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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.

If You're Running on Honor, Don't Tell Lies
Newsweek | Aug 19, 2008 5:05 PM CDT
(Newser) - Never mind merely unflattering attacks; Jonathan Alter addresses the issue of outright falsehoods, as measured by an impartial fact-checking organization, in the two presidential campaigns, and finds the McCain camp has issued many more. The "smear gap"  belies John McCain's vision of himself as an honor-first kind of guy, he writes...
Stolen Turtle Is Double Loss
New York Times | Aug 19, 2008 4:51 PM CDT
(Newser) - A Brooklyn pet-store owner knew he would be dismissed as a crank when he called the cops, but did it anyway—to report the disappearance of a two-headed turtle. The turtle, so popular with the neighborhood kids it was kept in a store window, was rare and requires special treatment. Turtle pellets must be split and offered to both the heads, the...
US Tells Russia Not to Redraw Borders
Guardian (UK) | Aug 19, 2008 4:36 PM CDT
(Newser) - Russia’s “strategic objective” won’t be met by its invasion of Georgia, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice warned Moscow today during a NATO gathering, the Guardian reports. “This NATO which has come so far in a Europe that is whole, free, and at peace is not going to permit a new line to be drawn in Europe,”...
Public Recreation Suffers as China Pays Olympic Bills
NPR | Aug 19, 2008 4:23 PM CDT
(Newser) - While elite athletes reap the benefits of Beijing’s lavish Olympic spending, Chinese citizens complain that public recreation programs are suffering, reports NPR. The government has directed $430 million to public sports facilities since 2000, but that’s only half its annual budget for training athletes. “Government resources aren't...
Recession May Take Down More Banks: Expert
Bloomberg | Aug 19, 2008 4:09 PM CDT
(Newser) - The credit-market slump could take a further toll on the largest US banks, a former chief economist of the International Monetary Fund tells Bloomberg. Claiming “the worst is yet to come,” Kenneth Rogoff says the financial sector “needs to shrink” before the economy will recover, and that institutions must be allowed to collapse...
Wanna Feel Old? Check This List
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | Aug 19, 2008 3:57 PM CDT
(Newser) - A glance at this year's Mindset List, from Wisconsin's Beloit College, provides a glance into the facts of life for the 18-year-olds beginning their freshman year in college. Via the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel : Harry Potter, created in 1990, is old enough to be a fellow freshman. GPS navigation systems are about as standard in cars...
Georgian War Lays Bare Bush Policy's Failures
Boston Globe | Aug 19, 2008 3:45 PM CDT
(Newser) - The Georgian war crystallizes the failure of the Bush administration's foreign policy, writes HDS Greenway in the Boston Globe . Besides the ready-made justification the Iraq war provides to any invading country, America has stoked Georgian boldness, "and now America's client is wiping blood from its nose," he writes. "The wreckage...
Losses Continue for 2nd Day
MarketWatch | Aug 19, 2008 3:31 PM CDT
(Newser) - Stocks fell today for a second straight session as doubts about financials persisted and economic news painted gloomy outlooks on inflation and housing, MarketWatch reports. Disappointing quarterly reports from the retail sector made a bad situation worse. The Dow fell 130.84 to 11,348.55, the Nasdaq 32.62 to 2,384.46, and the S&P 500 11.91 to...
Iraq Barbs Get Sharper; Bitter Road Ahead
Washington Post | Aug 19, 2008 3:30 PM CDT
(Newser) - Appearances by the presidential contenders at a veterans convention highlight not only substantive differences on the Iraq war, Dan Balz observes in the Washington Post , but a growing undertone of personal enmity. After McCain yesterday questioned Obama’s judgment on the troop surge as politically motivated, Obama’s “indignation...
Childless Women More Common Than Ever: Census
New York Times | Aug 19, 2008 3:26 PM CDT
(Newser) - American women are choosing to have children later in life, and many are forgoing child-rearing altogether, according to new Census Bureau data. Among women ages 40-44, 20% have no children—double the number of 30 years ago, the New York Times reports. Those who do have children are having an average of 1.9, down from 3.1 in 1976.
Corpse Proves Yankee Fan a Stand-Up Guy
Associated Press | Aug 19, 2008 3:13 PM CDT
(AP) - A Puerto Rican man has been granted his wish to remain standing—even in death. A funeral home used a special embalming treatment to keep the corpse of 24-year-old Angel Pantoja Medina standing for his 3-day wake, the AP reports. Dressed in a Yankees cap and sunglasses, Pantoja was mourned by relatives while propped upright in his mother's living...
Moore: How to Lose the Election
Rolling Stone | Aug 19, 2008 3:00 PM CDT
(Newser) - The public mostly agrees with the Democratic agenda—it’s overwhelmingly pro-choice, anti-war and pro-environment. Yet those amazing Democrats find ways to lose elections. In an excerpt from his new book, Mike’s Election Guide , filmmaker Michael Moore explains how Barack Obama can repeat this incredible feat in six easy steps: ...
Old Cold War Rhetoric Won't Work on the New Putin
New Yorker | Aug 19, 2008 2:48 PM CDT
(Newser) - Comparing Vladimir Putin to Hitler and Stalin may invoke nostalgia in aging Cold Warriors, argues David Remnick in the New Yorker , but it ignores the realities of contemporary Russia as well as Putin’s actual motives. The Russian leader has been awaiting the chance to vent his resentment of NATO expansion and American arrogance; Georgia’s...
Overheated iPods Blamed for Fires
Reuters | Aug 19, 2008 2:36 PM CDT
(Newser) - Japan’s trade ministry says iPod nanos are to blame for three fires, Reuters reports. The Japanese government suspects defective battery cells could be the cause of the fires, which left individuals with minor burns. A product safety commission will investigate the incidents with Apple’s cooperation.
VP Pick, Obama Take to Stage Saturday
Chicago Tribune | Aug 19, 2008 2:24 PM CDT
(Newser) - Barack Obama will take the stage with his vice presidential pick Saturday in Illinois, the Chicago Tribune reports. Authorities in Springfield—where the Democrat launched his campaign in Feb. 2006, have been told to expect the presumptive nominee as part of a tour with his newly minted running mate. And, Howard Fineman writes on MSNBC, Joe...
Gun-Toting Granny Foils Would-Be Thief
Uniontown (Pa.) Herald-Standard | Aug 19, 2008 2:12 PM CDT
(Newser) - An 85-year-old Pennsylvania woman foiled a thief by pointing her .22-caliber revolver at him and holding him at bay until police arrived, the Uniontown Herald-Standard reports. A 17-year-old broke into Leda Smith's home Sunday afternoon, but before the intruder could steal anything, the great-grandmother retrieved her gun, forced the burglar to call...
Retail Politics Entangle Book on Obama
Wall Street Journal | Aug 19, 2008 2:00 PM CDT
(Newser) - Barnes and Noble says its stores will not stock Obama’s Challenge , a new book outlining a progressive economic agenda for the Democratic candidate, because the publisher cut an exclusive deal with Amazon.com, the Wall Street Journal reports. Amazon’s print-on-demand service will offer the title beginning Monday, while the official printing...
Nothing to Fear in Public School as Costco
Salon | Aug 19, 2008 1:48 PM CDT
(Newser) - For many urban, middle-class parents, sending kids to public school is a terrifying prospect. If you’re among that fretting class, Sandra Tsing Loh has a message: Chill out. In Mother on Fire: A True Motherf%#$@ Story About Parenting , Loh recounts her own journey through the school conundrum, and realizes that public school isn’t evil...
Jamaicans Spell Speed 'D-N-A'
Slate | Aug 19, 2008 1:36 PM CDT
(Newser) - Jamaicans sprinters are cleaning up in Beijing, thanks to both biology and their backgrounds. Runners of West African descent—including Jamaicans—have more "fast-twitch" muscle fibers, the kind that generate quick bursts of energy, Slate explains. But nature alone didn't propel 100-meter champ Usain Bolt to his record-breaking,...
Obama Building His Own Democratic Party
American Prospect | Aug 19, 2008 1:23 PM CDT
(Newser) - Barack Obama is running as an “outsider candidate” fed up with partisan politics—yet he is, ironically, perhaps the most party-focused presidential candidate in history, Dana Goldstein and Ezra Klein write in the American Prospect . Obama has moved much of the Democratic National Committee apparatus to Chicago, rebuilt its fundraising...
Phelps Pulls a Spitz on Sports Illustrated Cover
New York Daily News | Aug 19, 2008 1:10 PM CDT
(Newser) - Michael Phelps now has "the picture" to match his record Olympic medal haul, the New York Daily News reports. Sports Illustrated features a grinning, medal-clad, bare-chested Phelps on the cover of its issue out tomorrow, a shot that mimics the mag's iconic 1972 photo of Mark Spitz. "This is about Michael going forward," said...
Safety of US Tap Water Remains Murky
Wall Street Journal | Aug 19, 2008 12:58 PM CDT
(Newser) - As critics pan bottled water as wasteful and frivolous, many Americans are turning back to tap water—only to find a debate of equal concern waiting at their kitchen sinks. The Wall Street Journal examines the controversy over tap-water purity, and why many argue the federal government isn’t doing enough to protect us from newly discovered...
Chinese Adoption: Anguish Along With Joy
Vanity Fair | Aug 19, 2008 12:46 PM CDT
(Newser) - A proud but troubled mother of an adopted Chinese girl is wondering how to cope. Diane Clehane grieves for the woman who was forced to give up little Madeline under China's "one child" policy, she writes in Vanity Fair . She also wonders how to explain it to Madeline without making her sad for her parents. "It was impossible to ignore...
Maverick Mac Has Become Slave to System
New York Times | Aug 19, 2008 12:34 PM CDT
(Newser) - John McCain has transformed from a maverick politician with bold ideas for America to a conventional campaigner so desperate for airtime his main tactic is putting down Barack Obama, David Brooks writes in the New York Times . And now that McCain has abandoned his rebellious, post-partisan style, the "inescapable fact is: It is working."
Saigon Buries War Past
Travel Leisure | Aug 19, 2008 12:21 PM CDT
(Newser) - It looks like Saigon, “the Paris of the East,” can't wait to ditch its colorful culture and tumultuous history for a shining capitalist future, Peter Jon Lindberg writes in Travel + Leisure . Officially Ho Chi Minh City, the Vietnamese “cosmopolis,” 8 million strong, boasts the world's fastest-growing retail market, with high-rises...
Test Prep Firm Accidentally Publishes Student Data
New York Times | Aug 19, 2008 12:09 PM CDT
(Newser) - An error in the Princeton Review’s website left personal information and standardized test scores for tens of thousands of students exposed on the internet for 7 weeks, the New York Times reports after a rival test-prep firm informed the newspaper. Data on 34,000 students from Sarasota, Fla., and another 74,000 in Fairfax County, Va., were...
How France Fell for Le Big Mac
Times (UK) | Aug 19, 2008 11:59 AM CDT
(Newser) - After the US, what country has the most profitable McDonald's franchises in the world? The surprising answer: it's France, home of the Michelin Guide and the three-hour lunch. The London Times travels to Paris to discover how the French have begun to adopt Anglo-American eating practices, abandoning the leisurely midday meal for a burger or sandwich...
Knights Templar Heirs Sue Pope for $150B
NPR | Aug 19, 2008 11:46 AM CDT
(Newser) - A group claiming to be descended from the ancient Knights Templar want Pope Benedict XVI to right a 700-year-old wrong, NPR reports. The group has filed a lawsuit in Spain seeking $150 billion in compensation for property seized by the church. It also wants the church to apologize and restore the good name of the Templars, who were officially dissolved...
Baby Turtles Go Out for Italian
Reuters | Aug 19, 2008 11:34 AM CDT
(Newser) - Sixty baby turtles took Rome restaurant-goers by surprise when they showed up under a table, Reuters reports. The newly hatched creatures normally instinctively head toward the sea from their beach birthplace, but “they saw the artificial lights and took the wrong route,” said a wildlife conservator. “The diners were at first quite...
Top-Secret Woodward Tome Gets a Name
Politico | Aug 19, 2008 11:20 AM CDT
(Newser) - Bob Woodward’s fourth book on the Bush White House, originally a mere 352 pages, has ballooned into 496 pages of inside dope and is due in stores Sept. 8, Politico reports. And the mystery-shrouded volume, which focuses on the Iraq conflict, officially has a name: The War Within: A Secret White House History 2006-2008 . Simon & Schuster...
Applegate: '100%' Cancer-Free
ABC News | Aug 19, 2008 11:07 AM CDT
(Newser) - After being diagnosed with breast cancer and undergoing a double mastectomy 3 weeks ago, Christina Applegate says she's "absolutely 100% clear and clean," ABC News reports. The 36-year-old Samantha Who? star, whose mom also survived breast cancer, says opting for the surgery “seemed the most logical and the one that was going to work...
Sarkozy Headed to Afghanistan After French Troop Deaths
Guardian (UK) | Aug 19, 2008 10:53 AM CDT
(Newser) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy plans to visit Afghanistan after 10 French troops were killed and 21 injured by Taliban fighters in an ambush near Kabul, the Guardian reports. The battle—which began yesterday and continued into today—nearly doubled the number of French soldiers who have lost their lives in Afghanistan—only 14 had...
Pals Pony Up for Ledger's Daughter
Sun (UK) | Aug 19, 2008 10:40 AM CDT
(Newser) - Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell, who banded together to complete Heath Ledger’s final film role, in the The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus , gave their paychecks to his daughter, Matilda, the Sun reports. “They didn’t take money—it goes to Heath’s daughter,” director Terry Gilliam said. The actor wrote his...
Wholesale Prices Rising at Fastest Pace Since 1981
Associated Press | Aug 19, 2008 10:25 AM CDT
(AP) - Wholesale prices jumped 1.2% in July—more than twice the rate economists expected and  the fastest pace in 27 years, according to government data released today, the AP reports. Core prices, which exclude food and energy, rose 0.7%, the biggest since November 2006; new home construction in July fell to the lowest pace in more than 17 years.
Spears Custody Circus Price Tag: $700K
Associated Press | Aug 19, 2008 10:25 AM CDT
(Newser) - Britney Spears' recently resolved custody battle with ex Kevin Federline will cost her $716,000 in legal fees—and she didn’t even get custody of the kids. The struggling pop star must pony up $466,000 for her two legal eagles and another $250,000 for Federline’s attorneys, the AP reports.
Madagascar Chameleon Has Shortest Life on 4 Legs
New York Times | Aug 19, 2008 10:18 AM CDT
(Newser) - A small chameleon native to Madagascar looks to own the world record for shortest life span for a creature with four legs and a backbone, the New York Times reports. The Furcifer labordi dies about a year after conception, with just 16-20 weeks on earth after it leaves its shell. The lizard's brief existence may provide scientists with valuable information...
'Only Child' Cindy McCain Has Half-Sister
NPR | Aug 19, 2008 10:04 AM CDT
(Newser) - Cindy McCain has publicly referred to herself as an only child—and her half-sister isn’t happy about it, NPR reports.  “I'm angry. It makes me feel like a nonperson, ” said Kathleen Hensley Portalski, whose dad, Arizona multi-millionaire Jim Hensley, is also Cindy's father. Kathleen is 11 years older than her campaigning...
Google Readies for Spectrum Showdown
San Jose Mercury News | Aug 19, 2008 9:49 AM CDT
(Newser) - Google has launched an aggressive campaign to free up the soon-to-be-emptied "white spaces" of the TV spectrum for Internet devices and broadband access, the San Jose Mercury News reports. The spaces will open up when TV switches entirely to digital in February. Google and other tech giants are hotly disputing use of the spaces with broadcasters....
Two-Wheeled Turtle Finds Love
Associated Press | Aug 19, 2008 9:31 AM CDT
(Newser) - A turtle that lost the use of her hind legs has come out of her shell since being fitted with a set of rear wheels, reports AP. The 55-pound turtle, Arava, has even begun mating with an amorous male. The 10-year-old spurred tortoise was fitted with a customized skateboard by officials at the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo. It's not clear what caused her paralysis....
Big Spending Not Paying Off for McCain in Key States
Talking Points Memo | Aug 19, 2008 9:20 AM CDT
(Newser) - John McCain is outspending Barack Obama by a wide margin in traditional battleground states such as Ohio, Michigan, and Iowa, Talking Points Memo reports. The good news for Obama is that McCain has little to show for it in the polls in those states. But the Democrat has troubles of his own: In seven states being virtually ignored by McCain’s...
McCain Weighs Pro-Choice Running Mate
National Review | Aug 19, 2008 9:20 AM CDT
(Newser) - John McCain's campaign has been pitching the idea of a pro-choice running mate to key state GOP officials around the country, reports the National Review . McCain wants to know how hostile conservative grass-roots activists would be and whether he can win their support if he selects a pro-choice VP such as ex-homeland security secretary Tom Ridge.
Russia Seizes Georgian Port, Detains Soldiers
Wall Street Journal | Aug 19, 2008 9:09 AM CDT
(Newser) - Russian troops took control of the key Georgian port of Poti for about 4 hours today, just one day after it pledged to withdraw from the country, the Wall Street Journal reports. Some 70 Russian troops entered the Black Sea port this morning and detained 20 Georgian coast guard members before returning to their base in the town of Senaki. The Georgian...
Lehman Shops Key Unit in Quest for Cash
Wall Street Journal | Aug 19, 2008 8:50 AM CDT
(Newser) - Lehman Brothers is shopping a piece of its investment management unit, the Wall Street Journal reports, joining other large banks in shedding strong-performing businesses to offset mortgage meltdown losses. Lehman’s management business, which includes Neuberger Berman and hosts 27 mutual funds managing $22 billion in individual and institutional...
US Wrestling Prodigy Wins Gold
Associated Press | Aug 19, 2008 8:40 AM CDT
(AP) - Henry Cejudo, the 21-year-old US prodigy who had competed in only one world-level senior tournament before Beijing, won gold today in Olympic freestyle 55-kilogram wrestling. Cejudo, crying the moment the match ended and wrapping himself in an American flag, defeated Tomohiro Matsunaga of Japan in the best-of-three match. Cejudo is the youngest American...
Children Can Count Without Numbers
Wired | Aug 19, 2008 8:30 AM CDT
(Newser) - A study sure to fan a fiery disagreement among developmental psychologists has found that children can count objects even if their language lacks words for the numbers involved. Researchers found that Australian Aboriginal children, who know words for only a few small numbers, did just as well as English-speaking children on counting tasks, Wired...
Weakening Fay Soaks Florida
Miami Herald | Aug 19, 2008 8:20 AM CDT
(Newser) - Tropical Storm Fay made landfall in southwestern Florida early this morning but did not develop into a hurricane as feared, the Miami Herald reports. Heavy rain and 60mph winds have hit the state, but Fay is expected weaken as it moves inland. Officials warn that the storm could spawn flooding and tornadoes, and storm tides 5 feet above average were...
Mom Fights to Keep Child She Let Wed Jeffs at 12
Associated Press | Aug 19, 2008 8:10 AM CDT
(Newser) - A woman who allegedly allowed her 12-year-old daughter to marry polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs is now battling to stop Texas officials from taking custody of the girl and her younger brother, AP reports. Several of the 10 children of Barbara Jessop, accused of child abuse, have been linked to underage marriages, authorities say. Jessop repeatedly...
McCain to Name VP Aug. 29
Politico | Aug 19, 2008 8:00 AM CDT
(Newser) - John McCain will name his VP running mate at a huge Ohio rally on Aug. 29—the senator’s 72nd birthday and a day after the Democratic convention, Politico reports. McCain won’t finalize his choice—widely considered by GOP experts to be Mitt Romney or Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty—until Obama announces his own running mate....
FBI Tries to Dispel Anthrax Probe Doubts
Baltimore Sun | Aug 19, 2008 7:50 AM CDT
(Newser) - The FBI revealed unprecedented details about its investigation of army scientist Bruce Ivins yesterday in a move to counter skepticism in the scientific community. The agency laid out how it brought together top scientists from the public and private sector to trace samples of the deadly anthrax of 2001 to Ivins, who killed himself before being indicted,...
Johnson Nabs Gold on Beam
Associated Press | Aug 19, 2008 7:40 AM CDT
(AP) - Shawn Johnson finally got her Olympic gold medal in the last event of the women's gymnastics competition today on the balance beam. When her routine, chock-full of difficult tricks, earned a 16.225, Johnson's grin was a thousand times wider than the 4-inch-wide beam she had just conquered. 
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