 57%, down 12 points from its April peak, with his disapproval rating up to a highest-ever 40%. Pessimism about Obama's proposed reforms has also crept...
King Sends Wives on Spree While Africans Starve
Times (UK)
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Aug 21, 2009 2:12 AM CDT
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Swaziland King Mswati III sent several of his 13 wives on a multi-million-dollar shopping spree in the Mideast and Europe while two-thirds of his subjects continue to suffer in abject poverty, reports the Times of London. The move has triggered sharp criticism in Britain, which provides the impoverished nation with some $93 million in aid each year....
Dress Your Dog Like Michael Vick
Philadelphia Inquirer
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Aug 21, 2009 1:48 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Philadelphia Eagles fans might froth at the mouth over replica jerseys touting their new dog-fighting convict quarterback Michael Vick, but dog-size Vick jerseys could turn out to be a big hit. The NFL has sanctioned the K-9 jerseys, allowing customers through its website to customize the uniform with Vick's name, number and Eagles colors, reports...
Probe Launched After Gitmo Lawyers Bare Secret CIA Pics
Washington Post
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Aug 21, 2009 1:19 AM CDT
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The Justice Department is seeking to determine if military defense attorneys for Guantanamo Bay detainees broke the law protecting classified material by showing prisoners photographs of covert CIA officers and contractors, reports the Washington Post . Three lawyers apparently used the photographs in an attempt to identify potential participants...
Figuring Winner Will Be Tough Part in Afghanistan
Los Angeles Times
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Aug 20, 2009 10:56 PM CDT
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Although Afghanistan managed to avoid widespread election-day bloodshed yesterday, the hard part is yet to come, Laura King writes for the Los Angeles Times : deciding who won. First, officials first must conclude whether voting was free and fair enough to make results credible. Already, an early sketch promised for Saturday has been pushed into next...
Mexico Decriminalizes Small-Scale Drug Possession
Associated Press
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Aug 20, 2009 10:01 PM CDT
(AP) -
Mexico has enacted a controversial law decriminalizing possession of small amounts of marijuana, cocaine, heroin and other drugs while encouraging free government treatment for drug dependency. The law sets out maximum "personal use" amounts for drugs, also including LSD and methamphetamine. People detained with those quantities will no longer...
Mag's Gutsy Photo Hits With Readers
Jezebel
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Aug 20, 2009 9:18 PM CDT
(Newser) -
In showing that it has the stomach to use plus-sized models in its pages, Glamour has provoked a torrent of positive reader reaction, blogger Margaret notes on Jezebel. A photo of a woman with a bit of a gut hanging over her underwear accompanied a story in the September issue, and editor Cindi Leive’s inbox has been jammed since, she writes:...
Starbucks' New Jolt Doesn't Involve Caffeine
Wall Street Journal
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Aug 20, 2009 8:14 PM CDT
(Newser) -
As promised, Starbucks today began raising prices on some of its more complicated concoctions, the Wall Street Journal reports—though it’s also slicing a few pennies off its more pedestrian offerings. That venti (large) caramel macchiato will cost 25¢ more, for instance; store employees have been told to expect sour customer reaction...
Most Annoying Facebook Habits
CNN
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Aug 20, 2009 7:40 PM CDT
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Facebook's got something to annoy everyone, it seems, and Brandon Griggs runs down the most annoying characteristics of Facebookers for CNN. A sampling: The Compulsive Poster: "Just because you have 432 Facebook friends doesn't mean we all want to know when you're waiting for the bus." "The Friend-Padder":...
Bush Officials Deny Ridge Terror Claim
Politico
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Aug 20, 2009 6:55 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Members of President Bush’s administration today denied accusations by former Homeland Security secretary Tom Ridge in an upcoming book that the White House pressed him to raise the terror threat level ahead of the 2004 election. Former White House chief of staff Andrew Card and former homeland security adviser Fran Townsend both tell Politico...
NCAA Strips Memphis Hoops of Best Season
Commercial Appeal (Memphis)
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Aug 20, 2009 6:35 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The NCAA today stripped the University of Memphis men’s basketball team of 38 victories and various hardware from the 2007-08 season, during which it reached the national championship game, for major violations centering on top recruit Derrick Rose, the Commercial Appeal reports. The infractions came during the coaching tenure of John Calipari,...
Inside the Real World of End-of-Life Care
New York Times
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Aug 20, 2009 5:49 PM CDT
(Newser) -
With so many up in arms about “death panel” rumors, the New York Times paints a picture of real-life palliative care providers, or end-of-life consultants. The Times follows one specialist in a field that requires its doctors to be “part psychoanalyst, part detective,” writes Anemona Hartocollis: He’s fine-tuned to...
Jen Feels Burned by Cooper
Us Weekly
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Aug 20, 2009 5:29 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Jennifer Aniston is feeling a little jilted because of Bradley Cooper’s burgeoning relationship with Renee Zellweger, Us reports. “She honestly feels screwed over," says a friend. "She had a major crush on him and she let him know," but "he didn't reciprocate." The two costars went on a dinner date in June, but...
3D Remake of Yellow Submarine to Surface
Independent (UK)
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Aug 20, 2009 5:10 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Disney is planning a 3D remake of Yellow Submarine , the 1968 psychedelic cartoon buoyed by a Beatles soundtrack, the Independent reports. Robert Zemeckis of Back to the Future fame will direct. Aside from the music, the Beatles were only tangentially related to the original film—actors provided the voices to their animated characters, and...
Obama Urges Activists to Retake Health Care Debate
Politico
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Aug 20, 2009 4:51 PM CDT
(Newser) -
President Obama urged the grassroots activists who helped him so much in the presidential campaign to do the same in the health care debate, Politico reports. “Now come on," the president told members of Organizing for America in a conference call today. "The best ambassadors for true information, is all of you. You have more credibility...
'Clunkers' Ends Monday
Associated Press
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Aug 20, 2009 4:38 PM CDT
(AP) -
The Obama administration will end the $3 billion Cash for Clunkers program at 8pm Monday, giving car shoppers a few more days to take advantage of big government incentives. Dealers have complained about sluggish reimbursements, but Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said the program has been "a lifeline to the automobile industry, jump-starting...
Seattle Times Readers ID Globetrotting Amnesiac
Seattle Times
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Aug 20, 2009 4:35 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Three weeks ago, a well-dressed man carrying $600 in his sock wandered out of a Seattle park with no idea who he was or how he got there. His identity was a mystery until today, when the Seattle Times ran a story on its front page with his picture and the headline, “Who is this man?” Within hours, readers of the Times ’ web edition...
Klein: 'Nihilists' Leading Republicans Off Deep End
Time
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Aug 20, 2009 4:20 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Raising legitimate, fact-based opposition to political issues is one thing—but today’s Republican party seems "overwhelmed by nihilists and hypocrites" more concerned about returning to power than the public good, writes Joe Klein in Time . Where's the leadership? When Sarah Palin raised the ridiculous “death panel”...
Libyans Welcome Home Lockerbie Bomber
BBC
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Aug 20, 2009 4:03 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi arrived in Libya to a hero's welcome today after being released by Scottish authorities, the BBC reports. Hundreds greeted him at the Tripoli airport waving Libyan flags, and he was then escorted to a private meeting with Moammar Gadhafi. "We have been in contact with the Scottish government, indicating...
GM Will Advance Cash to Clunkered Dealers
Wall Street Journal
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Aug 20, 2009 3:45 PM CDT
(Newser) -
General Motors will start making temporary loans to dealers who have yet to be reimbursed by the federal government under the Cash for Clunkers plan, the Wall Street Journal reports. Dealers, some now irate, essentially did the same thing for customers participating in the trade-in plan—covering the government rebate out of pocket. But the...
Ridge: Bush Wanted Terror Threat Raised for Election
US News & World Report
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Aug 20, 2009 3:32 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The publisher of Tom Ridge's forthcoming book has dropped a potential bombshell: It says the Bush White House pressured the Homeland Security chief to arbitrarily raise the terror threat alert level on the eve of the 2004 election, ostensibly to boost its chances, reports US News and World Report . Ridge supposedly airs the dirty laundry in ...
Data Boosts Stocks, Dow Up 71
Wall Street Journal
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Aug 20, 2009 3:30 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Stocks advanced today on positive economic news from the Philadelphia branch of the Fed, the Wall Street Journal reports, which said that its index of business activity registered a 4.2 in August, up from a negative 7.5 in July. Investors were specifically encouraged by a rise in the Fed’s subindex of inventories after 22 straight months of...
Haute Couture Alive, Kicking
Vanity Fair
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Aug 20, 2009 3:00 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The death knell is ringing once again for haute couture, as it does every decade or so—but don’t count it out yet, writes Amy Fine Collins in Vanity Fair . Though the house of Lacroix recently filed for bankruptcy and Yves Saint Laurent is gone, haute couture has survived much worse. “So long as the house of Chanel exists, couture...
Obama on Right-Wing Radio: 'We're Going to Get It Done'
Washington Post
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Aug 20, 2009 2:45 PM CDT
(Newser) -
President Obama brought his case for health reform to talk radio today, telling a largely conservative audience that a public option is only a small part of his goal and expressing skepticism that any deal with Republicans is possible. On the public option, "what we've said is we think that's a good idea,” Obama told Michael Smerconish's...
Vixen Author Embraces Her Inner Betty Crocker
DoubleX
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Aug 20, 2009 2:26 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Karrine Steffans has had drama-riddled relationships with famous rappers and celebs such as Mike Tyson and Bill Maher. Her “relationships have been major public train wrecks,” writes Jo Piazza for DoubleX, from allegations of abuse at the hands of Tyson to her suicide attempt following her breakup with Maher. And yet she's now a best-selling...
SEC Lacks Smarts Needed to Tackle Shadowy Trades
Wall Street Journal
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Aug 20, 2009 2:18 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The Securities and Exchange Commission is stepping up its efforts to shine light on the market’s more shadowy corners, examining flash quotes, high-frequency trades, and so-called “dark pools.” But the agency just doesn’t have the technology or trading know-how to keep up, experts tell the Wall Street Journal . “You need...
Jay-Z, Rihanna, Kanye Take on the Apocalypse
MTV
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Aug 20, 2009 2:06 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Jay-Z, Rihanna, and Kanye West romp around a post-apocalyptic New York in the much-anticipated video for “Run This Town” off Jay-Z's upcoming Blueprint 3 , reports MTV.com. The clip portrays the three as "warlords in a 23rd-century turf war," writes James Montgomery, but that's beside the point. "It's three of the decade's...
In Texas, a Modern-Day Fight for the Alamo
Wall Street Journal
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Aug 20, 2009 1:54 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The Alamo is once again at the center of a pitched battle, the Wall Street Journal reports—only this time the combatants aren’t soldiers but the gentle ladies of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas. The 7,000-member group has run the historical site, which is badly in need of repair, since 1905. They all agree that tens of millions...
Stella McCartney Wins a Very Naked Lawsuit
Associated Press
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Aug 20, 2009 1:35 PM CDT
(AP) -
Looks like it's OK for Stella to be nude in public: A British judge has declined to stop the release of a new Stella McCartney perfume in a dispute over the right to use the word "nude." High Court Judge Christopher Floyd denied today a bid by Nude Brands Ltd., to stop the launch of McCartney's new scent "STELLANUDE" while it sued...
Smug Americans Love 'Bad-Parent Porn'
Los Angeles Times
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Aug 20, 2009 1:22 PM CDT
(Newser) -
America, it seems, is addicted to “bad-parent porn,” writes Meghan Daum in the Los Angeles Times . Nadya Suleman's new reality show is only the latest incarnation, along with Jon and Kate, of course. (And let us not forget Michael Jackson.) People just love to see moms and dads screw up in a big way. "We express disgust for them and...
Twitter Shot Down on 'Tweet' Trademark
samj.net
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Aug 20, 2009 1:09 PM CDT
(Newser) -
When Twitter founder Biz Stone said last month the company was trying to trademark the word “tweet,” the internet flew into a tizzy, worried that the word would be closed off to independent developers. But they needn’t have worried, writes blogger Sam Johnston. Stone neglected to mention that Twitter had already applied for the trademark...
