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.
Egyptian Man Gets Hard Labor for Groping
Los Angeles Times
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Dec 18, 2008 10:17 AM CST
(Newser) -
Women face rampant harassment on Cairo's streets—83% of Egyptians and 98% of foreigners say they've been groped, hassled, or assaulted—but the 3% who go to the cops are usually met with indifference. A landmark case in which a man got 3 years of hard labor for reaching out of his truck window and groping a woman's breast may reflect new...
The Contenders for RNC Chair
Politico
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Dec 18, 2008 10:03 AM CST
(Newser) -
A largely thankless job running a down-and-out party—no wonder these guys are fighting tooth-and-nail. Politico handicaps the candidates for Republican National Committee chair: Mike Duncan: The current RNC chair’s record is mixed. Despite his prolific fundraising, he presided over both the 2008 disaster and the mini-rebound the...
As End Neared, Madoff Shook Down Friends
New York Post
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Dec 18, 2008 9:51 AM CST
(Newser) -
As his fraudulent fund was sinking, a desperate Bernard Madoff demanded friends and investors pour in more cash, the New York Post reports. Carl Shapiro, the first person to invest with Madoff, got a call, as did his son-in-law, and close Madoff friend Robert Jaffe. Shapiro is reportedly among the biggest losers in the scandal, having invested some...
Doubt Dominates SAG Noms
Associated Press
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Dec 18, 2008 9:37 AM CST
(Newser) -
The Screen Actors Guild released its award nominees today, and left no Doubt which flick had the most star power in 2008. As with the Golden Globes, all four Doubt leads earned nods, which, combined with a best ensemble nomination, gave it the most potential honors overall. Brangelina again did well, with both halves of the power couple seeing...
Coleman Claims 150 Ballots Were Double-Counted
Minneapolis Star Tribune
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Dec 18, 2008 9:25 AM CST
(Newser) -
The Minnesota Senate recount is moving at a one-step-forward, two-steps-back pace, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports, with Republican Norm Coleman’s campaign saying 150 ballots were double-counted, and that the total tally needs to be adjusted by the Canvassing Board. The board, which is in the process of evaluating disputed ballots, says...
Company Fined for Nude Bruni Handbags
BBC
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Dec 18, 2008 9:11 AM CST
(Newser) -
A company has been fined more than $58,000 for using the naked image of France's first lady without her permission, the BBC reports. A court on Reunion, a French island in the Indian Ocean, says canvas bags made by Pardon! violated Carla Bruni's rights to her own image. The bags feature a 1993 image of Bruni and the words: "My boyfriend should...
At 27, Favreau's Writing Speech of a Generation
Washington Post
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Dec 18, 2008 9:04 AM CST
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Writing the inaugural address of an epochal president known for his oratory would be a daunting job for anyone, but 27-year-old Jon Favreau had to ditch his roomies and videogames in Chicago to do it for Barack Obama, reports the Washington Post . “If you start thinking about what's at stake, it can get paralyzing,” says the youngest guy...
$92M? That's a Lie!
New York Post
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Dec 18, 2008 9:00 AM CST
(Newser) -
Madonna's mouthpiece is full of it, the singer says. Liz Rosenberg told the AP this week that the Material Girl would give ex-hubby Guy Ritchie up to $92 million in “one of the largest payouts ever in a divorce settlement.” The couple denies the figure, the New York Post reports, and Rosenberg isn't talking.
Jobs Prepares to Pass the Torch: Analyst
Apple Insider
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Dec 18, 2008 8:52 AM CST
(Newser) -
Steve Jobs is moving slowly toward the exit, and the Apple CEO has assembled such a strong team that even the absence of the company's "irreplaceable face" won't spell disaster, reports Apple Insider. Jobs' decision to skip MacWorld Expo doesn't mean his health is worsening but is "a sign that we are in the early stages of changing...
Stocks Up on Mixed Job Data
Wall Street Journal
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Dec 18, 2008 8:46 AM CST
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There was good news and bad news on the job front today. Good news: Initial claims for unemployment dropped more than expected last week. Bad news: They’re still near a 26-year high, and FedEx announced that it’s cutting salaries by 5%. But the good outweighed the bad for investors this morning, who sent the Dow creeping up 23 points at...
Profits Were Fake, Bonuses All Too Real
New York Times
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Dec 18, 2008 8:36 AM CST
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Dow Kim was one of the leading bond traders at Merrill Lynch, and in 2006 he bundled together $500 million in loans into a huge CDO with the charming name Costa Bella. Since the subprime collapse, Costa Bella has cost Merrill millions—but Kim had already cashed out, awarded a bonus of $35 million, or 100 times his salary. It's only one example,...
Wife Shot Hubby for Being 'Self-Loathing' Cross Dresser
New York Daily News
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Dec 18, 2008 8:19 AM CST
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A Queens woman is defending herself against charges she murdered her ex-cop husband by arguing that the violent, "self-loathing" cross dresser drove her mad, reports the New York Daily News . "Here was a person engaged in self-loathing, remorse, and an Irish sense of guilt," said the attorney for the woman who has admitting pumping...
British Air, Qantas Merger Talks Crash
Bloomberg
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Dec 18, 2008 8:13 AM CST
(Newser) -
A $6 billion merger between British Airways and Qantas Airways that would have created a global carrier failed to fly after the two sides couldn’t agree on who would control the business, reports Bloomberg. The decision frees BA to pursue talks with Spain’s Iberia. Qantas is likely to pursue an Asian airline that could better complement...
US Tech Firms Get Together on Car Battery
Wall Street Journal
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Dec 18, 2008 7:52 AM CST
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Fourteen US technology companies are joining forces to speed development of electric car batteries, asking for $1 billion in federal aid to help catch up with Asian firms that have a long lead, reports the Wall Street Journal. Electric vehicles are now considered so important to help wean the US from foreign oil that some are calling it a national...
Ruffalo Bro Was Killed: Coroner
E! Online
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Dec 18, 2008 7:30 AM CST
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Actor Mark Ruffalo’s brother Scott was the victim of a homicide, the LA County coroner said yesterday, quashing the notion that the 39-year-old shot himself in the head, E! Online reports. The initial suspect in the case, Shaha Mishaal Adham, alleged that Ruffalo was playing Russian roulette. She was arrested and released. No other suspects...
Madoff Shakes NY Real Estate Industry
New York Times
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Dec 18, 2008 7:19 AM CST
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New York's once booming real estate industry has already been struggling with the recession, but the revelation of Bernie Madoff's $50 billion Ponzi scheme has hit commercial brokers and developers particularly hard. Deals across the city have been put in jeopardy, buyers have withdrawn pledges to purchase, and Madoff investments used as collateral...
Congress Gets a Raise
The Hill
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Dec 18, 2008 6:51 AM CST
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The flatlining economy hasn't stopped Congress from getting a pay raise, the Hill reports. Lawmakers will get an extra $4,700 a year starting in January, amounting to a total of $2.5 million. The 2.8% automatic raise is only half as large as the cost of living adjustment for Social Security recipients, but critics say it's insensitive in light of troubles...
Sarkozy Makes an Un-French Call for Diversity
Guardian (UK)
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Dec 18, 2008 6:18 AM CST
(Newser) -
France has a long tradition of official blindness to race, ethnicity, and religion; all citizens, in theory, are equally French. But in practice, French companies are reluctant to hire employees with non-French names or addresses in ethnic neighborhoods, and France's 555-member parliament has only 1 MP of color. In a major speech yesterday, Nicolas...
'American Taliban' Pleads for Mercy
CNN
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Dec 18, 2008 6:00 AM CST
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A young California man captured with the Taliban in 2001 is asking President Bush to commute the remaining 13 years of a 20-year prison sentence. John Walker Lindh, 27, joined the Taliban a month before the US-led invasion of Afghanistan following the 9/11 attacks. Lindh claims he was never a terrorist. Former president Bush famously called Lindh a...
Bloomberg Aide's Push for Caroline Sparks Ire
New York Times
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Dec 18, 2008 5:33 AM CST
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New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's right-hand man is twisting arms in support of Caroline Kennedy's Senate bid, and some Democrats are miffed about it, the New York Times reports. Bloomberg has stressed that strategist Michael Sheekey is acting as a private citizen but annoyed lawmakers see the mayor's fingerprints all over the effort and charge...
Rwandan Genocide Mastermind Convicted
Associated Press
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Dec 18, 2008 5:13 AM CST
(AP) -
A UN court has convicted the organizer of the 1994 Rwandan genocide that claimed more than 500,000 lives and sentenced him to life in prison, reports the AP. Théoneste Bagosora was found guilty of genocide and crimes against humanity, as well as the deaths of a Rwandan prime minister and Belgian peacekeepers. As head of the notorious Interahamwe...
Pix Bare Obama's Cocky College Days
Time
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Dec 18, 2008 5:12 AM CST
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Long-lost photos of college freshman Barry Obama smoking and posing with a hat have emerged with Time magazine's "Man of the Year" story. Photographer Lisa Jack says the 1980 photo shoot of her fellow student at Occidental College in Los Angeles reveals a "spirit of fun and thoughtfulness" in the president-elect.
Bush: 'I Never Sold My Soul'
Associated Press
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Dec 18, 2008 4:43 AM CST
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President Bush knows he doesn't have a lot of fans, but is proud that he didn't "compromise my soul to be a popular guy," he tells Fox News. It's particularly tough to like him given the current economic situation, he concedes. "What do you expect? We've got a major economic problem and I'm the president during the major economic problem,"...
Rare Snow Blankets Vegas Strip
Las Vegas Sun
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Dec 18, 2008 4:13 AM CST
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The heaviest snowfall in nearly 30 years has left the Vegas Strip looking like a winter wonderland, the Las Vegas Sun reports. Local schoolkids are getting their first snow day since 1979. Traffic is snarled across the city as the weather stuns snow-novice drivers, and strands hundreds of tourists in the snowy desert.
Monkey See, Monkey Beat
Daily Mail (UK)
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Dec 18, 2008 3:45 AM CST
(Newser) -
A Chinese animal trainer found his trio of performing monkeys to be quick learners when he tried to give one a public beating, the Daily Mail reports. One of the bicycle-riding monkeys twisted the man's ear while another sank its teeth into his head. A third picked up the man's stick and battered him over the head with it until it broke.
Iraq Officials Busted in Coup Plot
New York Times
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Dec 18, 2008 3:25 AM CST
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Iraq has arrested up to 35 Ministry of the Interior officials over the last three days for their part in a plot to revive Saddam Hussein's Baath party, the New York Times reports. Some being held were in the early stages of planning a coup, say officials. Four generals were among those arrested by an elite counter-terrorism force.
For Sale: Space Shuttle, $42M
Orlando Sentinel
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Dec 18, 2008 2:58 AM CST
(Newser) -
NASA is taking the unprecedented step of offering to sell the three space shuttles to museums when the workhorse vehicles are retired some time after 2010, reports the Orlando Sentinel. The space agency is seeking at least $42 million—including $6 million for shipping and handling, and the cost of decontaminating each shuttle.
Feds to Freeze Blago Campaign Funds
Chicago Sun-Times
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Dec 18, 2008 2:34 AM CST
(Newser) -
Federal authorities have informed embattled Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich they intend to freeze the money in his campaign fund, preventing him from using the resources to pay his legal bills, sources tell the Chicago Sun-Times . The Friends of Blagojevich fund reported having $3.6 million when officials last filed a report in June, and Blagojevich...
China May Launch Pirate Patrol
Financial Times (UK)
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Dec 18, 2008 2:09 AM CST
(Newser) -
China is poised to embark on its first naval combat mission in 500 years—to take on pirates off the coast of Somalia, reports the Financial Times . Any patrols launched would be closely monitored by the US, Russian and British navies, concerned about China's growing military power.
GM, Chrysler Revive Merger Talks
Wall Street Journal
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Dec 18, 2008 1:46 AM CST
(Newser) -
General Motors and Chrysler are back in merger talks, reports the Wall Street Journal . Negotiations fizzled weeks ago as both companies viewed a merger as impractical and a potential distraction from federal bailout talks. Chrysler owner Cerberus Capital Management took the initiative to restart talks, and has signaled a willingness to give up some...
NFL's Sammy Baugh Is Dead
Associated Press
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Dec 17, 2008 9:46 PM CST
(AP) -
Sammy Baugh, who helped revolutionize the NFL's passing attack at a time when teams ran almost every down, died today at age 94. Baugh joined the Washington Redskins in 1937 in the leather-helmet era when passing was reserved for desperate situations. Baugh passed whenever he liked and led the 'Skins to the championship his first year. When he retired...
Madoff's Wife Under Scrutiny in Ponzi Scheme
Bloomberg
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Dec 17, 2008 8:58 PM CST
(Newser) -
SEC regulators are investigating whether Bernard Madoff's wife helped him cook the books in his $50 billion fraud scheme, Bloomberg reports. Investigators say that Ruth Madoff's name has shown up on transactions and that she may have helped track payments and keep secret records. Ruth, 67, has not been charged, though she had to turn over her passport...
Singer McCready Attempts Suicide
New York Daily News
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Dec 17, 2008 8:20 PM CST
(Newser) -
Country singer Mindy McCready, dragged into an uncomfortable spotlight in April when she admitted to an affair with Roger Clemens, has been hospitalized after an apparent suicide attempt, the Daily News reports. McCready's brother found her in her Nashville home after she cut her wrists and took pills. McCready, 33, needed surgery for a severed tendon...
Warren's Inauguration Role Angers Gay Leaders
Politico
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Dec 17, 2008 7:57 PM CST
(Newser) -
Gay-rights groups are fuming over Barack Obama's selection of evangelist Rick Warren to perform the invocation at his inauguration ceremony, Politico reports. Warren opposed California's recently defeated Proposition 8 that would have legalized gay marriage. His selection may help Obama mend fences with conservative voters, but gay activists say they...
Biggest Stories You Didn't Hear in '08
Time
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Dec 17, 2008 7:40 PM CST
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Election coverage and reports on the financial crisis ate up much of the media's attention in '08—while some major news stories went under-reported. Time runs down the biggest: A Pentagon gaffe accidentally sent nuclear warhead fuses to Taiwan in 2006; the mix-up was noted this year—by the Taiwanese. The Congolese civil...
FDA OKs Natural, No-Calorie Sweetener
Chicago Tribune
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Dec 17, 2008 7:22 PM CST
(Newser) -
Get ready for a barrage of soft drinks and foods using the term stevia. The FDA today gave its blessing to use of the zero-calorie natural sweetener derived from the leaves of a South American bush, the Chicago Tribune reports. Coke and Pepsi will have drinks on the shelves soon, and expect to see stevia sweetener packets for coffee and tea. If customers...
What Not To Do in Foreign Lands
Daily Mirror (UK)
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Dec 17, 2008 6:56 PM CST
(Newser) -
Taking its cue from the infamous shoe-toss of an Iraqi journalist—a sign of high contempt in his culture—the Daily Mirror presents a how-to guide for provoking international incidents: Buddhist countries: Nothing raises eyebrows or ire more than a pat on the head, as that's where locals believe the seat of the soul is located....
Blago Says He Won't Appoint Anyone to Senate
Bloomberg
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Dec 17, 2008 6:31 PM CST
(Newser) -
Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich won't appoint anyone to Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat while his corruption scandal unfolds, his lawyer said today. "Why would he do that?" said Ed Genson. "Harry Reid said that they're not going to accept anybody he picks." Genson, who spoke to reporters after addressing a state impeachment panel,...
Cell Phones Taken to the Grave
MSNBC
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Dec 17, 2008 6:15 PM CST
(Newser) -
Rest in peace? Some would rather have eternity interrupted by their ringtone—by taking their cell phones with them to the grave, a trend that many in the funeral industry say is on the rise. A UK survey ranked being buried with a cell phone the No. 2 funeral rite request (after a plea to be cremated with a pet’s ashes), MSNBC reports....
Obama Picks First Woman to Lead SEC
Wall Street Journal
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Dec 17, 2008 5:56 PM CST
(Newser) -
Barack Obama has made his pick for a new leader of the SEC, currently under siege for its failure to detect the massive fraud of Bernard Madoff, the Wall Street Journal reports. Obama is expected to announce tomorrow that Mary Schapiro—a former commissioner of the Securities and Exchange Commission—will be the first permanent female chief...
Anti-Abe Views Resonate in Dixie
Boston Globe
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Dec 17, 2008 5:24 PM CST
(Newser) -
The bicentennial of Lincoln's birth will be celebrated Feb. 12, so expect endless tributes to the president beloved by ordinary citizens and historians alike. Unless, of course, you're south of the Mason-Dixon line, where anti-Lincoln views "aren't particularly radical," writes Alex Beam of the Boston Globe . Lincoln is viewed by many as...
Chrysler Idling US Plants for 30 Days
Detroit News
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Dec 17, 2008 5:05 PM CST
(Newser) -
Ominous news on the auto front: Chrysler will idle all its North American plants for at least 30 days beginning Friday, a move meant to realign the company's supply with plummeting demand, the Detroit News reports. Ford, meanwhile, will close 10 assembly plants for an extra week in January, the AP notes. Chrysler suffered a 28% sales slump this...
GOP's LaHood Will Take Transportation Post
Bloomberg
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Dec 17, 2008 5:03 PM CST
(Newser) -
Barack Obama has chosen Illinois congressman Ray LaHood, a Republican, for the post of transportation secretary, Bloomberg reports. Obama is expected to make the announcement by the end of the week. LaHood, 63, had already announced his retirement from Congress this year after seven terms. He has a reputation for working across party lines and had...
Michelin Guide Names German Woman Editor-in-Chief
Guardian (UK)
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Dec 17, 2008 4:58 PM CST
(Newser) -
The prestigious French Michelin restaurant guide today named a German woman editor-in-chief, the Telegraph reports. German cuisine has a stereotype somewhere along the lines of overcooked sausage and sauerkraut, so the news that Juliane Caspar will become the world’s most powerful restaurant reviewer has been greeted with some shock in foodie...
Ailing Piven May Bail on Broadway
TMZ
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Dec 17, 2008 4:47 PM CST
(Newser) -
Jeremy Piven has been knocked out by an illness so severe his docs suggest abandoning his new Broadway role, TMZ reports. Piven—best known as Ari Gold on HBO's Entourage —has missed three performances of Speed-the-Plow . Doctors advise he end his run with the show pronto, his rep says. The agent didn't dish out what's ailing the Emmy...
Sex Slips on Post-Op Checklist, Docs Say
W
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Dec 17, 2008 4:26 PM CST
(Newser) -
Hopping back in the sack no longer tops plastic surgery patients’ post-op priorities—even for those who’ve undergone curve-enhancing procedures, W reports. Sex-related questions have died down as working out, and just plain working, have supplanted sex as activities patients are itching to get back to, says one plastic surgeon,...
More Shoes Tossed at White House Protest
Raw Story
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Dec 17, 2008 4:11 PM CST
(Newser) -
Americans expressed solidarity with Iraqi shoe-thrower Muntadar al-Zaidi by mimicking him in front of the White House today. A dozen protesters tossed footwear at a Bush impersonator while demanding the president be jailed instead of the journalist, the Raw Story reports. Members of the anti-war group Code Pink also lined up shoes to memorialize innocent...
Packages Sent to National Guard Prove Harmless
Associated Press
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Dec 17, 2008 3:58 PM CST
(Newser) -
Suspicious packages sent to National Guard and Reserve sites in 36 states turned out to be harmless expressions of First Amendment rights, federal officials say. Though initial reports suggested they contained white power, anti-war CDs were the featured delivery, the AP reports. The FBI says the packages—some postmarked from Tennessee and Oklahoma—are...
Aretha, Rick Warren on Tap for Inauguration Day
New York Times
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Dec 17, 2008 3:47 PM CST
(Newser) -
Aretha Franklin will participate in Barack Obama’s inauguration next month, the New York Times reports, with the Queen of Soul hitting the stage after evangelical leader Rick Warren gives the invocation. Obama has also commissioned composer John Williams to write a new piece of music for the ceremony—to be performed by a star-studded...
Yahoo Will Keep Searchers' Info Only 3 Months
GigaOm
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Dec 17, 2008 3:38 PM CST
(Newser) -
Yahoo will shorten the amount of time it will keep users’ personal data, Stacey Higginbotham reports for GigaOm. The firm will scrub page views, ad views, and search data after 90 days, though it will keep data flagged as suspicious for twice as long. Google and Microsoft recently proposed changes to data-retention times, but Yahoo’s 90-day...
