Newser Story Index from November, 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.
Suri Is Hollywood's Hottest Tot
Reuters
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Nov 20, 2008 8:45 AM CST
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In these troubled economic times, one thing is sure to make the public feel better: Babies. Forbes has compiled its annual list of Hollywood power tots, with Suri Cruise at the top, Reuters reports. The magazine claims we can expect to see more of the top cuties, including three of the Jolie-Pitts, as media outlets try to generate more sales with...
High-Profile Arts Patron Guilty of 12 Fraud Counts
Bloomberg
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Nov 20, 2008 8:41 AM CST
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Alberto Vilar, the investment banker and one of the world's most generous opera patrons, was convicted yesterday on 12 counts of fraud, Bloomberg reports. Vilar told investors that he was putting their money in safe, government-backed assets; in fact, he bought risky tech stocks on margin, which quickly tanked. Vilar also defrauded clients by using...
Detroit's Pain Could Be South's Gain
Wall Street Journal
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Nov 20, 2008 8:32 AM CST
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Is Greer, SC, the new Motor City? With execs from the Big Three getting a frosty reception to their efforts to wrest $25 billion from the federal government to stay solvent, the home of BMW’s North American operations—as well as other Southern communities that are home to foreign car factories—could rise as Detroit slips, reports...
GN'R, Sir Paul Release New Albums Early
Reuters
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Nov 20, 2008 8:30 AM CST
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Fans can get an early online taste—legally—of the latest albums from Guns N’ Roses and Paul McCartney thanks to MySpace, Reuters reports. Members can stream the music free starting today but can't download it. Early reaction to the first GN'R album in 17 years is generally positive; Entertainment Weekly calls it "unapologetically...
For Dems, Dingell Showdown Is Agony
Politico
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Nov 20, 2008 8:09 AM CST
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House Democrats have been dreading this day: the unavoidable vote between Henry Waxman and John Dingell to chair the Energy and Commerce Committee. Though Waxman is a savvy lawmaker and closer to much of the caucus on the key issue of climate change, the 82-year-old Dingell, Detroit's staunchest congressional booster, is the longest-serving member...
Auto Execs Hit Turbulence Over Private Jets
Washington Post
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Nov 20, 2008 7:49 AM CST
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Take three auto execs, add the private jets each took to a Capitol Hill hearing to beg for a federal bailout, and you get a recipe for the heaping helping of humble pie legislators served up, writes Dana Milbank in the Washington Post. "There's a delicious irony in seeing private luxury jets flying into Washington, DC, and people coming off...
Tech Predictions—From 1968
DVice
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Nov 20, 2008 7:31 AM CST
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In 1968 a science fiction writer made some predictions about what 2008 might look like on Nov. 18, 2008. Take a step back into the future with this list from Sci Fi: Online shopping: Long before Al Gore invented the Internet, he predicted shoppers would pay their bills and get their goods electronically. The rise of home computing:...
Georgia Needs Our Help—Not a Seat at NATO
New York Times
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Nov 20, 2008 7:14 AM CST
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Nicholas Kristof travels to Tbilisi, where ambitious, America-loving Georgians live in fear of a resurgent Russia. The United States needs to support this capitalist enclave in the Caucasus, writes the New York Times columnist—but not by letting it join NATO. The reason? President Mikheil Saakashvili may be brilliant and charismatic, but...
EHarmony to Start Gay Dating Site
Philadelphia Inquirer
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Nov 20, 2008 6:58 AM CST
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Online matchmaker eHarmony has agreed to launch a gay dating service as part of a settlement of a discrimination lawsuit with the state of New Jersey. The service, to be called Compatible Partners, will be launched next spring and will be available through the main eHarmony website, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer .
Jefferson- Hemings History Wins National Book Award
USA Today
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Nov 20, 2008 6:31 AM CST
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The heart-wrenching and controversial history of Thomas Jefferson's secret family with slave Sally Hemings took the top prize for nonfiction at the National Book Awards last night, USA Today reports. Annette Gordon-Reed became the first African-American woman to win the prize for her detailed exploration of the lives of three generations of...
Grenade Blast Hits Thai Protesters
Reuters
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Nov 20, 2008 5:54 AM CST
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Thai protesters vowed to step up their campaign to oust the government after a grenade thrown into their camp killed one and injured 23 this morning, Reuters reports. The government—and a renegade major-general who vowed to attack the protesters with bombs and snakes dropped from planes—denied involvement. Unions supporting the protesters...
Mickey Dee's Looks to Moms for Healthier Image
Washington Post
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Nov 20, 2008 5:37 AM CST
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McDonald's is trying to harness mom power to help shake its unhealthy image, reports the Washington Post . The burger joint has recruited six mothers to serve as "quality correspondents" and is giving them unprecedented access to the company's operations in the hope they will share their favorable findings about the chain's quality control...
Asian Stocks Hammered, Europe Opens Down
Financial Times (UK)
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Nov 20, 2008 5:12 AM CST
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Stocks in Asia plummeted again today as further economic data from Japan and the US spooked investors. In Tokyo the Nikkei dove nearly 7%, while in Hong Kong the Hang Seng slipped 6.6% in a massive sell-off of financial and real estate stocks. This morning in London the FTSE opened down 1.7%, as markets in Frankfurt and Paris were also in...
Lewis Carroll Letter Points to Pedophile Leanings
Daily Mail (UK)
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Nov 20, 2008 4:44 AM CST
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Alice in Wonderland 's author is sending a message from the grave to the literary experts who have long wondered whether he was a pedophile. A privately held letter has emerged in which Lewis Carroll tells real-life Alice—a child friend 18 years his junior—about his fondness for kids and a preference for girls over boys, the Daily Mail...
Long-Lost 'Furby' Species Found
CNN
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Nov 20, 2008 4:21 AM CST
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Scientists on a remote Indonesian mountaintop have discovered a pocket-sized primate not seen alive since the 1920s, CNN reports. The giant-eyed, two-ounce pygmy tarsier had been thought extinct until one was found dead in a rat trap, inspiring a professor from Texas A&M University to lead an expedition to Sulawesi. She was delighted to find...
Brutal Market Doesn't Spare Buffett
Bloomberg
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Nov 20, 2008 3:53 AM CST
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The "Oracle of Omaha" is proving even he's not immune from market blows, reports Bloomberg. Warren Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway took a 12% nosedive yesterday, its biggest one-day fall since 1987's Black Monday. The conglomerate is down 41% for the year and has been dropping steadily for eight days after announcing a 77% drop in third-quarter...
Cyber-Sneak Mom 'Bullied My Baby to Suicide'
Associated Press
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Nov 20, 2008 3:28 AM CST
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A mother tearfully recalled in a Los Angeles court yesterday how her 13-year-old daughter hanged herself shortly after receiving a hateful online message from a neighbor woman posing as a teenage boy, AP reports. Lori Drew allegedly created a MySpace persona named Josh to first woo then harass Megan Meier, prosecutors argued as the nation's first-ever...
Coleman's Lead Shrivels as Minnesota Recount Begins
Minneapolis Star Tribune
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Nov 20, 2008 3:06 AM CST
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Comedian Al Franken gained ground yesterday over incumbent Senator Norm Coleman as Minnesota began recounting the state's 2.9 million ballots to determine the victor of the state's hard-fought Senate race. Coleman's unofficial lead of 215 votes over his Democratic challenger shrank to 174 as the closely watched recount progressed, reports the Minneapolis...
Iran Boosts Uranium Stockpile
Financial Times (UK)
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Nov 20, 2008 2:42 AM CST
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Iran is rapidly moving forward with its nuclear program and may already have enriched enough uranium to take the next step toward building a nuclear bomb, the Financial Times reports. The uranium will need more enrichment to reach weapons-grade levels, say UN experts, who believe the country will wait until it has amassed more nuclear material before...
Sources: Napolitano Tapped for Homeland Security
CNN
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Nov 20, 2008 2:14 AM CST
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Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano is Barack Obama's first choice to head Homeland Security, transition insiders tell CNN. Napolitano, the focus of Cabinet speculation for weeks, plans to accept the job following vetting from the president-elect's team, according to sources. Napolitano's office, contacted by the Arizona Republic , declined to confirm—or...
Rats Plague Pied Piper City
BBC
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Nov 20, 2008 1:52 AM CST
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The 725th anniversary of the Pied Piper's legendary removal of rats from the German town of Hamelin could be spoiled by—wait for it—rats. The rodents have infested an empty lot the size of a soccer field close to the picturesque medieval town. Rather than hire another piper, authorities have placed traps around the field.
Nissan Bringing Boxy 'Cube' to US Roads
Wired
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Nov 19, 2008 10:22 PM CST
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As embattled US automakers shook their tin cups in Congress, Japan's Nissan unveiled its latest threat to Detroit. The Cube gets more than 30mpg—exact numbers will be out before it hits showrooms next fall—and "is nothing more than a box on wheels," writes Chuck Squatriglia in Wired . Nissan offered a peek at the Los Angeles...
Beverly Hills Turf War Splits Wealthy Residents
Los Angeles Business Journal
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Nov 19, 2008 8:58 PM CST
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A turf war has broken out between two upscale Beverly Hills enclaves, home to the likes of movie mogul Sumner Redstone and basketball legend Magic Johnson, the Los Angeles Business Journal reports. Residents of North Beverly Park got fed up with nannies and other employees of their South Beverly Park neighbors using their private road and banned...
California's Supreme Court to Rule on Prop 8
Los Angeles Times
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Nov 19, 2008 8:07 PM CST
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California's top court is wading back into the fray over gay marriage. The state's Supreme Court says it will rule on the legality of Proposition 8, which outlawed same-sex weddings. Justices asked both sides for more written arguments and will hold a hearing in March and issue a decision about 3 months later, the Los Angeles Times reports. The court...
Paris and Benji Call It Quits
People
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Nov 19, 2008 7:34 PM CST
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Paris Hilton and Benji Madden are splitting after 9 months, People reports. The hotel heiress, 27, and Good Charlotte guitarist, 29, are "just too different and they wanted different things in life," says one Hilton friend. Paris has been seen canoodling of late with former flame Stavros Niarchos. Madden, meanwhile, was spotted dancing...
Political Deadlock Dims Chances of Aid for Detroit
Bloomberg
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Nov 19, 2008 7:07 PM CST
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The CEOs of Detroit's Big Three automakers left Capitol Hill today with bleak prospects of getting $25 billion in emergency loans, Bloomberg reports. Negotiations continue, especially among lawmakers of automotive states, but Republicans and Democrats are deadlocked over where any such aid should come from. Senate leader Harry Reid canceled a vote...
Scientists Map DNA of Woolly Mammoth
National Geographic
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Nov 19, 2008 6:42 PM CST
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Scientists have pieced together the nearly complete genome of the woolly mammoth from a hair strand found in Siberia, National Geographic reports. It's the first time scientists have decoded the nuclear DNA of an extinct species. The development makes it theoretically possible for the mammoths to roam the earth again after a 10,000-year rest, though...
Michelin 'Star Wars' Unappetizing for Chefs
Gourmet
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Nov 19, 2008 6:16 PM CST
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Being awarded 3 stars from the Michelin Guide was once the highest honor for any chef, but non plus, reports Gourmet . Changing tastes and fancy-food fatigue have now pushed three of France’s biggest culinary kings to close their doors—by choice. "Running a three-star restaurant is an honor, but it brings on terrible stress. It is...
Garner Seeks Protection From Stalker
E! Online
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Nov 19, 2008 5:50 PM CST
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Jennifer Garner has obtained a temporary restraining order against a fan who's been stalking her for six years, E! Online reports. The Alias star says the 36-year-old man has grown more and more obsessed, following her around the country and sending reams of correspondence, some of it threatening. He now can't come within 100 yards of her, husband...
Faith in Petraeus May Lead Obama Astray in Afghanistan
Daily Beast
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Nov 19, 2008 5:33 PM CST
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President-elect Obama’s biggest decision in the war on terror is defining the nature and extent of the military commitment in Afghanistan, Russ Hoyle writes for the Daily Beast. While the US has Gen. David Petraeus' counterinsurgency strategy in Iraq, there is no unified, coherent plan for battling the resurgent Taliban—a strategic vacuum...
Winona Ryder Falls Ill on Flight
Access Hollywood
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Nov 19, 2008 5:05 PM CST
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Winona Ryder became ill during a flight from Los Angeles to London today and had to be briefly hospitalized after touching down, Access Hollywood reports. The 37-year-old actress is feeling fine now, says a rep, who did not shed light on what caused the scare. It was serious enough, however, that the pilot requested a priority landing for a sick...
Stewardess Helps Land Flight After Co-Pilot Cracks
Guardian (UK)
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Nov 19, 2008 4:50 PM CST
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After an Air Canada captain had his co-pilot handcuffed and dragged from his seat during a January flight, a female flight attendant helped steer the London-bound passenger jet to safety in Ireland, the Guardian reports. The original co-pilot was “quite harried” when he entered the cockpit, a report released today shows, and his condition...
NYC Bridge Renamed After RFK
NY1
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Nov 19, 2008 4:42 PM CST
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It’s official: The bridge formerly known as the Triborough was renamed the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge today, NY1 reports. Michael Bloomberg, Bill Clinton, David Paterson and members of the Kennedy family attended the ceremony in Astoria, Queens, to honor the late senator from New York, who would have been 83 tomorrow; RFK was assassinated in 1968.
Declining Paper Sales Sink Landmark Harvard Sq. Kiosk
Somerville (Mass.) Journal
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Nov 19, 2008 4:32 PM CST
(Newser) -
Harvard Square will most likely soon lose the iconic newsstand that has operated there for 50 years, the Cambridge Chronicle reports. The lease for Out of Town News expires at the end of the month, and the business has declined to renew it because of poor sales. “Nobody buys newspapers anymore,” commented the stand’s general manager....
Stevens Concedes, Won't Seek Recount
Anchorage Daily News
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Nov 19, 2008 4:21 PM CST
(Newser) -
Republican Ted Stevens conceded the Alaska Senate race today, bringing an end to a 40-year political career that culminated in scandal, the Anchorage Daily News reports. Stevens congratulated his Democratic opponent, Mark Begich, apparently deciding that a recount would be futile given his deficit of more than 3,700 votes.
Gwyneth's Weekend Romp Fuels Divorce Rumors
Perez Hilton
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Nov 19, 2008 4:15 PM CST
(Newser) -
Something's fishy in Miami, and it's not the tacos. Gwyneth Paltrow flew down for a Victoria's Secret fashion show but spent her time feeding divorce rumors by frolicking on yachts with resort owner and just-a-friend Jeff Soffer, and pals Alex Rodriguez and Kate Hudson. Paltrow hardly seemed a happily married woman, PerezHilton.com writes, though she...
Holder Is 'Sept. 10' Pick for AG
National Review
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Nov 19, 2008 4:03 PM CST
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Eric Holder is “a conventional, check-the-boxes creature of the Left,” the editors of the National Review write of Barack Obama’s reported choice for Attorney General, and his selection reveals a “September 10 mentality” and a “lack of seriousness about the terrorist threat.” They add, “for these times,...
Ability to 'See' Content Sets New Video Search Site Apart
Wall Street Journal
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Nov 19, 2008 3:52 PM CST
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A new Web site that makes video searchable by actual images, rather than by often inaccurate and misleading metadata tags, is making finding the clips you’re looking for easier, Katherine Boehret writes in the Wall Street Journal . VideoSurf.com—currently in its public beta form—“sees” images rather than relying on tags...
Israel Target in Syria Likely Nuclear Site: UN
Washington Post
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Nov 19, 2008 3:42 PM CST
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The Syrian facility Israel bombed last year looks a lot like a nuclear reactor, UN inspectors said today, though they stopped short of calling it one. The independent investigation found manipulated uranium and features like large cooling pumps that are hallmarks of a nuclear site, the Washington Post reports. Syria denies the claim and suggests...
Fewer Will Travel for Thanksgiving: AAA
Chicago Sun-Times
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Nov 19, 2008 3:33 PM CST
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An estimated 600,000 Americans will forego the 50-plus miles of travel they made last year to celebrate Thanksgiving, AAA predicts. The dip is the first in 6 years, but the fourth consecutive for general holiday travel. Despite cheaper gas, fewer people will drive cars this year, opting for more-economical trains or buses instead, reports the Chicago...
Frugal Reps Put the Home in House
Politico
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Nov 19, 2008 3:32 PM CST
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Having made their electoral beds on promises of fiscal responsibility, some lawmakers are now sleeping in them—in their Capitol Hill offices, Politico reports. Incoming Republican Rep. Jason Chaffetz plans to bunk on a $45 cot: “When they give me a terrible office up on the seventh floor, I’ll chalk it up as the penthouse, and I won’t...
Dow Falls 427 to Below 8,000
Wall Street Journal
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Nov 19, 2008 3:21 PM CST
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Stocks plunged today on a spread of bad economic news, including signs that the housing market is not improving and dire predictions by the Federal Reserve’s interest-rate committee, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Dow fell 427.47 to close at 7,997.28. The Nasdaq lost 96.85, settling at 1,386.42, while the S&P 500 shed 52.54 to close...
Fisticuffs Over Security Deal End Session of Iraqi Parliament
New York Times
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Nov 19, 2008 3:16 PM CST
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Discussion of the security deal between the US and Iraq deteriorated into a shouting match between members of the Iraqi parliament today, the New York Times reports. Parliament is scheduled to vote on the measure next week, but could not get through a reading of the agreement today before an opposition lawmaker allegedly physically attacked the speaker.
Hathaway's New Man a Bad Seed, Too
New York Post
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Nov 19, 2008 3:05 PM CST
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Anne Hathaway has a “sexy” new man, and he’s no high-flying fraudster like her now-in-prison ex, but they may share a quality. Still-struggling actor Adam Shulman is an “opportunist,” a source tells the New York Post . “When he was at Brown [University], he went after all the heiresses. It's like Anne is addicted...
Big Brother Is ... Stealing Your Fertility
Daily Mail (UK)
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Nov 19, 2008 2:55 PM CST
(Newser) -
If you have an older brother, odds are slightly greater you won’t be having kids, especially if you live in pre-industrial Finland. According to a new study, which examined the birth, marriage, and death records of three generations of pre-industrial Finlanders, found that those with older brothers were 5% less likely to become parents than those...
Economy May Tank Palin's $30B Pipeline
Wall Street Journal
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Nov 19, 2008 2:50 PM CST
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A sour economy and tumbling oil prices might sink Sarah Palin’s oft-touted Alaskan natural-gas pipeline, the Wall Street Journal reports. Low prices and increased natural-gas production in the lower 48 are causing energy companies to reconsider the $30 billion project. Without the revenue-generating pipeline, Alaskans who depend on the state’s...
Mariners Hire Baseball's First Asian-American Manager
Associated Press
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Nov 19, 2008 2:41 PM CST
(Newser) -
Don Wakamatsu is the first Asian-American manager of a major league baseball team, AP reports, hired today by the Seattle Mariners. Wakamatsu, 45, played catcher, mainly in the minors, before coaching stints with Texas and Oakland. The Oregon native—who says he knows just a little Japanese—inherits a Mariners team that lost 101 games last...
Saudi Tanker Owners in Talks With Pirates
BBC
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Nov 19, 2008 2:36 PM CST
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Negotiations are under way between Somali pirates and the shipping company that owns the Saudi Arabian oil supertanker they hijacked over the weekend, the BBC reports. The Saudi foreign minister could not say whether Vela International might agree to a ransom.
Google CEO: Energy Bailout Is a Must, Too
InformationWeek
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Nov 19, 2008 2:35 PM CST
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Google CEO Eric Schmidt thinks the government needs to fund a massive reinvention of America’s energy infrastructure, opening up the grid to startups and funding innovation, Information Week reports. It’s crucial “that small startups with funny names get founded and funded in the new regime,” said the adviser to President-elect...
Beau Biden Declines Dad's Job
News Journal (Del.)
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Nov 19, 2008 2:21 PM CST
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Joe Biden’s son put an end to speculation he’ll replace his father in the Senate yesterday, saying he won’t accept any offer and looks forward to returning from Iraq to his position as Delaware’s attorney general, the Wilmington News Journal reports. The vice president-elect has yet to decide when he will officially resign...
