Newser Story Index from December, 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.
Schnellenberger Still A Winner
Associated Press
|
Dec 22, 2007 1:33 AM CST
(Newser) -
Not bad for a team that has been only been competing for a Division I bowl berth since 2005: Florida Atlantic got its first bowl win, 44-27, over Memphis, to keep coach Howard Schnellenberger perfect in his bowl game appearances. Of course, his most famous bowl game was the 1983 Orange Bowl championship over Nebraska to win the national title.
Clemson Pounds DePaul in San Juan
Chicago Tribune
|
Dec 22, 2007 12:40 AM CST
(Newser) -
No. 15 Clemson used their size to overpower DePaul Friday for a 90-74 win in the San Juan Shootout. DePaul led 41-40 at halftime, but the Tigers went on a 17-3 run to start the second half to put the game away, the Chicago Tribune reports. "They manhandled us for the first few minutes of the second half," said DePaul coach Jerry Wainwright.
Pistons Put Clamps on the Grizzlies
Associated Press
|
Dec 22, 2007 12:30 AM CST
(Newser) -
The Detroit Pistons moved to 11-2 in their last 13 with a stifling defensive effort against Memphis Friday night, 92-67. The Pistons had five players in double figures, led by Tayshaun Prince with 16 points. Detroit rookie Arron Afflalo, who took some locker-room ribbing but had 12 points, said "I feel like I'm learning more every day," reports...
Big Ten Denies Ref Fixed Football Games
Chicago Tribune
|
Dec 22, 2007 12:24 AM CST
(Newser) -
The Big Ten commissioner denied any football games were fixed this season, even though an official with a criminal background worked the games, the Chicago Tribune reports. Referee Stephen Pamon was in charge of both the Purdue-Penn State game and the Ohio State-Illinois matchup; both games were marred by controversial calls.
Four the Magic Number for Isles Over Pens
Associated Press
|
Dec 21, 2007 11:04 PM CST
(Newser) -
The New York Islanders scored more than three goals for the first time in 23 games, and had a 4-2 victory to show for it in Pittsburgh tonight. Rookie Blake Comeau had two points, including his first NHL goal, as New York scored twice in 37 seconds in the third period. The Penguins fell to 4-10-1 against division rivals. Elsewhere:
Celtics Bounce Back Quickly Behind Pierce
Associated Press
|
Dec 21, 2007 10:33 PM CST
(Newser) -
It didn't take long for the Boston Celtics to get back in the win column. Paul Pierce scored 15 of his 22 points in the third quarter to lead Boston past the Chicago Bulls 107-82 Friday, AP reports. The Celtics, an NBA best 21-3, lost their first home game Wednesday in the closing seconds to Detroit.
Not Much Magic at Home for Orlando
Orlando Sentinel
|
Dec 21, 2007 10:14 PM CST
(Newser) -
Call it a missed opportunity tonight as the Orlando Magic saw Paul Millsap, a guy they passed on in last year's draft, score 28 points in a 113-94 win for the Utah Jazz in Florida. The Magic fell to 5-7 on its home floor this season despite the usual double-double from Dwight Howard and 27 points from Hedo Turkoglu. Elsewhere:
Analog Shutdown Strands OnStar Users
Associated Press
|
Dec 21, 2007 10:12 PM CST
(Newser) -
Users of the OnStar vehicle safety and communications system will be among those left in the lurch when analog cellphone systems are mothballed next year, AP reports. The government decided in 2002 to let carriers call time on the old cellular networks, but GM was still rolling out some cars equipped for the old system as late as 2005.
Goldman Sachs Awards CEO $68M Bonus
MarketWatch
|
Dec 21, 2007 8:07 PM CST
(Newser) -
Goldman Sachs gave CEO Lloyd Blankfein a $67.9 million bonus for 2007, believed to be one of the largest such payouts in history, MarketWatch reports. The bonus includes $26.8 million in cash and $41.1 million in stocks. Goldman succeeded this year while rivals foundered in the subprime morass; CEOs at poor-performing Morgan Stanley and Bear Stearns...
Most Secure American Cities
Bestplaces.net
|
Dec 21, 2007 7:48 PM CST
(Newser) -
There's no place like home, especially if home is nestled safely in one of the most secure places in America. The bestplaces.net website breaks down the top 20 small towns, mid-size cities, and large metro areas: Population less than 150,000 Corvallis, Ore. Harrisonburg, Va. Ithaca, NY
Huckabee Exposes GOP Fault Line
New Republic
|
Dec 21, 2007 7:32 PM CST
(Newser) -
The unexpected surge of populist Mike Huckabee has exposed a core Republican rift, separating the religious right from the financial conservatives, EJ Dionne writes in the New Republic . Hucksters tend to be socially conservative but they're tired of seeing protection of the wealthy prioritized above family values, and they're not antithetical...
'They Took My Daughter Away From Me'
Los Angeles Times
|
Dec 21, 2007 7:15 PM CST
(Newser) -
The family of a 17-year-old whose insurer had refused to OK a liver transplant plans to sue the company in the wake of the girl's death, the Los Angeles Times reports. Leukemia patient Nataline Sarkisyan died after Cigna HealthCare refused to fund the transplant despite doctors’ recommendations. After online and public protests, the company...
Billionaire Dies After Fall at Building Site
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
|
Dec 21, 2007 6:58 PM CST
(Newser) -
Billionaire Ken Hendricks, 66, died today of head injuries after falling through a hole in his unfinished garage roof, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports. Hendricks—a high-school dropout who turned ABC Supply Co. into a national building-supply chain—apparently fell through a tarp covering an unfinished portion of an addition to his...
NASA Delays Mars Probe to 2013
Associated Press
|
Dec 21, 2007 6:40 PM CST
(Newser) -
A conflict of interest has forced NASA to delay a scheduled Mars probe by two years and spend an extra $40 million, the Associated Press reports. The panel choosing between two firms for the mission had to be replaced, and because Mars is only within reach every 26 months, the planned 2011 launch will be moved to 2013.
Thailand Gets Second Chance at Democracy
Bloomberg
|
Dec 21, 2007 6:23 PM CST
(Newser) -
Thailand goes to the polls on Sunday to vote in the first government since the coup d'état of September 2006. Two men are vying to become prime minister: Samak Sundaravej, 72, a political veteran and ally of the ousted leadership; and Abhisit Vejjajiva, nearly 30 years his junior, who stresses human rights and environmental concerns. Whoever...
Philips to Buy Sleep Therapy Firm for $5B
Reuters
|
Dec 21, 2007 6:01 PM CST
(Newser) -
Electronics giant Philips will buy Respironics, an American maker of sleep therapy products, for $5.1 billion, Reuters reports, its most expensive foray yet into the health-care sector. That plan has seen Philips purchase lighting firm Genlyte for $2.7 billion and medical systems provider Visicu for $430 million within the past month as the company...
Baron Cohen: Borat Is Dead to Me
Telegraph (UK)
|
Dec 21, 2007 5:46 PM CST
(Newser) -
The man behind unruly Kazakh reporter Borat and gangsta journalist Ali G is abandoning the beloved guises, Sacha Baron Cohen tells the Daily Telegraph . “It is like saying goodbye to a loved one,” he said. But the loss was inevitable: “Every new person who sees the Borat movie is one less person I 'get' with Borat again, so it's...
'08 Alert: Mitt Misspoke on King March
Boston Globe
|
Dec 21, 2007 5:29 PM CST
(Newser) -
Mitt Romney backtracked yesterday from claims that he saw his father march with Martin Luther King in the 1960s, saying he used "saw" as “a figure of speech." The Boston Globe dissects the partial mea culpa, noting that the candidate couldn't have "seen" it even figuratively because Romney père never walked...
Belgium Foils Terrorist's Prison Break
Guardian (UK)
|
Dec 21, 2007 5:19 PM CST
(Newser) -
Police in Belgium today arrested 14 men accused of plotting to bust one of Osama bin Laden's devotees out of jail; authorities then ramped up security at airports and Christmas markets to guard against a terror attack. Police say the men planned an armed assault on the prison holding Nizar Trabelsi, convicted in 2003 of plotting to attack US military...
Starbucks Patrons Spread the Cheer
Seattle Times
|
Dec 21, 2007 5:02 PM CST
(Newser) -
In what's being hailed as a true display of holiday goodwill, customers at a Starbucks in Marysville, Wash., have been "paying ahead"—paying for the next car in the drive-through order—in a “chain of cheer” more than 800 lattes long. The Seattle Times reports that the trend was started by an anonymous older woman...
Dewey Cox Rocks!
Rotten Tomatoes
|
Dec 21, 2007 4:35 PM CST
(Newser) -
Judd Apatow's Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story "is less thoughtful satire and ... more the distant cousin of Airplane! ," writes Brian Orndorf of OhMyNews.com. Starring John C. Reilly as a blues prodigy who ultimately experiences success, failure, and redemption, it plays like "an extended riff on the likes of severely mediocre Oscar-bait"...
Tax Harvard to Help Fund Poorer Colleges
New York Times
|
Dec 21, 2007 4:17 PM CST
(Newser) -
The growing disparity between the richest universities and their more modest counterparts is not as often discussed as other aspects of America's wealth gap, prominent investment banker Herbert Allen writes in the New York Times —but it should be. The nation’s wealthiest colleges have endowments topping $1 million per student—thousands...
US Scores With Only $21M in WTO Sanctions
Associated Press
|
Dec 21, 2007 4:13 PM CST
(Newser) -
The WTO ruled today Antigua could impose $21 million in trade sanctions on the US because of an online betting ban, a significant loss for the Caribbean island that had sought $3.4 billion. The trade organization recognized the American authority to police public morals but said Washington could not hold domestic and foreign gamblers to different standards,...
Tech Sector Spurs Santa Rally
MarketWatch
|
Dec 21, 2007 4:04 PM CST
(Newser) -
The markets enjoyed a long-awaited "Santa Claus rally" today, finishing in positive territory for the week as BlackBerry producer Research in Motion posted strong earnings and the Commerce Department reported the largest monthly consumer spending increase in 2 years. The Dow climbed 205.01 to 13,450.65, the S&P 500 24.35 to 1,484.47,...
4 Charged as Craigslist Pimps
Chicago Tribune
|
Dec 21, 2007 4:00 PM CST
(Newser) -
Four Chicago-area men were charged today with running a Craigslist prostitution ring that included girls who were high school freshmen and sophomores. The perps are accused of pimping at least 11 women under the popular site’s “erotic services” section, the Chicago Tribune reports. “If you’re looking for exploitation...
Banks Scuttle SIV Bailout
Wall Street Journal
|
Dec 21, 2007 3:56 PM CST
(Newser) -
The three banks charged by Treasury with setting up a fund to bail out investments threatened by the subprime mess are abandoning the project, the Wall Street Journal reports. Citigroup, Bank of America and JP Morgan Chase had been working since September on the plan to rescue structured investment vehicles, but they have struggled to raise money...
Judge Won't Order Probe of Gitmo Tapes
New York Times
|
Dec 21, 2007 3:28 PM CST
(Newser) -
In the first public hearing on the issue, a federal judge today refused to immediately order an investigation into the destroyed CIA interrogation tapes. Lawyers for Yemeni nationals held at Guantanamo argued that the destruction violated a 2005 order by Judge Henry Kennedy, who ordered today's hearing. The White House countered that the order may...
Yahoo China Loses Piracy Case
Associated Press
|
Dec 21, 2007 3:21 PM CST
(Newser) -
Yahoo China—40% owned by the US Internet giant—can no longer allow users to download unlicensed music on its Web site. A Chinese court yesterday upheld a decision that the company violated copyright laws in effect since last year. The US has long complained about rampant music and movie piracy in China, and the decision could signal a tougher...
Gates Predicts Steady Iraq Withdrawals
Chicago Tribune
|
Dec 21, 2007 3:17 PM CST
(Newser) -
Defense Secretary Robert Gates said today the US is on track to have 100,000 troops, or 10 brigades, in Iraq by the end of the Bush administration, the Chicago Tribune reports. Recent security gains in Iraq have allowed Gen. David Petraeus to begin to enact his plan of removing one brigade a month from the current level of 158,000.
US Hatred Fuels Iraq's Teen Fighters
Der Spiegel
|
Dec 21, 2007 2:55 PM CST
(Newser) -
US and Iraqi forces trying to regain control of the country face a particularly troublesome category of insurgents—teenagers fueled with hatred against America, Der Spiegel reports. The German newspaper interviewed one such teen whose botched plot to kill US soldiers resulted instead in his arrest. He not only led police to accomplices but...
Fallen Marine's Dog Heading Home to His Family
CNN
|
Dec 21, 2007 2:36 PM CST
(Newser) -
Paramedics had to drag Lex the German shepherd away from the body of Cpl. Dustin Lee when the 20-year-old Marine from Mississippi was killed in a March mortar attack in Fallujah. Now Lex is back in the States and heading for retirement with Lee's family. “Lex was my son’s partner; he was his best friend,” said his dad, Jerome. “He...
Sweeney Todd Is Bloody Good
Rotten Tomatoes
|
Dec 21, 2007 2:14 PM CST
(Newser) -
Sweeney Todd , about a wronged barber-turned-murderer, is so good that watching it will make you "feel sorry for the poor saps in the next theater at the multiplex," writes Kyle Smith of the New York Post . Directed by Tim Burton and starring a "stupendous" Johnny Depp, the big-screen adaptation of the 1979 Broadway musical is...
EPA Chief Ignored Staff on Calif. Ruling
Los Angeles Times
|
Dec 21, 2007 1:58 PM CST
(Newser) -
The EPA chief—under heavy pressure from the auto industry—rejected his own staff's advice in denying California’s request to set its own fuel economy standards, the Los Angeles Times reports. Stephen Johnson told the state that it’s request was unnecessary in the wake of the new energy bill and didn’t meet legal standards....
Lakotas Secede From Union
Rapid City Journal (SD)
|
Dec 21, 2007 1:34 PM CST
(Newser) -
Some Lakota tribesman, led by veteran American Indian activist Russell Means, have declared a sovereign nation within US borders. “We are now a free country and independent of the United States,” Means told the Rapid City Journal yesterday, adding, "This is all completely legal." The group informed the State Department of its...
MySpace Battles Facebook Buzz to Stay on Top
USA Today
|
Dec 21, 2007 1:10 PM CST
(Newser) -
Facing competition for buzz and advertising from much smaller but much-hyped Facebook, MySpace has big plans for expansion. The free-form social networking site's founders want to transform it into a one-stop portal where users can check email and get news. The site is also unveiling new services, expanding overseas, and planning to allow multiple...
China Unveils 1st Passenger Jet
Bloomberg
|
Dec 21, 2007 12:43 PM CST
(Newser) -
China unveiled its first passenger jet today, the first step in its goal to become a major player in the global aviation industry, Bloomberg reports. The ARJ21, which seats up to 90, will make its maiden voyage in March, and the first planes will be ready for customers in 2009. Beijing hopes to meet soaring domestic demand and someday compete with...
Nickelodeon Mulls Teen-Sex Special
People
|
Dec 21, 2007 12:21 PM CST
(Newser) -
In the fallout surrounding the pregnancy of its biggest star, Jamie Lynn Spears, Nickelodeon may air a special on teen sex as early as next month, People reports. The special’s potential host, Linda Ellerbee, said it could be “a great opportunity for parents at this moment to talk to their kids about this—more important, to listen...
Campbell's Sells Godiva
New York Times
|
Dec 21, 2007 11:59 AM CST
(Newser) -
To ensure that its bottom line stays “M'm! M'm! Good,” the Campbell Soup Company sold its upscale Godiva chocolate brand yesterday for $850 million. Yildiz Holding of Turkey beat out Starbucks and Hershey’s to nab the Belgian chocolatier, which racks up $500 million in annual sales, the New York Times reports. The sale will help...
New Plexi-Like DVDs to Hold 1TB of Data
ComputerWorld
|
Dec 21, 2007 11:58 AM CST
(Newser) -
An Israeli company will unveil, at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, a DVD made of a plexiglass-like polymer that can hold half a terabyte of data. Mempile adds that within a few years its DVDs will be up to one terabyte—enough to hold 250,000 high-resolution photos or MP3s, or about 40 HD movies or 115 DVD movies, reports ComputerWorld...
2nd Possible CEO Successor Quits Cisco
PC World
|
Dec 21, 2007 11:40 AM CST
(Newser) -
Charles Giancarlo, chief development officer and exec VP of Cisco, will leave the company after 14 years, in the networking giant's second major departure of 2007. Giancarlo, who was seen as a possible successor to CEO John Chambers, will become managing director of private equity firm Silver Lake in January, reports PC World .
Will Japan Flip for the iPhone?
BusinessWeek
|
Dec 21, 2007 11:36 AM CST
(Newser) -
Japan’s tech-savvy market may be a tough sell for Apple’s iPhone, which will face more competition from handset makers there than it has anywhere else in the world, reports BusinessWeek . The market already has phones that send e-mail, browse the Internet, and, more important, are compatible with newer third-generation wireless networks...
Consumers Open Wallets Wide
Bloomberg
|
Dec 21, 2007 11:14 AM CST
(Newser) -
Consumer spending grew 1.1% in November, its biggest rise since July 2005. The better-than-predicted figure accompanied a revised 0.4% October gain, adjusted from 0.2%. Taken together, the numbers “postpone fears of a recession at least until next year,” said one economist. Jobs numbers and salaries were up, Bloomberg reports, potentially...
'Knight Rider' Car for Sale on eBay
Hartford Courant (Conn.)
|
Dec 21, 2007 11:05 AM CST
(Newser) -
One of the original KITT cars that David Hasselhoff rode to fame in “Knight Rider” is up for sale on eBay. The 1984 Pontiac Trans-Am, one of a handful of computer-operated vehicles used on the mid-1980s TV show, is being auctioned as lawyers for its late owner, real estate mogul Andrew Kissel, seek to pacify creditors, the Hartford Courant...
Charlie Wilson's War a Winner
Metacritic
|
Dec 21, 2007 10:45 AM CST
(Newser) -
Charlie Wilson's War , the darkly comedic true story of the largest and most successful covert operation in US history, leaves critics mostly charmed. The Mike Nichols project featuring Tom Hanks, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Julia Roberts "is that rare Hollywood commodity these days," writes Variety's Todd McCarthy, "a smart, sophisticated...
Pricey Pet Projects Thrive in Congress
Washington Post
|
Dec 21, 2007 10:29 AM CST
(Newser) -
The earmark lives. Despite much public clamoring about lawmakers loading up budgets with expensive pet projects, not much changed this year: The domestic and defense budgets contain more than 11,000 such earmarks, the Washington Post reports. "It would take leadership in both parties—and a lot more shame—to ever rein them in,"...
Chrysler Faces Cash Crunch
Wall Street Journal
|
Dec 21, 2007 10:09 AM CST
(Newser) -
With an auto industry novice as CEO, a product line trailing the rest of the industry, and an inadequate cost-cutting strategy, Chrysler is scrambling to sell assets to climb out of a deep financial hole. Four months after Cerberus Capital Management took the automaker private, the Wall Street Journal finds turnaround plans stalled by a cash crunch.
Kayak Buys Rival SideStep for $200M
TechCrunch
|
Dec 21, 2007 9:43 AM CST
(Newser) -
Discount travel search engine Kayak has acquired competitor SideStep for $200 million. Kayak raised nine figures in a new round of financing from its own investors, new VC companies, and SideStep's backers. It then bought SideStep for $180 million in cash plus a redistributed $20 million of SideStep's capital, reports TechCrunch.
Is Putin Europe's Richest Man?
Guardian (UK)
|
Dec 21, 2007 9:17 AM CST
(Newser) -
The Guardian looks at an unprecedented power struggle within the Kremlin as Vladimir Putin's last term as president winds down. The battle, between ex-KGB officers and liberal allies of Putin's successor, Dmitry Medvedev, revolves around control of the enormous assets of Russia's state-owned industries. As the face-off heats up, information is leaking...
Thieves Nab a Picasso in Museum Heist
Associated Press
|
Dec 21, 2007 8:48 AM CST
(Newser) -
Thieves broke into Latin America's foremost museum early yesterday and stole two paintings in a 3-minute heist. They made off with a Picasso portrait and a work by Brazilian painter Candido Portinari from Brazil's São Paulo Museum of Art, the AP reports. The thieves skipped several major works and grabbed only the two canvases, hung far apart,...
Obama Draws Dead Even in NH
USA Today
|
Dec 21, 2007 8:20 AM CST
(Newser) -
Presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are dead even in New Hampshire, according to the latest USA Today /Gallup poll. The two are tied at 32%, with John Edwards a distant third at 18% and no other Democratic candidates in double digits. Like Clinton, Republican Mitt Romney has seen his lead in the state shrink as well, although he's...
