Newser Story Index from December, 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.
NASCAR Settles $225M Harassment Lawsuit
Associated Press
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Dec 19, 2008 1:54 AM CST
(Newser) -
NASCAR has settled a $225 million lawsuit brought by a black official who charged that she was the target of racial and sexual harassment, AP reports. Mauricia Grant said she was routinely subjected to lewd advances by male co-workers and dubbed "Nappy-Headed Mo" and “Queen Sheba.” The settlement terms are confidential and NASCAR...
Colts Win 8th Straight, Clinch Playoffs
Indianapolis Star
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Dec 18, 2008 10:23 PM CST
(Newser) -
Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts won their eighth straight game tonight to clinch a playoff spot, the Indianapolis Star reports. The 31-24 win against Jacksonville epitomized their season: a slow start and a strong—if nail-biting—finish. Jacksonville led 17-7 at the half and were inside the 10 in the final seconds. Manning, whose...
Crime-Scene Photo May Show Caylee's Book
Orlando Sentinel
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Dec 18, 2008 9:10 PM CST
(Newser) -
One of the police photos from the site of the Caylee Anthony investigation shows an object that could be a book she was reading shortly before her death, the Orlando Sentinel reports. Editors at the paper spotted the yellowish object in the photo and asked police about it, but authorities declined to comment on any potential significance, or even...
Laura Bush Unamused by Shoe 'Assault'
USA Today
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Dec 18, 2008 8:18 PM CST
(Newser) -
Laura Bush is not among those laughing along at her husband's recent shoe-dodging moves. "As a wife, I saw it as an assault, and that's what it was," she told USA Today . "So I didn't laugh it off." The first lady did, however, have an insight into how her husband managed to avoid getting plunked on the head: "He's very...
Franken Trails Coleman by Just 2 Votes in Minn.
Associated Press
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Dec 18, 2008 7:50 PM CST
(AP) -
Sen. Norm Coleman saw his lead over Al Franken in Minnesota's Senate race dwindle to just two votes today. Meanwhile, a key court ruling put more than 1,500 improperly rejected ballots in play and promised the recount would drag into the new year. The state's Supreme Court ruled that improperly rejected absentee ballots be included in the recount....
Check Out Mansions of Bigwig Bankers
wowOwow
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Dec 18, 2008 7:10 PM CST
(Newser) -
It's not been the best of years for the titans of Wall Street: a few federal bailouts, a housing collapse, and now a Ponzi scheme of mind-boggling proportions can do that. "Where did all that money go?" wonders the website wowOwow.com. And it has a partial answer: Straight into the mansions of bigwigs such as Bernard Madoff, Richard Fuld,...
Court Allows Suit Against Good Samaritan
Los Angeles Times
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Dec 18, 2008 6:50 PM CST
(Newser) -
Good Samaritans, beware: California's Supreme Court ruled today that a paralyzed woman can sue the friend who pulled her out of a crashed car. The victim contends that her friend, who feared the car was about to erupt into flames, pulled her out "like a rag doll" and contributed to her injuries. The court ruled that because the friend was...
NASA Launching First Satellite to Map CO2
BBC
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Dec 18, 2008 6:22 PM CST
(Newser) -
NASA will soon launch a satellite that can measure carbon dioxide concentrations near the surface of the Earth, giving scientists an accurate picture of where the gas is produced and absorbed, the BBC reports. "This is NASA's first spacecraft specifically dedicated to mapping carbon dioxide," said a project leader. The data should help scientists...
Castro Offers Prisoner Swap, Talks With US
Reuters
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Dec 18, 2008 5:45 PM CST
(Newser) -
In another sign of a potential thaw in US-Cuban relations, Raul Castro offered today to release five political dissidents if the US frees five Cubans jailed on spy charges. Castro says the prisoner swap could precede talks between himself and Barack Obama, Reuters reports. “Give us back our five heroes," said Castro. "That is a gesture...
Baby Born With Extra Foot ... in Brain
Colorado Springs Gazette
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Dec 18, 2008 5:23 PM CST
(Newser) -
Surgery to remove a brain tumor from a 3-day-old Colorado boy turned up something “borderline unheard-of,” his doctors say: a foot. When the pediatric neurosurgeon operated Oct. 3 on Sam Esquibel, he saw a small foot, other half-formed appendages, and even intestines in the baby’s head, reports the Colorado Springs Gazette. All...
'Dead Water' May Explain Drownings
New Scientist
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Dec 18, 2008 4:56 PM CST
(Newser) -
Swimmers sometimes complain that water can be “evil,” but water is water, right? Wrong. So-called dead water—a naval phenomenon that happens when waves form between layers of warmer and cooler water, reducing a ship’s speed—may affect swimmers too, the New Scientist reports. And it might be what’s behind the otherwise-mysterious...
Shoe-Tosser to Maliki: Pardon Me
Guardian (UK)
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Dec 18, 2008 4:46 PM CST
(Newser) -
The Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at President Bush is appealing to PM Nouri al-Maliki for a pardon, the Guardian reports. Calling on Maliki's "fatherly feelings," Muntadar al-Zaidi expressed remorse, saying the "big ugly act cannot be excused," Maliki's office said. He also reminded the PM of an interview in...
Blagojevich Lawyer: Feds' Wiretaps 'Illegally Obtained'
Associated Press
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Dec 18, 2008 4:33 PM CST
(Newser) -
Rod Blagojevich’s lawyer said today federal wiretaps of the Illinois governor’s phones had been “illegally obtained,” and should be excluded from his impeachment proceedings, the AP reports. Furthermore, Ed Genson told the panel of state lawmakers considering the action, the criminal case against Blagojevich shouldn’t...
MSNBC's Brzezinski Mugged in DC
Washington Post
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Dec 18, 2008 4:19 PM CST
(Newser) -
MSNBC Morning Joe co-anchor Mika Brzezinski “was very scared” when she was mugged early this morning outside a Washington hotel, the Post reports. As she waited for a car, a man approached her and said, “Give me your money and you won’t get hurt.” Brzezinski gave him the only money she had: $6—though he asked...
Phelps Splashes Into World of Video Games
Baltimore Sun
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Dec 18, 2008 4:07 PM CST
(Newser) -
It was probably inevitable: Michael Phelps, video game star. The Olympic swimmer is teaming with 505 Games to launch a Phelps-themed game in the spring of 2010, the Baltimore Sun reports. Swimming will play a role, but it won't be the main event. Beyond that, the game-maker is not revealing details, except to add: "This is a pure action game."...
Oatmeal Gets Upscale Reheat
Wall Street Journal
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Dec 18, 2008 3:56 PM CST
(Newser) -
Oatmeal is getting a trendy makeover, the Wall Street Journal reports. Drawn to the modest meal by its cheap, healthy, and long-lasting ingredients, smoothie chain Jamba Juice added oatmeal to its Chicago menus today before rolling it out across the US in January, while Starbucks began offering the breakfast classic earlier this fall.
Ex-Dallas Mayor Kirk Will Be Obama's Trade Rep
Dallas Morning News
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Dec 18, 2008 3:44 PM CST
(Newser) -
Barack Obama will announce former Dallas mayor Ron Kirk as his nominee for trade representative tomorrow, the Dallas Morning News reports. Kirk, who ran unsuccessfully for Senate in 2002, is pro-trade and a staunch supporter of NAFTA. Kirk campaigned extensively for Obama, and is one of the few Southern faces in Obama’s proposed cabinet. “He’s...
Oil Skids; Dow, Off 219, Follows
MarketWatch
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Dec 18, 2008 3:36 PM CST
(Newser) -
Stocks fell today as oil futures declined, the jobs picture remained grim, and two of the Detroit’s Big Three announced production stops due to lack of funds, MarketWatch reports. The imminent expiration of options and futures contracts also bedeviled the markets, and the Dow closed down 219.35 at 8,604.99. The Nasdaq fell 26.94 to close at 1,552.37,...
Joy of Sex Gets A Makeover
New York Times
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Dec 18, 2008 3:25 PM CST
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In 1972, The Joy of Sex became a fixture of bedside tables across America and spent 343 weeks on the New York Times best-seller list. Now comes a revised version of the book that includes all we’ve learned about sex since the 1970s, reports the Times —including entries on AIDS and Viagra, and adding a female viewpoint its male British...
Hathaway Tries On Her New Life
Vogue
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Dec 18, 2008 3:15 PM CST
(Newser) -
After a split with her jail-bound boyfriend, Anne Hathaway is trying on new outfits in both her personal and professional lives, she tells Sally Singer in Vogue . A London shopping trip may find the star a bit uncertain, but colleagues don’t mince words in praising her on-screen growth: She’s the “real deal,” the director of...
Economy Spells Weary Christmas for Toy Charities
USA Today
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Dec 18, 2008 3:04 PM CST
(Newser) -
Across the country, charities that dole out gifts to underprivileged kids have seen donations fall off steeply compared to last holiday season, USA Today reports. Some are reporting as much as a 30% decline in giving as the economy flags. “Families that would normally have been helping us by donating are now turning to us for help,” a...
India Cans Pakistan Cricket Trip
Times of India (India)
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Dec 18, 2008 2:54 PM CST
(Newser) -
Government officials have canceled the Indian cricket team’s tour of Pakistan, the Times of India reports, terming the trip unsafe and inappropriate in the aftermath of the Mumbai terrorist attacks for which it holds a Pakistan-based group responsible. “The government has declined permission to go ahead with the tour taking into account...
Cash-Poor Newspapers Decamp From Washington
New York Times
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Dec 18, 2008 2:43 PM CST
(Newser) -
US newspapers are shuttering their Washington bureaus—though hardly for lack of news, the New York Times reports. Consolidation and a steep fall-off in ad dollars have forced many to reevaluate their coverage in recent years, leading to a focus on local news and a reliance on agencies for coverage abroad and out-of-state.
White House Mulls Automaker Bankruptcies
New York Times
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Dec 18, 2008 2:33 PM CST
(Newser) -
The Bush administration is considering “orderly” bankruptcies as one way to help General Motors and Chrysler, the New York Times reports. The government could support the companies while working on the terms of federal protection, providing what the White House calls a “soft landing.” With the possibility of using TARP funds...
Tenet Denies Drunken Rant About 'the Jews'
The Atlantic
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Dec 18, 2008 2:28 PM CST
(Newser) -
George Tenet is vehemently denying a report in a new book that the then-CIA director railed against Bush administration neocons, "referring to them with exaxperation [sic] as, 'the Jews,'" the Atlantic reports. The incident took place in Saudi Prince Bandar's pool after Tenet downed half a bottle of scotch, according to the book, by...
Obama Picks Solis for Labor
Washington Post
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Dec 18, 2008 2:17 PM CST
(Newser) -
Barack Obama will nominate Hilda Solis, a daughter of Latin American immigrants who’s currently a California Congresswoman, for secretary of labor, the Washington Post reports. Elected in 2000, Solis currently sits on the House Energy and Commerce committee and the Natural Resources committee, among others. She, like Obama, has advocated for...
Support Strong for Gay Navy Secretary
Washington Times
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Dec 18, 2008 2:12 PM CST
(Newser) -
Retired military leaders and congressional Democrats are urging Barack Obama to nominate Bill White, an openly gay executive at the New York museum featuring the aircraft carrier USS Intrepid, as secretary of the Navy, the Washington Times reports. The civilian post would not be subject to the Pentagon’s “don’t ask, don’t...
S. Korean Lawmakers Brawl Over Trade Bill
BBC
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Dec 18, 2008 2:04 PM CST
(Newser) -
A melee erupted in South Korea’s parliament today as opposition MPs attempted to break into a closed committee chamber, the BBC reports. Members of the ruling party had barricaded the door as they began the process of ratifying a controversial free trade agreement with the US. Opposition lawmakers used construction tools to pry open the door,...
Louvre May Have Found New Leonardo Sketches
AFP
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Dec 18, 2008 1:49 PM CST
(Newser) -
Curators from the Louvre have discovered three sketches on the back of Leonardo da Vinci’s oil painting "Virgin And Child With St Anne" that may be by the master himself, the AFP reports. Museum workers noticed two barely visible sketches, of a horse’s head and a human skull, when the painting was being moved. Further examination...
Pogue's Top Tech Ideas of '08
New York Times
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Dec 18, 2008 1:35 PM CST
(Newser) -
David Pogue runs down the best tech ideas of 2008 in the New York Times , “the flashes of genius that somehow made it through committee, past the lawyers, and into the marketplace.” Highlights include: Headache-free packaging: Amazon’s plastic-free alternative is good for the environment and does not require the jaws of life...
Cowell Regrets Suicide of Idol Contestant
Daily Mail (UK)
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Dec 18, 2008 1:31 PM CST
(Newser) -
Simon Cowell says he regrets not realizing how troubled the American Idol contestant who killed herself outside judge Paula Abdul’s home last month was, but refutes Abdul’s claim that she begged producers to keep the obsessed Paula Goodspeed off the show. “I wish we could have spent time trying to help her,” Cowell tells the...
South Ensuring Detroit Won't Rise Again
Salon
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Dec 18, 2008 1:20 PM CST
(Newser) -
It's no coincidence that Dixie senators derailed the Big Three bailout, since the South—with anti-union laws, low wages, and modest taxes—has built a counter-Detroit that will ensure that neither the Motor City or the South will rise again, Michael Lind writes in Salon. The same tactics were used to poach Northern textile factories early...
Savage Figure Lurks Behind Tijuana Killings
Los Angeles Times
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Dec 18, 2008 1:09 PM CST
(Newser) -
Many of the charred and maimed victims of Tijuana’s recent drug violence bear one similarity: the three-letter marker of Teo Garcia Simental, a shadowy crime boss authorities fear too much to hunt, the Los Angeles Times reports. A kidnapper and extortionist, Garcia operates a network that keeps victims caged until he’s ready to fry them...
Weyrich, Who Coined 'Moral Majority,' Dead at 66
Washington Post
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Dec 18, 2008 1:00 PM CST
(Newser) -
Paul Weyrich, the influential conservative who co-founded the Heritage Foundation and coined the term “moral majority,” died today at 66, the Washington Post reports, after years of poor health. A reporter, Weyrich got his Washington entree in 1967 as press secretary for a Colorado senator. At a 1979 meeting of the Christian right, Weyrich...
Aniston Gives That GQ Tie to Letterman
Extra
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Dec 18, 2008 12:46 PM CST
(Newser) -
Jennifer Aniston gifted David Letterman her lone wardrobe item from her famously revealing GQ cover shoot—a red, white, and blue necktie—last night. An eager Letterman ripped off his own cravat to make room for Aniston’s “early Christmas gift,” Extra reports. As she helped him put it on, Aniston exclaimed, “I’m...
Obama Taps Schapiro as SEC Chair
Wall Street Journal
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Dec 18, 2008 12:32 PM CST
(Newser) -
Barack Obama named Mary Schapiro as chair of the beleaguered SEC today, the Wall Street Journal reports. Schapiro's hefty resume includes stints as an SEC commissioner under former presidents Reagan and Bush, and another as acting commissioner in 1993 by Bill Clinton. Since then, Schapiro served on and eventually headed the National Association of...
Cuomo Leads Kennedy in NY Poll
Democrat and Chronicle
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Dec 18, 2008 12:16 PM CST
(Newser) -
New Yorkers would prefer that David Paterson pick Andrew Cuomo over Caroline Kennedy to fill Hillary Clinton’s Senate seat, a new poll shows. Cuomo leads Kennedy 26% to 23% in a Siena College survey of New York voters, the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reports. Despite the state AG’s lead, the two enjoy almost the same approval rating,...
They Did. They Didn't. Repeat.
Us Weekly
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Dec 18, 2008 12:11 PM CST
(Newser) -
Spencer Pratt insists his marriage to Hills co-star Heidi Montag is legal, though AP finds inconsistencies in accounts of a Beverly Hills civil ceremony filmed by MTV and set to air Monday. MTV tells Us Magazine the couple filmed after hours with a deputy commissioner; the court says no judge was involved, and the recorder has no record either...
'Mercury Count' Speeds Piven's Broadway Exit
Variety
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Dec 18, 2008 11:57 AM CST
(Newser) -
Jeremy Piven is bailing on Broadway because of a high mercury count, and it doesn’t sound like David Mamet is buying the excuse, Variety reports. “My understanding is that he is leaving show business to pursue a career as a thermometer,” said Mamet, who wrote Speed-the-Plow . The popular play, a show-business satire no less, opened...
Feds Overhaul Credit Card Rules
USA Today
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Dec 18, 2008 11:53 AM CST
(Newser) -
Credit card companies will be forbidden from raising interest rates on existing debt after major changes to federal regulations OK'd today go into effect, USA Today reports. Starting in July 2010, the new rules will also restrict issuers' ability to cherry-pick higher-interest parts of balances to pay down first, and mandate a 45-day notice of account...
Fed Hangs Recovery Hopes on Nothing
Washington Post
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Dec 18, 2008 11:42 AM CST
(Newser) -
Nada. Naught. Zip. Zero, as in the 0% interest the Federal Reserve is asking banks to pay—or, rather, not pay—for short-term loans. What does getting zero back for loaning money mean, wonders Paul Farhi of the Washington Post . "The strategy is to hose down America's sclerotic financial system with so much cash that banks, in turn,...
SEC Had Dirt on Madoff in '06
Wall Street Journal
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Dec 18, 2008 11:37 AM CST
(Newser) -
The SEC knew that Bernie Madoff was misleading them about how he was handling his customers' money in 2006, the Wall Street Journal reports, and noted multiple violations which, if investigated, would have laid bare his Ponzi scheme. Instead, Madoff’s firm was told to register as an investment adviser, which it did, and Fairfield Greenwich,...
Clinton Donor List Loaded With Foreign Governments
Associated Press
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Dec 18, 2008 11:19 AM CST
(Newser) -
Bill Clinton is disclosing all the donors to his foundation today, and the list is full of foreign interests, the AP reports. Saudi Arabia alone pitched in more than $10 million to Clinton’s causes. Governments from Norway, Kuwait, Qatar, Brunei, Oman, Italy, Jamaica, and India also pitched in, as did a host of international business leaders...
It'll Be a Boy for Bristol: Gramps
Grandparents.com
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Dec 18, 2008 11:11 AM CST
(Newser) -
Bristol Palin and babydaddy Levi Johnston will welcome a boy roughly any second now, spills Sarah Palin's dad in an interview with Grandparents.com, but "they don't have a name for it yet." Soon-to-be great-grandfather Chuck Heath said the guv will make a great grandmother. "I don't know about how much time she can spend, she's so busy....
Chinese Protesters: Stop Nabbing, Eating Our Cats
Associated Press
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Dec 18, 2008 11:01 AM CST
(AP) -
Several dozen protesters in Beijing today urged an end to the "shameful" and "cruel slaughter" of cats for food as they unfurled banners in a tearful demonstration. Thousands of cats across the country have been rounded up recently by traders and transported to Guangdong province; protesters claim they are skinned and cooked alive....
Rourke Clinches Wrestler
Rotten Tomatoes
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Dec 18, 2008 10:55 AM CST
(Newser) -
Mickey Rourke takes the title role of The Wrestler and pins it to the mat in a stunning comeback, say critics. The tragicomic portrait of a washed-up star still hitting the circuit decades past his prime "is not just a comeback performance but something much rarer: a rounded, raddled portrait of a good man," longtime Rourke fan Anthony...
Eddie Murphy Will Play Riddler in Next Batman
Sun (UK)
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Dec 18, 2008 10:51 AM CST
(Newser) -
Batman’s next nemesis may be funnier than the Joker. Eddie Murphy, 47, will play the Riddler in the series’ next installment, due in 2010, the Sun reports. “Everyone’s excited to see what he does as the Riddler,” an insider said. Christopher Nolan returns as director, and Christian Bale as Batman. Other cast news: Shia...
J.Lo, Anthony Near Breakup
Us Weekly
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Dec 18, 2008 10:48 AM CST
(Newser) -
J.Lo and Marc Anthony were spotted Tuesday night feeding each other meatballs and kissing at a Beverly Hills restaurant, but US Weekly isn't buying: the tab suspects the show of affection is an effort to stem rumors of a crisis in their marriage: Both have been galavanting around solo sans wedding rings in recent weeks, and complaining about each...
Bangladeshi Parents Forced Me Into Marriage: UK Doctor
Guardian (UK)
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Dec 18, 2008 10:40 AM CST
(Newser) -
The Bangladeshi parents of a 33-year-old doctor living in Britain kidnapped and forced her into a Muslim marriage during a trip home because they disapproved of her Hindu boyfriend, the Independent reports. Humayra Abedin returned to the UK this week after four months in captivity, and is seeking to have the marriage annulled. Her case has prompted...
Tax Soda: It's the New Tobacco
New York Times
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Dec 18, 2008 10:27 AM CST
(Newser) -
The cigarette tax "was the biggest health care breakthrough in the last 40 years in the United States," and its successor may be the 18% tax on non-diet soda New York Gov. David Patterson is pitching, writes Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times. Not only do empty calories in soda contribute significantly to the obesity epidemic, but soft...
