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.
MySpace Elbows iTunes With New Music Service
CNET
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Sep 25, 2008 3:50 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Apple’s iTunes meets its first serious challenge today with the launch of MySpace Music, CNET reports. The second-largest online social network has joined forces with Amazon and the world’s four biggest record labels to offer free streaming and paid downloads. The move also pitches media mogul and MySpace owner Rupert Murdoch against Apple...
House OKs $25B Detroit Rescue
Detroit Free Press
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Sep 25, 2008 3:29 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The House has approved a $25 billion lifeline to Detroit's battered auto industry, the Detroit Free Press reports. The package of low-interest loans to help automakers switch to manufacturing more fuel-efficient vehicles is expected to be approved by the Senate today and signed by the president soon after. Michigan lawmakers cheered the news, saying...
Letterman Lambasts AWOL McCain
New York Daily News
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Sep 25, 2008 3:06 AM CDT
(Newser) -
John McCain was scorched by the full fury of a Letterman scorned after blowing off last night's Late Show an hour before taping, the New York Daily News reports. "This just doesn't smell right. This is not the way a tested hero behaves," Letterman raged. "Somebody's putting something in his Metamucil." McCain told Letterman...
Record 145M Targeted for Flu Shots
Washington Post
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Sep 25, 2008 2:31 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Enough flu vaccine is now being manufactured to give shots to a record 145 million people, reports the Washington Post . The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention plans an unprecedented campaign to ensure as many children, seniors and pregnant women as possible get shots, up to 86% of the population. The vaccine, expected to be among the most...
California Bns Txtng While Driving
San Jose Mercury News
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Sep 25, 2008 1:55 AM CDT
(Newser) -
California has become the latest state to outlaw text messaging while driving, the San Jose Mercury News reports. Motorists will be fined a minimum of $20 the first time they are caught reading or writing an electronic message behind the wheel, and $50 for any subsequent offenses.
McCain Launches Another Hail Mary
Slate
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Sep 24, 2008 9:26 PM CDT
(Newser) -
John McCain's decision to suspend his campaign to work on the bailout feels like another Hail Mary pass—his second in a month, counting the Sarah Palin pick—from a candidate slipping in the polls and looking for a bold move, writes John Dickerson in Slate. Given that it's not exactly clear what McCain can accomplish in Washington on an...
Bush Pushes Bailout: 'Our Entire Economy Is in Danger'
CNN
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Sep 24, 2008 8:21 PM CDT
(Newser) -
President Bush took to the prime-time airwaves tonight to warn that "our entire economy is in danger" and to push his administration's $700 billion plan to rescue it, CNN reports. "These are not normal circumstances," said Bush in explaining the need for sweeping government intervention. He said he understood Americans' reluctance...
Feds Say They Can Prove Bonds Took 'Roids
Associated Press
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Sep 24, 2008 8:01 PM CDT
(AP) -
Federal prosecutors say they will prove personal trainer Greg Anderson supplied Barry Bonds with the steroids that led to a positive test in November 2000, the offseason before the slugger hit a record 73 home runs. In a court filing today, prosecutors say they have two documents showing that Bonds tested positive for anabolic steroids in 2000 and...
Tentative Deal Emerges; Could Be in Place by Monday
The Hill
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Sep 24, 2008 7:48 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Senate Democrats say they struck a tentative deal with Henry Paulson this evening that could lead to bailout bill tomorrow, debate over the weekend, and approval by the time markets open on Monday, the Hill reports. Senators emphasize the framework could easily fall apart, but they say that Paulson agreed to consider implementing the plan in stages...
'It Wasn't Their Time': Rockers' Escape Still Amazes
State (Columbia, SC)
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Sep 24, 2008 6:45 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Witnesses remain amazed that musician Travis Barker and DJ AM escaped with relatively light injuries from their burning Learjet. After sliding down the wing of the plane, Barker and Adam Goldstein (DJ's real name) had to jump on each other to put out the flames, the S.C. State reports. Barker, ex-drummer for Blink-182, tried to reach a patch of grass...
Investors Fund Big Digg Expansion
IDG News Service
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Sep 24, 2008 6:20 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Social news site Digg has raised $28.7 million to fund an aggressive expansion and fend off rumors it will be sold, IDG News Service reports. The 4-year-old site, which allows readers to rank stories, plans to double its staff to 150, revamp its features, and expand internationally. The move is likely in response to Yahoo's launch of its own social...
Bail Out Your Wine Budget
New York Times
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Sep 24, 2008 6:00 PM CDT
(Newser) -
When it comes to wine, "the less spent, the better"—in both rich and lean times, writes Eric Asimov in the New York Times . Figuring the government "has bigger things to bail out than our wine bills," Asimov set out to find the French values in the "promised land": the $10-$20 range. Bordeaux's wines may be cheap,...
Poll: Biden More Qualified Than Palin to Lead Nation
Wall Street Journal
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Sep 24, 2008 5:40 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Sarah Palin isn’t qualified to be president, 49% of Americans say, while 64% think Joe Biden is, according to a new poll from the Wall Street Journal and NBC News. Seniors particularly put more confidence in the Democrat (74%) than Alaska's governor (37%). And while only 7% of Democrats believe Biden is not qualified, 15% of Republicans hold...
Outlets Keep Luxury Stores Afloat
BusinessWeek
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Sep 24, 2008 5:25 PM CDT
(Newser) -
In a stagnant economy, luxury retailers are opening off-price outlet stores at a faster clip, drawing in customers with sale prices they’d never see at a flagship, BusinessWeek reports. Including such names as Saks, Nordstrom and Coach, a trend is emerging: While visits and sales at boutique stores are down, outlet or factory locations are...
College Dorm Rooms Go to the Dogs
USA Today
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Sep 24, 2008 5:00 PM CDT
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College students have long been expert at sneaking everything from gerbils to puppies into their dorm rooms, but a number of schools have made furry residents official, reports USA Today . The pet-friendly movement's spread to more than a dozen campuses, where officials hope reducing the stress of college life and stemming the tide of students to...
Witness: Guns Were OJ's Idea
Los Angeles Times
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Sep 24, 2008 4:47 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A former OJ Simpson golfing buddy testified today that the football star told him to pack heat for September’s confrontation with sports-memorabilia dealers, and that Simpson shooed away concerns about the police. "This is going to be a robbery," Walter Alexander recalled thinking after Simpson allegedly told a friend to draw his weapon...
Planned Spacewalk Would Be Giant Leap for Chinese
Time
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Sep 24, 2008 4:33 PM CDT
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China is set to become the third nation to send a human strolling through space this week, the Christian Science Monitor reports. The shuttle Shenzhou VII will launch tomorrow with a crew of three, one of whom will don a Chinese- or Russian-made spacesuit for the spacewalk, seen as another signal of China’s arrival among top-tier world powers.
Drinkers Sour on Sarah Syrah
Serious Eats
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Sep 24, 2008 4:20 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A San Francisco wine bar says customers have soured on its star vintage since John McCain picked his running mate, Amy Monroe writes on Serious Eats. Palin Syrah, an organically grown red from Chile “was our best-selling wine before” Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin arrived, laments Chris Tavelli, owner of Yield Wine Bar.
Obama: Friday's Debate Should Go On
CNN
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Sep 24, 2008 4:04 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Barack Obama disagrees with John McCain and says "it's more important than ever" to hold the first presidential debate Friday, CNN reports. Obama spoke soon after McCain called for a postponement, announcing that he was suspending his campaign to return to Washington and work on the financial bailout. So is the debate on or off? Stay tuned,...
Lung Drugs Linked to Heart Risks: Study
USA Today
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Sep 24, 2008 4:04 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Two medications widely prescribed to emphysema and chronic bronchitis sufferers significantly increase the risk of heart attacks and cardiovascular disease, USA Today reports. A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed a 53% increased risk of heart attacks and an 80% increased risk of cardiovascular death among...
Blogger's Pursuit of Paternity Issue Verges on Vendetta
Washington Post
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Sep 24, 2008 3:52 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Andrew Sullivan, blogger for the Atlantic , has come under fire for hammering John McCain’s campaign on an issue everyone else seems to have gotten over: whether or not Sarah Palin or her teen daughter Bristol is the mother of 4-month-old Trig Palin, Howard Kurtz writes in the Washington Post . Sullivan asked the campaign in two emails last...
To Blurb or Not to Blurb
Guardian (UK)
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Sep 24, 2008 3:40 PM CDT
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Despite a reputation for being over the top, book blurbs are more meaningful than not, writes William Leith in the Guardian. The blurber, as a rule, cannot expect endorsement in return, but he "is flattered to be asked, and wants to score a tiny ad for himself on the blurbee's book." So the book must be worthy, not embarrassing.
White House Caves on Golden Parachutes
Associated Press
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Sep 24, 2008 3:40 PM CDT
(AP) -
The White House bowed on a crucial change in the $700 billion bailout today ahead of a speech tonight in which President Bush hopes to pull loudly resistant lawmakers on board. Republican officials said Henry Paulson agreed to demands from critics in both parties to limit the “golden parachute” money for executives whose companies could...
MySpace Hoaxer Drew Bragged About Deadly Prank
The Smoking Gun
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Sep 24, 2008 3:33 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Missouri mother Lori Drew proudly boasted to her hairdresser and others about her MySpace prank before it led to Megan Meier's suicide, reports the Smoking Gun. Drew “denied any untoward purpose and dismissed concerns over her ‘prank,’” court filings say. But after Meier died, Drew tried covering her tracks, denying to the FBI...
Stocks Flat Amid Bailout Wait
Wall Street Journal
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Sep 24, 2008 3:25 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Stocks swung between gains and losses today as the proposed financial bailout continued to dominate conversation but remained unsettled. The technology-rich Nasdaq was more insulated from the swings, and closed up 2.35 at 2,155.68. The Dow lost 29.00 to close at 10,825.17, while the S&P 500 shed 2.35, settling at 1,185.87, the Wall Street Journal...
OJ Judge Bars Goldman Lawyer From Testifying
Associated Press
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Sep 24, 2008 3:17 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The skeletons are back in the closet for OJ Simpson today after a judge said a lawyer for the Goldman family—who won a civil verdict against the former football star in the slaying of their son—can't testify in Simpson’s current armed-robbery trial, AP reports. The prosecution argued it would help establish motive in the alleged incident...
Hourly Breaks? Blaine's Cheating!
New York Daily News
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Sep 24, 2008 3:04 PM CDT
(Newser) -
David Blaine takes a 10-minute break every hour? "It's cheating," says an unimpressed onlooker among a crowd of 8,000 watching Blaine hang upside down in Central Park until a grand finale tonight, the New York Daily News reports. Though the illusionist planned to do his business using a catheter, his spokesman says he "found he couldn't...
Women Tower in Buffett's Biography
Time
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Sep 24, 2008 3:00 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Warren Buffett’s personal life is a lot messier than his balance sheet, according to a biography. In The Snowball: Warren Buffet and the Business of Life , which hits stores Monday, the Oracle of Omaha for the first time cooperates with a biographer, producing a revealing look at the folksy billionaire, Time reports. Buffett had a terrible...
Mac: Delay Debate to Focus on Economy
Associated Press
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Sep 24, 2008 2:47 PM CDT
(AP) -
John McCain says he's directing his staff to work with Barack Obama's campaign and the debate commission to delay Friday's debate because of the economic crisis. In a statement today, McCain says he will stop campaigning after addressing Bill Clinton's Global Initiative session tomorrow and return to Washington to focus on the nation's financial problems....
US Must Talk With Taliban: Pakistan Official
Telegraph (UK)
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Sep 24, 2008 2:42 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The governor of Pakistan’s tribal region says the US must negotiate with the Taliban if it hopes to bring peace to Afghanistan. “They have to talk to Mullah Omar, certainly—not maybe,” Owais Ghani told the Telegraph , referring to the group’s leader. “Political stability will only come when all political power groups,...
Evacuees Return to Battered Galveston
Galveston County Daily News
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Sep 24, 2008 2:31 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Heaps of furniture and electronics lined Galveston's streets as evacuees returned to the Texan island to salvage their belongings, the Galveston County Daily News reports. Some were spared from Hurricane Ike’s wrath altogether, while others discovered their homes completely flattened. In the city's central housing projects, first-floor residents...
In Terms We Can Understand: $700B = 12 Bill Gateses
Slate
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Sep 24, 2008 2:22 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Ben Bernanke and Henry Paulson have been urging Congress the past two days to authorize the largest bailout in US history. Slate breaks $700 billion into smaller bites: $2,300 per person (based on the US population of 300 million) 12 Bill Gateses 381 Hollywood blockbusters ( Titanic made $1.8 billion)
Debate Winner? He Who Beats Expectations
Politico
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Sep 24, 2008 2:20 PM CDT
(Newser) -
To win the presidential debates, Barack Obama and John McCain need to beat expectations, political strategist Mark Penn writes on Politico. Penn, who most recently was Hillary Clinton’s top strategist, argues that reinforcing one’s strengths does nothing: Voters know Obama, for example, is a skilled speaker, so he needs to be “clear...
Enquirer Names Alleged Palin Lover, Bolsters Claim
National Enquirer
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Sep 24, 2008 2:00 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The National Enquirer returns this week to its claim that Sarah Palin had an affair, this time naming the alleged lover as Brad Hanson, a city council member in Palmer (near Wasilla) and former partner of Todd Palin in a snowmobile business. To bolster the claim, the tab now says that "no less than three members of the man’s family including...
Spielbergs Give $100K to Bolster Gay Marriage
Associated Press
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Sep 24, 2008 1:38 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Steven Spielberg has weighed in to the tune of $100,000 against the gay marriage ban on California’s ballot this fall, the AP reports. Spielberg and his wife join Brad Pitt—who gave the same amount last week—as major celebrity opponents of the ban. The couple says the ban is discriminatory and “has no place in California’s...
Iraq Passes Election Law, But Skirts Key Issues
New York Times
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Sep 24, 2008 1:29 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The Iraqi parliament today passed a long-delayed law establishing provincial elections, a step the government hopes will protect recent security gains by opening the political process. The first elections are expected in January, the New York Times reports, but questions remain about how to ensure representation for Iraq’s religious minorities,...
Stone's W. Aims for the Center
USA Today
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Sep 24, 2008 1:19 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Oliver Stone is looking to attract the political center with his new movie, W. , about the life our 43rd president, USA Today reports. The film, a satirical biopic starring Josh Brolin as George W. Bush, is neither hagiography or damning indictment. “I'm not interested in that radical 15% that hate Bush or the 15% to 20% who love Bush,”...
Yahoo Board OKs New Round of AOL Talks
Financial Times (UK)
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Sep 24, 2008 1:13 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A Yahoo board of directors now stocked with allies of activist investor Carl Icahn cleared the way yesterday for reigniting talks on combining with AOL, the Financial Times reports. Time Warner’s chief is eager to decide AOL’s future “fairly soon,” but is hoping Microsoft will join any deal. Icahn says Yahoo also has “to...
Autism-Reversing Drugs Show Promise
NPR
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Sep 24, 2008 12:50 PM CDT
(Newser) -
MIT scientists have discovered one of the mechanisms of Fragile X Syndrome, one cause of autism, and are developing drugs to treat it, NPR reports. The disorder, triggered by a genetic mutation, interferes with the normal links between brain cells, making those networks something like a car without a brakes. The new drugs limit acceleration, and have...
Finnish Shooter Also Burned His Victims, Mainly Women
Times (UK)
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Sep 24, 2008 12:39 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Eight of the 10 victims in yesterday's shooting at a Finnish catering and tourism college were women, but it may take investigators weeks to identify the bodies—which Matti Saari charred with gasoline bombs after shooting, the Times of London reports. A college official described Saari as a “silent young man,” and investigators...
LiLo to 'Scary' Dad: I Love Sam
New York Post
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Sep 24, 2008 12:35 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Lindsay Lohan is choosing girlfriend Samantha Ronson over her dad, the New York Post reports, after Michael Lohan called the DJ a “dark, hideous and a disgusting representation of humanity” in a weekend email. “My father obviously needs to be on medication to control his moods,” the actress fired back. “He needs to be...
Brown: Free Palin From Mac's 'Chauvinistic Chains'
Chicago Tribune
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Sep 24, 2008 12:26 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Another rant on sexism has political bloggers buzzing today, Mark Silva notes in the Swamp. Only in this one, CNN’s Campbell Brown lays into the McCain campaign for clamping “chauvinistic chains” on Sarah Palin by not letting her take questions from the media as other candidates do.
Fox Not Shy About Lesbian Fling
GQ
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Sep 24, 2008 12:17 PM CDT
(Newser) -
"It’s hard not to wish for a world where everyone in Hollywood talked like this," Mark Kirby concludes after interviewing Megan Fox for GQ . Not only does she reveal her relationship with a Russian stripper—"I bought her things—perfume, body spray, girlie stuff. I turned into a weird middle-aged married man. I felt...
Bush Will Address Public Tonight on Bailout
CNN
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Sep 24, 2008 12:14 PM CDT
(Newser) -
President Bush will address the nation tonight on the proposed $700 billion Wall Street bailout, CNN reports, in hopes a televised speech could sway reticent lawmakers into quick action. The 9pm EDT speech will come after a second day of Treasury chief Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve chair Ben Bernanke explaining the plan to Congress.
Millen Out as Lions' President
Fox Sports
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Sep 24, 2008 12:12 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Matt Millen’s tenure as the Detroit Lions’ president and GM is over, Fox Sports reports. His removal came after an executive meeting last night, and Millen reportedly packed up his office this morning. Millen, 50, was among the most reviled executives in sports—with even the son of owner William Clay Ford saying recently he would...
Both Candidates Are Playing It Too Safe
Washington Post
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Sep 24, 2008 12:02 PM CDT
(Newser) -
In facing an extraordinary economic crisis, the presidential nominees are falling back on party orthodoxy instead of staking out bold new positions, Michael Gerson writes with regret in the Washington Post. Both candidates, earlier in the campaign, proved they are capable of provocative ideas, but now they're singing the old standards: Barack Obama...
Kidman: Fertile Waters Got Me Preggers
Associated Press
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Sep 24, 2008 11:56 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Nicole Kidman thinks water in the Australian Outback may be the reason for her unexpected pregnancy last year, the AP reports. The 41-year-old Aussie, who gave birth to daughter Sunday Rose in July after adopting two children, said she and six other women who swam in a waterfall in Kununurra during the filming of Australia got pregnant.
Feds Bust Ring that Hid Cocaine in Legos
New York Daily News
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Sep 24, 2008 11:49 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Federal agents announced the arrest yesterday of a pack of Bronx drug dealers accused of smuggling cocaine into New York with the help of the world’s smallest traffickers: Lego men. Agents say the cocaine was sent from Puerto Rico through normal US mail, ingeniously hidden within buckets of the plastic blocks. Or maybe not-so-ingeniously, since...
The Perils of Positive Thinking
New York Times
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Sep 24, 2008 11:39 AM CDT
(Newser) -
“Positive thinking,” the philosophy of self-help books and corporate retreats, has had some negative effects on Wall Street, Barbara Ehrenreich writes in the New York Times . It's popular to blame greed of executives and traders for the current meltdown in the financial markets, but the unbridled optimism and unwillingness to even think...
PepsiCo Offers $1M for Winning Super Bowl Ad
Wall Street Journal
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Sep 24, 2008 11:25 AM CDT
(Newser) -
PepsiCo is aiming to grab Budweiser's crown as king of the Super Bowl ads with a contest offering $1 million to anyone who can create a Doritos ad that tops viewer ratings during the game, the Wall Street Journal reports. The company hopes the cash prize will put a fresh spin on the consumer-generated ad concept and give it the edge in pre-game hype....
