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Newser Story Index from October, 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.

Brrr: Boys of Summer Brace for Winter
MSNBC | Oct 29, 2008 5:40 PM CDT
(Newser) - Baseball weather, it's not. When the World Series resumes tonight in Philly, the forecast calls for temperatures in the 30s and a wind chill below freezing, MSNBC reports. The Phillies and Rays will pick up where Monday's night's Game 5 left off: tied at 2 in the bottom of the sixth. The Phillies, 28 years without a title, lead the Series 3-1....
First Laser TV Hits the Market
TechRadar.com | Oct 29, 2008 5:25 PM CDT
(Newser) - Mitsubishi has released the world’s first laser television, TechRadar reports. The LaserVue L65-A90 uses DLP technology, which runs most projectors, to deliver colors twice as rich as an HDTV. The LaserVue is also greener than HD, using a quarter of the power of a plasma TV. But it will cost you some green in return—the price tag is $7,000....
Double Cheeseburger Gets Boot for One-Slice McDouble
Chicago Tribune | Oct 29, 2008 5:01 PM CDT
(Newser) - Grumbling from franchisees has McDonald’s set to bump the price of its double cheeseburger up to $1.19, the Chicago Tribun e reports. That, of course, would knock it off the popular dollar menu, so plans are to replace it there with the new McDouble—virtually the same burger but with only one slice of cheese instead of two. Franchise owners—who...
Leo Corrals Star Pals for Get-Out- the-Vote Video
Associated Press | Oct 29, 2008 4:46 PM CDT
(AP) - Leonardo DiCaprio brings out the big guns for a get-out-the-vote video with an A-list cast including Tom Cruise, Julia Roberts, Harrison Ford, Will Smith, Steven Spielberg, and Justin Timberlake. Leo produces and appears in the spot, in which Spielberg directs the actors to use reverse psychology to get young people into voting booths by telling them...
Feds Near $50B Plan to Guarantee 3M Mortgages
Washington Post | Oct 29, 2008 4:36 PM CDT
(Newser) - The Treasury Department and the FDIC are working on a plan to guarantee the mortgages of 3 million struggling homeowners, the Washington Post reports. Under the plan, lenders would reduce monthly payments so owners could avoid foreclosure. If the homeowners defaulted anyway on the reconfigured loan, the government would repay the lender a portion...
Best, Worst Financial Decisions of Candidates
Politico | Oct 29, 2008 4:29 PM CDT
(Newser) - The next president faces the daunting task of fixing a crippled economy—all the more reason to look at the candidates' best and worst financial decisions during the campaigns. Politico's Jeanne Cummings does the tally: Obama's Best: His decision to hire Facebook's founder, whose interactive Internet fundraising included billboards in...
Obama Court Would Threaten Foundation of US Democracy
National Review | Oct 29, 2008 4:17 PM CDT
(Newser) - Before electing a “left-wing ideologue,” Americans should reconsider who “moderate-posing” Barack Obama would put on the Supreme Court, Edward Whelan writes in the National Review . The Democrat will select ultra-liberals for a bench already “markedly to the left of the American public,” he cautions: “Simply...
Banker Bags $1M Lotto Salary for Life
New York Post | Oct 29, 2008 4:05 PM CDT
(Newser) - John McCain can rest assured that New York’s “$1 million a year for life” is no spread-the-wealth scheme. The lottery’s first winner, a 33-year-old London banker, was already a multimillionaire. “Is it going to materially change my life? No,” Keenan Altunis admitted to the Post . Since he lives in the UK, the father...
Tobacco Crackdown Aims to Douse Smuggling Efforts
Portfolio | Oct 29, 2008 3:52 PM CDT
(Newser) - Negotiators from over 150 countries are working with the World Health Organization to shape a proposal intended to combat the global trade in illegal cigarettes, Portfolio reports. Anti-tobacco advocates say current measures are insufficient to stem the illicit production or smuggling that accounts for 11% of worldwide tobacco sales, and robs countries...
Busy? Get Your Drive-Thru Flu Shot
Boston Globe | Oct 29, 2008 3:39 PM CDT
(Newser) - A Massachusetts hospital has a novel way to administer influenza vaccinations: the drive-through. Caritas Norwood, south of Boston, has nurses on hand to administer the shot in a designated areas of the hospital’s driveway, the Boston Globe reports. Some 250 people, at $20 a pop, have received the vaccine already this year. “It makes...
Rice Could Be Lone Survivor of Bush Years
Der Spiegel | Oct 29, 2008 3:29 PM CDT
(Newser) - Condoleezza Rice might be the lone Bush confidante to escape with a political career intact, Marc Hujer writes in Der Spiegel , ironic because if “anyone, besides Bush …ought to be held accountable for the failings of the current administration, it is Rice.” As national security adviser then secretary of state, Rice was involved...
Dow Down 74 After Volatile Day
MarketWatch | Oct 29, 2008 3:19 PM CDT
(Newser) - Volatility ruled Wall Street today as investors waffled in their response to the expected Fed rate cut, MarketWatch reports. Though the session’s final hour saw the Dow rocket to a 250-point gain in light trading, that evaporated and the Dow closed down 74.16 at 8,990.96. The Nasdaq, however, finished up 7.74 at 1,657.21, while the S&P 500...
BlackBerry's New Storm Will Capsize iPhone, Google's G-1
GigaOm | Oct 29, 2008 3:15 PM CDT
(Newser) - The low-profile BlackBerry's Storm is poised to be silent killer to Apple's iPhone and Google's G-1 when it goes on sale next month. GigaOm's Jim Courtney explains why: Storm cleverly runs on 3G carriers like Verizon, whose 70 million customers can't use iPhone. The advanced touch screen and keyboard are amped up with many entry options...
Maradona to Coach Argentina
Guardian (UK) | Oct 29, 2008 3:11 PM CDT
(Newser) - Soccer great Diego Maradona will take the helm of his native Argentina’s national team Tuesday, the Guardian reports. Argentina has been without a coach since mid-October, when the last coach stepped down. “I think we must make the players understand that our shirt is the most important thing, that they cannot exchange money for glory,”...
MGM Delays New Casinos for Vegas, Atlantic City
Wall Street Journal | Oct 29, 2008 3:03 PM CDT
(Newser) - MGM Mirage will suspend work on new casinos in Las Vegas and Atlantic City due to the dismal credit climate, the Wall Street Journal reports. The firm reported a 67% drop in third-quarter net income as the slumping economy quells consumers’ desire to gamble or spend at casino restaurants and luxury shops. Fitch downgraded MGM Mirage’s...
Feds OK Delta-Northwest Deal
Reuters | Oct 29, 2008 2:49 PM CDT
(Newser) - Delta’s $2.6 billion offer to buy Northwest Airlines has passed the scrutiny of federal antitrust regulators. Ensuing labor issues aside, official say the merger—which creates the world’s most patronized airline—would not "substantially lessen competition" and will benefit customers, Reuters reports.
Director Smith: Friendship, not Sex, Is the Heart of Porno
Reuters | Oct 29, 2008 2:40 PM CDT
(Newser) - Zack and Miri do indeed make a porno in Zack and Miri Make a Porno but the movie is about a lot more than just sex, director Kevin Smith tells Reuters. The story about a pair of cash-strapped pals entering the adult film biz is about love and friendship, Smith says, but it was a hard sell to the ratings board all the same.
Bin Laden Book to Counter 'Negative Propaganda'
ADN Kronos | Oct 29, 2008 2:23 PM CDT
(Newser) - Osama bin Laden is reportedly working on a book to counter “negative propaganda and insufficient information” about al-Qaeda, ADN Kronos International reports. The rumored work, written in Arabic and to be translated into English, will be called Nidal , or Struggle . A “young man with a Middle Eastern background” will assist...
Obama Donors Get to Hang With the Big Kids
Politico | Oct 29, 2008 2:18 PM CDT
(Newser) - Barack Obama’s money machine has kept rolling thanks, in part, to a series of intimate fundraisers headlined by his top advisers, Politico reports. In exchange for a mere $28,500, Obama supporters could snag seats at a dinner with Warren Buffett or a “Round Table Discussion” with Robert Rubin. Slimmer wallets could attend a reception...
Contract Told Guy What to Say, Do
Sun (UK) | Oct 29, 2008 2:11 PM CDT
(Newser) - After a 2006 marriage-counseling session, Madonna pinned up a contract instructing Guy Ritchie to “enrich his wife's emotional and spiritual well-being” and defining what words he could use during fights, sources tell the Sun . If Ritchie shouted, fell behind on Kabbalah reading, or used “sex as a stick to beat” Madge, the...
Blair Banks $20M in First Year as Ex-PM
Times (UK) | Oct 29, 2008 2:05 PM CDT
(Newser) - Tony Blair took in around $20 million since stepping aside as British PM last October, the Times of London reports, six times what he’d made in his entire life and more than double Bill Clinton’s take in his first year out of office. Some at the UN have questioned whether Blair is spending enough time in his unpaid role as Middle East...
GM-Chrysler Inch Closer to Deal
Reuters | Oct 29, 2008 1:57 PM CDT
(Newser) - General Motors and Chrysler have ironed out the major issues in their proposed merger, bringing the troubled giants a step closer to becoming the world's largest automaker. The deal's final form will depend on financing and government support—of which GM is requesting $10 billion—but both companies agree GM chief  Rick Wagoner...
It's a Fine Line Between Love, Hate in the Brain
ABC News | Oct 29, 2008 1:47 PM CDT
(Newser) - Areas of the brain involved in hatred are also activated by love, a study suggests. Researchers took images of brain activity when subjects looked at a photo of someone they despised, ABC News reports. While not identical, the pattern of brain activation those images triggered involved some of the same areas as a previous study using a photo of a loved...
Fed Cuts Rate Half-Point to 1%
Associated Press | Oct 29, 2008 1:29 PM CDT
(Newser) - The Federal Reserve surprised no one today, cutting interest rates by half a point, to 1%—as investors widely predicted he would, AP reports. “The pace of economic activity appears to have slowed markedly, owing importantly to a decline in consumer expenditures,” the Fed said in a statement, with the financial crisis “likely...
Scott Peterson Wants to Be Pen Pals With Casey Anthony
Orlando Sentinel | Oct 29, 2008 1:13 PM CDT
(Newser) - Convicted murderer Scott Peterson has been sending letters to Casey Anthony from death row in California, the Orlando Sentinel reports. It’s not clear whether Anthony, jailed in Florida after being charged with the murder of 3-year-old daughter Caylee, has responded to Peterson, who was sentenced to death for killing his pregnant wife in 2005,...
BBC Yanks Comics for Prank Call
BBC | Oct 29, 2008 1:08 PM CDT
(Newser) - The BBC suspended two leading comedians for a prank call that infuriated 18,000 viewers and that even the prime minister called “inappropriate and unacceptable,” the news service reports. Foul-mouthed Russell Brand—who, stateside, offended abstinent teens at MTV's Music Video Awards—and Jonathan Ross told a 78-year-old actor...
China Offers to Restart Talks With Dalai Lama
BBC | Oct 29, 2008 12:49 PM CDT
(Newser) - China has offered a fresh round of negotiations with the Dalai Lama on Tibet’s political status, the BBC reports. The religious leader should “treasure this opportunity,” according to an announcement in Chinese state media, which added that Beijing was willing to overlook the violent Tibetan protests that broke out last March. The...
Obama Razing Mac's Lead in Arizona
Arizona Republic (Phoenix) | Oct 29, 2008 12:31 PM CDT
(Newser) - One Arizona poll indicates that the presidential race is within 2 percentage points in John McCain’s home state, the Arizona Republic reports. McCain leads 46% to 44%, but the 3-point margin of error makes the race a toss-up, according to the Arizona State University poll. Republicans have an edge on Democrats in registered voters in Arizona,...
Swayze: I Catch 'Myself With a Smile on My Face'
New York Times | Oct 29, 2008 12:10 PM CDT
(Newser) - Patrick Swayze is healthy, working, and excited by the future, the New York Times reports. The actor, who is responding well to treatment for pancreatic cancer, is shooting a cop drama for A&E, The Beast . “I do find myself, at the end of the day, riding home sort of catching myself with a smile on my face,” he said. “I’m...
Keanu Testifies, Denies Car Hit Photog
Associated Press | Oct 29, 2008 12:09 PM CDT
(Newser) - Keanu Reeves and a paparazzo faced off in court yesterday over whether the Matrix actor hit the photog with his car last year, AP reports. Reeves insisted he inched forward to try to get by the lurking paparazzo, Alison Silva. But Silva, in his civil case, insists the bumper of Reeves' Porsche hit his knee, sent him reeling backward, and causing...
Fox Vetoes World Series Day Game
Los Angeles Times | Oct 29, 2008 12:00 PM CDT
(Newser) - With all the late starts and later finishes plaguing the World Series, many are pining for an old-fashioned day game—including Bud Selig. The commish says he’d love to schedule an afternoon contest, if only Fox would let him. But the network insists on starting in prime time, when it can fetch more eyeballs and ad dollars. “We pay...
Conservatives Plan Future With Palin
New York Times | Oct 29, 2008 11:46 AM CDT
(Newser) - A “who’s who of conservative leaders” will meet in Virginia next Wednesday to plot their movement’s future, and the top item on their agenda will be Sarah Palin. Win or lose, many see Palin as the new face of the Republican party, the New York Times reports. Despite all the criticisms, Palin remains a star among conservatives,...
Auto Bailout Is a Lemon for Taxpayers
Washington Post | Oct 29, 2008 11:35 AM CDT
(Newser) - Automakers just got a $25 billion loan from Uncle Sam, but now here GM and Chrysler are again, hat in hand, asking for another $10 billion to facilitate their merger. But the “deal is a lemon,” writes Steven Pearlstein in the Washington Post . Yes, the economy would suffer if GM and Chrysler fail, but even after a bailout the companies...
Calorie Counting Makes a Comeback
New York Times | Oct 29, 2008 11:25 AM CDT
(Newser) - Thanks to new laws, calorie counting is back in vogue and bigger than ever, writes the New York Times . After decades of diets that focused on the balance of fat, protein, and carbs, “More and more, people are looking at calories in, and calories out,” a doc tells the Times. Chain restaurants in New York are now required to print the...
Obama Infomercial: Shrewd Clincher or Another Berlin?
Politico | Oct 29, 2008 11:07 AM CDT
(Newser) - Barack Obama’s 30-minute infomercial tonight comes at a time when 11th-hour deciders start to look for information, Jeanne Cummings writes in Politico. There is some risk of overkill, analysts say, but the Democrat can afford the outlay. “It’s like football,” one GOP strategist says. “People may complain that a team is...
Big Easy Enlists Artists
New York Times | Oct 29, 2008 10:56 AM CDT
(Newser) - A new biennial meant to restore New Orleans' cultural life—and expand it—opens this weekend in the city, the New York Times reports. With 81 artists participating in Prospect.1 and 50,000 out-of-town visitors expected, the exhibition could be a pick-me-up for a city still trying to come back from Hurricane Katrina. But New Orleans is...
What Will He Say Next?
Politico | Oct 29, 2008 10:40 AM CDT
(Newser) - Will Joe Biden make it to November? The talky senator has so far managed to avoid major damage to Barack Obama’s campaign, despite a number of close brushes. But, notes Bill Nichols in Politico, there’s a week to go. While Biden’s favorable ratings are high and the Obama staff has been impressed with his ability to connect emotionally,...
Florida Extends Early Voting Hours
Orlando Sentinel | Oct 29, 2008 10:24 AM CDT
(Newser) - Florida Gov. Charlie Crist decreed yesterday that early-voting locations stay open 12 hours a day instead of the usual eight, in an attempt to address hours-long lines at many polling places, the Orlando Sentinel reports. Crist's failure to consult with his party's leadership has ruffled some Republican feathers, but the public seems thrilled at...
VW Gamble Nets Porsche $20B, Wallops Hedge Funds
Independent (UK) | Oct 29, 2008 10:09 AM CDT
(Newser) - Hedge funds that bet on a dive in Volkswagen shares are nursing some pretty stiff hangovers—to the tune of a possible $20 billion in losses—after the shares soared when rival Porsche announced over the weekend it had secretly acquired a 74% stake in its fellow German automaker, reports the Independent . The losses could push some of the...
Joaquin Walks Away From Acting
Extra | Oct 29, 2008 9:54 AM CDT
(Newser) - Is Joaquin Phoenix bowing out of show biz? "I want to take this opportunity (to) just talk a little bit about the fact that this will be my last performance as an actor. I'm not doing films anymore," the two-time Oscar nominee told Extra unexpectedly at Monday night's Paul Newman benefit.
Former Prisoner Ousts Maldives' Brutal President
Telegraph (UK) | Oct 29, 2008 9:42 AM CDT
(Newser) - A former political prisoner won a decisive victory yesterday in the Maldives' first democratic election, the Telegraph reports, ousting Asia's longest-serving leader. Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who came to power in 1978, conceded defeat to former journalist Mohamed Nasheed—a man he jailed 13 times and who walks with a limp from multiple bouts of...
Web Eats Hollywood's Hedge Against Recession
Los Angeles Times | Oct 29, 2008 9:38 AM CDT
(Newser) - The rise of free online content threatens to tarnish Hollywood's long-held belief that it is recession-proof, the Los Angeles Times reports. Tinseltown thrived in previous downturns, but with escapism now just a click of the mouse away, thrifty consumers are cutting cable subscriptions and movie tickets from their budgets.
Iran Faces Its Nightmare: Falling Oil
New York Times | Oct 29, 2008 9:24 AM CDT
(Newser) - Barack Obama's promise to negotiate with Iran once seemed like a dubious idea to Thomas Friedman—pre-conditions or not, the US had no leverage. But everything's changed now that the price of oil is at $57 and falling, writes the New York Times columnist. Once the mullahs went on a "domestic subsidy binge" to quell dissent,...
Cops: Hudson Slay Suspect Had Help
Chicago Tribune | Oct 29, 2008 9:17 AM CDT
(Newser) - If William Balfour killed Jennifer Hudson’s family as police suspect, he probably had help, law-enforcement sources tell the Chicago Tribune. Witnesses place Balfour on the Hudsons’ block at 7am, driving his teal Chrysler. But the car later turned up a mile away at Robeson High School. Security cameras show an unidentified person leaving...
Senate Dems Look to Prod Byrd Out of Key Chair
New York Times | Oct 29, 2008 9:06 AM CDT
(Newser) - Senate Democrats are considering an attempt to remove 90-year-old Sen. Robert Byrd from his position as chairman of the Appropriations Committee, the New York Times reports. Byrd is the longest-serving senator in history. His committee controls one-third of all federal spending, and Dems worry he’s not up to the job.
Market Dips as Eyes Turn to Fed
Wall Street Journal | Oct 29, 2008 8:55 AM CDT
(Newser) - Stocks took a modest dip at the open today, as investors waited for a rate cut decision from the Federal Reserve. The Dow fell 53 points, while the S&P and Nasdaq crept down 0.9% and 1.1% respectively. Investors are expecting a half-point rate cut, bringing the fed funds rater down to 1%, and some believe an even bigger cut is coming, the Wall...
Laura Bush's Feminist Agenda Is Anything but Demure
Washington Post | Oct 29, 2008 8:49 AM CDT
(Newser) - You don’t hear much about Laura Bush, probably because her “demure librarian-teacher persona has minimized her appeal,” but women around the world owe a lot to the first lady, writes Kathleen Parker of the Washington Post . Bush has campaigned for breast cancer awareness in the Middle East, championed the women of genocide-torn Rwanda,...
Fed Rate Cut to 1% Expected
Bloomberg | Oct 29, 2008 8:44 AM CDT
(Newser) - Worries about inflation are taking a backseat to recession fears as the Federal Reserve today is likely to lower its benchmark rate another half-point to 1%, with the possibility it could go to zero by June if the economy doesn’t rebound, reports Bloomberg. “The issue now is how bad the recession will be,'' said one expert.
Sony Profits Plunge 72% on Strong Yen, Slow Exports
New York Times | Oct 29, 2008 8:27 AM CDT
(Newser) - A strengthening yen and declining demand—especially from the US—for consumer electronics provided a one-two punch that knocked Sony profits down 72% for the third quarter, reports the New York Times. Sony shares slid to a 16-year low on Monday, and are down 67% for the year.
UN Pleads for Troops as Congo Battle Rages
Associated Press | Oct 29, 2008 8:07 AM CDT
(Newser) - The overwhelmed United Nations peacekeeping force in eastern Congo is urgently calling for reinforcements, the AP reports. A surge in fighting between Congolese government troops and forces led by a renegade general has sent tens of thousands fleeing. The UN currently has only 6,000 troops in North Kivu, where General Nkunda is threatening to...
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