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Daily Telegraph (UK)
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Aug 12, 08 8:02 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Nine-year-old Lin Miaoke became a sensation after performing the Chinese anthem at the Olympics opening ceremony, and has been busily doing interviews and accepting praise ever since. There’s just one problem: The voice billions around the world actually heard was a 7-year-old with crooked teeth who was replaced after a dress rehearsal when a member of the politburo ruled that she wasn't "flawless" enough.
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New York Times
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Aug 12, 08 6:34 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Swimming world records are going under so fast at this Olympics that some officials are questioning what's going on, the New York Times writes. Ten records have fallen in Beijing so far—four in the space of 80 minutes yesterday—causing controversy over concerns that advances in swimsuit and pool technology might deserve as much credit as the athletes.
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New York Times
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Aug 12, 08 5:35 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A 25-year-old marksman became the first Indian ever to win a gold medal in an individual event yesterday, setting off an Olympic zeal rarely seen before in his country, the New York Times reports. By besting his Chinese and Finnish rivals in the nail-biting 10-meter air rifle finals, Abhinav Bindra erased memories of his disappointing performance in Athens.
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Baltimore Sun
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Aug 12, 08 2:58 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Michael Phelps racked a third gold medal today, this one in the 200-meter freestyle, and obliterated another world record in the process. His time of 1:42.96 seconds shaved nearly a full second off his previous best, reports the Baltimore Sun . The gold, his ninth overall, ties him with Mark Spitz and three others as the winningest Olympians.
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Baltimore Sun
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Aug 11, 08 4:59 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Michael Phelps is gunning for a record eight gold medals at the Beijing Games, but the one that would mean the most is in the 200-meter freestyle, his hometown Baltimore Sun reports. He insisted on competing in the event at the 2004 Athens Olympics, and it was the only individual event he lost. "I wanted to be in that race," says Phelps, who finished third behind Australia's Ian Thorpe.
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Gourmet
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Aug 11, 08 3:31 PM CDT
(Newser) -
She's not a Tibetan activist, a human-rights watchdog, or a political correspondent. So why couldn't Karen Coates, a food writer for Gourmet , get a visa to cover the Beijing Olympics? She recounts the mind-numbing bureaucratic hoops she jumped through to submit her application, which seems to have vanished into a black hole. "That’s how the Chinese government says 'no.' You don’t exist."
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Minneapolis Star Tribune
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Aug 11, 08 2:31 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Though his heart is broken, Hugh McCutcheon won’t indulge in anger as he grieves for his father-in-law, Todd Bachman, brutally stabbed to death in Beijing on Saturday. "It hurts. I think it's something no one should have to go through,'' the US Olympic men’s volleyball coach told the Minneapolis Star Tribune . His focus is on helping his wife’s mother, Barbara, through the shock of losing her husband.
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New York Times
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Aug 11, 08 10:50 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The mainstream media aren't the arbiter of news anymore—every man, woman, and child with a mouse is, according to David Carr of the New York Times. For proof, look no further than the Olympics opening ceremonies or the John Edwards scandal. No matter how hard it tried, NBC couldn’t prevent footage of the ceremonies from leaking, nor could mainstream indifference kill the blogger-driven Edwards story.
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Daily Telegraph (UK)
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Aug 11, 08 4:11 AM CDT
(Newser) -
One of the most spectacular elements of the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics was actually a special effect created for television viewers around the world. Giant marching aerial footprints outlined by fireworks were created by sophisticated computer graphics digitally inserted into the live coverage, reports the Daily Telegraph.
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Los Angeles Times
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Aug 10, 08 7:01 PM CDT
(Newser) -
President Bush's visit to the US women’s volleyball team sparked a quirky photo and Internet sensation today, Andrew Malcolm blogs in the Los Angeles Times . After Bush took tips from two gold medalist players, he made a fine play—and volleyballer Misty May-Treanor bent over to let him slap her backside in the style of women volleyballers.
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Associated Press
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Aug 10, 08 2:40 PM CDT
(AP) -
The United States opened its campaign for Olympic basketball redemption today with a 101-70 rout of host China that had even the home crowd oohing and aahing. And fans including President Bush got what they came to see."I had five dunks in one game. That's because of the crowd. Last time I had five dunks in a game I was like 17," said Team USA's Kobe Bryant.
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Associated Press
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Aug 10, 08 11:00 AM CDT
(Newser) -
American James Blake took the first step toward his goal of an Olympic gold in tennis today, beating Australia's Chris Guccione 6-3, 7-6 (3). Blake scored the final point of the tiebreak with an ace. He held service in every game, and only once broke Guccione. Heavy rain delayed many other matches.
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Reuters
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Aug 9, 08 9:09 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Michael Phelps won his first gold medal of the Summer Olympics with a decisive victory in the 400-meters individual medley, Reuters reports. Phelps, who has a chance to win a record 8 golds in the Games, smashed his own world record—it lasted less than a day—with a time of 4:03.84. Laszlo Cseh of Hungary finished second, and USA's Ryan Lochte third.
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