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.
Spy Author Le Carré Was Tempted to Join Soviets
Telegraph (UK)
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Sep 15, 2008 7:35 AM CDT
(Newser) -
British spy novelist John le Carré once considered defecting to the Soviet Union out of curiosity about the country, he told an interviewer while promoting his new book. “When you spy intensively and you get closer and closer to the border it seems such a small step to jump and find out the rest,” he said. The author was a spy himself...
Oil Falls Below $97 on Mild Ike Damage
Associated Press
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Sep 15, 2008 7:14 AM CDT
(AP) -
Oil prices fell below $97 a barrel today, after Hurricane Ike inflicted minimal damage to oil installations on the Texas coast. Light, sweet crude for October delivery declined $4.39 to $96.79 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange by noon in Europe, after finishing at $101.18 on Friday. Federal officials said yesterday...
Texting May Have Led to LA Train Crash
CNN
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Sep 15, 2008 7:06 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The engineer in a Los Angeles train crash that killed 25 people may have been text-messaging with two teenagers before running a stop signal, CNN reports. Federal investigators will be studying the phone records of the teenagers, one of whom told local KCBS-TV that he had been chatting about his interest in trains with the engineer and received a text...
Zimbabwe Leaders Sign Landmark Deal
Reuters
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Sep 15, 2008 6:57 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Zimbabwe's rival political parties signed their landmark power-sharing deal today, in which Robert Mugabe will remain president while Morgan Tsvangirai will take on the new position of prime minister. The two factions of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change will receive a majority of cabinet posts, including the ministries responsible for...
Still Standing, Morgan Stanley, Goldman Face Bleak Times
Wall Street Journal
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Sep 15, 2008 6:27 AM CDT
(Newser) -
With Bank of America buying Merrill Lynch, and Lehman brothers heading into Chapter 11, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley are the last major independent investment banks standing on Wall Street. But having survived as the fittest doesn't guarantee an easy ride, reports the Wall Street Journal, as both will have to deal with continued market fallout...
Colon Cancer Gene Discovered
Bloomberg
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Sep 15, 2008 6:00 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Researchers have discovered a key gene that may contribute to the growth of colon cancer and could provide a target for new therapies, Bloomberg reports. The gene, CDK8, controls a cell growth switch that researchers think might spur the development of many tumors. The discovery may help up to 50% of people with colon cancer, researchers predict.
10 Banks Form $70B Fund to Stave Off Crash
Financial Times (UK)
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Sep 15, 2008 5:27 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Ten of the world's largest banks have formed a massive liquidity fund to mitigate the effects of the Lehman Brothers meltdown, reports the Financial Times . All the investment banks will be able to borrow up to a third of the $70 billion fund in order to reduce volatility and stay in business while Lehman is being wound down. They will also be able...
Dog Dials 911, Barks for Help
Associated Press
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Sep 15, 2008 5:24 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A German shepherd in Arizona dialed 911 and summoned help for his owner who had suffered a seizure, AP reports. Buddy barked and whimpered on the line until the 911 dispatcher sent help. The dog is trained by Paws with a Cause—which provides assistance animals to the ill and disabled—to press a pre-programmed phone button to call 911 when...
Staggering Wall Street Job Market Takes Another Big Hit
Reuters
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Sep 15, 2008 4:56 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A Wall Street job market that’s already hemorrhaged 100,000 jobs this year now must steel for the loss of 50,000 more as Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch—two of its four pillars—tumble at once. “The resume flow will start today like there's no tomorrow,” said an executive, noting a blow to “compensation this year,...
Texas Battles Ike Blackouts, Floods, Looting
Houston Chronicle
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Sep 15, 2008 4:33 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Federal officials were working yesterday to move emergency supplies and fresh water to distribution centers in beleaguered Houston, where residents were struggling to cope with continued flooding, blackouts and looting. Millions are still without power and a curfew is in force, reports the Houston Chronicle . Officials in Galveston, meanwhile, appealed...
Firefighters Charge Sex Harassment in Gay Parade
Los Angeles Times
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Sep 15, 2008 4:11 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Four San Diego firefighters ordered by officials to drive their truck in the city's gay pride parade last year are suing for $3 million in damages for sexual harassment, reports the Los Angeles Times . The four, who were given their orders by the city’s lesbian fire chief, say the suit is a protest against the lewd comments lobbed at them during...
Lehman Crash Triggers Global Market Tumble
Bloomberg
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Sep 15, 2008 3:40 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Lehman Brothers’ bankruptcy, along with news that mammoth insurer AIG is seeking a $40 billion Federal Reserve loan, has sent European and Asian markets, US futures and the dollar sharply downward, Bloomberg reports. Swiss-based UBS AG, Europe’s bank most hurt by the subprime crisis, plunged 7.2%. Australia’s biggest investment bank,...
Ukraine Leaders Face Off Over Georgia War
Los Angeles Times
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Sep 15, 2008 3:09 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Russia’s war with Georgia has dangerously exacerbated tensions in Ukrainian politics, with President Viktor Yushchenko slamming Russia’s actions while Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has kept mum, the Los Angeles Times reports. Standing firm for Georgia, Yushchenko called the prime minister's lack of action “high treason and political...
Cindy McCain Blasts View After Grilling
ABC News
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Sep 15, 2008 2:52 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Newspapers and TV shows like The View are out of sync with the average American’s political beliefs, wannabe first lady Cindy McCain has declared. She blasted the media the day after she and hubby John McCain were grilled on The View about misleading campaign ads and the undisclosed number of homes the McCains own, reports ABC.
AIG Seeks $40B Fed Loan in Bid to Prevent Collapse
New York Times
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Sep 15, 2008 2:25 AM CDT
(Newser) -
In yet another Wall Street meltdown, floundering insurance giant American International Group has turned to the federal government in a bid to stave off a threatened credit-rating downgrade that could trigger the firm’s immediate collapse, reports the New York Times . AIG has requested a $40 billion bridge loan from the Federal Reserve and is...
Chicago Seeks Aid After Deluge
CNN
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Sep 15, 2008 1:55 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Chicago officials seeking clean-up funds have asked the state to declare a disaster after the city was hit by a deluge of weekend rains which flooded streets and stranded families, reports CNN. More than six inches of rain fell Saturday—the most in 137 years in a single day. That was followed by more rainfall yesterday, dumping a total...
Zambrano Throws No-Hitter as Cubs Beat Astros 5-0
Associated Press
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Sep 14, 2008 10:11 PM CDT
(AP) -
Carlos Zambrano pitched the first no-hitter for the Chicago Cubs in 36 years, returning from a recent bout of rotator cuff soreness to shut down the Houston Astros 5-0 tonight in a game relocated because of Hurricane Ike. The storm forced two games of the series to be moved from Texas to Miller Park, home of the Milwaukee Brewers.
Lehman Heads to Bankruptcy
New York Times
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Sep 14, 2008 8:20 PM CDT
(Newser) -
After what the New York Times calls one of the most extraordinary days in Wall Street history, Lehman Bros, the nation's fourth largest investment bank, is expected to file for bankruptcy protection. The withdrawal of both Bank of America and Barclays today removed the last hope to avoid the largest failure of an investment bank since the collapse...
Bank of America to Buy Merrill Lynch for $44B
Wall Street Journal
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Sep 14, 2008 8:19 PM CDT
(Newser) -
In a day of toppling dominoes on Wall Street, Bank of America agreed to buy Merrill Lynch for $44 billion, or $29 a share—about two-thirds of what it was worth a year ago and 50% of its highest value in 2007, the Wall Street Journal reports. The deal, struck over 2 days of intense negotiations, reconfigures the US banking world by making the...
Americans Seek Immune Genes in Mates: Study
New Scientist
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Sep 14, 2008 7:45 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Americans pick mates with different immune genes while Africans prefer the genes they already have, New Scientist reports. A study of 60 couples from Utah and Nigeria showed that the Americans hitched up with partners whose genes recognized pathogens that theirs couldn't. The African marriages, however, appeared to be genetically random.
Wallace Kept Up 'Debate Inside His Head'
Salon
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Sep 14, 2008 7:42 PM CDT
(Newser) -
David Foster Wallace was remembered today as a complex novelist who engaged in layer upon layer of self-examination. The author of Infinite Jest "wrote about the maddening impossibility of scrutinizing yourself without also scrutinizing yourself scrutinizing yourself and so on," Laura Miller writes in Salon. Wallace's suicide remains a...
Get Set for Disorderly Lehman Liquidation
TheStreet
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Sep 14, 2008 7:24 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Barclay's dropping out of a Lehman deal means that the Feds lost a game of chicken with the big banks holding Lehman mortgages, and now there will be a disorderly liquidation of Lehman assets, instead of the orderly liquidation that would have been possible with a real buyer, James Cramer writes on TheStreet.com. The question is how big a hit those...
Regs Still Lax for Mexican Veggies Heading North
Associated Press
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Sep 14, 2008 7:00 PM CDT
(Newser) -
How strong is food safety regulation after America's worst food-borne outbreak in a decade? A peek at a Mexican packing plant shows that rules are nearly nonexistent, the AP reports. The plant in northern Mexico, suspected of sparking the recent salmonella outbreak that sickened 1,400, washes produce from certified and uncertified growers—but...
Pats Top Jets 19-10 Without Brady at Helm
Associated Press
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Sep 14, 2008 6:31 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Matt Cassel stepped in to lead the Tom Bradyless New England Patriots today, as Peyton Manning sparked a late Indianapolis Colts rally and Eli Manning showed why the New York Giants are champs: Tom who? In his first start since high school, Matt Cassel led the Patriots to a 19-10 victory over Brett Favre's New York Jets. Cassel went 16 for...
Will Women Abandon Palin, Too?
Newsweek
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Sep 14, 2008 5:58 PM CDT
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When Geraldine Ferraro joined Walter Mondale's ticket in 1984, Ronald Reagan got a boost from women voters who may have felt threatened by Ferraro's personal and professional success. Nearly 25 years later, the effect of Sarah Palin joining John McCain contrasts sharply with Ferraro's fortunes, and prompts Newsweek to take a look at feminism and...
Pope Calls for Holding Line on Divorce
AFP
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Sep 14, 2008 5:27 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Pope Benedict XVI urged bishops to uphold the Catholic tradition of marriage today during a 150,000-strong mass in Lourdes, the French town where apparitions of Madonna reportedly appeared in 1858, AFP reports. Benedict pledged not to allow divorced Catholics into the church and told bishops to "uphold firmly, even at the cost of opposing prevailing...
Burn Leads Box Office Boom
Variety
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Sep 14, 2008 4:57 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The Coen brothers' Burn After Reading led an unexpectedly strong box office weekend by nabbing top spot with $19.4 million, Variety reports. With overall sales up 35% over this frame last year, Tyler Perry’s The Family that Preys took second with $18 million, followed by Righteous Kill ($16.5 million), The Women ($10 million),...
Forget Retirement—Old Architects Make Masterpieces
Slate
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Sep 14, 2008 4:40 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Thinking of early retirement? Not if you're an architect, writes Witold Rybczynski in Slate. Few architects achieve greatness before middle age and many do after, such as Frank Gehry, Louis Kahn, and Le Corbusier, who all designed masterpieces in their sixties. "I want to spend whatever time I have left working," said IM Pei, 91, who recently...
Kim Jong-Il a 'Pigmy', 'Tyrant' US Will Miss
New York Times
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Sep 14, 2008 3:59 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The Bush administration felt a pending bittersweet goodbye when news leaked that North Korea's Kim Jong-Il likely had a stroke last month, the New York Times reports. True, officials had called Kim a "tyrant" and a "pigmy," but they knew he kept close tabs on his nation's nuclear arsenal. Now North Korea, like Pakistan, is a volatile...
Ike's Message: Don't Build on Sandbars
LiveScience
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Sep 14, 2008 3:37 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The barrier islands along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts entice inhabitants with their balmy beachfronts, but prove an equal draw for often devastating tropical storms. As Hurricane Ike's path of destruction across Galveston Island shows, building houses on what amounts to an oversized sandbar can be a critical mistake—though one that is becoming...
Why McCain Longs for 19th Century Fuels
New York Times
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Sep 14, 2008 3:00 PM CDT
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Why are Republicans chanting "drill, baby, drill," a call for an outdated, 19th-century technology like fossil fuels? Because they are turning every political debate into a cultural "wedge Issue," Thomas Friedman writes in the New York Times —"including even energy policy, no matter how stupid it makes the voters and...
On Talk Shows, Dems Slam Palin
Politico
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Sep 14, 2008 2:38 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Smelling blood, Democrats —with help from a surprise Republican —continued to rail on Sarah Palin on the Sunday talk shows, accusing the Republican VP pick of stretching the truth about her experience, Politico reports. The highlights: “She doesn’t know anything, and she is not ready to be vice president,”...
2K Rescued From Ike; Houston Enacts Curfew
CNN
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Sep 14, 2008 2:36 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Nearly 2,000 people who refused to evacuate the Texas coast ahead of Hurricane Ike have been rescued, state officials reported this afternoon, with the Wall Street Journal reporting only 4 confirmed casualties. Texas Gov. Rick Perry launched what he called the biggest rescue in state history, sending crews by land, sea, and air in a search that was...
Lehman on Brink as Barclays Backs Out
Wall Street Journal
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Sep 14, 2008 2:31 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Barclays told federal regulators today that it is walking away from talks to buy all or part of Lehman Brothers. Barclays reportedly balked at a request that shareholders approve the agreement, a process that could take weeks—and left some wondering why the demand came up as late as today. But Barclays may only be walking away as a negotiating...
Feds Mandate Nation-of-Origin Labels for Meat, Produce
Chicago Tribune
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Sep 14, 2008 2:19 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Grocery shoppers will soon be able to tell their Argentine steak from their Midwest chicken at a glance, as a new federal law mandating nation-of-origin labels kicks in Sept. 30. Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) will cover everything from fruit and nuts to beef, lamb, and chicken, reports the Chicago Tribune, but critics are denouncing the measure...
Our Economic Cure? Innovation
BusinessWeek
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Sep 14, 2008 1:37 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Democrats and Republicans do have something in common: Both parties are wrong on how to resuscitate the flat-lining US economy, Michael Mandel argues in BusinessWeek . Tax cuts or increased government spending aren’t the cure. “Innovation is the best—and maybe the only—way the US can get out of its economic hole,” Mandel...
Scraper Bikes Catch Big Ride on YouTube
NPR
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Sep 14, 2008 1:00 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Scraper bike fever is sweeping the globe, thanks to a music video posted on YouTube by teenage friends in Oakland, NPR reports. These tricked-out bicycles are named after big, bright, and bold old-model cars fitted with wheels so large they scrape the rims. Unable to afford a car, the “Scraper Bike King” fitted his two-wheeled ride with...
Obama Keeps Mum on Palin
Los Angeles Times
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Sep 14, 2008 12:33 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Barack Obama has maintained near-silence on the subject of Sarah Palin, a quiet amplified by his newfound willingness to aggressively attack John McCain, reports the Los Angeles Times . Her name is rarely mentioned outside of references to the McCain-Palin ticket; when asked directly about her, he switches the focus back to McCain; Joe Biden remains...
Is Pornography Adultery? Time to Sharpen the Debate
The Atlantic
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Sep 14, 2008 12:09 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Does looking at pornography constitute cheating? If so, a lot of men are in trouble in today's age of instant access. Ross Douthat explores the issue in the Atlantic and finds the extremes of the argument unhelpful. No, digital smut won't bring about the end of civilization, but don't be too quick to write it off as harmless, either. "The Internet...
5 Reasons Mac Is Now Ahead
Politico
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Sep 14, 2008 11:53 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Barack Obama's juggernaut rose on a (really) unpopular Republican presidency, an unpopular war, and a lousy economy. So why is John McCain suddenly ahead in the polls? Politico tracks five trends that have thrown the Democrats for a loop: McCain successfully established himself as a change agent, eroding Obama’s central brand Sarah...
Oops! Palin Didn't Visit Iraq After All
Boston Globe
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Sep 14, 2008 11:10 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Contrary to earlier claims by campaign aides, Sarah Palin has never visited Iraq, a spokesman has conceded. The Alaska governor visited state troops in Kuwait and Germany and also stopped in Ireland last year. But she did not cross the Kuwait border into Iraq as previously claimed—and Ireland was just a refueling stop, aides have told the Boston...
Obama Pulls in Record $66M in August
Politico
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Sep 14, 2008 10:04 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Barack Obama raised more than $66 million in August, besting his past fundraising record and pulling in the best monthly tally in US political history, says an aide. Topping February's $55 million, the take "demonstrates how the increasingly heated, nasty race has energized Obama's fundraising," writes Ben Smith in Politico. The campaign...
N. Korea: Not So 1984- Like
Washington Post
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Sep 14, 2008 9:25 AM CDT
(Newser) -
When many Americans picture North Korea, they see “gulag and famine,” but what one student found was less 1984 and "more like the set of Austin Powers 4 , minus the hot blondes.“ In fact, wandering Pyongyang revealed what could be “Anytown, USA,” free from "those missile-launchers-on-wheels that appear...
You Can't Binge on This Anymore
New York Times
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Sep 14, 2008 8:54 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The half-gallon of ice cream is going the way of the soda fountain, as many manufacturers shave ounces off the size of prepackaged foods—without reducing prices, reports the New York Times . The practice, a response to the bump in transportation and ingredient costs, isn't novel, but the reaction is, with consumers going online to criticize...
US Arms Sales Skyrocket
New York Times
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Sep 14, 2008 8:26 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Seeking to arm allies and contain countries like Iran and North Korea, the Bush Administration has significantly stepped up international weapons sales, the New York Times reports. The Defense Department will sell or transfer $32 billion in arms this year, particularly in the Middle East, compared to $12 billion two years ago. Some lawmakers fear...
Engine Failure Cited in Russian Jet Crash
Associated Press
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Sep 14, 2008 7:50 AM CDT
(AP) -
A Russian investigator says today's crash of a passenger jet that killed 88 people was most likely caused by failure of one of the Boeing-737-500's two engines. The plane was on its approach to land amid low cloudcover when it crashed into an unpopulated area of a central Russian city, just a few hundred meters from residential buildings.
Father, Son Killed in Paris Tourist Boat Accident
BBC
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Sep 14, 2008 7:49 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A father and his 6-year-old son were killed yesterday when a small Paris tourist boat stuck a bridge near Notre Dame Cathedral in the Seine, the BBC reports. The boat sank, trapping the two French passengers under water. They were declared dead at a local hospital. The other 10 passengers survived the accident. Investigators are trying to determine...
Rescuers Struggle to Reach Ike Survivors
Dallas Morning News
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Sep 14, 2008 7:25 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Hurricane Ike has weakened to a tropical depression over Arkansas, but rescuers are struggling to reach survivors in the furious storm's path of destruction in Texas, reports CNN. Some 140,000 who stayed home despite evacuation orders are now dealing with massive flooding, wrecked homes and power outages. Nearly 1,000 people have been saved so far...
Palin Used State Politics to Settle Personal Scores
New York Times
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Sep 14, 2008 6:43 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Throughout Sarah Palin’s political career the Republican vice presidential nominee has played favorites, kept secrets and waged personal vendettas, according to the New York Times . A lengthy examination of the Alaska governor’s record reveals that she appointed at least five former schoolmates to state positions, threatened and fired...
Ike Boosts Gas Prices Up to $5
Washington Post
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Sep 14, 2008 6:19 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Gas prices have shot up an average of 5 cents nationwide in the wake of Hurricane Ike, which has shut down almost 100% of oil and natural gas production in the Gulf Coast region. Gas prices in the Gulf area have risen as high as $5 per gallon, and an expert warns that many Americans may see the return of $4 gas, reports the Washington Post .
