Newser Story Index from September, 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.

Strip Club's Ad Pokes Fun at Hermaphrodite Runner
Star (South Africa) | Sep 30, 09 10:43 PM CDT
(Newser) - A strip club’s seemingly obvious reference to the South African runner revealed to be a hermaphrodite is, predictably, drawing complaints—though the club’s owner says his billboard proclaiming “No need for gender testing!” underneath a busty model isn’t a stab at Caster Semenya. Lolly Jackson says the latest promotional...

Garrido: Cops Trampling Dugard's Civil Rights
KCRA-TV | Sep 30, 09 9:33 PM CDT
(Newser) - Phillip Garrido says the woman he’s accused of abducting as a child and holding captive for 18 years is being denied civil rights as part of the ongoing investigation, he writes in a letter to Sacramento’s KRCA-TV. Jaycee Dugard’s “free speach [sic] rights are being violated,” Garrido says in urging reporter Walt Gray...

More Quakes Slam Indonesia, Still Counting Its Dead
Reuters | Sep 30, 09 9:25 PM CDT
(Newser) - Indonesia, still counting the dead and searching for the missing from yesterday’s 7.6 earthquake, was rattled by two more earthquakes this morning local time. The US Geological Survey recorded a 6.8 quake 140 miles from Padang, the western Sumatran city nearest yesterday’s epicenter; just 20 minutes earlier, a 5.2 roller struck on the far...

Comcast Near $35B Deal for NBC Universal
The Wrap | Sep 30, 09 9:01 PM CDT
(Newser) - Comcast is near a $35 billion deal to acquire NBC Universal, which encompasses the network, a movie studio, cable channels and more, sources tell the Wrap. Bankers from the cable giant and General Electric, NBCU’s parent company, met Tuesday after Comcast decided to think bigger than a pursuit of the 20% share being unloaded by shareholder Vivendi....

Communist China Turns 60, Really Just Celebrates Past 30
Xinhua (China) | Sep 30, 09 8:34 PM CDT
(Newser) - A blowout party is hours away in Beijing, where the People’s Republic of China will celebrate its 60th anniversary with an unprecedented display in Tiananmen Square. But it’s worth noting that only the second 30 of those years are worth applauding, Isabel Hilton writes—not the first 30 under the Communists, when the Chinese “people...

UN's Dance Dance Resolution: Protect the Tango
BBC | Sep 30, 09 8:00 PM CDT
(Newser) - The tango is a cultural treasure worthy of the same kinds of protection as the Great Wall of China or the California redwoods, the United Nations declared today. The dance, submitted for such recognition by Uruguay and Argentina, “embodies and encourages diversity and cultural dialogue,” the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization...

Quaids: $10K Hotel Bill Got Lost in Mail
TMZ | Sep 30, 09 7:21 PM CDT
(Newser) - Randy and Evi Quaid didn’t pay the $10,000 hotel bill they’re accused of skipping out because it got lost in the mail, their lawyer told a Santa Barbara, Calif., court today. The Quaids didn’t think they had to pay upon checkout, and changed addresses before the bill—if not the law—caught up with them. Though they’ve...

Congressman Defiant Over 'Die Quickly' Jab
The Hill | Sep 30, 09 6:38 PM CDT
(Newser) - The Democratic congressman who belittled Republicans for promoting a health care plan that wants the ill to "die quickly" ratcheted up his rhetoric even more today. Noting that some Republicans had demanded he apologize, Florida's Alan Grayson took to the House floor with an apology of a different sort: "I apologize to the dead and their...

Vick Gets New Endorsement Deal With Nike
SportsBusiness Journal | Sep 30, 09 6:24 PM CDT
(Newser) - Nike, which ate a reported $1.5 million when it severed ties with Michael Vick over his dogfighting rap in 2007, has signed the quarterback to a new endorsement deal. “He has always been a fan of the brand and looks forward to the relationship,” his agent tells SportsBusiness Journa l of Vick, 29, who Sunday played his first NFL game in...

Tear Up Your Lawn
True/Slant | Sep 30, 09 6:00 PM CDT
(Newser) - Matthew Fleischer has always hated lawns as wasteful and useless. But his hate is at a fevered pitch after reading about how the desire for lush green grass in literally draining states dry. America’s lawns and golf courses require about 200 gallons of water per citizen per day. We could curb drought if we switched to warm-season varieties of...

Wales: Wikipedia Changes Exaggerated
Time | Sep 30, 09 5:30 PM CDT
(Newser) - Wikipedia's editorial changes aren't so sweeping after all, says co-founder Jimmy Wales. Reports that the open-source encyclopedia would restrict edits to entries on all living people are “just completely wrong," he tells Time . Instead, the site will adopt “flagged revision”—in which edits are checked by a Wikipedia veteran...

Al-Qaeda's New Security Threat: Bombs Inside Bombers
CBS News | Sep 30, 09 5:10 PM CDT
(Newser) - Al-Qaeda debuted a new suicide bomb technique in an attempt on the life of Saudi Arabia’s Prince Mohammed Bin Nayef this month—one that could raise serious concerns about airport security. The bomber convinced Nayef that he wished to surrender and provide intelligence on his former comrades. Though he was searched thoroughly, security agents...

Bank of America's Lewis to Resign at End of Year
Associated Press | Sep 30, 09 4:41 PM CDT
(Newser) - Ken Lewis, the embattled CEO of Bank of America, is leaving the company, succumbing to nearly a year of strife that followed his company's acquisition of Merrill Lynch. The bank said in a statement that Lewis, 62, would retire as CEO and also leave the company's board by the end of the year. The company said his successor will be selected by the time...

Leadership PACs Make 'Mockery' of Election Rules
ProPublica | Sep 30, 09 4:30 PM CDT
(Newser) - Meet the new villain of campaign fundraising: the leadership PAC. These once-obscure fundraising tools used to be reserved for rising political stars. Now, 70% of lawmakers in Congress have them—and the lax scrutiny that goes along with how the money gets spent. Most of the cash is supposed to be funneled back to the party or to other candidates,...

Saturn to Shut Down as Penske Deal Collapses
Detroit Free Press | Sep 30, 09 4:08 PM CDT
(Newser) - Saturn's hopes of a life after GM ended today when a deal to sell the brand to Penske Automotive fell through. GM said it will now begin shutting down manufacturing and dealership operations. Penske canceled the deal—which could have saved about 13,000 jobs—because it couldn't swing an agreement with an unnamed third party to...

Justin, Jessica Are Splits —Maybe
Us Weekly | Sep 30, 09 4:00 PM CDT
(Newser) - The gossip sites can't decide: Are Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel on or off? A friend tells US Weekly that Timberlake has told friends “it’s over”—after dumping Biel over the phone a month ago. But a different source tells People "they're not breaking up. Any time they spend apart it's because they're working.”...

Goldman Nemesis Says Bank Misleading Lawmakers
True/Slant | Sep 30, 09 3:44 PM CDT
(Newser) - Matt Taibbi, who portrayed Goldman Sachs as evil personified in a much-discussed Rolling Stone article over the summer, has the bank in his sights again. In his blog on True/Slant, Taibbi accuses Goldman of misleading and purposely confusing lawmakers about the practice known as naked short selling as new financial rules are debated. The blog is...

Dow Falls 30 to End Best Quarter in 10 Years
Wall Street Journal | Sep 30, 09 3:27 PM CDT
(Newser) - Disappointing economic data drove stocks lower today but couldn't dent strong gains for the third quarter. ADP reported bigger job losses than expected in September, and the Chicago Institute for Supply Management's business index dropped more than expected. The Dow fell 30 points to close at 9,718. The Nasdaq lost 2 points, settling at 2,122, while...

Michelle, Oprah Hit Copenhagen
Chicago Tribune | Sep 30, 09 3:05 PM CDT
(Newser) - Copenhagen's star power got a big boost today with the arrival of Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey, in town to push Chicago's bid for the Games. Oprah was greeted with "bad weather for hair" and a throng of fans crying "Oprah! Oprah!" as she walked the streets, notes the Chicago Tribune, which offers a bit of Olympic trivia: The...

Palin Memoir a Top Seller Before Release
CNN | Sep 30, 09 2:56 PM CDT
(Newser) - Pre-orders have pushed Sarah Palin’s memoir to the No. 1 spot on Barnes and Noble’s website—though it won’t be out until mid-November. On Amazon, Palin’s Going Rogue: An American Life is at No. 2, trailing Dan Brown but trumping Glenn Beck’s latest. Harper has ordered a big first printing of 1.5 million copies,...

Youth-Magnet Cities in US
Wall Street Journal | Sep 30, 09 2:44 PM CDT
(Newser) - Where will young people wind up once the recession ends? Some experts give the Wall Street Journal their best guesses: (tie) Washington, DC: Young people see Barack Obama as “America’s coolest boss,” says one panelist. Jobs in and around government abound, including nonprofit work that appeals to service-minded young people....

Google Gives Select Few a Taste of Wave
Christian Science Monitor | Sep 30, 09 2:30 PM CDT
(Newser) - A hundred thousand lucky beta testers today got their hands on the much-hyped “Google Wave,” a communication app that Google’s calling “what email would look like if it were designed today.” Wave operates a little like a cross between email, instant messaging, and collaborative wikis, allowing users to edit conversations...

US, Iran May Meet One-on-One on Nukes
Washington Post | Sep 30, 09 2:11 PM CDT
(Newser) - US diplomats will try to meet one-on-one with their Iranian counterparts during tomorrow’s multi-nation negotiations on Tehran’s nuclear program. It would be the most significant direct engagement between the two countries since the Iranian revolution. An anonymous official tells the Washington Post that the one-on-one talks would "reinforce...

Righty Site Yanks Post on US Military Coup
Talking Points Memo | Sep 30, 09 1:56 PM CDT
(Newser) - A Newsmax columnist—the conservative mag says he's a mere “unpaid blogger”—suggests that a military coup against the Obama administration is “gaining possibility.” “Imagine a bloodless coup to restore and defend the Constitution through an interim administration,” writes John Perry in a column that...

Women More Selective Daters? Maybe Not
LiveScience | Sep 30, 09 1:42 PM CDT
(Newser) - Women may be more “selective” daters, but that distinction could well be based not on innate personality but on social norms and the simple prospect of which gender is doing the pursuing. A new study had subjects participate in a few rounds of speed dating. When the males approached the females, the men reported more enthusiasm about their...

Soda Tax Deserves to Fizzle
Reason Magazine | Sep 30, 09 1:39 PM CDT
(Newser) - Taxing soda is at best a stupid idea and at worst a cynical ploy by a money-grubbing government, writes Katherine Mangu-Ward for Reason . Here's why: Sin taxes don't work: "None of the nickel-and-dime proposals on the table is large enough to discourage soda drinking," Mangu-Ward writes. "And they're not really intended to."...

Nike Ditches Chamber Board Over Climate Change
Politico | Sep 30, 09 1:19 PM CDT
(Newser) - Nike is bolting from the US Chamber of Commerce’s board of directors over the business lobby's dogged opposition to climate change legislation, a stance it “fundamentally disagrees” with, and which fails to represent "the diversity of perspective held by the board of directors.” But the swoosh won’t leave the organization...

Brian Austin Green Is Back. Thank You , Megan Fox
Huffington Post | Sep 30, 09 1:01 PM CDT
(Newser) - After falling into near-obscurity following his stint on Beverly Hills 90210 , Brian Austin Green is suddenly everywhere: “in the background of photos featuring Megan Fox,” “on that short-lived but cult-followed show Terminator ,” even “as a pants-dropping Transformer” on the season premiere of Saturday Night...

Distracted Drivers Killed 5,800 in '08
Reuters | Sep 30, 09 12:49 PM CDT
(Newser) - Accidents caused by distracted drivers killed at least 5,800 and injured another 515,000 last year, according to data pulled from police reports and presented today to Transportation Department conference on the issue. The actual figures may be significantly higher, say Transportation officials, since distraction is often hard to identify as a cause...

Indonesia Quake Toll Hits 75; Thousands Trapped
Associated Press | Sep 30, 09 12:44 PM CDT
(Newser) - The powerful earthquake that rocked western Indonesia today has trapped thousands under collapsed buildings—including two hospitals—and triggered landslides. At least 75 people were killed on Sumatra island, and the death toll was expected to climb sharply. The magnitude 7.6 temblor comes a day after a quake in the South Pacific triggered...

Feds Saw Bloody Outline of Child in Anthony's Trunk
Fox News | Sep 30, 09 12:30 PM CDT
(Newser) - FBI forensics experts found a blood stain in the shape of a child in fetal position in the trunk of Casey Anthony’s car, according to newly released documents. One intelligence analyst pointed out the silhouette in an email to another bureau employee last September. “You can make out what may be the back, bottom, and legs most clearly,”...

At Heart of Marilyn's Fall, a 'Very Sick Girl'
DoubleX | Sep 30, 09 12:21 PM CDT
(Newser) - J. Randy Taraborrelli’s new 541-page biography, The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe , doesn’t really deliver on promises of “explosive,” “revelatory” discoveries—at least, “not to a Marilyn obsessive like myself,” writes Lori Leibovich for DoubleX. “Instead, there is the deepening of the much...

Don't Hate Me: I'm Just Here to Clean Up
Salon | Sep 30, 09 12:07 PM CDT
(Newser) - Cindy Reid doesn’t want you to think she and her boss—and boyfriend—are the “bad guys.” But it is difficult when her man is the one “you never want to see pull up to your house. He has eyes that go flat when you offer excuses,” because he doesn’t have time for them: He’s there to empty your...

8 Perfect New Shows for Jon Gosselin
The Wrap | Sep 30, 09 11:56 AM CDT
(Newser) - Now that Jon Gosselin’s been bumped from Jon and Kate Plus 8 , he’s free to take part in some much more appropriate reality TV fare. Josef Adalian offers some suggestions on the Wrap: The Other Half , Redux : Think a male version of The View starring “Roman Polanski, Kanye West ,and Rep Joe Wilson as Gosselin's fellow...

Yojhi Daughter Limi Goes Big in Paris
Daily Telegraph (UK) | Sep 30, 09 11:49 AM CDT
(Newser) - The fourth and final leg of the spring fashion shows began today in Paris, and the Daily Telegraph weighed in from the sidelines of Limi Feu's hot-pink carpet. The daughter of Yohji Yamamoto dressed models (including a Yorkshire terrier) in mostly oversize black-and-white clothes: "drop-crotch, cropped trousers; a series of voluminous, gathered...

Supreme Court Will Hear Challenge to Local Gun Laws
Los Angeles Times | Sep 30, 09 11:40 AM CDT
(Newser) - The Supreme Court will take up a case that could radically alter legal precedent regarding gun ownership and Second Amendment rights. The case is an appeal brought by Chicago-area gun owners who challenged the city’s ban on handguns. The high court overturned such a ban last year in Washington, DC, but didn't make clear whether it applied to...

Baby-Scared Spencer: We're 'Barely Having Sex'
New York Post | Sep 30, 09 11:26 AM CDT
(Newser) - Today’s I-just-threw-up-in-my-mouth moment, courtesy of Spencer Pratt: “I'm not even kidding, my wife—OK, I'm gonna get crass here—but we're barely having sex because I'm scared that she's gonna have a baby,” he overshares with the New York Post. “That's the level our marriage is on right now. I'm not even kidding—my...

Israel Will Free 20 Palestinian Prisoners for Video of Soldier
Haaretz (Israel) | Sep 30, 09 11:23 AM CDT
(Newser) - Israel will release 20 Palestinian women from jail in exchange for a video from Hamas proving that a young soldier captured three years ago is alive. The swap is expected to take place Friday and will lead to further negotiations for the release of Gilad Shalit, now 23, who was seized by Hamas militants in 2006. Shalit's family praised the breakthrough...

Dem Won't Apologize for 'Die Quickly' Gag
Associated Press | Sep 30, 09 11:20 AM CDT
(Newser) - Florida Rep. Alan Grayson is refusing to apologize for his snarky statement on the House floor that Republicans want Americans to “die quickly.” Last night, Grayson took the floor and declared that he had, after much probing, determined that Republicans had a two part plan: Don’t get sick, and if you do, die quickly. “That’s...

U2 Tour Costs $750K a Day
Rolling Stone | Sep 30, 09 11:17 AM CDT
(Newser) - Rolling Stone goes behind the scenes—and tags along in a private jet—for its cover story on the U2360° Tour (aka “the biggest rock tour of all time”), which is comprised of a 170-ton stage carted around by 200 trucks, 250 speakers, almost 400 employees—and $750,000 a day in overhead costs. The band is eager to “engage...

Congress Votes to Boost Own Budget
Politico | Sep 30, 09 11:00 AM CDT
(Newser) - With local governments around the country tightening their belts, Congress is loosening theirs. The House last week approved a 5.8% bump in the legislative budget, and the Senate is poised to do so as well. That’ll bring Capitol Hill’s annual budget to $4.7 billion, Politico reports. Expenditures include $500,000 for senators to send out...

For That Photoshopped Look: Airbrush Yourself at Home
SpliceToday | Sep 30, 09 10:52 AM CDT
(Newser) - As if the fake beauty of those Photoshopped magazine covers wasn’t enough, enter Temptu, a home “airbrush system” that can give anyone that flat, plastic look in the flesh. Chloe Angyal is appalled. One really needs to focus in order “to think about just how incredibly screwed up this concept is,” she writes. It’s...

Don't Apologize, Meg, Voting Is Dumb
Slate | Sep 30, 09 10:42 AM CDT
(Newser) - Meg Whitman has taken heat for her, ahem, spotty voting record—the ex-CEO wasn’t even registered to vote until 2002—and, of course, she has apologized. But she shouldn’t have, writes Christopher Beam for Slate. Economists have long argued that, from an individual’s perspective, voting is irrational. The odds that your...

Suri Cruise's Wardrobe: $3.2M
Sun (UK) | Sep 30, 09 10:34 AM CDT
(Newser) - Conspicuous celebrity consumption has reached new heights (or lows?): Three-year-old Suri Cruise reportedly has a designer wardrobe worth $3.2 million. Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes “really splurge on” their daughter, sometimes commissioning top designers to make her custom outfits, a source tells the Sun. “Suri is very vocal when...

Dylan Album Out Early—if You've Got a Citi Card
Reuters | Sep 30, 09 10:20 AM CDT
(Newser) - Citibank rewards customers will have first dibs on Bob Dylan’s first-ever Christmas album. The lucky cardholders will be able to download Christmas in the Heart online during the week before Oct. 13, when it goes on sale to the general public. An exec tells Reuters the offer will have “high appeal” to Citi’s customers. All...

Flirting Makes Men Feel Better
Daily Telegraph (UK) | Sep 30, 09 10:16 AM CDT
(Newser) - Forget the bromance: Hanging out with attractive women makes men feel better than they do around other men, a new study finds. Just being around the fairer sex boosts men’s levels of testosterone and cortisol, hormones that improve alertness and well-being. In the trials, just five minutes around attractive women boosted testosterone 14% and...

Only the President Can Save the Public Option
Politico | Sep 30, 09 10:08 AM CDT
(Newser) - Pretty soon, Barack Obama is going to have to step in and referee the fight over the public option. No matter what the squabbling Senate Finance Committee winds up agreeing on, it’ll be Obama, together with Harry Reid, who decides what the Senate ultimately votes on, and how that bill is combined with the House's plan. One rep tells Politico...

It Wasn't Rape: Sharon Tate's Sis
New York Daily News | Sep 30, 09 9:56 AM CDT
(Newser) - The sister of Roman Polanski’s murdered second wife, Sharon Tate, says his crime was not rape. "There's rape and then there's rape ,” Debra Tate tells MSNBC, and what happened between Polanski and his 13-year-old victim was “a consensual matter.” More from the Polanski saga: Fake IDs, disguises, maybe a bad dye...

Iraq WMD Mistakes Haunt Debate Over Iran Nukes
New York Times | Sep 30, 09 9:37 AM CDT
(Newser) - As the US confronts Iran over its nuclear program, many Americans can’t help but flash back to 2003, when Colin Powell made a compelling case before the UN that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. Is the uproar over Iran’s Qom facility the same kind of smoke and mirrors, asks the New York Times . Not exactly. This time, the White House...

Dem Donor, Ponzi Schemer Hsu Gets 24 Years
Wall Street Journal | Sep 30, 09 9:32 AM CDT
(Newser) - Norman Hsu is a man of many hats, but the Hillary Clinton fundraiser extraordinaire, Ponzi schemer, and onetime fugitive has been sentenced to wear them in prison for the next 24 years. While significantly less than the 30 years prosecutors had asked for, Hsu’s lawyer tells the Wall Street Journal that his client plans an appeal. Though Hsu...