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US – Saturday, July 4

Metro puzzle solutions for Wednesday, July 01, 2009

Metro puzzle solutions for Wednesday, July 01, 2009

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METRO PHILLY

Pols’ holiday leaves unfinished business

PENNSYLVANIA. Who thinks about work — even if it's crafting a state budget — when there's barbecues and fireworks to get to? Not state legislators apparently.

NYPD warns city still a bull’s-eye for terror

Osama bin Laden is alive and plotting another attack on New York, the NYPD warned yesterday, as officials fight to retain a program to protect the city from dirty bombs.

Will Mass. be able to wipe the slate clean?

BOSTON. With Gov. Deval Patrick signing sweeping ethics reform legislation Wednesday, the state is hoping to turn the page after a series of embarrassing accusations against former lawmakers in the last year has rattled the public’s faith in government.

The Beckhams’ island getaway

GOSSIP. According to the Sun, David Beckham is planning a trip to Necker Island, Richard Branson’s private island hideaway, to celebrate his 10th wedding anniversary with Victoria Beckham. And the best part? It only costs $51,000 a night to have the whole island to themselves.

Independence Day is Saturday, and American sporting spirits are high after the soccer team’s run at the Confederations Cup.

Sales pressure seen hurting consumers

Consumer and labor groups demanded Bank of America Corp. and other lenders reform their sales practices so that workers under pressure to meet sales quotas do not saddle customers with costly and unnecessary products.

Photo: GETTY IMAGESLast will of Michael Jackson

I, MICHAEL JOSEPH JACKSON, a resident of the State of California, declare this to be my last Will, and do hereby revoke all former wills and codicils made by me.

Movies

The gangster of Hollywood

FEATURE. Johnny Depp doesn’t know what time it is. Though he technically calls an adorable village in France home and owns an island in the Caribbean, the mercurial actor spends so much time working that his internal clock is all out of whack.

Movies

Directorial debut is a shot at the ‘Moon’

INTERVIEW. When directors are limited to a $5 million budget and a 33-day shooting schedule, they usually won’t do anything too arduous — especially for their first films. But director Duncan Jones, 37, tells us that he “wanted to do something with ambition” for his debut flick. So instead, Jones, who is the son of David Bowie, decided to make the sci-fi adventure “Moon,” which opens Friday. The affable Brit explains how.

Gold Cup preview

Three Things to Watch For: The Gold Cup

National

Assets go into trust for family

Details of Michael Jackson’s will began to emerge Wednesday with all of his multimillion-dollar estate being placed in a family trust, even as plans for his highly anticipated funeral remained sketchy.

National

No Neverland services

The Los Angeles Times reported that Jackson’s body will not be buried at his Neverland Ranch in Central California due to legal regulations about private residence burials.

National

California in a state of fiscal emergency

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a fiscal emergency to force lawmakers into a special session to tackle a state budget gap that has widened to $26.3 billion from $24.3 billion after they failed to close it on Tuesday.

Consumer Trends

Got smart-phone envy?

You’re in an elevator, on the subway or waiting in a line, and while those around you are tapping away on their BlackBerrys and iPhones, you take out your plain old cell phone and can’t help but feel a little … inadequate. Worry no more. Here are a handful of phones and programs that will help you quash those feelings of cell phone shame.

Music

Wanna be startin’ somethin'

NEWS. Though nearly every bizarre facet of Jackson’s personal life threatens to taint how he is remembered, it seems the record-buying public could care less. Sales for his “Number Ones” compilation were at 108,000 this past week, an increase of 2,340 percent over the previous week, and when Billboard posted their charts yesterday the album was at No. 1 on the Top Pop Catalog Albums chart.

National

Obama praises pullout, but warns of difficulty

WASHINGTON. President Barack Obama yesterday lauded the pullout of U.S. forces from towns and cities in Iraq as an important step toward a full U.S. troop withdrawal by 2012, but warned of “difficult days” ahead.

Movies

Bale does light-lifting

MOVIES. Christian Bale is more relaxed than usual, and with good reason. The heavy lifting in promoting his latest film, “Public Enemies,” falls to Johnny Depp. For once, the success or failure of the movie doesn’t rest on Bale’s shoulders. There’s no talk of on-set outbursts or franchise potential. And for that, he’s grateful — and cheerful.

Patriotic getaways
East Coast destinations to create fireworks of your own

For those travelers who like to take off on a whim, we’ve got four special destinations for you for a special Fourth of July weekend.

International

Honduras: Zelaya is not coming back

TEGUCIGALPA. The Honduran interim government defied international pressure and vowed there was “no chance at all” of ousted President Manuel Zelaya returning to office.

International

Violence still a fear as U.S. departs Iraq

Iraq took a major step toward reasserting its sovereignty yesterday when U.S. combat troops handed urban areas over to the country’s relatively untested police and soldiers.

Fantasy Sports

A look at LaDainian

FANTASY FOOTBALL. For the last seven years, LaDainian Tomlinson’s predraft analysis was simple: Take him in the top three and enjoy.

Consumer Trends

Why solar energy may eclipse the electric power car

TECHNOLOGY. By using solar photovoltaic cells you can convert energy from the sun — which is both free and sustainable.

Sports

Federer’s final awaits

TENNIS. Roger Federer reached his 21st straight major semifinal by dousing the fireworks of Croatian ace machine Ivo Karlovic 6-3, 7-5, 7-6.

The June edition of MMMpod features an interview with Perry Farrell on getting Jane's Addiction back together, as well as a talk with actor Ed Helms about his love/hate relationship with a capella music. We also have new music from Phoenix, Magic Magic, Lady Sovereign, and a classic from Booker T. & the MGs. As always, there's a chance to win a whole lot of free music.