Newser Story Index from October, 2007
Welcome to the Newser Story Index. Here you find stories written by Newser writers and editors, assembled with supporting photos and videos from the files of the news story.
Launch Tomorrow a Go: NASA
Orlando Sentinel
|
Oct 22, 2007 10:00 AM CDT
(Newser) -
With one eye on potentially disastrous weather, NASA is preparing to launch its most ambitious space mission ever tomorrow, reports the Orlando Sentinel. The launch is a go despite an independent safety board's recommendation to delay because of hairline cracks in Discovery's wing panels. NASA says the cracks lie within the realm of “acceptable...
Sri Lankan Rebels Kill 5 in Air Base Attack
Guardian (UK)
|
Oct 22, 2007 9:38 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The Black Tigers, the Tamil rebel group in Sri Lanka, killed five and injured 22 at a government air base yesterday in their largest coordinated attack in two decades, reports the Guardian. Suicide bombers, ground forces, and small planes took part, said a spokesman for the Tigers, which lost 21 troops. The sides offered conflicting reports of damage...
Bear Stearns, China's Citic Trade $1B Stakes
Bloomberg
|
Oct 22, 2007 9:02 AM CDT
(Newser) -
In a welcome boost after this year's devastating subprime losses, Bear Stearns today moved to secure a long-coveted slice of the Chinese market. Stearns and China’s Citic Securities Co. agreed to invest $1 billion in each other, pooling their Asian resources to develop new products for the Chinese market, and launching a Hong Kong-based...
World Bank President Touts New Strategy
Reuters
|
Oct 22, 2007 8:25 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Robert Zoellick has outlined a new strategy for the World Bank, including giving the private sector a bigger role in development, speeding aid to countries coming out of conflict, and promoting green energy alternatives, Reuters reports. The new president has been quick to reposition the global bank's mission following the turmoil over former...
Turkish Troops Said Missing
Associated Press
|
Oct 22, 2007 7:28 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A Turkish convoy with dozens of military vehicles joined tens of thousands of troops massed on the Iraqi border today, as the military announced that eight soldiers were missing, in addition to 12 killed, in an ambush by Kurdish militants early yesterday morning. The Turks shelled Kurdish camps over the border for nearly 24 hours in retaliation...
China Picks New Politboro Young Bloods
Washington Post
|
Oct 22, 2007 7:05 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The Chinese Communist Party named its newest leaders yesterday, including the man favored to succeed current president Hu Jintao, reports the Washington Post . Xi Jinping, 54, is the son of a Chinese guerrilla leader who rose to the top of the Shanghai branch of the Communist Party, making him a "princeling" son of the revolutionary generation....
Wildfires Racing to San Diego
Los Angeles Times
|
Oct 22, 2007 6:49 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A wildfire bearing down on San Diego this morning, moving faster than expected, is forcing 10,000 to evacuate their homes, after one person was killed and 17 more injured in a series of fires across Southern California yesterday. Near hurricane-level winds have fanned a dozen outbreaks from Santa Barbara to San Diego, claiming 39 buildings.
Kid Rock Jailed in Short Order After Waffle House Dustup
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
|
Oct 22, 2007 6:26 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Singer Kid Rock raised the rafters at a sold-out concert to promote his latest CD in Atlanta and then was busted when he and his posse beat up a customer in a waffle house who was chatting up a woman in Rock's party, according to police. He and his five cronies were charged with simple battery, a misdemeanor.
Priest Holmes Rejoins Chiefs
Associated Press
|
Oct 22, 2007 5:35 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The Kansas City Chiefs welcomed back an aging Priest Holmes last night, nearly two years after he sustained a severe neck injury that almost put him out of play permanently. The enigmatic 34-year-old running back held the team record for yards rushed and touchdowns scored before his 2005 injury. He managed 9 yards last night against the Raiders.
Teams Fail to Build Elevator to Heaven
New Scientist
|
Oct 22, 2007 5:30 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The race was on and the wind was up, which was something of a problem because contestants in the second annual Space Elevator Games in Utah yesterday were vying to send a vehicle 400 feet up a vertical cable attached to a crane. The prize of $500,000 in NASA cash went unclaimed, because none of the vehicles—prototypes for a future space elevator—managed...
Web Biz Alibaba Launching Record IPO in China
Wall Street Journal
|
Oct 22, 2007 4:24 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Alibaba, the business-to-business service that links small and mid-sized Chinese manufacturers to customers around the world, is expected today to announce what will likely be the biggest Internet IPO in Chinese history. Analysts expect the world's most-visited import/export site to pull in an estimated $1.3 billion from Hong Kong investors,...
Rivals Boast Right Stuff in Fight for Conservative Cred
USA Today
|
Oct 22, 2007 4:16 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Republican presidential hopefuls fought bitterly over who has the best conservative credentials in an Orlando, Fla., forum last night. Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee cited their conservative executive experience, while John McCain and Fred Thompson touted conservative Senate voting records. Giuliani generally sparred with Thompson, and...
Israel Foils Plot to Kill Olmert
AFP
|
Oct 22, 2007 3:39 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Israel thwarted a plot by Fatah militants to attack a convoy carrying Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to the West Bank town of Jericho in August, AFP reports. Plotters reportedly included members of an elite group directly under the command of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Three men were arrested by Palestinian police and later released.
Griese Rallies Bears to Last-Minute Win in Philly
Philadelphia Inquirer
|
Oct 22, 2007 3:22 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The Chicago Bears ran the two-minute drill to perfection and surged from behind yesterday at Lincoln Financial Field to beat the Philadelphia Eagles 19-16. The turnaround came when quarterback Brian Griese took the offense 97 yards in 103 seconds, cinching the game with a touchdown throw to Muhsin Muhammad with 9 seconds remaining, the Philadelphia...
Flying SUX When You're in Hog Heaven
Sioux City Journal
|
Oct 22, 2007 3:10 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Sioux City has protested in vain for years to the Federal Aviation Administration to change its airport's three-letter identifier: SUX. Then farm belt officials decided to wake up and fly right and capitalize on the unfortunate moniker. Now Sioux Gateway Airport has launched a publicity campaign featuring the slogan "FLY SUX," which is appearing...
Pedroia Powers Sox Into Series
Boston Globe
|
Oct 22, 2007 3:02 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The smallest guy on the field struck the biggest blows last night as the Red Sox turned a tense ALCS Game 7 into a late-inning laugher. With the Sox leading the Indians 3-2, rookie second baseman Dustin Pedroia hit a 2-run HR in the 7th inning, then a bases-loaded double in the 8th, and Boston cruised into the World Series with an 11-2 win, the team's...
Brit Wins Back Visits With Sons
E! Online
|
Oct 22, 2007 2:55 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The mother of all custody battles has won back visitation rights with her two young sons. Pop princess Britney Spears was spotted over the weekend driving with the boys and another adult believed to be her court-appointed monitor. Spears' visitation rights, which she lost last week, were expected to be restored because she's back in compliance with...
Apple's Bite Bigger Than Ever
New York Times
|
Oct 22, 2007 2:37 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Sales of Mac computers are booming, boosted by the success of Apple's iPod and iPhone among PC users. Apple will move into third place among computer makers today—behind Hewlett Packard and Dell, reports the New York Times . The surge comes just as Apple is about to release the new Leopard version of its OS X operating system.
Chrysler Deal Faces More Rejections
Wall Street Journal
|
Oct 21, 2007 11:02 PM CDT
(Newser) -
UAW members at three auto plants rejected the proposed pact between Chrysler and their union this weekend, bringing to six the number of locals who have voted down the deal, the Wall Street Journal reports. In a last-ditch effort to salvage the agreement, union leaders are focusing lobbying efforts on upcoming votes at plants in Michigan and...
Packers Great Max McGee Dies
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
|
Oct 21, 2007 9:50 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Max McGee, the Green Bay Packer legend who scored the first touchdown in Super Bowl history, died yesterday after falling from the roof of his Minnesota home. McGee played 12 seasons with the Cheeseheads and served two years in the Air Force, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says. The Nevada native remains the tenth-highest scorer in NFL history with...
Poles Oust Brothers, Vote in Center-Right
Reuters
|
Oct 21, 2007 8:50 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Poles ousted the conservative Kaczynski twins today and voted in a center-right party that vows better relations with the EU. The highest turnout in nearly 20 years backed Civic Platform by 44% over Law and Justice's 30%, setting up opposition leader Donald Tusk to guide parliament against President Lech Kaczynski. Opposition parties won enough seats...
Nalbandian Shocks Federer
Telegraph (UK)
|
Oct 21, 2007 8:19 PM CDT
(Newser) -
David Nalbandian achieved a rare trifecta in Madrid for his first Masters Series title, knocking off world no. 1 Roger Federer in the finals after eliminating no. 2 Rafael Nadal and no. 3 Novak Djokovic earlier in the tournament. Nalbandian came back from a set down to edge an uncharacteristically erratic Federer, 1-6, 6-3, 6-3.
Dubious Bush Benefactor Embedded in Clinton Camp
Nation
|
Oct 21, 2007 8:09 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Hillary Clinton has another backer as mysterious as the now-discredited Norman Hsu—this one a businessman who goes way back with George W. Bush. The Nation examines Clinton's ties to Alan Quasha, the Harken Energy magnate who bailed out the younger Bush’s oil company in 1986. Quasha now has an odd, under-the-radar connection to the Clinton...
Cheney Amps Up Rhetoric Against Iran
Reuters
|
Oct 21, 2007 7:56 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Cheney threatened "serious consequences" today if Iran doesn't drop its nuclear program, Reuters reports. "Our country and the entire international community cannot stand by as a terror-supporting state fulfills its most aggressive ambitions," he told the audience at a think-tank forum. One analyst called Cheney's threat "quite...
Fins Still Winless, Pats Still Lossless
Associated Press
|
Oct 21, 2007 7:21 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Normally a house of horrors for Tom Brady, Miami instead yielded a career day to the quarterback of unbeaten New England, and the Dolphins lost their seventh game of the season. Brady threw for six touchdowns, a team record; the last came off the bench after the Dolphins pulled to within (gasp) 21. The Patriots had achieved a 42-7 halftime lead.
Hollywood Mourns Children
NPR
|
Oct 21, 2007 7:08 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Hollywood is in mourning. Films like Gone Baby Gone, In the Valley of Elah, and Reservation Road all feature parents grieving over lost or dead children, railing at authority and looking for someone to blame. NPR’s Bob Mondello sees a theme here very different from the usual practice of endangering children so heroes can save them. These...
Is National Discourse Too Darn Crass?
Christian Science Monitor
|
Oct 21, 2007 6:59 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Shock jock Don Imus is coming back, but humbled; Ann Coulter got press for anti-Semitism, but lost support; could this be a backlash against crass punditry? Hardly, say the experts, but some see rays of hope. "We're caught right now between extreme political correctness on one end and crude, hateful incivility on the other," says...
Perez Hilton Calls Own Work ‘Noble’
Rolling Stone
|
Oct 21, 2007 6:13 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Mario Lavandeira, aka Perez Hilton, is every celebrity’s worst nightmare, but the blogger thinks his work—satirically applying lipstick, dollar signs, and other doodles to Hollywood’s most photographed—is “noble.” With his own VH1 reality show, a ban from the Chateau Marmont, and a yearly take of at least $250,000,...
Vampire Flick Takes $16M Bite Out of Box Office
Variety
|
Oct 21, 2007 5:23 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Vampire-seekers made 30 Days of Night number 1 this weekend amid pale box office numbers, Variety reports. Other new entrants couldn’t top Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married? , The Game Plan , or Michael Clayton , which took second, third, and fourth, respectively. The AP reports that audiences want “something to have fun with,”...
Hundreds Flee Malibu Fires
Los Angeles Daily News
|
Oct 21, 2007 4:57 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Massive brushfires raged through Malibu today, causing hundreds to flee and destroying at least 6 buildings. Officials say that the 1,000-acre fire is out of control despite 500 firefighters on the scene and almost 1,000 en route. Twenty-to-thirty mile-per-hour winds will sustain the fire for days and threaten thousands of homes, the Los Angeles Daily...
New Lead on Poe's Death Excites Buffs
New York Observer
|
Oct 21, 2007 4:25 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Accounts of Edgar Allan Poe's exhumed brain may prove how he died, says Matthew Pearl, author of The Poe Shadow . He found reports of Poe's "dried and hardened" brain, "diminished in size," in old newspapers—and confirmed them as signs of a tumor. One Poe descendant says that Pearl has “stumbled onto something quite...
Poles Vote; Twins' Ouster Likely
Guardian (UK)
|
Oct 21, 2007 3:49 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Poles headed to the polls today in larger numbers than usual, potentially ending the reign of the conservative Kaczynski twins, the Guardian reports. Exit polls weren't available, but opposition leader Donald Tusk had been expected to replace Jaroslaw Kaczynski as PM and lead a hostile parliament against President Lech Kaczynski. Younger Poles are...
West's Water Woes May Be Permanent
New York Times
|
Oct 21, 2007 3:22 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Officials out West are worried about water, the New York Times reports, and not just for the short-term. In what the Times calls the " other water problem" caused by global warming, snowcaps that feed the the Colorado River—which quenches the thirst of 30 million people in seven states—are at their lowest levels in...
Cleveland Pitcher Bought HGH
San Francisco Chronicle
|
Oct 21, 2007 3:00 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Paul Byrd, the pitcher who's been critical in the Cleveland Indians' successful playoff run this season, bought almost $25,000 worth of human growth hormone between 2002 and 2005, the San Francisco Chronicle learned today. Byrd admitted taking HGH, but told Fox Sports he was using it legally with a prescription. The Chronicle report, however, says...
Globe Owned by Hitler to Be Auctioned
Independent (UK)
|
Oct 21, 2007 2:49 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A globe belonging to Adolf Hitler and marked with possible remnants of strategic planning is going up for auction, the Independent reports. A US officer found it in Hitler's Bavarian retreat, known as Eagle's Nest. Although there had already been extensive looting, the soldier saw it sitting on a desk and shipped it home to California. It's been...
Jindal Wins La. Governor Race
Bloomberg
|
Oct 21, 2007 2:13 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Bobby Jindal won the Louisiana gubernatorial race late yesterday, making the 36-year-old Republican congressman the first Indian-American to head a US state—and the nation's youngest governor. In a state where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans two to one, Jindal won 54% of the vote, eliminating the need for a runoff election. His triumph...
Facebook May Announce Deal Results Tuesday
Valleywag
|
Oct 21, 2007 1:43 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The result of the bidding war between tech giants Microsoft, Google and Yahoo as to who will own a large investment stake in the social networking site Facebook is still not clear, but an answer may be forthcoming: an all-hands meeting for the young company has been called for Tuesday, meaning the company may be on the verge of disclosure, reports...
Clintons Keep White House Papers Buried
Newsweek
|
Oct 21, 2007 1:40 PM CDT
(Newser) -
People curious about Hillary Clinton’s role in her husband’s White House won’t find anything helpful in his presidential library, Newsweek reports. Less than 1% of the 98 million documents and emails there are public, though all are subject to the Freedom of Information Act. Bill Clinton instructed librarians to “consider...
US Forces Kill 49 in Sadr City
Reuters
|
Oct 21, 2007 1:13 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The US military said it killed 49 gunmen today in a Sadr City raid aimed at capturing an Iranian-linked rebel leader suspected of kidnapping coalition members and foreigners. But Iraqi witnesses pin the death toll at 13, including two toddlers, Reuters reports. Military officials were mum on whether the rogue Mehdi Army foreman was apprehended.
Breast Cancer Chemo Threatens Heart Health
CNN
|
Oct 21, 2007 12:51 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Certain chemotherapy drugs that can save a woman from breast cancer can also raise her risk of heart disease, according to a new study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology . The spike in heart disease comes primarily from chemotherapy medicines known as anthracyclines. "We always felt the benefit of saving lives were part of the...
Clooney Signs On at Green Firm
Associated Press
|
Oct 21, 2007 12:21 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A new Swiss company that will focus on green production of hydrogen, solar energy, and fuel cells will count Hollywood A-lister George Clooney as an executive board member, the AP reports. Nicolas Hayek, the billionaire Swatch chairman, is launching the enterprise to develop environmentally friendly technologies for car engines and other machines....
US Surf Champ Scuffles With Israeli Paparazzi
Associated Press
|
Oct 21, 2007 12:00 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A camera-shy Florida surfing champ with super model in tow was detained and released following a row with photographers in Israel, reports AP. Eight-time world champion Kelly Slater was spotted outside a hotel near Tel Aviv with model Bar Refaeli; when photogs started snapping, Slater pushed them, police said. A similar incident occurred earlier this...
Kurdish Rebels Kill 12 Turkish Soldiers
Reuters
|
Oct 21, 2007 11:51 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Kurdish rebels killed 12 Turkish troops and wounded 16 more in a surprise attack in Turkey today, Reuters reports, four days after parliament voted to allow military strikes against the Kurdistan Workers' Party in northern Iraq. Now, the pressure is on for the Turkish government to take decisive military action, and PM Tayyip Erdogan has called crisis...
YouPorn Is Killing the Porn Biz
Portfolio
|
Oct 21, 2007 11:17 AM CDT
(Newser) -
As with so many other industries, porn is under assault from the changes wrought by the internet. Claire Hoffman chronicles the challenge a free file-sharing porn site, YouPorn, poses to adult industry goliath, Vivid Entertainment, in Portfolio magazine. The ready availability of pornography on the internet has sent DVD sales, the bedrock of the...
Bhutto Seeks World's Help in Bomb Inquiry
Reuters
|
Oct 21, 2007 10:48 AM CDT
(Newser) -
After attending prayer services for the 139 killed in Friday's assassination attempt on her, Benazir Bhutto today called on Pakistan's government to seek international help in investigating, Reuters reports. The international community has the "anti-terrorism expertise to investigate attacks of this nature," said the former PM, vowing that...
Lawsuit to iPhones: You're Toxic
Independent (UK)
|
Oct 21, 2007 10:09 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A California environmental group has announced it's filing a lawsuit against Apple's popular iPhone, demanding the company eliminate "dangerous" toxic chemicals from the gadgets or include a warning label on the product as required by state law. At issue are phthalates, suspected of causing birth defects, that are used to make iPhone cables...
Brain Holds Stress-Coping Mechanism
Reuters
|
Oct 21, 2007 9:38 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Turns out keeping your cool really is all in your head—scientists now pinpoint those most susceptible to stress as having too much of a chemical in a region of the brain that regulates reward signals, Reuters reports. The discovery could shed light on treatments for PTSD and depression, which are bound up with the same neurochemical produced...
Oceans Are Absorbing Less CO2
BBC
|
Oct 21, 2007 9:19 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Oceans are absorbing half the CO2 they were in the mid-'90s, according to a study that collected more than 90,000 North Atlantic measurements over 10 years. Oceans typically absorb about a quarter of the world’s carbon emissions, but the new data suggest they're becoming “saturated,” which a BBC analyst says would “leave all...
Pakistan Turmoil Haunts US
New York Times
|
Oct 21, 2007 8:52 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Political chaos in Pakistan could spell major danger for the US, as weakened President General Pervez Musharraf fights to keep Taliban and al-Qaeda forces—as well as the nation's numerous nuclear weapons—in check. One White House official called Pakistan's potential destabilization a "nightmare scenario" that appears to be more...
Jesus 2.0: GodTube Is a Smash With Believers
Los Angeles Times
|
Oct 21, 2007 8:12 AM CDT
(Newser) -
GodTube, one of the fastest-growing sites on the web, is drawing masses of the Christian faithful to its user-generated videos, social-networking tools and the "GodCaster," which offers live video presentations. It's not a church, the LA Times reports, but a for-profit business backed by a "who's who" of ministries, megachurches...
