Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Newser Story Index from August, 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.

Swine Flu Could Kill 90K in US
CNN | Aug 25, 2009 5:18 AM CDT
(Newser) - An expected resurgence of H1N1 flu this fall could infect up tp 50% of the US population, causing up to 90,000 deaths, according to projections released yesterday. Most deaths would occur among children and young adults in a scenario involving inadequate antiviral supplies and large outbreaks at schools before vaccinations have time to take effect,...
Just What Obama Didn't Need: a CIA Probe
Los Angeles Times | Aug 25, 2009 4:51 AM CDT
(Newser) - The White House was busily waging a do-or-die battle to pass health reform when it was suddenly handed exactly what it wanted to avoid: a polarizing battle about Bush-era tactics that President Obama has already condemned. Obama is attempting to remain above the fray as the administration insists that AG Eric Holder is acting independently. But keeping...
Iran Reformist Publishes Prison Rape Account
CNN | Aug 25, 2009 4:30 AM CDT
(Newser) - A testimony released by defeated Iranian presidential candidate Mehdi Karroubi details a male protester's beating and rape at a notorious prison after the disputed election. The first-person account is just one of many, Karroubi alleges, and CNN reports that he will continue to publish them on his website "if the current trend continues." Ayatollah...
Police Now Hunting Gal Pal of Model Killer
Telegraph (UK) | Aug 25, 2009 4:04 AM CDT
(Newser) - Police investigating the murder of model Jasmine Fiore are now on the hunt for a woman accompanying suspected killer Ryan Jenkins shortly before he committed suicide, the Telegraph reports. The young woman checked herself and Jenkins into a Vancouver-area motel while he waited in the car, paid cash for three nights, then left the room after 20 minutes....
Semenya Tests Reveal 'Triple Testosterone'
Telegraph (UK) | Aug 25, 2009 3:36 AM CDT
(Newser) - Pre-race World Championship blood tests on super South African runner Caster Semenya revealed testosterone levels three times typical female rates, a source tells the Telegraph . The results of the tests, carried out in South Africa, contributed to a decision by sports officials to call for "gender verification" tests on the 18-year-old...
Where's the Lefty Outrage Over Outing CIA Ops Now?
Wall Street Journal | Aug 25, 2009 3:08 AM CDT
(Newser) - During the Valerie Plame scandal, the left acted as if there was no greater sin than disclosing the name of a CIA operative. But there is no such outrage at current initiatives that could potentially disclose the names of several agency officers, writes Bret Stephens in the Wall Street Journal . Eric Holder’s probe into detainee abuse is bound...
Invasion of the Buddhist Body Snatchers Hits Bangkok
Utne Reader | Aug 25, 2009 2:40 AM CDT
(Newser) - In the chaotic traffic of Bangkok, the first to arrive on the scene of an accident is often not an ambulance but a Toyota pickup packed with volunteers in blue jumpsuits. These are the controversial workers of the Por Tek Tung Foundation, who haul the injured to hospitals and the dead to morgues, all in the hopes of earning Buddhist brownie points,...
Dutch Move to Block Teen's Around-the-World Solo Sail
BBC | Aug 25, 2009 2:15 AM CDT
(Newser) - Dutch authorities have gone to court to demand custody of a 13-year-old girl to block her planned solo sail around the world, reports the BBC. The girl's parents have already been denied permission for her to miss two years of school for the adventure. Laura Dekker, who has sailed since the age of 6, told Dutch TV she has dreamed of such a trip for...
Gay Toughs Bash Back
Details | Aug 25, 2009 1:49 AM CDT
(Newser) - Many gays are damn mad and they're not going to take it anymore. Now Bash Back!—formed just over a year ago—is boosting gay, transgender and sex worker protest to a freshly provocative level, reports Details. The group, with some 15 chapters nationwide, has forged its reputation with in-your-face actions like flinging condoms during a church...
Back at Work, Jobs Zeroes In on New Apple 'Tablet'
Wall Street Journal | Aug 25, 2009 1:23 AM CDT
(Newser) - Just months after a liver transplant, Steve Jobs is back at Apple focusing his powerful micro-managerial style on development of a new tablet computer, the Wall Street Journal reports. Jobs’ close involvement with the tablet device signals that it will likely be a major product for Apple. During the development of the iPhone, the CEO personally...
US Rep Headed to North Korea for Nuke Talks
JoongAngDaily | Aug 24, 2009 10:11 PM CDT
(Newser) - The US diplomat in charge of North Korea policy will visit Pyongyang next month for the first bilateral nuclear negotiations between the countries, South Korea’s JoongAng Ilbo reports today. Amid signs from reclusive Kim Jong Il of a thaw in relations, Stephen Bosworth will lead a delegation that will also visit China and Japan, key players...
Wikipedia Adds Editor Review for Some Articles
New York Times | Aug 24, 2009 9:10 PM CDT
(Newser) - After riding its users to popularity, Wikipedia is now moving to rein them in, the New York Times reports, by mandating editorial review for articles about living people. The feature, called “flagged revisions,” means an experienced editor will check updates to the free, user-generated online encyclopedia. The change should take effect...
Obama Wants 2nd Fed Term for Bernanke
Wall Street Journal | Aug 24, 2009 8:32 PM CDT
(Newser) - President Obama will nominate Ben Bernanke for a second term as chairman of the Federal Reserve, the Wall Street Journal reports. Obama, who will make the announcement tomorrow, credits Bernanke with “pulling the economy back from the brink of depression,” White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel said tonight. The nomination requires Senate...
On Letterman, Wintour Does Her Best 'Hannibal Lecter'
Gawker | Aug 24, 2009 8:00 PM CDT
(Newser) - Sources at today’s taping of The Late Show With David Letterman tell Gawker that Anna Wintour—the Vogue editor portrayed by Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada —“was like Hannibal Lecter.” In her first-ever appearance on the show, Wintour ditched her trademark shades, the source adds, but “barely moved, she...
This Bitch of a Life Offers Frank View of Fela Kuti
Mother Jones | Aug 24, 2009 7:35 PM CDT
(Newser) - Carlos Moore’s Fela: This Bitch of a Life , a newly re-released 1982 authorized biography, contains the usual makings of sociomusical hagiography: Fela’s stunning music, his uncompromising anticolonial message, and the many beatings and imprisonments he suffered as a result. But most readers likely already know the legend—what will...
Crypt Above Monroe's Sells for $4.6M
Associated Press | Aug 24, 2009 7:00 PM CDT
(AP) - An anonymous bidder paid more than $4.6 million to win an online auction for the crypt directly above the actress' final resting spot at a Los Angeles cemetery. Bidding started at $500,000 on Aug 14. The final bid was $4,602,100. The Los Angeles Times reported earlier this month that the seller was Elsie Poncher, who was putting her late husband's...
Under Pressure, Afghans Pledge Results Within Day
Los Angeles Times | Aug 24, 2009 6:34 PM CDT
(Newser) - With the leading opposition candidate further hinting at election fraud, and international observers not exactly disagreeing, officials in Afghanistan say they’ll release preliminary results tomorrow from last week’s voting. But even that could raise tensions, the Los Angeles Times reports, as Abdullah Abdullah claims there’s no...
Don't Count Conan Out . . . Yet
Washington Post | Aug 24, 2009 6:02 PM CDT
(Newser) - Conan O'Brien's well-documented struggles to find his way as the host of the Tonight Show may be cause for alarm, but it's hardly time to punch the panic button, writes Washington Post TV critic Tom Shales. O'Brien "is to be congratulated for the way the show has been going," writes one of the most vociferous critics of Conan's early...
This Fall's Top Guy Shows
Esquire | Aug 24, 2009 5:50 PM CDT
(Newser) - Fall is right around the corner, and with it, thankfully, comes new TV. Esquire runs down the top shows men should be looking forward to: Modern Family: A mockumentary in which the guy who played Al Bundy plays the head of three different families. Sons of Anarchy: “ Hamlet with motorcycle gangs, drugs, and guns.”...
Eat Way Less Added Sugar: Heart Docs
Reuters | Aug 24, 2009 5:35 PM CDT
(Newser) - Americans eat more than twice as much added sugar as doctors recommend, and they should cut back to battle obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease, researchers say. Added calories from processed sugar should total no more than 150 for men and 100 for women, the American Heart Association said today. Soft drinks are the top factor in added...
Fiber-Rich Corn Offers Digestive, Uh, Benefit
Washington Post | Aug 24, 2009 5:07 PM CDT
(Newser) - Corn is an American staple—it helped the earliest settlers survive and has provided us with bread and meal ever since. Recently, though, corn has been portrayed in a more unfavorable light, whether as the source of high-fructose corn syrup or the recipient of ethanol subsidies. From a nutritional perspective, corn still deserves a place on your...
The Best of the Web 2009
Time | Aug 24, 2009 4:47 PM CDT
(Newser) - Overwhelmed by the stream of new, powerful sites constantly emerging to suit every taste? Time picks 50 you should explore, if you haven’t already: Etsy: “The long-haired, Birkenstocked love child of Amazon and eBay,” and the place to go online for handmade crafts, from housewares to clothing. Hulu:  The television...
Hotels Woo New Cash Cow: Kids
Boston Globe | Aug 24, 2009 4:41 PM CDT
(Newser) - Families are traveling more often, and recession-battered hotels are ramping up their kid-friendly offerings, the Boston Globe reports. Rooms occupied by families with children accounted for 27% of the total in 2008, up from 25% in 2004, and lodgings are watching the trend. Whether it's free Wii, a dog to walk, or a theme guest room, the trend is...
Court Ruling Scuttles Del. Sports Gambling Plans
News Journal (Del.) | Aug 24, 2009 4:29 PM CDT
(Newser) - A federal court quashed Delaware’s bid to legalize single-game sports betting today, ruling that the gambling expansion violated a 1992 federal law, the News Journal of Wilmington reports. State lawyers had argued Delaware was exempt from the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act under a grandfather clause, but a three-judge panel...
Baldwin on Opposing Lieberman: Never Mind
USA Today | Aug 24, 2009 4:17 PM CDT
(Newser) - Alec Baldwin has no plans to challenge Joe Lieberman for his Senate seat in 2012, USA Today reports. The actor’s spokesman says he wants the Connecticut independent to retain his position because of the paucity of moderate Republicans in the Senate. In a recent Playboy interview, Baldwin floated many electoral dream jobs, from governor of...
VA Mistakenly Tells Hundreds of Vets They Have ALS
Associated Press | Aug 24, 2009 4:05 PM CDT
(Newser) - Because of an error, the Department of Veterans Affairs incorrectly notified 1,200 veterans they had ALS, the fatal neurological condition also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, the AP reports. The letters alerted the veterans to disability benefits available to those who suffer from the disease. Thought the VA has not yet commented on the slip-up,...
Madoff Is Cancer-Free: Prison Official
Bloomberg | Aug 24, 2009 3:55 PM CDT
(Newser) - Contrary to what you might have read in the New York Post , Bernie Madoff does not have cancer, Bloomberg reports. “While the N.Y. Post story is full of inaccuracies, and we can’t specifically address all of them, we can tell you that Bernie Madoff is not terminally ill, and has not been diagnosed with cancer,” a Bureau...
Jackson's Death a Homicide: Coroner
Associated Press | Aug 24, 2009 3:51 PM CDT
(Newser) - Michael Jackson's death will be officially ruled a homicide by the LA County coroner's office, sources tell the AP. Jackson's body contained "lethal levels" of a powerful prescription anesthetic, the office determined during his autopsy, according to an affidacit unsealed today. Dr. Conrad Murray administered the drug, propofol, but...
Holder Launches Probe Into CIA Torture Allegations
Washington Post | Aug 24, 2009 3:35 PM CDT
(Newser) - AG Eric Holder today named a special prosecutor to investigate allegations of torture against CIA operatives who interrogated terror suspects during the Bush administration, the Washington Post reports. John Durham, who is currently probing the destruction of interrogation tapes, will look into fewer than 12 cases detailed in a CIA report released...
Dow Up 3 as Stocks Stall Ahead of Reports
Wall Street Journal | Aug 24, 2009 3:22 PM CDT
(Newser) - Stocks closed near to opening levels today, with the Dow just barely extending its winning streak into a fifth session, the Wall Street Journal reports. All the indices hit new highs for 2009 early, boosted by housing data, investors pulled back ahead of looming reports on consumer confidence, new home sales, and second-quarter GDP. The Dow closed...
Image Rehab: Appendix Is Good for Something After All
LiveScience | Aug 24, 2009 3:08 PM CDT
(Newser) - The human appendix has been assumed to be useless since Charles Darwin first suggested it was a vestigial organ—an evolutionary remnant from the time when our predecessors ate leaves and other now-indigestible foods. But new research suggests the organ had a much more vital function, LiveScience reports. It stored necessary bacteria with which...
After Clunker Frenzy, Dealers Expect a Slump
CNN | Aug 24, 2009 2:42 PM CDT
(Newser) - Just as the "cash for clunkers" program sparked a boom in auto sales, its cancellation will likely depress the industry, CNNMoney reports. As of today, the last day of the government-funded incentive, rebate applications for 625,000 trade-ins totaling $2.58 billion had been submitted. “We're definitely going to have a hangover,”...
CIA Threatened to Kill, Rape Detainee Families: Report
Associated Press | Aug 24, 2009 2:33 PM CDT
(AP) - A newly declassified CIA report says interrogators threatened to kill the children of a Sept. 11 suspect. The document, released today by the Justice Department, says one interrogator said a colleague had told Khalid Sheikh Mohammed that if any other attacks happened in the United States, "We're going to kill your children."
Nokia Challenges Apple With 3G Netbook
PC World | Aug 24, 2009 2:23 PM CDT
(Newser) - Nokia is charging into the mobile computing market with its first netbook, PC World reports. The phone company’s Booklet 3G features 3G connectivity for Internet access and packs a healthy 12 hours of battery life. The tiny laptop—10 inches—runs Windows and has Nokia’s Ovi mobile apps and communication service built in. The...
Starring as Susan Boyle: Robin Williams. Maybe.
Daily Star (UK) | Aug 24, 2009 2:12 PM CDT
(Newser) - A biopic of Scottish singing sensation Susan Boyle just got some added star power, the UK tabloid Daily Star reports. Robin Williams, no stranger to cross-dressing, has been approached to play the dowdy Britain’s Got Talent songstress. “I’ve been asked if I want to play Susan in the movie,” says Mrs. Doubtfire's alter...
On Health Care, Dean Gives Obama a Pain
The Hill | Aug 24, 2009 1:58 PM CDT
(Newser) - By now, President Obama may wish he’d brought Howard Dean into the administration, because the former doctor has become his top left-wing antagonist on health care reform, the Hill reports. Dean has spent the summer advancing his views on the topic, and though the White House is backing away from the public option, he isn’t. “You...
Arctic Monkeys Go Darker, Show Staying Power
Pitchfork | Aug 24, 2009 1:44 PM CDT
(Newser) - With their latest album, Britain’s Arctic Monkeys show they haven’t let the media hype get the better of them. Alex Turner and Co. try some new directions without abandoning the “good stuff” from “their usual territory,” writes Joe Tangari for Pitchfork. Humbug is “their loosest record yet by far,”...
Candace Bushnell Is Not a Cougar
New York Daily News | Aug 24, 2009 1:37 PM CDT
(Newser) - Sex and the City scribe Candace Bushnell may be a glamorous 50-year-old married to a man 10 years her junior—but don’t call her a cougar, the New York Daily News reports. “How come every time women manage to break out of traditional roles, someone comes along and tries to ruin it with a derogatory label?” Bushnell writes...
Bomber Release 'My Decision': Scot Justice Secretary
Times (UK) | Aug 24, 2009 1:30 PM CDT
(Newser) - Scottish Justice Minister Kenny MacAskill said today that the release of the Lockerbie bomber "was my decision and my decision alone," reports the Times of London, but that Libya violated an agreement in greeting Abdelbaset al-Megrahi with a hero's welcome. “It is a matter of great regret that Mr. al-Megrahi was received in such...
Ad Campaign Takes Death Panel Fight to Facebook
Plum Line | Aug 24, 2009 1:07 PM CDT
(Newser) - A pro-health reform group is hitting Sarah Palin where she lives, the Plum Line reports—Facebook. Americans United for Change is running ads on the social networking site, where “death panels” got their start. The missives, targeted specifically at Palin followers of every stripe, ask users to “send Sarah Palin a message”...
Steele Changes Tune on Medicare Cuts
ABC News | Aug 24, 2009 12:53 PM CDT
(Newser) - The RNC has joined the fracas over health care reform with a proposed “seniors’ bill of rights” that guards against Medicare cuts, ABC News reports. “Our seniors have really come under fire in the last few weeks,” says RNC chair Michael Steele—who backed Medicare cuts as a Senate candidate in 2006. His argument today...
Under Obama, It's the 'Summer of the Lobbyist'
Washington Post | Aug 24, 2009 12:45 PM CDT
(Newser) - Barack Obama the candidate railed against lobbyists' influence—but under his administration, the Washington movers and shakers are flourishing. With health care reform, the environment, and the economy in focus all at once, it’s the “Summer of the Lobbyist,” writes Manuel Roig-Franzia in the Washington Post . At the center...
Teen Lotto Winner Faces Bankruptcy
Daily Mail (UK) | Aug 24, 2009 12:27 PM CDT
(Newser) - Callie Rogers was once the UK's second-youngest lottery winner, coming into more than $3 million in 2003 at the age of sixteen. Now at 22, she’s attempted suicide twice, drives a secondhand car, and works three jobs to avoid bankruptcy, the Mail reports. Rogers—who has two children with a criminal—told a friend, “'My life...
Conservatives Out-Tweet Liberals
Associated Press | Aug 24, 2009 12:16 PM CDT
(Newser) - You might assume that Twitter, like most things having to do with the Internet, is dominated by liberals and “netroots” activists. But you’d be wrong, according to Johanna Neuman of the Los Angeles Times . John McCain hit the million-follower mark weeks before the White House did, and he’s not even the most followed conservative....
Meet the New Women of Pop
New York | Aug 24, 2009 12:10 PM CDT
(Newser) - Women are front and center in the world of pop music this fall. Three of the most exciting up-and-comers catch the ear of Lizzy Goodman, writing in New York : Amanda Blank, I Love You : The Philly-based MC “is a white girl from the burbs who dresses, talks, and raps like Foxy Brown,” unafraid to make “astonishing boasts”...
Switzerland Shows Google Street View a Stop Sign
Associated Press | Aug 24, 2009 11:55 AM CDT
(AP) - A Swiss government official is demanding that Google immediately remove any image of Switzerland from its "Street View Maps," and the company said today it would discuss the matter with the privacy rights regulator. Switzerland's federal data protection commissioner says Google's pictures violate the country's strict privacy laws by failing...
'Real' Model: I Didn't Like the Pic
MSNBC | Aug 24, 2009 11:53 AM CDT
(Newser) - The world is still in love with Lizzi Miller, the plus-size model recently featured on Glamour ’s page 194—but Miller herself wasn’t a fan of the belly-baring photograph when she first saw it. The 5’11”, 180-pound Miller tells Today, “I’m just like every other girl who has insecurities. The first thing I...
Republicans Gain Ground in Senate Races
FiveThirtyEight | Aug 24, 2009 11:47 AM CDT
(Newser) - Things are looking brighter for Republicans in the Senate, writes Nate Silver of FiveThirtyEight.com. In his monthly ranking of which seats are most likely to switch parties in 2010, Republicans have made a big move. Of the 10 seats that look more likely to switch hands, seven favor Republicans. “While there are still plenty of opportunities...
Fiore Beau 'Happy' Jenkins Is Dead
MSNBC | Aug 24, 2009 11:15 AM CDT
(Newser) - Murdered model Jasmine Fiore wanted to get back together with ex-boyfriend Robert Hasman, he said this morning on Today . When Hasman heard Fiore’s suspected murderer, Ryan Jenkins, had killed himself, “I was happy,” he said. Fiore’s mother, Lisa Lepore, said of Jenkins, “He wanted to be something that he wasn’t....
Mom Fired for Nursing Wins Sex-Bias Suit
San Francisco Chronicle | Aug 24, 2009 11:02 AM CDT
(Newser) - Firing an employee for breastfeeding during her break amounts to sex discrimination, California’s Fair Employment and Housing Commission ruled last week, awarding her $41,645 in damages, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Marina Chavez was fired from her job at a Los Angeles-area taqueria after breastfeeding her newborn on her lunch break...
NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   Betty Confidential   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Fark   |   Timelines   |   The Frisky   |   Geek Sugar   |   NewsOne