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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.

Pawlenty: Defeating Health Reform Will Lift GOP
Politico | Aug 15, 2009 10:00 AM CDT
(Newser) - Tim Pawlenty, a top prospect for the GOP’s 2012 nomination, practiced his act yesterday, dispensing pointed jabs at Barack Obama’s health care plans. Obama, an “extreme left liberal,” promised “change we can believe in, but now we’re seeing it’s about changing what we believe in,” he told the GOPAC conference...
Scientist Seeks Help for the Hopelessly Lost
Canadian Press | Aug 15, 2009 9:48 AM CDT
(Newser) - A Canadian neuroscientist has discovered a brain disorder that causes sufferers to spend their lives hopelessly lost even in their own neighborhoods, reports the Canadian Press. People with developmental topographical disorientation utterly lack the ability to form mental maps and orient themselves, leaving them with no idea how to navigate a route...
Lockerbie Bomber Deal Sparks Cover-Up Claims
Times (UK) | Aug 15, 2009 9:26 AM CDT
(Newser) - News that the Lockerbie bomber has dropped his appeal amid reports that he's about to be released on compassionate grounds has critics smelling a back-room deal and a cover-up, the Times of London reports. Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi, who has terminal cancer, is expected to be sent back to Libya soon from his Scottish prison. Some victims' relatives...
Al Qaeda Leader Dies in Battle With Hamas
Reuters | Aug 15, 2009 9:10 AM CDT
(Newser) - Hamas launched a raid on an al-Qaeda splinter group's mosque stronghold today, leaving at least 22 dead, including the group’s leader, and around 120 people injured, Reuters reports. The extremist Jund Ansar Allah, or Warriors of God, had provoked Hamas by declaring the establishment of an Islamic “emirate” in Gaza, first in a sermon...
Time to Fold Online Poker Ban
Washington Post | Aug 15, 2009 8:42 AM CDT
(Newser) - The government's online poker ban isn't just hypocritical—given that state lotteries are "the nation's most aggressive promoters of gambling"—it's unfairly slandering a sport that requires great skill by labeling it mere gambling, George F. Will writes in the Washington Post . Professional poker player Howard Lederer—known...
Agencies Squabble Over Controller's Role in Hudson Crash
Wall Street Journal | Aug 15, 2009 8:30 AM CDT
(Newser) - The National Transportation Board's view of the events that caused last weekend's crash over the Hudson River doesn't jibe with the FAA's, the Wall Street Journal reports. The NTSB chronology released yesterday suggests that errors from air traffic controllers—one of whom was one the phone to his girlfriend at the time of the crash—are...
Webb Visits Suu Kyi, Wins American's Release
Associated Press | Aug 15, 2009 8:09 AM CDT
(AP) - Sen. Jim Webb visited Myanmar's democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi today, in a rare meeting between a foreign official and the Nobel laureate, the AP reports. He also won the release of the American who swam uninvited to her home and caused her latest trouble. Suu Kyi, who was recently convicted of violating her house arrest by meeting with John Yettaw,...
Bye-Bye Landlines, Hello New Problem
Economist | Aug 15, 2009 7:44 AM CDT
(Newser) - Americans are gleefully dropping landlines at a rate of 700,000 per month without any regard for the long-term consequences, the Economist says. Few of us will weep for businesses that rely on landlines—telemarketers and pollsters come to mind—but emergency services like fire and police also need them. And as home phones fade away, landline...
George Michael Busted After Car Crash
Sun (UK) | Aug 15, 2009 7:41 AM CDT
(Newser) - George Michael was arrested on suspicion of driving drunk or drugged after his Range Rover slammed into the back of a truck on a British highway last night, the Sun reports. Police, however, released him 6 hours later without charge. The singer, who just got his license back in June after a 2-year suspension for driving on drugs, escaped the crash...
US Teens Join Hardline Israeli Settlers
Details | Aug 15, 2009 7:31 AM CDT
(Newser) - Young Americans are joining a movement of hardline Jewish settlers who vow to battle both the Israeli army and Palestinian militants to protect West Bank settlements, Matt McAllester writes in Details . Tired of pleading and rock-throwing, they say they plan to fight fire with fire, shooting at Israeli troops, if necessary, and bombing Palestinians....
NJ Cops Treat Dylan Like a Complete Unknown
Asbury Park Press | Aug 15, 2009 7:07 AM CDT
(Newser) - A New Jersey police officer in her 20s didn't recognize Bob Dylan when she responded to a call about a suspicious, shabbily dressed man staring into a vacant house, the Asbury Park Press reports. "What is your name, sir?" she asked. "Bob Dylan," he replied. "OK, what are you doing here?" the officer asked. "I'm...
Wildfire Scorches Santa Cruz
San Jose Mercury News | Aug 15, 2009 6:16 AM CDT
(Newser) - The first major California wildfire of the season has consumed over 5,000 acres in Santa Cruz County and won't be fully contained for a week, the San Jose Mercury News reports. Over a thousand firefighters are battling the blaze in rugged terrain that hadn't had a major fire in over 50 years, and a hot, dry, windy weekend is expected to make their...
Other Driver Blamed for Phelps Crash
Baltimore Sun | Aug 15, 2009 6:11 AM CDT
(Newser) - Police don't believe Michael Phelps was to blame for his car accident in Baltimore Thursday night but the swimmer will have to go to court for producing an invalid Michigan driver's license after the crash, the Baltimore Sun reports. The other driver, a 28-year-old woman who was slightly injured when her Honda Accord hit Phelps' Cadillac, is to be...
Friendly Crowd Does Obama No Favors at Town Hall
Washington Post | Aug 15, 2009 6:04 AM CDT
(Newser) - President Obama was plainly itching for the chance to confront health reform critics at his town hall event in Montana yesterday but he was let down by a friendly audience that failed to ask enough tough questions, Michael D. Shear writes in the Washington Post. The president was only put on the spot twice, Shear notes, and neither time got the opportunity...
Southern Lender Becomes Year's Biggest Bank Failure
Wall Street Journal | Aug 15, 2009 5:59 AM CDT
(Newser) - Alabama's Colonial Bank has collapsed in the sixth-biggest bank failure in American history, the Wall Street Journal reports. The lender, which had assets of $25 billion and 346 branches in five southern states, was an aggressive mortgage lender in overheated markets like Florida, and its failure will cost the FDIC $2.2 billion. Colonial's branches,...
Back to School Sales in Slump
New York Times | Aug 15, 2009 5:20 AM CDT
(Newser) - Retailers are seeing the slowest back-to-school season in many years as consumers cling to their cash, the New York Times reports. Estimates on sales, an early indicator of how stores will fare in the holiday season, show declines of 3 to 8% from last year, which saw a 1% increase. Spending is expected to drop on clothing, electronics, and every...
7 Dead, 91 Hurt in Blast Near Kabul NATO HQ
Associated Press | Aug 15, 2009 5:10 AM CDT
(AP) - A suicide car bomb exploded early today outside the main gate of NATO's headquarters, killing seven and wounding 91 in the biggest attack in the Afghan capital in six months.  The bomber evaded several rings of Afghan police and detonated his explosives on the doorstep of the international military headquarters, sending the message that the Taliban...
Weary Kate Recovers From Nanny Quarrel
Radar | Aug 14, 2009 7:10 PM CDT
(Newser) - Kate Gosselin bounced back from an argument with hubby Jon by downing coffee and taking refuge in her favorite salon today, Radar reports. Rootless after Jon refused to let her in—and called the cops on her—Kate first moved from hotel to hotel and ran errands, looking "tired and emotional when she packed-up her bags into her Toyota...
Woods Retakes Control at PGA
Associated Press | Aug 14, 2009 6:44 PM CDT
(AP) - Just like that, Tiger Woods was back in control of the US PGA Championship today. Woods took advantage of the shortened par-4 14th and a poor finish by Ross Fisher, needing only two holes to turn a tie into a three-stroke lead. Woods, looking to win his first major of the year, was at 6 under through 14. Fisher and defending champion Padraig Harrington...
US Could Buy Off the Taliban
Time | Aug 14, 2009 6:23 PM CDT
(Newser) - The US war in Afghanistan is costing $4 billion a month and lacks a clear end-date—so why not just pay off the Taliban's hired guns to stop fighting? Analysts say the math makes sense: Taliban gunmen earn $10 a day. There are 10,000 to 15,000 of them. Doubling their pay would cost $300,000 a day, or less than 1% of the war's current daily...
Aussies to Zap Text Messages at Mystery Planet
Space.com | Aug 14, 2009 5:55 PM CDT
(Newser) - An Australian science magazine is soliciting text messages to send to a mysterious planet more than 20 light-years away, Space.com reports. Called "Hello from Earth," the project aims to transmit 160-character missives to Gliese 581d, a so-called "Super Earth" discovered 2 years ago. "Will we get a reply? No one knows," says...
New Passport Rules Burden Businesses on US Borders
Wall Street Journal | Aug 14, 2009 5:28 PM CDT
(Newser) - Businesses on the US side of the Canadian border say they're struggling now that travelers must show a passport to get into the country. In June, when the new law went into effect, the 11 busiest border bridges saw 23% less traffic than last year, the Wall Street Journal reports. The change "killed the impulsive buyer," says a rep for a...
Air Controller Failed to Warn Hudson Pilot
Star-Ledger | Aug 14, 2009 5:00 PM CDT
(Newser) - An air traffic controller failed to warn the pilot of a plane in last weekend's mid-air collision over the Hudson River, the National Transportation Safety Board ruled today. Chatting on the phone, the controller did not inform the pilot that "there were several aircraft detected by radar in the area immediately ahead of the airplane, including...
Used-Car Dealers: Program's a Clunker
Sacramento Bee | Aug 14, 2009 4:39 PM CDT
(Newser) - The Cash for Clunkers program has proven to be a shot in the arm for the new-car market, but not everyone's a fan. Used-car dealers say their business is suffering, the Sacramento Bee reports. "The used side sort of slipped" since the program started, said one Honda dealership manager. Three out of every five trashed clunkers normally would...
O'Connell's Latest Role: Law Student
People | Aug 14, 2009 4:25 PM CDT
(Newser) - Rebecca Romijn's hubby Jerry O’Connell is taking it not-so-easy while his wife works on a new show, People reports. “I had always planned on continuing my education at some point,” the Stand By Me star and father of twins says, so he’s started law school. “I'm home all day with the girls, I figured I would take a couple...
Senators Tweet It Out Over 'Death Panels'
ABC News | Aug 14, 2009 4:12 PM CDT
(Newser) - Arlen Specter and Chuck Grassley engaged in a very 21st-century sniping match today, ABC's Jake Tapper reports. The 79-year-old Pennsylvania Democrat took to Twitter to accuse the 75-year-old Iowa Republican of spreading "myths about health care reform and imaginary ‘death panels.' " He was referring to comments Grassley made at a forum...
Texas Gov Compares Mexico to Gaza Strip
Dallas Morning News | Aug 14, 2009 4:01 PM CDT
(Newser) - On a trip to Israel this week, Texas Gov. Rick Perry compared Mexico with the Gaza Strip and said his state could learn from his hosts when it comes to security. "Just like it's important to Israelis to keep heavy security on their border with Gaza, it's important to citizens of Texas to keep out the illegal activities that are going on with drugs,"...
Obama Denounces Media's Focus on Health Care Protests
Associated Press | Aug 14, 2009 3:50 PM CDT
(AP) - President Obama today denounced the media's emphasis on angry protesters at health care town halls, the AP reports. "TV loves a ruckus," he said. Trying to sell his overhaul plan amid an increasingly noisy and partisan debate, Obama told a crowd of about 1,300 in Montana: "What you haven't seen on TV and what makes me proud are the many...
Obamas Ride Wave of Interest in National Parks
USA Today | Aug 14, 2009 3:42 PM CDT
(Newser) - The Obama family will visit Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon this weekend, doing their part to add to this year's already-booming national parks attendance figures, USA Today reports. Yellowstone hit a record high of 900,500 visitors in July—up 11% from last year, and 6% over the 1995 record—and other parks are reporting upticks as well....
To Fix Health Care, End Health Insurance
The Atlantic | Aug 14, 2009 3:31 PM CDT
(Newser) - Everybody's thinking small on health care reform, writes David Goldhill in the Atlantic . Our system is so abysmal—the headline on his lengthy piece is "How American Health Care Killed My Father"—that it needs a radical restructuring, and that should start with insurance. Let's just stop buying it, or all but. Everyone should...
Dow Off 77 on Consumer Data
Wall Street Journal | Aug 14, 2009 3:19 PM CDT
(Newser) - Stocks dipped today on worse-than-expected information about consumer sentiment, the Wall Street Journal reports. A Reuters index dropped 3 points instead of the anticipated 2-point rise. A downward spiral has been evident since the Fed announced it would not raise interest rates Wednesday. “A day like today has been long overdue,” said...
Clinton Leaves Africa 'More Committed' Than Ever
New York Times | Aug 14, 2009 3:14 PM CDT
(Newser) - Hillary Clinton ended her African tour today on a note of optimism colored by disdain, the New York Times reports. The secretary of state visited seven nations over 11 days and made her final remarks on the Cape Verde islands off the coast. “I leave Africa after this remarkable trip even more committed,” Clinton said. She commented...
Kim Jong-Il Was 'Fully Engaged' During Clinton Visit
Reuters | Aug 14, 2009 3:04 PM CDT
(Newser) - Longtime Bill Clinton aide John Podesta, who accompanied the former president on his recent rescue mission to North Korea, says leader Kim Jong-Il was "fully engaged" during the visit, Reuters reports. “I would basically say that the discussions were pretty straightforward and he was fully engaged,” Podesta told reporters, though...
Dance the Night Away With Handclap
Pitchfork | Aug 14, 2009 2:51 PM CDT
(Newser) - The Phenomenal Handclap Band gets a leg up on its self-titled debut from buzzworthy guests like TV on the Radio and the Dap-Kings—but one of the unfortunate consequences is that “there's a feeling of anonymity to the band,” writes Paul Thompson for Pitchfork. Nonetheless, when it comes to “buzzing, burbling” dance-floor...
Job-Rich N. Dakota Lures the Unemployed
Washington Post | Aug 14, 2009 2:37 PM CDT
(Newser) - North Dakota, not usually known for much other than open space, has suddenly become a job-seeker's paradise. The state of just over 640,000 has 9,000 open jobs and employs a recruiter who works full-time to lure workers, the Washington Post reports. "In North Dakota, it is pretty much possible to do anything, anywhere," she said. One who...
Palin Resurfaces on Twitter
CNN | Aug 14, 2009 2:25 PM CDT
(Newser) - Sarah Palin has changed her Twitter handle to the more civilian-sounding "SarahPalinUSA" now that her old username, AKGovSarahPalin, is defunct, CNN reports. The move sparked speculation that the she may yet tweet again. The former Alaska governor has not tweeted since she resigned, preferring Facebook for her communiqués. But don’t...
GOP Backed 'Death Panels' ...in 2003
Time | Aug 14, 2009 2:10 PM CDT
(Newser) - They’re up in arms against it now, but Republicans voted for a measure providing end-of-life counseling in 2003, Amy Sullivan writes for Time. That year’s Medicare prescription drug bill, which boasted support from 204 GOP representatives and 42 senators, offered funding for “counseling the beneficiary with respect to end-of-life...
Apprent ice 's Omarosa Takes Attitude to Seminary
E! Online | Aug 14, 2009 1:58 PM CDT
(Newser) - Famed reality TV villain Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth has seen the light, E! reports. The Apprentice anti-hero will enter an Ohio seminary next week for 2 years of religious schooling on her way to becoming a minister. Her ambition is in line with her character, an official at the United Theological Seminary in Dayton tells the AP. Omarosa has volunteered...
'Trailblazer' Shriver Laid to Rest
Cape Cod Times | Aug 14, 2009 1:45 PM CDT
(Newser) - At today's funeral Mass for Eunice Kennedy Shriver, daughter Maria called her a “trailblazer” who “was scary smart and not afraid to show it,” the Cape Cod Times reports. Oprah Winfrey, Stevie Wonder, Joe Biden, and Arnold Schwarzenegger attended the private service for the Special Olympics founder at the Kennedy family church...
Miyazaki Makes Magic Again in Ponyo
Rotten Tomatoes | Aug 14, 2009 1:33 PM CDT
(Newser) - Hayao Miyazaki has done it again with Ponyo , an animated re-imagining of the Little Mermaid story. Here’s what critics are saying:   Ponyo is, in a word, "magical," writes Roger Ebert in the Chicago Sun-Times , a “poetic, visually breathtaking work by the greatest of all animators.” Miyazaki’s unparalleled...
Obama, Be Like FDR and Talk to Us
Los Angeles Times | Aug 14, 2009 1:22 PM CDT
(Newser) - President Obama should man up and talk straight to the American people about health care reform—just like FDR did when trying to pass Social Security, Nancy J. Altman writes in the Los Angeles Times . Roosevelt succeeded with that program against similar odds—opponents cried “socialism” and said it would bring the American...
Consumer Prices Take Biggest Dip in 59 Years
Washington Post | Aug 14, 2009 1:10 PM CDT
(Newser) - Consumer prices have fallen 2.1% over the past year, the biggest year-over-year decline in 59 years, the Labor Department announced today. Though the Consumer Price Index was unchanged from June to July, it was drastically lower than in July 2008, when oil peaked at $147 a barrel and gas cost $4.11 per gallon, the Washington Post reports. Economists...
Israeli Town Will Pay $1M for Mermaid Pic
ABC News | Aug 14, 2009 1:00 PM CDT
(Newser) - Mermaid fever has hit the Israeli town of Kiryat Yam: Several eyewitnesses recently reported spotting the mythical creature—described as a cross between a girl and a dolphin—frolicking off the coast at sunset. Whether that’s true or not, tourists have been flocking to Kiryat Yam in hopes of catching a glimpse, and local officials...
These Kooks Aren't Fooling Anyone
Boston Globe | Aug 14, 2009 12:49 PM CDT
(Newser) - The “wild-eyed rants” reverberating through town hall meetings are pretty amusing. But do Republicans “really think the country is dopey enough to mistake microwave mobs staging Potemkin village protests” for actual American rage, asks Scot Lehigh of the Boston Globe . “If so, they’re delusional.” These crowds...
Missing Ship Spotted Off African Coast
Guardian (UK) | Aug 14, 2009 12:35 PM CDT
(Newser) - The Russian-crewed Arctic Sea has been spotted off the coast of West Africa today, say French officials who claim to have seen a ship resembling it near the Cape Verde islands. The Arctic Sea, last seen on July 30, is carrying $1.8 million in lumber and was due to deliver it to a port in Algeria, the Guardian  reports. Watchers have suggested...
Archie-Veronica Wedding Sparks Fan Protest
Associated Press | Aug 14, 2009 12:23 PM CDT
(Newser) - A comic book store owner and Archie fan is so upset that the comic hero is marrying Veronica after 67 years that he’s selling his copy of the series’ first issue in protest, the AP reports. Girl next door “Betty is it. Not Veronica," says Dave Luebke. "This is serious.” The comic book is likely to score $30,000 at...
Vick Vows He 'Won't Disappoint'
Philadelphia Daily News | Aug 14, 2009 12:06 PM CDT
(Newser) - Michael Vick says he “won’t disappoint” as a player for of the Eagles, the Philadelphia Daily News reports. “I’m glad to have an opportunity at a second chance,” said the convicted felon and newly signed quarterback. He said at a press conference today he had “ done some terrible things, made a horrible mistake,”...
Would-Be Ford Assassin Goes Free
ABC News | Aug 14, 2009 11:55 AM CDT
(Newser) - Attempted presidential assassin and Manson Family member Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme is free after more than 30 years in prison, ABC News reports. Fromme. 60, had completed her term for the attempted assassination of Gerald Ford—she didn’t get off a shot—but was held longer because of a 1987 breakout to be with Charles Manson,...
New Gap Jeans Compete With Designer Denim
CNN | Aug 14, 2009 11:43 AM CDT
(Newser) - Gap is taking on the reigning kings of designer denim with its new jeans revamp in an effort “to reinvent Gap as a place of authority on denim,” the company's president says. Gone are the old designs—all of them. In their place are six new styles that include features normally seen on more expensive duds—think $200; Gap’s...
Nobody's Sold on The Goods
Rotten Tomatoes | Aug 14, 2009 11:26 AM CDT
(Newser) - On paper, The Goods ought to be—well, good, given that it has plenty of funny people on both sides of the camera. Didn’t turn out that way. Here’s what critics are saying: Seemingly pulled “straight out of Will Ferrell's discard pile,” the flick is a “mean-spirited nightmare of throwaway gags,” writes...
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