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Newser Story Index from April, 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.

'Hobbit' Fossils Mesmerize Scientists
New York Times | Apr 28, 2009 7:12 AM CDT
(Newser) - Six years after their discovery on an Indonesian island, fossils of 3-foot-tall people creatures nicknamed "hobbits" continue to captivate researchers, reports the New York Times. So far, they haven't been clearly linked to other known human fossils. They may be descendants of Homo erectus who migrated from Africa earlier, or perhaps are...
Supporters Battle to Save 'West Coast White House'
Los Angeles Times | Apr 28, 2009 6:59 AM CDT
(Newser) - Fans of 20th-century architecture are rallying to save an LA landmark from the wrecking ball, reports the Los Angeles Times . Developers want to raze the '60s-modernist Century Plaza hotel—once known as the West Coast White House due to its appeal among politicians and celebs—but supporters have persuaded the National Trust for Historic...
Fox Nixes Obama's Airtime Request
Associated Press | Apr 28, 2009 6:49 AM CDT
(Newser) - Fox is passing on President Obama's news conference tomorrow night in favor of a new episode of Tim Roth’s drama Lie to Me , reports the Los Angeles Times . The president's requests for airtime—tomorrow makes four in under 100 days—have caused some griping among networks worried about their bottom lines, although Fox is the first...
Officials Fear Flu Drug Resistance
Los Angeles Times | Apr 28, 2009 6:40 AM CDT
(Newser) - Pharmacies are stocking up on Tamiflu and other anti-influenza drugs as fears grow of a swine flu outbreak, but health officials warn that the antivirals could do more harm than good if administered incorrectly. Taking the drugs in the wrong dose or for too short a time can lead to the development of new, drug-resistant strains, reports the Los Angeles...
Cheney Should Have Run in 2008
New York Times | Apr 28, 2009 6:31 AM CDT
(Newser) - As he bashes the Obama administration and insists that torture kept the country safe, Dick Cheney sounds less like a retired VP than a man campaigning for a third Bush term. For Ross Douthat, it's a pity he didn't run himself. In his first column for the New York Times , Douthat says that a Cheney-Obama race would have forced the right to acknowledge...
Afghan Prez Confirms Re-Election Bid
Times (UK) | Apr 28, 2009 5:59 AM CDT
(Newser) - Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai has confirmed for the first time that he will run for re-election in the country's elections this summer, the Times of London reports. Karzai repeated his pledge to amend a controversial law critics say condones marital rape and child marriage, surprising observers who believed he would keep it on the books to...
Flu's 'Ground Zero' May Be Mexican 5-Year-Old
BBC | Apr 28, 2009 5:44 AM CDT
(Newser) - Mexican authorities have tracked the first known case of a mutant strain of swine flu to a boy in a village near a huge pig farm, the Guardian reports. Edgar Hernandez, 4, survived the outbreak of illness in the eastern Mexico village of La Gloria in February, but two babies died from what residents now believe was the same flu that is spreading...
Pope Visits Quake-Struck Central Italy
BBC | Apr 28, 2009 5:36 AM CDT
(Newser) - Pope Benedict has arrived in central Italy to visit survivors of the earthquake that killed nearly 300 people earlier this month and left 65,000 homeless, reports the BBC. The pontiff began his visit with greetings to victims in a village where all the buildings have become uninhabitable; later today, he will visit a dormitory where several students...
Son 'Manhandled Astor to Change Will': Prosecutor
Telegraph (UK) | Apr 28, 2009 5:13 AM CDT
(Newser) - Brooke Astor's son "dragged" his frail mom from her nurse's arms to a closed-door meeting about her will, which was immediately changed in his favor, according to the prosecutor at the heir's  fraud and grand larceny trial yesterday in New York. Anthony Marshall exploited his vulnerable mother's dementia to manipulate her into leaving...
Too Late to Contain Flu: WHO
BBC | Apr 28, 2009 4:44 AM CDT
(Newser) - Officials from the World Health Organization warn it’s too late to contain the swine flu and say governments should instead now focus on protecting their populations as best as possible, the BBC reports. The WHO bumped up its alert level from three to four—two levels shy of global pandemic—but officials stress that such a pandemic...
Polish Pianist Launches Rant Against US at LA Concert
Guardian (UK) | Apr 28, 2009 4:22 AM CDT
(Newser) - Famed Polish concert pianist Krystian Zimerman vowed to never again return to the US after his concert in Los Angeles last night, the Guardian reports. Dozens of audience members walked out as Zimerman, hailed as one of the greatest living pianists, delivered an anti-American tirade, accusing the US of wanting to take over the world.
Study: Fatty Foods Boost Memory
National Geographic | Apr 28, 2009 3:53 AM CDT
(Newser) - The same foods blamed for clogging arteries may help the brain build memories, National Geographic reports. Researchers studying obesity discovered that rats given oleoylethanolamide, or OEA—a compound produced in the intestines when fat is digested—demonstrated improved memory retention in tasks. They believe the same mechanism exists...
Mexico Prepares to Shut Down Capital
Financial Times (UK) | Apr 28, 2009 3:23 AM CDT
(Newser) - Mexican authorities scrambling to contain the swine flu outbreak have closed schools and universities across the country and are considering a total shutdown of the capital, reports the Financial Times . Some businesses have remained open in Mexico City, but people are avoiding bars and restaurants, and the public transport system may be closed down...
Prosecutors Detail 244-Stab Attack on French Students
Times (UK) | Apr 28, 2009 3:02 AM CDT
(Newser) - Prosecutors yesterday detailed an "unimaginably" horrific attack on two French students in their London apartment by home invaders seeking the men's ATM pin numbers, reports the Times of London. The gifted biochemistry grad students, who had been in London just two months to attend school there, were bound in their underwear and stabbed...
King Arthur Chucked Out of Stonehenge
Telegraph (UK) | Apr 28, 2009 2:33 AM CDT
(Newser) - A British court has ordered King Arthur to stop hanging around Stonehenge, the Daily Telegraph reports. The pagan protester—who legally changed his name to King Arthur Pendragon decades ago—has been camped near the ancient stone site since last June. He argues that the site should be open to all and that people should be allowed to walk...
Markoff's Fiancée Stands by Her Man
ABC News | Apr 28, 2009 2:02 AM CDT
(Newser) - The fiancée of accused Craigslist killer Philip Markoff plans to support him throughout his trial, ABC News reports. Meghan McAllister—breaking a weeklong silence—said the man the media has portrayed is not the "loving and caring person" she and her family know, and that people should remember Markoff is innocent until...
Workmen Discover Hidden Auschwitz Note
Associated Press | Apr 28, 2009 1:35 AM CDT
(Newser) - Polish workmen demolishing a wall near the Auschwitz concentration camp found a note hidden in a bottle from inmates, AP reports. The note, written on a scrap from a cement bag and dated September 1944, bears the names, numbers, and hometowns of seven prisoners, who were between the ages of 18 and 20. Authorities think the note was left by a work...
White House Sorry for Fly-By
CNN | Apr 28, 2009 12:02 AM CDT
(Newser) - The White House has apologized for allowing a low-flying Boeing 747 to buzz New York City, a move that traumatized many residents by sparking memories of 9/11, CNN reports. "Last week, I approved a mission over New York. I take responsibility for that decision," said White House Military Office director Louis Caldera. "While federal...
Real-World Lawyers Set Up Shop in Second Life
San Francisco Chronicle | Apr 27, 2009 9:01 PM CDT
(Newser) - A bed designed for avatar sex? That's intellectual property. An agreement between virtual real estate developers? It's an oral contract. Or so say some lawyers, who are opening offices to handle disputes in the virtual, online world of Second Life, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. "It's an emerging area of law, which is really...
Americans Switching, Not Losing, Religion
Washington Post | Apr 27, 2009 8:30 PM CDT
(Newser) - A majority of Americans who have abandoned organized religion "gradually drifted away," a new Pew Forum poll says. The finding surprised experts who expected policy debates or scandals—like clergy sex abuse in the Catholic Church—to fuel people's rejection of a faith. But overall, the survey found Americans more likely to...
Americans Optimistic on Race Since Obama: Poll
New York Times | Apr 27, 2009 7:54 PM CDT
(Newser) - More Americans say race relations are looking good since the election of Barack Obama, according to a New York Times /CBS News poll. Among 973 adults surveyed last week, two-thirds said race relations were good and the number of blacks in agreement doubled since last summer. Despite resignation over the economy and the Iraq war—fronts most Americans...
Japan Cooks Up New Technique to Save Bluefin
GlobalPost | Apr 27, 2009 7:15 PM CDT
(Newser) - Japanese scientists are racing to keep bluefin tuna from dying out by inducing another fish to give birth to them, GlobalPost reports. Overfishing has already decimated bluefin and convinced many diners, supermarket and sushi chains to avoid the fish. Now Japan is paying a Tokyo University team to replenish bluefin stock by stuffing the tuna's sperm...
Top Hollywood Talent Shops OK Merger
Variety | Apr 27, 2009 6:40 PM CDT
(Newser) - Two of Hollywood's top talent agencies agreed to merge today amid declining revenues in film and television, Variety reports. Pending government approval, the venerable William Morris Agency will share a new Beverly Hills office with 14-year-old Endeavor—and likely spark a flurry of clients and agents scurrying for new representation.
GE Launches Disc That Stores 500GB
BBC | Apr 27, 2009 6:07 PM CDT
(Newser) - General Electric has announced a new DVD-sized disc that holds 500 gigabytes of data—the equivalent of 20 Blu-Ray discs or 100 DVDs. Aimed at archivists but likely headed for the consumer market, the micro-holographic disc saves more data by storing it in three dimensions rather than on the disc's surface. Storage experts have been researching...
Fawcett Son Sprung to See 'Gravely Ill' Mom
E! Online | Apr 27, 2009 5:33 PM CDT
(Newser) - In a sign that Farrah Fawcett's condition may be deteriorating, her son Redmond O'Neal received a get-out-of-jail pass this weekend to visit her, E! reports. “A judge signed a removal order,” a Los Angeles Sheriff’s spokesman said. “It happens sometimes for a funeral or if someone is gravely ill.” Redmond has said that...
Bloomberg Blasts 'Photo Op' Flyover
ABC News | Apr 27, 2009 5:14 PM CDT
(Newser) - New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg is livid over a Department of Defense photo op that sent two planes buzzing over lower Manhattan today, ABC News reports. Bloomberg called the flyover “ill-conceived” and expressed ire over the DoD's failure to notify him. "Poor judgment would be a nice way to put it," he said. The planes—one...
Pirated Ship's Cook Sues Over Safety Regs
Associated Press | Apr 27, 2009 4:53 PM CDT
(AP) - A member of the crew on the US-flagged ship hijacked by African pirates sued the owner and another company today, accusing them of knowingly putting sailors in danger. Richard E. Hicks alleges in the suit that owner Maersk Line Limited and Waterman Steamship Corp., which provided the crew, ignored requests to improve safety measures for vessels sailing...
With 41 Sick, US Moves 'As If' Flu Is 'Full Pandemic'
Associated Press | Apr 27, 2009 4:29 PM CDT
(Newser) - With up to 41 people sickened by swine flu in five states and 149 dead in Mexico, the Obama administration is treating the outbreak like a full pandemic, the AP reports. Officials warned Americans against traveling to Mexico—where more than 1,600 have been infected—and sent flu-fighting medications to US states. "We are proceeding...
Pontiac Dies, But Its Greats Live On
Jalopnik | Apr 27, 2009 3:57 PM CDT
(Newser) - As General Motors' Pontiac line is phased out, Ben Wojdyla, on Jalopnik, remembers the truly great cars that bore the mark. If you've got one, keep your garage clean and await a payday. 2009 G8 GXP: "GM should be saved for no other reason than to put the G8 GXP on the road." This car fulfills the promise of the Pontiac brand in spades,...
Cardinal to Catholics: Tweet Your Prayers
Times (UK) | Apr 27, 2009 3:41 PM CDT
(Newser) - Ireland’s Catholic leader is urging the faithful to engage social networking to spread the word of God, the Times reports. “Make someone the gift of a prayer through text, Twitter, or e-mail every day,” Cardinal Sean Brady said. “Such a sea of prayer is sure to strengthen our sense of solidarity with one another and remind...
GOP Torture Stance Is All Politics, But Media Is Mum
Plum Line | Apr 27, 2009 3:29 PM CDT
(Newser) - Republican calls for the selective release of memos on torture techniques is a naked political ploy, Greg Sargent writes on the Plum Line. “The emerging official position of the GOP on torture is that the only classified information about torture that should be released is that which can bolster the political fortunes of the party.” And...
Flu Spooks Street; Dow Off 51
Financial Times (UK) | Apr 27, 2009 3:18 PM CDT
(Newser) - Swine flu worried investors but wasn’t enough to spark a full-scale sell-off today, the Financial Times reports. AMR, parent of American Airlines, Marriott, and Expedia fell as investors bet against firms that may be specifically hurt. Shares of Gilead Sciences, developer of Tamiflu, were up nearly 4%, however. The Dow closed down 51.29 at...
Flights at Calif., Fla. Airports Most Likely to Hit Birds
NPR | Apr 27, 2009 3:03 PM CDT
(Newser) - Airplanes using airports in Sacramento, Calif., Kansas City, Mo., and Denver are the most likely to hit birds while landing or taking off. NPR used the Federal Aviation Administration’s recently released bird-strike data to calculate airports’ “strike rate”—the percentage of planes that collided with birds relative to...
Twitter Amplifies Swine Flu Fear
InfoWorld | Apr 27, 2009 2:55 PM CDT
(Newser) - Twitter and other social networks are creating a swine-flu panic out of a molehill with their instantaneous updates, Robert X. Cringely writes for InfoWorld. The quick flow of less-than-dependable information means “people with head colds decide they're really dying from a porcine-borne bug and flood emergency rooms.” And such a strain...
Gum Chewing = Math Smarts: Study
Los Angeles Times | Apr 27, 2009 2:46 PM CDT
(Newser) - Researchers have discovered that gum-chewing students perform better at math, the Los Angeles Times reports. A study, sponsored by the Wrigley Science Institute, showed that young scholars who chomped on gum while attending math class, doing homework, and taking tests score 3% higher on tests after 14 weeks. Teachers found the chewers more attentive...
No, Kutcher's KO of CNN Is Not a Win for the Little Guy
Advertising Age | Apr 27, 2009 2:36 PM CDT
(Newser) - Ashton Kutcher’s Twitter triumph over CNN was a win for the little guy, a new-media David bringing an old-media Goliath to its knees, right? Hardly, Simon Dumenco writes for Advertising Age. Kutcher’s no little guy. He’s a TV/movie star, former model, and reality-TV producer. The contest was really between CNN and the Ashton Kutcher...
Pakistan President: Bin Laden 'May Be Dead'
New York Daily News | Apr 27, 2009 2:26 PM CDT
(Newser) - Pakistan’s president suggested today that Osama bin Laden could be dead, an assertion the US strenuously objects to, the New York Daily News reports. “He may be dead. But that’s been said before,” Asif Ali Zardari said. “It’s still between fiction and fact.” Zardari offered no proof for his claim.
UK Minister Denies He Bet Governing Party Would Falter
Times (UK) | Apr 27, 2009 2:17 PM CDT
(Newser) - Lord Alan West, the UK’s colorful security minister, today denied he’d bet on the Labour party’s defeat in the next election, the Times of London reports. The Telegraph yesterday alleged that West placed the bet when Gordon Brown succeeded Tony Blair as prime minister, grabbing 66-1 odds. West refuted that, adding, “I have...
Have Asthma? Go Outside: Study
Science Daily | Apr 27, 2009 2:03 PM CDT
(Newser) - Children with asthma might want to get outside more. According to a recent study, children with lower levels of vitamin D are likely to have more severe asthma symptoms, ScienceDaily reports. In the first in vivo study on the subject, researchers looked at 600 Costa Rican children with asthma. Those with less vitamin D, which the body produces primarily...
Hackers Cook Time 's Most- Influential Poll; Mag Shrugs
TechCrunch | Apr 27, 2009 1:53 PM CDT
(Newser) - The results of Time ’s online “world’s most influential person” poll have fallen victim to shenanigans, TechCrunch reports. Moot, leader of the devious web forum 4Chan, sits atop Time ’s leaderboard, above Barack Obama and other usual suspects. And the first letters of the top 20 spell out “Marblecake Also the...
Swine Flu Confirmed in UK
Guardian (UK) | Apr 27, 2009 1:48 PM CDT
(Newser) - Two British citizens have contracted swine flu, the virus that has killed at least 149 people in Mexico and sickened 20 in the US, the Guardian reports. The pair returned from a trip to Mexico last week and fell ill, the Scottish health minister said today. Seven others who had contact with the infected have shown mild symptoms, but it cannot yet...
Shooter's Parents Put NY Home on Market, Move to Fla.
Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin | Apr 27, 2009 1:32 PM CDT
(Newser) - Jiverly Wong’s parents are selling their upstate New York house and moving to Florida, fearing retaliation for their son’s community-center shooting spree, neighbors tell the Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin . “He was very paranoid,” said one neighbor of Henry Voong, Jiverly Wong’s father. The house where Wong lived...
USDA Says Pork Is Safe to Eat
Associated Press | Apr 27, 2009 1:17 PM CDT
(AP) - Fear of swine flu is a good reason to wash your hands, but not to take pork off the menu. Federal health officials say the virus that has triggered fears of a flu pandemic is not transmitted by food, and that all food-borne germs are killed when pork is cooked to the recommended internal temperature of 160 degrees F. There also is no evidence so far...
New Museum Wing Tests Cash-Strapped Modern Days
Chicago Tribune | Apr 27, 2009 1:13 PM CDT
(Newser) - The Art Institute of Chicago's new $283 million modern art wing isn't just expensive—it's also expensive to visit, reports the Tribune . The museum plans to bump its ticket prices from $12 to $18 a week after the 264,000-square-foot wing's May opening, a move that has recession-minded critics crying foul. "Who's going to be able to go to...
5 House Dems Arrested at Darfur Protest
AFP | Apr 27, 2009 12:59 PM CDT
(Newser) - Five House Democrats were arrested today at a protest outside the Sudanese embassy in Washington, the AFP reports. The five are being detained, along with three protest organizers, for refusing a police order to disperse. The protesters were calling for the Sudan to allow humanitarian groups to return to Darfur.
Dorgan Could Be Obama's Top Democratic Foe
Politico | Apr 27, 2009 12:50 PM CDT
(Newser) - Sen. Byron Dorgan is shaping up to be a real thorn in Barack Obama’s side. The North Dakota Democrat is on a collision course with the president on everything from climate change to Afghanistan to Wall Street, and he holds some key committee positions. “I’m not in Washington, DC to serve President Obama,” he tells Politico....
Verizon May Get iPhone in 2010
USA Today | Apr 27, 2009 12:47 PM CDT
(Newser) - Apple is in talks about developing an iPhone for Verizon’s wireless network—with possible deployment next year, USA Today reports. Currently, the iPhone is only available on AT&T’s GSM network, which is incompatible with Verizon’s CDMA operation. AT&T has exclusive US rights to the iPhone into 2010, and analysts expect...
US Journo 'Very Weak' in Iranian Jail: Father
Associated Press | Apr 27, 2009 12:44 PM CDT
(AP) - An American journalist jailed in Iran for allegedly spying for the US is vowing to remain on a hunger strike until she is freed even though she is "very weak," her father said today. Roxana Saberi has been on a hunger strike for a week, following her conviction in a one-day, closed-door trial. She was sentenced to eight years in prison. Her...
6.0 Quake Shakes Mexico City
Associated Press | Apr 27, 2009 12:40 PM CDT
(AP) - A strong earthquake struck central Mexico today, causing tall buildings in the capital to sway and sending office workers into the streets. The 6.0-magnitude quake was centered near Chilpancingo, about 130 miles southwest of Mexico City, and 50 miles from the resort of Acapulco, according to the US Geological Survey. Reports quoted Mexico City officials...
Brown Talks Terrorism With Pakistani PM
BBC | Apr 27, 2009 12:30 PM CDT
(Newser) - British PM Gordon Brown held talks with Pakistani leaders today, appearing at a joint press conference with his counterpart, Yusuf Raza Gilani, after President Asif Ali Zardari dropped out at the last minute. The BBC attributes the snub to unhappiness with the recent British arrest of 11 Pakistani nationals on suspicion of terrorism; all were later...
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