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.
China Detains 59 in Tibet for 'Spreading Hate'
New York Times
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Dec 25, 2008 1:35 PM CST
(Newser) -
Chinese police have arrested 59 people in Tibet for downloading and selling banned “reactionary songs” they say fuel ethnic hatred against migrant Han Chinese, the New York Times reports. The detainees are accused of collaborating with the exiled Dalai Lama to fuel unrest in the troubled region. State media did not say whether they have...
Racist Music Finds Home Online
Spin
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Dec 25, 2008 1:16 PM CST
(Newser) -
Online outlets are making it much easier for musical acts with unpopular messages to get their material heard, Spin reports. “Because stores wouldn’t carry us, selling records used to be laborious,” says the lead singer of white-power act Brutal Attack, citing boycotts from anti-racist groups. The band and legal analysts say free...
Police Find More Santa Shooting Victims in Ashes
Associated Press
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Dec 25, 2008 12:58 PM CST
(Newser) -
Several more bodies are in the ashes of a suburban Los Angeles home that was the scene of a Christmas Eve massacre, police tell the AP. Authorities would not say how many bodies there were; three people were already declared dead after a man dressed as Santa Claus opened fire during a holiday party.
Wade Gives Displaced Family New Home
Associated Press
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Dec 25, 2008 12:48 PM CST
(Newser) -
Christmas seemed destroyed for Dawn Smith’s family after her nephew accidentally burned down their Florida home, but Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade has saved it. He helped Smith move into a new home on Christmas Eve, providing furnishings, clothes, and gifts for the holidays, the AP reports. Wade’s foundation will make payments while the...
Ethical Gifts Ease Western Guilt, Not Third World Poverty
Spiked
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Dec 25, 2008 12:30 PM CST
(Newser) -
The trend of giving ethical holiday gifts couldn't be more pompous, writes Nathalie Rothschild for Spiked . "Rather than lifting people out of poverty, Oxfam and the rest are helping to sustain underdevelopment," she argues. And occupying a higher level of condescension is the organization Animal Aid, which opposes gifts of livestock because...
Apartment Blast Kills 19 in Ukraine
Reuters
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Dec 25, 2008 12:10 PM CST
(Newser) -
Rescuers could hear cell phones ringing in the rubble as they pulled bodies from an apartment building in southern Ukraine that collapsed after an explosion last night, Reuters reports. At least 19 people are dead and 24 missing after the blast, likely caused by oxygen stored in the basement. All five stories were flattened, leaving behind debris containing...
Palin's Run Hurt Wasilla Drug Deals
Anchorage Daily News
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Dec 25, 2008 11:50 AM CST
(Newser) -
Bristol Palin’s future mother-in-law complained to clients that Sarah Palin’s campaign was hampering her drug-dealing business, a police affidavit alleges. Sherry Johnston, mother of pregnant Bristol’s fiancé Levi, faces six charges of drug sale and possession after Alaska state troopers caught her using text messages to arrange...
Santa Shooting Suspect Commits Suicide
Associated Press
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Dec 25, 2008 11:35 AM CST
(AP) -
Police say the man suspected of opening fire last night at a Christmas party in suburban Los Angeles while dressed as Santa Claus has killed himself, the AP reports. The body of 45-year-old Bruce Jeffrey Pardo was found at the home of his brother early today. Police would not say how he died. Three bodies were found after a fire that was subsequently...
Obama Is One of Us, America's Geeks Cheer
Associated Press
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Dec 25, 2008 11:20 AM CST
(Newser) -
Barack Obama may be America’s first geek-in-chief—or at least that’s what Star Trek and comic book fans are hoping. The president-elect embraces technology, flashes “Live Long and Prosper” signs, and jokes about being from Krypton—all characteristics of his repressed inner geek. The title is more compliment than...
Pope Calls for Peace in Christmas Speech
Voice of America
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Dec 25, 2008 10:53 AM CST
(Newser) -
Pope Benedict XVI passionately called for peace in the Holy Land during his annual Christmas message, delivered from the balcony of Saint Peter’s Basilica. “The horizon seems once again bleak for Israelis and Palestinians,” he said, praying for hope against war, terrorism, and injustice. He also appealed for an end to clashes throughout...
At Ill. Capitol, It's a Festivus Miracle!
Chicago Tribune
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Dec 25, 2008 10:35 AM CST
(Newser) -
The Illinois state capitol's holiday decorations this year include a Nativity scene, a menorah—and a Festivus pole, courtesy of a teenage Seinfeld fan. Michael Tennenhouse visited for the Blagojevich impeachment hearings, stumbled on the holiday displays, and got to thinking. "Religious displays should not be in public buildings,"...
Sour Notes Fade for Real Von Trapps
New York Times
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Dec 25, 2008 10:16 AM CST
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Being part of the family made famous by The Sound of Music hasn’t always had Johannes von Trapp, now 69, singing a happy tune, the New York Times reports, but passing the torch to a new generation has given him some peace. His son Sam is taking over the family’s Vermont inn—and polishing up the family story.
Arkansas State Champions Didn't Punt Once
RivalsHigh
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Dec 25, 2008 10:00 AM CST
(Newser) -
Faith in statistics, confidence in his offense and an ingrained dislike of punting were the perfect storm for one high school football coach in Arkansas, RivalsHigh reports, with Kevin Kelley taking Little Rock’s Pulaski Academy to a state title without a single punt. “You can just tell people are in the stands thinking, ‘You're an...
3 Dead in LA 'Santa' Shooting
CNN
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Dec 25, 2008 9:39 AM CST
(Newser) -
Three people are dead and as many injured after a man dressed as Santa Claus opened fire at a Christmas Eve party, CNN reports. The suburban Los Angeles house was engulfed in a fire when police arrived, the AP adds, and Santa walked off in street clothes. Police are looking for the estranged husband of a woman who may have been at the party.
Battle Over Regulation Looms in '09
Newsweek
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Dec 25, 2008 9:24 AM CST
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After the economic meltdown of 2008, the coming year will see a battle over one of the most politically contentious issues in finance: the regulation of derivatives markets. Some who opposed government oversight before now acknowledge the need for tighter controls. But they face an uphill battle, reports Newsweek , against an Obama administration...
Doubt Overcomes Misgivings
Rotten Tomatoes
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Dec 25, 2008 9:00 AM CST
(Newser) -
Doubt erases any qualms over whether the claustrophobic, Pulitzer Prize-winning play would work on the big screen, say critics. A "frighteningly good" Meryl Streep stars as the hardline principal of a Bronx Catholic school in 1964, Lou Lumenick writes in the New York Post . A game of cat-and-mouse begins when Streep's nun suspects a priest,...
Hockey Finds Itself in a Whole New Brawl Game
New York Times
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Dec 25, 2008 8:37 AM CST
(Newser) -
Fighting has been as much a part of hockey as skating for generations, but the rough stuff has been on the rise in the NHL since the 2004-05 lockout. By one account, fights are up by 15% from last season. With the enforcer's role becoming more vital, the New York Times looks at the reasons behind the pugnacious trend.
Theater Giant Harold Pinter Dead at 78
Guardian (UK)
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Dec 25, 2008 8:10 AM CST
(Newser) -
Harold Pinter, one of the foremost playwrights of the 20th century, has died of cancer at the age of 78. He began his career as a poet before writing such classic plays as The Caretaker and The Homecoming , and was awarded the Nobel Prize in 2005. His widow, Antonia Fraser, said in a statement to the Guardian : "He was a great, and it was...
Exit Interviews Reveal Bush-Cheney Differences
New York Times
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Dec 25, 2008 8:05 AM CST
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George W. Bush and Dick Cheney are displaying strikingly different attitudes toward their time in power as its end looms, the New York Times reports. Bush is reflective, acknowledging regrets and speaking graciously of his successor. Cheney, meanwhile, is defiant to the end, defending policies like waterboarding and letting slip scathing comments...
Livni Threatens Hamas as Rockets Fall on Israel
Haaretz (Israel)
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Dec 25, 2008 7:44 AM CST
(Newser) -
Tzipi Livni, the Israeli foreign minister, said today that her country would "do everything necessary" to fight Gaza militants, as four rockets landed near kibbutzes in the Negev. The chief diplomat and PM candidate met with Eygptian president Hosni Mubarak, who urged both sides to restrain themselves. Yesterday Hamas launched more than...
Clinton Rents Campaign Mail List to Pay Debt
ABC News
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Dec 25, 2008 7:20 AM CST
(Newser) -
Hillary Clinton's campaign has hit on a novel way of repaying its debt, ABC News reports. The campaign is renting out the vast list of email addresses compiled during the course of Clinton's failed presidential bid. Among the customers for the list, believed to be 5 million names strong, is the foundation of one William J. Clinton, which...
Holiday Classics Yule Love
New York Daily News
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Dec 25, 2008 6:42 AM CST
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Rather stay home than risk more bad weather today? Make a quick trip to the video store so you can hunker down with the New York Daily News ' favorite Yule flicks: It's a Wonderful Life (1946): Didn't see that one coming, did you? Jimmy Stewart. 'Nuff said. A Christmas Story (1983): We double-dog-dare you to forget this tale of Ralphie....
Your Prez-Elect Is a Gym Rat
Washington Post
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Dec 25, 2008 6:09 AM CST
(Newser) -
As Barack Obama prepares to take the helm of a sinking country, he's scaled back on the pastimes of his earlier life—dining out, reading novels, obsessing over Bears and White Sox stats. But one habit has endured: the president-elect is a gym rat who works out every single day, and has the buff physique to prove it. The gym, say his friends,...
The Army Wants You. 30,000 More of You.
Washington Post
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Dec 25, 2008 5:39 AM CST
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The US Army wants you, and about 30,000 of your friends, if it's going to fight effectively in Afghanistan and Iraq and complete other missions around the world, reports the Washington Post . Increased demands are being made on troops in places like Africa, Korea, and cyberspace , and while the down economy is boosting recruiting efforts, officials...
Tennessee Tests Massive Sludge Spill for Toxins
Tennessean
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Dec 25, 2008 5:02 AM CST
(Newser) -
EPA officials are working through Christmas running tests on a river of sludge that inundated 400 acres in Tennessee, the Tennessean reports. The gloop, coal ash waste that spilled from a power plant retention pond early Monday, is suspected of containing high levels of arsenic, lead, mercury, and other toxins. Officials say water from contaminated...
Notre Dame Ends 15-Year Bowl Drought
Associated Press
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Dec 24, 2008 11:57 PM CST
(AP) -
Jimmy Clausen set Notre Dame bowl records with 406 yards passing and five touchdowns to lead the Irish to their first postseason victory in 15 years—a 49-21 shellacking of Hawaii in the Hawaii Bowl. Golden Tate had six catches for 177 yards and three touchdowns, including a 69-yarder that sparked a 28-point outburst to help the Fighting Irish...
Franken Wins Key Ruling; Coleman Sees Court Fight
Politico
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Dec 24, 2008 10:46 PM CST
(Newser) -
Norm Coleman lost a key court battle today in the endless Minnesota recount, Politico reports. The decision virtually ensures that his race with Al Franken will be contested in the courts after the Senate convenes Jan. 6. Coleman sought to have a state panel hold off certifying the final vote tally until charges of double-counting are resolved. Minnesota's...
Journal's Year in Pictures
Wall Street Journal
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Dec 24, 2008 8:55 PM CST
(Newser) -
Rupert Murdoch always said he’d make the Wall Street Journal more visually interesting, and it doesn’t get much more visually interesting than the 2008 “Year in Photos” feature the paper began today. You can see many of the Journal ’s selections, spanning global conflict, the financial crisis, and sports right here....
WB Won't Show Dark Knight in China
Associated Press
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Dec 24, 2008 8:16 PM CST
(AP) -
Just because Batman landed in Hong Kong doesn't mean The Dark Knight will. Warner Bros. has decided not to release the film in China in part because of "cultural sensitivities," the studio said. Warner Bros. did not elaborate, but company execs are apparently concerned that the film's scenes in Hong Kong, where Batman nabs a gangster, would...
Monthly Fee May Pave Way for Electric Car Boom
Yale Environment 360
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Dec 24, 2008 8:05 PM CST
(Newser) -
An Israeli entrepreneur bets you’ll be willing to pay to fuel up your car like you pay your monthly cell phone bill. If Shai Agassi is right, Jim Motavalli writes in Yale Environment 360, it could be the charge electric cars need to succeed. Partnering with nations, cities, and automakers, his Better Place is trying to establish infrastructure...
Calm Is a Tourist Boon for Bethlehem
Christian Science Monitor
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Dec 24, 2008 7:37 PM CST
(Newser) -
More than 1.3 million visitors took advantage of the relative peace between Israel and Palestine to visit Jesus Christ’s birthplace this year, the Christian Science Monitor reports. The streets around Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity—abandoned except for Israeli military jeeps just 6 years ago amid an uprising—are bustling...
Xmas Spirit Translates Better in Foreign Tongue: Keillor
Salon
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Dec 24, 2008 7:14 PM CST
(Newser) -
Garrison Keillor is no Scrooge, but can find it hard to get the Christmas spirit, he writes for Salon. In New York for “the general dazzlement and variety,” and a holiday unbound by obligations of small-town homogeny, Keillor finds Yuletide spirit in a Spanish-language mass at St. Patrick’s: “It brought back memories of Christmas...
Benedict Ushers in Christmas
Associated Press
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Dec 24, 2008 6:47 PM CST
(AP) -
Pope Benedict XVI ushered in Christmas as midnight struck at the Vatican, leading the celebration of Midnight Mass in the splendor of St. Peter's Basilica. Thousands of pilgrims, Romans, and tourists packed the basilica for the midnight service given by the 81-year-old pope. For those unable to enter, giant screens were set up in St. Peter's Square.
Flush and Burn: Port-a-Potty Pyro Strikes Again in SF
San Francisco Chronicle
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Dec 24, 2008 6:28 PM CST
(Newser) -
For the seventh time in two months, port-a-potties at construction sites in an upscale San Francisco neighborhood have been set ablaze by unknown parties, the Chronicle reports. Fire officials won’t say how the late-night pyrotechnics started, but they’re asking construction workers to be sure their “comfort stations” are...
Bring Tissues for Marley & Me
Detroit News
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Dec 24, 2008 6:10 PM CST
(Newser) -
Walk into Marley & Me not expecting to be wowed, and it’s an easy film to watch, Claudia Puig writes in USA Today . Unfortunately, “it’s just as easy to forget.” The writers deftly pull dog-lovers’ heartstrings, but the story itself is ordinary and chemistry lacking between “blah” Jennifer Aniston and...
Fliers Ease Carbon Guilt Via Donations
San Francisco Chronicle
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Dec 24, 2008 5:51 PM CST
(Newser) -
Guilty about the carbon footprint of your frequent flights? Have a few bucks to spare and time to kill at San Francisco's airport? The firm 3Degrees is banking on such a combination as it prepares to roll out the nation's first fleet of kiosks offering carbon offsets. No one is sure whether the idea will fly, reports the Chronicle .
NYT Ready to Sell BoSox Stake
Wall Street Journal
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Dec 24, 2008 5:25 PM CST
(Newser) -
With revenues plummeting and advertisers and readers fleeing, the cash-starved New York Times Co is looking to offload a once-sacrosanct asset—its 17.5% stake in the Boston Red Sox and Fenway Park, the Wall Street Journal reports. Revenues at the Times Co arm that includes the Grey Lady and the Boston Globe fell 22% last month, and the...
Bush Retracts Pardon for Son of Big GOP Donor
CNN
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Dec 24, 2008 4:55 PM CST
(Newser) -
President Bush withdrew a presidential pardon today after it emerged that the father of a convicted Brooklyn developer donated $28,500 to the Republican Party, CNN reports. The president’s counsel approved clemency for Isaac Toussie on charges of mail fraud and false statements to federal officials, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said, but...
GM Finance Arm Converts, Will Tap Bailout
Wall Street Journal
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Dec 24, 2008 4:43 PM CST
(Newser) -
The Federal Reserve today approved a request by General Motors’ financial arm to become a bank-holding company so it can petition for money from the $700 billion bailout pot, the Wall Street Journal reports. GMAC would also have access to direct Fed loans, helping loosen credit and complement the $17.4 billion in emergency loans the White House...
Doc Used Patients' Blubber to Fuel Cars? Fat Chance
Times (UK)
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Dec 24, 2008 4:05 PM CST
(Newser) -
A Beverly Hills plastic surgeon who claimed to have turned excess fat taken from patients into “lipodiesel” that could power his girlfriend’s Lincoln Navigator is apparently on the run after California health officials raided his practice, the Times of London reports. A message on Alan Bittner’s site says he’s “going...
Button Looks Great, Less Filling
Rotten Tomatoes
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Dec 24, 2008 3:47 PM CST
(Newser) -
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is enjoyable and visually striking, but many critics feel David Fincher and Brad Pitt fail to mine the story of a man who ages in reverse for moments of real emotional depth. Pitt “gives you no hint what his character makes of the changes,” writes David Edelstein in New York , “he just stares...
NY Driver Free to Put bin Laden Reminder on Car
Associated Press
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Dec 24, 2008 3:25 PM CST
(Newser) -
A retired New York City police officer is free to use the vanity license plate “GETOSAMA” after settling a yearlong dispute with the DMV, the AP reports. Arno Herwerth ordered the tags to remind fellow motorists that the Sept. 11 mastermind was still on the loose; the DMV delivered, but, deeming them offensive, tried to get them back. After...
Santa Gets Help From Cousin Pancho
Houston Chronicle
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Dec 24, 2008 3:02 PM CST
(Newser) -
Santa's been getting a little help from his South Pole cousin, Pancho Claus, the lowrider-driving barrio folk hero who doles out gifts on both sides of the Texas border. Pancho takes different forms—sporting a red zoot suit in Houston and a sombrero and black beard in San Antonio—but is often played by war veterans catering to underprivileged...
No Hope for Detroit Until We End Rip-Off Financing
Mother Jones
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Dec 24, 2008 2:49 PM CST
(Newser) -
Congress' plan to bail out Detroit ignores one fundamental problem: Americans owe so much on their current cars—often more than the vehicles are worth—that they can't buy new ones, writes Stephanie Mencimer in Mother Jones . Detroit—along with the "great scourge of the American consumer market: the car dealer"—makes...
Aniston's Hot-Bod Secret: Photoshop
Us Weekly
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Dec 24, 2008 2:28 PM CST
(Newser) -
Jennifer Aniston admits her body got some digital upgrades for this month’s bare-all GQ cover. When asked by Barbara Walters, “what happened to the girl next door from Friends ?” Aniston, 39, responded, “She’s there! Photoshopped,” Us Magazine reports. Aniston says the original concept for the shoot was for...
Obama's Inaugural Dance Card Is Full: Ten Balls
Washington Post
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Dec 24, 2008 2:15 PM CST
(Newser) -
The new First Couple will have plenty of opportunity to showcase their dance moves, the Washington Post reports, with 10 different inaugural balls scheduled for the night of Jan. 20—one more party than President Bush had in 2005. But the question on many minds is: What will Michelle wear, and will she give us (outfit) changes we can believe...
Cruise Makes Valkyrie Bumpy Ride
Rotten Tomatoes
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Dec 24, 2008 2:01 PM CST
(Newser) -
Valkyrie isn’t that good—and surely not Oscar-worthy, Peter Travers writes in Rolling Stone . “And the sooner you accept it, the more fun you’ll have at this satisfying B movie.” The supporting cast is fantastic, and Tom Cruise’s presence just serves to make “you wonder why the SS man we’re rooting...
Feds May Use Food Stamps to Improve Nutrition
Washington Post
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Dec 24, 2008 1:57 PM CST
(Newser) -
The Obama White House may move to revamp food aid so it encourages healthy eating, reports the Washington Post . One idea gaining favor: Double the value of food stamps if they're used to buy fruits and vegetables. While anti-hunger advocates have long objected to such government meddling, opposition is softening because of a growing body of evidence...
Pirate Hostages Brace for Christmas at Sea
CNN
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Dec 24, 2008 1:49 PM CST
(Newser) -
More than 260 hostages will spend Christmas with pirates off Somalia’s coast, CNN reports. At least 14 vessels remain in pirate custody as a tumultuous year—with nearly 100 attacks on cargo ships, oil tankers, and yachts—nears its end. The EU, China, and Iran have stationed naval vessels in the Gulf of Aden, and some Europe-bound...
Strapped? Sell Your Gold—at the Mall
Boston Globe
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Dec 24, 2008 1:33 PM CST
(Newser) -
Up and down the East coast, cash-strapped shoppers are trading in gold and silver, not at pawn shops, but at the mall, the Boston Globe reports. Merchants at kiosks buy the precious metals for less than half of market value, but customers are still pouring in. “It's certainly something that was done in the days of the Depression,” said...
