Home // Monthly Archive for July, 2008
LA Bans Fast Food Outlets in Poor Areas July 31, 2008
The war on fat has just crossed a major red line. The Los Angeles City Council has passed an ordinance prohibiting construction of new fast-food restaurants in a 32-square-mile area inhabited by 500,000 low-income people.
IOC Admits Censorship Deal July 30, 2008
Some International Olympic Committee officials cut a deal to let China block sensitive Web sites despite promises of unrestricted access, a senior IOC official admitted on Wednesday.
Persistent pollution fears and China's concerns about security in Tibet also remained problems for organizers nine days before the Games begin.
China had committed to providing media with the same freedom to report on ...
Ehud Olmert to Step Down July 30, 2008
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced Wednesday he will not be his party's leader going into the next election.
Facebook Shuts Down Scrabulous July 29, 2008
Facebook has closed down its Scrabulous application following legal action from toy maker Hasbro.
GM Cuts Truck/SUV Production by 117,000 July 28, 2008
General Motors (GM) said Monday it will cut production by another 117,000 vehicles, citing continued weak in consumer demand for pickups and sport-utility vehicles.
Major Skirmish on India-Pakistan Border July 28, 2008
A border clash between Indian and Pakistani troops sparked heavy fighting Monday in the disputed Himalayan territory of Kashmir, an Indian military spokeswoman reported.
Sastre Wins Tour-de-France July 27, 2008
Carlos Sastre sealed his first Tour de France crown and became the third Spaniard in three years to win.
Dozens Executed in Iran July 27, 2008
The condemned were said to have committed rape, murder with torture, armed robbery and the trafficking of hundreds of kilograms of narcotics, though some were also accused of drinking alcohol and possession of ammunition.
How High Fructose Corn Syrup Makes You Fat July 27, 2008
New research from UT Southwestern Medical Center shows the amazing speed that our bodies make body fat from fructose. One of the reasons why low carb diets help you lose weight is that they reduce your intake of fructose.
No Corrosion in Qantas Jet Hole July 27, 2008
The Australian air safety agency is investigating Saturday the emergency landing of a Qantas Boeing 747 in the Philippines after a hole in the fuselage made the plane lose cabin pressure.
PM Brown Given Two Month Deadline Before Revolt July 26, 2008
Cabinet ministers last night set Gordon Brown a two-month deadline to win back voters’ trust or face a full-scale ministerial revolt.
FCC Poised to Punish Comcast July 26, 2008
A majority of members of the Federal Communications Commission have cast votes in favor of punishing Comcast Corp. for blocking subscribers' Internet traffic, an agency official said Friday.
UK Recession Now Inevitable July 25, 2008
However, the growth figures published by the Office for National Statistics underline the fact that UK Plc is heading slowly but surely towards negative territory.
Britain Plans to Spend £3Bn on Nuclear Warheads July 25, 2008
The UK is to replace its stockpile of nuclear warheads at an estimated cost of more than £3bn, according to documents seen by the Guardian.
Heart Drug Vytorin Under Scrutiny July 25, 2008
A study that unexpectedly linked the heart drug Vytorin to excess cancer deaths has provoked controversy among heart specialists worried that the drug's risks may outweigh its benefits.
Hole in Qantas Jet Forces Landing July 25, 2008
A passenger plane en route from London to Melbourne has made an emergency landing in the Philippines after a large hole appeared in its fuselage.
Ford Posts $8.7Bn Loss July 24, 2008
Ford (F) disclosed its largest quarterly loss in history — $8.7 billion — Thursday as it announced it will convert two truck plants to make cars and quicken its move toward a lineup of smaller, fuel-efficient vehicles.
Iraq Banned from Beijing Olympics July 24, 2008
The International Olympic Committee has banned Iraq from competing in the upcoming Summer Olympics because of what it says is the government's political interference in sports.
Novak Cited for Hitting a Pedestrian July 23, 2008
Syndicated columnist Robert D. Novak was cited by police after he hit a pedestrian with his black Corvette in downtown Washington, D.C., on Wednesday morning.
Canoe Couple Get Six Years in Jail July 23, 2008
Back-from-the-dead canoeist John Darwin and his wife Anne have each been jailed for more than six years for fraudulently claiming £250,000.
Oil Prices on Downward Tumble July 23, 2008
Oil prices slipped further Wednesday after tumbling more than $3 a barrel in the previous day's session as a hurricane looked likely to spare key oil installations in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.
Wachovia Reports $8.86 Billion Quarterly Loss July 22, 2008
Wachovia Corp. lost $8.86 billion in the second quarter, and said Tuesday it was slashing its dividend and cutting 6,350 jobs after losses tied to mortgages soared.
Karadzic to Fight Extradition July 22, 2008
Former Bosnian leader Radovan Karadzic will fight extradition from Serbia on war crime charges, his lawyer said Tuesday.
French Constitutional Reform Vote Passes July 21, 2008
President Nicolas Sarkozy's risky bid to rewrite France's political rules with sweeping constitutional changes worked — but just barely — with both houses of parliament meeting in special session Monday to pass the measures by a single vote.
The Yolk’s On Us? McDonald’s New Egg Ad ... July 21, 2008
Following their awesome Fresh Salads billboard that was made out of real lettuce, McDonald’s continue to roll out unique outdoor ads like a giant egg that hatches each day.
Court Negates Jackson ‘Wardrobe Malfunction&# ... July 21, 2008
A federal appeals court on Monday threw out a $550,000 indecency fine against CBS Corp. for the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show that ended with Janet Jackson's breast-baring "wardrobe malfunction."
B-52 Crashes Near Guam July 21, 2008
A U.S. Air Force B-52 with six crew members on board crashed off the island of Guam on Monday, an Air Force spokesman said.
Portuguese Police Shelve Madeleine McCann Enquiry July 21, 2008
The police inquiry into Madeleine McCann's disappearance has been shelved because of a lack of evidence, Portugal's attorney general has said.
Harrington Defends British Open Title July 20, 2008
Padraig Harrington’s wrist hurt so much he wondered if he could even play in this British Open. Well, it was strong enough to hoist the silver claret jug.
Calera Cement to Sequester CO2? July 20, 2008
Calera cement, funded by Vinod Khosla, which would take CO2 from the air to make cement and contour crafting which is a technology for printing buildings to speed up construction by 100 times
could be used to build new cities, dams, wind turbines and airports and many other useful cement construction as productive carbon sequestering. It would be possible ...
Solar Dish Hot Enough to Melt Steel July 20, 2008
The solar industry is booming. With waves of investment and grants, the solar power industry is for the first time becoming a serious business. New power plants will soon be pumping power out to consumers, while other firms market to sell panels directly to the consumer, providing them with a more direct means of experiencing solar energy.
Teen Dies After Tasered for 37 Seconds July 20, 2008
A teenager died after being hit with a police Taser gun for 37 seconds, and the whole thing was caught on tape by surveillance cameras.
Rapper DMX Arrested in Phoenix Mall July 20, 2008
Rapper DMX was arrested at a Phoenix mall Saturday on suspicion that he gave a gave a false name to a hospital to get out of paying for medical expenses.
British PM to Cut Troops in Iraq July 19, 2008
Gordon Brown, on a flying visit to Baghdad and Basra, said today he plans to reduce the remaining number of British troops in Iraq following a drop in attacks, but declined to set a timeframe for their departure.
Jennifer Garner Pregnant July 18, 2008
Jennifer Garner and husband Ben Affleck are expecting another baby, Garner’s former Alias co-star Victor Garber confirms to Usmagazine.com.
A Sticky Problem in Texas – Molasses on Highw ... July 18, 2008
A sticky mess has been cleaned up after an overturned tanker truck poured 5,000 gallons of molasses onto a major Texas highway.
Citigroup Posts $2.5Bn Loss July 18, 2008
Citigroup posted another loss in the second quarter as it struggled with surging loan defaults, but the $2.5 billion shortfall was smaller than Wall Street anticipated.
Bush Signs Expanded Wiretap Law July 18, 2008
President Bush signed a bill into law Thursday that broadens the government's surveillance power. The move came just a day after the Senate passed the legislation, by a 69-to-28 margin, culminating months of political fireworks. The package includes a controversial clause that grants immunity to telecommunications companies that participate in National Security Agency warrantless wiretapping approved after the Sept. ...
Voyager 2 Finds Lopsided Solar System July 18, 2008
Data from Voyager 2, described in a series of papers today in Nature, show that the craft entered the termination shock on August 31, 2007, at a distance from the sun of about eight billion miles (13 billion kilometers) and crossed it the next day.
Voyager 2 Finds Lopsided Solar System July 18, 2008
Researchers say the crossing confirms that the heliosphere—the region swept out by the solar wind—is actually lopsided, perhaps due to a tilted magnetic field in local interstellar space.
Gore Challenges US to Produce Clean Energy July 17, 2008
Just as John F. Kennedy set his sights on the moon, Al Gore is challenging the nation to produce every kilowatt of electricity through wind, sun and other Earth-friendly energy sources within 10 years, an audacious goal he hopes the next president will embrace.
Texas OKs Massive Wind Farm Project July 17, 2008
Texas officials gave preliminary approval Thursday to the nation's largest wind-power project, a plan to build billions of dollars worth of new transmission lines to bring pollution-free energy from gusty West Texas to urban areas.
Israel Buries Remains of Soldiers July 17, 2008
Israel Thursday buried two soldiers whose remains were returned in an exchange with the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah the day before.
Photos Suggest Mars Was All Wet, Once July 16, 2008
A lot more Martian rocks were altered by water than scientists originally thought, suggesting that early Mars was a very wet place.
S.F. Officials Locked Out of Computer Network July 15, 2008
A disgruntled city computer engineer has virtually commandeered San Francisco's new multimillion-dollar computer network, altering it to deny access to top administrators even as he sits in jail on $5 million bail, authorities said Monday.
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