Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check - Oct 22, 2013

I'm a Poll Man:

Good news and bad news for PRESIDENT OBAMA regarding his approval rating. The bad news, according to Gallup? His approval rating slipped in the third quarter to 44.5-percent --down 3.4-percent from the second quarter-- giving him numbers similar to GEORGE W. BUSH and HARRY TRUMAN.
The good news? He's still higher at this point in his presidency than RICHARD NIXON. (Pacelli)
Editor's note: Actually, higher at this point in his presidency than George Bush (who was in the 30s), and currently higher than Republicans and about twice as high as either John Boehner, Mitch McConnell and the tea party. (Maiman)

What's Poppin':

Been hearing strange noises in the night? Thinking your house just may be haunted? Now you can get answers, at DiedInHouse.com.
As the name suggests, the website tells you who, if anyone, has died in the place you call home.
ROY CONDREY started the site after one of his tenants told him he believed the rental property was haunted; Condrey did some digging, and learned that in most states, there's no law requiring home sellers or real estate agents to disclose a death that took place in a residence. "It's harder to find things like this out than you think," he says, so he set out to make it easier. For $11.99, a search on his website --which was a year in the making-- you can dig through multiple sources to see if anyone spent their last days at your address.
The site scours millions of records. In Texas, for example, you might want to avoid the Fort Worth home where a drunk woman hit a homeless man with her car and left him to die in her garage.
Realtors initially weren't fans of Condrey's business, since it's harder to sell so-called "stigmatized properties." Condrey says a death on-site can reduce a property's value by 15% to 25%. But lately, he says, some realtors have been coming around, even using his site to run their own searches. (Maiman)

Going Geek-dot-com /Caught in the Web:

Today's the day Apple is expected to unveil their latest iPads at a 1 pm (Eastern) news conference fronted by CEO TIM COOK.
As we've mentioned, the rumors have new, fast processors in the iPad and iPad minis, and they'll reportedly be unwrapping the latest, redesigned Macbook Pro and latest Mac operating system, OS X Mavericks.
But not content to let Apple have the day to itself, Microsoft is also expected to announce that it's releasing the latest versions of its Surface tablets, and Nokia is expected to announce new Windows 8 devices today as well.

Gossip Central: tabloids with Cory Myers:

PARIS HILTON is gettting some odd help to promote her new song. Star magazine caught a pic of the hotel heiress and SNOOP DOGG at Create Nightclub in L.A. promoting her new single "Good Time."

Grace notes from Vinny Marino:

There's a new TAYLOR SWIFT song. No, she doesn't have a new album on the way. "Sweeter Than Fiction" is from a new British film called "Once Chance," and it will be heard as the closing credits roll. This is a peppy rocker and Taylor actually sounds happy! You can grab it now from iTunes. (Marino)

NELSAN ELLIS, who plays Lafayette on HBO's "True Blood," just landed a role in the JAMES BROWN biopic. Deadline.com says he'll star as Brown's right-hand band, BOBBY BYRD. "Get On Up" has CHADWICK BOSEMAN as the "hardest working man in show business" in the film, which is being co-produced by MICK JAGGER. The camera rolls next month in Mississippi. (Marino)

Weird science:

Scientists in Argentina found a way to transform cow farts into fuel.
Researchers say the new innovation could curb the greenhouse gases that cause global warming. The experimental technique utilizes a system of valves and pumps developed by Argentina's National Institute of Agricultural Technology. The equipment channels the gas from bovine stomachs through a tube and into a tank where it can be stored. Each cow emits around 70-gallons of pure methane per day, enough energy to power a refrigerator for 24-hours. (Still)