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.
Frank Rumbles With Town Hall Wacko
YouTube
|
Aug 19, 2009 6:56 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Town hall crazies, you have met your match. Rep. Barney Frank had no time for a woman who asked why he supported Barack Obama's "Nazi" policies, calling it "vile, contemptible nonsense" and asking, "On what planet do you spend most of your time?" When the questioner pushed back, the House Financial Services Committee...
Taliban Battle Police in Kabul on Election Eve
Telegraph (UK)
|
Aug 19, 2009 6:32 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Taliban fighters wearing explosive-laced vests stormed a government-run bank in central Kabul today, precipitating an hours-long shootout with Afghan forces 24 hours before the presidential election. A Taliban source said that 20 militants had entered Kabul, a day after a suicide bomb and a rocket attack rocked the capital. Afghan officials continue...
Don't Take It Out on the Arugula
Chicago Tribune
|
Aug 19, 2009 6:07 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Boycotting Whole Foods is the wrong move for liberals irate about the politics of the company's CEO, Mary Schmich writes in the Chicago Tribune . Before joining Facebook boycott groups and denying themselves the company's farm-fed, fair-trade wares, angry customers should consider the difference between "a business's practices and a business...
Organizer of Fake Interview Linked to Infamous Militia
Talking Points Memo
|
Aug 19, 2009 5:46 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The conservative radio host who staged an interview with an armed protester near the president's town hall in Phoenix has long ties with hard-core fringe groups, reports Talking Points Memo. Ernest Hancock allied himself with a group called the Viper Militia in Arizona in the 1990s, many of whose members were convicted of a plot to blow up government...
Novak: Last of the Shoe-Leather Columnists
Washington Post
|
Aug 19, 2009 5:29 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Most Americans will remember Robert Novak as the acerbic right-winger on CNN, but he saw himself first and foremost as "a shoe-leather reporter," writes Washington Post media critic Howard Kurtz. Novak prided himself on getting scoops and uncovering secrets via a wide network of Republican officials. But that insiderism proved his downfall...
JPMorgan Chase to Lend California $1.5B
Los Angeles Times
|
Aug 19, 2009 5:28 AM CDT
(Newser) -
After joining other major banks in snubbing cash-strapped California last month, JPMorgan Chase has changed tack and is lending the state $1.5 billion to end its IOU program a month early. The short-term loan will enable California to start redeeming on Sept. 4 the IOUs it has been using since July to pay vendors and creditors, the LA Times reports....
South Korea Scrubs Satellite Launch
BBC
|
Aug 19, 2009 5:16 AM CDT
(Newser) -
South Korea scrubbed a planned satellite launch minutes before liftoff today, citing an unspecified technical error, reports the BBC. Seoul has been itching to join the Asian space race and has already produced 10 satellites for other countries' rockets. But the event had threatened to strain recently improved relations with North Korea, which claims—to...
Not-So-Green Seattle Voters Reject Grocery Bag Tax
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
|
Aug 19, 2009 5:10 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The $1.4 million the plastics industry spent to defeat a grocery bag tax initiative paid off yesterday when Seattle voters defied their green reputation to reject the tax, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports. The measure would have charged shoppers 20 cents per plastic or paper bag as an incentive to reduce disposable bag use; 58% of Seattle voters...
North Koreans in Santa Fe to Meet Gov. Richardson
CNN
|
Aug 19, 2009 4:38 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Two North Korean diplomats at the UN are traveling to Santa Fe to meet with Bill Richardson, the New Mexico governor and former UN ambassador, reports CNN. The meeting is taking place at Pyongyang's request, according to the governor's office, and will focus on clean energy technology. Richardson has visited North Korea several times, most recently...
Afghanistan Forbids Reports on Election Violence
Guardian (UK)
|
Aug 18, 2009 10:54 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The Afghan government ordered journalists to stay silent on any insurgent attacks that may happen during the presidential election Thursday, the Guardian reports. The gag order is necessary in order “to encourage people and raise their morale to come out and vote,” said a spokesman for President Karzai. "This decision will control...
Rifle-Toting Protester Part of Staged Radio Interview
Talking Points Memo
|
Aug 18, 2009 10:18 PM CDT
(Newser) -
An anti-reform protester who showed up near President Obama's town hall event in Phoenix with a semiautomatic assault rifle did so as part of a staged radio event, reports Talking Points Memo. The man who conducted the seemingly random interview with the gun-toting "Chris" is conservative talk radio host Ernest Hancock. He appeared on CNN...
N. Korea's Regime Seems More Stable Than Thought
New York Times
|
Aug 18, 2009 8:59 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Bill Clinton's 20-hour visit to North Korea shed more light on the secretive regime than a slew of intelligence-gathering operations, the New York Times reports. Clinton, who formally briefed President Obama today, learned most importantly that Kim Jong-Il appears to be in better health than thought. He appeared "unexpectedly spry," notes...
Upset at Favre? Get Over It
Chicago Tribune
|
Aug 18, 2009 8:11 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Brett Favre's decision to un-retire again and join the Vikings has set off all kinds of Favre-bashing among sports columnists. Rick Morrissey of the Chicago Tribune wonders if everyone's lost their football sense. "Is he selfish? Very likely, but he's going to make the Vikings better." Is he the QB he once was? "No, but he's going...
Bikini-Clad Britney Reads Dave's Top 10 List
People
|
Aug 18, 2009 7:19 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Britney Spears reads Letterman's top 10 list on tonight's show, ticking off the ways the world would be different if she were president, reports People . "We'd only invade fun places, like Cabo," she says in the pre-taped segment, in which she's clad in a black bikini. Other samples: "Three words: Vice President Diddy" and "the...
Sony Unveils Smaller, Cheaper PlayStation 3
CNET
|
Aug 18, 2009 6:41 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Sony cut the price of its PlayStation 3 by $100 today and introduced a sleeker but more powerful model, reports CNET. The PS3 Slim will sell for $299 when it's available Sept. 1. The new model is 33% smaller and much lighter, though it has a 120GB hard drive, up from the current version's 80GB. Sony is trying to be more competitive with Nintendo's...
Fall Films Worth Seeing
Entertainment Weekly
|
Aug 18, 2009 5:25 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Entertainment Weekly looks at the most promising movies for the fall. Here's a sampling: 9 : Shane Acker’s Oscar-nominated short about sentient rag dolls gets a big-screen treatment courtesy of producer Tim Burton. The Informant: Matt Damon gained 30 pounds for Steven Soderbergh’s film on corporate whistleblowers. ...
Nature Makes You Nicer
Miller-McCune
|
Aug 18, 2009 4:55 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Being around the natural world or representations of it makes you a better person, Miller-McCune reports. A study finds that people shown slides of natural landscapes rated community-oriented goals—such as “to work for the betterment of society”—as more important to them than self-oriented goals—for example, “to...
J.Lo Cooks Up Dinner Party for Sotomayor
Gossip Cop
|
Aug 18, 2009 4:38 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony honored Sonia Sotomayor’s achievement as the first Latina Supreme Court Justice with a dinner party last night, Gossip Cop reports. The couple had Sotomayor and about a dozen guests—“mostly political types,” the site says—over for cocktails and dinner at their Long Island home.
'Fag Hag' No Longer Hip Label
Salon
|
Aug 18, 2009 4:25 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Thanks to Will & Grace , the young gay men of a decade ago were turned “into something unexpected: a must-have item,” writes Thomas Rogers for Salon. Though he was “jockish, pop-culturally illiterate, and dressed in mom jeans,” Rogers “remained a strangely alluring target for a large number of straight women”—and...
Three Strikes: Wright Files to Divorce Penn, Again
Access Hollywood
|
Aug 18, 2009 4:10 PM CDT
(Newser) -
There’s been a third divorce filing between Robin Wright Penn and hubby Sean Penn, Access Hollywood reports. The Penns have been on the outs, on and off, for years, but this time could be official. The fairer Penn claims “irreconcilable differences,” though the couple agrees to share custody of their 16-year-old son and she seeks...
Jackson Doc: 'I Have Faith the Truth Will Prevail'
Associated Press
|
Aug 18, 2009 3:55 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Dr. Conrad Murray posted a YouTube message today thanking friends and patients for support through the trial-by-media that has all but convicted him of complicity in Michael Jackson’s death, the Los Angeles Times reports. Murray says that the current frenzy means he can’t return calls or use email. Of the manslaughter investigation in...
Obama, Egypt's Mubarak Click at DC Meeting
New York Times
|
Aug 18, 2009 3:45 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A meeting today between President Obama and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak signaled a thaw in relations between the two countries, the New York Times reports. Obama also spoke of “positive steps” that “could help to jump-start an effective process on all sides” in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Mubarak, meanwhile,...
Pry My Clunker From 'My Cold, Dead Fingertips'
Christian Science Monitor
|
Aug 18, 2009 3:40 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Some cars’ gas mileage is good enough to make them ineligible for the cash-for-clunkers program—but that’s not the only reason David Holahan doesn’t want to turn in his old rides. “I’m all for stimulating the economy, cleaning air, and improving fuel economy,” he writes in the Christian Science Monitor . “But...
SF Remakes Crookedest Street as Candy Land Board
San Francisco Appeal
|
Aug 18, 2009 3:26 PM CDT
(Newser) -
San Francisco’s Lombard Street, “the crookedest street in the world,” will tomorrow be shut to traffic and set up as a giant Candy Land game board for sick kids, the Appeal reports. The event, to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the kids’ board game, is being hailed as the largest Candy Land game ever. At the finish line...
Retail Gains Drive Dow Up 83
Wall Street Journal
|
Aug 18, 2009 3:15 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Positive retail reports helped get stocks back on track today after recent declines, the Wall Street Journal reports. Home Depot, Target, and Saks saw smaller-than-expected declines in quarterly profit, while discount chain TJX reported a 31% gain. The Dow rose 82.60 to close at 9,217.94. The Nasdaq gained 25.08, closing at 1,955.92, and the S&P...
Court Tests Limit on Death Penalty Appeals
Time
|
Aug 18, 2009 3:00 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The Supreme Court’s ruling that Troy Davis deserves a new hearing raises questions about how far the legal system is willing to go to make sure an executed man is actually guilty, writes David Von Drehle for Time . Under a 1996 law limiting death-penalty appeals, Davis is out of options. But the Supreme Court left itself the option—unused...
Key Component of Earth Life Found in Comet
Space.com
|
Aug 18, 2009 2:47 PM CDT
(Newser) -
An amino acid necessary to the construction of proteins, and therefore life on Earth, has been found in a comet that passes through our solar system, Space.com reports. Glycine was found in samples picked up by a NASA spacecraft in 2004. The discovery suggests that life’s building blocks could have been “delivered to Earth long ago by meteorite...
Corgan Picks 19-Year-Old as Pumpkins' Next Drummer
Chicago Tribune
|
Aug 18, 2009 2:35 PM CDT
(Newser) -
After the departure of longtime—well, come-and-go—Smashing Pumpkin Jimmy Chamberlin and the audition of 1,000 hopefuls, frontman Billy Corgan has named a new drummer, the Chicago Tribune reports. And the kid’s 19. Oregon native Mike Byrne played with local groups before receiving the honor from the Chicago-based Pumpkins. “Dream...
For Lips, Hot Pink Is New Red
USA Today
|
Aug 18, 2009 2:22 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Hot pink lipstick is “younger, hipper, and definitely a little more edgy” than red, says a makeup artist to the stars. How best to copy the look of Kim Kardashian, Leighton Meester, and other pink-pouted celebs? Makeup artist Mally Roncal offers USA Today some tips: A matte look might be too intense—tone it down with a more...
To Friends, Hardliner Novak Was a 'Pussycat'
Newsweek
|
Aug 18, 2009 2:11 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Bob Novak called himself a “rough and tumble” journalist, “but to his friends and colleagues, he could be a pussycat,” writes Eleanor Clift in Newsweek . Despite their widely divergent views, Novak—who died today at 78—helped Clift get a spot on the then-all-male McLaughlin Group . When the cameras went on, he’d...
As Telecoms Hype 4G, Recall How Long 3G Was in Coming
Fortune Magazine
|
Aug 18, 2009 2:01 PM CDT
(Newser) -
3G landed in the US in 2003. But it wasn’t until the iPhone came around five years later that “consumers finally had a device that showed them the power of mobile broadband networks,” Stephanie N. Mehta writes in Fortune . In fact, "a few executives at US wireless operators admitted at the time that 3G mainly allowed them to...
Favre Signs With Vikings
WCCO (Minnesota)
|
Aug 18, 2009 1:51 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Brett Favre has un-retired again, signing with the Minnesota Vikings today, the team says in a press release. The quarterback, 40 in October, is getting between $10 million and $12 million, according to ESPN, and is expected to start in Friday’s preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Favre is expected to practice today, the Minneapolis...
Officials Doubt Tunisian Woman Expecting 12 Babies
Associated Press
|
Aug 18, 2009 1:49 PM CDT
(AP) -
Authorities are investigating a claim that a woman in Tunisia is pregnant with 12 babies. French and British media reported the woman will soon give birth to six girls and six boys. An official with Tunisia's health ministry said today the claim seemed doubtful and that the woman—who has not been identified—has refused to see a doctor for...
At Sauna Championships, 100% Chance of Perspiration
Times (UK)
|
Aug 18, 2009 1:41 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The English entry at the recent World Sauna Championships in Finland didn’t turn in “Britain’s finest hour,” team member Tom Whipple writes for the Times of London. The premise is simple: whoever lasts longest in a brutally hot sauna wins. The Brits were at a disadvantage—“The problem with training is that no sauna...
Fountain of Youth? Drugs Eyed to Slow Aging
New York Times
|
Aug 18, 2009 1:23 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Scientists are hoping new drugs can battle the effects of aging, extending our lives or at least keeping the years from slowing us down, the New York Times reports. At the heart of the research is the discovery that caloric restrictions can extend life in mice. If humans can make our bodies think we’re cutting calories, perhaps we can reap...
Killer Ga. Dogs to Be Put Down
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
|
Aug 18, 2009 1:08 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A court has ordered the pack of wild dogs that killed a retired Georgia professor and his wife put to sleep, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports. Authorities have already rounded up most of the 14 involved in the attack. The couple’s neighbor had fed the dogs before moving away for medical reasons, and nearby residents can’t believe...
Rat-Eating Plant Named for Brit Naturalist Attenborough
Times (UK)
|
Aug 18, 2009 12:56 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A rare, giant Philippine pitcher plant that likely dines on rats and mice has been named after British naturalist Sir David Attenborough, the Times of London reports. The Nepenthes attenboroughii , which could number only a few hundred specimens, was discovered in 2007. Attenborough says he’s delighted to lend his name to one of these “very...
Chef Brings Gourmet Food to Homeless
NPR
|
Aug 18, 2009 12:40 PM CDT
(Newser) -
At California’s Bay Area Rescue Mission, the homeless dine on grilled artichokes with garlic sherry vinaigrette or vegetable soup with creme fraiche, thanks to the culinary talents of Tim Hammack. The chef left a renowned French bistro to cook at the rescue mission. “I was cooking for very wealthy people and people of means,” he tells...
Towns Pay Up to Keep Airlines From Taking Off
New York Times
|
Aug 18, 2009 12:37 PM CDT
(Newser) -
With airlines feeling the pain of the economic crash, many mid-sized cities, too big for federal help but too small to draw many travelers, have resorted to shaking the money tree to keep the planes flying, the New York Times reports. Some, like Myrtle Beach, have slashed fees across the board. Duluth is considering going yet farther, guaranteeing...
Without Bush, Left Forgets Wars
Washington Examiner
|
Aug 18, 2009 12:24 PM CDT
(Newser) -
It wasn't exactly back in the Crusades that opposing the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan was the left’s most passionate cause, uniting activists and voters alike. Then George W. Bush left office. Now, even though there are still around 130,000 troops in Iraq and 68,000 and counting in Afghanistan, those anti-war voices are silent, writes Byron York...
Armstrong Tweets Invite to Ride; Masses Clog Traffic
Associated Press
|
Aug 18, 2009 12:12 PM CDT
(AP) -
Lance Armstrong brought Scottish traffic to a standstill today after more than 200 cyclists answered his Twitter invitation for a casual bike ride. The seven-time Tour de France winner issued the invitation while in Glasgow to watch Irish rockers U2 perform tonight. "Hey Glasgow, Scotland! I'm coming your way," Armstrong wrote. "Who...
GPS Rescues $600K Violin Left in NYC Cab
New York Times
|
Aug 18, 2009 11:49 AM CDT
(Newser) -
GPS technology reunited a violinist with the $600,000 instrument he left in a New York cab yesterday, the Times reports. After Korean musician Hanh-Bin left a vehicle without his 18th-century instrument, the Taxi and Limousine Commission was able to find it in less than an hour, using the cab’s GPS transmitters and Hanh-Bin’s route to...
Robert Novak Dead at 78
Chicago Sun-Times
|
Aug 18, 2009 11:39 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Conservative Chicago Sun-Times columnist Robert Novak died this morning at 78, after a year-long battle with brain cancer, the Sun-Times reports. Known, to his delight, as the “Prince of Darkness,” Novak’s “Inside Report” column has been syndicated since 1963. He was at the center of the Valerie Plame scandal, identifying...
Five Moves DeLay Can't Bust Out on Dancing
Newsweek
|
Aug 18, 2009 11:31 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Tom DeLay had some clever moves to help him become majority leader—but his bag of tricks won’t help him much on the dance floor. In Newsweek , Katie Connolly lists a few techniques Dancing With the Stars fans won’t stand for. He can’t: Redistrict to score more votes. That might have worked in Texas, but “Unfortunately...
The World's 50 Best Drives
National Geographic
|
Aug 18, 2009 11:26 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Looking to see the best of the countryside on your summer vacation? National Geographic lists its top 50 road trips, from simply gorgeous to quirky and off-beat: Cheese Trail, Vermont: On this 280-mile loop, sample gorgonzola, gouda, feta, chèvre, and more. Finger Lakes, New York: Go vineyard-hopping on this 75-mile trip....
Web Apps Keep Tabs on National Mood
San Francisco Chronicle
|
Aug 18, 2009 11:11 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Web-based tools have become increasingly adept at measuring a critical economic indicator: the nation’s mood. Whereas old indicators were based on surveys, these applications sift through mountains of online data, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. TweetFeel, for example, looks for select words and emoticons on Twitter. Other systems do the...
Jenny Sanford: 'The Ball Is in His Court'
Vogue
|
Aug 18, 2009 10:46 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Jenny Sanford has become a hero to many, the wronged political wife who is neither bitter nor silent. But she is human, admitting to Vogue ’s Rebecca Johnson that she Googled her husband’s mistress. Verdict? “She’s pretty.” Sanford, a conservative Christian but not of the in-your-face variety, is forgiving: “I feel...
Video Games: The New Prozac
Washington Post
|
Aug 18, 2009 10:26 AM CDT
(Newser) -
If depression's got you down, it might be time to turn to your Wii over your wee blue pills, reports the Washington Post in a look at how video games might ease the disease. For one depression sufferer, Bejeweled was "a big help in getting through to the next morning." And when she wrote parent company PopCap, it commissioned a study that...
New AIG CEO's Salary: $7M
Bloomberg
|
Aug 18, 2009 10:05 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The new CEO of AIG is bringing home $7 million a year to restore the bailed-out firm to health, Bloomberg reports. Robert Benmosche will receive $3 million in cash and $4 million in common stock, a regulatory filing notes. “The cash component had to be enough to attract a very strong candidate and give that person enough incentive to make a change,”...
Reenactors Take on Vietnam War
Associated Press
|
Aug 18, 2009 9:49 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Revolutionary and Civil War reenactments are a familiar sight—but now, one of the most controversial wars in US history is in reruns, the AP reports. Houston, Mississippi, and Pennsylvania have all hosted Vietnam war reenactments. “We do it to honor these guys and to tell them, 'You weren't forgotten,' to tell them it wasn't always negative,”...
