‘I admired her courage in facing and sharing her personal struggles with all of us.’
1. NANCY REAGAN, on fellow First Lady Betty Ford, founder of the eponymous addiction-treatment facility
‘It’s not going to get easier. It’s going to get harder. So we might as well do it now–pull off the Band-Aid, eat our peas.’
2. PRESIDENT OBAMA, urging Republican members of Congress to help negotiate a long-term budget deal that would prevent the U.S. from reaching its debt ceiling on Aug. 2
‘Quite simply, we lost our way.’
3. NEWS OF THE WORLD, in an editorial that ran in its final edition; the 168-year-old British tabloid closed July 10 in the wake of a phone-hacking scandal
‘If Americans don’t fall in love with soccer after this, well, maybe they never will.’
4. JIM LITKE, sports columnist for the Associated Press, on the U.S. team’s quarterfinal triumph over Brazil in the Women’s World Cup. The U.S. won on penalty kicks after a 2-2 tie at the end of overtime
‘Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home.’
5. J.K. ROWLING, author of the Harry Potter books, thanking fans at the London premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, the eighth and final film based on her best-selling series
16.1
Weight, in pounds, of JaMichael Brown July 8 in Longview, Texas. At 24 in. long, he is believed to be one of the largest babies ever born in Texas
8.4
Number of runs per game in the first half of the 2011 baseball season; the lowest scoring in 19 years is due to less steroid use and better pitching
24,000
Number of unidentified murder victims in Rio de Janeiro over the past decade. More than 60,000 murders from the same period remain unsolved
1 in 6
Ratio of baby boomers who expect to live into their 90s, according to a recent AP poll
Sources: New York Times (2), AP, USA Today, L.A. Times
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