Ryanair Pin-Ups Don't Fly With Feminist Groups

Amid other desperate attempts to reduce weight on flights

(NEWSER) - With fuel costs on the rise, Ryanair is desperately trying everything it can think of to shave some weight off its planes—including slimming down its in-flight magazine, serving less ice, and even telling its flight crews to watch their weight, the Telegraph reports. "We cut costs wherever possible," a spokesman says. "We also considered removing armrests, but decided against it." More»

Penn State charities to get $1.5M

(NEWSER) - Joe Paterno's 61 years at Penn State brought him a state pension of $13.4 million. His wife will get an initial payment of $10.1 million this month, and the family will donate $1.5 million to Penn State charities, the AP reports. Paterno didn't get any special treatment, the family says: The figure was based on the standard State Employees' Retirement System. More»

Taylor Swift donates $4M to Country Music Hall of Fame

(NEWSER) - Taylor Swift is donating a sizable $4 million to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, the largest gift ever donated to the museum by an artist. It will fund the Taylor Swift Education Center, a new classroom and exhibit space opening in 2014, the AP reports. Swift proves that not all celebrities spend their dough on things like $12,000 Chanel bicycles and $18,500 olive trees , and Celebuzz rounds up 14 more who give freely of their money and/or their time. And while some are obvious (hello, George Clooney) many might surprise:

• Sandra Bullock: Has donated $1 million to relief organizations that give aid to those affected by 9/11, the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, and the recent earthquakes in Haiti and Japan.
• Ellen DeGeneres: Her pet cause is, ahem, animal rights and rescue organizations, and her pet food line benefits charity.

Kentucky's Rankin Paynter donates $200K worth of items

(NEWSER) - When his local Kmart was getting ready to close, a Kentucky man decided to buy all the store's stuff—and hand it to charity. While visiting the store to score some deals, Rankin Paynter asked what happened to all the unsold items; the clerk told him "power buyers" snap it up, USA Today reports. More»

Charity runner died yards from London finish line

(NEWSER) - A British mental health charity has received a flood of donations following the death of a runner in the final stretch of the London Marathon on Sunday. Claire Squires, a 30-year-old hairdresser, was running to raise money for the Samaritans, a group that offers emotional support to people in distress. Donations in her name from around the world have topped $400,000 as news of her death spreads, reports the Telegraph . More»