NPR Blogs

Any claim the British have to their fabled "stiff upper lip" is being destroyed by these Olympic Games. The Brits' lips are wobbling like jellies; their tears are flowing faster than the summer rain; their crowds are cheering themselves hoarse.

We've reached that point in the summertime when our usual Pop Culture Happy Hour crew has shrunk to nearly nothing: Host Linda Holmes is still at the Television Critics Association press tour, Trey Graham is attending a journalism convention in Las Vegas, and producer Mike Katzif is gazing down on us a la Simba's dad in The Lion King. This leaves us with a reconstituted but still formidable crew, in which Glen Weldon and I are joined by Tanya Ballard Brown, Matt Thompson and producer Jess Gitner.

It's Day 7 of competition at the London Olympics, and America has found a new contestant in its continual quest for a sweetheart: Gabby Douglas, the only gymnast who already has two gold medals before individual rounds begin. And still, it seems, some folks prefer to talk about Douglas' hair.

Good morning - we're looking at these stories today:

Fierce Fighting Continues In Syria As U.N. General Assembly Prepares To Vote.

It's 'Kiss In' Day At Chick-Fil-A For Gay Rights Activists.

"There has been renewed fighting in Syria ahead of a U.N. General Assembly vote condemning its own Security Council for failing to end the unrest," the BBC writes. "The army has been shelling rebel positions in the largest city, Aleppo. There was also bloodshed in Hama and the capital, Damascus."

According to al-Jazeera:

Update at 8:45 a.m. ET. Report Has Better Than Expected News:

"163,000 Jobs Added In July; Unemployment Rate Rose To 8.3 Percent"

Our original post:

Both athletes were U.S. swimmers, both were dripping wet after finishing an Olympics final, and both had just won medals.

The first said, "It's not my normal specialty. ... We went out there and raced tough – and just came up a little short."

The second had a beaming face. He said, "[I] swam my own race. And knew I had a lane, and had an opportunity, and I went for it. It worked out, you know, it's just awesome that I get to go on the podium tonight. Honestly, I'm really proud of myself!"

There have been lots of goodbye parties this year at the University of Virginia School of Nursing. So far, 11 professors have retired. That's one-fourth of the faculty, and Dean Dorrie Fontaine is in no mood to celebrate.

Over the next few years, the Affordable Care Act will probably boost demand for nurses to take care of the newly insured, she says, "and I need faculty to teach the practitioners that are going to take care of these uninsured."

Gabby Douglas, the 16-year-old gymnast from Virginia Beach, Va., won another gold medal Thursday. The first was won with her team earlier this week. She was the only member of the team to perform in all four rotations. So, why are some black women obsessed with her hair? Writer Monique Fields has this perspective.

Never mind how she flies like a raven on the balance beam. Or flutters across the floor. Or soars on vault. Or swings on the uneven bars.

One person has died and at least 25 have been hurt when a double-decker crashed into a concrete pillar near Litchfield, Illi., police said. The Megabus, which was headed to Kansas City, lost control on a south-bound lane of I-55 when a tire blew.

The Chicago Tribune reports:

"As many as half the people on the bus were injured, according to State Police Capt. Scott Compton.

A few days ago, I found myself sitting in a room full of cross-legged yogis with my sweaty hands resting on the sweaty knees of the people beside me, bellowing a mantra in unison over and over again. What united us at that yoga studio was empathy for yoga instructor Michael Joel Hall, who was savagely beaten as he walked home earlier that week with his boyfriend.

Rebekah Brooks, the former editor of The News of the World, has been officially charged in the phone hacking scandal that has roiled Rupert Murdoch's media empire.

The Guardian reports:

"Brooks, 44, answered bail at Lewisham police station and will appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on 3 September.