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.
First Ovary Transplant Mom Gives Birth
Daily Mail (UK)
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Nov 15, 2008 9:30 AM CST
(Newser) -
The first woman ever to become pregnant after an ovary transplant has given birth to a healthy baby girl, the Daily Mail reports. The formerly infertile London woman described the newborn as her "little miracle," made possible by groundbreaking surgery and an ovary donation from her twin sister. The new mother says she hopes the birth will...
Muhammad Probably Never Existed: Theologian
Wall Street Journal
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Nov 15, 2008 8:45 AM CST
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An Islamic professor's belief that Muhammad probably never existed has Muslim groups seething, the Wall Street Journal reports. The German convert to Islam says he cast a critical eye over historical records and found little to indicate the prophet was a real person. Muhammad’s name didn't appear on coins until 60 years after Islam emerged,...
Twin Wildfires Ravage LA Area
Los Angeles Times
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Nov 15, 2008 8:40 AM CST
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The wildfire in California’s wealthy Montecito area calmed down yesterday, but not before destroying 111 homes, the Los Angeles Times reports; and a new blaze roared overnight in Sylmar, where 5,000 were evacuated, CNN notes. Firefighters warned that 1,500 homes were still endangered by the as-yet-uncontained Montecito fire, which ate up 1,800...
Begich Pushes Lead Over Stevens to 1,022
Anchorage Daily News
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Nov 15, 2008 7:48 AM CST
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In the Alaska senatorial race, Democrat Mark Begich has stretched his lead over GOP stalwart (and convicted felon) Ted Stevens to 1,022, with over 90% of votes counted, the Anchorage Daily News reports. Some 24,000 ballots remain to be tallied, but yesterday’s results, from typically pro-Stevens areas, were seen as the senator’s best...
India Smashes Probe Into Moon
Bloomberg
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Nov 15, 2008 7:46 AM CST
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India’s Moon Impact Probe, decorated with the country’s colors, was a smashing success for India's space program when it rammed into the moon’s surface today, Bloomberg reports. The green, white, and orange probe hurtled downward for half an hour, gathering data on the moon’s surface before its crash landing. The mission was...
Priest: No Communion for Obama Voters
Greenville (SC) News
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Nov 15, 2008 7:31 AM CST
(Newser) -
South Carolina's Catholic authorities have overruled a priest who told Obama voters they weren't fit to partake in Holy Communion, the Greenville News reports. The priest wrote in a church bulletin that voting for a pro-choice candidate constituted "cooperation with intrinsic evil" and urged Obama voters to do penance "lest they eat...
Tech Sector Short-Circuits
New York Times
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Nov 15, 2008 7:09 AM CST
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A sudden slowdown has sent the tech industry into a slump so severe some are comparing it to the dot-com bust, the New York Times reports. The sector was confidently chugging along as recently as September but last month saw orders for both business and consumer tech rapidly plunge—"like flicking a switch," according to one analyst....
Dallas DA Makes Waves by Overturning Convictions
Wall Street Journal
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Nov 15, 2008 6:34 AM CST
(Newser) -
Craig Watkins is becoming famous for something rather unusual for a district attorney: getting people out of jail, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Dallas County prosecutor is painstakingly going through hundreds of convictions secured by his predecessors, using DNA evidence to overturn wrongful convictions. His Conviction Integrity...
ABC Scores Interview With Spitzer's 'Kristen'
Gawker
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Nov 15, 2008 6:22 AM CST
(Newser) -
Eliot Spitzer’s lady of the night met with Diane Sawyer this week for her first-ever interview, set to air next Friday, Gawker reports. “This is not the Eliot Spitzer story. This is the Ashley Dupre story,” an ABC source tells MediaBistro . The call girl in the sex scandal that brought down New York’s former governor was...
Yankees Pitch Sabathia Record Breaking Deal
ESPN
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Nov 15, 2008 5:41 AM CST
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The Yankees opened free-agent season yesterday by offering CC Sabathia the highest bid in major league history for a pitcher, ESPN reports. The 6-year offer for the southpaw, believed to be in the ballpark of $140 million, tops the $137.5 million deal Johan Santana signed with the Mets last season. The Yankees are also planning offers for righty pitchers...
Threats Against Obama Soar
Associated Press
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Nov 15, 2008 4:46 AM CST
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Law enforcement officials say Barack Obama is the most threatened president-elect in history, the AP reports. Potentially threatening writings, Internet chatter, and other activity aimed at Obama has soared since Election Day, accompanied by a surge in racist graffiti. Officials say most of the threats come from ranters lacking the power to harm Obama,...
Hike Booze Tax to Save Lives: Study
Chicago Tribune
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Nov 15, 2008 3:52 AM CST
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Higher liquor taxes may reduce deaths related to alcohol consumption, the Chicago Tribune reports. A new study examined Alaska’s alcohol tax rates over a 30-year period in conjunction with deaths from alcohol-related diseases such as cirrhosis of the liver. When taxes were raised, such deaths decreased by as much as 29%.
Big Pharma Seeks Big Profits in Developing Nations
Economist
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Nov 15, 2008 2:47 AM CST
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The pharmaceutical industry is turning away from the US shores that helped fill its pockets and toward the developing world, the Economist reports. Massive growth has made markets like India and China too attractive to ignore, despite lower income levels and weaker patent laws. And many companies fear Barack Obama's health-care plans will mean major...
Obama Mulls Richardson, Clinton for Sec. of State
Huffington Post
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Nov 14, 2008 9:33 PM CST
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Barack Obama is considering Hillary Clinton and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson for the job of Secretary of State, the Huffington Post reports. Democratic officials say he met with Clinton yesterday and Richardson today to weigh which former foe to bring into his administration. Two officials say he offered Clinton the job, but other sources say has...
Ouch! Rove Takes Shots at Obama Inner Circle
New York Times
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Nov 14, 2008 8:15 PM CST
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Take that, Joe Biden. And Rahm Emanuel. And you too, New York Times Magazine interviewer. In a recent chat, a testy Karl Rove says the VP-elect "has an odd combination of longevity and long-windedness that passes for wisdom in Washington." Asked if he engages in negative politics, the former Bush adviser says "No"—but insists...
Let's Divert Green $$$ to Aid Autos: White House
Wall Street Journal
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Nov 14, 2008 7:45 PM CST
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The White House urged Congress today to prop up the Big Three automakers with $25 billion in federal funding—and nix environmental provisions attached to that money, the Wall Street Journal reports. Approved last year, the dollars were designated to help carmakers convert to more fuel-efficient vehicles. Now they can "accelerate much needed...
Endeavour Blasts Into Night Sky
Associated Press
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Nov 14, 2008 7:18 PM CST
(AP) -
Space shuttle Endeavour and a crew of seven blasted into the night sky today, bound for the International Space Station and the most extreme home makeover project ever attempted by astronauts, the AP reports. The shuttle rose off its launch pad at 7:55 p.m. EST, right on time, in a brilliant flash of light visible for miles around.
Jarrett Takes White House Job
CBS2 Chicago
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Nov 14, 2008 6:38 PM CST
(Newser) -
Family friend and campaign adviser Valerie Jarrett today agreed to be Barack Obama's senior White House adviser, CBS reports. She will share the job title and probably split duties with David Axelrod, Obama's chief political strategist. Jarrett was already named a co-chair on Obama's transition team. She was rumored as a possible Senate replacement...
Weis' Job on Line at Navy Tomorrow
South Bend Tribune
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Nov 14, 2008 5:33 PM CST
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Facing the possibility of a two-game losing streak to Navy, unthinkable for at least a half-century at Notre Dame, coach Charlie Weis has to pull a rabbit out of the hat tomorrow if he’s going to save his job, Jason Kelly writes in the South Bend Tribune . “Who out there thought it would come to this for Weis?” he asks.
Nebraska Splits Electoral Votes, in First; Obama Gets 1
Associated Press
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Nov 14, 2008 5:08 PM CST
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Barack Obama has won a single Nebraska electoral vote in post-election counting, the first time the state has split the vote since a 1991 law allowed the practice, the AP reports. No Democrat has gotten a vote in the state since Lyndon Johnson in 1964.
Rabid Fans Have Bad Diets
Associated Press
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Nov 14, 2008 4:46 PM CST
(Newser) -
This just in: Sports fanatics like beer and fatty food. A University of Arkansas study has found that rabid fans are less healthy than people who don't care about sports, the Los Angeles Times reports. And the bigger the fanatic, "the more likely they are to consume more alcoholic beverages on the days that they choose to drink," the...
Seeking Xanadu, Shopping Malls Find Purgatory Instead
Newsweek
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Nov 14, 2008 4:28 PM CST
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An American institution—the shopping mall—is slouching toward extinction, Newsweek reports. With a record number of retail outlets, including ubiquitous Gap and Foot Locker, planning closures, roughly 20% of the 2,000 largest malls are failing, says one professor, leaving the fate of developing mega-malls like New Jersey’s Xanadu...
Lieberman Should Be Punished: Leahy
Vermont Public Radio
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Nov 14, 2008 4:10 PM CST
(Newser) -
Patrick Leahy thinks fellow Sen. Joe Lieberman, after campaigning for John McCain, should no longer occupy the chair of key committees, the Democrat told Vermont Public Radio today. The Connecticut independent currently caucuses with the Democrats, and chairs the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committees, the Hill notes. Lieberman went...
Radio Spots Put the 'Ad' in Adultery
Boston Herald
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Nov 14, 2008 3:51 PM CST
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The Ashley Madison Agency, a Web site matching would-be adulterers and home of the catchphrase “Life is short, have an affair,” has launched an ad blitz on Boston radio stations, reports the Herald . “The era of the scarlet letter is long over,” the company’s CEO said of the spots, which run in a state where adultery...
Bailout's Execution Draws Bipartisan Ire on Hill
Washington Times
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Nov 14, 2008 3:38 PM CST
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The Treasury Department's radical shift in the execution of the government bailout drew fire from both sides of the aisle in a Capitol Hill hearing today, the Washington Times reports. Neel Kashkari, point man for the $700 billion plan, felt the wrath of the House Oversight subcommittee's ranking Republican, Darrell Issa, as well as Democrats Dennis...
Retail Pummels Stocks; Dow Off 338
MarketWatch
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Nov 14, 2008 3:24 PM CST
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Poor earnings dragged the markets down today, as consumers’ reluctance to spend continues to hammer firms reliant on discretionary spending, MarketWatch reports. The day's losses capped weekly declines of at least 5% for all the indices. The Dow fell 337.94 to close at 8,497. The Nasdaq lost 79.85 points, settling at 1,517, while the S&P...
Munificent Obama Empties Coffers on Staff
New York Daily News
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Nov 14, 2008 3:18 PM CST
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Barack Obama’s campaign is redistributing the wealth to the staff, the New York Daily News reports. The loaded campaign will give its troops a bonus equivalent to a month’s pay and allow employees to keep campaign-issued phones and computers, provided they pay the taxes. “It's a very nice gesture for people who slaved away and sacrificed...
Crisis Looms for Credit Cards
Time
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Nov 14, 2008 3:10 PM CST
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Credit cards may be the next industry to be pummeled by the financial crisis, Time reports. The charge-off rate—money that lenders don't think they'll collect—is set to hit 10% in 2009. That's double the rate of the last decade and amounts to $96 billion in unpaid debt. Typically credit card firms do well in downturns because late fees...
Diplomats See Risk in Handing Posts to Obama Pals
Chicago Tribune
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Nov 14, 2008 3:00 PM CST
(Newser) -
Could Barack Obama make Oprah Winfrey an ambassador? It’s an all-too-plausible scenario, the Chicago Tribune reports, assuming Winfrey was willing to leave her TV career. Presidents typically give out roughly a third of the 200 ambassadorships to friends and political allies, and, in a first, the American Academy of Diplomacy has asked Obama...
Somali Pirates Could Grinch Your Christmas
Reuters
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Nov 14, 2008 2:49 PM CST
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Attacks by Somali pirates have major shippers considering changing routes that run through the Suez Canal, Reuters reports, a move would add weeks to the time it takes ships to get to Europe from Asia and the Middle East. “It will really hit home when consumers in the West find they haven't got their Nintendo gifts this Christmas,” a trade-group...
Proof Mounts of Impropriety by Feds in Siegelman Case
Time
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Nov 14, 2008 2:40 PM CST
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New court documents call further into question the actions of Justice Department officials in their prosecution of former Alabama governor Don Siegelman on corruption charges, Time reports. With the Democrat’s appeal scheduled for next month, the House Judiciary Committee disclosed violations by the Bush-appointed US Attorney, Leura Canary,...
Slumdog Millionaire Has Winning Pedigree
Metacritic
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Nov 14, 2008 2:27 PM CST
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Slumdog Millionaire's feel-good story is tough to resist, critics say. The hard-knock life of a boy who goes from the streets of Mumbai to game-show fantasyland is “one of the most upbeat stories about living in hell imaginable,” writes Manohla Dargis in the New York Times . Still, “its joyfulness feels more like a filmmaker’s...
Obama Hires Clinton Talent —to Avoid Clinton Mistakes
Politico
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Nov 14, 2008 2:10 PM CST
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Barack Obama may be considering adding Hillary Clinton to his Cabinet, but his transition already has the feel of that other Clinton politician, Politico reports. Thirty-one of the 47 people named to new jobs so far are staffers who cut their Washington teeth in Bill Clinton's administration. The Obama camp is trying to avoid the rocky changeovers...
Sorry, Chicken; Fossil Proves Egg Came First
LiveScience
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Nov 14, 2008 2:00 PM CST
(Newser) -
The contents of a fossilized dinosaur nest may help resolve the age-old chicken-and-egg question, LiveScience reports. That birds evolved from dinosaurs is no secret, but the new discovery shows that the pointy-ended bird egg developed before the bird itself, paleontologists say. The nest is believed to have belonged to one of two small, carnivorous...
Obama's Grassroots Army Ponders Next Move
Los Angeles Times
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Nov 14, 2008 1:48 PM CST
(Newser) -
Barack Obama’s campaign bred a network of grassroots activists who subscribed to the “Obama brand,” not necessarily the Democratic party. As Obama prepares for office, his advisers are split, the Los Angeles Times reports: Should the powerful grassroots operation remain separate from the party’s, mobilized to create consensus...
Billy Elliot Dazzles in Debut
New York Times
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Nov 14, 2008 1:38 PM CST
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The Broadway opening of Billy Elliot has critics dancing in the aisles—or at least wishing they could. The "smashingly realized" show "traffics in a particularly British brand of bitter treacle, wallowing in the glory of the bravely defeated and the pathos of small, trapped lives," writes Ben Brantley in the New York Times...
Palin's Flop Shows Gender Doesn't Sway Women Voters
Boston Globe
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Nov 14, 2008 1:34 PM CST
(Newser) -
This election showed a female candidate won’t automatically draw women’s votes if most women disagree with her on the issues, Ellen Goodman writes in the Boston Globe : “It’s not the gender … but the agenda.” With women traditionally putting economic issues—and more governmental control—atop their list,...
Dem Lobbyists Step Up, Prepare to Cash In
Washington Post
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Nov 14, 2008 1:15 PM CST
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As Democrats adjust to controlling all three branches of government, Democratic lobbyists are flying high, reports the Washington Post . Barack Obama's stated resistance to influence-peddling notwithstanding, the trend that took off after control of Congress flipped 2 years ago is gaining speed. “In this climate, Democratic backgrounds are attractive...
Army Names First Female 4-Star General
CNN
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Nov 14, 2008 1:05 PM CST
(Newser) -
A 33-year Army veteran today became the first woman in US history to be named a four-star general, CNN reports. Ann Dunwoody, 55, will oversee Army Materiel Command, which outfits and equips soldiers. "The Army nurtured me and mentored me, and today the Army offers me the chance to return the favor," she said.
Virtual Affair Ends in Real Divorce
Guardian (UK)
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Nov 14, 2008 12:54 PM CST
(Newser) -
When a UK woman discovered that her husband had fallen for another woman, she took the not-so-unusual step of filing for divorce. The kicker here, reports the Guardian , is that the cheating took place not in real life, among real people, but in the virtual world of Second Life. The woman had already forgiven her real-life husband once when she caught...
Brother Blames Abdul for Idol Reject's Death
New York Post
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Nov 14, 2008 12:44 PM CST
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The brother of an obsessed Paula Abdul fan ripped into the Idol judge, blaming her for his sister’s downward spiral and death, the New York Post reports. Paula Goodspeed, who was found dead in her car near Abdul’s house this week, took wicked criticism—especially from Simon Cowell, who made fun of her braces—after her audition...
Clinton Mum on Cabinet Rumors
Journal News (NY)
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Nov 14, 2008 12:33 PM CST
(Newser) -
Hillary Clinton today good-naturedly refused to address rampant rumors that she's under consideration to be Secretary of State in the Obama administration, the Journal News reports. Appearing in Albany at a conference on public transportation, she said, "I have to start by saying I'm very happy there is so much press attention and interest in...
Let Detroit Go Bankrupt: Brooks, Krauthammer
New York Times
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Nov 14, 2008 12:31 PM CST
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American prosperity relies on creative destruction—the failure of nonviable companies and their replacement by defter rivals. The government endeavors to protect the worker in periods of transition, writes David Brooks in the New York Times , but not the firms themselves. That’s why the auto-industry bailout is a bad idea: Extending the...
Craig's Bond Saves Solace
Rotten Tomatoes
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Nov 14, 2008 12:13 PM CST
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Quantum of Solace doesn't quite measure up to its predecessor, but that's because the Bond makers set the bar so high with Casino Royale , say critics. Daniel Craig returns for his second outing as the superspy, and his cold-blooded but charismatic performance ensures that his "place as the best Bond since Sean Connery remains secure," Joe...
Krugman: Throw Away Prudence to Fix Economy
New York Times
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Nov 14, 2008 12:03 PM CST
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The financial world has been turned upside down, and while we may not be headed for another Great Depression, we are embroiled in “depression economics,” writes Paul Krugman of the New York Times , a time when normal economic tools like the Fed's rate-cutting powers have “lost all traction.” In times like these, “virtue...
Housewives Desperate for Palin Appearance
New York Post
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Nov 14, 2008 11:52 AM CST
(Newser) -
Sarah Palin may have a visit to Wisteria Lane in her future. Desperate Housewives creator Marc Cherry is “very hot to trot to have her appear on the season-five finale,” a Hollywood insider tells the New York Post, and Disney execs love the idea. Cherry "sees her as the ultimate guest star," but an ABC rep denies the report....
King Family Wants Cut of Obama-King Souvenir Cash
Associated Press
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Nov 14, 2008 11:41 AM CST
(AP) -
The family of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. is demanding a share of the proceeds from the sudden wave of T-shirts, posters, and other merch pairing the civil rights leader with Barack Obama, the AP reports. Obama may have inherited the dream, but they own the brand, says the MLK nephew who heads King Center, who adds that the estate is entitled...
Kanye: I'm Better Than JT, on Par With Air Jordan
Associated Press
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Nov 14, 2008 11:36 AM CST
(Newser) -
Kanye West has declared himself “the voice of this generation,” comparing himself to basketball’s biggest star and running down Justin Timberlake in the process, the AP reports. “When Justin went on vacation I made albums,” said the Grammy-winning rapper-producer. “It's one thing to say you want to do it and it's...
Can Obama End Brotherhood of the Sagging Pants?
New York Times
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Nov 14, 2008 11:20 AM CST
(Newser) -
Fashion experts have their eyes on Barack Obama with a burning question: Can he inspire the young men of America to pull up their pants? The president-elect himself has said it's time to end the low-ride movement, and some have trotted out the (disputed) comparison of JFK single-handedly killing the hat industry. Clyde Haberman of the New York Times...
Obama, McCain to Meet Monday
Associated Press
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Nov 14, 2008 11:10 AM CST
(Newser) -
President-elect Barack Obama will sit down with former rival John McCain in Chicago on Monday, their first meeting since Election Day. The two will be joined by Obama chief of staff Rahm Emanuel and McCain confidant Lindsay Graham, the AP reports. No word on a specific agenda.
