| Title | Word Count |
|---|---|
The Occupy Wall Street Protest Picks Up SteamThe Occupy Wall Street movement has gained significant momentum with splinter groups demonstrating all over the country. The protests that are shaking the country have no known leader, but are comprised mostly of citizens in their 20's who are outraged at almost everything going on in the country - from the state of the economy to the war in Afghanistan to environmental issues. In general, protestors are demonstrating against everything that's currently wrong in the world. Because of the vagueness of the cause, the movement has attracted millions of people disenfranchised by things occurring in the U.S. (Silverleib). |
813 |
Dr. Murray Tried for Manslaughter of Michael JacksonThe trial of Dr. Conrad Murray, the personal physician of the late Michael Jackson, took a turn for the worse after the 911 call was played to jurors on September 29th. Murray chose not to call for an ambulance for nearly thirty minutes after he first realized that Jackson needed medical attention - a fact that prosecutors are calling an attempt at a cover-up. |
528 |
iPhone 4S Release Begins CookThe iPhone 4S fell way short of expectations, a sign that many believe marks the fall of Apple Inc. following Steve Jobs' death while others blame the early reveal for the disappointment. Chief Executive Tim Cook's first posted quarterly earnings caused shares to fall seven percent and Apple's value to decrease by $27 billion. With the recent falling numbers, Google Inc. is quickly making gains on Apple, who also faces competition from Samsung and Amazon.com Inc. Analysts forecasted sales at 20 million, but actual sales only reached over 17 million. |
544 |
Recent Study Finds Contraceptive Linked to HIV TransmissionIn an effort to solve the overpopulation problem in Africa, a popular contraceptive used widely in the eastern and southern regions has recently been linked to the rise in HIV across the country. The hormone shot administered every three months actually doubles the risk for women and makes their male partners twice as likely to catch HIV than if the women had not used any contraception (Belluck). The study conducted by the University of Washington used 3,800 couples in Botswana, Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia who already had one partner who was already HIV-positive. |
794 |
President Obama Rebukes Presidential Campaigns for Silence After Booing of SoldierPresident Barack Obama publicly reprimanded Republican presidential candidates for not standing up for a gay American solider who was booed at a Republican debate. At the debate, which saw a turnout of 3,200 supporters, Obama began by applauding his administration for the repeal of the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy. Additionally, Obama urged Congress to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, which was passed in 1996 and states that marriage should be between a man and a woman and has since been the bill that prohibits gay and lesbian couples from marrying. |
643 |
Libyans Rejoice Over GadhafiLibyans took to the streets with celebratory gunfire, car horns, and cheers to celebrate the long-awaited death of their ousted dictator Moammar Gadhafi, who was killed in a cross-fire in his hometown of Sirte as troops from the National Transitional Council and his supporters exchanged fire. The NTC captured Gadhafi and attempted to usher him into a car, but Gadhafi was shot in his right arm. As the car escaped, his supporters barraged the car with fire, shooting Gadhafi in the head, and ultimately killing him just before the car made it to the hospital. A grainy - but credible - video was released that showed a wounded Gadhafi making his way to the hospital, and second one showed his dead body with a head wound. |
1292 |
Chris Christie Still Deciding on Run for PresidencyThe nation is anxiously waiting to hear Chris Christie's decision on whether he will comply with the urges of party elders to join in the 2012 presidential race. The race has largely come down to just two candidates - Mitt Romney and Rick Perry - but the Republican Party is hoping to add a more likeable candidate to the ballot (Hunt). Christie, the former Massachusetts governor, is known for his budget cutting policies. He unsuccessfully ran for presidency in 2008, which positions him well for the upcoming election as the Republican Party has a history of nominating candidates who have previously lost. |
822 |
Bank of America to Start Charging Debit Card FeeSince announcing their decision to charge debit card users a $5 monthly fee on Thursday, September 29th, Bank of America has received great backlash from the angered customers. In fact, Bank of America, which is the largest bank in America by deposits, saw its stock plummet 2 percent on Friday morning, adding to the 56 percent decrease the bank's stock has experienced this year. Shares are down 44 percent for the quarter. Additionally, the bank faces multibillion-dollar lawsuits and financial losses from its questionable mortgage practices during the housing boom. |
395 |
Amanda Know Appeals Her 26 Year SentenceFollowing a guilty verdict in 2009 that put her behind bars for allegedly murdering her British roommate Meredith Kercher, Amanda Knox's fate is predicted to be determined on or before Monday, October 3rd. Knox is currently appealing her sentence of 26 years in prison. In 2009, jurors concluded that Knox, with the help of her then-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito and an Ivorian drifter, Rudy Hermann Guede, slashed Kercher's throat when a drug-fueled sex game went awry while Knox and Kercher were living together in 2007. |
564 |
Amanda Knox Returns Home After AcquittalIn a tearful turn of events for both the prosecution and the defense, Amanda Knox and her one-time boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito were freed after spending almost four years in an Italian prison after an appeals court found them not guilty of committing the murder that originally put them in jail. On November 6, 2007, Knox and Sollecito were arrested and jailed just four days after Knox's roommate, Meredith Kercher, was found murdered in their apartment. Police and media immediately pinpointed Knox as an accomplice in the murder and portrayed her as a sex-crazed, wild foreigner who held the knife after a drug-fueled sex game went awry, ending in Kercher's murder. |
786 |
Syria's Violence Continues Despite Turkey's RequestsAlthough protestors around the world, particularly in Syria and Egypt, vowed to temporarily forego their demonstrations in honor of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, the Syrian government carried out brutal attacks on its people the entire month. The United Nations recently reported the death toll to be at 2,200 people. Like the rest of the world, Turkey was appalled and outraged at the utter violence taking place in Syria. However, Turkey took a special interest because of their recent investments in Syria and stepped in to resolve the current conflicts between the Syrian government and its people. |
785 |
Libya Refuses to Extradite Lockerbie BomberThe Lockerbie bomber Abdel Basset al-Megrahi finally turned up in Tripoli, after months of alluding US forces. El-Megrahi, who was convicted as the mastermind of bombing the Pan Am Flight 103 in December of 1988 that killed all 259 people on board and 11 in the town of Lockerbie, Scotland, was released after serving only eight years of a life sentence because of his ill health. He was diagnosed with prostrate cancer and given three months to live. However, the US and other Western governments have grown increasingly aggravated that he has outlived his sentence and demanded his return following the troubles in Libya. |
534 |
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Tribute PostponedAlthough a combination of crazy weather on the East Coast - first an earthquake and then Hurricane Irene - prevented the official Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. tribute from taking place as scheduled, a two-hour interfaith prayer service was conducted at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, America's largest Catholic church. Forty-eight years after King's infamous "I Have a Dream" speech, the few remaining relatives of King, along with several of his closest friends, gathered at the National Mall, the original site of King's speech, to honor the influential figure. The official event will take place sometime in September or October on a date that is yet to be determined. |
1330 |
Blacks and Hispanics Hit Hardest by RecessionWhile the downturn of the economy hasn't left anyone unscathed, blacks and Hispanics bared the brunt of the downfall as compared with whites. The median wealth of households dropped drastically for blacks and Hispanics, while white households' median wealth only declined by 16 percent. Expert analysts concluded that blacks and hispanics suffered more because the industries that they are typically employed in like the construction industry suffered greatly. Furthermore, the two minority groups place most of their wealth in their houses, as opposed to whites who rely more on stocks for their wealth. |
551 |
Debt Ceiling Bill Could Mean Drastic Reductions in Military SpendingThe debt ceiling bill that passed through the House on August 1st, calling for an almost trillion dollar increase in the ceiling countered by similar reductions in spending, could significantly reduce military spending, much to the disappointment of Congressional Republicans. Seemingly backed into a corner to approve the bill in order to avoid defaulting on American loans, Republicans were forced to vote in favor of a bill that could reduce defense spending by almost $1 trillion in the next ten years. |
792 |
Israelis Protest Unaffordable Cost of LivingIn response to the high cost of living, that has caused many Israelis to be unable to afford the most basic necessities, such as housing and food, protests have broke out around the country in the past two weeks. Demonstrators are calling for government price controls, equal standards in the outskirts of the country as those in the center, free education from birth, free university tuition, quality healthcare for all citizens, and better salaries and benefits for social workers, police, and public servants. Currently, an organized workplace strike is being planned via a Facebook group. |
523 |
The News of the World Scandal Claims More VictimsLess than a month after Rupert Murdoch was forced to shut down his mass circulation British tabloid, The News of the World, because of allegations that the paper broke into the voicemail Milly Dowler, a 13-year-old murder victim, news emerged that despite its close relationship with Sara Payne, the tabloid broke into her voicemail as well. A repeat sex offender murdered Payne's 8-year-old daughter eleven years ago. Since her daughter's death, Payne has been lobbying for a law that warns parents if a child sex offender lives in the near vicinity, aided by the tabloid. |
584 |
GOP Presidential Candidates Strongly Oppose BillNarrowly avoiding defaulting on America's loans, the House passed the debt ceiling bill by a vote of 269-161. However, the GOP presidential candidates, Michele Bachmann and Mitt Romney, stepped forward to voice the discontent brewing among the Republican Party. The Party's main concern with the bill is that it proposes drastic spending cuts to the military budget, a term that the Republicans believe will leave the United States unable to defend itself in an increasingly unsafe world. Bachmann stepped forward to vote against the bill, while Romney voiced his opinion on Obama's lack of leadership abilities. |
800 |
Google Acquires Motorola MobilityGoogle unexpectedly purchased Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion in cash. As of now, Google claims that Motorola will continue to operate as a separate entity, although analysts are doubtful that this arrangement will last for long. As the mobile computing world becomes even greater, Google's acquisition proves that they plan on being a big competitor in this market and give Apple a run for their money. The acquisition also created tension between their Android partners, who now fear that Google will grant Motorola early access to OS capabilities, which will allow them to create smartphones that are better capable to allow users to take full advantage of the system. |
1029 |
Justice Department Attempts to Break Up AT&T/T-Mobile DealThe U.S. Justice Department filed a lawsuit in federal court on August 31st in an attempt to prevent the merging of AT&T and T-Mobile, in which AT&T offered $39 billion for T-Mobile's partnership. The lawsuit focused on T-Mobile's "disruptive" force in the industry, bringing attention to the company's many "firsts," which included the first Google Android smartphone. The lawsuit brought further attention to T-Mobile's aggressive pricing strategy, the sign of a healthy company. |
1044 |
Federal Judge Interferes with Alabama Immigration LawUS District Judge Sharon Blackburn intervened with Alabama's immigration law just three days before the law was supposed to take effect on the 1st of September (All Headline News). The law, which allows the police to detain traffic offenders if they believe they are illegal immigrants, requires employers to use E-verify to ensure that all of their workers are legal citizens, requires schools to ensure the immigration status of all of their students, and makes it illegal to give a ride or house an illegal immigrant (Johnson). The measure, which was signed on June 9th by Alabama Governor Robert Bentley faced great opposition from the US Justice Department, Hispanics, immigration advocacy organizations, and some churches. |
844 |
Diallo, Maid who Accused Strauss-Kahn of Rape, Tells Her Story to MediaNafissatou Diallo, the New York maid who accused Dominique Strauss-Kahn of attacking and raping her while she cleaned his room, released her side of the story in her first interview since the allegations. Diallo says she recognizes the errors in her story and the mistakes she has made in the past, but she still claims that Strauss-Kahn should go to jail for his wrongdoings. Strauss-Kahn's lawyers accused Diallo of a launching a media campaign to gain supporters, although typically prosecutors advise their clients to remain silent before the trial to avoid providing ammunition to the defense. |
801 |
Rebel Fighters Score Huge Victory in Libya but Unable to Locate QaddafiThe rebels scored a huge victory on August 23rd, with the help of NATO airstrikes, as they took over Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi's compound. Hundreds of fighters from Misurata, seasoned from months of previous fighting, led the attack. Celebratory gunfire could be heard all over the city of Tripoli, Libya, as rebel fighters raided the compound for weapons and mementos of Qaddafi's dictatorship, seizing machine guns, a gold-plated rifle, and a golf cart. Crowds immediately gathered to celebrate the monumental victory for the rebel cause. The city's Green Square immediately took on the new name of Martyrs' Square, as rebel supporters celebrated late into the night. |
568 |
Congressman David Wu Announces ResignationFollowing in the recent shoes of so many politicians, Congressman David Wu of Oregon announced his resignation following allegations of unwarranted sexual contact with a donor's teenage daughter. Initially, Wu did not plan on resigning, but following an investigation initiated by Nancy Pelosi, he announced that he would step down from his seat in Congress as soon as the debt ceiling debate was resolved. Wu faced allegations of erratic behavior earlier in the year when several staff members stepped down after Wu sent them unwanted emails with bizarre pictures of himself. |
539 |
Uighur Attackers Plague XinjiangIn the past week, Pakistani terrorists plagued the Chinese city of Xinjiang, leaving close to a hundred dead. After training in terror camps in Pakistan, a group of extremists victimized at least twenty people on August 1st. The day before, a food market and downtown area were targeted in Kashgar, a city near the China-Pakistan border. A downtown restaurant was also attacked, resulting in six civilian deaths and fifteen other deaths. The police were able to shoot and kill five of the attackers, who were armed with guns and knives. On Saturday, a truck was hijacked and driven into pedestrians before the attackers vacated the vehicle and attacked onlookers with knives. Eight victims were claimed in that attack and 27 others were injured. |
542 |
