Newser Story Index from August, 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.

'Kidult' Culture Hides Isolation, Misery
Newsweek | Aug 31, 08 7:38 PM CDT
(Newser) - Today’s twentysomething men are a bunch of “kidults” and “thresholders,” writes Tony Dokoupil in Newsweek , content to stretch the transition from adolescence to adulthood into a decade of dude-centric activities like drinking, skirt-chasing, and mastering fire (“I’ll grill that potato salad,” one buddy...

Palin Backed 'Bridge to Nowhere' in Governor's Race
Associated Press | Aug 31, 08 7:05 PM CDT
(Newser) - Sarah Palin bragged yesterday about opposing a nearly $400 million pork barrel project that, it turns out, she initially supported, the AP reports. Palin did slam the so-called "bridge to nowhere" after becoming governor of Alaska 2 years ago. But on the campaign trail, she was all for the bridge linking an Alaskan town to an island with...

Gustav to Hit as Cat 3 Storm by Midday
Reuters | Aug 31, 08 6:45 PM CDT
(Newser) - Hurricane Gustav roared through the Gulf of Mexico today and is expected to strike west of New Orleans tomorrow at around noon, Reuters reports. But forecasters expect it to simmer down to a category 3 storm with 125-mph winds and say hurricane-force winds will likely strike the coast tonight. "This is still a very dangerous storm," Louisiana...

Ancient Ritual Blends Faith, Technology
Washington Post | Aug 31, 08 6:29 PM CDT
(Newser) - Telescopes are tilted skyward throughout the Muslim world tonight, hunting for the first glimpse of a crescent moon that signals the start of Ramadan. In an age-old mix of science and religion, astronomers and clerics gather each year to monitor the moon and announce the beginning of Islam’s holiest month. The 4 weeks of fasting and celebration...

Cowboys Ride With Satphones at Their Side
Associated Press | Aug 31, 08 6:07 PM CDT
(Newser) - Cowboys are men of spurs and solitude—and satellite phones, too. Federal and state agencies have equipped seven Idaho ranchers with satellite technology so they can make clear, quick calls if a wildfire breaks out, the AP reports. "Minutes count in that country," one cowboy said. "Right now, it's pretty quiet. But it'll come."

Power-Sharing Talks Stall in Zimbabwe
BBC | Aug 31, 08 5:41 PM CDT
(Newser) - Zimbabwe’s rival parties stopped talks today without progress on forging a unified government, BBC reports. President Robert Mugabe offered to make opposition leader Morgan Tsvanigrai prime minister without any authority. Tsvanigrai wants Mugabe to stay president but cede executive power. “Nothing was achieved in the latest round,"...

China Shifting Into Green Gear
New York Times | Aug 31, 08 5:18 PM CDT
(Newser) - Beijing wants to create a greener and more modern economy without losing its grip on society—but that leaves officials in a bind, Thomas L. Friedman writes in the New York Times . A green, knowledge-based economy requires personal freedoms that China may be unwilling to provide. But it must act, writes Friedman, for the oil that fueled China's...

Prof Rips UCLA for 'Illegal' Race Admissions
Los Angeles Times | Aug 31, 08 4:53 PM CDT
(Newser) - A UCLA professor is accusing the school of admitting students based on race even though the practice remains illegal in California, the Los Angeles Times reports. Tim Groseclose resigned this week from an admissions committee and posted an 89-page report online accusing the university of a "coverup." "A growing body of evidence strongly...

Thunder Still Roars at Box Office
Variety | Aug 31, 08 4:30 PM CDT
(Newser) - Tropic Thunder kept rumbling this weekend with an $11.5 million box office score and a hold on the top spot, Variety reports. The Vin Diesel vehicle Babylon AD debuted in second with $9.5 million, while third-place Dark Knight made history as the second flick ever to bank $500 million. Filling out the top five were The House Bunny ($8.3 million)...

McCain Cancels Most Events on RNC's Day 1
CNN | Aug 31, 08 4:07 PM CDT
(Newser) - As Hurricane Gustav bore down on the Gulf Coast today, John McCain announced a drastically curtailed schedule for the opening day of the convention that will anoint him his party's presidential nominee, CNN reports. But as organizers stripped a grandiose event down to the bare minimum, Politico reports that Republicans are looking for a silver lining...

Big Easy Not Ready for '100-Year Storm'
Newsweek | Aug 31, 08 3:44 PM CDT
(Newser) - With Hurricane Gustav set to thrash the Big Easy almost exactly 3 years after Katrina, Newsweek sits down with New Orleans Levee District executive director Stevan Spencer to find out what will change this time around. “We are better than before Katrina —we've raised the levees and strengthened or replaced the floodwalls,”...

US Slow to Hop On Global Biking Boom
Washington Post | Aug 31, 08 3:34 PM CDT
(Newser) - The US remains uninspired by nations that have prodded people to save money by biking to work, the Washington Post reports. Germany, Denmark, and the Netherlands installed infrastructure years ago to benefit bikers and discourage cars, but America—along with Canada, Australia, and Britain—have not. "It is very clear how to do this,"...

Atlanta Panda Now a 2-Time Mama
WEBTV | Aug 31, 08 3:00 PM CDT
(Newser) - A giant panda in Zoo Atlanta became a mommy for the second time last night, and a twin might even be on the way, WSB Atlanta reports. Lun Lun gave birth at 10:10pm, the first panda in the US to do so this year. She previously gave birth in 2006. “We are delighted, proud and elated,” the zoo’s president says.

Media Ready to Skip Convention for Gulf Coast
Politico | Aug 31, 08 2:45 PM CDT
(Newser) - Reporters scheduled to cover the Republican convention are preparing to move fast if Hurricane Gustav wallops the Gulf Coast. Anchors Anderson Cooper and Geraldo Rivera are already headed for the storm, but hordes of journalists are stuck in St. Paul, Minn., where the RNC will start tomorrow unless it's postponed. “It almost feels like having...

McCain Calls Palin a 'Soulmate'
Politico | Aug 31, 08 2:16 PM CDT
(Newser) - Calling Sarah Palin “a partner and a soul mate,” John McCain gave his first televised interview this morning since dropping the Alaskan bombshell on the nation as his pick for running mate. He highlighted her experience—a single visit to Kuwait and her role as commander-in-chief of the Alaska National Guard—before painting her...

Nation's Most Ridiculous College Mascots
Radar | Aug 31, 08 2:05 PM CDT
(Newser) - Granted, managing to create a college mascot whose gigantic foam appendages perfectly straddle the line between ridiculous and comically appropriate is no easy task. That said, the folks at Radar magazine didn't have to dig too deep to discover a batch who utterly obliterate the line. The worst offenders: Evergreen State's Geoduck: Essentially...

Why Do We Hate Ratatouille?
Gourmet | Aug 31, 08 1:53 PM CDT
(Newser) - Ratatouille should be an American staple: It’s easy, tasty, and bursting with fresh veggies, Gourmet ’s Laura Shapiro writes. Instead, the French dish is passed over by Americans—but why? Perhaps eggplant is the culprit: “Fat, purple and interminable, eggplant is one of the least-loved vegetables in the land,” Shapiro...

Drug Crime Looms Over Everyday Life in Mexico
New York Times | Aug 31, 08 1:38 PM CDT
(Newser) - The effects of the wave of violent drug crime in Mexico--one paper puts this year’s related deaths at 2,682--have seeped into everyday life in the once-pacific country, the New York Times reports. “You have to be more careful with everything these days,” says a watchdog. Some are thinking twice about going to local restaurants,...

Bush to Skip RNC for Gustav Trip
Associated Press | Aug 31, 08 1:06 PM CDT
(Newser) - President George W. Bush will skip the Republican National Convention tomorrow and travel instead to Texas to meet with emergency workers and people who evacuated the Gulf Coast as Hurricane Gustav bore down. He will hold off traveling to Louisiana, however, because he does not want to get in the way of emergency personnel.

Morning Talk Shows Abuzz With Palin Pick
Politico | Aug 31, 08 1:00 PM CDT
(Newser) - Sarah Palin ruled the political morning shows today at the expense of Barack Obama's historic speech last week, Politico reports: John McCain rebuked criticisms that Palin was unqualified to be "a heartbeat away" from the presidency. “She’s been commander in chief of the Alaska National Guard," he said on Fox News...

Palin Campaign Starts With Undecided Mom-in-Law
New York Daily News | Aug 31, 08 12:59 PM CDT
(Newser) - It's great that Sarah Palin landed the No. 2 slot and all, but her own mother-in-law likes that Barack Obama and hasn't quite made up her mind which ticket to vote for in November, she tells the New York Daily News . “We don’t agree on everything,” Faye Palin says of her daughter-in-law. “But I respect her passion. Being pro-life...

How This Tastes to a Vegetarian
Esquire | Aug 31, 08 12:48 PM CDT
(Newser) - The embarrassment for a cow in being a meal for a human one-fifth its size is among the reasons AJ Jacobs doesn’t eat meat. “If my body ended up as brunch for some badger or dachshund, I know I'd be pissed,” he writes in Esquire . But that wasn’t enough for carnivorous colleagues, who took him to Brooklyn’s premier steakhouse...

Bloggers Ready to Roll at GOP Convention
St. Paul Pioneer Press (Minn.) | Aug 31, 08 12:13 PM CDT
(Newser) - Watch out, mainstream media: Bloggers have claimed a space of their own at this year’s Republican National Convention. All they got 4 years ago was a folding table for a dozen huddled writers; now more than 200 have credentials and an area to work in. Big-name anchors like Katie Couric and Brian Williams will even be blogging as festivities unfold....

Young QBs Fall Through Cracks
New York Times | Aug 31, 08 12:12 PM CDT
(Newser) - All too common are the hopeful young quarterbacks who found themselves not taking snaps, the New York Times reports, but instead drifting around the NFL as human debris. Blame insufficient coaching, the win-now mantra of teams these days, or plain bad luck —for whatever reason, there are big problems behind the most important position...

On Night of Upsets, Blake Falls to Friend
New York Times | Aug 31, 08 11:34 AM CDT
(Newser) - Despite James Blake's hometown support in Flushing Meadows and recent victory over Roger Federer, the No. 9 seed couldn't move on to the fourth round of the US Open. Standing in his way was Mardy Fish, the friend for whom Blake will serve as groomsman next month, the New York Times reports. The ecstatic Fish joins several other surprise spoilers.

Palin's Story: A Political Chick-Flick
New York Times | Aug 31, 08 11:07 AM CDT
(Newser) - Sarah Palin’s rise to the national stage makes for a great political chick-flick, Maureen Dowd observes in the New York Times . The plot: “the 2-year governor of an oversized igloo becomes commander in chief after the president-elect chokes on a pretzel on day one.” And experience, schmexperience —“The PTA is...

Bush Ordered Troop Surge Over Internal Opposition
New York Times | Aug 31, 08 10:46 AM CDT
(Newser) - President Bush’s 2007 addition of 20,000 troops in Iraq helped stabilize the country —but advisers didn’t support the idea until the situation there looked like “civil war,” in the CIA’s words. Instead, the Pentagon wanted to shift responsibilities to Iraqi troops; the State Department wanted to focus fighting...

Some Can't, Won't Flee Gustav
CNN | Aug 31, 08 10:19 AM CDT
(Newser) - As Gustav roars toward the Gulf Coast, and New Orleans’ mayor calls it “the storm of the century,” there are some in the city who can’t—or simply won’t—evacuate. “Most people don’t have cars to leave, don’t have money for gas. Pay for a hotel for that long? I guess I’m gonna stay and...

Duchovny Loses Fashion Gig After Sex Addict Flap
New York Post | Aug 31, 08 9:58 AM CDT
(Newser) - It's no big mystery why a fashion promo featuring X-Files star David Duchovny has disappeared, reports the New York Post . A poster of Duchovny was yanked from a Madison Avenue Johnston & Murphy store just days after the actor announced he had checked into a clinic for treatment of sex addiction. "We got the call from corporate to take...

Black Museums Fight for Funding
Portfolio | Aug 31, 08 9:32 AM CDT
(Newser) - As Barack Obama’s fundraisers pull in huge sums of money for his historic candidacy, African-American museums across the country are struggling for cash and visitors, Portfolio reports. Part of the problem may be the flagging economy, but for the likes of the National Slavery Museum, the subject matter can deter donors; others say the black...

Gustav Throws GOP Convention Up In the Air
Politico | Aug 31, 08 9:02 AM CDT
(Newser) - Hurricane Gustav will likely remove President Bush from the Republican National Convention and see John McCain delivering his acceptance speech from amid the rubble, if the “storm of the century” hits the Gulf Coast as hard as predicted. Convention officials have created a five-state working group to update and assist delegates from the...

Is Palin a Woman's Woman?
New York Times | Aug 31, 08 8:30 AM CDT
(Newser) - John McCain’s choice of Sarah Palin as his running mate is drawing a mixed reaction from the female swing voters his campaign is desperate to woo, reports the New York Times . Some conservative women who have been lukewarm about a McCain presidency are energized by the pick, whereas many independents and Clinton fans take issue with the Alaska...

Crazed Police Horse Kills Football Fan
San Francisco Chronicle | Aug 31, 08 8:02 AM CDT
(Newser) - An elderly San Francisco 49ers football fan suffered a fatal head injury when he was knocked to the ground by a runaway police horse, reports the San Francisco Chronicle . The horse panicked when a white plastic bag blowing in the wind became entangled in his reins. He tumbled to the ground, unseating his rider before racing off and careening into...

Cops Bust 'Anarchists' Before GOP Convention
Minneapolis Star Tribune | Aug 31, 08 7:25 AM CDT
(Newser) - Minnesota county cops raided protest organization sites to stop what authorities called an "anarchist plot" to disrupt the Republican National Convention. The police action triggered an angry response from activists and free speech advocates. Supplied with information from police infiltrators, cops battered down doors and busted five activists...

Deadly Quake Hits Southwest China
Los Angeles Times | Aug 31, 08 6:51 AM CDT
(Newser) - A 5.7 earthquake struck an area near Panzhihua City in southwest China yesterday, killing at least 22 people and destroying 1,000 homes in Sichuan and Yunnan provinces, reports the Los Angeles Times. Rescue teams were racing to the area to help at least 126 injured. Heavy rains and difficult terrain were delaying relief efforts, officials said. Some...

Thousands Protest Mexico Violence
Los Angeles Times | Aug 31, 08 6:28 AM CDT
(Newser) - Thousands of protesters marched in various Mexican cities yesterday, demanding the government crack down on the nation's mounting crime. Mexico has been rocked by kidnappings and murders connected to drug-trafficking gangs and corrupt police, with an estimated 12,000 drug-related deaths so far this year, reports the Los Angeles Times . "We don't...

‘Kindred Spirit’ Palin Wowed McCain Right From Start
Washington Post | Aug 31, 08 6:11 AM CDT
(Newser) - Alaska Governor Sarah Palin was a strong contender to be John McCain's running mate all along, his campaign has revealed. Looking to diffuse speculation that Palin was a hasty, last-minute choice, aides told the Washington Pos t that she was high on McCain’s list since their first meeting in February. Advisers also divulged that Cindy McCain...

'Gospel Illusionists' Tricked Out for Jesus
Mother Jones | Aug 31, 08 5:52 AM CDT
(Newser) - Though the Bible places strictures on the “magic arts,” a group of faithful tricksters are using sleight of hand to convert the wayward, Mother Jones reports. Weslyan University recently hosted the annual convention of the Fellowship of Christian Magicians, where performers were more likely to quote scripture and deliver Bible lessons...

Bengals Star Legally Switches Name to Spanish '85'
Cincinnati Enquirer | Aug 31, 08 5:22 AM CDT
(Newser) - Irascible NFLer Chad Johnson has legally changed his name to Chad Javon Ocho Cinco, a Spanish reference to his jersey number 85, reports the Cincinnati Enquirer . Johnson took the name two years ago and was fined $5,000 for putting it on the back of his uniform in 2006. “It’s something I don’t think has been done before,” he...

Terror Trackers Tackle Jihadis Online
Der Spiegel | Aug 31, 08 4:57 AM CDT
(Newser) - Two low-profile private contractors are at the forefront of the fight against cyber-jihadis, Der Speigel reports. From secret US locations, IntelCenter and SITE track footprints that al-Qaeda and other groups leave online. They detect new statements in the maze of terror-linked sites and rapidly transmit them to the world's counter-terror agencies....

New Orleans Mayor Orders: 'Get Out of Town'
Associated Press | Aug 30, 08 9:29 PM CDT
(Newser) - New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin tonight ordered the mandatory evacuation of New Orleans, turning informal advice to flee from Gustav into an official order to "get out of town." Nagin didn't mince words, referring to Gustav as the "storm of the century." The order takes effect at 8am tomorrow. Meanwhile, Gustav slammed into Cuba's tobacco-growing...

Alaska's Joan of Arc Won Hearts in Ethics Battles
Anchorage Daily News | Aug 30, 08 8:39 PM CDT
(Newser) - Republican whistleblower Sarah Palin surged into politics as Alaska's Joan of Arc, daring to battle corporate interests over oil taxes and a natural gas pipeline. She won both fights and made powerful enemies—but the ethics at the heart of her straight-talking politics sparked a blaze of admiration among voters, the Anchorage Daily News reports.

Women's Mercury Levels Tied to Region, Income
Chicago Tribune | Aug 30, 08 8:31 PM CDT
(Newser) - American women are afflicted by high Mercury levels depending on where they live and how much they earn, a new study says. Northeasterners are worst off, with a 20% chance of high mercury, 10 points higher than the national rate. Midwesterners eat less seafood and had lower levels overall, the Chicago Tribune reports.

Wacky Garb Key to Conventions
Washington Post | Aug 30, 08 8:08 PM CDT
(Newser) - Political die-hards flock to conventions in outlandish costumes, temporary tattoos, and head-to-toe buttons—“as much red, white and blue as possible in a patriotic arms race,” Robin Givhan writes in the Washington Post. Yet these goofy fans are integral to the messy, democratic process—by making it accessible to the folks...

Errant Email Offers Insight in Dirty Politics
Chicago Tribune | Aug 30, 08 7:55 PM CDT
(Newser) - An errant email from a Republican party staffer about a few Rush Limbaugh remarks shows how sleazy campaigning can be, Andrew Zajac blogs for the Chicago Tribune . On his radio show, Limbaugh imagined Obama asking Palin, "When you found out your baby would be born with Down syndrome, did you consider killing it before or after the due date?"...

Israeli Divorce Spurs Debate Over Who Is Jewish
Washington Post | Aug 30, 08 7:29 PM CDT
(Newser) - A divorce ruling in Israel has thrown thousands of Jewish conversions into question and sparked a debate over who is really Jewish, the Washington Post reports. Ultra-Orthodox rabbis, who frame one side of the dispute, refused to let a Jewish convert divorce last year, saying she was never married because she did not observe Jewish law. "I...

GOP Watching Gustav to Decide on Convention
Politico | Aug 30, 08 7:08 PM CDT
(Newser) - GOP leaders are monitoring Hurricane Gustav "from day to day" to decide whether to delay the Republican National Convention, John McCain said today. “It just wouldn't be appropriate to have a festive occasion while a near-tragedy or a terrible challenge is presented in the form of a natural disaster,” he said in a taped interview...

Gustav Could Reverse Welcome Oil Trend
San Francisco Chronicle | Aug 30, 08 6:41 PM CDT
(Newser) - Hurricane Gustav is on path to smash into the Gulf Coast's oil-production infrastructure, which could reverse the recent downward trend in gas prices, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. More than a quarter of oil produced in the US comes from the Gulf of Mexico, and producers have already begun evacuating workers from platforms as a precaution....

McMahon Home Woes Persist
ABC News | Aug 30, 08 6:16 PM CDT
(Newser) - Ed McMahon’s money woes continued this week when the sale of his house fell through. The mystery buyer who had topped Donald Trump's offer "did not perform on a specific point of the contract," McMahon's realtor said—although Trump's bid is apparently still on the table. McMahon's plight may have a bright side, ABC News reports,...

India Struggles to Save Millions in Flood
Daily Telegraph (UK) | Aug 30, 08 5:58 PM CDT
(Newser) - Rescue helicopters are trying to save villagers in India after a dam flooded thousands of towns this month, killing 85, displacing 2 million, and wrecking a quarter-million acres of farmland, the Daily Telegraph reports. Torrential rain kept helicopters grounded for most of yesterday as one boat capsized, killing 20. “These are some of the...