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Newser Story Index from October, 2009

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 Lashes 'Mean' Exhibitionist Levi
New York Daily News | Oct 29, 2009 5:38 AM CDT
(Newser) - Sarah Palin has lashed out against Levi Johnston for his digs against her, calling him "mean-spirited" as well as "desperate" because he's appearing in Playgirl . "We are appalled at the inflammatory statements," Palin said yesterday through her spokeswoman. She said Levi's comments on CBS yesterday that she calls her...
Obama Visits Dover to Honor War Dead
Associated Press | Oct 29, 2009 5:09 AM CDT
(Newser) - President Obama made a surprise visit to Dover Air Force Base before dawn today to honor fallen American service members. The president arrived at the base shortly after a transport plane carrying 18 bodies landed. Obama and other officials boarded the plane and stood by as a chaplain prayed over each flag-draped casket before it was carried out, ...
Now in Halls of Power: Jeans
Wall Street Journal | Oct 29, 2009 4:43 AM CDT
(Newser) - Jeans used to be the uniform of teen rebels but they're now the pants of choice for world leaders and top execs trying to signal that they're serious but modern. "Dad jeans" and stonewashed denim are still no-nos in the halls of power, but crisp, pressed "power jeans" paired with pricey shoes are now sported by bigwigs from Dmitry...
Citizen Convoys Take on Jersey Crime
Associated Press | Oct 29, 2009 4:40 AM CDT
(Newser) - Volunteer convoys have been cruising Newark's roughest streets over the last month in an effort to cut crime rates and fly the flag for law enforcement. Citizens taking part in the "Crime Caravan" program hit the streets in packs of vehicles that resemble crime response units, led by off-duty officers flashing their emergency lights.
Kurds Threaten to Block Iraqi Election
CNN | Oct 29, 2009 4:18 AM CDT
(Newser) - A dispute over the oil-rich province of Kirkuk is threatening to delay the Iraqi elections scheduled for January and push Arab-Kurd tensions past the breaking point. Kurdish lawmakers in the Iraqi parliament have vowed to block a vote on a new election law unless authorities agree to use voter records from 2009 in the election, instead of records from...
Swiss Crack Down on 'Suicide Tourism'
BBC | Oct 29, 2009 3:55 AM CDT
(Newser) - Swiss authorities are trying to cut back on the numbers of people swarming its borders with the intention of dying. The government plans to cut back or even ban assisted suicide amid concerns that too many people—some of them not suffering terminal illnesses—are traveling to Switzerland for assisted suicides, reports the BBC . There were...
California Plans Ban on Power-Guzzling TVs
Los Angeles Times | Oct 29, 2009 3:54 AM CDT
(Newser) - The consumer electronics industry is kicking hard against California's plans to introduce energy consumption maximums for TV sets. An industry lobby group argues that buyers should be allowed to decide whether they want a power-hungry flat-screen TV set or not, and warns that the move could cost the state jobs by sending TV buyers out of state to pick...
Obama Honors Senate Trailblazer Brooke
Washington Post | Oct 29, 2009 3:38 AM CDT
(Newser) - Hundreds of people packed into the Capitol Rotunda yesterday to honor Edward Brooke, the Massachusetts politician who in 1967 became the first black senator since Reconstruction. Now 90, Brooke was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, the legislature's highest honor. Sitting to his right was another trailblazer—President Obama, who had never...
Coyotes Kill Canadian Singer
BBC | Oct 29, 2009 3:03 AM CDT
(Newser) - A rising star of the Canadian folk music scene was killed in a savage coyote attack while hiking alone in Nova Scotia. Singer-songwriter Taylor Mitchell, 19, suffered multiple bite wounds and massive blood loss after a pair of coyotes pounced on her. She died a day later in a local hospital. Park rangers shot one of the coyotes but both managed to...
Snowstorm Dumps 2 Feet on Rockies
Associated Press | Oct 29, 2009 2:41 AM CDT
(Newser) - The first major snowstorm of the season dumped two feet of snow on parts of Colorado and Wyoming, shutting schools and snarling traffic with multicar pileups and fender benders. Denver residents traded short sleeves for parkas as they grappled with the biggest October snowfall in 12 years. Snow was expected to continue throughout today, bringing up...
Loose FBI Rules Raise Privacy Fears
New York Times | Oct 29, 2009 2:16 AM CDT
(Newser) - The FBI has been given far too much leeway to gather information on individuals and groups, charge Muslim and civil liberties organizations. Guidelines in a newly disclosed FBI manual allow the bureau to probe people or organizations without any factual evidence against them. Agents are given broad powers to proactively seek information and to use...
Metallica Singer 'Proud' of Music's Role in Torture
Revolver | Oct 29, 2009 1:46 AM CDT
(Newser) - Metallica frontman James Hetfield is rather proud his band's music was played at top volume to break down the resistance of Guantanamo detainees under interrogation. "It’s strong, it’s music that’s powerful,” he told an interviewer from a German TV network. “It represents something that they don’t like—maybe...
Obama Backlash Will Wallop Dem Candidates Next Week
Wall Street Journal | Oct 29, 2009 1:21 AM CDT
(Newser) - America's dissatisfaction with Democratic rule just 9 months into the Obama presidency will be crystal clear after next week's elections, writes Karl Rove . Republican Attorney General Bob McDonnell looks set to defeat Democrat Creigh Deeds in Virginia's gubernatorial race on the back of anti-Washington, anti-Obama sentiment, Rove notes in the Wall...
Lee, Phillies Handcuff Yankees in Opener
MLB.com | Oct 28, 2009 10:31 PM CDT
(Newser) - Cliff Lee outdueled former Cleveland teammate CC Sabathia as the Philadelphia Phillies beat the New York Yankees 6-1 to win Game 1 of the World Series. Lee struck out 10 and shut out New York until the ninth inning; fellow lefty Sabathia allowed two solo home runs to Philadelphia second baseman Chase Utley in seven innings of work against the defending...
CIA Kept Prisoners Alive So It Could Torture More
Russia Today | Oct 28, 2009 9:37 PM CDT
(Newser) - Detainees tortured to the brink of death were sometimes given medical treatment to keep them alive so CIA operatives could torture them further, a human-rights lawyer alleges. “The CIA engaged in some horrendous abuses, but they appear to have taken precautions to have actually prevented people from dying—which might sound humanitarian,...
Latest SF Bridge Snafu Sparks Fear, Anger
Associated Press | Oct 28, 2009 8:39 PM CDT
(Newser) - Today’s revelation that high winds caused a recent repair to come undone and shut down the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge for 24 hours—and counting—has area commuters worried not only for their safety but also about how well state officials are spending tax dollars in the ongoing construction of a second span. That project, begun...
Hate-Crime Law Marks Fork in Road for Obama
The Atlantic | Oct 28, 2009 8:00 PM CDT
(Newser) - President Obama today signed a bill extending hate-crime protection to homosexuals, a victory for equality advocates after more than a decade of pushing for such a law. But, Chris Geidner wonders, will this open the floodgates for more action—eliminating Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, for instance—or will this be “the single trinket...
White House, Fox News Reach a 'Truce'
Mediabistro | Oct 28, 2009 7:11 PM CDT
(Newser) - The White House and Fox News appear to have called a “truce” in their war of words after a meeting today between Obama press secretary Robert Gibbs and Fox exec Michael Clemente. Clemente then returned to the channel’s DC bureau and asked staff to remain “fair and balanced,” Mediabistro notes.
Radical Muslim Cleric Killed in FBI Raid
Detroit Free Press | Oct 28, 2009 6:30 PM CDT
(Newser) - The leader of a radical Islamic sect was killed by the FBI today in a shootout in a Detroit suburb, part of a series of raids against the group, said to be plotting “an offensive jihad” in order to establish a state governed by Sharia law. Luqman Ameen Abdullah, 53, opened fire when agents raided a warehouse; six others were taken into...
Fears Trigger Rush on Liquid Tamiflu for Kids
Washington Post | Oct 28, 2009 6:06 PM CDT
(Newser) - Parents are scrambling in parts of the country to find liquid Tamiflu for their kids. It's selling out so quickly in drug stores that federal officials have given pharmacists a back-up plan: They can mix syrup with the powdery adult capsules—the precise ratio is determined by a child's weight—and sell that. There's plenty of the adult version...
The Best Horror Movies
Total Sci-Fi | Oct 28, 2009 5:34 PM CDT
(Newser) - Stanley Kubrick's the Shining is the best horror film ever made, say the editors of TotalSciFi.com. The film's ''expansive sets, surreal visuals, and an intense performance from Jack Nicholson add up to a film guaranteed to give viewers a sleepless night." The top 10: The Shining (1980) Rosemary's Baby (1968) The Wicker Man (1973)...
Filipino Teachers Brought to US in 'Virtual Servitude'
USA Today | Oct 28, 2009 5:15 PM CDT
(Newser) - A federal complaint filed by the American Federation of Teachers alleges a scheme to bring Filipino teachers to the US essentially as indentured servants. Two recruiting companies, run by siblings in the Philippines and Los Angeles, are accused of exploiting 300 Filipino teachers by arranging visas and jobs in Louisiana. But they charged an ever-escalating...
Missing Man Sees Self on TV, Solves Case
dscriber | Oct 28, 2009 4:43 PM CDT
(Newser) - A Colorado missing-persons case has wrapped up neatly after a 60-year-old man recognized his photo during a TV announcement. Marvin Allen Fry had wandered out of a hospital and ended up at a homeless shelter for about a week until he saw the announcement about himself and alerted shelter personnel, notes dscriber. Fry showed signs of “severe...
GOP Ramps Up Attacks on AARP Over Health Care
Talking Points Memo | Oct 28, 2009 4:16 PM CDT
(Newser) - The "right-wing commentariat" has a new villain to replace ACORN, and it has a far more familiar acronym: AARP. The basic line of attack is that the AARP has struck "backroom deals" with Democrats on health care reform to steer insurance business its way, writes Evan McMorris. The House GOP has issued talking points, picked up yesterday...
Michelle: Beware 'Cute' Men
Glamour | Oct 28, 2009 3:58 PM CDT
(Newser) - The cover of Glamour ’s Women of the Year issue honors Michelle Obama for her push to expand mentoring opportunities for young women. New columnist Katie Couric also gets some advice on behalf of readers, including on the dangers of "cute" guys: On mentors : “I was blessed—I had people rooting for me. It started with...
Deeds Has No Shot in Virginia Governor's Race
FiveThirtyEight | Oct 28, 2009 3:44 PM CDT
(Newser) - Democrat Creigh Deeds has “virtually no chance” in the Virginia governor's race next week against Republican Bob McDonnell, writes Nate Silver. Polls not only have McDonnell up 11 points or so, they show that Republicans are more likely to turn out despite being outnumbered among registered voters. In other words, Virginia Republicans are...
Teen Angelina Slept With Mom's Beau
Daily Mail (UK) | Oct 28, 2009 3:26 PM CDT
(Newser) - Angelina just can’t catch a break: unauthorized biographer extraordinaire Andrew Morton is pushing a new book and dangling the revelation that she slept with her mother’s live-in boyfriend when she was just 16. Angelina apparently confessed the affair to her mother, Marcheline Bertrand, much to the detriment of their relationship, the ...
Dow Falls 120 on Shaky Data
Wall Street Journal | Oct 28, 2009 3:13 PM CDT
(Newser) - Stocks tumbled into the close today as investors grew increasingly risk-averse after the release of disappointing reports on durable goods and new-home sales, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Dow fell 120 points to close at 9,762. The Nasdaq dropped 56 points to 2,060. The S&P 500 lost 21 points, closing at 1,043.
Sarko's $400K Shower Steams French
Guardian (UK) | Oct 28, 2009 2:58 PM CDT
(Newser) - The French Senate is perhaps understandably miffed at the outrageous price tag of Nicolas Sarkozy’s 6-month stint as president of the European Union. The half-year job of hosting meetings and events appears to have cost $262 million, which is borne mostly by the host nation, an official tells the BBC. Perhaps the most conspicuous expenditure,...
$534M Paid to Madoff Victims; $4.5B to Go
Boston Globe | Oct 28, 2009 2:38 PM CDT
(Newser) - The government fund that insures brokerage firms has so far paid 1,368 victims of Bernie Madoff’s Ponzi scheme $534 million in reparations—more than it has paid out in all its previous liquidations combined, in its almost 40 years in existence. And it ain’t over, Madoff trustee Irving Picard tells the Boston Globe . He’s...
Jon, Octomom to Date on New Reality Show
New York Daily News | Oct 28, 2009 2:33 PM CDT
(Newser) - We wish we were kidding, we wish we were even surprised. But we’re not. Jon Gosselin and Nadya Suleman may hook up on a new reality show entitled—wait for it— Jon – Kate = Jon + Octomom . Producer Bobby Goldstein, of Cheaters fame, says he’s developing the pilot along with a former Jerry Springer Show producer. “It...
White House Denies Giving Perks to Donors
Washington Post | Oct 28, 2009 2:20 PM CDT
(Newser) - White House officials are engaging in damage control after GOP Chairman Michael Steele accused the Obama administration of offering selected donors perks in exchange for big contributions. Steele’s charges stem from a Washington Times report today claiming that DNC contributors who give $30,400 or bundle $300,000 get inappropriate access to...
Scariest Albums Ever Made
MTV | Oct 28, 2009 2:07 PM CDT
(Newser) - James Montgomery, tasked with listing the scariest albums ever made for MTV in honor of Halloween, resisted the temptation to include Avril Lavigne's The Best Damn Thing . Instead, he went for the "dense, raw, positively horrifying albums, guaranteed to turn your Halloween into a total fright-fest." Check them out: The Cure, Pornography...
Say Goodbye to NBC as We Know It
True/Slant | Oct 28, 2009 1:54 PM CDT
(Newser) - Monday was a milestone for NBC’s misbegotten Leno experiment: only 4.6 million tuned in, the worst Monday of the year, writes Matthew Greenberg. This is getting so bad it may signal the beginning of the end of NBC as we know it. The network’s rationale for putting Leno at 10pm was that the show would be cheap to produce, attract younger...
Is Biden Really Less Popular Than Cheney?
The Atlantic | Oct 28, 2009 1:47 PM CDT
(Newser) - The latest Gallup numbers look bad for Joe Biden. His approval rating has sunk to 42%, which seems to put him way below the 55% Al Gore averaged in his first year, and way, way below the 65% Cheney averaged in his. Say it ain’t so! “OK, it ain’t so,” writes Marc Ambinder for the Atlantic . The comparisons are muddled by time;...
Karzai's Brother a Bad Investment for CIA
Time | Oct 28, 2009 1:32 PM CDT
(Newser) - No one in Afghanistan will be shocked by the allegations that Ahmed Wali Karzai is a drug runner on the CIA payroll, writes Aryn Baker. The accusations are old news, and Aghans have always figured brother Hamid for a US stooge anyway. But it’s probably fairly shocking to Americans, “who are already wondering why they should be sending more...
Google Boss: Chinese Language Will Dominate Web
ReadWriteWeb | Oct 28, 2009 1:28 PM CDT
(Newser) - The Internet will look completely different in five years, predicts Google CEO Eric Schmidt; after all, he notes, five years is a factor of 10 according to Moore’s law of ever-increasing speed. The Google CEO expounded on the future of the web at length at a recent symposium, but ReadWriteWeb pulled out some of his most interesting predictions...
Meet Hollywood's New 'It Girl'
CNN | Oct 28, 2009 1:09 PM CDT
(Newser) - Thanks to her lauded role in An Education , Carey Mulligan is Hollywood's latest "It Girl," poised to join the ranks of Julia Roberts and Audrey Hepburn. "She has fragility, she has humor, she can be very moving, she's bright, and she's great to look at," says a director. Her star should continue to rise (she is set to appear in...
For Gamers Too Tired to Blink: 'Wink Glasses'
PhysOrg | Oct 28, 2009 12:51 PM CDT
(Newser) - Maybe Sarah Palin—world-class winker that she is—inspired them: The maker of her stylish glasses has a new product for gamers too busy to blink. (Really.) Masunaga Optical's Wink Glasses have a sensor to keep track of blinks, and if they don't come quickly enough, the lenses fog up. Blink again, and the lenses clear. The idea is to prevent...
Verizon Unveils Droid Smartphone
Fast Company | Oct 28, 2009 12:44 PM CDT
(Newser) - Verizon's Droid smartphone—built by Motorola and powered by Google's Android—goes on sale Nov. 6 for $200. Some early opinions on the iPhone challenger: The phone is "almost not worth writing about," notes Chris Dannen in Fast Company . It's "fine" but "doesn't advance" the Android platform. About all...
Golf Carts—Sorry, LSVs —Win Big in Stimulus
ABC News | Oct 28, 2009 12:29 PM CDT
(Newser) - The federal government really wants to buy you a golf cart—as long as you don’t call it a golf cart. The stimulus contains a tax credit of up to $7,500 for anyone buying an electric vehicle, provided it’s primarily used on the road. So dealers are selling “LSVs” (low-speed vehicles)—cheap, street-legal buggies that...
Highest Earning Dead Celebs
Forbes | Oct 28, 2009 12:19 PM CDT
(Newser) - The stars on Forbes ' annual list of the top-earning dead celebrities number, appropriately, 13. To make the list, a "deleb" must have brought in at least $6 million in the past year. This year's list is notably missing former mainstays Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, and Steve McQueen, and puts a fashion designer in the top spot: Yves...
Jay-Z Cleans Up 'Empire' for World Series
Associated Press | Oct 28, 2009 12:05 PM CDT
(AP) - The lyrics to Jay-Z's "Empire State of Mind" are sometimes as raw as New York, but it looks like the rapper will clean things up when he performs his city anthem at the World Series. A source close to the rapper says Jay-Z won't utter curses or other raunchy stuff in his hit when he and fellow New Yorker Alicia Keys sing at Yankee Stadium...
US Glum on Economy — and GOP, Too
Wall Street Journal | Oct 28, 2009 11:47 AM CDT
(Newser) - Americans are bummed about the economy, but that hasn’t given Republicans the usual opposition party boost in Washington . “The mood in America may be blue, but attitudes toward Washington are just jet black,” a pollster tells the Wall Street Journal . Some 58% of...
Five Youths Held in 'Barbaric' Calif. Gang Rape
San Francisco Chronicle | Oct 28, 2009 11:44 AM CDT
(Newser) - San Francisco-area cops have arrested three more young men in the savage gang rape, beating, and robbery of a 15-year-old girl outside her homecoming dance while dozens more watched. Five youths are being held, ranging from a 15-year-old boy who knew the victim to a 21-year-old. The girl was drinking outside the dance Saturday night, reports the ...
Omar bin Laden: Dad Beat Me
Vanity Fair | Oct 28, 2009 11:26 AM CDT
(Newser) - When Omar bin Laden was about to be born, his father got so excited that he lost his keys. When he finally found them after a frantic search, he tore to the hospital at reckless speed in his brand new golden Mercedes. It’s hard for Omar to imagine the scene, he writes in Growing Up bin Laden, which is excerpted by Vanity Fair ; his father...
Public Backs Afghan Troop Surge 47%-43%
MSNBC | Oct 28, 2009 11:21 AM CDT
(Newser) - Public support for a troop surge in Afghanistan is surging, too, according to a new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll . Support for a troop increase edged out opposition 47% to 43%, after trailing opposition 44% to 51% last month. But 58% also support waiting until after the runoff election to make the decision on sending more troops; a timetable for which...
Curry Spice Kills Cancer Cells
BBC | Oct 28, 2009 11:15 AM CDT
(Newser) - Curcumin, a compound present in that yellow curry spice turmeric, has been shown to kill cancer cells. A new study found that the chemical, which has long been thought to have curative properties, begins to kill esophageal cancer cells within 24 hours of application. The reaction also causes the cells to consume themselves after triggering “lethal...
You Not Only Can Eat New Veal, You Should
Washington Post | Oct 28, 2009 11:07 AM CDT
(Newser) - Some conscientious objectors to eating veal are not only reconsidering their stance, they are doing an about-face. The new hot product at top restaurants is “humanely raised” veal—calves no longer wrenched from their mothers and raised in cages, but brought to slaughter after an idyllic, if short, life at pasture. It's more ethical...
UN to US: Drone Attacks Could Be Unlawful
BBC | Oct 28, 2009 10:58 AM CDT
(Newser) - A UN human rights watchdog has some strong misgivings about the CIA drone attacks on suspected terrorists in Pakistan that have killed 600 people since last year. "Extralegal executions" are a violation of international law, Philip Alston tells the BBC. “These Predators are being...
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