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Notes from the Beijing Beat
This week and throughout the Olympic games award-winning sports photographers Vincent Laforet, Donald Miralle and Mike Powell will publish daily galleries of their best shots online at Newsweek.com. Plus, Beijing bureau chief Melinda Liu and national sports correspondent Mark Starr will post daily dispatches.

Doctors Within Borders
What happens to those who can't afford medical care? While the presidential candidates debate health policies, the uninsured are lining up for teeth extractions at volunteer clinics in places like Wise, Va.

Highlights
The latest coverage from our bloggers and weekly columnists

• For an insightful analysis of business and economics, read Daniel Gross's invaluable Money Culture column.
• Read Michael Hirsh's The World From Washington column, covering foreign policy and the presidential candidates.
• Get the latest behind-the-scenes news in Michael Isikoff's and Mark Hosenball's Terror Watch.
• For an inside look at Congress and the White House, read Eleanor Clift's Capitol Letter, posted every Friday.
• Larry Kaplow has reported from Iraq since the start of the war. Read his latest reports in our Checkpoint Baghdad blog.

Bikes, Pets and the Taliban's Baghdad Plan
The most popular stories, photo galleries and blogs on Newsweek.com for the week ending August 1:

'Pedal vs. Metal'
A surge in bike ownership spurs a new kind of road rage

'Teen Pregnancy, Hollywood Style'
Once taboo, pregnant teens are popping up more frequently in the media. So what's the problem?

'The Taliban's Baghdad Strategy'
Insurgents are closing in on Kabul to terrorize its residents and drive away investors. It's working.

'Stumper: Poll Position'
What are we to make of the contradictory polls about McCain and Obama? A user's guide.

'A Dog for a Day?'
Lawmakers take action against 'pet rental' companies

'My Turn: Subsidized in the City'
Adulthood means financial independence. So why do so many of my peers still live off their parents?

'China's Agony of Defeat'
Understanding what the Games mean to the Chinese means understanding their history

'McCain's Crafty Ad Strategy'
Team McCain may be a lot less idiotic than the chattering classes suspect

'Obama's Sober Mood'
Greeted by thousands of Europeans, Obama's not letting his world tour go to his head.

'Phones Without Homes'
How the economy and the real-estate mess are hurting the land-line phone business

• View the photos and videos that accompany Christopher Dickey's story about the modern American South.
• Sameer Reddy writes that the wives of Obama and McCain want to avoid becoming a political spouse like Carla Bruni.
• For the latest in scientific research and development, read Sharon Begley's blog, Lab Notes.
• As the Olympic Games begin, follow the action in our Countdown to Beijing blog by Melinda Liu and contributors.
• Fareed Zakaria discusses the future of energy with scientists and leaders. Submit your own questions online.

The Russians Are Coming … for the Real Estate
The 10 most-read stories on Newsweek.com's international site for the week ending Aug. 1

1. 'Teen Pregnancy, Hollywood Style'
Once taboo, pregnant teenagers are popping up more frequently in pop-culture coverage.

2. 'The Taliban's Baghdad Strategy'
Taliban insurgents are closing in on Kabul, not to overrun the capital but to terrorize its residents.

3. 'Gag Order'
How Saudi Arabia pressured Tony Blair's government to shut down a bribery investigation.

4. 'Global Literacy Quiz'
Take your brain for a spin! Test your knowledge in newsweek's annual Global Literacy Quiz.

5. 'A Dog for a Day?'
Lawmakers have recently begun taking steps to ban "pet rental" companies.

6. 'China's Agony of Defeat'
To understand what the Games mean to the Chinese, we review their history of humiliation.

7. 'Obama's Sober Mood'
Obama's world tour was a smashing success, but the candidate isn't letting it go to his head.

8. 'Photos: The Most Fuel-Efficient Cars'
Bigger isn't always better. These pint-size vehicles pack a very powerful punch.

9. 'Phones Without Homes'
Columnist Dan Gross provides an inside look at the real reasons behind the death of landlines.

10. 'Moscow on the Hudson'
Russian magnates may be the key to reviving the lackluster sales of high-end real estate.


Also

• Find out why inflation data don't always tell the truth
• Japan's former economics minister speaks
• Read more travel picks
• View an interactive map on global inflation