Newser Story Index from December, 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.
Guitar Hero: $9K; Lesson to Pothead Son: Priceless
AFP
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Dec 17, 2007 4:23 PM CST
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Christmas came early for a father who sold a rare $90 Guitar Hero III video game for $9,100 on eBay. He searched for "the Holy Grail of Christmas presents" for 2 weeks, he said in his auction description, and "couldn't wait to spread the jubilance to my son," AFP reports. But then he came home early and found the 15-year-old smoking...
Oh, Baby! Ten Tots With Clout
Forbes
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Dec 17, 2007 4:07 PM CST
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It's no surprise that many kids of celebrities attain star status, but sometimes the media attention can take on a life of its own: Consider the change in the tone of coverage of Tom Cruise after Suri came along. Forbes looked at web and press coverage for megastar kids under 6 years old to determine the 10 most influential Hollywood tykes: ...
Feds Lag on Internet Protocol Upgrade
Network World
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Dec 17, 2007 3:48 PM CST
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A deadline for US federal agencies to support an upgrade to the current Internet communications protocol, which would provide much-needed new IP addresses, is likely to come and go without much changing. Agencies' networks must be capable of running IPv6 within 6 months, but observers estimate most won't actually make the switch, reports Network World...
Stagflation Jitters Sink Stocks
Wall Street Journal
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Dec 17, 2007 3:29 PM CST
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The markets resumed last week’s downward spiral today, with the Dow diving 172.65 to 13,167.20 despite typically buoying news of major deals. The Nasdaq slid 61.28 to 2,574.46 and the S&P closed at 1,445.90, down 22.05. Alan Greenspan said he foresees a 50-50 chance of recession and warned of stagflation, the Journal reports.
Gaza Loses Fizz in Face of CO2 Blockade
Time
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Dec 17, 2007 3:25 PM CST
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The Israeli and international blockade of Gaza means Ammar Yagezi, a third-generation soft drink bottler, has been unable to supply Palestinians with Pepsi and 7Up. Tel Aviv says the freeze on imports of cement, fertilizer and—in this case—CO2 is for “security reasons,” but Time says the Strip is uncarbonated because Israel...
Programmers Can't Keep Up With Ever-Faster Chips
New York Times
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Dec 17, 2007 3:15 PM CST
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Fast new microprocessor chips are outstripping the computer industry's ability to build software to take advantage of them. Some industry planners believe that software designed for new chips with many processors could make certain computing tasks 100 times faster. The problem: computer scientists haven't found an easy way to program such chips, reports...
Pam Anderson Rethinks Divorce
E! Online
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Dec 17, 2007 3:07 PM CST
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Within days of filing for divorce from her third husband, Pam Anderson has had second thoughts and is "working things out" with Rick Salomon, E! reports. The onetime "Baywatch" babe cited irreconcilable differences with her husband of just over 2 months in a claim filed Friday in LA, but a blog posting today reflects her change...
New Tools Will Mash Up Phone, Mobile, & Net
Reuters
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Dec 17, 2007 3:04 PM CST
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A startup called Ribbit today unveiled a tool to let developers create voice communication applications that unify Internet-based and traditional telephony services, including phones and text messaging. Developers can include voicemail and calling functions, and can embed their apps in Web pages and Web-based services, reports Reuters. The platform...
Psych Prof Puts Bush on the Couch
Los Angeles Times
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Dec 17, 2007 2:46 PM CST
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President Bush recently scorned a reporter’s “Psychology 101,” but one mind-minded professor says he could benefit from a few lessons. Bush should start by trying “pattern matching,” Jonathan Haidt writes in the LA Times , with no little humor: If he’d stop equating Islam with fascism and instead think of terrorists...
It's All Greek to Miss Belgium
AFP
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Dec 17, 2007 2:28 PM CST
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The new Miss Belgium sparked fury in Flanders this weekend with her admission that she doesn't speak Dutch, AFP reports. In a country already torn over the Flemish-French conflict that's derailed the government for months, 20-year-old Alizee Poulicek's attempt to speak the language of the country's majority was met with boos and mockery—but she...
Ho-Hum Season Sees Drop in Women's Apparel Sales
New York Times
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Dec 17, 2007 2:07 PM CST
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Women's spending on apparel for the first half of the Christmas season is down, alarming retailers and spawning broad worry in the industry. Experts blame a bleak economy and blah fashions for a slump of nearly 6% compared with a year ago, reports the New York Times . Men’s clothing sales, on the other hand, rose 4.5% in the first 20 days of...
America's Vainest Cities
Forbes
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Dec 17, 2007 1:45 PM CST
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With Americans flocking to undergo plastic surgery —11 million went under the knife in 2006— Forbes crunched the numbers to determine the most nipped, tucked, enlarged, and liposucked cities. And while shoo-ins like LA do appear, top billing went to... Salt Lake City? Salt Lake City San Francisco
NJ Formally Outlaws Death Penalty
Star-Ledger
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Dec 17, 2007 1:23 PM CST
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New Jersey officially abolished the death penalty today, becoming the first state to ban capital punishment in the 4 decades since the US Supreme Court allowed the practice to resume. "Today, New Jersey is truly evolving," Gov. Jon Corzine said as he signed the measure, which sped through the legislature amid contentious debate in the glare...
In 'Smartphone Valley,' Telecom Boom Calls
Financial Times (UK)
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Dec 17, 2007 1:00 PM CST
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Silicon Valley is being reborn as a telecom hub, as phone companies jockey for computing technology and battle to compete with Apple and Google. Nokia, which opened a major research center in Palo Alto last year, has named its first Golden State-based technology chief. It's one of several firms rushing to “Smartphone Valley” to get their...
Socks Kill in Knitting Tournament
Wall Street Journal
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Dec 17, 2007 12:37 PM CST
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About 150 people were knitting for their lives last month in what organizers call the “bloodiest extreme knitting tournament” around. Based on the dorm staple Assassins, Sock Wars challenges contestants to “kill” targets by knitting and sending them socks, the Wall Street Journal explains. “I wanted a wicked edge to...
Scrabble Players Flock to Facebook
New York Times
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Dec 17, 2007 12:21 PM CST
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The hottest application on Facebook these days is Scrabulous, based on the Hasbro boardgame. Jayant and Rajat Agarwalla, a young brother duo from Calcutta, developed an online version of Scrabble in 2005. They put it on Facebook in June in the hopes of targeting 0.01% of the website's citizenry, but now it's got over half a million daily users.
Leno, Conan to Return Jan. 2
CNN
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Dec 17, 2007 12:16 PM CST
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“The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” and “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” will return with new episodes on January 2 after 2 months off the air because of the Writers Guild strike, CNN reports. The shows will return without their usual writers, but "I will make clear, on the program, my support for the writers," O'Brien...
Cutting Back on E-Consumerism
PC World
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Dec 17, 2007 12:10 PM CST
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While many Americans spend big bucks online, some are using the Internet to tone down their consumerism. PC World's Grant Gross has joined a national group called the Compact, which encourages members to swear off buying new stuff whenever possible and stick to local products. It's a step "beyond recycling," according to the group's popular...
Fla. Woman Gets Opposite of Cold Feet
Miami Herald
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Dec 17, 2007 12:01 PM CST
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A south Florida woman who married at least 10 men between 2002 and 2006 has been charged with bigamy, the Miami Herald reports. Eunice Lopez, a Cuban immigrant and legal US resident, likely tied the knot(s) for money, officials say—none of her "husbands" had legal status. She's also suspected of pressing the men for cash after the...
Escape the Flu This Season
Health.com
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Dec 17, 2007 11:35 AM CST
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No one wants to come down with the flu, especially during the holidays. Follow these tips to protect yourself: Wash your hands often. Avoid crowds. Shop online and cover your face if someone sneezes near you.
Ingersoll-Rand to Buy Trane for $10B in Cash and Stock
Wall Street Journal
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Dec 17, 2007 11:15 AM CST
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In what would be the largest industrial acquisition since 1999, Ingersoll-Rand has agreed to buy Trane for $10.1 billion, creating the second-largest manufacturer of air conditioners and climate-control systems in the world, the Wall Street Journal reports. The deal requires regulatory and shareholder approval but little borrowing, because I-R recently...
Sam Cooke Sang, and a Change Came
NPR
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Dec 17, 2007 11:00 AM CST
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Sam Cooke had his fair share of hits, but he didn't live to see the success of his masterpiece, the protest song “A Change is Gonna Come.” Now that it’s been enshrined at the Library of Congress, NPR takes a look at the civil rights anthem and its creator, whom Aretha Franklin calls “one of the greatest singers of all time.”
Expedia Moves to Capture European Market
Financial Times (UK)
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Dec 17, 2007 10:42 AM CST
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Citing saturation in US travel, Expedia will move aggressively to seize European market share, reports the Financial Times, with hopes that half its revenue will be international within 5 or 6 years . The travel giant hopes to move in while European competitors Thomas Cook and Tui Travel are distracted with their merger, then turn its attention...
More Schools Ban Cupcakes
Chicago Tribune
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Dec 17, 2007 10:16 AM CST
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Holiday parties in classrooms around Chicago won't be covered with red and green sprinkles this year, the Chicago Tribune reports. More and more schools are banning cupcakes in favor of "healthy" things like fruit skewers fashioned into reindeer antlers. It's part of a national trend to make special-occasion snacks consistent with the healthy-eating...
Synthetic DNA Comes to Life
Washington Post
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Dec 17, 2007 9:56 AM CST
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Scientists are on the verge of creating new life forms from synthetic DNA and already sparking ethical questions, the Washington Post reports. Researchers can make entire chromosomes from sugars, phosphates, and nitrogen-based compounds, then insert the DNA into a host cell. The new codes can transform bacteria or yeast into biofuel-making machines,...
Sarkozy Steps Out With Singer/Model
AFP
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Dec 17, 2007 9:39 AM CST
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The Nicolas Sarkozy soap opera’s latest turn involves Mickey Mouse. The recently divorced French president strolled Disneyland with Italian pop singer Carla Bruni on Saturday, provoking a hail of gossip, AFP reports. The president’s office was officially mum, but one magazine editor said Bruni told him personally “that from now on,...
UK Bomb Plot Suspect Escapes
AFP
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Dec 17, 2007 8:57 AM CST
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The escape in Pakistan last night of a British terror suspect has set off a nationwide manhunt and further strained precarious diplomatic relations between Britain and Pakistan, reports AFP. Guards returning Rashid Rauf, 26, to jail from a court appearance allowed him to stop for burgers and prayers, where Rauf vanished. "It seems his handcuffs...
Suicide Bomber Kills 10 Recruits in Pakistan
Reuters
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Dec 17, 2007 8:49 AM CST
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A suicide bomber killed 10 army recruits today near a Pakistani military school in the first major attack since Pervez Musharraf lifted emergency rule Saturday, saying that the government had “broken the back” of insurgents in the northwest. The school in Kohat was attacked regularly until Musharraf declared martial law on Nov. 3, citing...
Air France Offers Alitalia $1B Boost
Bloomberg
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Dec 17, 2007 8:26 AM CST
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Air France-KLM Group sweetened its bid for troubled Italian airline Alitalia today with a plan to raise $1.08 billion to upgrade aircraft and relaunch the brand, and a vow not to cut jobs. Air France is competing with Italy's No. 2 air carrier, Air One, to buy out the Italian government's 49.9% stake in the airline, which has posted losses 9 years...
Russia Gives Iran Nuclear Fuel
BBC
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Dec 17, 2007 7:58 AM CST
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Russia delivered nuclear material to Iran yesterday, the BBC reports, ignoring Washington’s protests. Russia says it has assurances that the plutonium will only be used for the nuclear power plant in Bushehr, which is being built by a Russian company, but the US says that spent uranium could be used in weapons development. The plant could be...
Vista Tops Tech Disappointment List
PC World
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Dec 17, 2007 7:52 AM CST
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When PC World decided to whip up a list of 2007's most disappointing tech, was there really any doubt what would headline the list? Vista wasn't awful, but neither was it, you know, good . Here's how the list broke down: Vista The Hi-Def Format War Facebook Beacon Yahoo Apple's iPhone
Ellison-Backed IPO Wraps '07
Wall Street Journal
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Dec 17, 2007 7:40 AM CST
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On-demand software company NetSuite goes public this week with an offering likely to draw the bulk of attention in an otherwise quiet finale for IPOs. Only three firms will go to market, compared to eight in last year’s final week. Oracle CEO Larry Ellison’s NetSuite hopes to raise $100 million, despite never having been profitable, reports...
Murdoch Libel 'Victim' Charged With Perjury
Telegraph (UK)
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Dec 17, 2007 7:29 AM CST
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A former leader of Scotland's Socialist Party who won a $400,000 libel suit against publisher Rupert Murdoch's News of the World was arrested yesterday on charges of perjury. One-time member of parliament Tommy Sheridan claimed the bust was a "witch hunt orchestrated and influenced by the powerful reach of the Murdoch empire.”
Ron Paul 'Tea Party' Nets $6M
Boston Globe
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Dec 17, 2007 6:52 AM CST
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In an event dubbed "Boston TeaParty07," supporters of quirky GOP candidate Ron Paul rallied in the Boston snow yesterday while donations from across the nation dropped a record-breaking one-day "money bomb" of $6 million into the campaign. Most of the funds were donated over the Internet. To Paul's backers, the fundraising blitz...
Iraq: We Need Troops for 10 More Years
Reuters
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Dec 17, 2007 5:52 AM CST
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Despite improved security, Iraq will need US troops for 10 more years, but won’t accept permanent bases, an Iraqi official said yesterday. "For 10 years our army will not be able to defend Iraq," said government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh. Iraq has asked the United Nations Security Council to extend the mandate of international forces...
Lieberman to Back McCain
Washington Post
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Dec 17, 2007 5:41 AM CST
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Democratic Connecticut senator and one-time vice presidential nominee Joe Lieberman is expected today to announce his support of Republican presidential hopeful John McCain, reports the Washington Post . The newly "Independent Democrat" agrees with McCain's hawkish Iraq stance, and his backing is thought to hold some sway with moderate and...
Military: Shift Troops to Afghan Front
Washington Post
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Dec 17, 2007 5:24 AM CST
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The US military is calling for an accelerated withdrawal from Iraq and a shift of troops and equipment to Afghanistan, reports the Washington Post . The post-surge reduction of violence in Iraq has coincided with resurgent Taliban activity in Afghanistan; both NATO and US commanders there say they need several additional battalions, helicopters, and...
To Thine Own Self Be Googled
Associated Press
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Dec 17, 2007 5:23 AM CST
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More Americans are Googling themselves, friends and dates. A Pew study found that 47% of US adult Internet users have looked up themselves using the search engine, compared with 22% in 2002. The study found 53% Googled neighbors, colleagues, or dates—often checking bankruptcy and divorce proceedings, and other public records. Women are slightly...
'Bikini' TV Anchor Charged With Punching NY Cop
New York Post
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Dec 17, 2007 4:34 AM CST
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An Emmy-winning news anchorwoman was arrested in Manhattan after allegedly punching a female plainclothes police officer during a road-rage altercation with three cops, the New York Post reports. Alycia Lane, anchor with Philadelphia's KWY-TV, is said to have called one of the officers "a dyke bitch"—then struck her in the face.
Striking Writers Turn to Web Biz
Los Angeles Times
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Dec 17, 2007 4:18 AM CST
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Dozens of striking film and TV writers are creating new companies that would bypass Hollywood studios and present original video entertainment directly on the Internet. Three groups of writers are working on ventures similar to United Artists, the production company created by Charlie Chaplin and other stars who wanted to break from the studio system,...
Iraq Pumping More Oil Than Before War
BBC
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Dec 17, 2007 3:55 AM CST
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Thanks largely to increased security, Iraq is now producing more oil than it was before the war began in 2003, according to the International Energy Agency. The output is up to 2.3 million barrels per day from 1.9 million barrels daily at the beginning of the year. Protecting Iraq's main northern pipeline to Turkey from sabotage attacks accounted for...
Giants Lose Game, Shockey, Playoff Hopes?
New York Times
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Dec 17, 2007 3:41 AM CST
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In a gusty, freezing, mostly empty Giants Stadium last night, Eli Manning threw 34 incomplete passes and the Washington Redskins held on to win, 22-10. A win could have locked up a postseason slot for the Giants, but the loss brings more questions than it answers, writes the New York Times.
King Abdullah Pardons Saudi Rape Victim
Al Jazeera
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Dec 17, 2007 3:10 AM CST
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A young Saudi gang rape victim whose case sparked worldwide condemnation when she was sentenced to a lashing and jail time for violating Islamic law has been pardoned, Al Jazeera reports. King Abdullah pardoned the woman in the "interests of the people" and out of compassion for the victim, though he is still "convinced and sure that...
Celtics' D Dominates Raptors
Boston Herald
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Dec 17, 2007 3:04 AM CST
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The Boston Celtics are on their best streak in 14 years after winning their ninth straight, 90-77, against the Raptors. And Boston isn't just riding the offensive power of the Big Three: playing without Ray Allen last night, the team held Toronto to season lows in points, baskets, and assists, reports the Boston Herald.
Palestinians Seek $5.6B in Talks
Reuters
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Dec 17, 2007 2:50 AM CST
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Representatives of more than 60 nations meet in Paris today to discuss providing aid to the Palestinians. Palestine President Mahmoud Abbas, locked in a power struggle with Hamas in Gaza, is hoping to secure $5.6 billion in aid over the next three years. The US has promised $550 million. The talks are part of the process to forge an agreement on Palestinian...
Singer, Songwriter Dan Fogelberg Dies at 56
Associated Press
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Dec 17, 2007 2:42 AM CST
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Soft rock singer-songwriter Dan Fogelberg died yesterday morning at his home in Maine after a three-year battle with prostate cancer. He was 56. Fogelberg was most popular in the '70s and early '80s with hits like "Longer," "Leader of the Band," "Same Old Lang Syne," and "The Power of Gold." His songs were known...
Great One's Team Rolls Over the Rangers
Associated Press
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Dec 16, 2007 9:01 PM CST
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Wayne Gretzky was back at Madison Square Garden, this time as head coach of Phoenix, and walked out of his old rink with a 5-1 win over New York. Joel Perrault had two goals for the normally low-scoring Coyotes,who took advantage of playing against the Rangers' backup goaltender. Phoenix scored four times in the middle period. Elsewhere on the ice:
Romo, Cowboys Lay Egg Against Feisty Eagles
Philadelphia Inquirer
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Dec 16, 2007 8:04 PM CST
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As his girlfriend Jessica Simpson looked on, Tony Romo and the flashy Dallas offense sputtered at home against Philadelphia in a 10-6 upset. Romo had three picks and a grisly 36% completion rate; Terrell Owens caught just two passes. The loss dropped Dallas to 12-2, ostensibly tied with Green Bay for NFC home-field advantage. In the AFC:
Rodriguez to Leave WVU for Big House
Detroit News
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Dec 16, 2007 7:59 PM CST
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Michigan's turbulent month-long search to replace legendary coach Lloyd Carr is over. Rich Rodriguez, the six-year coach at West Virginia and one of the architects of its devastating no-huddle spread offense, will defect after compiling a record of 60-26 at his alma mater. His salary is rumored to be in the $2.5 million range.
Saints Make Playoff Move, Beat 'Zona
Times-Picayune (New Orleans)
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Dec 16, 2007 7:46 PM CST
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New Orleans, essentially playing must-win games every week, got one today over fellow playoff hopeful Arizona, 31-24. Quarterback Drew Brees was outstanding, completing nearly 90 percent of his passes, while Aaron Stecker balanced the offense with 95 yards rushing and two scores, reports the Times-Picayune. The Saints (7-7) also pressured Cardinals...
