Newser Story Index from January, 2010
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.
Beyoncé, Taylor Swift Share Spotlight
MTV
|
Jan 31, 2010 11:03 PM CST
(Newser) -
Beyoncé won six Grammy Awards tonight in Los Angeles, setting a record for a female performer, but was foiled in two high-profile categories. The R&B superstar captured song of the year for "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On it)," while Taylor Swift took home album of the year for "Fearless"—one of the 20-year-old pop-country...
Schaub Leads AFC Past NFC, 41-34
Associated Press
|
Jan 31, 2010 10:23 PM CST
(AP) -
In its new role as a warmup to the Super Bowl, the Pro Bowl became a series of wind sprints. Long gains were the rule and hard hitting the exception as the AFC beat the NFC tonight in Miami, 41-34. Light showers fell but uniforms remained mostly spotless, with more pushing and shoving than tackling. Game MVP Matt Schaub of the Houston Texans threw...
Michael Jackson's Kids Thank His Fans
USA Today
|
Jan 31, 2010 9:41 PM CST
(Newser) -
Michael Jackson's two older children brought the house down at tonight's Grammy Awards, taking the stage to accept their late father's lifetime achievement honor and thank his fans. "His message was simple: Love," said Prince Michael, 12. We will continue to spread his message and help the world. Thank you. We love you, Daddy." Added...
Obama Readies $3.8T Budget With Record $1.6T Deficit
Associated Press
|
Jan 31, 2010 4:41 PM CST
(AP) -
President Obama's proposed budget predicts the national deficit will crest at a record-breaking $1.6 trillion in the current fiscal year, then start to recede in 2011 to $1.3 trillion, a congressional official said today. The new budget, out tomorrow, says deficits over the next decade will average 4.5% of the size of the economy, a level economists...
South African President Fathers 20th Child
Times (UK)
|
Jan 31, 2010 4:11 PM CST
(Newser) -
South African president Jacob Zuma became a father for the 20th time when a friend's daughter gave birth to a baby girl in October. Zuma, 67, later married his third wife and is planning a wedding to a fourth woman, neither of them the baby's mother, the Times of London reports. "That's my culture," Zuma said in a discussion of polygamy...
Scott Brown: Give Ayla Another Shot on Idol
ABC
|
Jan 31, 2010 3:27 PM CST
(Newser) -
Scott Brown thought Simon Cowell's 2006 critique of daughter Ayla's performance on American Idol was "kind of harsh," but he'd still like the Fox impresario to give his offspring another chance. "Ayla actually respects Simon greatly about his critiquing," the senator-elect from Massachusetts told Barbara Walters in an interview...
Pakistani Taliban Leader Reported Dead
Los Angeles Times
|
Jan 31, 2010 3:02 PM CST
(Newser) -
The Pakistani army is investigating reports that the leader of the Taliban in the country has died after being injured in an American military drone strike. Hakimullah Mehsud, 28, had been at the helm of the Pakistani Taliban for 5 months, having taken over after the death—also in a drone strike—of Baitullah Mehsud, reports the Los Angeles...
Jon Hamm Returns to SNL, Goes Shirtless
The Onion (A.V. Club)
|
Jan 31, 2010 2:25 PM CST
(Newser) -
Jon Hamm's Saturday Night Live debut was an instant classic, which meant hopes were high—perhaps unrealistically so—for last night's second effort. The Mad Men star has no trouble taking off his shirt and "obviously enjoys doing comedy, and so was game for a few silly bits," writes Claire Zulkey of the Onion A.V. Club . The...
Food Industry's Loveliest Ladies
Slashfood
|
Jan 31, 2010 2:00 PM CST
(Newser) -
Of a piece with the site’s list of the hottest men in food , Slashfood presents its top women: Padma Lakshmi: “Calm, collected, and poised, the host of Bravo’s Top Chef is possibly the hottest woman on television,” John Devore writes. Giada De Laurentiis: The Food Network star is “fun, good-humored and stunning.”...
Rip Torn Arrested for Breaking Into Conn. Bank
Register Citizen
|
Jan 31, 2010 1:34 PM CST
(Newser) -
Rip Torn is due in court tomorrow after allegedly breaking into a bank while "highly intoxicated" and carrying a loaded gun, Connecticut state police say. The 78-year-old actor broke a window to gain entry to a Salisbury bank Friday evening and is being held on $100,000 cash bond, reports the Litchfield County Register Citizen . The Dodgeball...
Time to Pull Plug on 'Too Big to Fail'
New York Times
|
Jan 31, 2010 12:53 PM CST
(Newser) -
It's more than a year after Americans learned the definition of "too big to fail," and it's time to push through the reform that will save having to re-learn that painful lesson, writes Paul Volcker in the New York Times . "As things stand," writes the chair of the president’s Economic Recovery Advisory Board, big banks...
Web Puts 2nd Language at Your Fingertips
New York Times
|
Jan 31, 2010 11:54 AM CST
(Newser) -
The days of chanting vocabulary words in a classroom and dozing off in the language lab are fading from memory as language instruction becomes increasingly available on the Internet. Freestanding smartphone apps are one option, and more structured instruction comes at a price—and sometimes no price at all. The New York Times looks at some...
Price of Adultery? 4 Buffalo and a Pig
Associated Press
|
Jan 31, 2010 11:31 AM CST
(AP) -
A Malaysian tribal court has ordered two lovers to pay a fine of four buffalo and a pig after they were found guilty of having an illicit affair. The Star newspaper says the Native Court on Borneo island ruled last week that the man and woman must compensate their communities with the animals, valued at about 6,000 ringgit ($1,800), for their tryst....
'I'm a Scott Brown Republican'
Politico
|
Jan 31, 2010 11:00 AM CST
(Newser) -
Massachusetts' soon-to-be junior senator Scott Brown made his debut on the Sunday morning talk scene today, Politico reports, emphasizing his pro-choice stance, calling for the health bill to be scrapped, and warning fellow Republicans he'll "make his own decisions in Washington." Asked about his 2012 ambitions on This Week , he demurred:...
US Haggis Hopes Half-Baked
NPR
|
Jan 31, 2010 10:32 AM CST
(Newser) -
For those Americans who woke up this morning craving a mish-mash of heart, lung, fat, and liver baked in a sheep's stomach with special spices, well, your life is still a gaping chasm of unfulfilled need. NPR reports that the USDA isn't about to overturn its 21-year-old ban on the Scottish import, despite swirling rumors last week to the contrary....
Most Annoying People You Meet on Planes
Guyism
|
Jan 31, 2010 10:07 AM CST
(Newser) -
There are lots of reasons to dislike getting on an airplane; herewith, Guyism points out the most annoying types of people you’ll run into as you fly the friendly skies: The first-class flier: Sorry, Jeff Wysaski writes to “this smug assembly of businessmen, trust fund kids and trophy wives … a little extra legroom and a warm...
Brad, Angie 'Giggly' at Award Show
People
|
Jan 31, 2010 9:47 AM CST
(Newser) -
The Hurt Locker's Kathryn Bigelow walked away with the award that predicts the Oscar for best director last night, but of course the real news is that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were in attendance at the Directors Guild of America Awards—and looking rather amorous and "giggly," despite all those nasty breakup rumors. "They...
Haiti Tries 'Women-Only' Aid
Associated Press
|
Jan 31, 2010 8:57 AM CST
(Newser) -
Haiti relief workers are handing out women-only food coupons, launching a new phase of what they hope will be less cutthroat aid distribution to ensure that families and the weak get supplies following Haiti's devastating earthquake. Young men often force their way to the front of aid delivery lines or steal from it from others, meaning aid doesn't...
Fearless Grammy Predictions
Spin
|
Jan 31, 2010 7:56 AM CST
(Newser) -
The Grammys are tonight, so Spin breaks down the best bets to take home a trophy. Album of the Year: Taylor Swift’s Fearless is a shoo-in here, because “the only thing Grammy voters love as much as very old people is very young people"—though Lady Gaga is a dark horse.
10 Americans Accused of Trafficking Haitian Orphans
CNN
|
Jan 31, 2010 7:26 AM CST
(Newser) -
Ten Americans arrested on suspicion of child trafficking say their detention is merely a misunderstanding over documentation. The 5 men and 5 women, from an Idaho charity called New Life Children's Refuge, were detained by Haitian police as they tried to take 33 earthquake orphans to a temporary shelter in the Dominican Republic, CNN reports. The...
Miss Va. Is New Miss America
Associated Press
|
Jan 31, 2010 6:25 AM CST
(Newser) -
A 22-year-old Virginia woman who said she once thought her only talent was singing is the nation's newest Miss America. Caressa Cameron, the first black Miss America since 2005, is a broadcast journalism student at Virginia Commonwealth University with an eye on a master's degree and becoming a news anchor. "I hope to gain inspiration, I hope...
Federer Takes Australian Open
Associated Press
|
Jan 31, 2010 5:52 AM CST
(AP) -
Roger Federer has beaten Andy Murray 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (11) for his fourth Australian Open title, extending the British men's drought in Grand Slam singles championships into a 74th year. Murray was riding the hopes of a British public, most of whom have only read about the last British man to win a singles title—Fred Perry in 1936. The win was Federer's...
Scott Brown Is Obama's Cousin
Los Angeles Times
|
Jan 31, 2010 5:31 AM CST
(Newser) -
A genealogy group has discovered that Barack Obama has an unlikely branch on the right wing of his family tree—Massachusetts senator-elect Scott Brown is his 10th cousin through a 17th-century Bay State ancestor from whom both men's mothers descended. The New England Historic Genealogical Society had previously found the president is also related...
10 Most Sizzling Male Chefs
Slashfood
|
Jan 31, 2010 5:01 AM CST
(Newser) -
As if the kitchen isn't hot enough, Slashfood rounds up the 10 spiciest men in the food industry—most of whom have the double honor of heating up our living rooms, too: Sam Talbot: He may not have won season 2 of Top Chef, but this newly single Manhattanite takes the top prize for hotness. Curtis Stone: He's a blond-haired blue-eyed...
Why Losing Mass. May Be Great News for Obama
New York Times
|
Jan 30, 2010 5:49 PM CST
(Newser) -
Scott Brown's Massachusetts victory just might end up being the best thing that ever happened to President Obama, writes Matt Bai. And it could propel him to becoming exactly the kind of transformative president his supporters hoped for back in January. Look at history: Presidents who have to work with the opposing party (think Ronald Reagan) get things...
US Flexing Muscle in Gulf, Sends Message to Iran
New York Times
|
Jan 30, 2010 5:04 PM CST
(Newser) -
The US is ramping up military cooperation with Arab states in the Persian Gulf ahead of a possible showdown with Iran. The New York Times and the Washington Post weigh in with essentially the same story, both quoting anonymous administration and military officials. The strategy—which includes placing ships off the Iranian coast and beefing...
Partying in Pyongyang, Wall Street Journal -Style
Wall Street Journal
|
Jan 30, 2010 4:10 PM CST
(Newser) -
The ultimate capitalist tool tells foreigners how to party in the largely dark capital of North Korea. Bee Gees tunes anyone? Click here for tips from Kristina Perez in the Wall Street Journal . Among other things, she explains how you can keep gambling until the wee hours.
Togo Soccer Team Punished After Ambush by Gunmen
AFP
|
Jan 30, 2010 3:20 PM CST
(Newser) -
The Confederation of African Football has banned Togo's national soccer team from participating in the next two African Cup of Nations tournaments. It's punishment for the squad's decision to withdraw from this year's tournament following an attack on the team bus in Angola, reports AFP . Three people were killed.
Hollywood's Forgotten How to Tell a Story
Associated Press
|
Jan 30, 2010 2:56 PM CST
(Newser) -
Today's movies just ain't what they used to be, writes Stephen Farber. Sure, digital wizardry can be breathtaking, but the old-fashioned art of storytelling has waned. Farber compares 10 of this year's high-profile movies with similar ones from the past. "Even when these new movies are adapted from highbrow literary works, they cry out for better...
US Clears Toyota Fix for Gas Pedals
Associated Press
|
Jan 30, 2010 2:18 PM CST
(AP) -
Toyota has received clearance from federal regulators on a fix for the company's sticky gas pedals, say three people briefed on the matter. Two dealers said Toyota plans to make the announcement Monday morning. Dealers could get parts as early as Thursday or Friday.
Ethics Report Clears Bush Lawyers in Torture Memo
Newsweek
|
Jan 30, 2010 1:54 PM CST
(Newser) -
Good news for the Bush lawyers who provided the legal rationale for waterboarding and other harsh interrogation tactics: An upcoming Justice Department report clears them of serious misconduct charges, reports Newsweek . The report's final reviewer softened an earlier version that accused John Yoo, now a law professor, and Jay Bybee, now a federal...
Jersey Shore Cast Gets Second Season
People
|
Jan 30, 2010 1:22 PM CST
(Newser) -
It seems the lovable confused Guidos from Jersey Shore have been invited to return for a second season. MTV's hit reality show will have the lovable/hatable cast returning to TV in a new and as yet undisclosed location, reports People . For those who need a recap, MTV will air all of season one's episodes on Feb. 7 beginning at 9am.
Watch Rush Limbaugh Dance
TMZ
|
Jan 30, 2010 1:02 PM CST
(Newser) -
The man is no conservative on the dance floor. In this video, Rush Limbaugh boogies to Lady Gaga's Poker Face "while doing the Jersey Shore fist pump," notes TMZ . "Yes, it's as awesome as it sounds." Limbaugh is a celebrity judge in some sort of competition related to the Miss America pageant and—oh, it doesn't matter....
Jersey Shore Cast Gets Second Season
Associated Press
|
Jan 30, 2010 12:42 PM CST
(AP) -
MTV's Jersey Shore will be back for a second season with its original cast. The network ordered 12 new episodes to air this summer. Pauly D, Mike, Snooki, Jenni, Sammi, Ronnie, and Vinny "escape the cold Northeast and find themselves in a new destination," says an MTV statement. For those who need a recap, MTV will air all of season one's...
JD Salinger Was No Recluse, Say Neighbors
Boston Globe
|
Jan 30, 2010 12:15 PM CST
(Newser) -
He may have been a hermit to the rest of the world, but JD Salinger's neighbors in Cornish, NH, know differently. He valued his privacy to be sure, but the man also got around. He liked the Dartmouth Bookstore in nearby Hanover, favored the Windsor Diner, and was a regular at the roast beef suppers at First Congregational Church, where you could usually...
Repealing 'Don't Ask' Is Typical Liberal Bunk
Weekly Standard
|
Jan 30, 2010 11:39 AM CST
(Newser) -
President Obama's decision to press ahead with repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell is wrong on several fronts, writes William Kristol. For starters, "it would be reckless to require the military to carry out a major sociological change, one contrary to the preferences of a large majority of its members, as it fights two wars," he writes in the...
Larry Summers Coins a Phrase
Wall Street Journal
|
Jan 30, 2010 10:58 AM CST
(Newser) -
The Wall Street Journal is taken with a phrase uttered by Larry Summers today at the Davos economic summit. The US is experiencing a "statistical recovery and a human recession," said the Obama economic adviser. The phrase "should resonate through much of the industrial world, where high and long-standing unemployment is increasingly...
Justice Dept. Looking at Legality of BCS System
The Hill
|
Jan 30, 2010 10:35 AM CST
(Newser) -
Trouble for the BCS? The Justice Department says it's considering opening an investigation into the legality of college football's system of picking a champion. In a letter to Sen. Orrin Hatch—he hates the BCS because he says it gives an unfair advantage, and thus a ton of money, to big conferences—the department says it's reviewing whether...
Web Game Turns Celeb Orphans Into Accessories
MSNBC
|
Jan 30, 2010 10:01 AM CST
(Newser) -
An online fashion game is under fire for allowing players to buy a chic accessory for their avatars: the adopted children of celebrities. My Minx , a “dress-up game for style icons,” now includes an “adoption clinic” where players can acquire web versions of, say, Angelina Jolie’s brood, and even Haitian orphans. They...
Avatar Creating Bottleneck at 3D Screens
New York Times
|
Jan 30, 2010 9:36 AM CST
(Newser) -
The success of Avatar is creating a first-of-its-kind problem in movie land: a potential bottleneck of films for 3D screens. The problem will come to a head March 5, when Disney releases Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland . Imax theaters and other operators of 3D screens agreed long ago to show the Disney flick, but nobody at the time figured that...
Haiti Injured Airlift Halted Over Cost Dispute
New York Times
|
Jan 30, 2010 8:26 AM CST
(Newser) -
Evacuations of critically injured Haitians to hospitals in the US were suspended this week after a dispute arose over who would pay for their medical care, the New York Times reports. The flights were canceled Wednesday after Florida Gov. Charlie Crist asked the federal government to cover some of the cost of the quake victims being treated in...
Pentagon Starts Clock on Lifting Gay Ban
Associated Press
|
Jan 30, 2010 7:53 AM CST
(Newser) -
The Defense Department will next week start the process of repealing the ban on gay people serving openly in the military—a process expected to last years, reports the AP. A special investigation into how the ban can be lifted without hurting morale or readiness of the troops is expected to be announced Tuesday by Defense Secretary Robert...
NATO Strike Kills Afghan Troops
Reuters
|
Jan 30, 2010 7:24 AM CST
(Newser) -
'Friendly fire' from NATO air strikes killed 4 Afghan soldiers this morning, as their newly established outpost in an area southwest of Kabul was mistakenly targeted. The Afghan Defense Ministry immediately expressed outrage and called for a court martial for the troops responsible. The Canadian spokesman for the NATO forces expressed regrets, saying,...
GOP Ditches Purity Test for Candidates
Politico
|
Jan 30, 2010 7:04 AM CST
(Newser) -
Republicans meeting in Honolulu yesterday dropped a requirement that candidates score at least 8 on a 10-point policy test in order to get party support and funding. The test was withdrawn after it was clear it lacked enough support to pass at the Republican National Committee's annual meeting, where one member told Politico the idea was "nuts."...
Hungry and Tired? Perky Jerky Has Your Fix
New York Daily News
|
Jan 30, 2010 6:00 AM CST
(Newser) -
Next time you’re tired and hungry, don’t waste time pounding a Red Bull and a snack—get both fixes with some Perky Jerky. Available on the Internet and coming next week to Sports Authority outlets in New York, each ounce packs as much caffeine as one cup of coffee or a can of Red Bull. “This is a great combination,”...
China Suspends US Military Ties Over Taiwan Arms Deal
BBC
|
Jan 30, 2010 5:59 AM CST
(Newser) -
China will suspend military exchanges with the US in response to its proposed weapons sale to Taiwan worth $6.4 billion, the BBC reports. "Considering the severe harm and odious effect of US arms sales to Taiwan, the Chinese side has decided to suspend planned mutual military visits," the Chinese defense minister was quoted as saying by...
Serena Claims 5th Australian Open Crown
Sydney Morning Herald
|
Jan 30, 2010 5:36 AM CST
(Newser) -
Serena Williams maintained her perfect record in finals at Melbourne Park today, beating comeback kid Justine Henin in three sets to claim the Australian Open singles title. Williams wrapped up the match 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 in 2 hours and 7 minutes, and in doing so became the first woman to win the title five times. The Sydney Morning Herald reports that...
Why Canned Beer's Better (And Which to Pick Up)
Serious Eats
|
Jan 30, 2010 5:21 AM CST
(Newser) -
Canned beer isn’t just for redneck fishing trips any more, and next Sunday’s Super Bowl is the perfect excuse to re-introduce yourself. Via Serious Eats, reasons why cans are better than bottles, and the best canned brews out there: Cans stack well in the fridge—leaving room for even more beer. Beer chills faster in cans. Cans...
Cops: Body Is Missing Fla. Lottery Winner
Associated Press
|
Jan 29, 2010 7:47 PM CST
(AP) -
Florida police confirmed today that the body found under a concrete slab in a rural backyard is that of Abraham Shakespeare, 43, who disappeared nine months ago after winning $30 million in the Florida Lottery. The home Shakespeare was found behind belongs to the boyfriend of a woman who befriended him in 2007, the year after he won the lottery. Authorities...
9/11 Trials Won't Be in NYC
Washington Post
|
Jan 29, 2010 7:25 PM CST
(Newser) -
The Obama administration’s plan to try alleged 9/11 terror plotters in a lower Manhattan court bit the dust today, swamped by waves of criticism from politicians from New York to Washington. “New York is out,” a source tells the Washington Post tonight. “We’re considering other options.” Officials are still committed...
