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Newser Story Index from February, 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.

North Korea Prepares 'Satellite' Launch
CNN | Feb 24, 2009 4:18 AM CST
(Newser) - North Korea’s announcement today that it is preparing to launch an "experimental communications satellite" on one of its rockets has raised fears that a long-range missile test is imminent, CNN reports. US and South Korean officials, citing intelligence reports, believe that the country is preparing to launch a missile with an intended...
Microsoft U-Turns on Severance Clawback
TechCrunch | Feb 24, 2009 3:26 AM CST
(Newser) - Microsoft is moving to stem a flood of bad publicity by letting laid-off workers who accidentally got too much severance pay keep the extra cash, TechCrunch reports. The workers, who lost their jobs last month in Microsoft's first-ever mass layoffs, contacted news media after receiving letters from the company asking them to return some of their severance...
Study: Rage Can Be Fatal
Reuters | Feb 24, 2009 3:00 AM CST
(Newser) - Anger really can kill you, a new study suggests. Researchers monitored the heart patterns of patients suffering from heart conditions and discovered that electrical instability in the heart increased when the patients were asked to relive angry episodes. Those who had the strongest reactions were 10 times more likely to later suffer the irregular heartbeats...
Charles Barkley Sentenced to 10 Days for DUI
Arizona Republic (Phoenix) | Feb 24, 2009 1:54 AM CST
(Newser) - Charles Barkley will be doing time for his DUI bust, the Arizona Republic reports. The former NBA star has been sentenced to 10 days in prison, which will be reduced to five if he completes an alcohol education course. Barkley—who told cops he was in a hurry to receive oral sex when he was stopped on New Year's Eve—starts his...
Japan's Embattled Leader to Meet Obama
Bloomberg | Feb 24, 2009 1:06 AM CST
(Newser) - Taro Aso today becomes the first foreign leader to visit President Obama but it may be the Japanese leader's last summit, Bloomberg reports. The prime minister's popularity has dived amid public dislike of his handling of the economy and his finance minister's resignation over a drinking scandal. Polls show almost 80% of Japanese want Aso to step...
Jagger Sued Over Lost $250K Ring
AFP | Feb 23, 2009 8:41 PM CST
(Newser) - An Austrian who found Bianca Jagger's lost $250,000 ring is suing her for his reward, AFP reports. Reinhard Ringler says he picked up the ring in Salzburg last month and gave it to police days later. But Mick Jagger's ex refused to give him a standard reward—5% of the ring's value—claiming he dallied in returning it. Ringler filed...
Christie's $264M Auction Stuns Art Market
Wall Street Journal | Feb 23, 2009 8:00 PM CST
(Newser) - Celebrity power revived the art market in Paris for at least one night, the Wall Street Journal reports. Despite the economy, a giddy atmosphere prevailed at Christie's as bidders battled over blue-chip works from Yves Saint Laurent's personal collection, dishing out $32 million more than expected. Only a moody, Cubist work by Picasso failed to excite...
News Corp Prez Chernin to Quit in Summer
Wall Street Journal | Feb 23, 2009 7:31 PM CST
(Newser) - News Corp. President and COO Peter Chernin is parting ways with Rupert Murdoch when his contract runs out in June, the Wall Street Journal reports. The departure comes as the company's stock has plunged more than two thirds over the past year and the media business is in tatters. Chernin, 57, has been with News Corp. for a 2 decades, including...
FBI Rescues Teen Hookers Across US
Associated Press | Feb 23, 2009 7:02 PM CST
(Newser) - The FBI rounded up 48 suspected teen prostitutes and arrested 571 others on a range of prostitution charges this weekend, the AP reports. The nationwide offensive, Operation Cross Country, rescued girls as young as 13 years old. "The goal is to recover kids," one FBI official said. "We consider them the child victims of prostitution."...
Would Better Laws Have Caught Salmonella Scare?
MSNBC | Feb 23, 2009 6:33 PM CST
(Newser) - A third of US states do not require testing of the salmonella bacteria involved in reported illnesses, possibly hampering national efforts to identify outbreaks, MSNBC reports. If testing were mandatory, proponents say, a strain’s widespread dissemination could be more quickly identified and the source more easily pinpointed. But states without...
Feminist Bloggers Daft in Rihanna Debate
Salon | Feb 23, 2009 6:09 PM CST
(Newser) - In the debate over a leaked police photo of Rihanna, her face badly beaten, feminist bloggers and pundits are revealing their archaic attitudes toward domestic violence, Rebecca Traister writes in Salon. One asked whether Rihanna will carry the "domestic violence victim" stigma; another questioned whether she was partly to blame for...
Obama to Likely Tap Locke for Commerce
Associated Press | Feb 23, 2009 5:38 PM CST
(AP) - President Obama's likely third pick for Commerce secretary is former Washington Gov. Gary Locke, a senior administration official said today. Locke, a Democrat, was the nation's first Chinese-American governor when he served two terms in the Washington statehouse from 1997 to 2005. Since leaving office, he's been working for a Seattle-based law firm...
AmEx to Clients: Here's $300, Now Get Lost
Reuters | Feb 23, 2009 5:12 PM CST
(Newser) - American Express is offering some of its customers $300 to pay their balance and close their accounts, Reuters reports. The firm has been hit with staggering losses, exacerbated by their expansion in recent years to less well-heeled customers. American Express declined to say how many customers had received the buyout offer or what their card balances...
Comic Fritzl Play Sparks Death Threats
BBC | Feb 23, 2009 4:52 PM CST
(Newser) - A comic play about accused rapist Josef Fritzl is set to open in Vienna, drawing the ire—and death threats—of Austrians who are not amused, the BBC reports. Director Hubsi Kramar stressed that the largely improvised piece, co-starring victims of abuse, is a commentary on media coverage of Fritzl’s alleged crime. “The media are...
Schools Warn Against Mexico Spring Break
Associated Press | Feb 23, 2009 4:30 PM CST
(Newser) - Arizona’s three state universities are following the State Department and attempting to dissuade students from spending spring break in Mexican border towns, a traditional pastime, because of drug-associated violence there, the AP reports. One federal official called the warning “sage advice,” noting “documented violence, attacks,...
Sen. Shelby Questioned Obama Citizenship: Paper
Salon | Feb 23, 2009 4:14 PM CST
(Newser) - Sen. Richard Shelby may be a “birther”—one who questions whether Barack Obama is in fact a natural-born American and therefore eligible to be president, Salon reports. When asked about Obama citizenship rumors, the Alabama Republican replied: “His father was Kenyan and they said he was born in Hawaii, but I haven’t seen...
Obama Blasts 'Casual Dishonesty' of Bush Budgets
Politico | Feb 23, 2009 3:58 PM CST
(Newser) - At a White House “fiscal responsibility summit” today, President Obama opened fire on what he called the Bush administration’s “casual dishonesty” about the federal budget, Politico reports. “Contrary to the prevailing wisdom in Washington these past few years,” Obama said, “we cannot simply spend as...
PETA President Wills Body to Group
Treehugger | Feb 23, 2009 3:35 PM CST
(Newser) - The president of PETA has written a will donating her body to the organization along with suggestions about how best to use various body parts, TreeHugger reports. First on the list is the request that her “meat” be used as “human barbecue,” to remind the world “that flesh foods are not needed.” For similar reasons,...
Dow Off 251; Lowest Close Since '97
Wall Street Journal | Feb 23, 2009 3:09 PM CST
(Newser) - Stocks fell today as concerns about waning global demand sank shares of giants like IBM, Hewlett-Packard, General Electric, and Alcoa, the Wall Street Journal reports. Citigroup bucked the trend on reports that a government takeover wouldn’t wipe out shareholders, and rose 11%. The Dow fell 250.89 to 7,114.78. The Nasdaq lost 53.51 to close...
Sen. Bunning Apologizes for Grim Ginsburg Comment
Associated Press | Feb 23, 2009 3:05 PM CST
(AP) - Sen. Jim Bunning apologized to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg for saying he believes she is likely to die in less than a year from pancreatic cancer. The Kentucky Republican said over the weekend that Ginsburg has the type of cancer that is usually fatal within 9 months. In a statement released today, he said that it wasn't his intent to offend Ginsburg...
Jackman Wins Viewers, Splits Critics
E! Online | Feb 23, 2009 3:02 PM CST
(Newser) - Hugh Jackman’s turn hosting the Oscars reversed a dip in the award show’s sagging ratings, E! Online reports—even if some critics didn’t find much substance. Early Nielsen numbers had 33.6 million viewers for last night’s telecast, up 6% from last year’s Jon Stewart-hosted show—which had the worst numbers on...
Obama's Auto Team Drives Foreign Cars
Detroit News | Feb 23, 2009 2:49 PM CST
(Newser) - Detroit’s Big Three might be in worse trouble than they thought: Of the eight people on the Presidential Task Force on the Auto Industry, and the 10 policy aides assisting them, just two own cars built by American-owned manufacturers, the Detroit News reports. The co-chairs—Timothy Geithner and Lawrence Summers—drive a Honda and...
DC Residents May Finally Get Rep. in Congress
Associated Press | Feb 23, 2009 2:40 PM CST
(Newser) - Residents of the nation’s capital are poised to finally have a vote in Congress, the AP reports. Debate opened today on a bill that would give Washington’s 600,000 residents a House seat, and with a Democratic Congress and president in place, it might pass this time. Democrats outnumber Republicans 4-to-1 in the District, but Republican-leaning...
Republicans Hope for 1994 All Over Again
Politico | Feb 23, 2009 2:25 PM CST
(Newser) - Barack Obama is banking on change, but Republicans are betting things haven’t changed much at all. They’re hoping to bounce back from the political wasteland using the same playbook that swept them into power in 1994, Jeanne Cummings writes in Politico. The strategy: Unite against Democrats' economic policy, and campaign against health...
Seizure Risk Lingers 10 Years After Brain Trauma
Telegraph (UK) | Feb 23, 2009 2:18 PM CST
(Newser) - Among the overlooked effects of the sort of brain injuries incurred in contact sports is the likelihood of having an epileptic seizure as long as 10 years after the injury, new research shows. The risk goes up 3.5 times for those who had a mild injury or skull fracture, and 12 times for those with serious brain injuries, the Telegraph reports.
Donations Dry Up for Mugabe's 85th Birthday Bash
Times (UK) | Feb 23, 2009 2:14 PM CST
(Newser) - Celebrations are underway in Zimbabwe this week to honor President Robert Mugabe’s 85th birthday, but the country's economic crisis, cholera epidemic, and shifting balance of power have dried up donations for the usually over-the-top festivities, the Times of London reports. Officials of his Zanu-PF party aimed to raise $300,000 for an official...
Here's Betting New Tiger Is Best Version Yet
Fox Sports | Feb 23, 2009 2:05 PM CST
(Newser) - Tiger Woods returns to golf this week, and he’s sure to amaze—that’s just what he does, Michael Rosenberg writes for Fox Sports. “The most compelling athlete of his generation” has made over his game three times already, and after injury and 8 months off, a new iteration is almost certain. “Get ready, folks,”...
Boxcars Idled by Recession Become Residential Blight
Wall Street Journal | Feb 23, 2009 1:50 PM CST
(Newser) - Miles of boxcars that used to rumble through rural US communities now sit idle—and though quieter, towns are finding them much more obtrusive, reports the Wall Street Journal . With shipping down across the world, 30% of America’s boxcars have nothing to transport, and rail yards just can’t hold some 200,000 extra cars. They’ve...
Seniors Scrambling for Work
Wall Street Journal | Feb 23, 2009 1:37 PM CST
(Newser) - The recession is hitting elderly workers much harder than in the past, thanks to an increase in the number of older workers—especially those over 75—and a severe shortage of jobs, the Wall Street Journal reports. In past recessions, these workers just retired; now, they're scrambling to find a way to pay their medical bills and mortgages....
Rains Hit California, but Drought Fears Remain
San Francisco Chronicle | Feb 23, 2009 1:21 PM CST
(Newser) - California saw steady rain this weekend, but it’s still too early to know if the state’s water woes are over, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The recent rains brought the state’s total rainfall up to 90% of normal levels for the year; 2 weeks ago only 60% of normal levels had fallen. But officials caution that years of below-normal...
Cowell Wants Himself Frozen for Posterity
Daily Mirror (UK) | Feb 23, 2009 1:07 PM CST
(Newser) - Simon Cowell thinks future generations will need his snark, the Daily Mail reports. While dining with British PM Gordon Brown recently, the American Idol judge said he intends to have his body frozen after death. “Science is bound to work out a way of bringing us back,” he reasoned. Asked if he was serious, Cowell, 49, replied, “Completely....
Obama's Approval Dips to 63%
Chicago Tribune | Feb 23, 2009 12:55 PM CST
(Newser) - President Obama’s approval rating has slipped from 68% just after inauguration to 63% one month in, the Chicago Tribune reports today—just above average for the past few presidents at this stage. Though the modest slip is likely due to a hardening of Republican opposition, any "increased public disapproval is mainly offset by a decrease...
Judge Pleads Guilty, Avoids Sex Crime Trial
Houston Chronicle | Feb 23, 2009 12:38 PM CST
(Newser) - US District Judge Sam Kent pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice today, as part of a deal that will allow him to duck a messy trial on sex crime charges, the Houston Chronicle reports. He then retired from the bench. “A trial would have been long, embarrassing, and difficult for all involved,” said Kent’s attorney. The 59-year-old...
TV Still Advertising's Top Dog
Advertising Age | Feb 23, 2009 12:19 PM CST
(Newser) - Citing DVR, channel-surfing, and the Internet, many have sounded TV advertising’s death knell—but research shows it may be healthier than ever, Advertising Age reports. The forthcoming results of one large study will likely show the tube is still advertising’s top medium, even for targeting young people. Multiple separate studies,...
Paging Dr. Nurse: New Degree Sparks Turf War
NPR | Feb 23, 2009 12:00 PM CST
(Newser) - A doctoral degree for nurses has sparked a backlash from physicians, who say referring to nurses by the title "doctor" could be confusing to patients, NPR reports. “I can just imagine a patient walking into my exam room and saying, ‘Now, Dr. Smith, are you a doctor doctor, or are you a doctor nurse?'” says one physician....
Tracking Washington's Twitterati
Politico | Feb 23, 2009 11:48 AM CST
(Newser) - To the unconverted, Twitter seems about as useful as a Snuggie, writes Patrick Gavin in Politico, but some DC movers and shakers are making the microblogging site work for them. Here’s his top 10: Karl Rove: More than 11,000 have signed up for quick glimpses into Bush’s Brain. Claire McCaskill: Personal, off the cuff,...
Obama to Govs: Stimulus Check's in the Mail
Associated Press | Feb 23, 2009 11:33 AM CST
(AP) - Within 2 days, the White House will begin distributing $15 billion to states to help them pay for Medicaid for the poor, the president said today at a National Governors' Association meeting. "That means that by the time most of you get home, money will be waiting to help 20 million vulnerable Americans in your states keep their health coverage,"...
Dumped Harry Cozies Up to Singer
Daily Mail (UK) | Feb 23, 2009 11:19 AM CST
(Newser) - It appears it didn’t take Prince Harry long to recover from his breakup with Chelsy Davy: The royal struck up a friendship with singer Natalie Imbruglia and has been constantly texting her, the Mail reports. The 24-year-old prince attended Imbruglia’s 34th birthday party after being introduced by Sir Richard Branson’s son, and the...
Finance Geeks Behind Crisis Hard at Work on a Fix
Wall Street Journal | Feb 23, 2009 11:04 AM CST
(Newser) - The finance-desk math wizards who created the securities behind the market meltdown are now betting they can think their way out of the mess, the Wall Street Journal reports, working to design new systems for pricing bad assets fairly so governments can buy them off of banks’ balance sheets. “Airplanes fail, too,” one such whiz...
Sperm Donor Isn't Octu-Dad: Suleman
Us Weekly | Feb 23, 2009 10:50 AM CST
(Newser) - The man who appeared on ABC's Good Morning America today as the possible dad of Nadya Suleman’s octuplets didn’t father any of her children, Suleman told Us Magazine . Dennis Beaudoin’s “not lying. He went to the doctor with me once,” she said. “It didn’t work. He was right before the real donor.”...
Ginsburg Back in Court After Cancer Surgery
Associated Press | Feb 23, 2009 10:37 AM CST
(Newser) - Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg returned to the Supreme Court today, 18 days after her surgery for pancreatic cancer, the AP reports. Doctors gave her an encouraging prognosis after removing a small malignant tumor, but in a speech this weekend, Sen. Jim Bunning said Ginsburg would be dead within 9 months, the Courier-Journal reports. She has “bad...
Soy Goo May Fight Alzheimer's
Wired | Feb 23, 2009 10:25 AM CST
(Newser) - The good news: There may be a natural way to treat Alzheimer's disease. The bad news: It's kind of gross. A recent study found that natto, the stinky and slimy soybean product featured in some Japanese dishes, contains an enzyme that can shred the type of brain plaque that causes dementia, Wired reports. But don't load up your plate yet, scientists...
Lone Star Political Clout Rides Into Sunset
Washington Post | Feb 23, 2009 10:13 AM CST
(Newser) - The booming voices of Texas politics have, for the first time in half a century, fallen silent, writes Bryan Burrough in the Washington Post . After vast deposits of oil wealth propelled Lone Star personalities like LBJ and both Bushes to the White House, as well as several influential leaders like Dick Armey and Tom DeLay into Congress, “the...
Stars, Photogs Rip Red-Carpet Restrictions
Variety | Feb 23, 2009 10:02 AM CST
(Newser) - Not everyone walked the red carpet at last night’s Oscars, and photographers were none too pleased, Variety reports. The Academy asked some stars to enter out of cameras’ reach, to keep fashion choices a secret until the telecast—in an attempt to boost ratings. Some celebs, including Jennifer Aniston and Jessica Alba, complied;...
New SEC Chief Moves Fast to Restore Agency
New York Times | Feb 23, 2009 9:50 AM CST
(Newser) - New chairwoman Mary Schapiro isn’t wasting time making over the Securities and Exchange Commission, the New York Times reports, reversing several of her predecessor’s policies and filling key positions that have sat vacant for months. “I recognize that we could all be defined by what we missed rather than what we find,” she...
Diamonds Get Brown Closer to Rihanna
New York Daily News | Feb 23, 2009 9:37 AM CST
(Newser) - Chris Brown showered Rihanna with gifts and called to wish her a happy 21st birthday Friday, the New York Daily News reports. “He knows he’s very much in the doghouse right now, and is doing everything he can to show her how sorry he is,” a source said of Brown. Rihanna reportedly wanted him at her Hollywood shindig, and friends...
Stop Stalling and Nationalize Bailout Banks: Krugman
New York Times | Feb 23, 2009 9:24 AM CST
(Newser) - The case for temporarily nationalizing some of America's biggest banks is so persuasive that even Alan Greenspan, the baron of laissez-faire capitalism, thinks it's a good idea. Yet the Obama administration keeps proposing half-measures and workarounds. New York Times columnist Paul Krugman says the government should get it over with: "The longer...
Hef Wants Winslet in Playboy
Sun (UK) | Feb 23, 2009 9:07 AM CST
(Newser) - Kate Winslet may not want to get naked onscreen anymore—but Hugh Hefner thinks the oft-nude actress would look great in print, the Sun reports. The Playboy magnate offered the actress, who recently swore off disrobing for future roles, a cover spot, complete with a nude spread inside the magazine. “There’s no question we would...
Oscar Fashion Hits, Flops
Associated Press | Feb 23, 2009 9:00 AM CST
(Newser) - The red carpet was rolled out once again—who sashayed down it and who clunked her way along? Elizabeth Snead of the Los Angeles Times snarks and sings about this year's Oscar fashion, while Christopher Muther moans about the "battle of the bland" in the Boston Globe . Frozen River's Melissa Leo somehow confused the Academy...
Finally, It's a Cleaning Fluid You Can Drink
Los Angeles Times | Feb 23, 2009 8:58 AM CST
(Newser) - In essence, it’s salt water, but a new drinkable cleaning fluid has been deemed a “miracle liquid,” the Los Angeles Times reports. So-called electrolyzed water is the result of sending current through a mixture of table salt and water. The cleaner, degreaser, and athlete’s foot cure has been used for years in Russia and Japan,...
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