Newser Story Index from September, 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.
Right-Wing Voices Get More Ink
Media Matters
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Sep 14, 2007 1:05 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Voices from the right dominate those from the left in US newspapers, with the former reaching 152 million buyers and the latter only 125 million. Sixty percent of papers print more conservative syndicated columnists, while just 20% run more liberals, according to a report by Media Matters for America. In 38 states, the red voice dominates;...
Chicago Throws Hat Into Ring(s)
Chicago Tribune
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Sep 14, 2007 12:41 PM CDT
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Chicago and six other cities kicked off the competition for the 2016 Olympics yesterday by filing official applications to play host to the Games. The other candidates are 1964 Summer Olympics host Tokyo; Rio de Janeiro; Prague; Madrid; Doha, Qatar; and Baku, Azerbaijan. Chicago is likely to be among the finalists when they're announced in June, the...
Feeling Lucky? 'Google Bomb' Polish Prez
Ars Technica
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Sep 14, 2007 12:19 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A Polish man who insulted the president by manipulating Google's search results may get a lot of time to think about what he's done—3 years behind bars. A hacker identified only as "Marek W." made president Lech Kaczynski's homepage the top match for a vulgar term for penis, Ars Technica reports, and the government responded by arresting...
SF Pioneers Health Care for All
New York Times
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Sep 14, 2007 11:50 AM CDT
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San Francisco will provide health care for every uninsured adult in the city, pioneering an approach that works around the limits of the federal system. The program goes citywide on Monday and will serve adults under the poverty line through November; after that, it will be open to everyone regardless of income. The Times takes a look.
Report: Top Retailers Pay Poverty Wages
Guardian (UK)
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Sep 14, 2007 11:27 AM CDT
(Newser) -
On the eve of London fashion week, a new report blasts clothing retailers for turning a blind eye to the poverty-level wages of their workers. Marks&Spencer, H&M, the Gap, and others are singled out for paying garments workers in Bangladesh such low wages that the workers must rely on government food parcels or go hungry, the Guardian reports.
Iraq Making Slow Gains on Goals, Says White House
Associated Press
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Sep 14, 2007 11:06 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Iraq has made "satisfactory" progress on only half of its 18 benchmarks for success, the White House told Congress today, hours after President Bush said the country’s advancements merited a strong US military presence there. Since the July progress report, only one benchmark—reintegrating Baathists into the government—has...
August Retail Sales Fail to Meet Forecasts
Bloomberg
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Sep 14, 2007 10:47 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Retail sales were up last month, but the .3% rise failed to meet expectations, and if automobile sales are excluded, sales actually fell by .4%—the steepest drop in a year. The August sales figures provide more fodder for an interest-rate cut when the Fed meets next week. “The consumer is pulling back a bit,” one analyst tells Bloomberg.
Top 10 Incurable Diseases
LiveScience
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Sep 14, 2007 10:21 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Doctors have successfully performed a face transplant, but the cure for the common cold still eludes them. LiveScience ponders the diseases that got away. AIDS Alzheimer's disease The common cold
China Will Scale Back Executions
BBC
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Sep 14, 2007 9:50 AM CDT
(Newser) -
China's Supreme Court has ordered judges to stop being so execution-happy. China carries out more capital punishment than the rest of the world combined, but the Supreme People's Court posted an order on its website today that the death penalty should be used only for "an extremely small number of serious offenders"—and that economic...
Bank of England Props Up Mortgage Lender
Guardian (UK)
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Sep 14, 2007 9:12 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Shares of Northern Rock fell 25% today on news that the group, Britain's fifth-largest mortgage lender, got an emergency shot of cash from the Bank of England last night. As worried customers lined up outside Northern Rock branches, the central bank's chancellor urged calm. "At the moment there is plenty of money in the system," said Alistair...
'Elah' Bares Iraq Rage, Sorrow
Rotten Tomatoes
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Sep 14, 2007 8:50 AM CDT
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"In The Valley of Elah," a murder mystery with an Iraq war vet veteran as the victim, is “a raw, angry, earnest attempt to grasp the moral consequences of the war,” writes A.O. Scott of the Times. He's one of several critics who hail the film, preferring it to director Paul Haggis’ Oscar-winning "Crash."
Market Forces Conspire Against English Breakfast
Times (UK)
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Sep 14, 2007 8:37 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Soaring wheat prices are rippling across the British economy and hitting hard in a very important place: the kitchen. The cost of a traditional full English breakfast is on the rise, reports the Times of London, thanks in large part to the price of the grain, which is integral not just to toast but also to animal feed.
UAW Targets GM on Contract
Bloomberg
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Sep 14, 2007 8:25 AM CDT
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The United Auto Workers have chosen General Motors to be the lead company in negotiations on contracts set to expire tonight, adding pressure to strike a deal the UAW will then try to impose on Ford and Chrysler. The union chose GM because it's in the best financial shape of the three,'' an analyst tells Bloomberg.
MLB Wants HGH Blood Test for Next Season
USA Today
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Sep 14, 2007 8:08 AM CDT
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In the wake of scandals involving Cardinals outfielder Rick Ankiel and Patriots safety Rodney Harrison, among others, Major League Baseball is weighing a blood test for human growth hormone that would be implemented by next season. A test developed by the World Anti-Doping Agency is expected to be available for mass use within a few months, USA Today...
Euro 2008 Success Unites Thrilled Brits
Telegraph (UK)
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Sep 14, 2007 7:22 AM CDT
(Newser) -
In the UK, where following soccer usually means either supporting or scorning Manchester United, the national teams of England and Scotland are captivating the public, the Telegraph reports. And with England's 3-0 trouncing of Russia and Scotland's unexpected 1-0 triumph over France this week, both national teams have a shot at the Euro 2008 quarterfinals.
Prices in Toyland Are Going Up
Associated Press
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Sep 14, 2007 7:04 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Toyland is about to become a more expensive place, as price hikes of 10% or more kick in to pay for heightened vigilance by toy makers following the recall of millions of lead-tainted and otherwise unsafe playthings imported from China. The added costs, which won't kick in until after Christmas, will pay for independent lab testing which American...
Suspected Cop Killer Shot Dead
Miami Herald
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Sep 14, 2007 7:00 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Miami-Dade police last night cornered and shot dead the man suspected of killing one cop and wounding three others with an assault rifle yesterday morning. Officers tracked Shawn Sherwin LaBeet to a suburban apartment complex and fired when they saw he was heavily armed. "He's dead and you can quote me,'' one cop told the Miami Herald.
At $1.5B, Cowboys Most Valuable Team
Forbes
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Sep 14, 2007 6:41 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The Dallas Cowboys have toppled the Washington Redskins from their 7-year reign as the world's most valuable sports franchise, Forbes reports in its annual rankings of NFL teams. Dallas edged out the Redskins ($1.467 billion) and stayed well ahead of other top franchises: the New York Yankees ($1.2 billion) and Manchester United ($1.453 billion).
Big Hurt's Walk-Off Hurts Yanks Big
Associated Press
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Sep 14, 2007 6:03 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A pitchers' duel between A.J. Burnett and rookie Ian Kennedy set the stage for Frank "Big Hurt" Thomas' walk-off single in the ninth inning, snapping a seven-game Yankee romp. Thomas had both of Toronto's RBIs. Burnett threw eight stellar frames, the only blemish a solo shot to Johnny Damon.
Car Evidence Shows Maddy OD'd on Pills: Report
Daily Mail (UK)
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Sep 14, 2007 6:01 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Portuguese police claim they discovered evidence in the family's rental car that missing Madeleine McCann died of an overdose of sleeping pills, reports the Daily Mail, quoting a French investigative reporter . In a related development, a Portuguese judge has instructed British police to seize mother Kate McCann's diary, in which she allegedly complains...
Humberto's Lightning Birth Stuns Experts
Los Angeles Times
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Sep 14, 2007 5:57 AM CDT
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An unremarkable tropical depression headed for Texas stunned forecasters when it jumped speed overnight to become a hurricane faster than any other storm in more than a century. Hurricane Humberto slammed Beaumont and Port Arthur, still recovering from Rita, killing at least one person, knocking out power to 100,000 people and dumping up to 15 inches...
Banks Go Dutch on ABN Buy
Wall Street Journal
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Sep 14, 2007 5:33 AM CDT
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The race to buy Dutch bank ABN Amro is in the final stage—with a consortium led by the Royal Bank of Scotland apparently on the inside track ahead of Barclays. The consortium has already won agreement from ABN and the Dutch government, but has yet to raise the $99 billion it needs for the purchase, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Clark Ties East Lake Record
Kansas City Star
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Sep 14, 2007 5:13 AM CDT
(Newser) -
With an 8 under par, South African Tim Clark began the PGA Tour Championship by tying the 62-stroke record at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, reports the Kansas City Star . Only nine of his fellow golfers can compare their scores to his, however, as severe weather delays kept the other 20 players from completing the course.
Bush Vows Modest Pullback in Wake of 'Success'
New York Times
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Sep 14, 2007 5:09 AM CDT
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President Bush announced that 24,000 troops will return home by July 2008 in an address to the nation in which he touted advancements in Iraq. He termed the reduction "a return on success" that could be squandered by larger withdrawals. Troops could still be added, however, so the total in 2008 could end up higher than the pre-surge number...
Ryan Ends 13-year Tenure as Twins' GM
Minneapolis Star Tribune
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Sep 14, 2007 4:43 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Terry Ryan, the second most senior general manager in Major League Baseball, has announced that he will step down at the end of this season. The man who led the Minnesota Twins through tough times in the 1990s into playoff contention in recent years will cede responsibility to his longtime assistant, Bill Smith, writes the Minneapolis Star Tribune....
Cubs Battle Back to Top of NL Central
Associated Press
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Sep 14, 2007 4:40 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The Cubs edged a half game ahead of Milwaukee in the heated National League Central race last night, shelling the Astros' Woody Williams (8-15) for six runs on four longballs to Houston's two. Chicago's defense stepped it up as well, pulling in key double plays to help Steve Trachsel lock down his first win in eight years for the Cubs, writes the AP.
Pats Whacked With $750K Fine
Boston Herald
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Sep 14, 2007 4:33 AM CDT
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Steely-eyed NFL commissioner Roger Goodell bolstered his reputation as a stern disciplinarian by levying heavy penalties against New England for using a videocamera to spy on Jets coaches as they signaled to their team during last week's game. New England was fined $250,000 and will lose at least one top 2008 draft pick; additionally, coach Bill Belichick...
Earth Flunks Its Annual Physical
Reuters
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Sep 14, 2007 4:15 AM CDT
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Most of the Earth's vital stats are "pronouncedly bad," according to a research institute that tracks 44 indicators of the world's health. Only six were positive. More wood was harvested this year than ever before, meat production and consumption hit record highs, people ate 156 million metric tons of seafood, and carbon emissions are burgeoning...
Polygamist Boss Ordered Girl to 'Surrender' to Husband
Associated Press
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Sep 14, 2007 4:05 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Polygamist Warren Jeffs was accused yesterday of ordering a 14-year-old girl to surrender to her older cousin in an arranged marriage. That amounts to rape as an accomplice, prosecutors charged in the first day of Jeffs' trial. Church members consider their leader “God on Earth" who could only be disobeyed at peril of their souls, testified...
Stomach Bug Linked to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
WebMD
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Sep 14, 2007 3:16 AM CDT
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Researchers seeking the cause of chronic fatigue syndrome have linked a group of intestinal viruses to the disease, according to a new study. About 80% of patients with the syndrome showed signs of enterovirus gut infections, compared to only about 20% of otherwise healthy volunteers. "It opens up a new direction in the research for this elusive...
Science Makes Great Strides in Gaydar
MSNBC
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Sep 14, 2007 2:56 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The way people walk apparently broadcasts their sexual orientation, researchers have discovered. Participants in a new study were able to correctly identify gay men based only on their gait, a sign that “gaydar” might be real. “We can pick these signals up; we can tell who’s gay,” said one researcher. Well, at least...
New Quake Hits Sumatra; Tsunami Warning Issued
Guardian (UK)
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Sep 14, 2007 1:45 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Another quake rocked Indonesia's Sumatra island early this morning and the nation's meteorology agency has issued a tsunami warning. The quake, between 6.6 and 6.9 magnitude, was the latest to hit the island since Wednesday's powerful 8.4 tremblor set off a series of aftershocks. The latest tsunami warning has heightened tension among coastal residents,...
MoveOn Defends Ad, Dodges Furor
Politico
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Sep 13, 2007 10:22 PM CDT
(Newser) -
MoveOn's ad attacking Gen. Petraeus on the war in Iraq may have backfired, igniting a furor that united the GOP and flustered anti-war Democrats, but MoveOn founder Eli Pariser is unapologetic, writes Politico's Ryan Grim. Dems have worked all week to distance themselves from Monday's full-page Times ad referring to "General Betray Us."...
Sailors Find Iceless NW Passage
Wall Street Journal
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Sep 13, 2007 8:40 PM CDT
(Newser) -
It's smooth sailing in the Arctic nowadays. Even in recent years, the ice was apt to claim adventurers who dared navigate the Northwest Passage. This year the passage has no ice. And with global warming claiming some 38,000 square miles of ice a year, the Journal reports, the Arctic could be open to commercial and recreational sailing by 2020.
Robot Toddler Learns to Walk, Talk, Behave Like a Human
Associated Press
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Sep 13, 2007 8:14 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Zeno is an energetic toddler learning to walk and talk. He’s also a robot, the brainchild of engineer David Hanson. Hanson's Texas company has been working on lifelike “social robots” for five years and says they are akin to any other artist’s sculpture or painting. “We’re trying to make a new art medium out of robotics,”...
Foes Hungry for US Grains
Reuters
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Sep 13, 2007 7:41 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Venezuela's Hugo Chavez has called President Bush Satan, and Iran is that nuclear thorn in Washington's side, but neither country hesitates to import tons of grains straight from America's bread basket—especially during shortages the past few months. "They want to feed their people. They don't want to screw with that," one analyst tells...
EU Aims to Court Legal Immigrants
BBC
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Sep 13, 2007 7:10 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A European Union executive is proposing both a "new vision" and new policies for immigration in Europe, the BBC reports. With Europe already suffering from shortages in many job sectors, Justice Commissioner Franco Frattini said the EU should view immigration as "enrichment," and not a threat. While the US gets 55% of all skilled...
Racing Team Docked $100M in Spying Flap
New York Times
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Sep 13, 2007 6:42 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Formula One auto-racing team McLaren Mercedes was fined a record $100 million today for using information from rival Ferrari to improve its own cars, the New York Times reported. Though McLaren's drivers—who are at the top of the F1 standings—will keep their points and remain in competition, the team was booted from the constructors championship...
Bush Plan Would Bring 5K Troops Back by Holidays
New York Times
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Sep 13, 2007 6:08 PM CDT
(Newser) -
In a speech tonight, President Bush will outline a plan to bring 5,700 US troops home from Iraq by Christmas, claiming enough security objectives have been met to allow the withdrawal. The New York Times reports that Bush is following the recommendations of Gen. David Petraeus and Ryan Crocker, US ambassador to Iraq, who testified before Congress...
Mars Rover Steps Into Crater
Wired
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Sep 13, 2007 6:00 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The dust has finally settled on Mars, and NASA's Mars rover Opportunity took its first steps Tuesday 13 feet into the half-mile-wide Victoria Crater—and then backed out after slipping beyond acceptable levels. With Opportunity's six wheels perched over the lip of the crater, researchers paused the operation in order to analyze data collected...
Little Shop of Hybrids: Green Mechanic Opens
Wired
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Sep 13, 2007 5:30 PM CDT
(Newser) -
While auto mechanics nationwide now service hybrid vehicles, San Francisco's Luscious Garage is the country's first shop to work exclusively on environment-friendly cars. "There's a critical mass of hybrids in the Bay Area," owner Carolyn Coquilette told Wired , which reports that nearly 10% of new hybrids registered in 2006 were to owners...
Miami Police Hunt Cop Killer
Miami Herald
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Sep 13, 2007 5:10 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Miami-Dade police are searching for a suspect who killed one officer and wounded three today, possibly with an AK-47, after his car was stopped while driving erratically. The pursuit was complicated when police misidentified a man whose wallet had been stolen as the gunman, before naming Shawn Sherwin Labeet as the correct suspect, the Herald reports.
Iraqi al-Qaeda Flaunts US Pilot's ID
Reuters
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Sep 13, 2007 4:48 PM CDT
(Newser) -
An Iraqi group linked to al-Qaeda says it will release video about an Air Force pilot the US declared dead last year, Reuters reports. The group's statement termed the airman “missing,” and was accompanied by an image of Troy Gilbert’s military ID. The pilot was declared dead in a November 2006 crash after human remains were found...
America, as Defined by Wal-Mart
ABC News
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Sep 13, 2007 4:29 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Wal-Mart knows a lot about Americans, courtesy of the 208 million US consumers who shop there every year. ABC News takes a look at the superstore's sales figures and finds a portrait of the nation's changing face and taste. Some highlights: Boxers are tied with briefs; Ohio buys the most TVs; and the top-selling Wal-Mart item? Bananas.
Market Rallies on Corporate Gains, Labor News
MarketWatch
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Sep 13, 2007 4:12 PM CDT
(Newser) -
US stocks rallied today, with blue chips and Countrywide Financial at the helm. A General Motors' analyst upgrade and a higher-than-anticipated dividend at McDonald's helped drive the Dow up 133.23 points, to 13,424.88. Countrywide rose 14% on news that the battered lender has lined up $12 billion in financing. The Nasdaq climbed 8.99 to 2,601.06,...
Knee Will Cost Oden Season
ESPN
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Sep 13, 2007 3:54 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The top pick in the NBA draft will likely spend the 2007-08 season on the bench after exploratory surgery on Greg Oden's right knee revealed cartilage damage, ESPN.com reports. The Portland Trail Blazers' 7-footer will spend eight weeks off after surgeons fixed the problem today with microfracture surgery, but it could take a year for Oden to recover...
US Freeing Iraqi Detainees for Ramadan
Reuters
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Sep 13, 2007 3:37 PM CDT
(Newser) -
As Ramadan began, the US military today began freeing some of its 23,000 Iraqi detainees—between 50 and 80 will be released each day of Islam's holy month, Reuters reports. Military brass stress that Sunnis and Shiites alike will be considered for release. "This will be a completely non-sectarian, non-political process," said one US...
Greenspan Missed Subprime Crisis Signs
Bloomberg
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Sep 13, 2007 3:19 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Alan Greenspan didn't see the subprime crunch coming, the former Fed chairman tells CBS' "60 Minutes." Greenspan also gave his successor a pat on the back, saying Ben Bernanke "is doing an excellent job." Some have suggested that Bernanke isn't acting as presciently as his predecessor; not so, says Greenspan—"I'm not...
Google Offers $30M for Private Moon Missions
BBC
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Sep 13, 2007 3:03 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Google announced its own search today: It will award $30 million to private firms whose robotic spacecrafts successfully reach the moon and perform specific lunar tasks. The BBC reports that the search giant hopes to encourage low-cost space exploration. The first-place winner will receive $20 million, second place gets $5 million, and there's another...
Fourth Quake in 2 Days Wracks Indonesia
CNN
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Sep 13, 2007 2:47 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The fourth in a string of violent earthquakes and more than 60 lower-level tremors rattled Indonesia late today, at a magnitude of 6.2. With its epicenter two miles deep in the Indian Ocean, 65 miles west-northwest of Bengkulu, the government issued, then canceled, another tsunami warning. Nine have died in two days of seismic activity, CNN reports.
