Fire at WTC building exposes government lapses

In this Monday Aug. 20, 2007 picture, the Deutsche Bank building in New York is closed for work as investigators continue to look into the cause of a deadly blaze. Manhattan prosecutors are preparing to conclude soon whether the failures before the blaze at the state-owned building were bureaucratic blunders or crimes. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, File)AP - Every two weeks, firefighters ascend a condemned, black-shrouded skyscraper, checking carefully marked exit signs, a rebuilt water supply system and wide-open corridors. They wear protective suits on floors still contaminated by toxic dust from the World Trade Center.

AP IMPACT: Weak rules cripple appraiser oversight

Appraiser Bob Ipock is shown in Charlotte, N.C., Wednesday, May 28, 2008. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)AP - As soaring home prices set the stage for America’s great housing meltdown, a critical step in making sure those home sales were a fair deal ? the real estate appraisal ? was undermined from within.

Outback mayor seeks “ugly duckling” women
A couple stands at the embankment of the Volga River in Samara, about 1000 km (620 miles) southeast of Moscow May 18, 2007. (Sergei Karpukhin/Reuters)Reuters - A plea for lovelorn female “ugly
ducklings” to move to a remote Australian mining town to
reverse a shortage of eligible women has landed the local mayor
in hot water.

Golden boy Michael Phelps eager for his own bed

Michael Phelps celebrates after the U.S. won the men’s 4×100m medley relay swimming final at the National Aquatics Center in Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, August 17, 2008. (Jerry Lampen/Reuters)AP - Michael Phelps kept every swimsuit, every cap, every pair of goggles he wore during nine magical days at the Water Cube. Every memory will be savored, too, from goofing off with his U.S. teammates to bowing his head not one, not two, but eight times to receive a gold medal at the Beijing Games.

China has not approved Olympic protest requests

Two volunteers walk amongst apartment blocks at the Olympic village in Beijing July 27, 2008. The heavily-guarded village, which will house 16,000 athletes and officials during next month’s Beijing Games, was officially opened on Sunday under skies still grey with the pollution that China has promised to clear in time for the August 8-24 Games. REUTERS/David Gray (CHINA) (BEIJING OLYMPICS 2008 PREVIEW)AP - Chinese authorities have not approved any of the 77 applications they received from people who wanted to hold protests during the Beijing Olympics, state media reported Monday.