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.
Lynne: Brit a 'Very Normal' Mom
People
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Nov 28, 2008 11:23 AM CST
(Newser) -
As Britney Spears turns her chaotic life around, mom Lynne says she’s doing great and is “a wonderful mother,” People reports. The Spears matriarch recently spoke to GMTV to promote her memoir, and the pop star predictably came up in conversation. Lynne discussed Brit’s breakdown and recovery, and insisted that “in the...
Market Now Runs on Politics, Not Economics
Washington Post
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Nov 28, 2008 11:15 AM CST
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Once upon a time, “if you wanted to get rich, you did it the Warren Buffett way,” writes Charles Krauthammer in the Washington Post. “You learned to read balance sheets.” That changed with the Bear Stearns rescue. Today, political maneuvering is what moves the markets, and that has profound implications. "Now lobbying...
Taliban Stockpiles Surplus Opium
New York Times
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Nov 28, 2008 11:05 AM CST
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The Taliban is stockpiling opium in Afghanistan, where high yields in recent years have led to a surplus, the UN drug office says. Poppy cultivation is less widespread than it once was, but the high yield offsets the contraction—and allowed the Taliban to make $300 million off opium last year, the New York Times reports. "With two to three...
Islam Would Bring US Out of Crisis: Qaeda Leader
Associated Press
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Nov 28, 2008 10:58 AM CST
(AP) -
Al-Qaeda's No. 2 leader appeared in a new video posted today calling on Americans to embrace Islam to overcome the financial meltdown, which he said was a consequence of the Sept. 11 attacks and militant strikes in Iraq and Afghanistan. Ayman al-Zawahiri's 80-minute recording also lashed out at Afghanistan's government and said any US gains in Iraq...
Nigeria Struggles to Protect Child Brides
Times (UK)
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Nov 28, 2008 10:44 AM CST
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In northern Nigeria, almost half the girls are married by age 15, and a law outlawing child marriage faces serious resistance from Muslim leaders, the Times of London reports. "We have no choice," says one teen who was brutally raped by her husband. As a result, fistula—a hole torn between the vagina and bladder or rectum during childbirth—and...
'Demand Accountability' from Citi: Podesta
Bloomberg
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Nov 28, 2008 10:32 AM CST
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The government should “demand accountability” from Citigroup in return for bailout funding, Barack Obama’s transition team leader says. “If we’re going to have one rule, we ought to apply it to all of the financial institutions that we’re taking a look at,” John Podesta said in a Bloomberg interview. Lawmakers...
Spitzer Hooker Tunes Up
New York Post
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Nov 28, 2008 10:23 AM CST
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Former celebrity hooker Ashley Dupre has a new career in mind: musician. The call girl who brought down Eliot Spitzer has signed a manager, the New York Post reports. The infamous Dupre has made a deal with Chris Lighty, who has worked with 50 Cent, Busta Rhymes, and Missy Elliott.
Obama Plans to Erase Bush's Environmental Mark
Washington Post
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Nov 28, 2008 10:11 AM CST
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Whoever Barack Obama picks for the top posts at the EPA and the Interior Department will likely be put straight to work reversing the course those agencies have been on for eight years, the Washington Post reports. Obama has made it plain that he plans to undo many of the environmental rules enacted under his predecessor. Two early ones likely...
Campaign Vets Get Back to Reality
Politico
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Nov 28, 2008 9:54 AM CST
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After months—and maybe years—on the campaign trail, reporters and staffers are still adjusting to post-election life, Politico reports. Sleep is a high priority, and so is reconnecting with long-neglected family and friends. "You have to remind yourself that a campaign is followed by a transition," Time reporter Karen Tumulty...
Wal-Mart Worker Killed in Black Friday Stampede
New York Daily News
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Nov 28, 2008 9:42 AM CST
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Black Friday bargain hunters trampled an employee to death this morning at a Long Island Wal-Mart, the New York Daily News reports. Another woman had a miscarriage in the stampede. The unidentified employee had been trying to hold the unruly crowd back, but the crowd knocked him down and ran over him, eyewitnesses say. Police are investigating.
Meyer: the New JK Rowling
Telegraph (UK)
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Nov 28, 2008 9:39 AM CST
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Have we finally found the next JK Rowling? Even Brits are starting to admit Twilight creator Stephenie Meyer is coming close, the Daily Telegraph reports. The 34-year-old Mormon author of a series of swoon-worthy novels about teen vampires has a similar “out of nowhere” story, and her book and movie sales are starting to give Harry,...
'Eleanor Rigby' Document Goes for $177K
Reuters
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Nov 28, 2008 9:31 AM CST
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A 1911 document that lists “E. Rigby” among the employees of a Liverpool hospital sold at auction for $177,000 yesterday, failing to match hopes of a $750,000 haul for the Beatles relic, Reuters reports. The possible inspiration for the song "Eleanor Rigby" is a salary register signed by scullerymaid E. Rigby. Paul McCartney sent...
Lions Could Be Historically Bad
Detroit News
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Nov 28, 2008 9:17 AM CST
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“Worst. Team. Ever.” Get ready, Detroit fans, “because the angle isn’t going away,” writes Bob Wojnowski of the Detroit News. The Lions are used to losing, but yesterday’s embarrassing 47-10 thrashing on national TV surely represented a new low, making the Lions’ putridity common knowledge. “This was...
Shoppers Can't Halt Commercial Mortgage Crisis
Associated Press
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Nov 28, 2008 9:02 AM CST
(AP) -
Black Friday shoppers hunting for holiday bargains won't be enough to stave off what's likely to become the next economic crisis. Malls from Michigan to Georgia are entering foreclosure, commercial victims of the same events poisoning the housing market. Hotels in Tucson, Ariz., and Hilton Head, SC, also are about to default on their mortgages.
Red Friday for Stocks
Wall Street Journal
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Nov 28, 2008 8:50 AM CST
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Stocks inched into the red this morning, with the Dow down 38 and the S&P and Nasdaq off 0.5% and 0.9% at the open, the Wall Street Journal reports, but those declines come on the heels of four straight days of gains. The market closes early today, and with no major economic reports on the docket, traders are expecting a sleepy, low-volume post-Thanksgiving...
Who Attacked Mumbai? Eyes Turn to Pakistan
Times (UK)
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Nov 28, 2008 8:35 AM CST
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It's still unclear what group is behind the terrorist attacks in Mumbai that have now left 125 dead, but a consensus is growing that foreigners, possibly from Pakistan, may have orchestrated the assaults. Police are investigating the origins of a fishing boat that ferried the terrorists to Mumbai—and which many in the country's intelligence community...
Twitchy Retail Braces for Black Season
New York Times
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Nov 28, 2008 8:33 AM CST
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For years, retailers across America have dubbed today Black Friday, when shoppers descend like locusts on cut-price merchandise to signal the start of the holiday season. But as the New York Times reports, stores have been slashing prices for weeks now, often with little effect. From toys to electronics to luxury fashion, retailers are preparing...
Downturn Derails Dell's Turnaround
Wall Street Journal
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Nov 28, 2008 8:17 AM CST
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Shifting consumer demand and the sagging economy spell trouble for Dell's turnaround strategy, the Wall Street Journal reports. Founder Michael Dell had been making progress since returning to the company last year with a two-pronged rescue plan, but weak sales mean his goals of cutting costs at the low end of the PC market while developing high-end...
Pakistan Suicide Bomber Kills 7
Associated Press
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Nov 28, 2008 8:16 AM CST
(AP) -
A suicide car bomber killed seven people in Pakistan's restless Northwest Frontier Province, the AP reports. The chief of police in the town of Bammu said the attacker rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into a police car patrolling the town's streets today. Four police officers and three civilians died in the blast, and several other people were...
Polar Bear Twins Born in Zoo
Der Spiegel
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Nov 28, 2008 8:09 AM CST
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The mother of polar bear rock star Flocke has just given birth to twins at the Nuremberg zoo, reports Der Speigel . Zoo security has been ramped up to prevent over-eager paparazzi from frightening Vera and her tiny cubs, which are the size of guinea pigs. Polar bear moms eat their young if they feel pressured during the first weeks after giving birth....
Mumbai Jewish Center Siege Over; Hostages Dead
MSNBC
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Nov 28, 2008 8:00 AM CST
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A huge explosion shook Mumbai’s Jewish center as Indian commandos ended a siege on militants holding foreign hostages there, MSNBC reports. A local rescue service reported that all hostages inside were dead, including two Americans. Local news reports said the mission was over, with militants either dead or captured after commandos swept through...
Medvedev Gets Cozy With Castro
BBC
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Nov 28, 2008 7:24 AM CST
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Russian president Dmitry Medvedev is in Cuba strengthening ties with the Castro regime and attempting to broaden Russia's influence in Latin America, the BBC reports. Medvedev arrived in Havana yesterday from Venezuela where he and Hugo Chavez signed deals promoting nuclear energy and developing closer military ties. Russia is expected to sign an agreement...
Britain Now Owns Majority Share of RBS
Guardian (UK)
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Nov 28, 2008 6:44 AM CST
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The Royal Bank of Scotland, one of the giants of British banking, confirmed today that taxpayers now own a majority share following a $30 billion government bailout, reports the Guardian . The country's No. 2 bank failed to raise sufficient cash via a $22.5 billion rights issue, with only 1 in 400 shares finding a buyer. Treasury has bought 57.9%...
Phelps' Gal Pal Meets Mom
People
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Nov 28, 2008 6:30 AM CST
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Olympic champion Michael Phelps brought his latest prize home: his girlfriend spent Thanksgiving with the family in Baltimore, People reports. The pair met in Vegas, where Phelps is practicing for the World Series of Poker and his gal pal works as a cocktail waitress. The Olympic sensation says the card game gives him an outlet for “some of...
Rove: Obama Has Picked a First-Rate Economic Team
Wall Street Journal
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Nov 28, 2008 6:19 AM CST
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Karl Rove was pleasantly surprised by Barack Obama's choice of an economic team, the Republican analyst writes in the Wall Street Journal , singling out Tim Geithner and Larry Summers as solid picks. Geithner has played a key role in the current administration's handling of the financial crisis and will provide continuity, Rove observes, and Summers...
Commandos End Mumbai Hotel Siege
Bloomberg
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Nov 28, 2008 5:52 AM CST
(Newser) -
Indian commandos have ended a standoff at Mumbai's Oberoi hotel and freed some 200 hostages, Bloomberg reports. Two terrorists were killed. The military is still fighting to flush out terrorist gunmen in other parts of the city. Up to four terrorists are still holed up with hostages at the Taj Hotel. Commandos earlier abseiled onto the roof of a Jewish...
Russian Cyberattack Hits US Central Command
Los Angeles Times
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Nov 28, 2008 5:01 AM CST
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Defense Department computers have been hit by a computer virus from Russia, Los Angeles Times reports. Malware has infected large parts of the military system, including Central Command systems and computers used in Iraq and Afghanistan combat zones. The military scrambled to stop the infection and banned the use of flash drives.
Did Bush Fall Off Wagon?
Gawker
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Nov 28, 2008 4:36 AM CST
(Newser) -
President Bush's teetotalism may not be as total as thought, Gawker writes. On his recent visit to Peru for the Asia-Pacific Cooperation Summit, the president—who quit drinking 22 years ago—reportedly joined other world leaders in knocking back Pisco sour cocktails. The country's national drink is made with egg whites, lemon—and Peruvian...
'Brit Fritzl' Impregnated Daughters for Child Benefits
Telegraph (UK)
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Nov 28, 2008 4:02 AM CST
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A British man sentenced to life for raping his daughters over a 30-year period wanted them pregnant so he could collect child benefits from the government, his sister-in-law told the Daily Telegraph . The man, 56, impregnated his two daughters a total of 19 times, resulting in nine children, two of whom died at birth. The man never worked but always...
Cell Phones Bad for Soul, Warns Vatican
Telegraph (UK)
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Nov 28, 2008 3:36 AM CST
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The Vatican has warned that cell phones and the internet threaten the soul, reports the Daily Telegraph . “In the age of the cell phone and internet it is more difficult than before to protect silence and nourish the interior dimension of life,” said a spokesman for the Pope. If the "spiritual dimension of life" is not...
Luxury Car Sales Hit the Skids
Wall Street Journal
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Nov 28, 2008 3:01 AM CST
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Sales of luxury cars are dropping as fast as their downmarket counterparts, the Wall Street Journal reports. Sales of top-end vehicles plunged 30% last month, spelling major trouble for carmakers who had been relying on fat profit margins on luxury cars to offset falling demand for mass-markets vehicles. Analysts expect demand to keep falling...
Thai Troops Prepare to Storm Airport
Times (UK)
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Nov 28, 2008 2:31 AM CST
(Newser) -
The Thai government has declared a state of emergency and is preparing to storm Bangkok's international airport, the Times of London reports. Officials are attempting to negotiate a peaceful solution with representatives of thousands of anti-government protesters who have occupied the city’s two airports since Tuesday—but 30 medical teams...
Brooklyn Rabbi, Wife Trapped in Mumbai Attacks
New York Times
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Nov 28, 2008 2:04 AM CST
(Newser) -
A young Jewish couple from Brooklyn were taken hostage in the Mumbai attacks and many fear the worst, the New York Times reports . Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and his wife, Rivka, ran the well-known Chabad center, a popular haven for Jewish travellers. They were seized along with at least six others at the center, which was targeted by terrorists. A cook...
Eagles, 'Boys, Titans Roll; Lions Now 0-12
Associated Press
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Nov 27, 2008 10:50 PM CST
(AP) -
The Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles cruised to easy victories, while the mighty Tennessee Titans embarrassed winless Detroit. The hapless Lions (0-12) moved a step closer to becoming the NFL's first 0-16 team, losing by a franchise-worst 37 points (47-10) and giving up a franchise-record number of points in their 69th game on Thanksgiving.
World's Oldest Person Dies at Age 115
Shelby News (Indiana_
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Nov 27, 2008 10:21 PM CST
(Newser) -
The world's oldest person died quietly yesterday at an Indiana nursing home, the Shelbyville News reports. Edna Parker, a retired teacher, lived to the age of 115 years and 220 days and had been recognized by Guinness World Records. Her death makes a Portugal woman, Maria de Jesus, the new world's oldest. She was born about 5 months after Parker...
Indian Army Says Siege Almost Over
Times of India (India)
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Nov 27, 2008 9:33 PM CST
(Newser) -
Indian troops have begun an assault on a Jewish community center in Mumbai where terrorists are thought to be holed up with hostages, the Times of India reports. The army also reports major progress clearing two posh hotels and asserts that the fight against the terrorists is "almost coming to an end" after two days of chaos. The death...
Mumbai Train Station 'Became a Sea of Blood'
BBC
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Nov 27, 2008 5:56 PM CST
(Newser) -
The terrorists who opened fire in Mumbai’s crowded railway station yesterday did so with incredible calm, an eyewitness tells the BBC: “They were not in the slightest hurry. They didn’t seem to be afraid at all.” Of the 119 people known to be killed in the coordinated attacks, most were commuters waiting for trains at the Chhatrapati...
Food Banks See Spike in Demand
Associated Press
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Nov 27, 2008 5:24 PM CST
(AP) -
As millions of American families gathered to give thanks for what they have, food banks and shelters struggled to cope with a spike in demand for their services. "Food bank after food bank tells me it's new faces, people they haven't seen before," says one charity spokesman in Chicago. "They will tell you it's the worst it's ever been."
Obama's Sportswear 'Endorsements' Worth Millions
Times (UK)
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Nov 27, 2008 4:52 PM CST
(Newser) -
The latest high-profile sportswear-endorser doesn’t charge brands like Nike and North Face a thing to be seen wearing their logos, but his fashion choices may be worth millions, the Times of London reports. Barack Obama’s love of the gym and the basketball court is famous, and companies are happy to cash in on the regular photographs...
Hollywood Remaking Sci-Fi Classics
Associated Press
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Nov 27, 2008 4:32 PM CST
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Hollywood is looking backward with an eye on the future, reports the Los Angeles Times . Plans to launch remakes of 12 sci-fi flicks from the last millennium are already under way: When Worlds Collide , an update of the apocalyptic 1951 film, will hit theaters next year with Steven Spielberg signed onto produce and Mummy director Stephen...
Ford Doesn't Want to Cut CEO's Pay
Wall Street Journal
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Nov 27, 2008 4:09 PM CST
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Though it’s under pressure to trim costs and update its business plan in order to get federal bailout funds, Ford doesn’t like the idea of cutting its CEO’s salary, the Wall Street Journal reports. Alan Mulally made a $2 million salary and $21 million in total compensation last year; asked in testimony last week on Capitol Hill...
Wall Street's Doom Years in the Making
Portfolio
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Nov 27, 2008 4:00 PM CST
(Newser) -
When he wrote Liar’s Poker in 1989, Michael Lewis figured the end of Wall Street was near. After all, it had hired him, a 24-year-old with neither experience nor interest in finance. “Sooner rather than later,” he writes in Portfolio , “someone was going to identify me, along with a lot of people more or less like me, as...
7-Person Air New Zealand Flight Crashes Off France
AFP
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Nov 27, 2008 3:36 PM CST
(Newser) -
Three bodies have been recovered after an Air New Zealand jet with seven aboard crashed into the Mediterranean today, AFP reports. The Airbus A320—which can carry about 150 passengers—was on a test flight when it went down off the coast of the French city of Perpignan. Five on board were New Zealanders, while the two pilots were German.
Earlier Milk Release Might've Killed Prop 8
Slate
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Nov 27, 2008 3:30 PM CST
(Newser) -
If Milk, the film on San Francisco’s first openly gay city supervisor, had opened earlier, might it have swung the Proposition 8 vote? Maybe, writes Dennis Lim in Slate—but in light of the passage of the California gay-marriage ban, Milk becomes both a poignant “look-how-far-we-haven’t-come” tale and a roadmap for the...
GM Doesn't Want You Tracking Its Private Jet
Bloomberg
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Nov 27, 2008 3:05 PM CST
(Newser) -
General Motors doesn’t want the public tracking a private jet used by its executives, Bloomberg reports, asking the Federal Aviation Administration to block it from its public service. “We availed ourselves of the option as others do to have the aircraft removed,” said a GM spokesman, though he didn’t say why the automaker,...
Science Supersizes Thanksgiving
Wired
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Nov 27, 2008 2:45 PM CST
(Newser) -
Thanksgiving food has undergone massive genetic changes in the centuries since the Pilgrims first prepared the feast, resulting in turkeys more than twice as big and corn six times as sweet. But human taste buds have evolved, too, meaning we don’t necessarily appreciate our new and improved fare any more than our ancestors did, writes Alexis...
8-Year-Old Accused of Murders Kept Spanking Tally
Arizona Republic (Phoenix)
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Nov 27, 2008 2:20 PM CST
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An 8-year-old Arizona boy charged with murdering his father and a family friend may have kept a written tally of his parents’ spankings, swearing that the 1,000th would be the last, the Arizona Republic reports. Police records say the boy “is believed to have made ledgers and or communicated in the form of writings about his intentions.”
Taj Mahal Hotel Cleared of Terrorists: India
IBNLive (India)
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Nov 27, 2008 2:05 PM CST
(Newser) -
India’s National Security Guard has killed all the terrorist gunmen holed up in Mumbai’s Taj Mahal Hotel, IBN Live reports. Security forces continue to battle the terrorists at the Hotel Oberoi Trident, where at least 30 hostages are still being held. Paramilitary units are preparing to mount a massive push into the hotel this evening.
Iowa Supreme Court Set to Review Gay-Marriage Ban
Los Angeles Times
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Nov 27, 2008 1:59 PM CST
(Newser) -
Iowa’s Supreme Court will review a state law banning gay marriage next month, the Los Angeles Times reports. A district judge last year struck down the Defense of Marriage Act on the grounds that it violated state constitutional rights of equal protection, but nine hours later that decision was appealed to the high court.
Farmers Already Working on Your '09 Bird
Slate
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Nov 27, 2008 1:43 PM CST
(Newser) -
Ever wonder how the grocery store bins fill up with so many turkeys come late November? Lots and lots of planning, explains Nina Shen Rastogi in Slate. Americans will eat about 46 million birds today—that accounts for 17% of all turkeys raised in the US in a given year. Farmers meet this huge single-day demand by planning way ahead—and...
