August 9, 2012: Morning
- Aleppo becomes Syria's focal point and faces a crippling stalemate.
- Shadow war between Israel and Iran sees return to "the black arts of the cold war."
- On the recent demise of Tuscany's Siena.
- Bob Hoskins to retire from acting after diagnosis of Parkinson's disease.
- Only 47 percent of Irish are religious—a 22-point drop from 2005.
- Introducing the chork, a chopstick-fork combo that took two years to build.
- International Institute for Species Exploration lists top 10 new species.
- Stories from the night that the Cleveland Indians disastrously offered 10-cent cups of beer.
- Reading notes on 10 of the English language's most difficult books to read.
- Rehearsal tapes of Dylan rediscovering his catalog while preparing to tour with the Grateful Dead.
- Mitch Hedberg's wife on the great, late comedian's joke-writing process.
- Life with body-hackers, grinders, wannabe cyborgs.
- New Facebook extension replaces friends' baby pictures with bacon photos.