July 13 2011: morning
By The Morning News
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- White House turns against Syria's Assad, stopping short of demanding he step down.
- Human Rights Watch urges Obama, with "overwhelming evidence," to investigate torture sanctioned by Bush & Co.
- Blood phones: Minerals in your pocket perpetuate war in the DRC.
- Ehrenreich: As wars become fought entirely by machines, it's hard to imagine AI responding to 9/11 by invading Iraq.
- Video trailers for shipping simulators, in case you've ever wanted to drive a ferry.
- See also: Demolition simulations, gold edition.
- Science of sprinting is immature, but experts and runners bet against someone doing 100 meters in nine seconds.
- Op: Today’s sportsmanship shows evolution, with Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, and del Potro playing their best when they don’t make it personal.
- Preview of today's USA-France World Cup match, 11:30 a.m. EST.
- Champion dressage horse has super-fans; woman tries to buy rubber glove that the horse had spat on as a souvenir.
- J.K. Rowling doesn't have a price, even when the super-wealthy want their kids' names in her books.
- Laura Miller survey of vacations for avid readers, who, like Bill Gates, want a week for books and solitude.
- Fifteen percent of Singapore households are millionaires (in Switzerland, 10%; in U.S., 4.5%).
- Photo-essay: Sanatorium grows in Brooklyn, "temporary clinic" to treat depression caused by urban living.
- Vegetarian life is a solitary existence, even for monsters.
- Video of a front-row ride on the world's steepest rollercoaster.
