Newser Story Index from December, 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.
Wills, Kate on Souvenir Coin: 'Chunky,' 'Barely Recognizable'
NPR
|
Dec 23, 2010 9:58 AM CST
(Newser) -
Prince William and Kate Middleton’s engagement is being commemorated with an official coin—but the engravings of the royal couple leave something to be desired, NPR reports. “Maybe the task of designing the special £5 coin in a month made it difficult to capture Miss Middleton's beauty,” observes Sara Dixon somewhat...
Restaurant Photographs, Then Boots Critic
latimesblogs.latimes.com
|
Dec 23, 2010 9:23 AM CST
(Newser) -
A Los Angeles Times restaurant critic has been “unmasked” by a feisty restaurant boss, who snapped her picture while she waited for a table and then sent her packing, the Times reports. The restaurant posted S. Irene Virbila’s picture on its Tumblr blog , where it spread like wildfire to mixed reactions. Some slammed the restaurant,...
Chelsea and Jen: BFFs No More
PopEater
|
Dec 23, 2010 9:07 AM CST
(Newser) -
Yet another thing Angelina Jolie has ruined for Jennifer Aniston: her friendship with Chelsea Handler. Relations still haven’t thawed between the formerly close friends following Handler’s Angie-related jokes , sources tell PopEater . “They certainly won't be going on vacation together for a long time unless Chelsea promises to...
Skype Blackout Hits Millions Worldwide
BBC
|
Dec 23, 2010 9:00 AM CST
(Newser) -
Millions worldwide have been hit with a Skype outage that began yesterday, the BBC reports. The online communications service says that failed “supernodes,” which “act a bit like phone directories,” are at fault. Now, Skype is trying to build “mega-supernodes” to fix the issue. The company says service is slowly...
Michelle Williams: I Can't Find Meaning in Heath's Death
ABC News
|
Dec 23, 2010 8:54 AM CST
(Newser) -
Michelle Williams is moving on from Heath Ledger's death—and it makes her a little sad. Promoting her latest film Blue Valentine on Nightline , Williams recalled the first year without him: “In a strange way, I miss that year, because all those possibilities that existed then are gone. It didn't seem unlikely to me that he could walk...
Balcony Jumper Interrupts Romanian Parliament
Reuters
|
Dec 23, 2010 8:35 AM CST
(Newser) -
One way to register your disgust with government: Jump off a balcony and into the middle of parliament. That's what Adrian Sobaru did in Romania today. The father of two, a public television employee, suffered face wounds after he flung himself from the balcony, apparently in protest over government austerity measures, which include wage cuts and tax...
'Hurricane' Anna Nicole Left Bahamas in 'Disarray'
Associated Press
|
Dec 23, 2010 8:30 AM CST
(Newser) -
A diplomat describes Anna Nicole Smith as a “Category 4 Hurricane” rampaging through the Bahamas, and two months later the government falls: coincidence? Maybe, but newly leaked WikiLeaks cables suggest that the former Playmate did more damage to the government than you might expect. In her wake she left “the Coroner's Court, the...
Tyler Clementi's Parents to Rutgers: We May Sue
Associated Press
|
Dec 23, 2010 8:15 AM CST
(Newser) -
Jane and Joseph Clementi haven't decided whether Rutgers University was at fault in son Tyler's suicide, but they've filed notice protecting their right to sue just in case. It reads in part: "It appears Rutgers University failed to put in place policies that would have prevented" the online posting of Clementi's gay encounter. The notice...
Dual Blasts Reported at Swiss, Chilean Embassies in Rome
Associated Press
|
Dec 23, 2010 8:06 AM CST
(AP) -
A package has exploded at Chile's embassy in Rome following a parcel bombing at Switzerland's embassy earlier in the day. The ANSA news agency says one person was believed to be injured in the blast at the Chilean embassy. Police say the 53-year-old man who opened the package at the Swiss embassy sustained serious hand injuries, and risks losing his...
Placebo Effect Works— Even if You Know Pill Is Fake
Los Angeles Times
|
Dec 23, 2010 8:02 AM CST
(Newser) -
Turns out the placebo effect can work—even if the patient knows the pills he’s taking are fake. Researchers gave 40 people suffering from irritable bowel syndrome pills and explained they were like sugar pills—the bottle even had the word “placebo” on it—that patients had to take twice a day. Another 40 people were...
Iraqi Christians Cancel Christmas
Associated Press
|
Dec 23, 2010 7:49 AM CST
(Newser) -
Iraq's Christian leaders have canceled Christmas services and urged worshippers not to decorate their homes this year after they received fresh threats from al-Qaeda in Iraq on Tuesday. Even an appearance by Santa Claus was called off, reports the AP . "Nobody can ignore the threats of al-Qaeda against Iraqi Christians," said an archbishop....
Most Productive Congress Since 1960s Adjourns
Bloomberg
|
Dec 23, 2010 7:37 AM CST
(Newser) -
The 111th Congress adjourned last night, after passing more key legislation that affected more Americans than any since Lyndon Johnson’s 1960s “Great Society,” Bloomberg reports. That included $1.67 trillion spent to save the economy, health insurance for 32 million people, and new regulations on Wall Street; in the lame-duck session...
North Korea: We're Ready to Use Nukes in 'Holy War'
Reuters
|
Dec 23, 2010 7:35 AM CST
(Newser) -
North Korea is ready to use nuclear weapons in its "holy war" against South Korea, warned Pyongyang's minister of armed forces today. Minister Kim Yong-chun repeated North Korea's earlier charges that military drills in the South were the beginnings of a planned assault on his nation, reports Reuters . He made his comments at a rally to...
Rep: Don't Let Your Gayness Interfere With Mission
Mediaite
|
Dec 23, 2010 7:32 AM CST
(Newser) -
Rep. Todd Akin has no problem with gays in the military—just so long as their “gayness” doesn’t become an issue. In fact, the congressman was on Fox News last night explaining why the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell wasn’t really necessary, Mediaite reports. “There’s a misunderstanding. If people...
Texan Busted After Driving Car Onto Bush's Lawn
MSNBC
|
Dec 23, 2010 7:22 AM CST
(Newser) -
Secret Service agents have busted a man for driving his muscle car erratically onto the lawn of former president George W. Bush. He and wife Laura were home at the time but were never in any danger, officials said. The driver made no threats against the Bushes and apparently did not intend to harm them, reports MSNBC . The Bushes live on a gated public...
WikiLeaks Leaking: Newspaper Snags Site's Entire Stash
ABC News
|
Dec 23, 2010 6:44 AM CST
(Newser) -
From the turnabout-is-fair-play department: A Norwegian newspaper has snagged unauthorized access to WikiLeaks’ entire stash of government records—making it the only news source to hold all the material, ABC News reports. Aftenposten wouldn’t say how it managed to acquire the documents, but the feat could suck the wind out of...
Holy Roller Pat Robertson: Legalize Marijuana
Raw Story
|
Dec 23, 2010 6:40 AM CST
(Newser) -
The support for marijuana legalization is picking up supporters in some surprising sectors. Uber-conservative evangelist Pat Robertson is now calling for legalization of the drug because treating users like criminals is "ruining lives." We've "got to take a look at what we're considering crimes," he said on the 700 Club . "I'm...
2 Top Cops Busted in Benazir Bhutto Assassination
CNN
|
Dec 23, 2010 6:38 AM CST
(Newser) -
Two top Pakistani police officials have been arrested in connection with the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto. She was killed three years ago by a 15-year-old suicide bomber as she campaigned for reelection after an eight-year exile."No one believes this boy acted alone," a recent United Nations report concluded. "A...
Cyber Stalkers Attack Human Rights Sites
BBC
|
Dec 23, 2010 6:28 AM CST
(Newser) -
In a sort of cyber-censorship, those who disagree with a human rights group have an increasingly easy answer: Hack its website. Hackers are increasingly targeting such groups, researchers find, using DDoS attacks to inundate a website with data in order to shut it down—sometimes for weeks. Between August 2009 and September 2010, 140 such attacks...
Assange: Palin, Huckabee 'Inciting People to Murder' Me
MSNBC
|
Dec 23, 2010 4:30 AM CST
(Newser) -
Furious WikiLeaker Julian Assange yesterday slammed critics like Mike Huckabee and Sarah Palin for "inciting people to murder" him. "If we are to have a civil society you cannot have senior people making calls on national TV to go around the judiciary and murder people. That is incitement to commit murder," he told MSNBC in an...
New Car Runs on Compressed Air
Huffington Post
|
Dec 23, 2010 4:08 AM CST
(Newser) -
A tiny new car is literally a breeze to run and promises less damage to the environment than its rivals. The 3-wheel, 2-door, 4-seater AirPod, created in the UK, runs on compressed air and reaches speeds of up to 50mph. French distributor Motor Development International plans to sell the nearly noiseless vehicle for $10,000. The company intends to...
Cops Seek Bondage Partners in Murdered Spy Case
Guardian (UK)
|
Dec 23, 2010 3:44 AM CST
(Newser) -
The murder case of a code-cracking British spy gets kinkier and kinkier. Police are now seeking possible sex bondage partners of Gareth Williams, who was found suffocated in a padlocked canvas bag in his apartment last year. There was no sign of forced entry, a struggle, or that he had been drugged. He was a frequent peruser of bondage web sites and...
Gene Mutation May Turn Men Into Vicious Drunks
Telegraph (UK)
|
Dec 23, 2010 3:07 AM CST
(Newser) -
Scientists believe they've discovered a genetic mutation that may turn usually mild-mannered individuals into obnoxious, violent brutes once they get drunk. The mutation is linked to a brain abnormality that may contribute to violently impulsive behavior under the influence of alcohol, reports the Telegraph . The mutation interferes with a gene,...
Man Caught on Tape Dragging Dead Woman in Suitcase
New York Daily News
|
Dec 23, 2010 2:42 AM CST
(Newser) -
A New Yorker has been caught on a surveillance video camera dragging a suitcase stuffed with a dead woman. The problem is, no one knows who he is. The suitcase's grisly contents were discovered by a pedestrian after the hauler dumped it on a Harlem street. The stunned passerby fled to a restaurant, where someone called the cops. "I unzipped it...
Dear Santa: I Want Happy Terrorists, Dad to Come Home
ABC News
|
Dec 23, 2010 2:22 AM CST
(Newser) -
A 28-year veteran of the Santa Claus role has finally revealed in a blog what we already knew: Kids can be hilarious and heartbreaking. But he's got some perfect tales to illustrate it. Beyond the expected requests for the latest Barbie and video game, kids have whispered into Santa Carl Anderson's ear their desire for world peace and their pain...
UN Launches Probe Into Bradley Manning 'Torture'
Huffington Post
|
Dec 23, 2010 1:41 AM CST
(Newser) -
The United Nations has launched an investigation into reports that treatment of the army private suspected of leaking classified information to WikiLeaks amounts to torture. Bradley Manning is being held aboard a floating brig in Quantico, Va., where he's not allowed to exercise during his 23 hours of solitary confinement a day, reports AP . If Manning...
California Pummeled Again by Record Rain
ABC News
|
Dec 23, 2010 1:21 AM CST
(Newser) -
Drenching weather continued to hammer southern California throughout the day yesterday, inundating streets, tearing off hillsides and driving thousands of people from their homes. Some regions have been swamped with an entire year of rain in a single week. A muddy wall of water 4 feet high poured through downtown Laguna Beach and rescuers used boats...
Norway Puts Reflectors on Reindeer
Telegraph (UK)
|
Dec 22, 2010 7:04 PM CST
(Newser) -
Norway has come up with a novel way to keep drivers from crashing into reindeer: They're fitting reflectors on the animals in the form of reflective collars or antler tags. So far, 2,000 of the nation's 200,000 reindeer have been fitted. "It really works," a roads official tells the Telegraph . About 500 reindeer are killed each year by...
Alaska Supreme Court Rules Against Joe Miller
Anchorage Daily News
|
Dec 22, 2010 6:44 PM CST
(Newser) -
Joe Miller's minuscule chance of having Lisa Murkowski's Senate victory overturned just got even smaller. The Alaska Supreme Court today unanimously ruled against him, reports the Anchorage Daily News . Miller has two days to decide whether to pursue the case in federal court, but it looks like Murkowski will be the official winner by next week....
Scientists Write Periodic Table on Strand of Hair
Daily Mail (UK)
|
Dec 22, 2010 6:13 PM CST
(Newser) -
Scientists have written the entire periodic table of elements on a strand of human hair, the Daily Mail reports. In a playful example of "nano-writing," Nottingham University scientists etched the symbols of all 118 elements onto a hair belonging to colleague Martyn Poliakoff as a birthday present. The technique made use of an ion beam...
Jets' Ryan: Foot-Fetish Reports 'Personal Matter'
Associated Press
|
Dec 22, 2010 6:00 PM CST
(AP) -
New York Jets coach Rex Ryan says it's a "personal matter" and declined to talk about a "foot-fetish" report posted by Deadspin that show four videos of a woman who bears a close resemblance to Ryan's wife, Michelle. The videos show a woman displaying her toes to an off-screen cameraman who, in one video, sounds a lot like the...
Obama: My Views on Gay Marriage 'Evolving'
ABC News
|
Dec 22, 2010 5:31 PM CST
(Newser) -
President Obama today reiterated that his views on gay marriage are "constantly evolving," reports ABC News . Asked in today's victory-lap news conference why he supported repeal of "Don't Ask" but still opposes same-sex marriage, the president said his "baseline is a strong civil union that affords them legal protections."...
Congress Passes Bill for 9/11 First Responders
ABC News
|
Dec 22, 2010 5:04 PM CST
(Newser) -
The clout of Jon Stewart : Congress today approved the bill to provide health care for 9/11 first responders and sent it to President Obama for his signature. The House passed the measure late this afternoon (206-60) after the Senate did so earlier in the day, reports AP . The big breakthrough came when Senate Democrats—led by New York's Chuck...
Man Faces Charges After Tossing Puppy From Car
chicagobreakingnews.com
|
Dec 22, 2010 4:35 PM CST
(Newser) -
A Chicago man faces charges of animal cruelty after throwing a puppy out of a moving car into traffic, reports the Chicago Tribune . Sergieu Muresan, 26, turned himself in after seeing a warrant for his arrest 11 days after he tossed the pup out a window in a busy Chicago intersection. He faces up to a year in jail and a $2,500 fine if convicted....
Catholic Church Cuts Ties With Hospital Over Abortion
Los Angeles Times
|
Dec 22, 2010 4:08 PM CST
(Newser) -
When a Catholic hospital in Phoenix performed an abortion to save the life of the mother, the Catholic Church excommunicated the nun who gave the go-ahead. Now it's severed ties with the hospital itself, reports the Los Angeles Times . The city's bishop stripped St. Joseph's Hospital of its Catholic affiliation yesterday. "The faithful of...
Nine-Year-Old Is Youngest American Chess Master
San Jose Mercury News
|
Dec 22, 2010 3:44 PM CST
(Newser) -
A 9-year-old Californian is the youngest American to achieve the rank of "national master," reports the San Jose Mercury News . Samuel Sevian had already been the youngest person, at the age of 8, to be certified a chess "expert," and he got promoted again by the US Chess Federation after a recent match in San Francisco.
Facebook Adds News Feed Filters
Mashable
|
Dec 22, 2010 3:21 PM CST
(Newser) -
Facebook is rolling out a revamped News Feed, featuring a drop-down menu that lets users isolate what kind of news they want to get. They can, for example, choose to see only friends’ latest photos, only status updates, or only updates from Pages (rather than friends). They can also opt to see only news from members one of their Groups. Whether...
The Most Pirated Movies of 2010
indyposted.com
|
Dec 22, 2010 2:50 PM CST
(Newser) -
Avatar made more than $2.5 billion dollars worldwide—despite the fact that it was the most pirated movie of 2010. The details: Avatar (16.6 million illegal downloads) — Avatar also holds the record for most illegal downloads in a year. Last year's most pirated movie, Star Trek, was downloaded 6 million fewer times . Kick-Ass...
Israel Threatens New Gaza Offensive Over Rockets
Christian Science Monitor
|
Dec 22, 2010 2:42 PM CST
(Newser) -
Israel has threatened to launch a new ground attack against the Gaza Strip after a barrage of light fire hit southern Israel. Fifteen rockets and mortars were fired from Gaza yesterday and Monday, lightly injuring one Israeli teenager. Though Hamas was apparently not behind the rocket fire, Israel is holding the militant organization responsible and...
Senate Ratifies Nuclear Arms Treaty
Associated Press
|
Dec 22, 2010 2:17 PM CST
(AP) -
The Senate today ratified the much-debated nuclear arms control treaty with Russia, giving President Obama a major foreign policy win in the closing hours of the postelection Congress. Thirteen Republicans broke with their top two leaders and joined 56 Democrats and two independent in providing the necessary two-thirds vote to approve the New START...
WTF: Meet CIA's WikiLeaks Task Force
Washington Post
|
Dec 22, 2010 1:57 PM CST
(Newser) -
Oh, those snarky spies. The CIA is launching a WikiLeaks Task Force—or, as spies around Langley are referring to it, WTF. The irreverent name is in part a reminder that the spy agency has sustained relatively little WikiLeakage, with only a scant handful of files trickling out, the Washington Post reports. The task force will focus on the...
Coen Brothers' True Grit Is Pure Western Wizardry
Rotten Tomatoes
|
Dec 22, 2010 1:50 PM CST
(Newser) -
True Grit , the Coen brothers’ latest, updates a John Wayne classic—though it may stick closer to the original novel than the first film. Critics are impressed, with the Rotten Tomatoes score currently at 95%: In the New York Times , Manohla Dargis applauds the film’s 13-year-old star, Hailee Steinfeld, who gives a “memorably...
Dem Lobbyist Defends Work for Ivory Coast Leader
Salon
|
Dec 22, 2010 1:30 PM CST
(Newser) -
As reports of human rights violations in the Ivory Coast swirl, a Democratic lobbyist and PR expert continues to work for the incumbent president who refuses to step down despite having lost last month’s election. Why does Lanny Davis stay on the payroll of Laurent Gbagbo, despite “reports of military police literally killing dozens of...
Study: Time for Fat Crash Dummies
Daily Mail (UK)
|
Dec 22, 2010 1:27 PM CST
(Newser) -
Obese people face a much higher risk of death in car crashes—so doctors say we should be building overweight crash test dummies, the Daily Mail reports. A study of more than 150,000 US car crashes found that moderately obese people were 21% more likely to die in car crashes than people of normal weight, and morbidly obese people faced a 56%...
Little Fockers Is Focking Terrible
Salon
|
Dec 22, 2010 1:05 PM CST
(Newser) -
Little Fockers , the third and, critics promise, worst movie of the Meet the Parents franchise, opens with an extended enema joke, and pretty much goes downhill from there. Here’s a healthy dose of the critical scorn being heaped on it: “I suffered through Little Fockers wishing that I could have periodontal surgery instead,”...
GOP Sets New Rules for House
Politico
|
Dec 22, 2010 12:50 PM CST
(Newser) -
Republicans are taking over the House, and they’re bringing a list of new rules with them. Some key changes, set for adoption Jan. 5, from Politico : Raising the US debt ceiling will now require a direct vote, something House members had, in the past, been able to avoid. Committees must put attendance records online. Lawmakers who have...
Lawmaker: McCain Killed Soldier Counseling
Huffington Post
|
Dec 22, 2010 12:39 PM CST
(Newser) -
Prompted by the suicide of a young soldier, a Democratic representative tried to pass legislation to get more counseling and resources to Reserve members—and he blames John McCain for quashing it. “I know for a fact, because he told me, that Sen. McCain doesn't support it,” New Jersey's Rush Holt tells the Huffington Post . He says...
2 Firefighters Killed In Abandoned Building Collapse
Chicago Tribune
|
Dec 22, 2010 12:22 PM CST
(Newser) -
Two Chicago firefighters died today after the wall of a burning building collapsed on them. Crews were trying to put out a fire in an abandoned South Side commercial building when the wall collapsed, trapping four firefighters and injuring 12 others, the Chicago Tribune reports. All four of the trapped men were rescued, but two died of the injuries...
Another Temporary Budget Strains Federal Agencies
New York Times
|
Dec 22, 2010 12:14 PM CST
(Newser) -
Because Democrats and Republicans are at loggerheads on spending, Congress had to approve yet another stopgap budget measure yesterday to keep the government running through March. While federal agencies avoided a shutdown, they've got to keep operating at last year's spending levels, a development that amounts to a budget cut given rising costs, notes...
Cop Kills Dog ... for Barking at Him
ABC News
|
Dec 22, 2010 12:01 PM CST
(Newser) -
A Georgia family’s golden retriever barked at the wrong cop, and paid for it with his life, ABC News reports. “Boomer” barked and approached the officer, who was walking through the King family’s yard while investigating a disturbance, and ignored the officer’s commands to stop. What the officer didn’t know was...
