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.
College Calorie Info Could Be Backfiring
Newsweek
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Sep 15, 2009 7:36 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Colleges that bombard students with calorie counts and similar information to discourage overeating—and the dreaded "freshman 15" pounds—may be causing bigger diet problems instead, reports Newsweek . Many schools are rethinking their strategy in the wake of rising numbers of eating disorders, and a growing sense that a simplistic...
DeLay Injured in Dancing With the Stars Rehearsal
People
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Sep 15, 2009 7:00 PM CDT
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Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay was injured today in rehearsal for ABC’s Dancing With the Stars , he writes on Twitter—though an injury he says he initially feared was a stress fracture in his foot isn’t quite that serious. “It’s a pre-stress fracture. I live for another day,” he wrote; an ABC rep tells ...
Informant: Italian Mafia Sank Ship Carrying Nuke Waste
BBC
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Sep 15, 2009 6:42 PM CDT
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Italian authorities are investigating an informant’s claim that the mafia sank a ship containing nuclear waste off the country’s southwest coast, the BBC reports. Underwater cameras show the ship intact, with barrels nearby marked as containing toxic contents; the informant says that organized crime has gotten into the nuclear waste-disposal...
ACORN Is Rotten, And Mainstream Media Ignores It
Fox News
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Sep 15, 2009 6:21 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The scandal enveloping community-organizing group ACORN “has everything you could ever want,” Dan Gainor writes for Fox News: “corruption, sleazy actions at tax-funded organizations, firings, government ties, sex, hookers. It is a network news director’s dream.” Curiously, ABC, CBS, and NBC aren't covering the brouhaha...
Ford Unveils Minivan Lite
USA Today
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Sep 15, 2009 5:45 PM CDT
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Ford has announced its reentry into the please-don't-call-it-a-minivan category, USA Today reports. The carmaker has been out of the minivan business since 2007, and it plans to stay that way—at least in name—with the Grand C-Max, scheduled to be on US roads in two years. Built on a stretched version of Ford’s international...
Obama Visits Dave Monday
The Wrap
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Sep 15, 2009 5:20 PM CDT
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After making the rounds of no fewer than five morning talk shows on Sunday, President Obama will be David Letterman's sole guest on Monday, the Wrap reports. Obama, pushing his health care reform, will make his first appearance with Letterman since the campaign and his sixth overall. He will be the first sitting president to appear on the show.
House Admonishes Wilson for 'You Lie!'
Associated Press
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Sep 15, 2009 4:47 PM CDT
(AP) -
The House formally admonished Joe Wilson today for his "You lie" outburst during President Obama's speech. The vote was 240-179, with 12 Democrats and seven Republicans voting against party lines. "At issue," declared House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer during debate, "is whether we are able to proceed with a degree of civility...
Obama Rallies Labor to Back Reform
Wall Street Journal
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Sep 15, 2009 4:37 PM CDT
(Newser) -
President Obama returned to friendly territory at an AFL-CIO rally in Pittsburgh and a GM plant in Ohio today to rally support for his health care reform plans, the Wall Street Journal reports. Noting that the issue had been talked “to death,” Obama asked the audience of AFL-CIO leaders: "How much longer are we going to have to wait?...
Drudge's Play of Bus Beating Draws Critics
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
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Sep 15, 2009 4:24 PM CDT
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A fight on a school bus in Illinois is generating lots of attention across the country. A videotape of the incident shows black teens beating a white classmate while some onlookers cheer, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. Police are investigating but have backed off an initial statement that the attack was racially motivated. The story has picked...
Garridos Suspect in 2 More Cases
San Francisco Chronicle
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Sep 15, 2009 4:00 PM CDT
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Bay Area police are searching Philip Garrido’s home and adjacent properties for evidence of two kidnappings in the late 1980s similar to the abduction of Jaycee Dugard, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Nine-year-old Michaela Garecht was kidnapped in 1988 from nearby Hayward, while 13-year-old Ilene Misheloff was taken 2 months later in...
Zune HD Rivals iPod Touch
Wired
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Sep 15, 2009 3:44 PM CDT
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Microsoft releases a new Zune every year, mostly to collective shrugs, but this year’s model “might be the Zune that you’ve been waiting for,” writes Mark McClusky of Wired . “You were waiting, right?” The slim, white-and-black Zune HD is “a lovely industrial design,” with a beautiful screen that...
Dow Up 56 on Bernanke, Retail
Wall Street Journal
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Sep 15, 2009 3:22 PM CDT
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Stocks posted solid advances after Ben Bernanke said it was “very likely” that the recession is over, the Wall Street Journal reports. Economic reports showed retail sales gaining 2.7% last month, largely because of the “Cash for Clunkers” program, while the Fed’s index of NY manufacturing activity rose to its highest...
Kanye Calls Taylor to Apologize
Entertainment Weekly
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Sep 15, 2009 3:09 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Kanye West called Taylor Swift today to personally apologize for rushing the stage during her VMA acceptance speech, Entertainment Weekly reports. “Kanye did call me,” right after her appearance on The View , Swift told ABC News. “He was very sincere in his apology, and I accepted that apology.” When asked if “going...
Mortars Rock Baghdad During Biden's Visit
New York Times
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Sep 15, 2009 2:57 PM CDT
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Mortar rounds exploded near the US Embassy in downtown Baghdad today during a surprise visit by Joe Biden, the New York Times reports. The vice president was inside the embassy compound when two mortars struck apartment buildings across the street. Two more rounds landed near the compound but didn’t explode, the AP notes. No word yet on casualties,...
Spring Fashions Feel 'Craftsy'
Los Angeles Times
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Sep 15, 2009 2:36 PM CDT
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This spring, designers are getting touchy-feely, writes Booth Moore in the Los Angeles Times ’ continuing look at Fashion Week. From a rope-weave raffia vest by Carolina Herrera to Donna Karan’s “fabrics seemingly weathered by the elements,” designs have “a craftsy feel”—“maybe it's a signal that we're...
Reform's Biggest Hurdle: White America's Fear
Salon
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Sep 15, 2009 2:21 PM CDT
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The hallmark diversity of the United States is the biggest obstacle to a “federal social insurance system”—health care included, writes Michael Lind on Slate. The greatest strides toward a European-style safety net were made between World War I and the 1970s “when the foreign-born percentage of the US population was at an all-time...
Harry Potter Park Opens This Spring
Orlando Sentinel
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Sep 15, 2009 2:12 PM CDT
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Get your wands ready: the Wizarding World of Harry Potter opens next spring, Universal Orlando announced. Muggles will enter through the village of Hogsmeade, where they’ll visit Hogsmeade station, Zonko’s joke shop, and the Three Broomsticks pub to sample some butterbeer. But the main event, called Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey,...
Johns Hopkins Student Kills Burglar With Samurai Sword
Baltimore Sun
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Sep 15, 2009 2:00 PM CDT
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For those thinking of burglarizing hapless eggheads, think again: A would-be burglar met his end at the hands of a Johns Hopkins student armed with a samurai sword early today, the Baltimore Sun reports. The student, who lives off-campus, told cops he heard a sound and went downstairs, to find a man in his garage. When the man lunged at him,...
Kid Cudi's Debut 'Ridiculously Intriguing'
Boston Globe
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Sep 15, 2009 1:42 PM CDT
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The premise of Kanye West protégé Kid Cudi’s Man on the Moon: The End of the Day is that he’s “not on the same planet as other rappers. The truth is that he’s not in the same genre,” writes Julian Benbow for the Boston Globe . The debut album “is a lot of things. It’s spacey, adventurous, and...
Highest-Paid Women in America
Fortune Magazine
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Sep 15, 2009 1:22 PM CDT
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On the heels of its 2009 Most Powerful Women list, Fortune has compiled another of the best compensated females in the corporate world. The top 10 for 2008: Safra Katz, president, Oracle: $42.4 million Linda Chen, president, Wynn International Marketing: $23.9 million Sharen Turney, president and CEO, Victoria's Secret: $20.3 million...
Highest-Paid Men in America
CNN
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Sep 15, 2009 1:16 PM CDT
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Fortune ’s just released its annual list of the country’s highest-paid men and women. The men come out on top, with the top-paid man making two and a half times what the top woman makes. The top 10 men are below, along with total 2008 compensation. Aubrey McClendon, Chairman and CEO, Chesapeake Energy, $112.5 million Sanjay...
Save the Planet: Use a Condom
Washington Post
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Sep 15, 2009 1:02 PM CDT
(Newser) -
You’ve got your hybrid, your low-watt bulbs, and your solar panels: what’s the next step to saving the planet? Try a pack of condoms. New studies point to the hefty environmental toll of each child, particularly in America, the Washington Post reports. Every kid born in the US means another 1,644 tons of carbon dioxide, says an Oregon...
Joint Chiefs Chair: Afghan War Needs More Troops
Los Angeles Times
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Sep 15, 2009 12:47 PM CDT
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The drumbeat for more US troops in Afghanistan goes on: The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told senators today that a "properly resourced counter-insurgency probably means more forces." Adm. Mike Mullen said he hasn't yet received a formal request from Gen. Stanley McChrystal but expects one "very soon," notes Politico....
Bush Disses Obama, Palin in Aide's Book
GQ
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Sep 15, 2009 12:33 PM CDT
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George Bush apparently didn't think much of Barack Obama as a candidate. “This is a dangerous world, and this cat isn’t remotely qualified to handle it," he's quoted in a new book as saying. "This guy has no clue, I promise you.” GQ has excerpts of Speech-Less: Tales of a White House Survivor , by speechwriter Matt...
Greatest White Trash Movie Heroes
Spike TV
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Sep 15, 2009 12:18 PM CDT
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Hicks and hillbillies can be heroes, too, SpikeTV points out in a look at the greatest characters to go from the trailer park to the big screen. HI McDunnough, Raising Arizona : Nicolas Cage's performance remains his finest to this day. His likable baby-snatcher makes some lousy decisions, but "he’s loving and loyal—not to...
Wilson's Wife Couldn't Believe He Was 'Nut That Hollered'
Talking Points Memo
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Sep 15, 2009 12:05 PM CDT
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Joe Wilson’s own wife couldn’t believe he’d be crass enough to shout at the president, she declared in what is supposed to be a positive ad for Wilson’s re-election campaign. “I said, ‘Joe, who’s the nut that hollered out, ‘You lie?’” Roxanne Wilson recalls in the ad. “And he goes ‘It...
Douglas, Damon Ready to Kiss
USA Today
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Sep 15, 2009 11:42 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Michael Douglas has some advice for Matt Damon, his soon-to-be co-star—and onscreen lover—in an upcoming film about Liberace. “I saw Michael last night. He comes up and says, ‘Get your Chapstick ready,’” Damon tells USA Today . “It's going to be a great movie,” he adds of the Steven Soderbergh film....
Ron Paul Fans Return, as Tea Partiers
FiveThirtyEight
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Sep 15, 2009 11:30 AM CDT
(Newser) -
If you polled the protesters at Saturday’s tea party protest on who they voted for in the Republican primaries, Tom Schaller of FiveThirtyEight.com has a sneaking suspicion they’d reply, “Ron Paul.” The protesters focus on libertarian complaints and rhetoric, and bear that familiar Paulite intensity. The first protester to tote...
Kate Wants a Talk Show, Jon Keeps Partying
E! Online
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Sep 15, 2009 11:16 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Not getting enough Kate Gosselin in your life? Good news: Perhaps inspired by her guest stint on The View this week, the reality show mom is looking to host a similar morning show, E! reports. Telepictures, which produces Ellen DeGeneres’ and Tyra Banks’ shows, is considering Gosselin, Paula Deen, and other famous moms as co-hosts, sources...
So Who Is This Juan Martin del Potro?
People
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Sep 15, 2009 11:04 AM CDT
(Newser) -
You may not have known Juan Martin del Potro's name before last night, but after besting Roger Federer to take the US Open, you're likely to hear it again. People dishes five facts about the 20-year-old Argentine. He's a giant: At 6'6", compared to Federer's 6'1", he's the tallest Grand Slam champ of all time.
Colin Farrell, Galpal Expecting
People
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Sep 15, 2009 10:59 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Colin Farrell is “going to be a father again,” he confirms to People . Galpal Alicja Bachleda will be his second babymama—he already has son James, 6, with model Kim Bordenave. “I'm very excited man! Very! There is nothing more exciting really,” he continues, adding that he’s looking forward to “everything....
Bernanke: Recession 'Very Likely Over'
Associated Press
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Sep 15, 2009 10:54 AM CDT
(AP) -
Fed chief Ben Bernanke said today that the worst recession since the 1930s is "very likely over at this point." However, "it's still going to feel like a weak economy for some time," he warned, and unemployment will almost certainly rise. He spoke today to the Brookings Institution, where he also said he's confident Congress will...
Brooks: Humility Is Dead
New York Times
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Sep 15, 2009 10:45 AM CDT
(Newser) -
What happened to humility in America? In the past few days, we’ve seen Joe Wilson interrupt a presidential speech, Kanye West steal Taylor Swift’s microphone to voice his opinion, and Michael Jordan offer up an “egomaniacal” Hall of Fame speech, writes David Brooks in the New York Times . “Today, immodesty is as ubiquitous...
Police Suspect Lab Tech in Yale Killing
New Haven Independent
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Sep 15, 2009 10:32 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Police suspect a Yale lab technician in the killing of student Annie Le, rather than another student, as had previously been reported, the New Haven Independent reports. Police were investigating the employee, who works with animal testing, even before they found Le’s body, curious about the scratch marks on his chest. According to one source,...
Volkswagen Rolls Out Electric Beetle
Fast Company
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Sep 15, 2009 10:13 AM CDT
(AP) -
Volkswagen made a splash at the IAA autoshow, unveiling the E-Up, a fully-electric compact car that the company's hailing as the "Beetle of the 21st century," Fast Company reports. Its stats are fairly impressive, at least for an electric: the E-Up can accelerate relatively quickly and hit a top speed of 84 mph, so even though VW's dubbing...
Piven: Stop Making Fun of Me!
New York Post
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Sep 15, 2009 9:50 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Jeremy Piven has had it up to here with people mocking his sushi poisoning. The comedian slapped the Public Theater with a cease-and-desist letter over The Piven Monologues , a show that explores his mercury poisoning fiasco. Piven’s attorney clarifies, “We didn't say you cannot do the play, we said you can't make defamatory statements...
Wilson's Outburst May Put Dukakis in Kennedy's Seat
Daily Beast
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Sep 15, 2009 9:37 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Anger at Joe Wilson’s “You lie!” attack may have provided the spark Massachusetts’ Democratic lawmakers needed to honor Ted Kennedy’s wish: that the state’s governor be given the power to appoint a temporary replacement for Kennedy, writes Dan Payne for the Daily Beast. The top candidate for the post is former Gov....
Google Unveils Weird New Web Reader
CNET
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Sep 15, 2009 9:25 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Google unveiled an offbeat new news reader yesterday, which allows viewers to scan newspaper and magazine pages as they appear in print. Dubbed “Google Fast Flip,” it displays a set series of pages pre-cached by Google, to avoid loading times on the sites themselves. “If your brain is stuck in 1969 and you want to pretend that new-fangled...
Pakistan Army Likely Behind Widespread Swat Killings
New York Times
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Sep 15, 2009 9:14 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Pakistan’s army took over the Swat Valley two months ago, ending Taliban control of the region—but lately, violence has swept the streets, with hundreds of bodies reportedly strewn about, the New York Times reports. The military says it’s a matter of revenge killings between locals, but human rights groups and locals say the army...
Grey, Demi Lead Swayze Tributes
People
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Sep 15, 2009 9:12 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Like generations who adored him, Jennifer Grey often thinks about swaying in Patrick Swayze’s arms, People reports. “When I think of him, I think of being in his arms when we were kids, dancing, practicing the lift in the freezing lake, having a blast doing this tiny little movie we thought no one would ever see,” says his Dirty...
Bea Arthur Called Betty White a What?
People
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Sep 15, 2009 9:07 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Bea Arthur’s sharp humor and potty mouth were remembered at yesterday’s tribute to the late actor, People reports. Recollections ranged from the reverent—“She really taught me how to be a feminist,” said Rosie O’Donnell—to the raunchy—“God, I want to fuck him,” Arthur once said of Alec Baldwin....
Citigroup Wants to Repay Bailout, Cut Treasury Stake
Wall Street Journal
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Sep 15, 2009 8:48 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Citigroup is drawing up a plan to get out from under the government’s thumb, the Wall Street Journal reports. The bank called the Treasury over the weekend to say it was looking for ways to scale back the government’s investment, outlining a plan in which it would raise outside capital to repay bailout funds, and issue new public shares,...
Bill and Barack Buddy Up Over Lunch
Washington Post
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Sep 15, 2009 8:41 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Rapping knuckles on Wall Street is hard work, so when Barack Obama finished yesterday, he hopped over to Greenwich Village to grab a bite with Bill Clinton, reports the Washington Post. On the menu? "Fish, pasta and salad," said Clinton. "Even I was healthy." And up for discussion? The economy, and health care—in the latest...
Wife-Beating Branded a 'Pre-Existing Condition'
Huffington Post
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Sep 15, 2009 8:30 AM CDT
(Newser) -
It is legal in eight states and in DC for insurers to reject victims of domestic violence because being beaten up by your spouse qualifies as "a pre-existing health condition" the Huffington Post reports. If you're in a marriage where it's happened once, the logic goes, you're more likely than the average person to get beaten up again. Democrats...
Prince Harry's B-Day Gift: $10M
CNN
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Sep 15, 2009 8:13 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Prince Harry’s 25th birthday today made him a millionaire, CNN reports. Princess Diana left a $35 million estate, which means about $21.6 million for Harry and William to share after inheritance taxes. Though the princes can’t spend it until they turn 30, Harry is now entitled to the income generated by his portion—estimated at about...
New Op Turns Those Love Handles Into Fake Breasts
Daily Mail (UK)
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Sep 15, 2009 7:57 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A new surgical technique, tested in the US and Britain, promises to give women a “two-for-one” by taking unwanted fat from their stomach and thighs and turning it into terrific breast implants, the Daily Mail reports. These implants look and feel more natural than their silicon counterparts, proponents say, and shouldn’t harden...
Recounts Ordered at 2,500 Afghan Voting Sites
Associated Press
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Sep 15, 2009 7:48 AM CDT
(AP) -
A UN-backed monitoring body ordered Afghanistan's election commission to recount ballots from about 10% of the country's polling stations because of suspicious totals in last month's presidential vote, the AP reports. The recount order raises the possibility that President Hamid Karzai's lead could drop below the 50% threshold, forcing the country...
US Strike Kills al-Qaeda Hotel Bomber in Somalia
New York Times
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Sep 15, 2009 7:40 AM CDT
(Newser) -
An American helicopter strike killed a long-sought terrorist in Southern Somalia yesterday, the New York Times reports. Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan, an al-Qaeda leader operating out of Kenya, was suspected in the 2002 attack on a Kenyan resort as well as the attacks on US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998. He was riding in a truck with leaders of...
Brit Stand-Up Runs 43 Marathons in 52 Days
Guardian (UK)
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Sep 15, 2009 7:09 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Eddie Izzard had never run more than 5 miles in his life before this summer but he'll be aiming for the finish line in his 43rd marathon today, the Guardian reports. The stand-up comedian, 47 years old and better known for wearing high heels and make-up than for running, took up the challenge of running nearly a marathon a day for the Sport Relief...
Shoe-Tosser Released, Says 'I Was Tortured'
BBC
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Sep 15, 2009 6:40 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The Iraqi reporter who was locked up for throwing his shoes at George W. Bush says he was tortured in prison, the BBC reports. He was released today after nine months in a Baghdad jail, Reuters notes, and says he plans to identify those officials who tortured him. Relatives say he’s still scared for his life. “Today I am free again but...
