Ginormous

(Newser) - Manuel Uribe, once the world's heaviest man, is being swept away to the chapel—quite literally. The 43-year-old will be towed through the streets to his Oct. 26 wedding in Monterrey, Mexico, on a customized bed, reports the AP. More »

(Newser) - London's Trafalgar Square routinely serves as a stage for mimes, jugglers, and other acts, but the tourist attraction drew an exceptionally curious crowd today when the shortest man who can walk met the woman with the longest legs, the AP reports. He Pingping of China stands precisely 2 feet 5.37 inches tall. Svetlana Pankratova of Spain, a Russian native, has legs nearly 52 inches long. More »

(Newser) - After a midday lull, stocks plummeted again late today as traders adjusted to the failure of Lehman Brothers and the acquisition of Merrill Lynch by Bank of America, Bloomberg reports. Lehman’s stock alone was down 94.9%. The Dow fell 504.48 to 10,917.51. The S&P 500 lost 59.01, its biggest drop since the 2001 terror attacks, closing at 1,192.69; the Nasdaq fell 81.36 to 2,179.91. More »

(Newser) - After leaving Cuba, Hurricane Ike is strengthening and moving through the Gulf of Mexico toward south-central Texas, Bloomberg reports. The National Hurricane Center said it was possible Ike would strengthen into a “major hurricane” before landfall, probably near Corpus Christi. One independent forecaster said there was “a significant chance that Ike will be the worst hurricane to hit Texas in 40 years.” More »

(Newser) - Gustav grew into a fierce Category 4 hurricane and slammed into Cuba this afternoon as the nation scrambled to evacuate its most populated areas, the AP reports. The storm, which had been upgraded to a Category 3 just hours earlier, now has 145mph winds and remains on path to hit the Gulf Coast on Monday. In New Orleans, lines at bus stations are growing, and highway traffic is thick. The city hasn't ordered a mandatory evacuation, but it's helping the elderly and most vulnerable get out. More »

(Newser) - This year's Olympic opening ceremonies, perhaps the most watched television event in history, were a huge programming coup for CCTV, one of the main propaganda conduits for the Chinese government. CCTV has a larger audience than every major TV station in the US and Europe combined, writes the New York Times . And global companies seeking Chinese customers are beginning to take notice. More »

(Newser) - For New York artist Nathan Sawaya, earning a six-figure salary is child's play. That's because Sawaya makes his living creating arresting sculptures from Lego blocks. Once a stressed-out Wall Street attorney, he began building the whimsical pieces at night as a way to unwind. Now, he tells Portfolio , he gets commissions from rock stars and big spenders like Donald Trump. More »

(Newser) - As mortgage lenders Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae crowded the headlines today, Washington snatched up IndyMac Bank in the second-largest US bank failure in history, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Pasadena, Calif. savings and loan, which owns about $32 billion in assets, saw stocks fall from $45 last year to 28 cents this week as mortgage defaults piled up. It will reopen Monday under federal supervision. More »