Newser Crushes HighBeam (in Game 3)

Joseph Bray ordered to take his wife bowling, to Red Lobster

(NEWSER) - Let the punishment fit the crime? A Florida man who appeared in court this week on a domestic violence charge was ordered by the judge to ... take his wife on a date. The charge apparently grew out of an argument Joseph Bray had with his wife—whose birthday he failed to acknowledge. According to the arrest report, Bray shoved his wife onto the couch, held her neck, and readied himself for a punch, but didn't actually hit her. At the hearing this week, she told Judge Jay Hurley she was neither hurt nor in fear. Because of that, and because Bray had no priors, the judge ordered what the Sun-Sentinel calls "whimsical conditions." More»

It's not a fluke, either—Ron Gooch averages about 200

(NEWSER) - A perfect 300 bowling score may not seem newsworthy, until you realize the person achieving it is legally blind. Ron Gooch accomplished his lifelong dream last month, bowling 12 perfect strikes to join the 10 other legally blind bowlers known to have bowled a perfect game. He's been bowling 46 years, ever since his father took him to a bowling alley at age 6 to show him that timing and technique are more important than bad eyesight. More»

(NEWSER) - Maybe he’s been practicing, or maybe becoming president has boosted his confidence, but Barack Obama has apparently become a much better bowler. The president spent Saturday night relaxing at Camp David to celebrate his upcoming birthday today, Robert Gibbs revealed yesterday. Gibbs says Obama was with friends “playing basketball and bowling.” Immediately, of course, someone asked about the score. More»

(NEWSER) - Seniors are wholeheartedly embracing Wii Bowling as a fun social activity mercifully devoid of the weight of an actual ball, the Chicago Tribune reports. “Can you think of anything better to do?” says the president of a league at a Chicago-area retirement community. “It's the piece de resistance of retirement.” That league, one of many nationwide, has grown to include 96 players—with a sub list 47 names long. More»

Governor shocked by president's 'degrading' quip

(NEWSER) - Sarah Palin has waded into the fray over President Obama's Special Olympics clunker, the Christian Science Monitor reports. The Alaska governor, whose youngest son has been diagnosed with Down Syndrome, said she was shocked to hear Obama say his bad bowling "was like the Special Olympics." She called the quip a "degrading remark about our world’s most precious and unique people." More»