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.
Rodanthe Heavy on the Syrup
Rotten Tomatoes
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Sep 26, 2008 12:04 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Tearjerker novel Nights in Rodanthe left some critics sobbing and others scowling. Now Unfaithful co-stars Richard Gere and Diane Lane are reunited for the movie version of the Nicholas Sparks romance, with a similar divide. The actors' "natural rapport" makes for a movie "one either utterly succumbs to or stubbornly resists,"...
O'Neill on Bush: He Doesn't Get It, and 'It Shows'
ABC News
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Sep 26, 2008 11:50 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Former Treasury chief Paul O'Neill doesn't have a lot of confidence in the ability of his old boss to find a financial solution, ABC News reports. “I don’t think he understands or knows much about any of this and it shows,” O’Neill said of President Bush. He said the president and other leaders are in a “panic” and...
Time for Hopefuls to Wax Philosophical
Wall Street Journal
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Sep 26, 2008 11:42 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Barack Obama is rising in the polls, but he still seems “exotic”; John McCain is playing the maverick but his maneuvering on the bailout may have been “too cute.” In a week with “all categories upside-down and out the window,” it’s time for both candidates to explain how they think, and why they believe in...
Palin Whiffs Again in Couric Interview
Los Angeles Times
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Sep 26, 2008 11:32 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Sarah Palin had better hope the nation was too distracted with the economic crisis to pay attention to her interview with Katie Couric the last two nights, James Rainey writes in the Los Angeles Times . Palin seemed bewildered, offering rambling sidewinder answers when asked about the bailout plan, tossing in everything from health care to tax reform...
LiLo May Seek Protection From 'Erratic' Dad
New York Post
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Sep 26, 2008 11:15 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Lindsay Lohan is so scared of her father that she is considering taking out an order of protection against him, the New York Post reports. "He's behaving so erratically that she's terrified he'll do something to her," said a source. "She's contacted her lawyer to arrange this." Lindsay Lohan's sister and mother already have orders...
McCain Will Attend Debate, Cites Progress on Bailout
New York Times
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Sep 26, 2008 11:06 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The debate is on. With lawmakers vowing to stay on the Hill as long as it takes to get a bailout deal, John McCain’s campaign said today that he would attend tonight’s debate with Barack Obama, the New York Times reports. McCain is “optimistic that there has been significant progress towards a bipartisan agreement” that takes...
Heroes Star's Dad Charged With Hitting Wife
People
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Sep 26, 2008 10:54 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Heroes star Hayden Panettiere's father, Alan, was charged with misdemeanor battery yesterday for hitting wife Lesley. After a late night out at their 19-year-old daughter's charity event last month, he allegedly struck her "one or two times on the cheek causing bruising with a closed fist," an LA County sheriff's department rep tells People....
China Astronauts Get Ready for First Spacewalk
Reuters
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Sep 26, 2008 10:40 AM CDT
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China's 3-man spacecraft is now safely in orbit and all systems are go for the nation's first spacewalk tomorrow, reports Reuters. One of the astronauts is set to spend 40 minutes outside the shuttle in a $4.4 million Chinese space suit. Beijing plans to build a permanent space station within the next decade, and could eventually shoot for a moon landing.
Eagle Eye Is For the Birds
Rotten Tomatoes
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Sep 26, 2008 10:25 AM CDT
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Big-Brother thriller Eagle Eye is so full of confusing "cyber-techno-harum-scarum" that it's a film "only the Global Positioning System could love," writes Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune . The “hyperactive jumble" of a story—featuring a man framed as a terrorist and followed by a mysterious voice—is...
Radical Settlers Fight Palestine —and Israel
New York Times
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Sep 26, 2008 10:17 AM CDT
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A pipe bomb exploded Wednesday night outside the Jerusalem home of a dovish Israeli professor—where authorities also found fliers promising a $300,000 reward to anyone who killed members of a leftist advocacy group. The attack is the latest sign that right-wing settlers are resorting to extremist tactics to show the Israeli government that they...
Plant Caves; Led Zep Will Tour
Sun (UK)
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Sep 26, 2008 10:01 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Rock legend Robert Plant has finally agreed to participate in a Led Zeppelin reunion tour with guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist John Paul Jones, and late drummer John Bonham's son Jason, the Sun reports. His bandmates had been rehearsing with stand-in singers.
McCain Far Better Than His Idea-Free Campaign: Brooks
New York Times
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Sep 26, 2008 9:50 AM CDT
(Newser) -
It’s a shame the kind of campaign John McCain is running, writes longtime admirer David Brooks in the New York Times . No, not because of dishonest ads (Obama has them, too) or a shift in politics, but because it “has no central argument." McCain has a wonderful record of "judgment, honor, and courage," as a senator, but...
Storms Threaten East Coast Pounding
Bloomberg
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Sep 26, 2008 9:40 AM CDT
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A storm system threatened East Coast cities with heavy winds and rain, and Tropical Storm Kyle moved toward hurricane strength further out in the Atlantic, Bloomberg reports. Flights were delayed along the coast, with planes in New York City waiting 90 minutes or more on runways. Meanwhile, Kyle, 645 miles south-southwest of Bermuda, was expected off...
Southeastern Gas Shortage Wreaks Havoc
Washington Post
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Sep 26, 2008 9:22 AM CDT
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Gas is in short supply throughout the Southeast this week after oil production was hit hard by hurricanes Gustav and Ike, the Washington Post reports. Some didn’t make it to work as gas station lines grew to 60 cars long; half the stations in Atlanta were closed. “I drove past 9 or 10 gasoline stations that were out of gas,” said...
Stocks Sink; Bush Pledges Deal
Wall Street Journal
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Sep 26, 2008 8:52 AM CDT
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Socks plummeted today as confidence in the federal bailout program evaporated and investors absorbed the collapse of Washington Mutual. The Dow fell 140 points after the opening bell, while the Nasdaq dropped 2.2% and the S&P fell 1.7%, the Wall Street Journal reports. President Bush gave a brief statement promising that Congress was working...
Palin Turns Over Tainted Donations to Charity
Associated Press
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Sep 26, 2008 8:45 AM CDT
(AP) -
When Sarah Palin ran for governor, she made a point of not taking any money from VECO, an oil company at the center of a corruption scandal. But she did take, and will now give to charity, donations of $1,000 each from two politicians indicted for their role in the scandal, and another $1,000 from one of their wives.
Daredevil Crosses Channel by Jetpack
Times (UK)
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Sep 26, 2008 8:32 AM CDT
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Swiss daredevil Yves Rossy—or as he’s known, Fusionman—crossed the English Channel with a single jet-propelled wing strapped to his shoulders, reports the UK Times . Rossy began the trip by jumping from a plane 8,200 feet over Calais, France, then zoomed to Britain in less than 10 minutes at speeds of more than 100mph. He traced...
OJ Victim Alleges Tape Tampering
Los Angeles Times
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Sep 26, 2008 8:23 AM CDT
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One of the alleged victims in OJ Simpson's memorabilia-theft trial has turned into a boon for the defense, suggesting that another victim doctored a key piece of evidence. Alfred Beardsley, a witness for the prosecution, accused auctioneer Thomas Riccio of editing out parts of a recording Riccio made during their confrontation with Simpson, the Los...
Shia Won't Face DUI Charges
People
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Sep 26, 2008 8:17 AM CDT
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A lack of evidence means Indiana Jones star Shia LaBeouf won't face DUI charges for the July car crash that crushed his hand, People reports. Prosecutors plan instead to file charges against the other driver, who ran a red light. The sheriff's office no longer has a beef with LaBeouf, but he has a DMV hearing today and may have his license suspended...
The GOP Plan: Less Regulation, Private Funding
Washington Post
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Sep 26, 2008 8:09 AM CDT
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When John Boehner scuppered the nearly-sealed bailout deal at yesterday's meeting, the House minority leader proposed an alternative plan: a bank-financed insurance system that would rescue individual mortgages. Under the GOP proposal, the government would not buy up the toxic mortgage-backed securities at the heart of the crisis but instead rely on...
Oregon State Stuns No. 1 USC
Los Angeles Times
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Sep 26, 2008 8:01 AM CDT
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USC can kiss its No. 1 ranking goodbye. The team some had dubbed the greatest ever was toppled 27-21 last night by Oregon State, a 25½-point underdog. The Beavers derailed the Trojans offense and ran over what had been the nation’s best defense. “They just beat us up, plain and simple,” said a USC fullback. A blocked field...
Zimbabwe Makes US Dollar Legal Tender
Reuters
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Sep 26, 2008 7:49 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The government of Zimbabwe will allow consumers and shops to deal in American and South African currency as an 11 million percent inflation rate continues to pummel the nearly worthless Zimbabwean dollar. Cash remains in short supply in Zimbabwe, and on a flourishing black market a US dollar can fetch 10 times the price offered at a bank. But trading...
Nude Marilyn Pix Spark Suit
Reuters
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Sep 26, 2008 7:32 AM CDT
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Missing nude photographs taken of Marilyn Monroe in her legendary last sitting 6 weeks before her death have become the focus of a million-dollar lawsuit, Reuters reports. Photographer Bert Stern, who owns the rights to thousands of Marilyn images, is suing to get back 7 missing shots from 3 people he says have demanded money to return them. Stern...
European Markets Slide as US Rescue Talks Stall
Wall Street Journal
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Sep 26, 2008 7:14 AM CDT
(Newser) -
European markets swooned on news of the US bailout troubles and the failure of Washington Mutual, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Dow Jones Stoxx 600 fell 1.5%, Germany’s DAX index slipped 1.4%, and the UK’s FTSE 100 and France’s CAC-40 each shed 1.3%. In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei index lost 0.9%.
How the Bailout Talks Broke Down
New York Times
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Sep 26, 2008 7:00 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Hopes were high yesterday morning that a deal was imminent for Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson’s bailout plan, but a surprise GOP revolt at a tense summit with Bush and the presidential candidates scuttled the agreement, and plunged the capital into partisan bickering last night, the New York Times reports. The extraordinary meeting ended...
Central Banks Scramble to Feed Cash Into Markets
Reuters
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Sep 26, 2008 7:00 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The world's central banks are frantically spraying money into the economy to prevent it from seizing up as the US bailout package stalls and confidence plummets, Reuters reports. The holdup in Washington has made edgy commercial banks even more inclined to hoard cash and not lend to each other—leaving central banks with little choice but to step...
Palin Grabbed $25K in Gifts
Washington Post
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Sep 26, 2008 6:08 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Sarah Palin accepted gifts totaling over $25,000 during her 20 months as governor of Alaska, the Washington Post reports. The gifts to Palin, who made a crackdown on gift-giving a central plank of her reform agenda, included expensive artwork and free travel for a family member. Donors included industry execs and a cultural center whose board includes...
Brits Bust Busta Before London Charity Concert
Guardian (UK)
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Sep 26, 2008 5:27 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Rapper Busta Rhymes was detained at a London airport for 11 hours last night after authorities refused to let him enter the country, reports the Guardian . He was allowed to leave for a London hotel after a judge ruled that holding him up because of a US assault conviction may be unlawful. He faces a hearing today that will determine if he can stay...
Cops Yank Terror Suspects off KLM Flight
Associated Press
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Sep 26, 2008 4:56 AM CDT
(AP) -
German police commandos may have averted a terrorist attack early today when they grabbed two suspects off an Amsterdam-bound flight before the plane took off from Cologne airport, reports AP. The pair had been under observation for months and a suicide note was found in their apartment saying they wanted to die for the "jihad" or "holy...
'Ugly Date' Letterman Skewers McCain Again
Associated Press
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Sep 26, 2008 4:31 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The David Letterman-John McCain feud continued last night on the Late Show as the host kept hammering the candidate for standing him up, reports the Los Angeles Times . Letterman, whose guests included Paris Hilton—"McCain's first choice as running mate"—said he felt like an "ugly date" after McCain cancelled on him...
China Pulls Tainted Candy
BBC
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Sep 26, 2008 4:09 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Dozens of countries are hopping to get China-made White Rabbit candy off store shelves after the milk-based treat was found to contain melamine, the BBC reports. The company has halted sales worldwide, and issued warnings about candy remaining in stores. The chemical has also been found to have sickened two baby orangutans and a lion cub raised on...
Half of Europe's Frog Species May Croak
Independent (UK)
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Sep 26, 2008 3:49 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Half of all of Europe's amphibian species could be doomed to extinction within the next few decades, scientists warn. Habitat loss and climate change are already wiping out huge numbers of frogs, toads, newts and salamanders, the Independent reports. The situation has been exacerbated by a skin disease that has spread around the globe, devastating...
Twisted Pals Conspired in Twin Massacres
Times (UK)
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Sep 26, 2008 3:27 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Gunmen who carried out two school massacres in Finland a year apart urged each other to slaughter their classmates, reports the Times of London. Suicidal shooter Pekka-Erik Auvinen, who killed eight near Helsinki last year, left a message of encouragement for Matti Saari to carry out his own school massacre this week that claimed ten lives. The two...
Bush Blocked Israel Attack on Iran
Guardian (UK)
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Sep 26, 2008 3:00 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Israel asked Washington for a green light to bomb Iran's nuclear facilities but was told no, reports the Guardian . Prime Minister Ehud Olmert made the request in a private meeting with President Bush in May, but Bush feared air strikes over several days would lead to full-scale war and terrorist attacks in the US.
McCain Stymied by GOP Bailout Revolt
New York Times
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Sep 26, 2008 2:32 AM CDT
(Newser) -
John McCain made a splash with his dramatic entry into the bailout talks, but he now seems to be floundering, the New York Times writes. The candidate was largely silent during the summit meeting with the president in which the deal was scuttled by Republicans—"more observer than leader," according to observers—while Barack...
First Debate Stuck in Limbo
Wall Street Journal
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Sep 26, 2008 2:01 AM CDT
(Newser) -
What if they held a presidential debate and only one candidate came? The scenario is looking like a real possibility as the federal bailout deal stalls, the Wall Street Journal reports. John McCain has said he will fly to Mississippi for the debate only if an agreement is reached in Washington this morning, while Barack Obama has made it plain...
Spike Refights WWII (and Other Directors)
Salon
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Sep 25, 2008 8:50 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Spike Lee hopes to set the record straight about the African American presence in WWII—but he also hopes to tell a good story. His new film, Miracle at St. Anna, tells the fictional tale of Buffalo Soldiers trapped in a Tuscan town, in his own inimitable style. "I made the decision that everyone speak their native language," he says...
Palin Defends Alaska-Russia Comment
Associated Press
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Sep 25, 2008 8:16 PM CDT
(AP) -
Sarah Palin defended a widely ridiculed remark that the close proximity of Russia to her home state of Alaska gives her foreign policy experience. "Well, it certainly does because our next-door neighbors are foreign countries," she told Katie Couric in an interview that aired on CBS tonight. "As Putin rears his head and comes into the...
JPMorgan Buys WaMu After Regulators Seize It
Washington Post
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Sep 25, 2008 7:43 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Federal regulators seized Washington Mutual tonight and sold nearly all of its operations to JPMorgan for $1.9 billion, the Washington Post reports. It is the largest bank failure in US history. WaMu, previously the nation's largest savings and loan, had been reeling from bad mortgage loans and put itself up for sale last week. The feds took action...
Blogging Pitcher Should Stick to Sports
Boston Globe
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Sep 25, 2008 7:14 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Curt Schilling may be headed for retirement, but that hasn't stopped the pitcher-turned-blogger from tackling politics—he's a big McCain fan—and pressing issues such as Manny Ramirez. The moonshot outfielder "had not been a member of the Red Sox for over a month" when Schilling last weighed in, Charles P. Pierce writes for the...
Dodgers Clinch NL West
Los Angeles Times
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Sep 25, 2008 6:39 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The Los Angeles Dodgers clinched the NL West today before they even got on the field. Because the Arizona Diamondbacks lost to St. Louis, the Dodgers are assured of their first division title in 4 years, the LA Times reports. "The main goal is to get to the World Series," said big-name acquisition Manny Ramirez. The Dodgers and the LA...
Bailout Deal Fades After Tense White House Meeting
Washington Post
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Sep 25, 2008 6:14 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The bailout deal that seemed within reach this afternoon appears to have veered off course. Today's White House meeting turned unexpectedly contentious and broke up without any sign of agreement, the Washington Post reports. One participant, Sen. Chris Dodd, blamed John McCain and Republicans for floating a new plan out of the blue. "What this...
Whatevs, Ma: Anti-Martha Builds Empire
New York
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Sep 25, 2008 5:50 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Whatever, Martha !, in which Alexis Stewart and a pal riff over episodes of her mother’s TV shows, is the opening of the latest chapter in the pair’s unusual relationship, Andrew Goldman writes in New York . Alexis, 42, is surprisingly vulgar for being raised by a domestic diva. “My media training began was when I was 22,”...
No Farewell for Hemingway's Cats
Associated Press
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Sep 25, 2008 5:20 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The bell no longer tolls for the six-toed cats of a certain writer’s home. The Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum has struck a deal with the federal government that will see the 50-odd descendants of the author’s unusual pet continue to roam the Florida Keys property, the AP reports. Hemingway, known for his spare prose, might have appreciated...
NFL's Newest Treat: Trick Plays
USA Today
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Sep 25, 2008 4:54 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Sunday’s four-touchdown performance from Miami running back Ronnie Brown may signal the year of the trick play in the NFL, USA Today reports. The Dolphins’ “Wildcat” formation, in which the running back takes a direct snap, seems likely to catch on. “This is a copycat league,” says San Diego’s LaDanian Tomlinson....
Maddow Is Sharp, But Still Just Another Partisan Pundit
New York Times
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Sep 25, 2008 4:39 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Despite all the hype and the glowing blogosphere reviews since she got her own MSNBC slot Sept. 8, Rachel Maddow’s program has turned out to be a clone of the Keith Olbermann vehicle that precedes her: “less a show than an annex,” Alessandra Stanley writes in the New York Times . With guests fitting MSNBC’s liberal, Anti-Fox...
Stevens Used Oil Firm as 'Handyman': Prosecutors
The Hill
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Sep 25, 2008 4:24 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Prosecutors say Republican Sen. Ted Stevens deliberately failed to disclose gifts from an Alaska oil company, including $240,000 in home renovations and a $2,700 massage chair, the Los Angeles Times reports. “Veco acted as his own personal handyman service,” the prosecution said in the opening arguments of Stevens’ corruption trial...
Fans Make Racket Over Too-Loud Music
Wall Street Journal
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Sep 25, 2008 4:20 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Some fans have a surprising problem with Death Magnetic , the new Metallica album, the Wall Street Journal reports: It’s too loud. Since the advent of the compact disc, musicians have pushed mastering engineers to make albums as loud as possible. As a result, a new CD like Death Magnetic is four to eight times louder, at the same stereo volume,...
Candidates Meet With Bush
Associated Press
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Sep 25, 2008 4:05 PM CDT
(Newser) -
John McCain and Barack Obama met with President Bush and congressional leaders in Washington this afternoon to discuss the evolving bailout plan, the AP reports. With the candidates' help, “my hope is that we can reach an agreement very shortly,” Bush said. Key lawmakers said they had reached a tentative deal earlier today, but doubts remained....
Eight Terrible, Tasty Ways to Start the Day
MSNBC
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Sep 25, 2008 3:55 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Breakfast isn’t just the most important meal of the day—for many Americans, it’s the most fattening. The worst breakfast in the nation, nutritionally speaking, is the Stacked and Stuffed Caramel Banana Pecan Hotcakes at Bob Evans, experts tell MSNBC. Here are some other bad breakfast foods: IHOP Big Steak Omelet (1,490 calories,...
