Newser Story Index from September, 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.
O'Rourke Looks on the Sunny Side of Death
Search Magazine
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Sep 30, 2008 9:30 PM CDT
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A cancer diagnosis with a 95% chance of survival, while it might not let one “stare death in the face,” at least gives PJ O’Rourke a chance to muse on the end of the road. At first, he “cursed God, as we all do when we get bad news and pain,” he writes in Search magazine. But then he reconsidered: perhaps death really...
ChiSox Win Playoff for AL Central
Chicago Tribune
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Sep 30, 2008 8:58 PM CDT
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Jim Thome’s seventh-inning home run propelled the Chicago White Sox to a 1-0 victory tonight over the visiting Minnesota Twins in a one-game playoff to decide the American League’s Central Division. The White Sox bullpen made it stand up in clinching the South Siders a berth in a first-round series against Tampa Bay, to begin Thursday in...
Mugabe Demands Threaten to Torpedo Zimbabwe Pact
Guardian (UK)
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Sep 30, 2008 8:45 PM CDT
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New demands from President Robert Mugabe have the power-sharing deal in Zimbabwe on the ropes, the Guardian reports tonight. Mugabe told Morgan Tsvangirai, the opposition leader slated to be prime minister under the pact, that he wanted the right to appoint all key cabinet ministers—a move that would render the Movement for Democratic Change...
Flash Coming to iPhone, and It's a Must
TechCrunch
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Sep 30, 2008 8:35 PM CDT
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Signs are pointing to a Flash plugin coming to the iPhone sometime soon, Jason Kincaid writes on TechCrunch—but he’s of two minds about the benefits of finally getting “the real web” on Apple’s shiny gadget. Flash is absolutely essential for the internet, he writes, but making its processor work harder “is the last...
Senate Will Vote on Bailout Tomorrow
Associated Press
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Sep 30, 2008 7:54 PM CDT
(AP) -
In a surprise move to resurrect President Bush's $700 billion Wall Street rescue plan, Senate leaders slated a vote on the measure for tomorrow—but added a tax cut plan already rejected by the House. The Senate plan would also raise federal deposit insurance limits to $250,000 from $100,000, as called for by the two presidential nominees only...
Bush OKs $25B for Car Giants
Wall Street Journal
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Sep 30, 2008 7:26 PM CDT
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President Bush today approved the $25 billion in low-interest loans aimed at helping US automakers in their transition to building more fuel-efficient vehicles, the Wall Street Journal reports. The industry long pushed for the package, estimating the total cost of the makeover at $100 billion. It’s now up the Energy Department to set eligibility...
US Rep Heads to North Korea With New Nukes Proposal
Associated Press
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Sep 30, 2008 7:10 PM CDT
(AP) -
The chief US nuclear negotiator with North Korea will propose a face-saving compromise during a trip tomorrow to the isolated communist nation to try to salvage the derailed disarmament pact, officials said. Envoy Christopher Hill said his goal was to persuade North Korea to agree to a verification system to account for the North's nuclear arsenal.
Ballpark Grass Is Artful Work
New York Times
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Sep 30, 2008 6:55 PM CDT
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Amid the pageantry sure to accompany tomorrow’s opening of the Major League Baseball playoffs, the increasingly intricate patterns mown into stadium grass is sure to catch fans’ eyes. Red Sox groundskeeper David Mellor pioneered the technique as an assistant in Milwaukee in 1993, the New York Times reports, and disciples coast to coast...
Pentagon Seeks $15.2B Fighter Sale to Israel
Associated Press
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Sep 30, 2008 6:15 PM CDT
(AP) -
The Defense Department said today it wants to sell up to 75 fighter jets to Israel in a $15.2 billion deal for the aircraft expected to be the mainstay of air power in the US and several other nations for decades. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency said it notified Congress on Friday that Israel has asked to buy 25 of the F-35s made by Lockheed...
India Readies Smoking Ban; Unruly Public Shrugs
Wall Street Journal
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Sep 30, 2008 5:45 PM CDT
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India is about to institute a ban on smoking in public places, including bars, restaurants, hotels and hospitals, the Wall Street Journal reports. The ban, which begins Thursday, is being greeted warmly by health officials, with skepticism by smokers on the ground. “Such rules are made and broken every day," one said. “The ban will...
Recruit Drops and Gives the Army 100 ... Pounds
Dallas Morning News
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Sep 30, 2008 5:15 PM CDT
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A Texas woman shed 113 pounds to join the Army, saying she was startled into action after being told she was too heavy to qualify. “I’ll never see her again,” a recruiter says he thought on meeting 263-pound Ashley Barrett-Carter, the Dallas Morning News reports. Now in basic training, the 21-year-old says of the weighty accomplishment:...
Vertical Farming Puts Pigs High in the Sky
Scientific American
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Sep 30, 2008 4:57 PM CDT
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They're not the most traditional tenants, but pigs, poultry, and crops might be reared in city skyscrapers of the future, drastically reducing environmental damage caused by traditional farms, Scientific American reports. Engineering airflow inside glass towers remains tricky, but the potential for a year-round growing season in the face of a booming...
Taliban Leader Suspected in Bhutto Killing Dead
CNN
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Sep 30, 2008 4:43 PM CDT
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The Taliban leader suspected in the December assassination of former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto died today, officials tell CNN. Baitullah Mehsud, believed to be 34, succumbed to kidney failure, sources in his native tribal region of South Waziristan said; though Pakistani military officials also claimed Mehsud had died, some Taliban representatives...
Friend Fingers Stevens at Trial
Associated Press
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Sep 30, 2008 4:37 PM CDT
(AP) -
A longtime friend of Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens crossed the powerful lawmaker and testified today as the star witness in the Republican senator's gift-giving trial. The fiercely loyal Stevens did not acknowledge Bill Allen when he entered the courtroom. The two men barely looked at each other as Allen prepared to testify that he gave the senator $250,000...
Anti-Palin Screed Makes Wasilla Woman Many Friends
Los Angeles Times
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Sep 30, 2008 4:24 PM CDT
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A Wasilla, Alaska, woman just wanted to share her Sarah Palin experiences with 40 friends, but the none-too-flattering email she wrote ended up on computer screens nationwide, the Los Angeles Times reports. Now Anne Kilkenny, who became involved in local politics while Palin was mayor because of a fight to pave her driveway, has been receiving hate...
Bloomberg Wants Third Term
New York Times
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Sep 30, 2008 4:10 PM CDT
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New York insiders say Mayor Michael Bloomberg will attempt to change existing laws and run for a third term, the Times reports, with his announcement to come Thursday. After long supporting term limits, Bloomberg, 66, has softened, with the financial crisis seen as a significant motivator. If successful, Bloomberg would be the fourth three-term mayor...
Hefty Carbon Tax Raised Norway's Emissions
Wall Street Journal
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Sep 30, 2008 4:07 PM CDT
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In 1991, Norway enacted a punishing carbon tax, but things haven’t turned out quite as expected, the Wall Street Journal reports. Greenhouse-gas emissions have actually risen 15%, and industries deemed vital to the nation’s economy or image were spared the tax or given sweet deals. Though the oil and gas industry has become more eco-friendly,...
10 Most-Buzzed-About Schools
Global Language Monitor
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Sep 30, 2008 3:51 PM CDT
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Institutions of higher learning care about their brand as much as any business, so the Global Language Monitor has ranked universities and colleges for the amount of buzz they command on the internet. The winners: Harvard University Columbia University University of Michigan, Ann Arbor University of California, Berkeley ...
Leading Supplements Don't Slow Arthritis: Study
USA Today
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Sep 30, 2008 3:50 PM CDT
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Popular nutritional supplements glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate don’t slow the progression of arthritis, a 2-year study finds. Though a combination of the two is the nation's sixth-highest-selling dietary supplement, they didn’t cut cartilage loss any better than sugar pills in osteoarthritis patients, reports USA Today , confirming...
Dow Up 485 in Recovery Rally
Wall Street Journal
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Sep 30, 2008 3:37 PM CDT
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Stocks surged toward the end of today’s session to recover much of yesterday’s losses, but still finished September down, the Wall Street Journa l reports. The markets rallied on confidence that lawmakers would reach agreement on a bailout plan by week’s end, with the Dow up 485.21 at 10,850.66. The Nasdaq climbed 98.60 to 2,082.33,...
Ike Returnees Battle Chronic Mold Outbreak
Houston Chronicle
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Sep 30, 2008 3:37 PM CDT
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Initial relief that their Texas property survived Hurricane Ike quickly dissipated for many returning to Galveston Island who discovered colorful mold breeding wildly on virtually everything left standing. Damp, hot buildings were left sealed for two weeks when residents evacuated, giving the fungus plenty of time to nestle into the foundations and...
It's Official: Raiders Fire Kiffin
ESPN
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Sep 30, 2008 3:27 PM CDT
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The Oakland Raiders today fired head coach Lane Kiffin, who had been told he would be released following the team's 24-23 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sept. 21, ESPN reports. Team owner Al Davis called Kiffin, whose 5-15 record with the team included fourth-quarter leads in 11 games, to relieve him of his duties.
Dems Cringe as Gaffe Express Rolls Onward
Washington Post
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Sep 30, 2008 3:24 PM CDT
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Joe Biden’s freewheeling style makes him a big hit on campaign stops, and he usually draws front-page headlines in the towns he visits. But often, those stories carry word of the VP hopeful’s latest slip-up. Biden has lived up to his reputation as a gaffe machine, contradicting his running mate and misstating facts time and again, the ...
China Sees First Tainted-Milk Lawsuit
Wall Street Journal
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Sep 30, 2008 3:11 PM CDT
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Parents of a sick 1-year-old filed the first lawsuit in China's melamine scandal today, reports the Wall Street Journal . The case, yet to be accepted by China's courts, seeks $21,900 from the makers of Sanlu milk powder for expenses related to the kidney stones they say their son developed from drinking Sanlu. China’s courts are under government...
Chicago Bar Hangs Nude Palin Portrait
Chicago Tribune
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Sep 30, 2008 3:03 PM CDT
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Perhaps the most revealing depiction of Sarah Palin is the one hanging at a Chicago tavern: A naked, smiling, high-heeled Palin holds a shotgun in front of an Alaskan landscape in a portrait displayed at the North Side bar, the Tribune reports. The owner's husband, who is crushing on Alaska's governor, had his lookalike daughter pose for the maverick's...
Latinos Hold Trump in Obama's Nev. Strategy
Salon
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Sep 30, 2008 2:51 PM CDT
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Barack Obama is gambling that Latino voters in Nevada’s big cities—Reno and Las Vegas—can deliver the state’s five electoral votes, Dan Hoyle writes in Salon. Economic woes, immigration crackdown, and the costly Iraq war are the draws in Reno, where Latinos make up 12% of voters. “I want Obama because the other ‘huey’...
Euros Eat Their Words as Own Bailouts Loom
Bloomberg
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Sep 30, 2008 2:38 PM CDT
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European leaders are eating their words a week after criticizing the US for allowing its banks to run dry and engineering a system-wide bailout for financial firms, Bloomberg reports. Governments across Europe, including Germany, the UK, Belgium and France bailed out banks across the continent and pledged support for others as Europe faces its own...
College Does This to You, and Aims to Fix It
Boston Globe
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Sep 30, 2008 2:26 PM CDT
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New research on the connection between sleep and performance has colleges scrambling to get their students to bed, the Boston Globe reports. According to a university doctor, “pulling an all-nighter is the equivalent of driving drunk and is detrimental to reaction time and memory.” But some habits are hard to break, and information campaigns...
Cops Made Mistake in Taser Death: NYPD Commish
New York Daily News
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Sep 30, 2008 2:13 PM CDT
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Last week's Tasering of an emotionally disturbed man that led to his death was a "mistake" by New York police officers, commissioner Raymond Kelly admitted yesterday. Two cops involved in the incident have been put on desk duty, and the entire 440-member Emergency Service squad will undergo a retraining session on tactics for dealing with...
Beer-Loving Mare Banned From UK Bar
Evening Chronicle (UK)
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Sep 30, 2008 2:00 PM CDT
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A beer-swigging mare has been kicked to the curb following renovations at her favorite British watering hole, reports the Evening Chronicle . Peggy, a regular at the establishment since following her owner into the pub years ago, has been told to keep her hooves off the new carpeting. “Although she is probably cleaner than some of my customers,...
How Much Is Main St. Willing to Suffer to Punish Wall St.?
Washington Post
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Sep 30, 2008 1:47 PM CDT
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If people understood how bad the financial situation is, there would be less hostility toward the bailout, writes Steven Pearlstein in the Washington Post . Americans haven't owned up to having helped create the credit bubble that is now deflating, and Wall Streeters haven't owned up to their "greed, arrogance, and incompetence," either....
Senate to Tweak Bailout —But not Much
Bloomberg
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Sep 30, 2008 1:39 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Senators are scrambling to revive legislation for the financial bailout after its surprise failure in the House yesterday, but must strike the right balance to attract new House votes without driving away initial supporters, Bloomberg reports. House Republicans want an expanded role for the FDIC in the bailout and for the SEC to assess the real value...
McCain Accuses Couric of 'Gotcha!' Journalism
Time
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Sep 30, 2008 1:25 PM CDT
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John McCain and Sarah Palin sat down for a joint interview with Katie Couric last night, and it was hard to avoid the impression that McCain was chaperoning his running mate “to keep her out of trouble” writes Time TV critic James Poniewozik. McCain accused Couric of “gotcha journalism,” when she confronted Palin with a statement...
Eat Less, Or the Icecaps Melt
Guardian (UK)
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Sep 30, 2008 1:21 PM CDT
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To avoid catastrophic global warming, people need to cut way down on their meat and dairy consumption, a new report on climate change says. Four modest servings of meat and about a quart of milk a week are all we should be consuming, the Guardian reports. And the report urges government programs to limit emissions, because consumers won’t make...
Forces Key to Iraq Security Lose Steam as US Hands Off
Washington Post
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Sep 30, 2008 1:18 PM CDT
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As Iraq's Shia-led government assumes greater control of security, US soldiers fear the sudden disintegration of the 54,000-strong Sunni force that had been key to improving conditions there, the Washington Post reports. The government has pledged to hire 20% of the so-called Sons of Iraq, but that still leaves the haunting prospect of thousands...
Don't Pity This Woman
Salon
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Sep 30, 2008 1:03 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The media seems to be lining up to feel sorry for poor Sarah Palin, forced to endure these deer-in-headlights interviews. “I guess I’m one cold dame,” Rebecca Traister writes in Salon , because “when you stage a train wreck of this magnitude…I don’t feel bad for you.” To her, Palin isn’t some wilting...
Views on the Meltdown From Across the Pond
Financial Times (UK)
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Sep 30, 2008 12:54 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The banking crisis isn’t limited to the US—it’s a cross-continental phenomenon. Here’s what the British press saying about the mood: France and Germany are livid, reports Charles Wyplosz of the Financial Times. There, individualism isn’t seen as a virtue, and free markets are greeted with suspicion. Both Nicolas...
Tainted Tea Pulled in Hong Kong
CNN
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Sep 30, 2008 12:43 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Lipton Milk Tea is the latest product to be recalled in the melamine scare that started with tainted infant formula in China. Unilever is recalling the tea brand from stores in Hong Kong and Macau after finding traces of the industrial chemical in it, CNN reports. Company officials described the recall as precautionary and said no other products were...
In Poll, More Blame GOP, Bush for Bailout Failure
Washington Post
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Sep 30, 2008 12:32 PM CDT
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A poll shows that 44% of Americans blame Republicans and 21% Democrats for the failed bailout, though a majority thought the plan didn't go far enough to protect the public, reports the Washington Post . Respondents were split on the bill: 45% were for it, 47% against it. Still, almost 90% of 520 adults polled were concerned that the bill's failure...
12 Bodies Dumped Near Tijuana School
Los Angeles Times
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Sep 30, 2008 12:07 PM CDT
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A dozen bodies were found piled up near an elementary school in a working-class Tijuana neighborhood yesterday, signaling a rare instance of the city's rampant drug war spilling over into a residential area. Police found a bag full of severed tongues nearby and a message indicating the violence was between rival cartel groups, reports the Los Angeles...
'Nihilist' House GOP Doomed US to Recession
New York Times
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Sep 30, 2008 12:00 PM CDT
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When FDR became president, writes David Brooks, his first priority was to give Americans faith in their leadership, to show that someone was running the show. Now that the US is facing the greatest financial crisis since the Depression, today's political leaders "have failed utterly and catastrophically to project any sense of authority, to give...
Gray Wolf Back on Endangered List
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Sep 30, 2008 11:45 AM CDT
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A federal court restored gray wolves to the endangered species list in Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin yesterday, again making it not OK to kill wolves that attack livestock or pets, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. In answer to a lawsuit by environmental groups, a judge said the wolves couldn’t be dashed from the list in those states...
Fed, Treasury Fall Back on Existing 'Inadequate' Tools
New York Times
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Sep 30, 2008 11:42 AM CDT
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With yesterday’s failure of the $700 billion bailout, the Fed and Treasury are reconsidering their options, the New York Times reports. Fearful of cutting interest rates, they're back to rescuing struggling institutions on a case by case basis, and printing money—offering $150 billion in emergency loans to banks and $330 billion to foreign...
Somali Pirates: Uh, Hey, We're 'Misunderstood'
New York Times
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Sep 30, 2008 11:24 AM CDT
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The Somali pirates currently surrounded by US warships aboard a Ukrainian weapons freighter say they didn’t mean to steal the massive heavy weaponry shipment, they tell the New York Times , calling in by satellite phone. “We just saw a big ship,” said the leader. “So we stopped it.” They promise they’re not out...
Sure, I'm Vegetarian. Just Not on Thanksgiving
Newsweek
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Sep 30, 2008 11:18 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Sticking to a plant-based diet without denying yourself grandma's pot roast has a name—flexitarian. And whether it's to live longer, save a buck, or because there are better meatless offerings at restaurants, a growing number of Americans are becoming part-time vegetarians, Newsweek reports. "It's not that meat is some sort of evil,"...
Janet Jackson Hospitalized
Associated Press
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Sep 30, 2008 11:00 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Janet Jackson was rushed to the hospital last night after "falling ill" during a sound check onstage before a concert, AP reports. The 42-year-old singer canceled her Montreal performance and remains under observation. Jackson, last hospitalized in March with the flu, is on a North American tour.
In His Encore, Brokaw Again a Heavy-Hitter for NBC
New York Times
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Sep 30, 2008 10:47 AM CDT
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NBC is preparing for a post-Brokaw Meet the Press, but replacing the elder statesman won’t be easy, the New York Times reports. Brokaw has exceeded expectations as a fill-in for Tim Russert, keeping NBC’s Sunday show atop the ratings. Less publicly, he’s been a crucial diplomat between the network and the McCain campaign, which...
Papers Frothing Over 'No' Vote
Wall Street Journal
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Sep 30, 2008 10:33 AM CDT
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As Monday’s “no” vote resounded down Wall Street, editorial writers across the country fired up their typewriters. Here’s what the country’s top papers are saying: Congress earned its 10% approval rating yesterday, the Wall Street Journal says, particularly Nancy Pelosi ...
Hedge Funds in Hot Seat After Market Plunge
Wall Street Journal
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Sep 30, 2008 10:19 AM CDT
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At a time when markets need their money more than ever, the $2-trillion hedge fund industry could fall victim to bad timing, as yesterday's plunge coincides with today’s deadline for many investors to withdraw before year’s end, the Wall Street Journal reports. Funds may be forced to sell off stocks before they have a chance to recover,...
5 Reasons Dirty Keeps Dancing
Chicago Tribune
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Sep 30, 2008 10:10 AM CDT
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Baby is back, but her teen spirit never really left us. With the stage version of Dirty Dancing already a hit in London and starting a US tour this weekend, the Chicago Tribune runs down 10 reasons why fans are still having the time of their lives. It features "dirty" dancing. It's a how-to on having sex with your clothes on....
