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.
Scottish Docs Give Up Their White Coats
Guardian (UK)
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Dec 16, 2008 12:33 PM CST
(Newser) -
In a move intended to combat the spread of infections, Scotland will forbid doctors to wear the long white coats that have been a symbol of the medical profession for more than a century, the Guardian reports. The country will institute a dress code next year that bans not only the coats—whose cuffs can become contaminated—but also ties...
Madge's Family Xmas Includes A-Rod
Sun (UK)
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Dec 16, 2008 12:20 PM CST
(Newser) -
Madonna agreed to her ex-hubby’s request that she bring the kids to Britain for Christmas—as long as Alex Rodriguez can come along, the Sun reports. Madge offered the Yankees star first-class airfare and a room in a top hotel in London because “she wants to treat him,” a source said. “She wants the kids to be with their...
Sorry, Caroline, We're Over Political Dynasties: Klein
Time
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Dec 16, 2008 12:07 PM CST
(Newser) -
Caroline Kennedy used to be described as “self-effacing,” but now that she’s signaled her interest in Hillary Clinton's Senate seat, she’s shown she has another “eminently New York quality,” Joe Klein writes in Time : chutzpah. Kennedy assumes that America still loves its dynasties, but when Barack Obama beat Hillary...
Blago Hangs On to Job as Bargaining Chip
Politico
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Dec 16, 2008 11:55 AM CST
(Newser) -
For Rod Blagojevich, everything is a shakedown. For now, writes Carrie Budoff Brown in Politico, he’s staying in office because it gives him some leverage over his own fate. Though he’s facing near-certain impeachment, that’s a long process. In the meantime, he could trade his resignation for leniency. “He’s in a much...
Madoff Victims May Be Able to Sue Middlemen
Time
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Dec 16, 2008 11:45 AM CST
(Newser) -
Bernie Madoff victims searching for avenues to recover their money will find their legal options depend on whether they invested directly with Madoff, Time reports, or though middlemen. Those who worked directly with Madoff will have up to $500,000 covered by the federal Securities Investor Protection Corporation. But they’ll have fewer people...
25 Dead in Israel Bus Crash
Haaretz (Israel)
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Dec 16, 2008 11:31 AM CST
(Newser) -
At least 25 people were killed when a bus full of Russian tourists plunged into a ravine in Israel today, Haaretz reports. At least 12 more are in serious condition. The bus contained roughly 60 passengers traveling from St. Petersburg to the Red Sea resort of Eilat. The incident is being treated as an accident, not an attack.
One Man's Coffee Grounds Are Another's Biodiesel
New York Times
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Dec 16, 2008 11:25 AM CST
(Newser) -
If lattes seem overpriced now, wait until coffee becomes a precious commodity. An engineering professor spied an opportunity in the layer of oil he found floating in an old cup of coffee one morning. He extracted what was left in some used grounds—about 10%-15% oil by weight—with simple chemistry and produced $1-a-gallon biodiesel, the...
Brangelina Push DIY Christmas
Sun (UK)
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Dec 16, 2008 11:12 AM CST
(Newser) -
Though they are among the richest couples in the world, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie don’t plan to drop a bundle on their six kids this Christmas. “We have gifts, but we try to keep the money spent to a minimum,” said Pitt in an interview with Hello! magazine. “The rule is that everyone’s got to make something for someone...
Why Asian Automakers Don't Want Detroit to Fail
CNN
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Dec 16, 2008 11:01 AM CST
(Newser) -
As Detroit’s Big Three await word on the fate of their much-needed bailout, an unlikely group of supporters has assembled in their corner: foreign automakers. A collapse of General Motors, Ford, or Chrysler would devastate overseas manufacturers as well, CNNMoney reports, spreading bankruptcy to suppliers around the globe and forcing dealer networks...
Getting Drunk Stumbles Out of Style
New York Times
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Dec 16, 2008 10:49 AM CST
(Newser) -
Once upon a time, a New York party showcased plenty of drunken antics; now, in the city that produced Zelda Fitzgerald, people just don't get sloshed anymore because it’s not stylish, Susan Cheever posits in the New York Times . “If alcoholism is an addiction—which it is—how can people control their drinking just because it...
Pelosi to Emanuel: This Is My House
Politico
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Dec 16, 2008 10:35 AM CST
(Newser) -
Speaker Nancy Pelosi is setting clear parameters for how she expects the Obama White House to work with House Democrats now that former lieutenant Rahm Emanuel will be chief of staff, Politico reports. When Emanuel recently offered advice on a leadership race, she replied that it is “an internal House Democratic Caucus matter, and we’ll...
Jack Black Lands Office Gig
Entertainment Weekly
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Dec 16, 2008 10:22 AM CST
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Not only did The Office score the sought-after post-Super Bowl slot, it will also feature Jack Black as a guest star. The comedian will play himself in a bootlegged movie the Dunder Mifflin workers try to watch, Entertainment Weekly reports. Black, who rarely appears in guest spots, is not the only surprise in store—NBC promises “other...
SEC Under Fire for Flubbing Madoff Warnings
Washington Post
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Dec 16, 2008 10:09 AM CST
(Newser) -
The SEC is coming under fire for failing to spot what may be the biggest securities fraud in history, the Washington Pos t reports. The regulator received repeated warnings from 1999 onwards that Bernard Madoff's investment fund was fishy, but failed to conduct even a routine examination until Madoff blew the whistle on himself last week. Madoff...
Berlin Divided Over Wild Boars
Wall Street Journal
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Dec 16, 2008 9:54 AM CST
(Newser) -
Berliners are sharing their city with thousands of wild boars—and citizens are split on how to treat the porkers, the Wall Street Journal reports. Some prefer a more aggressive approach: Don’t feed them corn, says one licensed urban boar hunter, “feed them lead." But others are shocked by what some call boar “murderers,”...
Time Journo Named Biden Spokesman
Politico
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Dec 16, 2008 9:40 AM CST
(Newser) -
Joe Biden’s new communications director will be top political journalist Jay Carney, who’s worked at Time magazine for two decades, Politico reports. The magazine’s Washington bureau chief, a frequent TV analyst, had already decided to follow a new path after the election, a Democratic source said, adding, “It's an adventure....
Arctic Melt Speeds Up
Independent (UK)
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Dec 16, 2008 9:27 AM CST
(Newser) -
The Arctic is warming faster than the rest of the world, scientists have found, in a phenomenon not expected for at least another decade. This fall, temperatures in some areas of the Arctic were as much as 10 degrees warmer than normal thanks to Arctic amplification, which could mean the Arctic has already passed a “point of no return”...
Feds Let Lehman Fail—Then Loaned It $138B Anyway
New York Times
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Dec 16, 2008 9:20 AM CST
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After refusing to bail out Lehman Brothers, the Federal Reserve funneled $87 billion to a subsidiary through JPMorgan Chase on Sept. 15, then another $51 billion the next day. The feds say they aimed to “facilitate an orderly wind-down” of Lehman’s broker-dealer operations, Andrew Ross Sorkin writes in the New York Times , but their...
Caroline Hires Veteran Political Op
Politico
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Dec 16, 2008 9:09 AM CST
(Newser) -
Caroline Kennedy wants Hillary Clinton's Senate seat, Politico reports, and she’s hired veteran consultant Josh Isay to calm the hype around her last name, give her image a boost, and get her networked. “She doesn’t know anybody, and he’s the guy to make the introductions and guide her through the process,” says a top...
Vast Madoff Options Scheme Didn't Add Up
Wall Street Journal
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Dec 16, 2008 8:59 AM CST
(Newser) -
For every detail that emerges from the 17th-floor office of Bernard Madoff, two more inconsistencies arise. A federal judge ordered the liquidation of Madoff’s eponymous investment firm and a federal agency has begun to try to compensate clients. Meanwhile, scrutiny of clients' financial statements shows Madoff's stated strategy of balancing...
Stocks Creep Up as Inflation Falls
Wall Street Journal
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Dec 16, 2008 8:44 AM CST
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Stocks stepped higher at the open today, as investors awaited what many assumed would be an interest rate cut from the Federal Reserve. The Dow rose 77 points, while the Nasdaq and S&P added 1.6% and 1.4% respectively. Investors also learned that inflation took its biggest dive in 61 years in November, as the labor department reported a larger-than-expected...
They're Naked, and Not Going to Take It Anymore
Guardian (UK)
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Dec 16, 2008 8:29 AM CST
(Newser) -
Paris is notorious for constant protests by striking workers, but yesterday the French capital witnessed an uncommon work action: dozens of nude life models who braved freezing temperatures—naked—to demand a pay increase. As the Guardian reports, the models took to the street and re-created Delacroix's Liberty Leading the People...
Blago's Impeachment Begins
Chicago Tribune
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Dec 16, 2008 8:17 AM CST
(Newser) -
The Illinois House voted 113-0 yesterday to authorize a committee to look into Rod Blagojevich’s misdeeds, the first step towards impeaching the disgraced governor, the Chicago Tribune reports, in an unprecedented Democratic-led attempt to oust Illinois’ first Democratic governor in a quarter-century. But Democrats brushed off calls to...
Minnesota Senate Race Hangs on Pair of Rulings
Politico
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Dec 16, 2008 8:10 AM CST
(Newser) -
Minnesota’s hotly contested Senate race now hinges on two fast-approaching decisions: a state Supreme Court ruling on standards for counting mistakenly rejected ballots (arguments to be heard tomorrow), and the Canvassing Board’s decision on the number of challenged ballots to be officially counted (review begins today). Republican incumbent...
Toyota Delays US Prius Factory
Wall Street Journal
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Dec 16, 2008 8:02 AM CST
(Newser) -
It’s not just the Big Three. Toyota has delayed indefinitely the opening of a Prius factory near Tupelo, Miss., the Wall Street Journal reports, in the wake of plummeting demand. The factory was originally intended to build the Highlander sport-utility vehicle; when gas prices hit a high last spring, it was switched to the Prius hybrid. The...
Terror Suspect Is Key Scotland Yard Adviser
Times (UK)
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Dec 16, 2008 7:51 AM CST
(Newser) -
A convicted terrorist wanted by Interpol is serving on a Scotland Yard advisory board, reports the Times of London. Mohamed Ali Harrath, the subject of a "red alert" Interpol warning since 1992, was sentenced to 56 years in absentia in Tunisia for violence linked to a militant group there. But the British resident is serving on Scotland...
One Year On: Murdoch Dances, News Corp Mourns
New York Times
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Dec 16, 2008 7:42 AM CST
(Newser) -
Those hesitant Bancrofts who sold the Wall Street Journal to Rupert Murdoch last year have something to smile about this Christmas. Murdoch may be delighted with his new toy, but News Corp.'s share price has plunged 61%, farther than even perennial underperformer Time Warner. One year after its acquisition of Dow Jones, the New York Times Breaking...
Plenty of Politics on Caroline's Resume
New York Times
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Dec 16, 2008 7:29 AM CST
(Newser) -
Caroline Kennedy has never run for so much as dog catcher, and hasn’t even had a full-time job in years, so inevitably her desire to become a US senator has met with some skepticism. But Kennedy’s friends say her nonprofit work has made her a savvy inside operator with hands-on policy chops, the New York Times reports.
McGraw: I'm Not Running for Guv. Yet.
People
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Dec 16, 2008 7:00 AM CST
(Newser) -
Those of you drooling at the thought of Gov. Tim McGraw will have to wait a little longer. The country star is not running for governor of Tennessee—yet, People reports. A rep for McGraw denied the rumors, sparked by an item in The New Republic earlier this month, but admitted “It’s something he is interested in, but not for 2010....
Combo Treatment Halves Prostate Death Rates: Study
WebMD
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Dec 16, 2008 6:45 AM CST
(Newser) -
Using radiation therapy in combination with hormone treatment can double the survival rate of patients with advanced prostate cancer, a new European study finds. Of those men given only standard drugs, 24% died after 10 years, compared to less than 12% of those given both treatments. Combined treatment is already standard in the US and the researchers...
What Crime Did He Actually Commit?
New York Times
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Dec 16, 2008 6:30 AM CST
(Newser) -
Rod Blagojevich's foul-mouthed conversations about Barack Obama's vacated Senate seat may have been "appalling," as Patrick Fitzgerald said last week. But were they actually illegal? With no appointment made and no evidence that the governor received anything, prosecutors may have a difficult case if and when Blagojevich stands...
Top Kidnap Negotiator Kidnapped in Mexico
Reuters
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Dec 16, 2008 6:11 AM CST
(Newser) -
Masked gunmen have seized a top kidnapping negotiator in Mexico, Reuters reports. Cuban-American Felix Batista, who helped secure the release of dozens of kidnap victims in Colombia, was grabbed outside a restaurant in the northern Mexican city of Saltillo. Authorities suspect the abduction of Batista, who was in the country to give seminars on how...
Cops Find 5 Bombs in Paris Dep't Store
BBC
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Dec 16, 2008 6:01 AM CST
(Newser) -
French police found and disarmed five explosive devices this morning at one of Paris's biggest department stores, reports the BBC. The Printemps store, on one of the capital's best known shopping streets, was evacuated and cordoned off after a group calling itself the Afghan Revolutionary Front warned the AFP news agency of the bombs. But France's...
Hackers Trigger Security Panic for Internet Explorer
BBC
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Dec 16, 2008 5:24 AM CST
(Newser) -
A security flaw in Internet Explorer has so alarmed web experts that they are advising people to switch browsers until the problem is fixed, reports the BBC. Microsoft is preparing an emergency software patch to fix the flaw, which has allowed hackers to seize control of individual computers and steal passwords.
Recession Bites Into Apple
Wall Street Journal
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Dec 16, 2008 4:57 AM CST
(Newser) -
Even apparently recession-proof Apple is now beginning to show signs of strain, and some analysts are predicting a major slowdown for the computer giant next year, the Wall Street Journal reports. US sales of Macs last month declined 1% over a year ago, while PC sales rose 2%. One analyst cut his estimate for Apple's 2009 profit, warning of difficult...
Priest Slams 'Blasphemous' Playboy Cover of Veiled Maria
CNN
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Dec 16, 2008 4:28 AM CST
(Newser) -
Playboy 's apology for a cover appearing to show a breast-flashing Virgin Mary isn't penance enough, a furious priest tells CNN. Playboy Mexico said the picture of a veiled model in front of a stained-glass window with the caption "Te Adoramos María"—"We Adore You, Maria"—wasn't meant to represent a religious...
Cheney: I OK'd Waterboarding
ABC News
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Dec 16, 2008 4:00 AM CST
(Newser) -
Vice President Dick Cheney personally approved using waterboarding to interrogate 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, he reveals in a wide-ranging interview on ABC News. "I was involved in helping get the process cleared. The agency came in and wanted to know what they could and couldn't do," said Cheney, referring to waterboarding...
Critics Lace Into Secret Service Over Shoe Attack
Los Angeles Times
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Dec 16, 2008 3:35 AM CST
(Newser) -
Weighty questions are being lobbed at the Secret Service in the wake of the recent Iraq shoe-tossing incident involving President Bush, reports the Los Angeles Times . Some experts wonder how an assailant was able to throw not one, but two shoes at Bush before agents intervened. "I thought they would have responded after the first shoe,"...
Guards Thwart 'Assassin' at Sarkozy Home
Daily Mail (UK)
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Dec 16, 2008 3:11 AM CST
(Newser) -
French authorities foiled a suspected assassin trying to storm the presidential palace yesterday, the Daily Mail reports. The man, armed with a knife and an electric stun-gun type of weapon, tried to slip past guards at President Nicolas Sarkozy's residence. He was stopped at gunpoint after a violent struggle and is being held in custody for questioning.
Leno Looking Forward to Earlier Nights
New York Times
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Dec 16, 2008 2:37 AM CST
(Newser) -
Jay Leno isn't losing any sleep over his upcoming exit from the late-night world, he tells the New York Times . The announcement by the Tonight Show host that he's moving to the 10 pm spot at NBC stunned many who expected him to switch to ABC. Leno's excited about the move, though is still working on the format for the program, which represents...
Heart Attack Deaths Plummet 30%
Los Angeles Times
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Dec 16, 2008 2:10 AM CST
(Newser) -
In what is being hailed as a medical miracle, deaths from heart attack and stroke have dropped nearly a third between 1999 and 2006, according to the latest statistics from the American Heart Association. Yet despite gains from better preventive medicine and more effective hospital treatment, one person still dies from cardiovascular disease every...
Colo. Sen Salazar Tapped as Interior Secretary
Denver Post
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Dec 16, 2008 1:43 AM CST
(Newser) -
President-elect Barack Obama has tapped Colorado Sen. Ken Salazar to be his secretary of the interior, sources have told the Denver Post . Salazar is "all but certain" to be given the job this week, pending a background check, the newspaper reports. The first-term senator serves on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and is...
Pentagon Closer to Air Laser Wars
New Scientist
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Dec 15, 2008 8:39 PM CST
(Newser) -
Barack Obama's transition team is studying the Pentagon's first test of a plane firing a laser weapon, and may nix the $4.3 billion project—but the US military is still nearing its dream of laser warfare, New Scientist Tech reports. The Airborne Laser, once touted as defensive, could easily be modified to counter "aircraft, surface-to-air...
Spellchecker Gaffes Add Sparkle to Serious Stories
Boing Boing
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Dec 15, 2008 8:15 PM CST
(Newser) -
The so-called Cupertino effect has been creeping into major US newspapers and government reports, at times adding unintended humor to serious stories, BoingBoing reports. The effect—named after Microsoft Word 97's habit of replacing "co-operation" with "Cupertino" in its spellchecker—has slipped spell-checker-related...
Quaids Settle for $750K in Babies' Overdose
People
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Dec 15, 2008 8:00 PM CST
(Newser) -
Dennis Quaid and his wife have settled for $750,000 with a Los Angeles hospital that accidentally overdosed their newborns on a blood-thinning drug last year, People reports. The twins, who fought for their lives after receiving Heparin, are now in good health, giving the story what Quaid called a "happy ending." The Quaids have also filed...
Hollywood Shamus Gets 15 Years
Variety
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Dec 15, 2008 7:26 PM CST
(Newser) -
Former Hollywood detective Anthony Pellicano was sentenced 15 years in prison today, Variety reports. Convicted earlier this year on 78 counts including wiretapping and conspiracy, Pellicano was also told to pay $2 million with two other defendants. Former Los Angeles Times reporter Anita Busch, who helped bring Pellicano to trial, admonished him...
Obama Picks Duncan for Education Secretary
Wall Street Journal
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Dec 15, 2008 6:49 PM CST
(Newser) -
Barack Obama has chosen Chicago schools reformer Arne Duncan for secretary of education, the Wall Street Journal reports. During his 7 years as Chicago schools chief, Duncan has been known for hiring new teachers and closing struggling schools without alienating unions. He is also friendly with Obama and plays pick-up basketball with him. Obama plans...
Electoral College Needs Rehab
New York Times
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Dec 15, 2008 6:32 PM CST
(Newser) -
The 538 electors chosen to represent the will of the people cast their ballots for president today, officially ending the contest between Barack Obama and John McCain, writes Randall Lane for the New York Times . The otherwise-predictable ritual included a twist: a Nebraska elector voting for the candidate who won his congressional district (Obama),...
Nearly 50% of Women Prefer the Web to Sex
CNET
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Dec 15, 2008 6:11 PM CST
(Newser) -
Almost half of American women would be willing to go without sex for 2 weeks in order to keep their Internet access, a new survey says. Of 2,119 adults surveyed last month, only 30% of men agreed, but that number rose to 39% in the younger 18-to-34 range. The survey was commissioned by Intel to demonstrate the importance of computers in modern life....
Turkish Thinkers Sorry for Armenian 'Catastrophe'
Associated Press
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Dec 15, 2008 5:47 PM CST
(AP) -
A group of about 200 Turkish intellectuals today issued an apology on the Internet for the World War I-era massacres of Armenians in Turkey, the AP reports. The group of prominent academics, journalists, writers and artists avoided using the contentious term "genocide" in the apology, using the less explosive "Great Catastrophe"...
Obama Unveils Energy Team
Boston Globe
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Dec 15, 2008 5:24 PM CST
(Newser) -
Promising to end America's oil addiction and combat global warming, Barack Obama rolled out his environment and energy team today, the Boston Globe reports. He chose Nobel laureate Steven Chu for energy secretary; New Jersey official Lisa Jackson for EPA; Los Angeles deputy mayor Nancy Sutley to lead a White House environmental council; and ex-EPA chief...
