Newser Story Index from November, 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.
Jet Li Scores a Record $13M Payday
Reuters
|
Nov 26, 2007 7:19 AM CST
(Newser) -
Action star Jet Li will bag $13 million for his role in the upcoming The Warriors , breaking his own salary record for an actor in a Chinese-language film. With Chinese films drawing more international attention, Li's fat paycheck comes from investors' confidence in him as a "guarantee" of the $40 million film's global viability, Reuters...
Rudy Rooted in Saints, Sinners
Newsweek
|
Nov 26, 2007 6:42 AM CST
(Newser) -
In search of what moral influences made the Rudy Giuliani we see today, Newsweek explores the pol's past and finds a boy with both cops and crooks in his family. The clash between Rudy's Catholic education and a father who served prison time, the mag writes, might explain his obsession with scofflaws and blindness to Bernard Kerik’s misdeeds.
Sharif Joins Pakistan Fray
BBC
|
Nov 26, 2007 6:11 AM CST
(Newser) -
Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who returned to Pakistan yesterday after 8 years in exile, today filed papers to run in January's nationwide election, although he says he will boycott the vote unless President Pervez Musharraf lifts emergency rule, the BBC reports. Sharif—who was welcomed by throngs of supporters chanting “Run,...
Mexican Aid to Protect Monarchs
Associated Press
|
Nov 26, 2007 6:10 AM CST
(Newser) -
The famous migrating monarch butterflies have a new ally in Mexican President Felipe Calderon, who yesterday said he would devote $4.6 million more to the central Mexican reserve where the butterflies hibernate—and crack down on the illegal logging that threatens the insects' habitat. Calderon hopes the measure will nurture tourism income as...
Broadway Strike Talks Aim for Happy Ending
Newsday
|
Nov 26, 2007 5:37 AM CST
(Newser) -
The curtain may be falling on the Broadway stagehands' strike, as producers and union reps sat down yesterday in an effort to resolve the dispute for the first time in a week. The marathon session, which carried into this morning, had both sides cautiously optimistic, reports Newsday : "I think we're going to be able to make a deal," said...
Chavez Freezes Out Colombia
BBC
|
Nov 26, 2007 4:56 AM CST
(Newser) -
Venezuela's volatile President Hugo Chavez says he is freezing ties with neighboring Colombia, insulted by Bogota's decision to ditch Chavez as a negotiator with Marxist guerrillas who have been holding hostages for years. Colombia's President Alvaro Uribe accused Chavez of favoring the rebels and overstepping his authority. Chavez called the move...
Texas Police Tentatively ID Baby Grace
Galveston County Daily News
|
Nov 26, 2007 4:55 AM CST
(Newser) -
The remains of a young girl whose body washed ashore in a storage bin were tentatively identified by Texas officials yesterday, and the child's mother and stepfather have been arrested on charges related to her death. The child called Baby Grace is now thought to be 2-year-old Riley Ann Sawyer, based in part on a description from the baby's grandmother...
Eagles Nearly Overcome Pats
ESPN
|
Nov 26, 2007 4:45 AM CST
(Newser) -
The force of nature that is this season's New England Patriots finally met a resistance too strong to brush off, in the form of the Philadelphia Eagles. Though the Patriots won the game 31-28, they found themselves in fairly unfamiliar territory, trailing by four points in the fourth quarter, and unable to depend on Randy Moss as a receiver, reports...
35-14 Win Over Bills Has Jags Aiming at Indy
Florida Times-Union
|
Nov 26, 2007 4:38 AM CST
(Newser) -
After a solid 35-14 defeat of Buffalo, the Jaguars are setting their sights at next week's matchup with Indianapolis, the team standing between Jacksonville and the AFC South title. The Jags outpaced the Bills 416 yards to 286 last night, despite a faltering 26-yard effort from Maurice Jones-Drew. In other Sunday NFL action:
Spurs Subdue Struggling Sonics on Way to Best Start
Associated Press
|
Nov 26, 2007 4:36 AM CST
(Newser) -
The Sonics have now dropped 12 of 14 games, tying a team-worst season start and contrasting painfully with San Antonio's best-ever 12-2 record. There were moments in last night's 116-101 loss when Seattle seemed poised to take control, but the veteran Spurs were too much for the scrappy Sonics, the AP reports. In other NBA arenas:
Security Device Sector Booms
Reuters
|
Nov 26, 2007 4:32 AM CST
(Newser) -
The inventions that turned up this month at a competition to find the world's most promising security start-up sound like prop candidates for a James Bond film than the real world: explosion-proof curtains and a hand-held tester for exposure to nerve agents were featured alongside the winner, a night-vision camera that picks up infrared light, Reuters...
All Eyes on OPEC for Oil Price Relief
Wall Street Journal
|
Nov 26, 2007 4:18 AM CST
(Newser) -
With oil prices poised to pass the $100 mark any day now, a pair of reports speculates that OPEC will cool the overheated market by boosting oil production, the Wall Street Journal reports. One consulting firm said OPEC, spurred by Saudi Arabia’s increased deliveries to the US, could up output by as much as 720,000 barrels a day.
A New Window Into BlackSox Scandal Opens
Chicago Tribune
|
Nov 26, 2007 4:13 AM CST
(Newser) -
A previously unseen series of documents related to the 1919 Black Sox scandal, in which players were accused of plotting to fix the World Series, goes up for auction this week, reports the Chicago Tribune . The papers, appearing to date from the criminal trial of eight Chicago White Sox players who were banned from baseball, have historians excited,...
New Trend May Have Fans Shout, 'I Want My ITV!'
Reuters
|
Nov 26, 2007 2:41 AM CST
(Newser) -
MTV just may become a thing of the past, thanks to a new wave sweeping the Net called “interactive video.” Encouraged by the popularity of music videos online, but frustrated by poor web quality, producers are allowing users to create their own video-viewing experience. Indie favorite Arcade Fire released their new single by letting fans...
Now Cable is Watching You
Wall Street Journal
|
Nov 25, 2007 10:53 PM CST
(Newser) -
Viewing data flashed from cable boxes is being used to monitor family viewing habits and then target advertising more selectively to cable customers. The Wall Street Journal reports the new process comes from Navic Networks, an interactive TV company in Massachusetts, comparable to technology used by Internet advertisers, and is undergoing tests...
Skins Cough Up Ball, Game to Bucs, 19-13
Associated Press
|
Nov 25, 2007 9:30 PM CST
(Newser) -
Washington's six turnovers were the difference in a sloppy loss to Tampa Bay, who lost scrappy gunslinger Jeff Garcia to a back injury for much of the game and gained only 15 yards in the second half. The Bucs defense also stopped Clinton Portis on fourth and inches on the Tampa Bay 5. In other NFC games:
Chicago Keeps Hope Alive
Denver Post
|
Nov 25, 2007 9:25 PM CST
(Newser) -
In what may have been a season-saver, the Bears calmly overcame a fourth-quarter 14-point deficit, winning on an overtime field goal by a gimlet-eyed Robbie Gould. All-world return specialist Devin Hester had two long second-half touchdowns; frequent Chicago goat Rex Grossman was sharp on the last two scoring drives.
Shiites Shout Down Iraqi Law
AFP
|
Nov 25, 2007 8:39 PM CST
(Newser) -
Iraqi lawmakers shouted down a bill today that would let members of Saddam's Baath party return to public posts, AFP reports. Shiite lawmakers heckled the first reading of the measure, which Bush has touted as a benchmark of Iraqi progress. Now the bill goes to a legal body for changes, Reuters reports. "This means it will take a long time,"...
8,000 Kenyans Killed by Cops, Lawyers Say
Associated Press
|
Nov 25, 2007 8:30 PM CST
(Newser) -
Kenyan cops have killed or fatally tortured more than 8,000 youth since 2002, human rights lawyers charged today. The deaths, along with 4,000 cases of missing men, are allegedly part of a state crackdown on the Mungiki—an outlawed sect the government blames for gang violence. Police have dismissed the report as “fictitious” and “a...
Power Play Propels Dallas Over Rangers
Associated Press
|
Nov 25, 2007 7:55 PM CST
(Newser) -
In their first visit to Madison Square Garden in four years, the Dallas Stars parlayed two power-play goals into a 3-2 victory over the New York Rangers today, the AP reports. The Rangers controlled the play throughout, outshooting Dallas 41-18, but backup goalie Mike Smith held the Blueshirts down. Brenden Morrow scored the winning goal early in the...
Texas Cracks Down on Illegals
Houston Chronicle
|
Nov 25, 2007 7:05 PM CST
(Newser) -
In Laredo, Texas, the border patrol is getting serious about illegal immigration. The longstanding “catch-and-release” policy was scrapped this month, in favor of a zero tolerance program that has clogged jails and strained courts. The Houston Chronicle looked in on a federal courthouse recently, as judges tried and sentenced immigrants...
With Peyton Watching, Eli, Giants Bomb
New York Times
|
Nov 25, 2007 6:59 PM CST
(Newser) -
It was deja vu for Eli Manning today, who provided Minnesota all the offense it needed, throwing four interceptions, three of which were returned for touchdowns. The four picks in the 41-17 Giants loss tied his career high, set against these same Vikings just two seasons ago. Meanwhile, opposing quarterback Tarvaris Jackson was good enough while throwing...
Faith Doesn't Play in British Politics
Telegraph (UK)
|
Nov 25, 2007 6:18 PM CST
(Newser) -
Soon-to-be-Catholic Tony Blair has confessed that faith was "hugely important" in decisions he made as Britain's prime minister, and he wished he could, like President Bush, have been open about it at the time. But Britons are suspicious of religion, Blair said in a TV interview reported in the Telegraph . "You talk about it in...
WVU, Mizzou Rumble Toward BCS Collision
Fox News
|
Nov 25, 2007 6:10 PM CST
(Newser) -
In a season with eight different No. 2 ranked teams, Missouri and West Virginia are each a win away from the BCS title game. New No. 1 Missouri has the tougher road of the two, playing Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship Saturday while the Mountaineers host Pitt in the annual "Backyard Brawl." Ohio State looms if either falls.
Last Survivors Land in Chile
BBC
|
Nov 25, 2007 6:04 PM CST
(Newser) -
A military plane flew the last 77 survivors of a sunken tour ship to Chile today, BBC reports. Some evacuees had already gone to the capital, Santagios, to return to their home countries. Others gave detailed, personal accounts of the shipwreck, revealing their fears of freezing to death and their emotional outbursts when the Explorer went under.
Time to Move the Bears?
Der Spiegel
|
Nov 25, 2007 5:27 PM CST
(Newser) -
Airlifting polar bears to the Antarctic? Luring man-eating tigers out from a forest in Bangladesh? Such ideas are in the air, as biologists debate whether to move embattled species to areas less warmed by CO2. But critics say that "cowboy environmentalists" are flouting the rules—and endangering cooler habitats—by talking species...
Box Office Enchanted
Variety
|
Nov 25, 2007 4:45 PM CST
(Newser) -
Enchanted charmed moviegoers out of $50 million this weekend, one of the best turkey weekend scores ever, Variety reports. Its magic veiled a strong debut by Sony-Screen Gems’ This Christmas, which banked $27.1 million. Newcomers August Rush and The Mist fizzled in seventh and eighth, respectively.
Done With Black Friday? Here Comes Cyber Monday
CNN
|
Nov 25, 2007 4:39 PM CST
(Newser) -
Black Friday has worked out pretty well for brick-and-mortar retailers, but for their online counterparts the action is on Cyber Monday. Tomorrow, 75% of online retailers will have special promotions, CNNMoney reports, up from 43% two years ago. It’s not actually the biggest online shopping day of the year, but it is the symbolic start of their...
Indonesia Still Won't Send WHO Bird Flu Samples
Associated Press
|
Nov 25, 2007 4:14 PM CST
(Newser) -
Indonesia won't send avian flu specimens to the World Heath Organization, it said today, continuing a months-long stalemate over assurances that resulting vaccines will be cheap enough for the developing world. The country’s health minister had been in Geneva to rebuild WHO’s virus-sharing system, the AP reports.
Computer Game Lets Players Try Virtual Peace
Associated Press
|
Nov 25, 2007 4:12 PM CST
(Newser) -
A computer game that promotes peace in the Middle East will be distributed to Palestinians and Israelis this week while their leaders meet in the US to negotiate, the Associated Press reports. “PeaceMaker” players choose roles as Israeli or Palestinian leaders and respond to attacks from the opposing side. Leaders who launch counter-attacks...
Mobile Web: Hyped, But Not Used, For Now
New York Times
|
Nov 25, 2007 3:45 PM CST
(Newser) -
The mobile web, or cellphone-based Internet, has been the focus of a lot of attention lately, whether its iPhone hysteria or buzz over handset hardware companies joining Google’s Open Handset Alliance. The New York Times reports that the hype hasn’t helped the existing mobile web do very well: only 13% of users surf the Internet via phone...
Malibu Blaze 'Looks Good'
Los Angeles Times
|
Nov 25, 2007 3:40 PM CST
(Newser) -
The wildfire that scorched 50 Malibu homes yesterday is now 40% contained and should be corralled by Tuesday, the Los Angeles Times reports. Dying Santa Ana winds and what one official called "unprecedented mobilization" helped firefighters control the blaze. Crews are busy stamping out hot spots today to make sure they don't reignite.
Critics Blast Claims of Net Outages by 2010
Techdirt
|
Nov 25, 2007 3:39 PM CST
(Newser) -
Ominous warnings earlier this week of a looming Internet disaster are highly misleading, suggest critics. "As we've stated previously, most warnings of capacity armageddon come from traffic shaping companies looking to sell hardware," the industry web site Broadband Reports writes about a recent Nemertes Research study, which was funded...
The Cheney Behind Cheney
New York Review of Books
|
Nov 25, 2007 3:19 PM CST
(Newser) -
A new book by former Bush insider Jack Goldstein, The Terror Presidency , spotlights David Addington, the reclusive counsel and key player to Dick Cheney. Called "Cheney's Cheney" in some circles, Addington has designed some of the White House's most controversial policies, including rendition, warrantless wiretapping, and the use of torture,...
Best States for Small Business
CNN
|
Nov 25, 2007 2:54 PM CST
(Newser) -
If you want your seed of genius to grow, plant it in the right soil. CNNMoney finds the most small-business-friendly states: South Dakota: No tax personal income, capital gains, corporate income, or corporate capital gains and low energy costs. Nevada: No income, capital gains, corporate income, or corporate capital gains tax and some...
Ambition Fails for One Laptop Per Child
Wall Street Journal
|
Nov 25, 2007 2:38 PM CST
(Newser) -
One Laptop Per Child started with a monstrously ambitious goal – build laptops for $100 each, sell them by the millions to the developing world. But since then, cost overruns and attacks from for-profit competitors have ravaged demand, the Wall Street Journal reports. A mere 300,000 are being produced in this month’s inaugural manufacturing...
Wisc. Firm Recalls 96K Lbs. Beef Over E. Coli Fears
Associated Press
|
Nov 25, 2007 2:33 PM CST
(Newser) -
American Foods Group voluntarily recalled 96,000 pounds of ground beef after two people in Illinois were sickened from possible E. coli contamination, the AP reports. The affected beef was distributed to companies in Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, Tennessee, Wisconsin, and Virginia. Some of the recalled goods, produced on Oct. 10, have already...
Syria Headed for Annapolis Talks
Associated Press
|
Nov 25, 2007 1:53 PM CST
(Newser) -
Syria said today it will attend this week’s Israel-Palestine peace conference in Annapolis, a US victory in convincing every major Arab state—16 in all—to show, the AP reports. The US hopes such broad participation will help these talks succeed where previous efforts failed. Syria wants to discuss its Golan Heights region, which Israel...
Sprint Nextel: A House Divided
Washington Post
|
Nov 25, 2007 1:27 PM CST
(Newser) -
The $35 billion merger of long-distance carrier Sprint and wireless innovator Nextel sought to create a company capable of competing with the nation’s largest wireless carriers, Verizon and AT&T. Instead, distinct cultures have warred over everything from ad strategies to executive teams, leaving the company with poor morale, stalled projects,...
America's 10 Chubbiest Cities
Forbes
|
Nov 25, 2007 1:00 PM CST
(Newser) -
The weather may be great and the lifestyle good, but Southern culinary hospitality might be landing the Sun Belt disproportionately on Forbes ' list of America's most obese cities. The most rotund: Memphis Birmingham San Antonio
Even Fat Wallets Closing
Bloomberg
|
Nov 25, 2007 12:34 PM CST
(Newser) -
Wealthy consumers, the 20% of the population responsible for nearly 40% of consumer spending, are closing their wallets, indicating an even rougher economic road ahead, reports Bloomberg. “When they begin to capitulate, that’s when we all head down,” said one economist. Blame deflating real estate prices and a sagging stock market...
Vegas Barkeep Sues Rodman
Associated Press
|
Nov 25, 2007 12:17 PM CST
(Newser) -
A Las Vegas bartender is suing Dennis Rodman in federal court for assault, saying the ex-NBA star rubbed up against her and slapped her derriere last year, reports the AP. Sara Robinson is also accusing the Hard Rock hotel for firing her after she filed a complaint regarding Rodman's behavior. It's deja vu for the ex-NBA star, who was sued in Vegas...
Ron Paul Is Not Alone
Washington Post
|
Nov 25, 2007 11:54 AM CST
(Newser) -
Maverick Texas congressman Ron Paul is riding a surge of Americans on both sides of the political spectrum now calling themselves libertarians. They tend to be fiscally conservative but socially liberal voters turned off by government intrusions, from warrantless wiretapping to broadcast censorship. And their numbers are up to 9% of Americans, reports...
Top 10 Hidden Hotel Fees
Forbes Traveler
|
Nov 25, 2007 11:24 AM CST
(Newser) -
If you're hurrying to catch a plane, you might sign that hotel bill without a second glance. Avoid unpleasant surprises by looking out for Forbes Traveler's list of hidden fees: Resort fee: Some resorts tack on a $10 to $25 fee per day for use of their facilities... even if you never do. Ask before you book. Phone fees: Stick with...
Freud Is Everywhere but in Psych Dept
New York Times
|
Nov 25, 2007 10:59 AM CST
(Newser) -
Sigmund Freud's ideas have seeped into every corner of popular culture and academia, from film to foreign policy. The one place they've seeped out of is university psychology departments, where psychoanalysis is now viewed as obsolete, the New York Times reports. A new survey of 150 top colleges and universities confirms the couch's comedown: of...
Sharif Vows to End Dictatorship
Reuters
|
Nov 25, 2007 10:31 AM CST
(Newser) -
Former Pakistani PM Nawaz Sharif touched down in Lahore after eight years in exile and, amid the cheers of thousands, vowed to end the dictatorship of President Pervez Musharraf: "We want democracy and nothing else." Musharraf blocked Sharif's last attempted return, in September, deporting him before he made it out of the airport,...
'Holy Smokes!' Wife Slams Hulkster With Divorce Papers
Associated Press
|
Nov 25, 2007 9:32 AM CST
(Newser) -
Hulk Hogan, never at a loss for words, was nearly speechless when a reporter told the pro wrestler and reality TV star that his wife had filed divorce papers, reports the AP. “Holy smokes. Wow, you just knocked the bottom out of me,” Hogan said, adding, "Thank you for the great information."
New Aussie PM Vows to Go Green, Mum on Iraq
Associated Press
|
Nov 25, 2007 8:59 AM CST
(Newser) -
New Australian PM Kevin Rudd, who won in a landslide over conservative John Howard yesterday, spoke with President Bush by phone but remained mum on his immediate plans for 500 Aussie combat troops in Iraq, reports Reuters. Rudd, a cerebral, Chinese-speaking ex-diplomat, said he’d travel to next month’s climate summit in Bali and make ratifying...
Hindus Battle Riot Police in Malaysia
Canadian Press
|
Nov 25, 2007 8:30 AM CST
(Newser) -
For the second time in two weeks Malaysian police have used water cannons and tear gas to break up protests in Kuala Lumpur, reports the Canadian Press . More than 10,000 Hindus, Malaysia’s second-largest minority, took to the street around the Petronas Twin Towers chanting slogans and throwing rocks at police to protest discrimination by Malaysia’s...
Bush's Palestine Play Doomed
Reuters
|
Nov 25, 2007 8:00 AM CST
(Newser) -
George Bush, like Bill Clinton before him, is making a last-minute push to broker Arab-Israeli peace, but with much steeper odds, says Reuters' Arshad Mohammed. Bush, Mahmoud Abbas, and Ehud Olmert are all unpopular, especially compared to their 2000 counterparts—Clinton, Yasser Arafat, and Ehud Barak. “When Clinton tried both sides actually...
