NEWS Aggregator

Chromodromic writes "Apress's newest Django offering, Practical Django Projects by James Bennett, weighs in lightly at 224 pages of actual tutorial content, but trust me, they're dense pages. Filled with pragmatic examples which directly address the kinds of development issues you will encounter when first starting out with Django, this book makes an important addition to the aspiring Django developer's reference shelf. In particular, the book's emphasis on demonstrating best practices while building complete projects does an excellent job of accelerating an understanding of Django's most powerful features — in a realistic, pragmatic setting — and which a developer will be able to leverage in very short order." Read below for the rest of Greg's review.

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A partisan squabble in the Senate Wednesday threatened to sink a bill meant to crack down on oil speculators.

The House was poised Wednesday to pass sweeping legislation that will offer up to $300 billion in assistance to troubled homeowners and throw government support behind mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

The Rand family knew the slave-owner was one of their ancestors -- a farmer who had children with both a white and a black woman. But their black history stopped at the Atlantic, with no idea where in Africa the rest of their roots lay. Slavery and the shame of mixed-race ancestry have robbed many Americans of knowing their heritage, but science is now offering answers.

Canada.com

Residents are scurrying for cover as Hurricane Dolly heads toward land, now as a Category 2 storm. "Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion," officials warned, adding the storm could trigger flooding and tornadoes in Texas and Mexico. "It's starting to tear it up real good," iReporter Steven Murphy told CNN from South Padre Island.

America's middle class is growing increasingly squeezed by sagging incomes and soaring expenses, experts told Congress on Wednesday.

RTT NewsWireless growth bolsters AT&T earnings
Bizjournals.com - 52 minutes ago
Strong wireless growth continued to boost AT&T Inc.'s quarterly profits during the second quarter of 2008, the telecom giant revealed Wednesday.
2nd UPDATE: AT&T's 2Q Net Up 30% On Wireless Strength CNNMoney.com
AT&T Second-Quarter Profit Increases 30% on Wireless (Update2) Bloomberg
Washington Post - Houston Chronicle - NetworkWorld.com - InformationWeek
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AFPFed Beige Book: Price pressures elevated or rising
Reuters - 52 minutes ago
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The pace of US economic activity slowed somewhat through mid-July and price pressures were elevated or increasing across the country, the US Federal Reserve said on Wednesday in a report showing evidence of inflation warning ...
Fed's Beige Book finds slower growth, rising price pressure MarketWatch
Fed's Beige Book cites slow growth, higher price pressures AFP
Wall Street Journal Blogs - Reuters FX Hub
all 6 news articles

Seattle Post IntelligencerMcCain camp cries foul
Christian Science Monitor - 54 minutes ago
By Linda Feldmann | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor Washington - In a campaign week dominated by Barack Obama's trip abroad, the pro-John McCain camp has made headlines by complaining about coverage of Senator Obama's trip abroad.
McCain, in Wilkes-Barre, criticizes Obama on Iraq Philadelphia Inquirer
McCain: A Dukakis-in-a-tank moment? MSNBC
Reuters - USA Today - New York Times - Dallas Morning News
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Hartford CourantYanks C Posada puts off surgery, opts for rehab
USA Today - 54 minutes ago
By Howie Rumberg, AP Sports Writer NEW YORK - Yankees catcher Jorge Posada wants to put off surgery on his right shoulder even if it means sacrificing the start of next season.
Ailing Posada mulls position change MLB.com
For Jorge Posada, it's DH or bust New York Daily News
Sports Network - Rotoworld.com - Rotowire - New York Times
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Washington Post

BBC

Obama tries to balance solidarity and neutrality
Christian Science Monitor - 59 minutes ago
The latest stops in his Mideast tour included the rocket-besieged Israeli town of Sderot and the West Bank town of Ramallah. By Ilene R. Prusher | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor Ramallah, West Bank - US Democratic presidential hopeful ...
Barack Obama pledges 'unshakeable commitment' to Israel guardian.co.uk
Obama says he's 'deeply committed' to helping Israel CNN
Aljazeera.net - Monsters and Critics.com - Washington Post - Voice of America
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The U.S. Coast Guard has closed 29 miles of the Mississippi River from New Orleans southward after a tanker and a barge collided, spilling more than 400,000 gallons of fuel oil into the river.

BBC NewsArrest Warrant Looming, Bashir Goes on Tour
New York Times - 1 hour ago
Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir during his tour in El-Fasher, north Darfur, on Wednesday. By JEFFREY GETTLEMAN EL FASHER, Sudan - Omar Hassan al-Bashir, the president of Sudan who has been accused of genocide, is not especially well known for ...
Sudan President Begins Darfur Tour After ICC Ruling Voice of America
Beshir dances in Darfur defying war crimes cloud AFP
Christian Science Monitor - PRESS TV - Xinhua - Bloomberg
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Raw Story29 Miles of Mississippi River Closed After Collision
FOXNews - 1 hour ago
AP July 23: A broken barge is shown that split in half after a tugboat pushing it and a 600-foot tanker crashed. NEW ORLEANS - The Coast Guard closed 29 miles of the Mississippi River at New Orleans after a 600-foot tanker and a barge loaded with fuel ...
Ship collision shuts Mississippi River Reuters
Collision between tug, tanker closes Mississippi River at New Orleans International Herald Tribune
The Associated Press - eFluxMedia - Houston Chronicle
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Gawker

KentuckyFC writes "Earlier this year, Paris-based Aldebaran-Robotics picked up $8 million in venture capital funding to help commercialize its NAO humanoid robot. The target market for this device is research labs working on the next generation of robotic hardware and software. Today, the company has posted a detailed spec of NAO on the arXiv saying that it expects the robot to cost about $15,000 each. That's cheap compared to other humanoids. Fuitsu's HOAP humanoids cost $50,000 each and various estimates price Honda's Asimo at $1 million per bot, although they are not for sale. Aldebaran-Robotics says that NAO's cost should come down to about $6,000 as production ramps up."

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ABC NewsEstelle Getty was a true 'Golden Girl'
Los Angeles Times - 1 hour ago
Estelle Getty, who died Tuesday three days before her 85th brithday, may have won her only Emmy Award in the supporting race but she was really one of the leading lights of "The Golden Girls.
Video: Estelle Getty of 'Golden Girls' Dies at 84 AssociatedPress
The Golden Girls: Estelle Getty Dies at 84 BuddyTV
Washington Post - E! Online - CollegeOTR - Reuters
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