Headlines from July 2, 2008
- Netroots supporters revolt over Obama's flip on surveillance, organize protest using tools on campaign website.
- African-American actor who played president on 24 believes his portrayal may have helped Obama.
- Starbucks to close 600 stores; The Onion called it five months ago.
- Michael Reagan pushes for a monument of his dad in Berlin, concedes pantyhose's role in ending Cold War.
- Army bosses delete soldier's blog following posts criticizing superiors.
- Video: Christopher Hitchens tries waterboarding (on himself).
- Arthur, 5, is obsessed with the New York City subway system...He laughs at his mother when she suggests taking the B on a weekend. Two boys who love the subway.
- Forget pedophiles: On sites like Webkinz, kids are the biggest threat to each other.
- A new way to retrieve your forgotten password: Take a personality test.
- The history of the SOS signal, which turns 100 years old today.
- Walmart un-hyphenates its logo; Miller's new logo "unequivocally about beer."
- Musicians read The Unbearable Lightness of Being, see their "infidelities glorified and justified in poetic form."
- One of the terrors of dating is Milan Kundera, and specifically, The Unbearable Lightness of Being. Slavic authors to read instead.
- Troop deaths in Afghanistan are at their highest since the invasion; evidence shows the Taliban has reclaimed some control.
- U.S. reveals trust issues, aims spy satellites at the Iraqi army they arm, train, and fight alongside.
- Satisfactory progress in Iraq is happening, though too slowly; blame is shifted to the Iraqis.
- The improved security situation has allowed alcohol to flow back into Baghdad.
- San Francisco protects Honduran crack dealers from federal officials; days later, the dealers escape from group homes.
- Consumers are not diversifying their tastes as the Long Tail--aka the "sacred text in Silicon Valley"--suggests.
- Anyone who suggests embarking on a cradle-to-grave narrative of a royal mistress goes to the back of the class. The end of the un-sensationalized biography?
- David Sedaris on taking on The New Yorker's fact checkers.
- "We just stopped playing, as we had done periodically since we got together." After a 17-year hiatus, the Feelies return.
- Though Abkhazia is "under constant threat of war" and foreigners aren't allowed to visit, building hotels today will help it become a tourist hotspot tomorrow.
- A breakdown of the bevy of nonrefundable fees on an airline ticket.
- Italy launches international manhunt for Japanese students who left graffiti on a cathedral terrace.
- "Shroom" study reveals lasting effects, including increased well-being and life satisfaction.