Diversions

Pop Culture

Triple Sevens on July 7: Marketers Hype the Luck

July 6, 2007 · Marketers are making the most of what's being called the "luckiest day of the century" as the calendar approaches the 7th day of the 7th month of the year 2007.

Sports

Britain Hosts First Leg of Tour de France

July 6, 2007 · This weekend, England (not France) will host a time trial and the first leg of the Tour de France cycling race. Among the reasons: London Mayor Ken Livingstone wants to promote cycling as a way to ease city traffic congestion.

Sports

2007 Tour de France Could Regain Race's Reputation

July 6, 2007 · The Tour de France is set to start in London under a cloud of doping scandals. But the field is wide open for a new generation of riders to revive the sport's reputation. Cyclists have to sign anti-doping pledges. VeloNews correspondent Andrew Hood talks with John Ydstie.

Nation

Mystery, Legal Fight Surround Shipwreck Treasure

July 5, 2007 · A Florida marine exploration company has found what appears to be the most valuable shipwreck ever — it already has yielded more than a half-billion dollars in silver. The questions now are: What ship is it? And who has a rightful claim to the treasure?

Nation

Senate Bill Aims to Increase Tourism

July 5, 2007 · Visits to the United States from countries outside of Canada and Mexico totaled 21.7 million in 2006 — that is down 17 percent from a peak of 26 million in 2000, according to Commerce Department figures. The decline comes at a time when cross-border travel around the world is up 20 percent.

Kitchen Window By Howard Yoon

Spam: More than Junk Mail or Junk Meat

July 4, 2007 · Created by Hormel Foods in 1937 and promoted as "the miracle meat," Spam became K-ration fare for American GIs and Allied forces during World War II. The "war-time delicacy" is still a favorite in Howard Yoon's cupboard. He explains why.

Holidays

Hot Dog Eating Contest Is July 4 Tradition

July 4, 2007 · Hot dogs are a July 4 staple, and so are hot dog eating contests. Wednesday is the 91st annual Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest in Coney Island, N.Y. This year's winner managed to eat 66 hot dogs in 12 minutes.

Sports

Swiss Sailors Seize America's Cup

July 4, 2007 · Team Alinghi, a Switzerland-based group, wins international sailing's most prestigious award, the America's Cup. Alinghi beat Team New Zealand by one second in a thrilling final off the coast of Spain.

Nation

U.S. Springfields Compete for 'Simpsons' Premiere

July 3, 2007 · The fictitious, garden-variety hometown of The Simpsons was purposefully named Springfield — the town exists in 34 states. Now, 14 Springfields from across the nation are competing for the chance to host the big screen premiere of The Simpsons Movie on July 26.

People & Places

Rower Savage Sets Sights on Pacific

July 3, 2007 · British rower Roz Savage plans to be the first woman to row solo across the Pacific Ocean. She plans to launch her journey in her fiberglass rowboat from San Francisco next week. In 2006, Savage became one of the few women to row alone across the Atlantic Ocean.

Dracula's Castle on the Market for $135 Million

July 3, 2007 · Dracula's Castle is for sale. You might remember last year Romania's former royal family got the castle back from Romania's former Communist Government. High on a cliff in Transylvania, the 800-year-old castle once hosted Vlad the Impaler — a torture loving warlord immortalized in fiction as Dracula.

Masculinity in the 21st Century

July 2, 2007 · In a recent Washington Post article, writer Laura Sessions Stepp asks, "What Does It Mean to Be Manly?" Hollywood heroes such as John Wayne and Charlton Heston used to send strong clues about what it meant to be a man. Today, however, masculinity is not so easily defined.