Good Bye, Luciano Pavarotti...

Pavarotti tributes pour in
"Tributes are flowing for legendary opera singer Luciano Pavarotti, who died earlier today in Italy after a battle with pancreatic cancer."


World-renowned Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti dies at 71
"Luciano Pavarotti, one of the world's great tenors and a man known for his ability to hold a high C for a period of time that seemed beyond human capability, will sing no more."


Prolific Tenor Pavarotti Dies
"The singer underwent cancer surgery last year. It was the latest in a series of health setbacks that plagued the enduring performer in recent years."

Google and News

Google News to feature articles from 4 agencies
"The Associated Press, Britain's Press Association, Canadian Press and Agence France-Presse have agreed to license news feeds to Google, opening potential new advertising revenue stream for the Mountain View-based company (NASDAQ:GOOG)."


Google News becomes a publisher
"Google on Friday said it plans to make original stories from news agencies easier to find using its Google News aggregation service, a move that could significantly change how Google News drives traffic to news publishers."

A Legal Same-sex Marriage?!

Iowa Gay Marriage Applications Halted
"At 2 p.m. Thursday, Judge Robert Hanson ordered Polk County officials to accept marriage license requests from same-sex couples, but he granted the stay at about 12:30 p.m. Friday."


Iowa Permits Same-Sex Marriage, for 4 Hours, Anyway
"From towns around the state, places like Cedar Falls, Ames and Cedar Rapids, same-sex couples converged on this city as early as dawn on Friday as word spread that a judge had overturned a state law banning gay marriage."


Iowa Judge Issues Stay on Own Gay Marriage Ruling
"Judge Robert Hanson said he issued the stay about noon. Earlier, he had told the county attorney to instruct the Polk County recorder to stop accepting same-sex marriage applications."

Contaminated Beef

Contaminated ground beef sold locally
"If you have some extra-lean ground beef in your freezer, there's a chance it could be contaminated by E. coli bacteria. Public health officials have linked an outbreak of gastro-intestinal illness in Oregon and Washington to extra-lean ground beef sold during late July and early August at Fred Meyer and Safeway stores."


Consumers warned on tainted beef
"Federal and state health officials issued a consumer alert Thursday after nine people were sickened by contaminated beef. A day before the start of what historically is a popular weekend for grilling, officials urged consumers to check the beef in their freezers and make sure it doesn't include possibly tainted meat."

Everybody Loves Princess Diana

After 10 Years, Fascination With Diana Hardly Fades
"Ten years have passed since Diana, Princess of Wales, died and Britain erupted in a febrile convulsion of grief and anger, but in some ways you would hardly know it."


Princess Diana's Life and Legacy
"That she was beautiful is clear — Princess Diana's beauty was frozen in time by her untimely death."


Princess Diana still creating a royal stir
"Britain's great and good gather here Friday for an anniversary memorial service organized by the late Princess of Wales' sons, Princes William and Harry, after days of awkwardness about who would and would not attend."


Who Killed Diana?
"From there we're off and running through a bemusing array of theories about how Diana died."

Malaysia Refuses to Appologize

Malay police assault prompts Indonesia protests
"The assault led to Indonesia's karate team withdrawing from the international competition they were attending and has sparked an outcry in Indonesia, which sends thousands of workers to its neighbour each year. Malaysia's government has promised to bring the culprits to justice, but stopped short of apologising. "


Anti-Malaysia protests held in Indonesia after referee assault
"Indonesian karate referee Donald Luther Kalapita was allegedly assaulted Friday in Kuala Lumpur by four Malaysian police officers without cause and had to be taken to a hospital for treatment of his injuries."

About Owen Wilson

Owen Wilson hospitalized
"Wilson was at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, said hospital spokeswoman Cynthia Harding. He was initially taken to St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica."


Actor Owen Wilson appeals for privacy after 'suicide attempt'
"The Oscar-nominated actor Owen Wilson has appealed for privacy after being hospitalised in Los Angeles following a reported suicide attempt."


Owen gets very serious
"The police department issued a statement saying it made a joint response with fire department paramedics to a medical aide call at Wilson's Santa Monica address."

Flames in Greek

Greek fires reach ancient Olympics site
"ANCIENT OLYMPIA, Greece - Firefighters backed by aircraft dropped water and foam on the birthplace of the ancient Olympics Sunday to stop wildfires from burning the 2,800-year-old ruins, one of the most revered sites of antiquity."


Fight to save Olympic birthplace
"Flames licked the edges of the original Olympic stadium and scorched the yard of the museum, home to one of Greece's greatest archaeological collections."

About Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech Issues Proposals for Security
"WASHINGTON, Aug. 22 — Officials at Virginia Tech University issued a set of mild recommendations for campus security Wednesday, suggesting the university provide more counseling for mentally troubled students, erect Internet-based message boards across campus to alert students of emergencies and install more surveillance cameras and better internal door locks."


Virginia Tech Report Suggests Classroom Locks, Mass-Notification System
"Two days after students returned to Virginia Tech for the fall semester, university officials unveiled on Wednesday (August 22) the findings of a three-month investigation into the deadly shootings that took place on the Blacksburg campus April 16."

Ryan Seacrest - The Idol?

Ryan Seacrest: The new primetime king?
"With that boy-next-door appeal and a bank account topping $14 million a year according to Forbes magazine, Seacrest may not be making Reese's new $29 million-per-gig figure yet. But at just 32 years of age, Ryan Seacrest is conquering Hollywood the way Alexander the Great stormed over half the world."


'Idol' Hand Ryan Seacrest Put to Work On the Emmys
"Seacrest, who last week was named official celebrity-sightings correspondent/halftime host for the next Super Bowl, has just been named host of the Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony, which is right around the corner, on Sept. 16."


Seacrest won't be funny or 'Idol' at the Emmys
"What's really strange about choosing Seacrest is that he may end up presiding over "Idol" becoming the biggest loser in Emmy history. At this point "Idol" has lost 22 times without a win."