Newser Story Index from June, 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.
Clinton on the Mend After Elbow Surgery
Associated Press
|
Jun 19, 2009 1:12 PM CDT
(AP) -
Hillary Rodham Clinton had successful surgery this morning to repair her fractured right elbow and is expected to make a full recovery, the State Department says. The secretary of state underwent the procedure at the George Washington University Hospital, then returned to her Washington home. She suffered the injury in a fall at the State Department...
Iranian Rockers Won't Stay Mute on Crisis
GlobalPost
|
Jun 19, 2009 1:10 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Iranian band Hypernova arrived in the US in 2007 ready to rock—but not prepared to be caught condemning their home government. Now, as demonstrators flock to protest Iran’s election results, singer “King Raam” is turning up the political volume, the Global Post reports. “There are so many flaws in this election one doesn’t...
Knox, Murdered Roommate 'Got Along Great': Knox Mom
Times (UK)
|
Jun 19, 2009 12:57 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Amanda Knox’s mother testified today that her daughter and Meredith Kercher, the British student she is accused of killing, were on good terms before the murder, the Times of London reports. Contrary to earlier testimony about tensions, the roommates “got along great,” Edda Mellas said at the trial in Italy. “She told me about...
Add a Little Weight, Gain 6-7 Years: Study
AFP
|
Jun 19, 2009 12:36 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Being a touch on the heavy side could help you live an extra few years, Japanese researchers say. People who were a little overweight at 40 lived 6 to 7 years longer than those who were very thin at that age, AFP reports. The very thin had a life expectancy 5 years shorter than that of obese subjects.
Woody's New Muse: Carla
Reuters
|
Jun 19, 2009 12:25 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Woody Allen’s newest leading lady could be France’s first lady. The director thinks Carla Bruni-Sarkozy “would be wonderful” in a film, Reuters reports. The former model has “charisma, she's already acted so she's not unknown to an audience. There are a lot of ways I could use her,” he told RTL radio. “I'll...
Penn's New Role? Mr. Mom
Daily Mirror (UK)
|
Jun 19, 2009 12:10 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Sean Penn may be taking a career time-out, but his wife certainly isn’t. Robin Wright Penn says that now that her kids are older, “I'm ready to go wild, man!” while promoting her latest film, the Mirror reports. Of her once-estranged hubby’s hiatus, she said, “Thank God somebody's staying with the kids!” Elsewhere:...
The Proposal a Charming Cliché
Rotten Tomatoes
|
Jun 19, 2009 12:02 PM CDT
(Newser) -
There’s nothing groundbreaking about The Proposal , but with appealing leads Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds, it manages to pull off a story you’ve seen before. The film “recycles a plot that was already old when Tracy and Hepburn were trying it out,” writes Roger Ebert in the Chicago Sun-Times . “You see it...
New Strain May Mean Year-Round Flu Season: CDC
Reuters
|
Jun 19, 2009 11:47 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The US could experience an extended or even year-round flu season thanks to H1N1, the Centers for Disease Control said yesterday. Researchers theorize that a combination of unprepared immune systems and the unusually cool spring could be contributing to the steady stream of flu infections. “The fact that we are seeing ongoing transmission now...
Jon, Minus Kate, Apartment Hunts in NYC
Gawker
|
Jun 19, 2009 11:33 AM CDT
(Newser) -
New York City, are you ready for ladykiller Jon Gosselin to move in? That seems to be his plan, a tipster tells Gawker. The reality star was recently looking at an 8th-floor apartment with a Realtor in Trump Towers. “It was clearly him,” the tipster adds. “He had bloodshot eyes.” Gosselin and wife Kate plan to make a "major”...
Boyle Sits Out Another Show
Daily Mail (UK)
|
Jun 19, 2009 11:11 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Susan Boyle’s tour troubles continued last night when she was dropped from a third Britain’s Got Talent show. Spokespeople said she was “just tired,” but witnesses saw her crying for her cat on her hotel room balcony, the Daily Mail reports. “She kept shouting, ‘I want my cat. I need my cat,’” said...
Sen. Boxer: Don't Call Me 'Ma'am'
Christian Science Monitor
|
Jun 19, 2009 10:56 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Sen. Barbara Boxer wagged a finger at a military officer yesterday for calling her “ma’am,” the Christian Science Monitor reports. As the general discussed New Orleans, Boxer interrupted, saying “You know, do me a favor. Could you say ’senator’ instead of ‘ma’am?’ It’s just a thing, I worked...
E. Coli Fears Prompt Recall of Toll House Cookie Dough
Associated Press
|
Jun 19, 2009 10:43 AM CDT
(AP) -
Nestle is voluntarily recalling Toll House refrigerated cookie dough products after a number of illnesses were reported by those who ate the dough raw. The FDA and CDC are investigating reported E. coli illnesses that might be related, the company said. Sixty-six reports of illness in 28 states have come in since March, and about 25 people have been...
House Aide's E-Mail Tantrum Goes Viral
Politico
|
Jun 19, 2009 10:30 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Rep. Jim McDermott has a staffer named Elizabeth Becton. That's "Elizabeth," not "Liz"—ever. A contact attempting to set up a meeting with the Washington Democrat found that out the hard way after making the tragic mistake of calling Becton “Liz.” Her enraged response, which extended to 19 emails and provoked almost...
Hillary Excelling as Obama's Second Banana
Economist
|
Jun 19, 2009 10:15 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Observers hoping for signs of the old campaign animosity between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have been sorely disappointed . Clinton has been faithfully—and efficiently—executing Obama’s strategy, including the parts she criticized him for on the trail, writes the Economist . For example: Asked about her past objections to...
Curb Star in Woody's Latest ... Eh, Whatever
Rotten Tomatoes
|
Jun 19, 2009 10:00 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Woody Allen! Larry David! It sounds like a match made in comedy heaven, but the results are more like purgatory, according to the critics. Here’s what they’re saying: Whatever Works is one of Allen’s worst movies, writes Claudia Puig of USA Today . David’s Boris “is aptly named: He bores us. At least when Allen...
CIA Recruits Laid-Off Bankers
Reuters
|
Jun 19, 2009 9:49 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Down-and-out investment bankers have a new career option: spy. The CIA is actively courting New York’s former financial class, Reuters reports. It’s been advertising in New York and will be holding interviews at a secret location next week. “Finance and business professionals, if the quest for the bottom line is just not enough for...
Actually, Beck Calms the Lunatic Fringe
Daily Beast
|
Jun 19, 2009 9:32 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Glenn Beck infuriates many liberals, but they should really be thanking him: His rhetoric tempers fringe sentiments and prevents violence, writes Reihan Salam for the Daily Beast. Talking heads like Beck and Bill O’Reilly “take unspoken anxieties very seriously,” giving voice to a “small and alienated minority,” he contends,...
Supremes Make Age-Bias Suits Harder to Prove
Los Angeles Times
|
Jun 19, 2009 9:20 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Workers who sue their employers for age discrimination will find their cases much harder to win under a Supreme Court ruling issued yesterday, the Los Angeles Times reports. The court, in a 5-4 decision, ruled that it is up to employees who believe they were fired or demoted because of their age to prove their age was the deciding factor.
Reader's Digest Shifts to the Right
New York Times
|
Jun 19, 2009 8:56 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Reader's Digest is no longer going after Middle America, reports the New York Times . Instead, the slimmed-down magazine will be "aiming a little more to the right," hoping to carve out a niche among conservatives, writes Stephanie Clifford. “It’s traditional, conservative values: I love my family, I love my community, I love...
Ensign Helped Aide's Hubby Get Pair of Jobs
Politico
|
Jun 19, 2009 8:48 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Doug Hampton stopped working for Sen. John Ensign—who was having an affair with Hampton’s wife—in April of last year; he then took jobs with two firms with very tight ties to his former boss, Politico reports. Said an Ensign rep: “Just as he has done for many other staff members, Sen. Ensign made recommendation calls for Mr....
Congress Wary of Fed's Growing Power
Washington Post
|
Jun 19, 2009 8:30 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Tim Geithner testified before the Senate Banking Committee yesterday, but as the Washington Post reports, it's not the Treasury but the Fed whose growing powers most worry legislators. Republicans and Democrats are both venting that Ben Bernanke's office did little to stop the excesses of the boom years, only to release $1 trillion to shore up giants...
$134B Bond Fraud May Be Mob Handiwork
Financial Times (UK)
|
Jun 19, 2009 8:18 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The counterfeit bonds with a face value of $134 billion seized near the Swiss border are probably the work of the Mafia, say Italian and American secret services. The mystery surrounding the suitcase stuffed with fake US Treasury bonds deepened yesterday, after a blog revealed that police had released the two smugglers. They were carrying Japanese...
OJ Galpal's Tell-All Recalls Abuse, Threats
New York Post
|
Jun 19, 2009 8:01 AM CDT
(Newser) -
OJ Simpson’s last girlfriend remembers him as controlling and abusive in a tell-all she’s shopping, writes Cindy Adams in the New York Post . In her proposal for Spellbound: My Life With OJ Simpson , galpal of 13 years Christine Prody recalls choice Simpson anecdotes such as the two abortions he forced her to have or the numerous times...
Obama's Bank Plan Punts on Tough Parts
New York Times
|
Jun 19, 2009 7:48 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Barack Obama knows what caused the financial crisis, but his regulatory plan “basically punts on the question of how to keep it from happening all over again,” writes Paul Krugman in the New York Times . Obama’s plan takes the crucial step of regulating the “shadow banking” system, giving the Fed power over any systemically...
Showgirl: I've Got Berlusconi Bedroom Tapes
Times (UK)
|
Jun 19, 2009 7:43 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A showgirl who says she was paid to party with Silvio Berlusconi says she’s got photos of herself and the Italian PM in his bedroom, the Times of London reports. Patrizia D'Addario says she also gave audio tapes to prosecutors with Berlusconi's voice, and videotaped herself in the room to prove she was there. Police are looking into whether...
Car Bomb Kills Police Inspector in Spain
BBC
|
Jun 19, 2009 7:33 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A senior Spanish police inspector was killed in the Basque region's city of Bilbao this morning in a car bombing, the BBC reports. The regional government blamed the attack on the Eta Basque separatist group. If that’s confirmed, it will mark the group’s first fatal attack since the Spanish Socialist Party took over the region in March...
Obama's Wrong: He Must Take Sides in Iran
Washington Post
|
Jun 19, 2009 7:12 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Electoral fraud fueled the protests in Iran, but now there is a full-fledged revolution brewing—and according to Charles Krauthammer, the demonstrators are desperate for just one signal that the US supports them. Instead, President Obama has pledged "dialogue" with a "clerical dictator" and left the green revolutionaries...
Obama's Right: Pragmatism Is Only Way
Financial Times (UK)
|
Jun 19, 2009 7:02 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Barack Obama and his team clearly want to support the Iranian opposition, writes Philip Stephens, and Republicans such as John McCain have hammered the president for not condemning an election viewed as a sham. But for the Financial Times columnist, Obama is striking a shrewd balance between idealism and real-world politics. Obama knows, he writes,...
Year One Offers Unevolved Laughs
Rotten Tomatoes
|
Jun 19, 2009 6:59 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The jokes in caveman comedy Year One with Jack Black and Michael Cera are prehistoric, say critics, but it's still passable fun for anybody not expecting a comic masterpiece. Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune : "More or less indefensible, but I'll gladly defend parts of it." It won't rank up there with director Harold Ramis' funniest...
Bailed-Out Bank Execs Fly Corporate Jets to Resorts
Wall Street Journal
|
Jun 19, 2009 6:54 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Executives at bailed-out banks are still using company jets to fly to vacation homes and resorts, the Wall Street Journa l reports. The newspaper reviewed FAA records to find that banks receiving federal aid have flown top execs to locales such as the Caribbean, Aspen, and Europe. Case in point: Less than 2 weeks after getting $3.5 billion in TARP...
Facebook, Google Roll Out Persian Updates
Mashable
|
Jun 19, 2009 6:38 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Twitter has taken extraordinary measures to keep its site running during the Iranian election protests, and now other websites are speeding up developments. Today Facebook launched an early version of its site in Persian, relying on 400 volunteers to translate pages into the local language. "We felt it was important to help more people communicate...
Obama: Absent Dad Taught Me Value of Fatherhood
Parade
|
Jun 19, 2009 6:18 AM CDT
(Newser) -
President Obama came to realize the value of fatherhood through its absence in his own life as a boy, he writes in an essay published in Parade for Father's Day. "The hole a man leaves when he abandons his responsibility to his children is one that no government can fill," writes Obama, whose father left the family when Barack was 2 years...
Woman Gets 8 Years for Banker's Bondage Murder
Wall Street Journal
|
Jun 19, 2009 6:01 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A woman who shot one of France's richest men in the head as he sat tied to a chair in a latex bodysuit has been found guilty of his murder, the Wall Street Journal reports. Cécile Brossard was sentenced to 8½ years for killing her lover, financier Edouard Stern, during an argument about money. Brossard said she flew into a rage after...
Protesters Worldwide Mark Suu Kyi's Birthday
BBC
|
Jun 19, 2009 5:33 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Activists worldwide are marking the 64th birthday of Aung San Suu Kyi, the Burmese democracy activist who remains on trial for breaking the terms of her house arrest. The EU today called for her "unconditional release," and a group of celebrities ranging from Salman Rushdie to Julia Roberts has signed a petition demanding she be freed....
Amazon Indians Win Repeal of Land Grab Laws
CNN
|
Jun 19, 2009 5:05 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Peru's Congress has revoked two laws that led to bloody clashes between police and indigenous protesters, CNN reports. Lawmakers voted overwhelmingly in favor of ditching the laws that opened up the country's Amazon region to mining, logging, and oil companies. Dozens of people died earlier this month when police moved in on indigenous people blocking...
Ayatollah Calls for Calm, Denies Ballot Fraud
Al Jazeera
|
Jun 19, 2009 4:32 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The supreme leader of Iran called for "peace and tranquility" in his first public speech since the contested presidential election, Al Jazeera reports. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei defended the legitimacy of the vote and told protesters to stop, notes the New York Times . "Street challenge is not acceptable," he said, adding that opposition...
Minnesota Mom Fined $1.9M for Illegal Music Downloads
CNN
|
Jun 19, 2009 4:12 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A Minnesota woman has been fined $80,000 per song for each of 24 music files she illegally downloaded, CNN reports. The court ordered Jammie Thomas to pay $1.92 million to the Recording Industry of America. Her original trial—America's first for music file-sharing—granted the RIAA just $220,000, but a retrial was ordered after a mistake...
World's Oldest Man Dies at 113
AFP
|
Jun 19, 2009 3:48 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The world’s oldest man died today at the age of 113, AFP reports. Tomoji Tanabe, who suffered from a chronic heart problem, died of heart failure at his home in Miyakonojo City, Japan. Tanabe—who had eight children, 25 grandchildren, 53 great-grandchildren and six great-great-grandchildren—said his secret to long life was avoiding...
Calif. Gay Marriage Fight Centers on Chinatown
Reuters
|
Jun 19, 2009 3:11 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Campaigners seeking to bring legalized gay marriage back to California believe their success in Chinatown points the way forward, Reuters reports. The state's Asian communities swung in favor of gay marriage faster than any other group over the last decade as advocates worked to bring taboos into the open and tailor their message towards different...
Photos Reveal 'Amazon Tiananmen'
Independent (UK)
|
Jun 19, 2009 2:39 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Graphic photographs taken by aid workers reveal the extent of violence Peru's military used to crush a land-rights protest by indigenous people earlier this month, the Independent reports. Police are seen pulling injured protesters from ambulances and beating them and bodies are seen piled by the roadside, adding weight to accusations that the government...
NHLers Sue Developer in Porn Party Scam
New York Post
|
Jun 19, 2009 2:06 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A group of NHL players is suing a developer they say blew their cash on X-rated parties for baseball hotshots, the New York Post reports. The 19 current and former Islanders and Rangers players accuse Ken Jowdy of promising to build a luxury resort with their $25 million, and then spending it on parties packed with porn stars, escorts, and strippers....
Met Bares 1st Work by Michelangelo, 12
New York Times
|
Jun 19, 2009 1:30 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A work believed to be Michelangelo's first painting has made its American debut at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the New York Times reports. St. Anthony Tormented by Demons , a customized copy of a German print, is thought to have been painted in 1487 when Michelangelo was a 12-year-old apprentice trying to prove he could make it as an artist. ...
Stanford Surrenders to FBI
BBC
|
Jun 19, 2009 12:26 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Sir Robert Allen Stanford turned himself in to authorities soon after criminal charges were filed against him yesterday, the BBC reports. The billionaire financier is now in FBI custody, according to his lawyer. Stanford, whose firm Stanford Financial was shut down by authorities earlier this year, already faces civil charges over what the SEC described...
UN Warms Up to US
Good
|
Jun 18, 2009 8:40 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The relationship between the US and the UN is noticeably warmer these days, with new ambassador Susan Rice getting high marks across the board, write Adam Benz and Robert Friedman in Good magazine. Granted, she replaced Bushie John Bolton, who prior to his appointment could barely conceal his disdain for the world body. A UN official says...
US Navy Tracks Suspicious Ship From North Korea
Reuters
|
Jun 18, 2009 8:02 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The new sanctions in place against Pyongyang have their first test: The US is monitoring a North Korean ship that left port today and may be carrying illegal weapons, reports Reuters. The Navy is keeping the Kang Nam in its sights in international waters as a "subject of interest." Officials wouldn't say precisely what the ship is suspected...
Green Burial Method Turns You Into Soil— Via Liquid Nitrogen
Walrus Magazine
|
Jun 18, 2009 7:41 PM CDT
(Newser) -
As the movement toward greener, more natural burials gains steam, a Swedish biologist who specializes in soil production thinks she's got the best method, reports the Walrus magazine. It's called promession, and it's a doozy: Corpses are frozen with liquid nitrogen, then shattered into tiny pieces on a vibrating table. A vacuum removes moisture,...
Jon and Kate Divorcing
Radar
|
Jun 18, 2009 7:14 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Tough to see this one coming: Jon and Kate Gosselin are getting a divorce, reports RadarOnline. Jon will file the papers next week, a source tells the gossip site. The marriage troubles of the reality TV couple (they have sextuplets and two older kids) have played out painfully in the public eye, and TLC has begun teasing an imminent major announcement.
Pattinson Grazed by Cab While Fleeing Fans
People
|
Jun 18, 2009 7:03 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Dangerous work, this teenage heartthrob business. Twilight star Robert Pattinson got clipped by a cab outside a New York City bookstore while fleeing a horde of fans, reports People . Pattinson is fine: He walked away from the mishap, in which the cabbie reportedly grazed his hip before slamming on the brakes. Pattinson was filming a scene for his...
Ayatollah Tells Mousavi to Stand By Him Tomorrow
Times (UK)
|
Jun 18, 2009 6:43 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Iran's supreme leader has ordered presidential challenger Mir Hossein Mousavi to stand by his side at morning prayers tomorrow in a show of national unity, the Times of London reports. It's not clear if Mousavi will do so, or what consequences he'll face if he defies Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's demand. Mousavi may have more clout to work with, however,...
Town's Dress Code Mandates Deodorant, Underwear
Tampa Tribune
|
Jun 18, 2009 6:31 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A Florida town is requiring its employees to wear underwear and deodorant under a new dress code passed this month, the Tampa Tribune reports. Aimed at promoting “strict personal hygiene,” the rules ban “sexually provocative” apparel and forbid “the observable lack of undergarments and exposed undergarments.” Brooksville’s...
