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.
Too Skimpy for Plane, Just Right for Playboy
USA Today
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Nov 17, 2007 2:40 PM CST
(Newser) -
Kyla Ebbert's outfits just keeping getting skimpier. The 23-year-old California woman who nearly got booted from a Southwest Airlines flight because she wore clothes deemed too revealing has now posed for Playboy in the nude. "They're very tastefully done," she said of the photos. Southwest holds no grudges. "We wish her all the best,"...
Garmin Drops Out of Tele Atlas Bidding
Bloomberg
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Nov 17, 2007 2:12 PM CST
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Garmin, the world’s top GPS producer, dropped its $3.3 billion bid for mapmaker Tele Atlas yesterday, allowing rival TomTom to seal the deal. That may prove a long-term disadvantage for Garmin, but investors love the non-deal, sending shares up 16%, their best gain in five years. “There’s relief,” one analyst said. “The...
Chrysler Plan Cuts Dealers, Overlapping Models
Wall Street Journal
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Nov 17, 2007 2:09 PM CST
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Clued-in dealers say Chrysler is considering a restructuring plan to simplify its lineup: Chrysler dealers would sell all the company’s passenger cars, Jeep dealers would carry only Jeeps and SUVs, and Dodge dealers would handle commercial trucks and pickups. The reorganization would allow Chrysler to eliminate overlapping models and cut up to...
Musharraf Won't Budge for US
New York Times
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Nov 17, 2007 1:29 PM CST
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In a face-to-face meeting today with a top American diplomat, Pervez Musharraf remained tightlipped when pressed on when he would end emergency rule in Pakistan. Musharraf told John Negroponte he would cease martial law when security improves in the country, but his resistance is winning him few fans in Pakistan and the US, the New York Times reports.
Petraeus Comes Home to Pick New Generals
Washington Post
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Nov 17, 2007 12:56 PM CST
(Newser) -
David Petraeus is returning to Washington this week to help select the next generation of generals, an unusual move highlighting the Army’s desperation to inject Petraeus-style unconventional thinkers into its leadership, the Washington Post reports. “It's unprecedented for the commander of an active theater to be brought back to head...
Chavez Vision Roils Nation
New York Times
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Nov 17, 2007 12:27 PM CST
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Hugo Chavez's grasp on Venezuela is about to tighten as the country inches toward a virtual dictatorship and expanded socialism—a development that has support among the poor but is drawing dissent from economists and former army officials. An expected revision of the Constitution would drop the workday to six hours, establish a new social security...
Math Flub Could Doom Online Safety
New York Times
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Nov 17, 2007 11:57 AM CST
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A small glitch in a computer chip—hypothetical so far—could allow hackers to steal private information from millions of PCs, a renowned cryptographer warns colleagues. Adi Shamir, an Israeli professor who helped design software guarding e-commerce transactions, wrote that a simple math mistake could cause a computer’s security software...
Diet Pills Make Slim Difference
BBC
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Nov 17, 2007 11:31 AM CST
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Diet pills are big business, but Canadian researchers have found that they result in only modest weight loss. In placebo-controlled trials, patients taking anti-obesity drugs orlistat, sibutramine and rimonabant lost more weight than those taking dummy pills, but barely. And the average weight loss was 5%, which experts say is not enough to justify...
Eagles Enjoy Their Perch Near the Top
CNN
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Nov 17, 2007 10:58 AM CST
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The Eagles' new CD has sat at or near the top of the Billboard charts since its debut earlier this month—not bad for a band that hasn't released an album since 1979. Don Henley discusses the Eagles' approach to the double-disc Long Road Out of Eden with CNN, including its unexpected and exclusive deal with Wal-Mart, which wooed the environmentally...
Ex-Cop's 3rd Wife Murdered, Expert Says
Chicago Tribune
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Nov 17, 2007 10:32 AM CST
(Newser) -
Drew Peterson's third wife was murdered and did not accidentally drown in the bathtub as originally thought, a pathologist says. Bruises on the body of Kathleen Savio suggest she was beaten to death in 2004, the Chicago Tribune reports. The autopsy took place after police named Peterson, a former Chicago cop, a suspect in the disappearance...
1 Small Disc, 1 Giant Message
Space.com
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Nov 17, 2007 10:02 AM CST
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A tiny disc carrying messages of peace from world leaders has been lying in a small pouch on the moon since 1969, reports Space.com . Space historian Tahir Rahman's new book We Came In Peace For All Mankind tells the story of how the disc came to be there—and how the Apollo 11 astronauts almost forgot to leave it behind.
Wiki Founder May Take on Facebook
Wired
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Nov 17, 2007 9:13 AM CST
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Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales is apparently going after Facebook and Google in the social-networking arena, Wired reports. Wales showed slides of his upcoming project during a speech in South Africa, and a tech blogger on hand described it as a "search/social networking hybrid" that incorporates elements of both internet powerhouses.
Cyclone Deaths in Thousands
BBC
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Nov 17, 2007 8:46 AM CST
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More than 1,000 have been confirmed dead in the wake of Thursday's cyclone in Bangladesh, but local news reports double that number, as a virtual national blackout and debris-filled roads have stymied efforts to assess the true brunt of the storm, reports the BBC. "We are expecting that thousands of dead bodies may be found within a few days,"...
Swanky Hotels Kiss Gideons Goodbye
ABC News
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Nov 17, 2007 8:08 AM CST
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While you'll still find that copy of the New Testament waiting in lower-tier hotel and motel rooms, the Bible is slowly checking out of luxury hotels and resorts, ABC News reports. The number of upscale hotels putting the Gospels by the bedside has dropped 18 percent since 2001. "People don't ask for this stuff," said one hotelier.
Feds Seize Ron Paul 'Dollars'
Washington Post
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Nov 17, 2007 7:35 AM CST
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Federal agents raided the Indiana headquarters of a so-called "sound money" group this week, seizing nearly 60,000 "Ron Paul Dollars"—copper coins bearing the likeness of the renegade Texan congressman, GOP candidate for president and sound-money advocate. The organization has more than $20 million in illegal private currency,...
Roaches Fooled by Robots, Follow Their Lead
Nature
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Nov 17, 2007 6:57 AM CST
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Scientists have created robot cockroaches that genuine roaches accept into their communities—and even follow. The robots were covered in roach scent and programmed to like the same things roaches do—darkness and the company of other cockroaches. A Belgian theoretical biologist Jose Halloy and his colleagues found that the impostors could...
UN Warns of 'Abrupt' Warming
BBC
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Nov 17, 2007 6:18 AM CST
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The last and most forceful of a series of UN reports on climate change unveiled today urges swift action to avoid "abrupt and irreversible" damage to the environment. Melting glaciers will cause a rapid rise in sea levels, wiping out vulnerable species and destroying water and food supplies for many of the world's poorest people, warns the...
Boom Times for Gaza Smugglers
Economist
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Nov 17, 2007 5:59 AM CST
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Gazan smugglers are doing land-office business since Israel blocked trade to the tiny strip, the Economist reports. Munitions, food, cigarettes—even a top seller, Viagra—are all being shuttled in full view of Israeli authorities. Why the free pass from Egypt to Gaza? The “reason for Israel’s forbearance” is unclear,...
Striking Writers to Resume Talks
Los Angeles Times
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Nov 17, 2007 5:48 AM CST
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With the Hollywood writers' strike starting to cause economic pain, writers and studios have agreed to head back to the bargaining table Nov. 26. The breakthrough came via back-channel talks between top TV writers and studio execs, the Los Angeles Times reports. The strike halted production on some two dozen TV shows; late-night talk shows...
No. 18 Arkansas Falls on Road to Providence
Associated Press
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Nov 17, 2007 12:16 AM CST
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Providence, aided by 32 Razorback turnovers, never trailed and ran away from Arkansas 67-51 in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off Tournament last night, reports the AP. Brian McKenzie led the Friars with 18 points, while Geoffrey McDermott added 15. Arkansas was coming off a 26-point thrashing of the College of Charleston. In other NCAA hoops action Friday:
Shortage of Officers Plagues Shipping
Christian Science Monitor
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Nov 16, 2007 11:12 PM CST
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A blunder that dumped 58,000 gallons of oil into San Francisco Bay last week has drawn attention to a worldwide shortage of experienced mariners—and the resulting potential for future disasters. The number of ships is increasing as global trade booms, reports the Christian Science Monitor , but the current officer shortfall stands at 10,000...
Surging Celts Hold Off Miami, Move to 8-0
Associated Press
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Nov 16, 2007 11:00 PM CST
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Paul Pierce, in foul trouble most of the second half, dropped in a layup with 25 seconds left to give the Boston Celtics a 92-91 win over the Miami Heat, and his team their best start since 1972-73. Boston's new Big Three combined for 57 points while Miami's Dwyane Wade, in his first start this season, had 23 points.
Bullying Cases Spike in Japan
Associated Press
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Nov 16, 2007 10:44 PM CST
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School bullying cases have spiked sixfold in Japan this year, according to a new survey that highlights a dark issue in Japanese education. Officials blame the 125,000 cases on a recent, broader definition of bullying and the addition of more schools to the tally—but admit to six student suicides linked to bullying in 2007, up from only one last...
Devils Can't Get Their Due
Star-Ledger
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Nov 16, 2007 10:22 PM CST
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Devils GM Lou Lamoriello isn't used to the view from the bottom of the Atlantic Division -- which is where his team sits after a 1-0 home loss to the New York Islanders tonight. Josef Vasicek scored the game's lone goal, shorthanded, as future Hall of Famer Martin Brodeur failed for the third time to win his 500th career game.
Tourists Stuck Between Plymouth Rock and Hard Place
Boston Globe
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Nov 16, 2007 10:17 PM CST
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Tourists traveling to Plymouth, Mass., this spring to see a giant rock will have to settle for a giant box instead, the Boston Globe reports. The famous Plymouth Rock, the controversial landmark the pilgrims may or may not have first stepped on, will be encased in plywood to protect it while the 86-year-old portico above is repaired.
Housing Slump Tarnishes Trump Name
Wall Street Journal
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Nov 16, 2007 10:03 PM CST
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Proving no one is safe from the housing market downdraft, Donald Trump is experiencing some turbulence as tightening credit saps demand and leaves a few Trump Towers in the lurch. Two Florida projects with Trump's name have halted construction—even after one collected deposits from buyers—and a third may soon. A Toronto project suffered...
Charges Against Bonds 'Absurd'
New York Sun
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Nov 16, 2007 9:41 PM CST
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Barry Bonds undoubtedly lied through his teeth when he denied all things steroid in front of a grand jury, writes New York Sun columnist Tim Marchman, but the charges against him are nevertheless "absurd." The case hinges on proving that Bonds knowingly took the drugs and talked about it with trainer Greg Anderson. With both denying the...
Saudi Rape Victim Gets Jail for Appealing
BBC
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Nov 16, 2007 7:36 PM CST
(Newser) -
A Saudi woman who was gang-raped by 14 men has been sentenced to 200 lashes and 6 months in prison, the BBC reports. Her original crime was being in the car with a man unrelated to her, but her punishment was doubled and prison time added when she appealed the original sentence. Judges said she tried to use the media to influence them; her lawyer says...
Kerry Takes $1M Swift Boat Challenge
Associated Press
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Nov 16, 2007 6:53 PM CST
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John Kerry accepted a $1 million challenge today to back his military record against claims by the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, the AP reports. The former Dem nom answered an open challenge by oilman T. Boone Pickens, a key funder of the group that claimed Kerry fudged his military resume. Pickens vowed to pay a cool mil to anyone who refutes a single...
Army Desertion Rate High and Getting Higher
Associated Press
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Nov 16, 2007 6:09 PM CST
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The Army desertion rate for 2007 is up 43% over last year and a whopping 80% since the 2003 Iraq invasion, figures out today show. The rate is the highest since 1980, the AP reports. Moreover, it's increasing: Nearly two-thirds of this year's desertions were in the second half of the fiscal year ended Sept. 30, Army Times reports.
Program Tracks Web's CO2 Emissions
San Jose Mercury News
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Nov 16, 2007 5:43 PM CST
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If you're reading this, you're contributing to climate change. That's the message of two PhD students who have created a widget to calculate how much carbon dioxide Web sites generate. Operators can download and install the free program on their sites and then buy an equivalent amount of carbon offsets, reports the San Jose Mercury News .
From Detroit to Dresden to Siberia
Telegraph (UK)
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Nov 16, 2007 5:42 PM CST
(Newser) -
John Noble, an American who wrote two memoirs about the decade he spent as a Soviet prisoner, including 3 years in the gulag, died last week at 84, the Telegraph reports. Taken into Soviet custody in 1945, Noble and his father were incarcerated in Dresden, Germany, where they had run a family-owned camera factory. "Justice doesn't exist,"...
Bush, Japanese PM Boost Ties
Reuters
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Nov 16, 2007 5:25 PM CST
(Newser) -
President Bush and new Japanese PM Yasuo Fukuda today vowed to reconcile hot-button issues concerning North Korea and Afghanistan that have strained relations, Reuters reports. In his first visit to the White House, Fukuda pledged to do his "utmost" to renew a refueling mission for coalition forces in Afghanistan, which has been halted by...
Court Sides With Bush on Wiretapping
Los Angeles Times
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Nov 16, 2007 4:57 PM CST
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The Bush administration's warrantless wiretapping program cleared a big legal hurdle today when a federal appeals court rejected a lawsuit challenging the program on the grounds of national security. The court, considered one of the most liberal in the country, cited the "state secrets" privilege in its ruling against an Islamic charity...
Chip Maker AMD Gets Emirate Cash
Wall Street Journal
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Nov 16, 2007 4:39 PM CST
(Newser) -
The government of Abu Dhabi, through its investment arm, bought an 8.1% stake in Advanced Micro Devices for $622 million. It will receive 49 million newly-issued AMD shares, but won't get any board representation. The computer chip maker desperately needs the cash after a $396 million loss during the third quarter, reports the Wall Street Journal...
One Vote Against a Bhutto Deal
Los Angeles Times
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Nov 16, 2007 4:30 PM CST
(Newser) -
Benazir Bhutto may be perceived as a champion of democracy, but a US-promoted third rise to power for the ousted prime minister would be a disaster for Pakistan, Bhutto’s niece writes in the LA Times. Bhutto “talks of democracy while asking to be brought to power by a military dictator,” says Fatima Bhutto, a poet and writer who...
Jeter a Cheater: New York State
New York Daily News
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Nov 16, 2007 4:08 PM CST
(Newser) -
Derek Jeter is spending the off-season denying he’s a Bronx Bomber. New York officials seeking back taxes from the Yankee—who files in Florida—have answered a judge’s demands to show the ballplayer is “immersed in the community.” If they can prove Jeter’s more a creature of Trump Tower than of Tampa, the Daily...
Dow Up After Roller-Coaster Day
MarketWatch
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Nov 16, 2007 3:44 PM CST
(Newser) -
The major indexes closed up today after erratic trading as bad news on industrial production and new negative forecasts failed to halt an end-of-week rally. The Dow gained 66.74 to 13,176.79, the Nasdaq climbed 18.73 to 2,637.24, and the S&P 500 closed at 1,458.74, up 7.59.
McCann Friend Says She Saw Maddy Abducted
BBC
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Nov 16, 2007 3:30 PM CST
(Newser) -
A close friend of the McCann family says she saw a man carrying Madeleine McCann from the Portuguese resort where they were staying, the BBC reports. "I think it's important that people know what I saw because I believe Madeleine was abducted," said Jane Tanner, who agreed to an interview after being labeled "a liar and a fantasist."
Justice Dept. March Targets Hate Crimes
Washington Post
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Nov 16, 2007 3:19 PM CST
(Newser) -
Thousands of marchers converged near the Justice Department in Washington, DC, today, to protest what they say is a lax attitude toward prosecuting hate crimes. The marchers, led by Al Sharpton and Martin Luther King III, cited the Jena 6 controversy in Louisiana and a subsequent spate of incidents involving nooses or swastikas, the Washington Post...
Singapore Lifts Ban on Game With Lesbian Love
Straits Times
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Nov 16, 2007 2:54 PM CST
(Newser) -
Gamers in Singapore may now buy Microsoft's Mass Effect despite a female-female love scene. The country has decided to allow the sale of the video game under an M18 rating, reports Singapore's Straits Times , after previously banning it due to a scene showing a human woman and an alien woman kissing.
Bengali Cyclone Toll Hits 1,100
Associated Press
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Nov 16, 2007 2:31 PM CST
(Newser) -
The death toll from yesterday’s cyclone in Bangladesh has risen to 1,100, and widespread power and telephone shortages are slowing relief work. The full devastation may not be known for days. Relief agencies have descended on the impoverished nation, but blocked roads and rivers make reaching the worst-hit areas difficult, the AP reports.
Watchdog Won't Monitor Russia Election
Washington Post
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Nov 16, 2007 2:05 PM CST
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An international election watchdog agency has canceled its mission to monitor Russia’s December vote because its delegation's visa applications “have continuously been denied,” reports the Washington Post. The lack of oversight by the agency, part of the 55-member Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, is expected...
Banks' Borrowing Rates Climb
Bloomberg
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Nov 16, 2007 1:57 PM CST
(Newser) -
Financial institutions are paying more to borrow money than the average company for the first time in over a decade, reports Bloomberg, as investors fear the $50 billion in subprime losses the big banks have reported so far is just the tip of the iceberg. “We've only seen the estimates of the losses,'' said one analyst, adding that the credibility...
Good Fences Make Good Borders
Los Angeles Times
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Nov 16, 2007 1:45 PM CST
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Pity the designers of the new border fence with Mexico: They'd been asked to come up with a design that will keep out the most determined immigrants but doesn't read as unfriendly. The government has mandated the fence be "aesthetically pleasing" to folks in Mexico, who are, after all, allies. "They want to make it seem like you could...
Stores Expose Customer Credit Card, Personal Data to Hackers
Associated Press
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Nov 16, 2007 1:36 PM CST
(Newser) -
Major US and European retailers routinely transmit sensitive data, including customer credit card and Social Security numbers, over wireless networks wide open to hackers. A recent undercover study by a wireless data security firm found half of stores in major shopping areas either exchanged data without anti-hacking encryption or used obsolete encryption...
Energy Conservation Comes Home
MIT Technology Review
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Nov 16, 2007 1:31 PM CST
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Energy companies are hoping to cut costs and conserve electricity by training customers to trim power use during peak hours, reports the MIT Technology Review . By viewing small monitors in homes, customers can see when demand is highest and turn off energy-hogging air conditioners, dishwashers and space heaters. Generating so-called “negawatts”...
Abusive Drill Sgt. Gets 6 Months in Brig
Los Angeles Times
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Nov 16, 2007 1:25 PM CST
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A military jury has sentenced a former Marine drill instructor convicted of abusing recruits to 6 months in the brig, busted him to private, and ordered a bad-conduct discharge, the LA Times reports. Jerrold Glass, reportedly otherwise a model marine, was convicted of punching, slapping, and destroying the personal property of two dozen recruits...
Emporium Short on Wonder
Metacritic
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Nov 16, 2007 12:58 PM CST
(Newser) -
Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium might be less than magical for grown-ups, critics of the whimsical family flick agree. Dustin Hoffman stars as the eponymous eccentric who bequeathes a magical living toy store to reluctant protégé Natalie Portman in a film that "sprinkles in charming moments but ultimately doesn't evoke enough wonderment,"...
Americans Turn to Web TV, And Advertisers Too
New York Times
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Nov 16, 2007 12:56 PM CST
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As broadband Internet access becomes all-pervasive, more Americans are turning from the tube to YouTube—and Madison Avenue is taking notice. The New York Times looks at the advertising industry's foray into online television, eager to get their products in front of the young, male, affluent audiences of Internet channels like Blip.TV or Blame...
