O'Rourke Looks on the Sunny Side of Death

Study ties carbon dioxide to eerie visions

(NEWSER) - That "heavenly" light at the end of the tunnel may have more to do with carbon dioxide than an afterlife, a new study finds. Slovenian researchers studying near-death experiences found that people who reported seeing their life—or light—flash before their eyes had higher levels of CO2 in their systems. Up to 25% of cardiac patients report having such experiences. More»

Study sees significant benefits for women with the disease

(NEWSER) - Taking aspirin regularly reduces the risk of death for breast cancer patients, a new study suggests. Drawing on data from the Nurses' Health Study, researchers found that breast cancer victims who took an aspirin at least twice a week were 64% to 71% less likely to die, and 43% to 60% less likely to see their cancer spread, reports MedPage Today . More»

Ex-Nixon speechwriter, Pulitzer winner was forceful voice on right

(NEWSER) - Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnist William Safire died today outside Washington, the paper reports. He was 79 and suffered from cancer. A onetime speechwriter for Richard Nixon, Safire, a self-described "libertarian conservative," used his background as a reporter and love for English usage to punch up his op-ed column, which he wrote from 1973 to 2005, and books of history and fiction. More»

(NEWSER) - Thousands of constituents and admirers turned out this afternoon to honor Ted Kennedy as a motorcade bearing the senator's body from his Cape Cod home to his brother's presidential library wound through the streets of Boston. Some wept, some applauded as both locals and out-of-towners flooded to say goodbye. "We’re his family,” one Bostonian told the Globe. “We loved him so much, and we’ll miss him so much." More»

(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 allowance once he finishes a prison sentence on a drug charge. Fawcett also left money to her alma mater, the University of Texas. More»