The Pope beatified Karl I, the last emperor of Austria, an alcoholic adulterer who performed a miracle and used poison gas during World War I; the miracle allegedly occured in 1960, when a Polish nun prayed to Karl and was cured of sores and varicose veins. [Telegraph]
Senator John Kerry defeated President George W. Bush in their first debate. Bush was criticized by experts for giving simplistic answers, smirking, slouching, and repeating himself. He said eleven times that his job is “hard work,” and referring to Missy Johnson, whose husband was killed in Iraq, the president said that “it’s hard work to try to love her as best I can.” [New York Times]
Who decides who wins a presidential debate?
The Army lowered its standards in an attempt to attract more recruits. [New York Times] Election officials across the country were reporting record numbers of new registrations, and Republican state officials in Ohio and Florida were doing their best to invalidate them on technicalities. [New York Times] A federal judge struck down a provision of the USA Patriot Act that permitted the FBI to carry out secret searches of Internet and telephone records but prevented companies from revealing that the searches had taken place. John Ashcroft said that the act is “completely consistent with the United States Constitution.” [Associated Press]
Chinese researchers unveiled a microscopic swimming robot. [New Scientist]
That one’s for you, Janet
A new study suggested that vitamin supplements could increase the risk of dying from cancer. [Guardian]
How did I miss this!
Excellent. Thanks Toren. š