Newser Story Index from January, 2008
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.
Runners Are Targets Amid Kenya Strife
Associated Press
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Jan 24, 2008 9:29 PM CST
(Newser) -
Some of the world's best runners have been receiving death threats as conflict continues in their native Kenya, where rumors circulate that the athletes were involved in stirring up ethnic killings. Top Kenyan runners are meeting in the town of Eldoret to discuss their response, the AP reports. "I am scared. We are scared," says a Kenyan...
How 'Bout Them Rotten Apples?
Wired
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Jan 24, 2008 8:59 PM CST
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Apple has been around for almost a quarter of a century, but not all of its products were as ingenious as the iPod. Wired highlights the company's biggest flops. The MessagePad (AKA The Newton): Fashioned to revolutionize personal computing, this PDA was too far ahead of its time for consumers. Apple Pippin: Apple's only foray into...
Republicans Seek Edge in Calm Florida Debate
Associated Press
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Jan 24, 2008 8:50 PM CST
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The GOP debate in Florida remained a largely civil affair last night, with the leading candidates agreeing that the economy needs aggressive tax cuts and that Hillary Clinton has no business returning to the White House, the AP reports. In one of the few bits of drama, Mitt Romney took John McCain to task for voting against Bush's first tax cuts. McCain...
Therapists Want End to Britney Diagnoses
Associated Press
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Jan 24, 2008 8:20 PM CST
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The media loves to publish experts' diagnoses of Britney Spears, but assessing a patient's mental condition from gossip columns is irresponsible—and it's giving therapists a bad rep, concluded some professionals at an American Psychoanalytic Association summit. "Brains don't have a checkbox," one analyst told the AP, but some media...
Religious Belief Linked to Loneliness
LiveScience
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Jan 24, 2008 8:05 PM CST
(Newser) -
Most people can't stomach loneliness, and they're more prone to believing in the supernatural or creating strong bonds with pets and household objects to compensate, a new study finds. It's a throwback to our ancestors, who relied on group living to survive, LiveScience reports. "Being socially isolated is just not good for you," said the...
AT&T's 4Q Numbers Bolstered by Cell Sales
Wall Street Journal
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Jan 24, 2008 7:53 PM CST
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AT&T's quarterly numbers indicate strong wireless sales, the Wall Street Journal reports, though unimpressive figures from its landline and Internet divisions have left some analysts and investors concerned. AT&T enjoyed a quarterly revenue of $3.14 billion—up from $1.94 billion this time last year—bolstered by the highest quarterly...
Liberals Set to Bash Bush to Finish Line
Associated Press
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Jan 24, 2008 7:34 PM CST
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A liberal advocacy group plans to spend $8.5 million to keep President Bush's approval rating low, the AP reports. Americans United for Change will focus on what it perceives as Bush's failures in Iraq and at home, a move the group hopes will benefit Democrats in the upcoming election while preventing a repeat of Ronald Reagan's 21% end-of-term approval...
Obama Rebuttal of Muslim Slurs May Hurt, Not Help
Wired
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Jan 24, 2008 7:30 PM CST
(Newser) -
Barack Obama is refuting an Internet smear campaign about his religious beliefs with a viral video campaign of his own, but social psychologists and folklore experts say the move could backfire—and instead persuade the uninitiated that the lies carry weight. Obama's campaign site enables users to send the candidate's talking points to 10 friends...
How the Super Tuesday States Screwed Up
Slate
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Jan 24, 2008 7:09 PM CST
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The states that rushed to hold their primaries as soon into 2008 as possible are probably regretting it right about now, writes Slate’s Jeff Greenfield. It turns out that early momentum hasn't been generated, and Super Tuesday might not decide anything. That would give the straggling late states enough influence to land a campaign promise “worth...
College Coffers Surging
USA Today
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Jan 24, 2008 7:05 PM CST
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Riding high on investment growth, a record number of higher-education institutions claimed endowment assets of more than $1 billion last year, USA Today reports. With the average endowment fetching a 17.2% rate of return, it isn’t hard to see why a study by a college business non-profit found the number of schools in the billion-plus club grew...
Scientists Move Closer to Synthetic Life
Reuters
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Jan 24, 2008 6:35 PM CST
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Scientists have assembled the entire genome of a bacterium from basic chemicals, an important step toward creating a fully artificial organism, Reuters reports. "This entire process started with four bottles of chemicals," says Craig Venter, founder of the institute that did the work. Scientists had previously manufactured the genome for...
OMG! Bigfoot on Mars! Run!
Telegraph (UK)
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Jan 24, 2008 6:19 PM CST
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After nearly four years of important discoveries, it has taken a tiny rock outcropping that looks like Bigfoot to make people passionate about the Mars rovers, the Telegraph reports. Conspiracy theorists are sure a photo snapped in 2004 reveals an alien, or perhaps a creature like Sasquatch. "I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw what...
Sun Posts Strong Profits
MarketWatch
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Jan 24, 2008 6:03 PM CST
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Sun Microsystems today reported a profit of $260 million for the quarter ending Dec. 30, MarketWatch reports. Though total revenue was $3.62 billion, Sun’s service and sales were responsible for most of the gains, growing to $1.37 billion from $1.31 billion in the same quarter last year. Hardware product sales fell slightly from $2.26 billion...
Kucinich Drops From Race
Cleveland Plain Dealer
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Jan 24, 2008 6:01 PM CST
(Newser) -
With few votes to show for his efforts and facing a tough congressional re-election fight, left-leaning Dennis Kucinich said today he's dropping out of the Democratic presidential race. Kucinich, a six-term Ohio congressman, told the Cleveland Plain Dealer he's leaving the race for practical reasons, though he's "been able to do more than hold...
Winehouse Go, Go, Goes to Rehab
E! Online
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Jan 24, 2008 5:33 PM CST
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Though her hit song may deny it, Amy Winehouse is going to rehab, E! reports. The Grammy-nominated singer today checked herself into an undisclosed drug-treatment facility a day after police began investigating a video in which she inhales from a smoking glass pipe. No word yet whether Winehouse, 24, will still perform at the Grammys in Los Angeles...
Microsoft Income Jumps 79%
Bloomberg
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Jan 24, 2008 5:21 PM CST
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Microsoft topped estimates today, revealing a 79% jump in quarterly profits over the same period last year—and raising targets for the year. On Xbox 360 and Windows sales, the world's largest software maker boasted net income of $4.71 billion for the period ending December 31, up from the previous year’s $2.63 billion. Sales rose 30% to...
Complexity of Army Software Raises Concern
Washington Post
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Jan 24, 2008 5:07 PM CST
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More than 2,000 developers are working on a $200 billion software project considered the biggest Army modernization since World War II, but many worry the Boeing-led Future Combat Systems may come in late and severely flawed. FCS, which dwarfs Windows in complexity, would enable communication with hovering drones, bomb-defusing robots, and laser-guided...
Did Spurlock Find Osama?
Guardian (UK)
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Jan 24, 2008 4:55 PM CST
(Newser) -
When Morgan Spurlock, the maverick mind behind the hit 2004 documentary Super-Size Me , decided to make the film Where in the World is Osama bin Laden? , his initial goal was to find and capture the terrorist leader. But as the project evolved (and Osama remained too hard to locate), Spurlock said he "realized that finding this guy isn't the...
Unseeded Tsonga Crushes Nadal
ESPN
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Jan 24, 2008 4:42 PM CST
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ESPN's Bonnie Ford called it the "Tsonga Tsunami": a 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 wipeout of world #2 Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open semifinals which stunned the tennis world Thursday in Melbourne. Using a wide array of shots to score winners from everywhere on the court, Tsonga made Nadal -whose game is built on strength and speed - look weak and...
MacBook Air: Beautiful, Compromised
Wall Street Journal
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Jan 24, 2008 4:28 PM CST
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If thin is in, Apple’s new Air should be the hottest fashion this season. The new subnotebook weighs under 3 pounds and is three-quarters of an inch thick—at its deepest. Like all things Apple, Air’s beautiful, simple, and evokes technolust among geeks and non-geeks alike. But, say reviewers who have had their hands on the machines,...
Stocks Rally on Stimulus News
Wall Street Journal
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Jan 24, 2008 3:57 PM CST
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Stocks enjoyed growth for a second consecutive day as the announcement of Congress’ economic stimulus plan raised investor confidence already bolstered by this week's rate cut by the Fed, the Wall Street Journal reports. Though jittery throughout the day, the Dow mounted a late rally to end up 108.44 points at 12,378.61. The Nasdaq rose 44.51...
Goth Bonnie & Clyde Busted in $7.5M Heist
New York Times
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Jan 24, 2008 3:34 PM CST
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Lover of vampire novels Roger Dillon and girlfriend Nicole Boyd—dubbed the "goth Bonnie and Clyde" on a popular Internet site—thought they'd planned the perfect crime. Dillon worked at an Ohio armored car firm, where he gleaned valuable inside info. On Thanksgiving weekend, he and Boyd looted $7.4 million from the company's safes...
Italian PM Prodi Resigns
BBC
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Jan 24, 2008 3:27 PM CST
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The fat lady has sung for Italian PM Romano Prodi. After losing a confidence vote in the Senate, Prodi resigned today, the BBC reports. President Giorgio Napolitano now has to make the decision of calling a snap election or appointing a caretaker government. Former PM Berlusconi's center-right coalition would be likely to win an upcoming election,...
'Rogue Trader' Identified, But Still on Loose
Wall Street Journal
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Jan 24, 2008 2:46 PM CST
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Jérôme Kerviel, a trader at Société Générale, is the man who lost the French bank $7.2 billion in fraudulent trades, using an "intimate and malicious" knowledge of bank procedure to cover his tracks, the Wall Street Journal reports. The 31-year-old Kerviel got no benefit from the trades, though the...
NC Indicts Fugitive Marine
CNN
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Jan 24, 2008 2:30 PM CST
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The fugitive wanted for the death of pregnant Marine Maria Lauterbach was indicted today by a North Carolina grand jury, CNN reports. In addition to first-degree murder, fellow Marine Cesar Laurean was indicted on charges of ATM card theft, fraud, and robbery. A second autopsy’s preliminary findings suggest that Lauterbach’s child was unborn...
Men Aren't Smarter, But Think They Are
Newsweek
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Jan 24, 2008 2:12 PM CST
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Men aren't any smarter than women, reveals a new analysis of several studies on IQ, but they think they are. The surprise is that women go along with it. In an interview with Newsweek , researcher Adrian Furnham said both sexes overestimate male intelligence and underestimate female intelligence. "It's what we call the male hubris and female...
Becks' Carbon Footprint Bigger Than His Cleats
Fox News
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Jan 24, 2008 2:00 PM CST
(Newser) -
David Beckham may bend it on the pitch; off it, he might have broken records with the largest carbon footprint ever, Fox Sports reports. British environmental group Carbon Trust analyzed the output of Becks' travel and homes, finding the soccer star responsible for 163 tons of carbon dioxide annually. The Carbon Trust puts an average Briton's yearly...
Exploding World of Warcraft Population Hits 10M
GamePro.com
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Jan 24, 2008 1:39 PM CST
(Newser) -
Online role-playing game World of Warcraft has topped 10 million subscribers, making it by far the most popular game of its kind, GamePro.com reports. The fantasy kingdom of Azeroth now has a higher population than many of the real world's countries. More than half of the game's addicts are in Asia, with 2.5 million in North America and 2 million in...
Hill's Attack Mode Gets Backlash
Washington Post
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Jan 24, 2008 1:31 PM CST
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Hillary and Bill Clinton are facing backlash for their aggressive tone toward Barack Obama, as the former First Couple stands accused of conduct unbecoming of party leaders. As the Clinton campaign harps on discredited charges, the Washington Post writes, many neutral Democrats worry the harshness might hurt in the general election—compromising...
Olympians Prepare Strategies for Beijing Smog
New York Times
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Jan 24, 2008 1:22 PM CST
(Newser) -
With the Summer Olympics set to begin Aug. 8 in one of the world’s smoggiest cities, competitors are looking for a Beijing edge. US athletes have been asking if they should train near busy highways to simulate Beijing’s noxious air, the New York Times reports, but trainers are advising they arrive at the last minute, and wear a mask when...
For Nuke Cues, Look to France
New York Times
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Jan 24, 2008 12:56 PM CST
(Newser) -
Her name is Anne Lauvergeon, but because she’s spearheaded France’s nuclear revolution, commentators call her “Atomic Anne.” And the US desperately needs someone like her, writes the New York Times ’ Roger Cohen. Thanks to Lauvergeon’s advocacy, France has thrown aside nuclear jitters, and now gets 80% of its electricity...
CBS Lets You Decide What's on the Radio
New York Times
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Jan 24, 2008 12:53 PM CST
(Newser) -
CBS’ Last.fm used to be plain old Internet radio – you picked a station, and listened to whatever it streamed. That all changed yesterday, when the company announced its plan to let users listen to any song they wanted for free, a risky but potentially game-changing move that has the music industry nervous, the New York Times reports.
SocGen Fraud Dominates Davos Talks
CNBC
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Jan 24, 2008 12:43 PM CST
(Newser) -
The revelation of enormous fraud by a rogue trader at Société Générale pushed other issues aside today at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, CNBC reports. A panel on sovereign wealth funds turned into an impromptu discussion on repercussions of the $7.3 billion cover-up. The market turmoil that the SocGen scandal...
Rivals Don't Hide Scorn for Mitt
New York Times
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Jan 24, 2008 12:27 PM CST
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If the primary season were a popularity contest, Mitt Romney would have retired long ago. He’s the least liked among the Republican presidential candidates, fielding ugly insults from rivals angry about perceived attack ads, policy pandering, and endlessly deep pockets. The New York Times was unsurprised that unloved Romney stood alone and...
Jose Canseco: Tell-All Author, Extortionist?
New York Times
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Jan 24, 2008 12:19 PM CST
(Newser) -
Jose Canseco offered Tigers' outfielder Magglio Ordonez an offer he could refuse, say sources within baseball: invest millions in a film project, and be kept clear of allegations of steroid use in Canseco's follow up to tell-all biography, Juiced . MLB referred the case to the FBI, but Ordonez declined to press charges, the New York Times reports.
Batman Marketing in Limbo
Wall Street Journal
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Jan 24, 2008 12:09 PM CST
(Newser) -
Heath Ledger’s untimely death is a major problem for Batman—or, more accurately, his marketing people. Warner Bros. has built an entire advertising campaign for the upcoming Dark Knight installment around Ledger’s Joker performance, a tactic that’s now fairly awkward, the Wall Street Journal reports. Fans have spent months...
FDA Mandates Suicide Risk Assessment in Drug Trials
New York Times
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Jan 24, 2008 11:42 AM CST
(Newser) -
The Food and Drug Administration is now requiring drug companies to monitor suicide warning signs in clinical trials for experimental drugs, the New York Times reports. In the wake of studies showing that antidepressants might increase the risk of self-harm in children and teens, the agency is showing an awareness that a surprising variety of drugs...
The Executive vs. The Visionary
New Yorker
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Jan 24, 2008 11:29 AM CST
(Newser) -
The choice between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama boils down to two fundamentally different views of the presidency, writes the New Yorker's George Packer—the political pragmatism of Clinton or the inspiration of Obama. Clinton embraces nuts-and-bolts governance and scoffs at political naivety. Obama has a far more visionary view, and Packer...
Puberty Starting for Girls as Young as 6
Los Angeles Times
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Jan 24, 2008 11:14 AM CST
(Newser) -
The first signs of puberty are appearing earlier and earlier in American girls, reports the Los Angeles Times . Early breast development is becoming so common that some experts are suggesting that the age at which it is considered abnormal be shifted down to 6 years of age for African-American girls and 7 for Caucasians. Later signs of puberty, pubic...
US to You: $600 Check's in Mail
CNN
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Jan 24, 2008 10:39 AM CST
(Newser) -
Congress today announced an economic stimulus package that would put a $600 check in every American taxpayer's mailbox by early summer, sources tell CNN, and a likely $300 per child. The refunds are "there to strengthen the middle class, to create jobs and to turn this economy around," said Nancy Pelosi in announcing the deal this afternoon.
Britain to Pay Citizens to Lose Flab
Telegraph (UK)
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Jan 24, 2008 10:31 AM CST
(Newser) -
With British waistlines bulging and no end in sight for the obesity crisis, the government has come up with a plan: offer cash incentives to workers who slim down. Employers will host competitions, with prizes going to those who shed the most, the Daily Telegraph reports. The Well@Work plan includes voucher systems and reducing the number of fast-food...
Dec. Home Sales Kept Dropping
Wall Street Journal
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Jan 24, 2008 10:14 AM CST
(Newser) -
Existing home sales began to fall again in December after briefly bumping upwards in October and November. Home resales were at a 4.89 million annual rate; that's down 2.2% from November and down 13% from last year. "Home sales remain weak despite improved affordability conditions in many parts of the country," an economist tells the Wall...
Hate Church Plans to Picket Ledger Funeral
Scoop
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Jan 24, 2008 9:53 AM CST
(Newser) -
A homophobic Kansas church known for protesting at the funerals of dead soldiers has announced plans to picket Heath Ledger's funeral because he played a gay character in Brokeback Mountain , MSNBC reports. "He got on that big screen with a big, fat message: God is a liar and it's OK to be gay,” said a statement from the Westboro Baptist...
How Low Will Bernanke Go?
Wall Street Journal
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Jan 24, 2008 9:29 AM CST
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The Fed’s emergency three-quarter percentage-point cut Tuesday to the short-term interest rate was a boon to US markets, but whether the Fed will go lower in its interest-rate lambada remains to be seen. Most analysts expect a half-point cut, to 3%, at the Fed's meeting Wednesday, reports the Wall Street Journal; some see the possibility of...
SocGen Fraud: How Did One Man Lose $7B?
Telegraph (UK)
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Jan 24, 2008 9:12 AM CST
(Newser) -
Société Générale has not named the trader responsible for the largest bank fraud in history—which caused the bank to announce a $7.16 billion writedown today—but the Telegraph reports that his responsibilities were modest. He took out "plain vanilla" futures on the European equities markets, betting...
Valentino Bids Fashion Farewell
Independent (UK)
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Jan 24, 2008 8:52 AM CST
(Newser) -
With one last parade of models in languid, lipstick-red gowns, the Italian couturier Valentino Garavani unveiled his final collection last night. “It’s a happy collection,” Valentino told the crowd. “It’s not a collection with tears in between.” But the departure of Valentino, who dressed Hollywood stars, socialites,...
He Can Stop Terror; Carbon's Another Story
New Republic
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Jan 24, 2008 8:39 AM CST
(Newser) -
Fox's 24 has its share of problems—Kiefer Sutherland's DUI imprisonment, rewritten scripts, the writers strike—but one writer still won’t give Jack Bauer a break, hitting the set to probe the show’s promise to reduce its carbon footprint. One exec congratulates himself on picking “our toughest show” for the green...
An Oil Giant, Alaska Faces Gas Crisis
Christian Science Monitor
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Jan 24, 2008 8:07 AM CST
(Newser) -
Alaska—home of America's largest energy reserves—is facing a major energy crunch. The problem is a lack of infrastructure to get natural gas where it needs to be, the Christian Science Monitor reports. "It's the goofiest thing in the world, to be sitting on top of some of the biggest energy reserves in the world and have these challenges,"...
Top UK Minister Resigns Ahead of Police Inquiry
Times (UK)
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Jan 24, 2008 7:55 AM CST
(Newser) -
A leading minister in Gordon Brown's cabinet resigned today after UK police announced they were opening an investigation into his failure to disclose over $200,000 in donations. Peter Hain raised the money to contest an internal Labour Party election for deputy leader, which he lost. This is the third major police investigation into Labour fundraising,...
Israeli Court to Rule on Gaza Blockade
Haaretz (Israel)
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Jan 24, 2008 7:49 AM CST
(Newser) -
Israel's highest court will conduct an emergency hearing Sunday on suits filed by Palestinian organizations over the blockade that has cut Israeli shipments of fuel and gas to Hamas-controlled Gaza. The border to Egypt remains open, reports Haaretz , after militants in the Gaza Strip blasted open the fence and thousands streamed into Egypt to replenish...
