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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.

DIY Projects Go Frugal
New York Times | Aug 22, 2009 7:26 AM CDT
(Newser) - With the five-figure granite-countertopped kitchen overhaul now an emblem of prerecession excess, home-improvement chains are seeking a new niche for themselves in more frugal times, the New York Times reports. DIY projects these days have shifted from upgrades to maintenance—consumers won't redo the bathroom but will fix the leaky faucet themselves...
Overflowing Mosques Lead Muslims to Synagogue
Washington Post | Aug 22, 2009 6:36 AM CDT
(Newser) - With the Muslim population in the US booming, the start of Ramadan this weekend will see many worshippers overflowing into borrowed space, from ballrooms to synagogues, the Washington Pos t reports. The DC area's mosques are bursting at the seams; with the Koran's injunction against borrowing money at interest slowing new construction, sharing space...
Calley Apologizes for My Lai Massacre
Columbus Ledger-Enquirer | Aug 22, 2009 6:20 AM CDT
(Newser) - Forty years after the infamous My Lai massacre came to light, the former Army officer who led the raid has for the first time spoken publicly about his actions. William Calley, who ordered his soldiers to gun down hundreds of civilians in the Vietnamese village of My Lai in 1968, said Wednesday that he feels remorse every day for what happened there,...
'German Borat' Rides High in Election Polls
BBC | Aug 22, 2009 5:58 AM CDT
(Newser) - With the slogan "Yes weekend" and promises to subsidize tanning beds and cosmetic surgery, candidate Horst Schlaemmer has stormed the otherwise drab German election campaign scene. Unlike rivals Angela Merkel and Frank-Walter Steinmeier, aspiring chancellor Schlaemmer doesn't exist—he's a character created by a comedian—but that...
Messy Afghan Election Gives White House New Headache
New York Times | Aug 22, 2009 5:33 AM CDT
(Newser) - White House hopes that the Afghan election would show the country's progress toward stability have been dashed, as the voting instead highlighted the challenges Afghanistan faces, the New York Times reports. With a runoff between President Karzai and challenger Adbullah Abdullah on the horizon, observers complain of fraud, ballot stuffing and turnout...
Niche Colleges, Priced Right
Mother Jones | Aug 22, 2009 5:21 AM CDT
(Newser) - Bigger isn’t always better when it comes to college. Mother Jones runs down 10 schools that “may not bother to juke their stats to make US News ' short lists, but they still have plenty to offer—and for a lot less dough.” Berea College, Kentucky: The price is right—$0—and eco-conscious students live in...
Rusty Favre Gets Standing O in Vikes Debut
Associated Press | Aug 21, 2009 10:10 PM CDT
(AP) - What was once unthinkable became reality tonight under the big white top of the Metrodome—Brett Favre received a standing ovation in Minnesota. Long considered the most dastardly of villains in Minnesota sports, Favre's decision to sign with the Vikings has instantly turned him into the state's white knight and the team's key to a Super Bowl...
Ahmadinejad Taps Fugitive for Iran Cabinet
Guardian (UK) | Aug 21, 2009 9:35 PM CDT
(Newser) - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s pick for Iran’s defense minister is wanted in connection with the 1994 bombing of a Jewish center in Argentina, the Guardian reports. Eight-five were killed and 150 injured in the attack, the worst on a Jewish target outside Israel since World War II; Ahmad Vahidi was at that time head of the branch of...
'Angry, Aggressive' Lesbian Sex on Tap for Portman
ScriptShadow | Aug 21, 2009 9:10 PM CDT
(Newser) - After one look at the script for Natalie Portman’s next project, Black Swan “is already on the must-see list of 2010,” Carson Reeves blogs for ScriptShadow. Why? “Ecstasy-induced hungry aggressive angry sex” with fellow hottie Mila Kunis, that’s why. Darren Aronofsky, of The Wrestler , directs, and though Reeves...
Jackson Burial Moved to Sept. 3
People | Aug 21, 2009 8:24 PM CDT
(Newser) - Michael Jackson will be buried Sept. 3, not Aug. 29 as first planned, his family announced today. No reason was given for the change in the burial date, which would have been the pop icon’s 51st birthday, People reports. Jackson, who died June 25, is to be entombed at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, Calif.
'Functional Foods' Worry Health Experts
Associated Press | Aug 21, 2009 8:15 PM CDT
(Newser) - Once dubbed junk, certain snacks are enjoying a second life as so-called “functional foods”—candy bars or sugary cereals spruced up with added nutrients, the AP reports. Despite warnings by health experts, functional foods now account for $27 billion in sales, or 5% of the US food market, and experts say that share will grow....
Lutheran Branch Allows 'Monogamous' Gays as Clergy
Washington Post | Aug 21, 2009 7:41 PM CDT
(Newser) - The largest US Lutheran denomination will allow gays in “life-long, monogamous” relationships to serve in clergy and other leadership positions, the Washington Post reports. Delegates at the convention of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America approved the measure 559-451; the denomination, which has 4.8 million US members, previously...
Mock Executions Among CIA Torture Tactics
Newsweek | Aug 21, 2009 7:10 PM CDT
(Newser) - A report long suppressed by Bush administration officials set to be released next week says the CIA used mock executions as part of post-9/11 interrogations, Newsweek reports—though federal law prohibits threatening prisoners with “imminent death,” and the practice wasn’t authorized by the Justice Department, unlike other...
In Brazil, You've Got Mail—and Possibly an STD
Associated Press | Aug 21, 2009 6:48 PM CDT
(AP) - The Brazilian Health Ministry has created a website to let people inform partners they've got a sexually transmitted disease via an emailed virtual postcard. The official in charge of the ministry's STD and AIDs programs notes that many have a hard time telling partners they're infected—and that the emails may help people "to tackle these...
Fiber-Optic Mics Eavesdrop on Thieves
Independent (UK) | Aug 21, 2009 6:09 PM CDT
(Newser) - Major oil companies are relying on a new fiber-optic technology to keep an underground ear on intruders, the Independent reports. Devised by a British defense firm, the OptaSense system consists of microphones placed along sensitive fiber-optic cables already laid underground. The cables sense vibrations, the mics pick it up, and OptaSense compares...
Racist Media Gunning for Me: Paterson
New York Daily News | Aug 21, 2009 5:38 PM CDT
(Newser) - New York's governor says they're all out to get him, and President Obama, and other black politicians, the Daily News reports. Calling for more "black" media outlets to balance things out, David Paterson blamed his 30% popularity rating on white reporters and commentators. "We have a media that doesn't report the news," he...
Chill Out, Liberals: Remember Last August?
New Republic | Aug 21, 2009 5:14 PM CDT
(Newser) - Angry opponents are spewing spittle at the Obama administration over health care and climate change, but progressives should chill out: After all, this has happened before, Ed Kilgore writes in the New Republic . Last August, liberals withered in despair when John McCain tied President Obama at the polls. Just like today, "The diagnosis...
Why Facebook Booted My Baby
Time | Aug 21, 2009 5:00 PM CDT
(Newser) - Joel Stein’s 3-month-old son Laszlo wasn’t a model Facebook citizen—“he threatened to pee on some, cut others,” and would routinely comment “I’d hit that” on other babies’ photos—but that’s no reason to kick him off the site, right? Turns out Baby Stein's account disabled because he...
Tribune Sells Cubs for $800M
Chicago Tribune | Aug 21, 2009 4:45 PM CDT
(Newser) - It’s official: Tribune Co. has signed an agreement to sell a majority stake in the Chicago Cubs to the Ricketts family, the Chicago Tribune reports. Picked as the winning bidder for the franchise in January, family negotiated a deal to pay $800 million for a 95% stake in the Cubs, Wrigley Field, and the Tribune's stake in Comcast SportsNet...
Semenya Is a Girl: S. African Birth Certificate
BBC | Aug 21, 2009 4:32 PM CDT
(Newser) - The mother of South African track and field star Caster Semenya has produced a birth certificate showing the runner is female, the BBC reports. "I have no doubt about what I see. It's a girl," said Dorcus Semenya despite calls that Caster take a gender test. Caster fell under scrutiny after becoming the world's 800-meter champion this week...
4 GIs Charged With Hazing Suicide Soldier
MSNBC | Aug 21, 2009 4:17 PM CDT
(Newser) - Four US Army soldiers in Iraq have been charged with cruelty and maltreatment for hazing a private who later killed himself, MSNBC reports. The NCOs allegedly hazed 19-year-old Keiffer P. Wilhelm with excessive physical exercise while showering him with verbal abuse. Wilhelm, self-conscious about his weight, shot himself in a portable toilet about...
Bankers Saved the World: Bernanke
MarketWatch | Aug 21, 2009 4:02 PM CDT
(Newser) - Ben Bernanke patted himself on the back today for helping to save the world from a complete economic meltdown, MarketWatch reports. Facing public outrage and the prospect of President Obama dumping him in 6 months, the Fed chair said at a retreat in Wyoming that the world’s central banks “responded with speed and force" to "a...
How to Take and Not Take Nude Pics of Yourself
11Points.com | Aug 21, 2009 3:50 PM CDT
(Newser) - "I don't have any experience in the realm of taking nude photos," admits Sam Greenspan on 11 Points, but he's "looked at millions" of them. Here are his tips for taking pics in the buff: Don't shoot them yourself: Among other terrible things, MySpace has popularized the outstreched-arm self-portrait. "That's not a 'sexy'...
Fla. Couple Murder Looks Like Contract Hit
Time | Aug 21, 2009 3:36 PM CDT
(Newser) - The murder of Bud Billings and his wife Melanie is looking more like a contract hit than an In Cold Blood -style robbery gone wrong, Tim Padgett writes in Time . The tale centers on a boastful ex-Karate instructor in Pensacola, Fla., Leonard Gonzalez, who tells police he turned down the murder-for-hire job offered an angry used-car salesman. But...
Dow Climbs 156; Stocks Hit Highs
Wall Street Journal | Aug 21, 2009 3:21 PM CDT
(Newser) - Stocks rallied today off of strong housing data, propelling all three major indices to their highest levels of the year, the Wall Street Journal reports. Sales of existing homes rose 7.2% in July, the National Association of Realtors said, beating analysts’ expectations by a generous margin. The Dow rose 156 points to close at 9,506. The Nasdaq...
Determined Diver Finds Lost Wedding Ring in Harbor
Stuff (NZ) | Aug 21, 2009 3:09 PM CDT
(Newser) - When Aleki Taumoepeau lost his wedding ring at the bottom of Wellington Harbor in New Zealand, his wife offered to buy him a new one. But Taumoepeau would have none of it, swearing he’d find the original ring. He’d thrown an anchor in after it, and was convinced he could relocate it. Sixteen months later, he did just that, the Dominion...
Slain Model Terrified of Hubby: Friend
People | Aug 21, 2009 2:56 PM CDT
(Newser) - A friend and former fiancé of slain model Jasmine Fiore says she was terrified of her husband, millionaire real estate developer and reality show contestant Ryan Jenkins, who was today charged with her murder, People reports. Fiore’s friend says she was “100%” scared of Jenkins, and that she had recently called him saying...
Shaq, LeBron Not Quite a Heavenly Match
Wall Street Journal | Aug 21, 2009 2:44 PM CDT
(Newser) - We're months away from the NBA season, but the scrutiny of the monster pairing of Shaq and LeBron has already begun in earnest. Can the superstars exist in harmony on one team? The Wall Street Journal sniffs out a little trouble, noting that the two haven't exactly acted like best buds since Shaq's trade to Cleveland this summer. "Everyone...
Tech Employees Want to Cash in Early
Wall Street Journal | Aug 21, 2009 2:29 PM CDT
(Newser) - Facebook’s recent deal to let employees sell some of their stock to private investors has sent Silicon Valley scrambling, as workers at other start-ups ask for similar deals, the Wall Street Journal reports. Start-ups rely on the promise of future stock sales to lure and retain talent, but with the market upheaval scaring most companies away...
Top Chef's Tips for a 'Simple' Dinner Party
Wall Street Journal | Aug 21, 2009 2:15 PM CDT
(Newser) - Alain Ducasse cooks up elaborate dishes at his ritzy restaurants. But at home, for an outdoor dinner party, he believes “less is definitely more,” he tells the Wall Street Journal. Which begs the question: What passes for “simple” tips for the average party-thrower from Ducasse? Read on: If you want to copy the backyard...
Jobless Rates Jump in 26 States
Bloomberg | Aug 21, 2009 2:05 PM CDT
(Newser) - Jobless rates climbed in 26 states last month, suggesting employment recovery will be slow and governors may face worsening budget woes, Bloomberg reports. Unemployment in California, Georgia, Rhode Island, and Nevada was at its highest since record-keeping started in 1976. While California’s rate rose from 11.6% to 11.9%, unemployment was 10%...
Basterds Should Be Last WWII Movie Ever : Pitt
People | Aug 21, 2009 1:54 PM CDT
(Newser) - Brad Pitt thinks Inglourious Basterds is so good that no one should ever bother making a World War II movie again, People reports. “I believe that Quentin put a cover on that pot. With Basterds, everything than can be said to this genre has been said,” he said in an interview with a German magazine. “The film destroys every...
Overweight? Try the Food Critic Diet
Salon | Aug 21, 2009 1:39 PM CDT
(Newser) - Frank Bruni endured a lifelong struggle with his weight, veering close to 300 pounds before getting a handle on it—and going on to a 5-year reign as New York City’s most feared food critic. Though his New York Times job required him to sample the city’s most decadent dishes, he found that “being a restaurant critic helped...
Runway Still Chic on Lifetime
Slate | Aug 21, 2009 1:28 PM CDT
(Newser) - Project Runway is back after an interminable absence on a new network in a new city, but critics agree the fashion design reality show has kept all its charm intact. PR has "hopped channels from Bravo to Lifetime with none of its appeal damaged in transit," Troy Patterson writes on Slate. And the move from NYC to LA has the show...
Michelle Looks Bad in Shorts—Now You Can, Too
Time | Aug 21, 2009 1:15 PM CDT
(Newser) - You know it's a slow week when news outlets track down "experts" to discuss the effect Michelle Obama's shorts will have on the White House, writes Belinda Luscombe for Time . The thing is, the shorts she wore on Sunday as she stepped out of Air Force One actually are important. “She just didn't look particularly good,” Luscombe...
Go Easy on the Candles
BBC | Aug 21, 2009 1:00 PM CDT
(Newser) - Don't go overboard on the candles, researchers warn. The fumes of paraffin wax candles can contribute to cancer and asthma, though it would take years of heavy use to cause a problem, the BBC reports. “An occasional paraffin candle and its emissions will not likely affect you,” says one scientist involved with the new study.
Spencer: I Want to Be the Next Brad Pitt
New York Daily News | Aug 21, 2009 12:45 PM CDT
(Newser) - Spencer Pratt has officially gone off the rails: In his upcoming book, How to Be Famous , he expresses his ambition to be the next Brad Pitt, the New York Daily News reports. Pratt is most in awe of Pitt for managing to dump “beloved” Jennifer Aniston for “home-wrecking head case” Angelina Jolie and “still end up the...
Terror Docudrama Baader-Meinhof Impresses Critics
Rotten Tomatoes | Aug 21, 2009 12:29 PM CDT
(Newser) - Critics are largely impressed with Germany's blood-drenched epic The Baader-Meinhof Complex , following the group of young, sexy radicals who terrorized the country for years. A selection of reviews: It's a "taut, unnerving, forcefully unromantic film," writes New York Times critic Manohla Dargis, who praises director Uli Edel...
Microsoft, Amazon Unite Against Google Book Deal
Wall Street Journal | Aug 21, 2009 12:07 PM CDT
(Newser) - Microsoft, Amazon, and Yahoo are ganging up against Google Books, trying to quash its settlement with publishers and authors, the Wall Street Journal reports. The settlement, which still needs court approval, would allow Google to offer works scanned off library shelves online for free, provided publishers get a cut of the ad revenue. Now its rival...
Obama Says 'Wee-Weed'; Press Goes Nuts
Politico | Aug 21, 2009 11:50 AM CDT
(Newser) - Around this time every year, “everybody in Washington gets all wee-weed up,” President Obama said yesterday—and immediately, the media was aflutter, Politico reports. “WTF does wee-weed up mean and how do you spell it?” wondered a reporter for the Hill . Soon after, the jokes started rolling in: “Is this some Chicago...
TV Special 'Shocked' Octomom
Radar | Aug 21, 2009 11:37 AM CDT
(Newser) - The Octomom TV special was shocking even to the Octomom herself, Nadya Suleman’s lawyer tells Radar. Suleman “was shocked to see some of the chaos of the scenes in the show, but she understands the show has its own production agenda.” Elsewhere: Mark Lester was on Today this morning, speaking vaguely about his maybe-maybe-not...
Miley's Pole Dance? No Big Deal to Dad
Access Hollywood | Aug 21, 2009 11:12 AM CDT
(Newser) - At least one parent isn’t upset over Miley Cyrus’ raunchy pole dance at the Teen Choice Awards—Billy Ray Cyrus. When asked about it by Access Hollywood, the proud pop non-answered with, “I just think that Miley loves entertaining people. She loves singing, songwriting. I always tell her to love what you’re doing and...
Troubled Securities Threaten to Drown Banks
Wall Street Journal | Aug 21, 2009 10:48 AM CDT
(Newser) - Bad loans have been killing off banks at the fastest rate in 17 years—but now, securities purchased from other banks are a mounting threat, the Wall Street Journal reports. Thousands of banks nabbed securities dependent on mortgages and the financial industry. “Under most scenarios, they were good and prudent investments—as long...
Rumor Mill: Palin's Moving to Rhode Island
Providence Journal | Aug 21, 2009 10:43 AM CDT
(Newser) - Word on the street is that Sarah Palin is planning a move to Rhode Island—but so far, it’s just one rumor among many. Seems a bit of an odd choice: It’s a left-leaning state whose former senator has called Palin a “cocky wacko,” notes Randal Edgar in the Providence Journal . The rumor began in a gossip column of the ...
Critics Find Basterds Glorious
Metacritic | Aug 21, 2009 10:34 AM CDT
(Newser) - Not every critic loves Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds , but many do, and they really love it. Here’s what they’re saying. It’s not just Tarantino’s best movie, “It's the first movie of his artistic maturity,” writes Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle . It takes the cinematic...
Jon Stewart Takes On Death Panel Lady
DailyShow.com | Aug 21, 2009 10:09 AM CDT
(Newser) - Jon Stewart devoted most of his show yesterday to sparring with Betsy McCaughey, whose articles helped start the “death panel” rumor—and kill the Clinton health care plan in 1994. McCaughey strode onstage carrying a massive binder containing the first half of the House bill. “This bill is dangerous,” she declared, rifling...
No Honors for Post Grad
Rotten Tomatoes | Aug 21, 2009 9:53 AM CDT
(Newser) - Post Grad tells the story of the tribulations of a recent graduate unable to land a job. Critics give it poor grades: Star Alexis Bledel “works her Gilmore Girls charm to the hilt, but no amount of cerulean-eyed sparkle can transcend this level of thudding mediocrity," writes Jeannette Catsoulis in the New York Times . It’s...
For Once, Super-Rich Not Getting Richer
New York Times | Aug 21, 2009 9:25 AM CDT
(Newser) - Since the 1970s, the rich have been getting richer with stunning consistency, but now, thanks to the recession, that decades-long run has hit a wall, the New York Times reports. Wall Street pay is indeed returning to normal, but for every investment banker who’s benefiting from that, several more are unemployed. And unlike the last recession,...
Gay Man Recounts 'Love Story' With Jacko
Woman's Day | Aug 21, 2009 9:10 AM CDT
(Newser) - A man claiming to be Michael Jackson’s secret gay lover has stepped forward, telling Australia’s Woman’s Day, “I’ve lost my soul mate.” Jason Pfeiffer, 35, works for Jackson’s dermatologist, Dr. Arnold Klein, and claims his relationship with the King of Pop started with phone calls and progressed to a “first...
Is She a Man? Is Phelps a Fish?
Times (UK) | Aug 21, 2009 8:55 AM CDT
(Newser) - It's wrong to be subjecting South African sprinter Caster Semenya to "a public slaying," writes Antonia Senior, who says that debating her gender has no more credibility than asking if "Michael Phelps is really a fish." For the Times of London columnist, sports are now "increasingly the showground of the freakishly proportioned,"...
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