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.
Palin Lifts McCain Among White Women
Politico
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Sep 22, 2008 10:53 AM CDT
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John McCain has made huge strides with female voters since choosing Sarah Palin, says a new poll reported. Before tapping his running mate, McCain trailed Barack Obama 52% to 18% on the question of which candidate better understands “women and what is important to them,” Politico reports, deconstructing the Lifetime Television survey. Now...
Main Street Skeptics Slam Bailout Scheme
Washington Post
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Sep 22, 2008 10:40 AM CDT
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While Wall Street stands to gain in the federal bailout, many on Main Street are deeply skeptical, the Washington Post finds in a heavily foreclosed-upon Virginia community. “I've been financially responsible with my own money. Why should I now be responsible for the fact that you were not?” wonders one local. Many agree, and the government...
Mac's Market Approach Sours Amid Crisis
Wall Street Journal
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Sep 22, 2008 10:26 AM CDT
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The tumbling stock market has drawn the wrong kind of attention to John McCain’s Social Security and health-care positions, the Wall Street Journal reports, since the Republican has long been an advocate of more market-based, deregulated approaches in both areas. A new Barack Obama ad says McCain’s plan for private accounts amounts to...
Mitsubishi's $8.4B Will Buy Up to 20% of Morgan Stanley
Bloomberg
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Sep 22, 2008 10:13 AM CDT
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Japan’s Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group has agreed to invest as much as $8.4 billion in Morgan Stanley, Bloomberg reports, in exchange for a stake of 10%-20% in the investment bank. The move by Mitsubishi—which last week said it planned to steer clear of investing in US banks—sent Morgan Stanley stock up 12% in early trading.
Fed Porn Probe Targets Spears Photo Thief
TMZ
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Sep 22, 2008 10:04 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A stolen photo of teen mom Jamie Lynn Spears breastfeeding has turned what seemed to be a breach of Wal-Mart security into a federal case, TMZ reports. Copies of a dozen snapshots, allegedly purloined when baby daddy Casey Aldridge had legit copies made at a Louisiana store, could result in pornography charges because the underage mom’s breast...
Paulson's New Powers Put More Focus on Successor
New York Times
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Sep 22, 2008 9:53 AM CDT
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Henry Paulson’s handling of Wall Street’s financial crisis has consolidated so much power for the Treasury secretary that Barack Obama is considering keeping him on board if he wins the November election, the New York Times reports—and it’s heightened speculation about who might succeed him in a new administration. While Obama...
Stunt Could Leave Magician Blind, Doc Says
Associated Press
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Sep 22, 2008 9:32 AM CDT
(AP) -
When David Blaine hangs upside-down above New York's Central Park for 60 hours next week, he'll run the risk of going blind, says a vascular surgeon advising the celebrity magician on the stunt. Lengthy inversion increases blood pressure in the head, especially in the eyes, which can result in blindness, Massimo Napolitano tells the Bergen Record...
Virginians Pour Record Dollars Into Election
Washington Post
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Sep 22, 2008 9:19 AM CDT
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With their home state up for grabs for the first time in decades, Virginians—particularly Democrats from the northern part of the state—are pouring money into the presidential race, the Washington Post reports. Thus far, locals have given a record $25.3 million to various candidates throughout the election cycle; that's twice as much...
Stocks Edge Lower at Open
Wall Street Journal
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Sep 22, 2008 9:04 AM CDT
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Stocks declined slightly at open, as big buybacks from Microsoft, HP, and Nike were offset by general financial sector pessimism. The Dow dropped 85 points at the bell, while the S&P fell 0.5% and Nasdaq dropped 0.6%. Microsoft rose 4.9%, after announcing a $40-billion buyback and 18% dividend boost, while Morgan Stanley rose 14% on news that Mitsubishi...
Lehman's $8B Transfer of Funds to US Irks Brits
Wall Street Journal
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Sep 22, 2008 9:02 AM CDT
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An $8-billion transfer from Lehman Bros.' European headquarters to its New York headquarters on the day the firm declared bankruptcy is raising issues on both sides of the Atlantic. As the sale of Lehman's US operations to Barclays was approved Saturday, the administrators of the company's bankruptcy filing in Great Britain were demanding that the...
Guess How Many Cars I Own?
Newsweek
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Sep 22, 2008 8:53 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The McCains own almost twice as many cars as they do houses, and a few members of the fleet are foreign—despite John McCain’s recent assurances to Detroit that "I've bought American literally all my life.” Thirteen cars are registered to John and Cindy McCain, Newsweek discovered in a search of public records.The number of...
Zuma Loyalist Will Become South African President
Reuters
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Sep 22, 2008 8:34 AM CDT
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The African National Congress has chosen Kgalema Motlanthe, a moderate intellectual and the ruling party's No. 2, to be South Africa's caretaker president, Reuters reports. He will fill the job vacated by Thabo Mbeki, who resigned this weekend after the party demanded he step down. Motlanthe is a loyalist of Jacob Zuma, the head of the ANC, and could...
Throw Out SAT, Say College Deans
New York Times
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Sep 22, 2008 8:28 AM CDT
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Colleges should make admissions decisions without requiring the SAT or ACT, says a group of deans led by Harvard's admissions chief in a yearlong study that concluded standardized tests distort students' high school experiences, exacerbate class disparities, and enrich only the billion-dollar test prep industry. Instead, say the admissions officers,...
Raise Your Hand if You Want Part of the Bailout
New York Times
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Sep 22, 2008 8:03 AM CDT
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Where there’s $700 billion of government money, there are lobbyists. Financial institutions are jockeying for their piece of the massive bailout bill that’s being rushed through Congress, the New York Times reports, with everyone from insurers to mortgage lenders looking to profit by unloading assets under the most favorable terms. Competition...
Japan's Ruling Party Picks Next PM
Reuters
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Sep 22, 2008 7:43 AM CDT
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Japanese nationalist Taro Aso won a convincing ruling-party vote to become the country’s next prime minister, Reuters reports. The Liberal Democrat and former foreign minister will become the third PM this year. Facing a troubled economy and strong opposition in Parliament’s upper house, Aso will likely call an early election. “Only...
European Central Bank Puts $40B More Into Market
Associated Press
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Sep 22, 2008 7:31 AM CDT
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The European Central Bank is promising another $40 billion influx of cash to help shore up fluttering money markets among banks on the continent, reports the AP. The ECB said it will announce its lending rate and the number of bidders later today.
Spain's ETA Unleashes 3 Attacks in 24 Hours
Associated Press
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Sep 22, 2008 7:21 AM CDT
(AP) -
A car bombing blamed on the armed Basque group ETA killed an army officer and wounded 6 people in northern Spain this morning. It was the third such attack in 24 hours in what appeared to be a stepped-up ETA offensive. The explosion happened as the building was being evacuated following a phone call from ETA warning of the blast.
Pakistan Bomb Near Miss for President, PM
Times (UK)
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Sep 22, 2008 7:02 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Pakistan's president and prime minister were supposed to be at a reception at the Islamabad hotel where a huge bomb killed at least 60 people and injured 270, reports the Times of London. Asif Ali Zardari and Yousaf Raza Gilani were expected to attend a large dinner at the Marriott, but the location was changed at the last moment. "The whole...
53K Tots Now Sick on Tainted Chinese Formula
CNN
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Sep 22, 2008 6:56 AM CDT
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China's quality-control chief has stepped down as the number of Chinese babies reported sickened by contaminated formula has soared to 53,000, CNN reports. Some 13,000 have been hospitalized; 40,000 more have been treated as outpatients. One ill toddler has been reported in Hong Kong. Chinese premier Wen Jibao toured hospitals and a supermarket, calling...
Dems Set Their Own Terms for Bailout Plan
New York Times
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Sep 22, 2008 6:43 AM CDT
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As Hank Paulson did the Sunday talk shows, Democrats in the House and Senate set down their own terms for a plan to rescue the nation's financial institutions—one that would give Congress greater oversight over the treasury. Barney Frank, who chairs the House Financial Services Committee, put forward his party's changes to the Bush plan, which...
Stonehenge Rocked as 'Neolithic Lourdes'
BBC
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Sep 22, 2008 6:31 AM CDT
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Two archeologists have discovered evidence indicating that Stonehenge was a kind of "Neolithic Lourdes" pilgrimage destination where people came to be healed, the BBC reports. The researchers also used radiocarbon methods to date the mysterious stone circle in southern England to 2300 BC. Mineral analysis indicates the giant bluestone rocks...
$1T US Bailout May Crush Dollar's Rally
Bloomberg
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Sep 22, 2008 6:18 AM CDT
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The US plan to spend up to $700 billion on suspect mortgage-related instruments and a possible additional $400 billion to insure money market mutual funds may stabilize financial markets—but it’s just as likely to send the dollar into a dive, eroding its 3-month rally, reports Bloomberg. “The dollar will get crushed,” predicted...
FBI Raids Suspected Palin Hacker
WBIR
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Sep 22, 2008 5:34 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A 20-year-old student suspected of hacking into Sarah Palin's Yahoo email account found himself on the wrong end of an FBI search warrant while throwing a party Saturday night, reports NBC affiliate WBIR-TV in Knoxville. David Kernell, a student at the University of Tennessee, is the son of a prominent Democratic state legislator.
Oil, Politics Swirl in Stevens' Trial
New York Times
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Sep 22, 2008 5:01 AM CDT
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As the corruption trial against Alaska Sen.Ted Stevens gets started today, the politician is preparing to face off against a gritty oilman who has bragged about "owning" state lawmakers, reports the New York Times . The chief defense witness in Stevens' corruption trial is Bill Allen, a high-school dropout who worked his way up from welder...
Mob Cheers, Yankees Win in Stadium Finale
New York Times
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Sep 22, 2008 4:29 AM CDT
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The fabled Yankee Stadium marked its last game with a ceremony as the Yanks beat the Baltimore Orioles, 7-3, the New York Times reports. Former greats—Whitey Ford, Yogi Berra, Bernie Williams—took the field before the game. “I feel as nervous as I was before a playoff,” Williams said. Babe Ruth’s daughter tossed out...
Japanese Firm Buys Lehman's Asian Assets
Wall Street Journal
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Sep 22, 2008 4:02 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Japan’s Nomura Holdings won an auction to buy bankrupt Lehman Brothers’ Asian assets for $225 million, the Wall Street Journal reports. Healthy Japanese firms like Nomura are pouncing on the Wall Street crisis as a means to expand. Lehman has 2,940 workers in the region, where the company collected revenues of $1.4 billion in the first...
Cable's Mad Men , Adams Sweep Emmys
Associated Press
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Sep 22, 2008 3:35 AM CDT
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Cable shows trumped network TV in last night’s 60th annual Emmy Awards as HBO’s John Adams grabbed 13 awards, a record for a miniseries, the Los Angeles Times reports. AMC’s Mad Men , which led in nominations, took home six trophies, including one for best drama. Glenn Close won best actress in a drama for FX’s Damages...
Pakistani Troops Fire on US Helicopters
Reuters
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Sep 22, 2008 3:12 AM CDT
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Pakistani troops fired on two US helicopters crossing the border apparently to attack militants last night and drove them back into Afghanistan, Reuters reports. The aircraft crossed the border in the restive North Waziristan tribal region, according to Pakistani sources. US officials refused to confirm the report. Pakistani officials have condemned...
Rubber Duckies Tracking Glacier
Reuters
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Sep 22, 2008 2:46 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A key experiment that may help unlock more secrets of global warming involves planting 90 rubber duckies into one of Greenland's fastest moving glaciers, Reuters reports. US scientists are hoping some of the ducks will be found as they emerge into Baffin Bay to help track rate and movement of melting ice in Arctic waters. A probe packed with electronics...
Candidates Talk Leadership, Race, on 60 Minutes
Washington Post
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Sep 22, 2008 2:20 AM CDT
(Newser) -
John McCain tried to strike a bipartisan tone during his 60 Minutes interview last night, and Barack Obama played down the race issue while highlighting his leadership experience. Both presidential candidates sat for prime-time interviews on the show, during which McCain floated the name of prominent Democrat Andrew Cuomo to take over the Securities...
Palin Generates Florida Heat
Orlando Sentinel
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Sep 22, 2008 1:56 AM CDT
(Newser) -
As many as 60,000 people, many of them elderly, waited in 90-degree Florida heat for a glimpse of Sarah Palin yesterday, reports the Orlando Sentinel . Hundreds needed treatment for heat-related ailments as the vice presidential candidate visited a sprawling retirement community in her first campaign trip to Florida. Palin has become so popular she...
Fed Allows Goldman, Morgan to Become Full Banks
New York Times
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Sep 21, 2008 10:11 PM CDT
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Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, the nation's last two major independent investment banks, have gotten permission to become bank holding companies, the Federal Reserve said tonight. A fundamental rearrangement of Wall Street, the move will allow them to create commercial banks, which would bolster their resources, while inviting increased regulation....
Oxford Revives Einstein's Greenie Fridge Design
Guardian (UK)
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Sep 21, 2008 8:45 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Oxford scientists are rebuilding one of Albert Einstein’s first inventions—a refrigerator cooled with pressurized gases—in a bid to replace today’s eco-unfriendly fridges, the Guardian reports. Modern fridges use freon, a greenhouse gas worse than carbon dioxide, and are increasingly in demand worldwide. But Einstein's design...
Pakistan Snubs US Offer to Probe Hotel Blast
USA Today
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Sep 21, 2008 8:29 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Pakistan rejected Washington's offer today to probe a suicide bombing that killed 53 at a hotel in Islamabad, USA Today reports. “We do not need help,” a government advisor said. “We are competent. We reject it.” The US said FBI agents could track the terrorists who carried out yesterday's bombing, one of several recent terror...
Dems Bristle Over 'Blank Check' Bailout
Politico
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Sep 21, 2008 7:33 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Democratic lawmakers showed concern today over a proposed $700 billion bailout plan that Barack Obama called a "blank check," Politico reports. Sen. Patrick Leahy vowed not to repeat their post-Sept. 11 mistake—of rushing legislation that President Bush used to justify wiretapping—while others said voters may see the plan as aid...
Young Hopefuls Hit Hard by Credit Crunch
Washington Post
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Sep 21, 2008 7:00 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The sad eyes of interns watched Wall Street's precipitous drop all week. These "lackeys," who had worked all summer at investment firms, can no longer expect to retire at 35 with houses in the Hamptons and "a closetful of Brioni suits and Hermès ties," David Bledin writes in the Washington Post . Nor will they endure...
Mad Men Aims for Emmy History
Associated Press
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Sep 21, 2008 6:30 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Should AMC's Mad Men snag tonight's Best Drama Emmy, it'll be the first basic cable show to walk away with the honor, reports Susan King in the LA Times —but the set-in-the-'60s show isn't a shoe-in, even with its 16 noms. "Emmy votors are notorious for shying away from period-based series," writes King, and it's up against faves...
Lakeview Bullies Box Office
Variety
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Sep 21, 2008 6:00 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Samuel L. Jackson thriller Lakeview Terrace debuted at number one over a soft box office weekend, Variety reports. Banking $15.6 million, it ousted Burn After Reading ($11.3 million) and outpaced My Best Friend’s Girl ($8.3 million), Igor ($8 million), and Righteous Kill ($7.7 million). Ricky Gervais laffer Ghost Town notched only...
US Wins Ryder Cup to End Europe's Streak
Associated Press
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Sep 21, 2008 5:28 PM CDT
(AP) -
The Americans didn't need a miracle putt or even the best player in the world to reclaim the Ryder Cup from Europe today for the first time since 1999. The United States won 16 1/2-11 1/2, its largest margin of victory since 1981. Kenny Perry, the 48-year-old Kentucky local who felt this week would make or break his career, was part of an early push...
Yankee Stadium's Greatest Moments
New York Post
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Sep 21, 2008 5:09 PM CDT
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As Yankee Stadium hosts its last game today, the New York Post looks back at the greatest moments in “The House That Ruth Built." A smattering: April 18, 1923: Seventy-five thousand fans cheer Babe Ruth's three-run homer on opening day. April 27, 1947: Ruth says goodbye to the Bronx faithful, one year before succumbing to...
Americans Lose Love for Dieting
Boston Globe
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Sep 21, 2008 4:39 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Americans are obsessed with dieting, right? Well, not anymore. A new survey indicates that only 26% of US women and 16% of men are on diets, the Boston Globe reports—the lowest numbers in 2 decades. And there are plenty of reasons why.
Obama May Get Out the Anti-Gay Marriage Vote
New York Times
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Sep 21, 2008 4:04 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Black voters energized by Barack Obama’s candidacy may also support a Californian ballot measure to ban same-sex marriage, the New York Times reports, though Obama himself opposes the ban. Opponents and supporters of Proposition 8 say African Americans will play a crucial role, and each side is trying to win over black voters.
Lowly Dolphins Stun Patriots in Blowout
Associated Press
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Sep 21, 2008 3:33 PM CDT
(AP) -
Ronnie Brown and the lowly Miami Dolphins ended the Patriots' record winning streak and made New England's defense look as shaky as its Tom Brady-less offense today, the AP reports. Brown scored a team record four touchdowns rushing and threw for another—with four of the scores coming on direct snaps to the running back—as Miami stunned...
How to Make That First-Date Movie Count
San Francisco Chronicle
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Sep 21, 2008 3:26 PM CDT
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"The difference between marital bliss and a train wreck of a relationship is the difference between Charlie Wilson's War and Saw IV , " writes Peter Hartlaub in the San Francisco Chronicle . There's no overestimating the power of that first-date movie. How to walk the tightrope: Bad isn't bad: Think brainless Matthew McConaughey...
McCain Team on Defense Over Health Care Comment
Washington Post
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Sep 21, 2008 2:56 PM CDT
(Newser) -
John McCain was back on the defensive over the economy yesterday, after Barack Obama accused him of touting banking deregulation in a magazine article even as Washington is scrambling to re-regulate the industry to stave off a Wall Street meltodown, the Washington Post reports. In this month's Contingencies magazine, McCain pushes for “opening...
Time to Ditch the Word 'Retard'?
Salon
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Sep 21, 2008 2:26 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Ben Stiller's Tropic Thunder is just the latest example of how the word "retard" has become a pop-culture phenom, but the movie also has served as a catalyst for disability advocates who claim that the word is offensive and must go, writes Lynn Harris in Salon. Are they right? Don't be too quick to join the these-people-can't-take-a-joke-camp....
Can Their $700B Rescue Plan Do the Trick?
New York Times
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Sep 21, 2008 1:49 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Forget white and blue: Uncle Sam is all red these days after swallowing hundreds of billions in bad mortgages and coughing up billions more to save strapped businesses. As the Feds strategize a solution to the mess, experts are unsure if the plan will work and how much it’ll cost taxpayers, Peter Goodman notes in the New York Times , though...
China: Tainted Formula Hits 13K Babies
AFP
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Sep 21, 2008 1:18 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The number of Chinese babies hospitalized with kidney problems after drinking contaminated milk formula has skyrocketed to 13,000, the country's health ministry said today —more than double previous estimates of 6,000. Four children have died so far, AFP reports, in the outbreak blamed on melamine, the same chemical at fault in last year's...
What Killed Bear, Lehman Is What the World Needs
Slate
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Sep 21, 2008 12:44 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Sure, subprime loans toppled two pillars of American investment banking, gutted the world’s largest insurer, and plunged the entire US financial system into a tailspin. But they are exactly what the world needs today, Daniel Gross argues in Slate. “Far from the madding, depressed crowds of Wall Street, billions of people are starving for...
Fall TV Is on the Fritz
Washington Post
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Sep 21, 2008 12:28 PM CDT
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Everybody knows nobody watches fall TV. In fact, Hank Stuever writes in the Washington Post, the erstwhile must-see event is dead. And “who wouldn't want it to die?” After all, come September, “networks unleash their wallop of slickly packaged hopefulness, with relentless and outdated demands.” Viewers aren’t much better,...
