Newser Story Index from October, 2008
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.
Florida Dem Cops to Affairs, Won't Resign
WPBF-TV
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Oct 18, 2008 2:56 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Tim Mahoney has come clean about having "multiple affairs” reports ABC News. The Florida congressman admits his behavior was "disgraceful" but insists he did not violate any laws. His six-figure payoff to hush one mistress came from personal funds, Mahoney says, and his affair with a county official was unrelated to her county...
Preggo? It's OK to Have a Little Vino
Gourmet
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Oct 18, 2008 2:23 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Pregnant gourmands can stop panicking about sipping on the occasional—heck, daily—glass of wine, writes Lesley Porcelli in Gourmet . “The health people have not been talking to the food people,” and many warned-against drinks and dishes are fine in moderation. Porcelli’s research freed her to enjoy “eating rare...
Nancy Reagan Released From LA Hospital
Reuters
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Oct 17, 2008 8:37 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Nancy Reagan returned home today from a Los Angeles hospital after being treated for a broken pelvis, Reuters reports. For the 87-year-old widow of Ronald Reagan, who fell at her home last week, 2 days with doctors was enough: "I hope it won't hurt anyone's feelings if I don't return anytime soon," she told them. She is expected to make a...
Eat Your Way Out of Addiction: Experts
Economist
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Oct 17, 2008 8:14 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Good grub may be enough to rewire an addict's brain. The trick is to serve up meals that revive pleasure-inducing neurotransmitters disrupted by addiction, neuroscientists say. Foods as simple as steak, milk, and nuts can boost the brain's production of serotonin or glutamine, both of which help addicts recover. But drug treatment centers are yet to...
Allowing Children to Choose Gender Is Slippery Slope
The Atlantic
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Oct 17, 2008 7:43 PM CDT
(Newser) -
For parents raising boys who profess to be girls and vice versa, puberty blockers may seem a godsend, writes Hanna Rosin in a look at gender—and transgender children—in the Atlantic . Boys will emerge from their teens with no Adam's apple, girls will bypass menstruation, allowing them to live inconspicuously as transgender adults. But...
Max Payne Lives Up to Its Name
Metacritic
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Oct 17, 2008 7:17 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Max Payne , a sci-fi shooter video game-turned-movie, is “undiluted junk,” writes Elizabeth Weitzman in the New York Daily News . “No amount of generosity could excuse the levels of ineptitude on display here,” she says of the Mark Wahlberg vehicle. “The story has more holes than a shot-up metal door, the acting feels...
Madge's Make-up Artist: How to Look Fab at 50
Boston Globe
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Oct 17, 2008 6:56 PM CDT
(Newser) -
If anyone knows a thing or two about looking young, it's Madonna's makeup artist. Gina Brooke provides the Boston Globe with tips on how she keeps the 50-year-old pop star fresh, like a virgin: Find the perfect cleanser and moisturizer to hydrate aging skin. Eat food rich in vitamins C and E to keep skin plump.
Stress Pushes Animals to Binge, Too
LiveScience
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Oct 17, 2008 6:35 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Animals get stressed out just like humans, and they even cope anthropomorphically, binging on sweet, fatty foods, LiveScience reports. What’s more, animals can read our misgivings and take on that stress themselves. “The more intelligent an animal is, the more psychological stress it can undergo,” one veterinarian said, though humans...
Pakistan Seeks Cash Amid Financial Crunch
Associated Press
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Oct 17, 2008 6:15 PM CDT
(AP) -
Pakistan's new leaders are scrambling for foreign cash to ward off a possible economic meltdown at a time when they are trying to contain soaring violence by Islamic fundamentalists, the AP reports. Battered by high inflation and a plunging currency, the nuclear-armed country hopes global powers and financial institutions will not want to see...
Holmes Holds Own on Stage
E! Online
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Oct 17, 2008 5:53 PM CDT
(Newser) -
In a perfect world, stars John Lithgow and Dianne Wiest would be the center of attention in the Broadway revival of Arthur Miller’s All My Sons . “In this world, however, Mrs. Tom Cruise is playing a supporting role,” writes Natalie Finn of E!. So with tabloid-lovers watching and Anonymous protesting outside, how did Katie Holmes...
Fad Banana Diet Finds Mass A Peel in Japan
Time
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Oct 17, 2008 5:30 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A penchant for fad dieting is making Japanese consumers ripe for a new weight-loss scheme starring bananas, Time reports. Since a popular actress lost 26 pounds on the Morning Banana Diet, the fruit has been hard to come by. “There are no bananas on the shelves,” complained one consumer, “and it's been like that for a month.”
Lobbyist Denies McCain Affair
National Journal
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Oct 17, 2008 5:07 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Vicki Iseman lashed out at the New York Times and a former John McCain adviser for the February story that implied an affair occurred between her and the Republican candidate, the National Journal reports. “I did not have a sexual relationship with Sen. McCain,” Iseman says. In fact, the lobbyist amplifies, “I have never even...
Meghan McCain: I'll Get NH Tattoo If Dad Wins
Union Leader (NH)
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Oct 17, 2008 4:50 PM CDT
(Newser) -
If John McCain takes the White House and wins New Hampshire, Meghan McCain says she'll get a tattoo of the state’s motto, the Union Leader reports. "New Hampshire is so important to me and my family," the younger McCain told supporters in the state where her dad turned his presidential prospects around. So important that she's having...
Prosecution, Stevens Tangle
Politico
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Oct 17, 2008 4:30 PM CDT
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The defense rested in the Ted Stevens corruption trial this afternoon, and the famously feisty senator then submitted to cross-examination. After 5 hours of friendly guidance from his own lawyers, the lead prosecutor's rapid-fire questioning didn't sit well, Politico reports. “I’m not going to get in the middle of this game with you,”...
Obama Is First Democrat to Land Tribune Endorsement
Chicago Tribune
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Oct 17, 2008 4:20 PM CDT
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In its first-ever endorsement of a Democrat in a US presidential election, the Chicago Tribune touts Barack Obama as the candidate “to lead us through a perilous time and restore in us a common sense of national purpose.” It cites its backing of independents against Republicans as precedent, decisions similarly “driven by outrage...
Bees More Honey Than Sting
Rotten Tomatoes
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Oct 17, 2008 4:05 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The Secret Life of Bees is a pretty sweet story, critics agree, but all that honey proved a little cloying for some. The story of a troubled South Carolina teen (Dakota Fanning) set in 1964 is "an affecting ensemble piece that's destined to generate a fair share of awards-season buzz," Michael Rechtshaffen writes in the Hollywood...
Alaskans Weigh Impact of New High Profile
Anchorage Daily News
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Oct 17, 2008 3:51 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Will America’s favorite moose-field-dressing expert draw more visitors to her wintry home state? Alaska’s sudden burst of Palin-centric publicity has some travel agents salivating, the Anchorage Daily News reports; every misty mountain vista that shows up on CNN is a win. But others worry that the increasingly controversial governor is...
Stocks Sink, Yet End Week Up
MarketWatch
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Oct 17, 2008 3:37 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Stocks remained volatile and swung lower at the end of the today’s session,as bad economic news convinced investors the financial crisis is not over yet, MarketWatch reports. The Dow closed down 127.04 at 8,852.22, but posted a weekly gain after four weeks of losses. The Nasdaq lost 6.42 to 1,711.29, and the S&P 500 fell 5.88 to settle at...
Gays Leave the Closet, Abortion Moves Back In
Boston Globe
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Oct 17, 2008 3:26 PM CDT
(Newser) -
With Connecticut last week becoming the third state to allow same-sex couples to marry, a group once very much stigmatized becomes more and more mainstream, writes Ellen Goodman in the Boston Globe . But even as homosexuals step out of the closet, women who’ve had abortions are stepping in. While nearly everyone knows someone who is gay, we...
Drugs Linked to Boy's Kidnapping
Las Vegas Review-Journal
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Oct 17, 2008 3:15 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A 6-year-old boy’s kidnapping is tied to "significant amounts of money and drugs," the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports. Police say some of the boy's family are involved in illegal drugs, and are seeking a "person of interest," the Associated Press notes, as the nationwide search for Cole Puffinburger continues. Two men...
This Election Isn't Change, It's More of the Same: Didion
Salon
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Oct 17, 2008 3:02 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The striking thing about this election season isn’t how different it’s been from years past, “but precisely how similar,” Joan Didion writes for Salon. "Time got wasted in the familiar ways," she laments. The country is in the grip of a startling transformation, but "in the end the old notes had been struck, the...
Four Tops Singer Dead At 72
Detroit News
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Oct 17, 2008 2:50 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Baritone Levi Stubbs, the heart of the Four Tops, died today in Detroit at age 72, the Detroit News reports. With Abdul Fakir, Lawrence Payton and Renaldo Benson, Stubbs recorded many iconic hits of the Motown era, including Bernadette , Reach Out (I’ll Be There) , and Standing in the Shadows of Love . On his own, he was the voice of Audrey...
Joe the Journo Attacked at Palin Event
News-Record (Greensboro, NC)
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Oct 17, 2008 2:40 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The fiery rhetoric at a Republican rally turned physical yesterday when one supporter kicked a journalist in the leg, the News & Record reports. Joe Killian, who works for the paper, was covering a clash between supporters of Barack Obama and John McCain after a Sarah Palin rally in North Carolina when one man confronted him for “chuckling”...
Not Quite Main Street's Fantasy Football
Wall Street Journal
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Oct 17, 2008 2:28 PM CDT
(Newser) -
While the world suffers through financial meltdown, some of the world’s wealthiest money managers are easing the mood by competing in one of Wall Street’s most exclusive boys clubs: A $1 million fantasy-football league. Hedge-fund titans predominate among owners, who pay $100,000 annually for their teams—and there’s a waiting...
US Probes of Lehman May Include Fuld Subpoena
Bloomberg
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Oct 17, 2008 2:18 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Lehman Brothers is getting the evil eye from three different US attorneys, who have convened grand juries to investigate the failed investment bank, Bloomberg reports. Prosecutors are particularly interested in a $6 billion stock offering made in June, and suspect Lehman was not straightforward with investors about the financial health of the company.
Tower Trims Light Show by Half
Reuters
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Oct 17, 2008 2:07 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The City of Lights will sparkle just a little less soon, Reuters reports. The Eiffel Tower’s hourly display of flashing lights will be cut in half, from 10 minutes per hour to five, management announced today, setting an energy-saving example for Parisians. The gesture is mostly symbolic, however; the landmark’s 20,000 flashing bulbs consume...
With Harvard's Help, Good Grades Pay Off in Chicago
Chicago Tribune
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Oct 17, 2008 1:55 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Chicago public high schools are paying students for good grades under a program funded partly by Harvard University, the Tribune reports. Freshmen get $50 for A’s, $35 for B’s and $20 for C’s, with half their earnings held until they graduate. Some 20 other Chicago-area schools, encompassing about 1,650 students, are participating...
Justices Won't Force Ohio to Check Voter Registrations
Cleveland Plain Dealer
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Oct 17, 2008 1:42 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The Supreme Court ruled today that Ohio does not have to verify hundreds of thousands of new voter registrations, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. The court did not assess the Ohio Republic Party’s claim that registration needs cross-checks to prevent fraud, but rather ruled that the party did not have the standing to challenge Ohio Secretary...
Ad Hits Obama on Drivers Licenses
Politico
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Oct 17, 2008 1:37 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The National Republican Trust PAC is airing a dramatic new ad attacking Barack Obama for supporting drivers licenses for illegal immigrants, Ben Smith reports in Politico. It brings back an old national-security criticism of the Democrat, Smith writes, in “the most cutting, over-the-top, way available”: images of the 9/11 terrorists fade...
Stevens: Wife Was in Charge of House
The Hill
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Oct 17, 2008 1:26 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Ted Stevens was out of the loop on his home renovation, preferring to let his wife handle financial details, the Hill reports. In testimony today in Washington, the senator said he was only at the cabin for two days in 2000 while renovations were ongoing. He also said he thought all bills were paid, detailing loans and cash he obtained to pay for...
Sure, You Can See Palin Email ... for $15M
MSNBC
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Oct 17, 2008 1:20 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Sarah Palin ran on a platform of transparent government, but it seems that Alaskan transparency has a price: $15 million. That’s how much the governor’s office wants from news organizations for copies of official email, MSNBC reports. Even if organizations are willing to pay up, the email will be censored, and won’t come until well...
Obama Forces Battle for Va.
Washington Post
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Oct 17, 2008 1:09 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Virginia hasn’t swung Democrats’ way since Lyndon Johnson, but suddenly it’s a battleground, the Washington Post reports, and Obama appears to have all the tactical advantages. The Dem has three times as many campaign offices, and his army of volunteers has registered almost a half-million new voters.
'Basketball on Grass' Has Heads Spinning
New York Times
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Oct 17, 2008 12:57 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Standard football rules allow the team on offense five eligible receivers downfield. But what if opponents and officials can't tell which five until the center snaps the ball? Hundreds of high schools run the controversial "A-11" offense, which relies on confusion instead of brawn. The New York Times checks out the X's and O's.
Wills Woos Paris, Xtina at UK Club
TMZ
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Oct 17, 2008 12:45 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Paris Hilton and Christina Aguilera landed a royal pair last night. They “sang cheesy pop songs” with Princes William and Harry at a London nightclub, TMZ reports. Wills first approached Christina, huddled with her and "flirted outrageously," but drifted to Paris’ side once she arrived, the Telegraph adds. He swapped numbers...
Mac Advisers Fear Powell Will Endorse Obama Sunday
Politico
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Oct 17, 2008 12:32 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Colin Powell could endorse Barack Obama when he appears on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday, Republican sources tell Politico. No one is exactly sure what Powell will say, but McCain advisers seem convinced that the retired general will throw his considerable national-security heft behind Democrat.
Dave's 10 Best Digs at McCain
Los Angeles Times
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Oct 17, 2008 12:25 PM CDT
(Newser) -
David Letterman has landed some pretty harsh zingers aimed since John McCain skipped out on the Late Show in September. Los Angeles Times reporter Matea Gold put together a Top 10 list of her own; a sampling: "I gave up drinking a while ago, but I started again. And I'm watching the debate last night and here's what I did—I did...
Dying Loner Leaves Behind $260K in Cash
Chicago Tribune
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Oct 17, 2008 12:12 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A peripatetic Chicago-area retiree who spent the past few years living out of a van left a surprise when he died in a motel room last March: $263,000 in small bills in a vinyl suitcase. Police searched for months for an heir to 82-year-old John Grant’s life savings, stashed away in $5 to $50 bills. Eventually they tracked down the former mechanic's...
At 22.3 Inches, Insect Is World's Longest
Independent (UK)
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Oct 17, 2008 12:00 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A stick insect called Phobaeticus chani has claimed the distinction of world's longest insect, beating out its nearest competitor by an inch, the Independent reports. Named after the amateur naturalist who brought it to scientists' attention, the bug measures 22.3 inches with its legs outstretched. A treetop rainforest dweller, its tiny winged eggs...
Dems Wield Cash in Battle for Southern Senate Seats
The Hill
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Oct 17, 2008 11:46 AM CDT
(Newser) -
With a huge fund-raising edge allowing for wide advertising blitzes, Democrats are pushing hard for Senate seats in red states even recently thought unwinnable, Alexander Bolton writes in the Hill . In North Carolina, Dems see a chance to unseat Elizabeth Dole; in Georgia, Saxby Chambliss; in Mississippi, Roger Wicker; and in Kentucky, Republican...
Here's to My 'Emotionally Retarded' Soon-to-Be-Ex
New York Daily News
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Oct 17, 2008 11:34 AM CDT
(Newser) -
It won’t be a pretty breakup for the $521 million couple. The latest indication was Madonna bellowing out a dedication— Miles Away , inspired by her time with Guy Ritchie—for the “emotionally retarded” during a Boston concert Wednesday. The pop star, who has solicited London's top divorce lawyer, began the night with ...
Sorry, Fellow Conservatives, Palin Doesn't Cut It: Noonan
Wall Street Journal
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Oct 17, 2008 11:20 AM CDT
(Newser) -
For seven weeks, Peggy Noonan has really, really tried to find Sarah Palin worthy of the role she's running for. She's scrutinized every appearance for signs the Alaska governor could turn out to be the next Harry Truman. Unfortunately, she writes in the Wall Street Journal , "there is little sign that she has the tools, the equipment, the knowledge...
Us Can't Wait for World Series
Deadspin
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Oct 17, 2008 11:07 AM CDT
(Newser) -
When a delirious Phillies fan called in to a radio show after Philadelphia's NLCS win, he inadvertently coined the team's new rallying cry. "Boston did it. The White Sox did it. Why can't us?," he asked. While waiting to see which AL team they'll face, Phillies fans have joyously embraced the grammatically challenged slogan, Deadspin reports....
Blackwater Steps Up to Take on Somali Pirates
Wired
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Oct 17, 2008 10:55 AM CDT
(Newser) -
As Somalia seeks private help in battling its piracy problem, security contractor Blackwater has offered its services, Wired reports. “As a company founded and run by former Navy SEALs, with a 50,000-person database of former military and law enforcement professionals, Blackwater is uniquely positioned to assist the shipping industry,”...
Welcome to Illegal Immigrant Air
Wall Street Journal
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Oct 17, 2008 10:44 AM CDT
(Newser) -
There’s a new airline in town, and it’s offering all the amenities: leather seats, ample legroom, free food, and impeccable service. There’s just one problem: Its passengers would usually rather not be traveling, the Wall Street Journal reports. Welcome to ICE Air, the de facto new airline born from the recent crackdowns on illegal...
Enough about the Deficit: It's Time to Spend
New York Times
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Oct 17, 2008 10:32 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Volatile markets rule the headlines, but the imperiled nonfinancial economy is more worrisome, Paul Krugman writes in the New York Times . The way to get that rolling again, contrary to what John McCain said in Wednesday’s presidential debate, is to ignore the deficit and increase government spending. As retail sales plunge alongside industrial...
Mmmm... Miley Flirts as Beau Models
New York Post
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Oct 17, 2008 10:17 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Miley Cyrus raised eyebrows again at LA Fashion Week on Wednesday night, as the precocious 15-year-old star flirted with her 20-year-old underwear-model boyfriend as he strutted the runway. Cyrus seductively licked her lips in response to Justin Gaston's air kisses and winks, and told a friend they were having an after party "of their own,"...
McCann Family Pals Win Libel Settlement
Guardian (UK)
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Oct 17, 2008 10:02 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A British tabloid company has paid some $650,000 in libel damages after printing false information about the friends who dined with Madeleine McCann’s parents on the night of the 3-year-old’s disappearance. The Express Newspapers chain apologized to the group and agreed that its claims were “wholly untrue,” the Guardian reports....
Obama's the Only One Playing the Race Card
Washington Post
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Oct 17, 2008 9:47 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Barack Obama's campaign has been unjustly accusing John McCain of appealing to racial prejudice, Charles Krauthammer argues in the Washington Post . McCain is taking the flak for what a few "agitated yahoos" shout at his rallies, he writes—a guilt by association that Obama seems to have escaped despite his ties to controversial figures...
Buffett: I'm Buying American. You Should Be, Too.
New York Times
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Oct 17, 2008 9:32 AM CDT
(Newser) -
“I’ve been buying American stocks,” Warren Buffett writes in the New York Times , and he'd like to see a stampede of others following suit. Sure, the financial system is a mess, global economies are faltering, unemployment is rising, and headlines will continue to terrorize markets. But markets will repair themselves, says the Oracle...
Japan's Seniors Turn to Crime
Telegraph (UK)
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Oct 17, 2008 9:10 AM CDT
(Newser) -
It's not the kids who are causing hand-wringing in Japan these days, but the elderly, who are responsible for a crime wave, the Daily Telegraph reports. With some 49,000 people over the age of 65 convicted of crimes ranging from petty theft to murder last year—more than triple a decade earlier—Japan finds itself building three prison...
