An annual hotdog eating competition in Coney Island New York had Joey Chestnut winning the contest for the second time after downing 59 hotdogs in 10 minutes---an unprecedented tie with Japan’s Takeru Kobayshi (see pictures by Reuters.) A five-dog eat-off tie-breaker failed to bring back the winning streak of Kobayashi, a six –time contest winner.

“On the 232nd anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, Boy Scouts in Hartford, Conn., rang a replica of the Liberty Bell, while organizers of the annual New York fireworks display promised the rockets' red glare would be better than ever.

Near Kissimmee, Fla., a wounded bald eagle, the national bird, was flying free after spending more than two months rehabilitating from a fight with another eagle. It was freed Thursday in Lake Tohopekaliga, the heart of Florida's eagle country.

In Boston, the 211-year-old USS Constitution, the Navy's oldest commissioned warship, was the backdrop Friday morning as two dozen people were sworn in as U.S. citizens.

Vice President Dick Cheney greeted the new Americans and later, in a second ceremony, administered the re-enlistment oath to a group of servicemen.” Associated Press (07.04.08, Long, C.)

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