Newser Story Index from November, 2007
Welcome to the Newser Story Index. Here you find stories written by Newser writers and editors, assembled with supporting photos and videos from the files of the news story.
Walt's Pad at Disneyland Will Be Open to Visitors
Los Angeles Times
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Nov 22, 2007 5:06 AM CST
(Newser) -
Disneyland has decided to allow select members of the public to tour Walt Disney's private residence tucked away over the Main Street Fire Department, starting in January. The 500-square-foot apartment was home to the park's creator during his frequent stays at the amusement park. After he died in 1966, his family used it until 1983, when they passed...
Taliban Reclaiming Afghanistan
Guardian (UK)
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Nov 22, 2007 4:49 AM CST
(Newser) -
The Taliban is rapidly regaining control of Afghanistan, according to a report released by the Senlis Council, an independent think tank. The insurgency has established a permanent presence in 54% of the country, including "important road arteries," and the Taliban's goal of reaching Kabul in 2008 seems "more viable than ever,"...
Court Upholds $1B Judgment for Motorola
Wall Street Journal
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Nov 22, 2007 4:29 AM CST
(Newser) -
A federal appeals court has upheld a finding of $1 billion in punitive damages against the Uzan family of Turkey for defrauding Motorola out of $2 billion in start-up loans, the Wall Street Journal reports. The family had argued that the damages were so high that they amounted to an excessive "economic death sentence," which violated due...
Putin Rips West's 'Dirty Tricks'
Times (UK)
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Nov 22, 2007 4:26 AM CST
(Newser) -
Russian President Vladimir Putin told a crowd of cheering supporters that opponents of his United Russia party are in the pay of foreign governments bent on weakening the nation, reports the Times of London. He ripped opponents as "jackals" who "slink through foreign embassies" and learn from "Western experts." United...
Citizenship Delays Will Impact Election
Washington Post
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Nov 22, 2007 4:12 AM CST
(Newser) -
Hundreds of thousands of immigrants who have applied for US citizenship will not have those applications processed in time to vote in the 2008 election. The Department of Homeland Security failed to fully prepare for a massive increase in applications filed to beat a widely publicized fee increase that took effect over the summer, reports the Washington...
Price of Pill for Students Soars
New York Times
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Nov 22, 2007 3:45 AM CST
(Newser) -
Female students at US colleges may be cutting back on reliable contraceptives because a quirk in a federal law has made birth-control pills up to four times more expensive, health officials warn. A recent change in Medicaid regulations means drug companies no longer offer big discounts to health centers where students and low-income women obtain the...
Twelve Saves Spells Shutout for Osgood
Associated Press
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Nov 21, 2007 11:36 PM CST
(Newser) -
Detroit's Chris Osgood had to stop only 12 shots to record the 44th shutout of his career; his counterpart, St. Louis's Manny Legace, turned away almost three times as many but still sustained the loss. Henrik Zetterberg scored just 22 seconds into the game, and Mikael Samuelsson and Dan Cleary piled on for the Red Wings. In other hockey action:
'Belichick Factor' Confounds Bookies
ESPN
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Nov 21, 2007 11:25 PM CST
(Newser) -
When they're winning big, NFL teams usually bring off their starters by the fourth quarter. The Patriots don't - and what bookies are calling "The Belichick Factor" is breaking records, reports ESPN. Sports bookmakers in Nevada were hit hard after the Patriots crushed the Buffalo Bills last Sunday, and nobody expects Bill Belichick's team...
Last Rites for Priest
Kansas City Star
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Nov 21, 2007 9:59 PM CST
(Newser) -
Priest Holmes's remarkable return to football ended with a whimper as he announced his second retirement, reports the Kansas City Star. Holmes, whose career initially ended two years ago due to neck injury, experienced tingling and numbness in last Sunday's game against Indianapolis; doctors subsequently advised him to hang up his cleats.
Musharraf May Quit Army Post by Saturday
Associated Press
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Nov 21, 2007 9:28 PM CST
(Newser) -
Pervez Musharraf may quit his army post as soon as Saturday, the AP reports, and be immediately sworn in for his next five-year presidential term. The Supreme Court will likely declare tomorrow that Musharraf can continue to rule, and the Election Commission can then confirm his electoral victory from October. "I know the president, and he will...
Polls Predict Rout for Australian PM
Age (Aust.)
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Nov 21, 2007 8:30 PM CST
(Newser) -
Australians elect a new government this Saturday, and polls foresee the fall of John Howard, the once-invincible prime minister who has served for 11 years. Kevin Rudd, the Labor Party leader 20 years Howard's junior, has promised to withdraw Australian troops from Iraq and to "shift up a gear" as the Australian economic miracle recedes....
Even Babies Know Friend From Foe
Associated Press
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Nov 21, 2007 7:50 PM CST
(Newser) -
Babies know how to pick out friends from enemies even before they can talk, a new study suggests. The findings could mean that such social behavior is innate rather than learned from parents, said researchers at Yale University. In the study, babies 6 to 10 months old clearly preferred playing with toys shown to be helpful rather than hurtful, the...
Clinton, Obama Duel Over His Experience
Reuters
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Nov 21, 2007 7:39 PM CST
(Newser) -
Clinton and Obama exchanged volleys on the campaign trail yesterday over Obama's foreign policy experience, Reuters reports. After Obama said the years he spent living abroad as a child give him a better perspective on international affairs, Clinton fired back that her experience as senator and first lady better prepares her for the "big, complex...
New Hampshire Primary Jan. 8 Earliest Ever
Associated Press
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Nov 21, 2007 7:11 PM CST
(Newser) -
New Hampshire today set its primary for January 8, the earliest in state history. New Hampshire always stages the first primary in the nation, and it had to start even earlier this year because several other states moved up their dates to gain influence, the AP reports. New Hampshire will vote five days after the Iowa caucuses.
Arnie Teams With 4 Lenders to Hold Off Foreclosures
San Francisco Chronicle
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Nov 21, 2007 6:47 PM CST
(Newser) -
Four big lenders in California have agreed to extend low-interest mortgage rates to homeowners on the brink of foreclosure, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The lenders worked with Gov. Schwarzenegger on the deal, which will apply to subprime borrowers who have made payments on time so far but will be unable to do so when the rates jump.
Petraeus Sees Gains Against Qaeda in Iraq
Wall Street Journal
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Nov 21, 2007 6:28 PM CST
(Newser) -
Al Qaeda in Iraq is a diminished threat, and credit goes not only to the latest US military push but to unexpected and "robust" efforts by Syria to keep foreign militants out, Gen. David Petraeus said in an extended interview in the Wall Street Journal . The top commander in Iraq said the number of foreign fighters entering through Syria...
Aid Finally Reaches Bengalis
AFP
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Nov 21, 2007 5:54 PM CST
(Newser) -
Bangladesh’s army has finally reached most parts of the southern coastline devastated by Cyclone Sidr six days ago, delivering small amounts of aid to most affected areas, the AFP reports. With relief efforts thus far stymied by the devastation, any aid was welcomed: "We spent the last six days cooking rotten rice," said one survivor...
Wharton Letter Bolsters Suicide Theory
New York Times
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Nov 21, 2007 5:47 PM CST
(Newser) -
A recently-discovered letter by Edith Wharton provides new evidence in The House of Mirth's lingering literary mystery , suggesting that heroine Lily Bart does, in fact, intend to kill herself at the book's end, the New York Times reports. Though the ambiguous text has led many to believe she died of an accidental overdose, Wharton's letter states...
Why Airlines Lose Your Bags
New York Times
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Nov 21, 2007 5:26 PM CST
(Newser) -
On the busiest single travel day of the year, the New York Times explores why the odds of your bags arriving safely at the carousel of your destination are still declining, despite costly efforts at many airlines to improve performance. So far this year, airlines have misplaced one bag out of every 138, compared to one in 155 last year. ...
Saudis Defend Rape Victim's Sentence
CNN
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Nov 21, 2007 5:07 PM CST
(Newser) -
Responding to international outrage, Saudi Arabia's Justice Ministry is defending the punishment meted out to an 18-year old rape victim, and then doubled when she appealed. The ministry says her sentence was increased—to 200 lashes and 6 months in prison—not because she took her case to the media but because new evidence was uncovered....
UK Teens Guilty of Cocaine Smuggling in Ghana
Times (UK)
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Nov 21, 2007 5:05 PM CST
(Newser) -
Two 16-year-olds were found guilty today of attempting to sneak $600,000 of cocaine from Ghana to Britain, the Times reports. The conviction could mean up to three years in a Ghanaian juvenile detention center for the British girls, who claimed they had been set up when they were arrested with the drugs hidden in computer bags at an airport in Accra.
'04 Defeat Begat '08 Edwards
New York Times
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Nov 21, 2007 4:11 PM CST
(Newser) -
The John Edwards of the 2008 campaign is a changed man from the VP-candidate who stumped across America with John Kerry four years ago, notes the New York Times, and Kerry loyalists can't help being frustrated watching Edwards displaying the aggression they pined for then. "A lot of what I'm seeing now, I wish I'd seen in 2004," said Kerry's...
Investor Worries Sink Stocks
Wall Street Journal
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Nov 21, 2007 3:47 PM CST
(Newser) -
Worries over the credit market's effect on the broader economy resurfaced in a big way today as stocks sank, swamped by yesterday's newly glum growth forecast from the Federal Reserve. Other economic data released today were similarly bleak. "The index of leading indicators was a pretty lousy number," says a bank exec. The Dow was down 211.10...
3 Holloway Suspects Arrested Again
Associated Press
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Nov 21, 2007 3:42 PM CST
(Newser) -
The last three people seen with missing American teenager Natalee Holloway, who disappeared on a graduation trip to Aruba in 2005, were arrested again today on suspicion of manslaughter. Dutch teen Joran van der Sloot was detained in the Netherlands, where he attends university, the AP reports; he’s expected to be extradited to Aruba. Surinamese...
August Rush : There's No Hurry
Metacritic
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Nov 21, 2007 3:23 PM CST
(Newser) -
No standing ovations for the uplifting musical drama August Rush , starring Freddie Highmore as a homeless prodigy in search of his birth parents. But critics didn't all flee at intermission, either. "It’s an unabashed feel-good weeper," writes Sid Smith for the Chicago Tribune , "and those eager for that type of fare might as...
Passé the Turkey
Christian Science Monitor
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Nov 21, 2007 3:07 PM CST
(Newser) -
Don't expect the kids home for Thanksgiving. Young adults are increasingly spending the holiday with their buddies instead of their families, the Christian Science Monitor reports, due in large part to the longer distances between where Gen-Yers live and where they were raised. A 2006 poll found 8% of Americans took the turkey-with-friends route...
Court: Deutsche Telekom Must Sell iPhone Minus Contract
Financial Times (UK)
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Nov 21, 2007 2:49 PM CST
(Newser) -
Deutsche Telekom can't force customers to buy a phone contract from them if they buy an iPhone in Germany, says a German court decision in a suit brought by rival carrier Vodafone, reports the Financial Times . DT says they will start offering the phones without a contract immediately, but they will still cost 600 Euros less if the buyer signs up.
Doomsday Cult Leader Pleads With Holed-up Flock
Associated Press
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Nov 21, 2007 2:40 PM CST
(Newser) -
Self-declared prophet Pyotr Kuznetsov today asked the doomsday cult he started to release four children from their underground cave, the AP reports. Confined to a psychiatric ward and charged with setting up a violent religion, Kuznetsov was brought to the site and spoke through a ventilation hole, telling adults and children they could leave.
UK Chancellor Fights for Job After Data Loss
Telegraph (UK)
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Nov 21, 2007 2:28 PM CST
(Newser) -
A day after Alistair Darling was forced to admit that the tax department had lost the personal data of 25 million citizens, the British chancellor was fighting to keep his job in the face of a hostile and incredulous press. "Beyond farce, past comprehension, criminally irresponsible and beneath contempt" was the assessment of one Times ...
Lead Toys Get Charities Grinchy
MSNBC
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Nov 21, 2007 2:04 PM CST
(Newser) -
Rampant toy recalls are putting a real cramp in the holiday spirit at many charities, MSNBC reports. Toy drives must devote so much manpower to checking donations against lists of lead-contaminated recalls that many have stopped the Santa act entirely. “You don’t know what you’re getting, you really don’t,” said one Salvation...
SF to Issue ID Cards to Illegal Immigrants
San Jose Mercury News
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Nov 21, 2007 1:38 PM CST
(Newser) -
San Francisco will issue its own identification cards, the city's Board of Supervisors decided yesterday. San Francisco is host to about 40,000 illegal immigrants, who will be able to use the cards to access city services and open bank accounts, though the details are not entirely worked out. City employees and police may not ask about immigration...
PayPal Swiping Credit Card Market
BusinessWeek
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Nov 21, 2007 1:05 PM CST
(Newser) -
With identity theft jumping 50% since 2003, more people are turning from credit cards to Internet-based payment services like PayPal and Google Checkout for online purchases and, increasingly, everyday transactions, Business Wee k reports. Roughly 30% of US online shoppers used an alternative payment service last year. "Consumers are afraid to...
Hewlett-Packard Nixes BEA Buy
Reuters
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Nov 21, 2007 12:48 PM CST
(Newser) -
“We are the Switzerland of these heterogenous environments,” a Hewlett-Packard exec said by way of explaining why his company is not interested in acquiring BEA, after BEA rejected an offer from Oracle as too low. HP is a partner of BEA’s, the company's software chief said, but HP has similar relationships with BEA rivals.
Writers March on Hollywood Blvd
Variety
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Nov 21, 2007 12:45 PM CST
(Newser) -
Though one marcher was "Looking for Mr. Write," the other 4,000 striking writers and supporters who took over Hollywood Boulevard yesterday were marching to boost solidarity before for next week's negotiations with studios. An Alicia Keys performance kicked off a rally aimed at keeping strike commitment high. "Let's get this done by...
Thousands Returning to Safer Baghdad
Times (UK)
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Nov 21, 2007 12:34 PM CST
(Newser) -
Iraqi refugees are returning to Baghdad by the thousands, convinced that security has dramatically improved, reports the Times of London. The Iraqi embassy in Damascus has even organized a secure convoy to escort Iraqis home next Monday and has posted signs offering free bus and train rides home. “There is a large movement of people going...
Fed's 3-Year Outlook Is Gloomy
Financial Times (UK)
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Nov 21, 2007 12:23 PM CST
(Newser) -
In a word: Grim. That’s the crux of the Federal Reserve’s economic outlook for the next three years, with 1.8% to 2.5% growth forecast for 2008 and a slow gathering of momentum in 2009 and 2010, the Financial Times reports. And key factors from credit surprises to unexpected fourth-quarter losses in the stock market could send the economy...
Critics Under Enchanted' s Spell
Rotten Tomatoes
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Nov 21, 2007 12:12 PM CST
(Newser) -
Enchanted starts out looking like classic Disney animation—right up until the wicked queen banishes Princess Giselle to a live-action Times Square. “OK, it’s a little corny,” admits Rolling Stone ’s Peter Travers. But, like most critics, he succumbs to the spell of this gently revisionist fairy tale and especially its...
FCC Gives Boost to 'Telehealth'
Washington Post
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Nov 21, 2007 12:04 PM CST
(Newser) -
High-speed Internet access funded by $417 million in FCC grants will change how healthcare is provided in rural or heard-to-reach areas across the US, bringing top-end clinical and diagnostic resourced to underserved patients and doctors, the Washington Post reports. Some 6,000 clinics, hospitals, research facilities and universities will be part...
Newspaper Ad Profits Down Despite Increase in Online Ads
Reuters
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Nov 21, 2007 11:49 AM CST
(Newser) -
A 21% third-quarter increase in newspapers' online advertising revenues was not enough to offset a print ad spending decline that brought total ad spending down 7.4% to $10.9B. As major newspaper companies grapple with contracting print revenues and declining profits, Gannett's USA Today has announced 8.8% cuts of editorial staff, Reuters reports.
Facebook Fights Anti-Privacy Charges
CNET
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Nov 21, 2007 11:45 AM CST
(Newser) -
Facebook jumped to the defense of its new social advertising program yesterday, under attack by a MoveOn campaign. MoveOn calls the program a “massive privacy breach,” but Facebook says that misrepresents Beacon, which does not make information "public." "Information is shared with a small selection of a user's trusted network...
Demand Juices Cranberry Prices
Wall Street Journal
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Nov 21, 2007 11:19 AM CST
(Newser) -
Cranberries have become so popular with health-conscious consumers that processors are struggling to keep up with demand, and fresh berries are expected to run out before Christmas, reports the Wall Street Journal . Poor weather—unusually warm and not enough rain—have contributed to rising prices for the "wonderberry."
Subprime Woes Hit New York Law Firms
Bloomberg
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Nov 21, 2007 10:52 AM CST
(Newser) -
The continuing mortgage crisis and tightening credit markets are claiming a new batch of victims: Lawyers. Layoffs at Clifford Chance, the world's highest-grossing law firm, have started, Bloomberg reports, and up to 5% of salaried associated at New York law firms may get the ax as work on mergers, acquisitions and private equity deals slows down....
Guggenheim Won't Be Turning Yellow
Newsday
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Nov 21, 2007 10:17 AM CST
(Newser) -
When the construction wrappings come off, the Guggenheim Museum will be off-white again, not yellow, after an unusual preservation debate was settled by New York City's landmarks commission. Frank Lloyd Wright's iconic Upper East Side museum was painted a buff yellow for its first four years—the architect famously hated white—and some wanted...
Saudi Rape Victim 'Crushed Human Being,' Husband Says
CNN
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Nov 21, 2007 9:41 AM CST
(Newser) -
The husband of the Saudi gang-rape victim sentenced to 200 lashes and 6 months in jail blamed one judge's vendetta—and not the Saudi judicial system itself—for her treatment "as a guilty person who committed a crime." He told CNN his wife has been a severely depressed, ill, "crushed human being" since the attack in 2006,...
Rebel Kurds Defy Turks, US
Associated Press
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Nov 21, 2007 9:09 AM CST
(Newser) -
The leadership of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, the rebel group based in northern Iraq that the United States considers a terrorist organization, has spoken out to warn of resistance to any Turkish cross-border incursion. In a report by a pro-Kurdish news agency, a leading PKK commander warned that his group would fight not only the Turkish army but...
Pentagon, Congress Play Chicken Over Iraq Funds
Washington Post
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Nov 21, 2007 9:00 AM CST
(Newser) -
The Pentagon is threatening as many as 200,000 civilian layoffs by Christmas if war funding isn't approved by Congress, but Dems say there will be no funding until Bush sets withdrawal dates for Iraq. "Both sides are playing a big game of chicken here," a Congressional budget expert told the Washington Post.
Arachnophobia! 8-Foot Fossil Scorpion Is Biggest Bug
Associated Press
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Nov 21, 2007 8:40 AM CST
(Newser) -
Scientists digging in Germany have found the fossilized claw of what is thought to be the largest bug ever to roam the earth—or, in the case of this 400-million-year-old scorpion, to navigate the seas. The eight-foot-long arachnid is an "amazing discovery" that highlights the remarkable sizes of ancient arthropods, reports AP.
Trashed Painting Fetches $1M
BBC
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Nov 21, 2007 8:00 AM CST
(Newser) -
A painting by the Mexican artist Rufino Tamayo rescued from the trash sold at Sotheby's last night for over $1 million, the BBC reports. A New York woman spotted the 1970 work in a pile of garbage awaiting pick-up on the curb in her upper West Side neighborhood. She took it back to her apartment; only months later did she discover that the work was...
Mills Leads Saint Mary's to Upset Ducks
Associated Press
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Nov 21, 2007 7:51 AM CST
(Newser) -
Patrick Mills set a freshman school record with 37 points, five assists, two steals, and just one turnover to help Saint Mary's upset the 12th-ranked Ducks 99-87 last night. It was the Gaels' first win over a ranked opponent in nearly three years. As soon as the buzzer sounded students rushed the court to celebrate.
UCLA Handles MSU
Associated Press
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Nov 21, 2007 7:37 AM CST
(Newser) -
UCLA bounced back from an awful first half to beat Michigan State 68-63. The Bruins struggled early, falling behind 36-25 at halftime, but the highly touted big man Kevin Love led the Bruins back with 21 points and 11 rebounds.
