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By selling some bonds and buying others, the central bank hopes to put downward pressure on long-term interest rates. The hoped-for result: a boost to the economy.

More than half of the people in a recent poll say weight-loss shows influence what they eat. And 49 percent say they believe the television programs will have a positive influence on the obesity epidemic.

Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal were released from an Iranian prison in exchange for $1 million and flown to the Persian Gulf nation of Oman. The sultanate has served as a broker between Tehran and Washington because of its good relationships with both countries.

As the U.N. addresses the Palestinian bid for statehood, both Israeli settlers and Palestinians are holding rallies in the West Bank in support of their rival causes.

Philadelphia's Mutter Museum invited Stephen and Timothy Quay to capture the collection of medical oddities in the filmmakers' signature moody, avant-garde style. "We never walk through the front door," the Quays say of their approach to film. "We insist on coming through the side door or the back door."

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke has been criticized recently by Republican presidential candidates who called for his firing and an audit of the central bank. Low opinions of the Fed come from a long history of criticism of its power and secrecy, extending back to Thomas Jefferson.

A survey of 462 admissions counselors found the priority for the next couple of years is to recruit out-of-state students who pay more in tuition. About a quarter of them also said they had been pressured to admit certain students by higher-ups.

This summer has been the second-hottest ever recorded in the United States, pushing power demands to record levels. To some, the country's growing reliance on air conditioning puts it at risk of a vicious circle: cooling down by burning energy — which raises emissions levels.

The Federal Reserve has announced a plan to drive long-term interest rates even lower. But with borrowers still too cautious to take on additional debt, will the move have a positive effect? Some experts say they're not holding their breath. "The Fed can only do so much," one analyst says.

They dropped by 9,000 from the previous week, but remain high.