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.
'Mutt' Prez Will Move US Beyond Equality
Los Angeles Times
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Nov 24, 2008 1:18 PM CST
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Our enemies love using US racial divisions as a stick to beat Americans with, a stick “we’ve handed them over and over again,” writes Gregory Rodriguez in the Los Angeles Times . Now, Barack Obama gives us a crucial symbol of progress—and it won’t be because Obama’s black, but because, in his words, he’s “a...
Tibetans Push Lama Toward Harder Stance on China
Christian Science Monitor
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Nov 24, 2008 1:07 PM CST
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Tibetans still support the Dalai Lama’s “middle way” policy of negotiating for greater autonomy under Chinese rule, the Christian Science Monitor reports, but a conference of Tibetan exiles that ended today in India revealed many are growing impatient with Beijing’s endless foot-dragging. Members of the conference said there...
Bailout Gives Barney Frank Star Turn
New Republic
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Nov 24, 2008 12:57 PM CST
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Through decades in Washington, Barney Frank has developed a reputation as a brainy, if less than polite, liberal attack dog. It’s been a bumpy ride for the House Financial Services chairman, including implication in a male-prostitution scandal, writes Michelle Cottle in the New Republic —but as Congress grapples with the financial crisis,...
Crunch Puts Crimp in Luxury Ad Sales
New York Times
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Nov 24, 2008 12:45 PM CST
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The echoes of the economic crisis continue to reverberate, with luxury brands trimming spending on newspaper and magazine ads as their target audiences cut back, reports the New York Times. Display advertising was already in decline, and spending on luxury items, which started softening in the spring, fell off a cliff in October. Says a consultant: "This...
Home Builders Want Federal Bailout, Too
Wall Street Journal
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Nov 24, 2008 12:37 PM CST
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Home builders, undeterred by the automakers’ troubles in securing federal aid, are campaigning for a $250 billion stimulus of their own, the Wall Street Journal reports. Saying that the economy can't recover until home prices stop tanking, the builders propose a plan, called “Fix Housing First,” where the feds would underwrite some...
Pakistan Moves to Mend Fences With India
Financial Times (UK)
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Nov 24, 2008 12:28 PM CST
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Pakistan has proposed an economic pact and a general détente with India, marking the country’s friendliest overture in decades, the Financial Times reports. Asif Ali Zardari promised not to use his nuclear first-strike capabilities, a departure from Pakistan’s official policy, and offered to join India in a nonproliferation agreement....
Airfares Dip on Last-Minute Holiday Trips
Chicago Tribune
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Nov 24, 2008 12:14 PM CST
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With many consumers too concerned about their wallets to make pricey trips, airlines are, for the first time in memory, lowering prices before the holidays, the Chicago Tribune reports. The reversal of convention is allowing late buyers to scrounge tickets for as much as $200 less than travelers who locked in prices over the summer, when fares reflected...
Obama on Economy: My Job Starts Now
The Hill
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Nov 24, 2008 12:12 PM CST
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When it comes to the economy, Barack Obama says his work begins “right now.” Obama introduced his economic team today; as expected, he designated Timothy Geithner as treasury secretary and Lawrence Summers as director of the National Economic Council. The president-elect said they would begin work immediately on a huge stimulus package,...
Politically, Geithner's a Mystery
Politico
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Nov 24, 2008 12:10 PM CST
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As the head of the New York Fed, Timothy Geithner is a known quantity in certain circles. But as he starts the process of taking the helm at the Treasury Department, the officials who will vote on his confirmation know surprisingly little about him, reports Politico. “I always worry about somebody who has spent his whole life at the Federal Reserve,”...
Girl Group Rocks Saudi Taboos
New York Times
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Nov 24, 2008 12:02 PM CST
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The Accolade sounds like a typical female rock band: Its members have teased hair and facial piercings, and their clothing shocks passers-by as they tell a New York Times reporter about their new song with lyrics about a failed relationship. But the Accolade’s home base is conservative Saudi Arabia, and its members have turned taboo-breaking...
Missing Student Found Dead in Ill. Frat House
Chicago Tribune
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Nov 24, 2008 11:50 AM CST
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An Illinois Institute of Technology student mysteriously turned up dead in a storage room of his fraternity house yesterday, after being considered missing for 8 days, the Chicago Tribune reports. Benjamin Collen’s death has been ruled an accident—the 19-year-old sophomore died of asphyxia after inhaling carbon dioxide from a canister....
Obamas' Chicago Pal to be Social Secretary
Chicago Tribune
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Nov 24, 2008 11:38 AM CST
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A Chicago businesswoman and close friend of the Obamas will be White House social secretary, the Tribune reports. Desirée Rogers, 49, will be the first African American to run functions and ceremonies at the president’s residence, working with the first lady. A Harvard MBA, Rogers has been a prominent figure in Chicago not-for-profits...
Springsteen Offers New Single Free ... But Just Today
Associated Press
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Nov 24, 2008 11:27 AM CST
(AP) -
Bruce Springsteen's new single can be downloaded free of charge—for one day. Springsteen is offering free downloads of Working on a Dream on iTunes and his official Web site. The track will have a fee attached on iTunes from tomorrow through Dec. 9.
Silver Predicts 27-Vote Recount Victory for Franken
FiveThirtyEight
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Nov 24, 2008 11:17 AM CST
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If you believe in the math, get ready to welcome the new Democratic senator from Minnesota: Statistics guru Nate Silver, on FiveThirtyEight.com, predicts a 27-vote Al Franken victory. The numbers get a bit tricky, but it all hinges on a strong trend toward Franken picking up votes from Norm Coleman in precincts with few ballot challenges.
Berkeley Prof to Head Council of Economic Advisers
ABC News
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Nov 24, 2008 11:06 AM CST
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Barack Obama has chosen Christina Romer, a Berkeley economics professor, to lead the Council of Economic Advisers, ABC News reports. The council analyzes economic developments and recommends policy for the president. Obama will announce Romer’s appointment, along with the rest of his economic team, today.
Existing-Home Prices Take Record Dive
Wall Street Journal
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Nov 24, 2008 10:59 AM CST
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After a brief, unexpected rise in September, sales of existing homes plunged again in October, with the median price taking its biggest drop on record, the Wall Street Journal reports. Home resales fell 3.1% to a 4.98 million annual rate, from September’s revised 5.14 million pace. “Many potential home buyers appear to have withdrawn...
As US Cracks Swiss Secrets, UBS Clients Cop to IRS
Wall Street Journal
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Nov 24, 2008 10:57 AM CST
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The IRS is getting an unexpected boon from a Justice Department probe of Swiss bank UBS: Some of its wealthy US clients are owning up to offshore accounts to take advantage of the agency’s amnesty offer, the Wall Street Journal reports—a blow to the secrecy that has made Swiss banks a haven for would-be tax evaders.
Obama Stimulus Plan Balloons to $500B
Wall Street Journal
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Nov 24, 2008 10:50 AM CST
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Barack Obama’s financial team is constructing a $500 billion stimulus plan that it hopes to rush through Congress early in 2009, the Wall Street Journal reports. Obama would sign the bill, which is far more ambitious than anything discussed during the campaign, almost immediately after his inauguration. “This is an extraordinary time,”...
Flight Delays Decline Ahead of Holidays
USA Today
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Nov 24, 2008 10:40 AM CST
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While flights will be packed during the Thanksgiving travel week, travelers can at least look forward to fewer delays, USA Today reports. Delays have plummeted this fall amid troubled airlines’ reduced flight schedules and government measures to reduce New York air traffic. In early September, flights were over 15 minutes late 17% of the time,...
Google Quietly Conquers With Irresistible Apps
New York Times
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Nov 24, 2008 10:28 AM CST
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Despite near-total lack of marketing, Google finds its way into Web lovers’ hearts with an irresistible bundle of applications. “Having grown up in the vapor trail of the ’60s, I learned to be wary of large, centralized organizations,” David Carr writes in the New York Times . “And yet Google, a huge enterprise with a...
Maliki's Power Grabs Stir Fears of 'Shiite Saddam'
Los Angeles Times
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Nov 24, 2008 10:18 AM CST
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Ratification this week of a deal that would put an expiration date on the US deployment in Iraq stands to boost the prestige of PM Nouri al-Maliki, who in recent months has consolidated his power in moves that echo previous authoritarian regimes. As one Western observer tells the Los Angeles Times , Maliki is poised to become “a benevolent Shiite...
A-Rod a 'Kabbalah School Dropout'
MSNBC
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Nov 24, 2008 10:08 AM CST
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The very thing that brought Madonna and beau Alex Rodriguez together, Kabbalah, may be coming between them now, MSNBC reports. A source says the Yankee slugger is backing out of private classes with spiritual leader Eitan Yardeni, and hasn’t even finished the introduction course. Madonna dragged A-Rod into Kabbalah, the source claims, “But...
Obama Fiscal Team Reunites Rubin Protégés
New York Times
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Nov 24, 2008 9:54 AM CST
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Barack Obama’s incoming administration is stocked with acolytes of Bill Clinton-era Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin, reports the New York Times . But even Rubin and his protégés are no longer quite as enamored as they once were of so-called Rubinomics—deregulation, balanced budgets, and free trade. Facing economic crisis,...
Hills Battles Its Own Hype
Los Angeles Times
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Nov 24, 2008 9:46 AM CST
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Thanks to the Internet, the 24-hour news cycle, and rampant celebrity gossip in the blogosphere, the reality show The Hills has taken a backseat—to itself. “Do fans even need to watch the show anymore to get a Hills fix?” Denise Martin writes in the LA Times . For example, tonight's episode "breaks" the news of a...
GM Needs a Hand From Unions, Lenders
Bloomberg
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Nov 24, 2008 9:43 AM CST
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General Motors is revving up its efforts to prove to Congress it can survive if it receives a multibillion-dollar federal loan, reports Bloomberg. The automaker is asking unions to ease work rules, attempting to reduce its debt load, and considering cutting brands from its lineup as it tries to stretch its remaining cash. The company has a week to...
Bernanke's Job Security Hardly Assured
Wall Street Journal
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Nov 24, 2008 9:40 AM CST
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Economists give Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke a passing grade for his efforts to fight the nation’s financial crisis, but that doesn’t guarantee he’ll keep his job when his appointment expires in 2010, reports the Wall Street Journal . President-elect Barack Obama may have a Fed-chief-in-waiting in Lawrence Summers, the outspoken...
'Realist' Has Obama's Ear on Foreign Policy
Wall Street Journal
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Nov 24, 2008 9:26 AM CST
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Brent Scowcroft, national security adviser to the first President Bush and shunned by the second over Iraq, is likely to exercise serious foreign-policy influence in Barack Obama’s administration, the Wall Street Journal reports. Scowcroft, known for a non-ideological foreign-policy philosophy, counts among his protégés a number...
Winehouse on Hubby: 'It's Over'
News of the World (UK)
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Nov 24, 2008 9:20 AM CST
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Troubled singer Amy Winehouse says her, er, rock-steady marriage is over, News of the World reports. Blake Fielder-Civil has left Winehouse for a German model, and anyway, “We were only together for sex.” The drug-addled star gave friends the gory details of the pair’s sex life, which should be avoided if one is eating, and range...
How Cheap Gas Hurts Green Initiatives, Feds' Bottom Line
Wall Street Journal
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Nov 24, 2008 9:15 AM CST
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Americans are driving less and burning less fuel, but it could be too soon for conservation fans to celebrate. That dip, and global economic gloom, has sent oil and gas prices spiraling down, Joseph White writes in the Wall Street Journal , depriving the government of taxes it needs for transportation infrastructure—and perhaps sapping consumers’...
Stocks Jump on Citi Rescue
Wall Street Journal
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Nov 24, 2008 8:58 AM CST
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Stocks kept Friday’s good mojo going this morning, after the government announced a massive plan to prop up Citigroup. The Dow rose 145 points at the open, as Citi shares leaped 57%, and pulled the rest of the sector with them. Bank of America rose 13%, while Morgan Stanley jumped 14% and Goldman Sachs 8%, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Opposition Scores Key Gains in Venezuela Election
Associated Press
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Nov 24, 2008 8:55 AM CST
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President Hugo Chávez’s supporters held onto a strong majority in yesterday’s local elections in Venezuela, but the opposition party won a number of key victories, the AP reports. Chávez backers won 17 of 22 gubernatorial seats, while the opposition took the mayor’s office in Caracas and won in three of the most populous...
Bill Ford Driving a Green Future
New York Times
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Nov 24, 2008 8:35 AM CST
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While General Motors, Chrysler, and Congress are haggling over what strings to tie to a federal bailout, Ford chairman Bill Ford Jr is working behind the scenes to further his company's move toward greener, more fuel-efficient vehicles. The automaker, with enough cash on hand to get through 2009, isn’t in the dire straits its rivals are, reports...
Pirates Cut Saudi Tanker Ransom to $15M
Reuters
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Nov 24, 2008 8:32 AM CST
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After the biggest hijacking in maritime history, Somali pirates have cut their ransom demand for a Saudi supertanker from $25 million to $15 million, Reuters reports. The Sirius Star, carrying $100 million in oil and 25 international crew members, was nabbed southeast of Kenya and has been moved to 62 miles off central Somalia after an Islamist militia...
Silda Joins Hedge Fund, Eliot Mulls Book
New York
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Nov 24, 2008 8:14 AM CST
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Silda Wall Spitzer, liberated from the constraints of being a politician's wife, has gone to work for a Manhattan hedge fund, New York magazine reports. A former corporate attorney, Silda will be recruiting investors for Metropolitan Capital Advisors, run by the wife of a long-time Spitzer friend and supporter. Meanwhile, Eliot may write a book....
Swamped Job Centers 'the ERs of Today's Economy'
New York Times
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Nov 24, 2008 8:00 AM CST
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With unemployment at 6.5%—a 16-year high—one-stop job centers, the “emergency rooms of today’s economy,” are facing a flood of applicants, the New York Times reports. Some 20 million are likely to use federal employment programs this year, compared to 14 million 3 years ago. And while Congress has extended unemployment...
Jacko Settles Sheikh Suit
Guardian (UK)
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Nov 24, 2008 7:42 AM CST
(Newser) -
Michael Jackson settled with the Bahraini prince who sued him for breach of contract, and will not attend court as scheduled today, the Guardian reports. The King of Pop’s appearance at the High Court had been eagerly awaited, bringing back memories of the hundreds who kept vigil outside his 2005 child molestation trial. Jackson was advised...
Even Red States Fresh Out of Inauguration Tickets
Politico
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Nov 24, 2008 7:32 AM CST
(Newser) -
Looking for a ticket to Barack Obama’s inauguration? Ex-San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown had some advice recently: Ask a Republican friend in a red state. “I mean, how many people from Oklahoma think this is the nation’s biggest historical moment?” he mused. Think again, Willie—congressional offices red and blue alike...
Brown, Kanye Storm AMAs
Associated Press
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Nov 24, 2008 6:56 AM CST
(AP) -
Chris Brown was the big winner, but it was Kanye West's night at the American Music Awards. Instead of his typical tantrum—a trend West started four years ago when he lost the favorite new artist prize—the rapper claimed two trophies last night and called on his colleagues to up their game. "It's our responsibility as musicians to...
What About Michelle's Career?
New York Times
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Nov 24, 2008 6:33 AM CST
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What will Michelle Obama’s stint as first lady mean for her own high-powered career? Political wives, policy experts, and pundits are all weighing in, reports the New York Times . Cherie Blair tells Michelle to get used to the back seat, while more optimistic observers insist that Obama’s tour at the White House is “almost an investment”...
Thai Protesters Shut Down Parliament
BBC
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Nov 24, 2008 6:07 AM CST
(Newser) -
Tens of thousands of raucous Thai protesters surrounded parliament today, forcing officials to shut it down, reports the BBC. Spokesmen for the pro-monarchist People's Alliance for Democracy vowed that the current action marks the "final battle" for the nation's government. Other groups marched on police headquarters and the foreign ministry....
Hollywood Scientology Guard Kills Samurai Man
Los Angeles Times
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Nov 24, 2008 5:18 AM CST
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A man brandishing two Samurai swords was shot dead by a guard inside a Hollywood Scientology church yesterday. A security tape revealed that the guard used his automatic weapon to protect himself and two colleagues, police concluded. The sword man had a history with the church, but was not a member at the time of his death, reports the Los Angeles...
18 Killed in Baghdad Blasts
Al Jazeera
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Nov 24, 2008 4:47 AM CST
(Newser) -
A female suicide bomber killed at least five people at the entrance of Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone, and a second bomb killed 13 women traveling on a bus to their government jobs, reports Al Jazeera. The attacks came as Iraqi legislators prepare to vote this week on a security agreement with the US allowing American troops to remain in Iraq...
Georgia Prez Charges Russians Fired on Motorcade
Voice of America
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Nov 24, 2008 4:19 AM CST
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Shots were fired close to a motorcade ferrying Georgia's President Mikheil Saakashvili and Polish President Lech Kaczynski to a refugee camp in Georgia near the border with the breakaway region of South Ossetia, officials said. Saakashvili blamed Russian troops at a border checkpoint for the gunfire, reports Voice of America. No one was hurt....
Feds OK Massive $20B Citigroup Bailout
Wall Street Journal
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Nov 24, 2008 3:49 AM CST
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The US will bail out Citigroup with $20 billion in fresh capital and a guarantee to mop up $306 billion in toxic assets, the Wall Street Journal reports. The deal, announced late last night, marks a turning point in the financial crisis: In addition to injecting nearly $300 billion into the nation's financial institutions, the feds now seem willing...
Berlusconi Repeats Obama 'Suntan' Joke
Telegraph (UK)
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Nov 24, 2008 3:33 AM CST
(Newser) -
Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi, who raised eyebrows worldwide when he recently referred to President-elect Obama as "handsome, young and suntanned," has repeated what he apparently thinks is a good joke—this time extending it to include model Naomi Campbell. "We would all like to be tanned like Naomi Campbell and Obama,"...
FSU Safety Nabs Rhodes Scholarship
Tallahassee Democrat
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Nov 24, 2008 3:05 AM CST
(Newser) -
Florida State defensive back Myron Rolle has been awarded a Rhodes scholarship, making him the first Division I football player in a generation to win the nation's most prestigious post-grad award, reports the New York Times . Rolle will do a one-year masters degree in medical anthropology at the University of Oxford in England if he accepts the scholarship—though...
Dog Shoots Duck Hunter in Boat
Oregonian (Portland)
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Nov 24, 2008 2:40 AM CST
(Newser) -
A 23-year-old duck hunter is recovering from gunshot wounds after a bizarre shooting accident triggered by his dog, reports the Oregonian . As the hunter was tying up his aluminum rowboat on an Oregon lake, his Labrador retriever jumped in, accidentally releasing the safety catch on a 12-gauge shotgun, which fired. "He's a good dog," said...
Cash Makes a Comeback
Associated Press
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Nov 24, 2008 2:15 AM CST
(Newser) -
Americans are reverting to cash for purchases in increasing numbers, according to top retailers Wal-Mart, Target and JC Penney. The shift away from credit is expected to further reduce spending by consumers—who will be limited to cash-on-hand purchases—not just during the holiday season, but during what could be a deep and long-lasting...
Dems, It's OK to Use 'Liberal' Tag Again
Salon
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Nov 24, 2008 1:50 AM CST
(Newser) -
Now that Democrats have started winning again, Michael Lind wants to go back to using the word “liberal” instead of “progressive.” Writing in Salon, he explains why: A name change isn’t going to protect anyone from criticism in any case, so be brave. “Your enemies will caricature you, no matter what you call...
Where Is This Supermodel's Belly Button?
BBC
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Nov 23, 2008 8:17 PM CST
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Supermodel Karolina Kurkova's recent turn on the catwalk for Victoria's Secret had curious spectators wondering what happened to her belly button. The Czech stunner offered no explanation for her smooth stomach, which has only a minor indentation where her navel should be, and her agent says only that "she's not an alien." The BBC goes...
