Newser Story Index from March, 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.
MLB Starts Season With Rising Sun
Christian Science Monitor
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Mar 25, 2008 10:45 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The sun was just rising in Boston today as the Red Sox began their World Series title defense by taking on the Oakland Athletics half a world away. Many American fans were still in bed, but Japanese aficionados were paying rapt attention, the Christian Science Monitor reports. The Sox have been selling out exhibition games all week, playing for baseball-crazed...
Pa. Primary Turns Politics of Race On Its Ear
USA Today
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Mar 25, 2008 10:23 AM CDT
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The upcoming primary in Pennsylvania pits two of the state's prominent young Democrats against each other in a battle that seems to defy the normal conventions of race and politics, USA Today reports. Philadelphia's popular black mayor is pushing hard for Clinton in the city, where Obama is nearly a lock to win, while a white first-term congressman...
Petraeus to Bush: Hold Troop Levels Steady
New York Times
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Mar 25, 2008 10:00 AM CDT
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Troop levels should remain steady in Iraq once they return to pre-surge levels in July, Gen. David Petraeus told President Bush today. Petraeus urged a period of “consolidation and evaluation,” with monthly reviews of ground conditions—meaning Bush would likely leave major troop reductions to his successor, the New York Times reports.
Home Prices, Consumer Confidence Nosedive
Bloomberg
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Mar 25, 2008 9:58 AM CDT
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Home prices plummeted again in January, falling a record 10.7% compared to January 2007, according to the bellwether S&P Case/Shiller Hope Price composite. The March consumer confidence index, also out today, plunged to a 5-year low in yet another indication of recession, Bloomberg reports. The Conference Board measures consumer confidence as well...
Britney Solid in TV Cameo
Associated Press
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Mar 25, 2008 9:51 AM CDT
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Britney Spears looked "fresh-faced and relaxed" in her role on How I Met Your Mother last night, AP reports. The pop tart played a love-struck receptionist with a big crush on Josh Radnor in her cameo on the CBS sitcom. Reviewers—relieved to see Britney on-screen and acting normally—said she turned in an OK performance.
Top Admiral Fired for Lying to DoD Probe
Navy Times
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Mar 25, 2008 9:37 AM CDT
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The Navy has fired a vice admiral for giving the Department of Defense "false and misleading information" during an investigation, reports the Navy Times. John Stufflebeem, the director of the Navy staff, lied to an inquiry into an alleged inappropriate relationship while serving as a military adviser to former President Bush in 1990, reports...
Cost of Bringing Up Baby: $204K
Reuters
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Mar 25, 2008 9:27 AM CDT
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Raising that little bundle of joy will come with a not-so-cute $204,060 price tag for middle-income families, according to a new government study. Factoring in inflation, the parents of a child born in 2007 can expect to spend $269,040 by the time that baby turns 18. Actual costs vary according to income and location, with the urban West the most expensive...
Obama Erases Clinton's Lead With Speech
Baltimore Sun
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Mar 25, 2008 9:01 AM CDT
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A new Gallup poll puts the two Democratic presidential candidates on even footing nationally, with Barack Obama holding a statistically negligible 1-point lead over Hillary Clinton. The poll, conducted after Obama's widely praised speech on race, suggests that the Illinois senator has erased the damage done by the Jeremiah Wright controversy, writes...
Fred Stumps for Acting Roles
E! Online
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Mar 25, 2008 8:44 AM CDT
(Newser) -
He won't be president next year, but maybe he'll play one on TV. Fred Thompson, the former US senator whose folksy run for the White House failed to galvanize support, is returning to acting. He has signed with Hollywood's William Morris Agency to seek new movie and television roles, reports E! Online.
GPS Network Aims to Beat Traffic Jams
Washington Post
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Mar 25, 2008 8:22 AM CDT
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You may soon be able to evade a traffic jam with a little help from your fellow driver, the Washington Post reports. California start-up Dash Navigation is launching a GPS device that collects speed and location data from vehicles, then uses the information to figure out which roads are congested and warn drivers away.
'Fifth Beatle' Aspinall Dies at 66
Los Angeles Times
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Mar 25, 2008 7:59 AM CDT
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"Fifth Beatle" Neil Aspinall, the first road manager of the legendary band who later ran the Beatles' recording company, has died from lung cancer. Aspinall, 66, was the chief guardian of the group's musical legacy after the Beatles broke up. "He vigorously fought to protect the Beatles franchise," said Beatles historian Bruce Spizer....
Medvedev Warns Against NATO Plans
Financial Times (UK)
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Mar 25, 2008 7:46 AM CDT
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Dmitry Medvedev has warned former Soviet states not to join NATO, claiming that their membership would threaten the stability of the region. Georgia and Ukraine are angling to join the military alliance and have received strong support from the US. But in an interview with the Financial Times , Russia's incoming president called the prospect "extremely...
Corazon Aquino Has Cancer
Associated Press
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Mar 25, 2008 7:29 AM CDT
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Corazon Aquino, who swept to the presidency of the Philippines on a wave of "people power" in 1986, is suffering from colon cancer, AP reports. Her daughter appealed to the country on Philippine TV to pray for her mother's recovery, and to respect the family's privacy. Religious and political leaders expressed sorrow.
Pam Anderson Annuls 10-Week Marriage
Associated Press
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Mar 25, 2008 7:09 AM CDT
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Uber babe Pamela Anderson's latest marriage has been annulled, making it her shortest yet, AP reports. The former Baywatch star married Rick Salomon—best known for co-starring in the Paris Hilton sex tape—in Vegas in October. The pair separated 10 weeks later. Court documents filed last week cited "fraud" as the reason why the...
Icahn Ups Ante in Motorola Battle
Wall Street Journal
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Mar 25, 2008 6:43 AM CDT
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Billionaire Carl Icahn is turning up the heat on Motorola in his battle for more control, filing a lawsuit for access to board documents. The move follows his rejection of the company’s offer of two board seats—instead of the four he's seeking—and calling its refusal to seat one of his board candidates “intolerable and reprehensible,”...
Afghanistan Less Stable Than Iraq: Report
Reuters
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Mar 25, 2008 6:30 AM CDT
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While Iraq has grown more stable over the past year, Afghanistan has become one of the world's dangerous places, concludes a new think-tank report. Afghanistan is now the world's third most unstable country, behind the Palestinian territories and Somalia, reports Reuters. Iraq, thanks to high oil prices and a larger American military presence, was...
Deadly Disease Ravaging Bats
New York Times
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Mar 25, 2008 5:57 AM CDT
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A mysterious syndrome is wiping out colonies of hibernating bats and baffling biologists, the New York Times reports. Experts don't know what causes the "white nose syndrome" or how it spreads, but they warn that bat populations in the Northeast are being devastated. Field researchers report bats flying out of caves in the middle of...
Mother and 4 Kids Killed in Iowa Home
Daily Iowan
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Mar 25, 2008 5:31 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A mother and her four children were found dead in their Iowa City home yesterday by police who received an anonymous tip, reports the Daily Iowan . Minutes later, cops responded to a nearby highway crash involving a car belonging to the father of the family, Stephen Sueppel. The dead driver remains unidentified due to severe burns.
Chinese Cop Killed in Tibet Protest
Reuters
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Mar 25, 2008 5:10 AM CDT
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A Chinese policeman has been killed in a confrontation with Tibetan demonstrators in Sichuan, as unrest continues despite Beijing's massive deployment of forces. Several other officers and protesters were wounded in the clash yesterday as activists called for an independent Tibet. But an absence of independent journalists in the area makes it difficult...
Clinton 'Misspoke' About Dodging Bosnia Sniper
CBS News
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Mar 25, 2008 4:47 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Hillary Clinton had to dodge sniper fire when she landed at the start of a goodwill tour of Bosnia in 1996—at least that’s what the senator said last week. But after an archive CBS news video showed the then-first lady smiling and waving without a single bullet whizzing by, her campaign conceded that she “misspoke.” One aide...
I Used Cocaine: NY Governor
NY1
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Mar 25, 2008 4:37 AM CDT
(Newser) -
One week after revealing he had extramarital affairs, New York Gov. David Paterson has also admitted using marijuana and cocaine. Patterson used drugs in the 70s when he was 23, he said in an interview on TV news channel New York 1. Paterson, the state's first black and first blind governor, succeeded Eliot Spitzer, who resigned in a call-girl scandal.
Obama Takes a Break in the Virgin Islands
Associated Press
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Mar 25, 2008 4:11 AM CDT
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Barack Obama is taking a breather from the grueling campaign trail in the US Virgin Islands, AP reports. The candidate and his family flew Sunday to St. Thomas, where tourists spotted them at a beach resort. Obama has been spending his downtime golfing rather than politicking, although he was greeted by the territory's Democratic governor at the airport.
Endeavour Heads Home
Houston Chronicle
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Mar 25, 2008 3:39 AM CDT
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The space shuttle Endeavour has begun its two-day trip back to Earth after successfully undocking yesterday from the international space station, reports the Houston Chronicle . The seven astronauts on board hailed an "awesome" mission and said fond farewells to their colleagues staying behind. A glitch unlatching a solar panel delayed Endeavour's...
$100K Virginia Tech Offer Slammed as 'Insult' to Victims
Virginian-Pilot
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Mar 25, 2008 3:20 AM CDT
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The state of Virginia is offering $100,000 to each family of the 32 students and teachers killed by a lone gunman in the Virginia Tech massacre, the Virginian-Pilot reports. If accepted, the settlement would prevent families from suing the state for negligence. One attorney called the offer "for a human life an insult, an absolute insult."
Billups, Pistons Set Down Suns in Overtime
Associated Press
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Mar 25, 2008 2:58 AM CDT
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Detroit scored the last six points in overtime, including a three-point play by Chauncey Billups, as the Pistons defeated Phoenix, 110-105, snapping the Suns' seven-game winning streak. Billups had nine of his 32 points in the extra session and helped pick up the slack for the ailing Richard Hamilton, who missed the game with a hip injury, reports...
Carter, Nets Down Knicks 106-91
Associated Press
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Mar 25, 2008 2:55 AM CDT
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After losing three times to the moribund New York Knicks this season, the New Jersey Nets were finally able to beat their neighboring rivals in a visit to Madison Square Garden. The 106-91 victory moves the Nets to within one game of the Atlanta Hawks and the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, according to the Associated Press.
NBC Splits Off Studio for Cable
Hollywood Reporter
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Mar 25, 2008 2:55 AM CDT
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NBC is splitting its TV production unit into two companies. The units will share the same resources, but will be divided into separate cable and broadcast operations, according to the Hollywood Reporter . NBC's cable channels have been reaping the profits of hits like Battlestar Galactica and Monk , while its broadcast network has has been struggling...
Habs Slam Sens, Clinch First East Playoff Berth
Gazette (Montreal )
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Mar 25, 2008 2:53 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Montreal scored seven times in the first two periods against a shoddy Ottawa defense and then killed a two-man disadvantage midway through the third when things got closer in a 7-5 win over Ottawa. The Canadiens clinched a playoff spot and gained some confidence against a team that had beaten them five of six times this season, writes the Gazette...
Skip to My Lou: Alston's 28 Propels Rockets Past Kings
Houston Chronicle
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Mar 25, 2008 2:51 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The Houston Rockets were able to fend off a surprisingly frisky Sacramento Kings team and earn a 108-100 victory. The win is the 800th of coach Rick Adelman’s career, which is the third most amongst active coaches and 14th all-time. Adelman earned 395 of those wins while coaching the Kings, according to the Houston Chronicle.
Feisty Philly Stuns Boston With Late Run
Associated Press
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Mar 25, 2008 12:28 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The Celtics were on top for all of three quarters, but a surging 76ers team put together a 19-0 run in the fourth and shocked Boston in a chippy 95-90 game. The Sixers' Andre Iguodala produced a fantastic show, notching 13 of his 28 points in the final stanza, thrice stealing the ball then emphatically dunking it.
Ogilvy Snaps Woods' Win Streak
ESPN
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Mar 25, 2008 12:26 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Tiger Woods failed to win a tournament for the first time in nine months, as Geoff Ogilvy triumped at the CA Championship at Doral by a stroke. The Australian, a former U.S. Open winner was able to edge out Retief Goosen, Jim Furyk and Vijay Singh in a weather delayed final round and earn his fourth career victory on the PGA Tour, according to the...
Denver's Smith Closes Out Memphis
Associated Press
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Mar 25, 2008 12:23 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The Nuggets entered halftime down 57-51, and J.R. Smith had just two points entering the last frame, but Smith then scored 25—including 21 from long-range—and his team prevailed over the Grizzlies, 120-106. Denver's dynamic duo of Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson combined to add 49, and Marcus Camby blocked seven shots.
Guerin, Isles Trip Up Crosby-Less Penguins
Associated Press
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Mar 24, 2008 10:27 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The Pittsburgh Penguins once again played without captain Sidney Crosby as they fell 4-1 to the New York Islanders. It is the sixth consecutive game and 27th in 30 last year’s MVP has missed with a sprained right ankle. Crosby is close to returning and may be back on the ice for the Penguins’ next game, according to the Associated Press.
Pitt Upsets Baylor in Women's Tourney
Associated Press
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Mar 24, 2008 10:25 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The sixth-seeded Pittsburgh Panthers, on the strength of a 67-59 upending of No. 3 Baylor, advanced to a regional semifinal in the women’s NCAA tournament for the first time in school history. Shavonte Zellous, a former track sprinter, led the Panthers with 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting, and grabbed an important rebound late in the game, according...
Bucks Can't Solve Quinn, Heat's JV
Associated Press
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Mar 24, 2008 10:21 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Milwaukee became the first team to lose twice to Miami this season thanks to the play of late replacement Chris Quinn, who scored a career-high 24 points in a 78-73 Heat win. Quinn filled in for Jason Williams, who had a right thumb injury, writes AP. It was the second win in 13 games for Miami - both against the Bucks.
Oklahoma State is OK After Sneaking Past FSU
Associated Press
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Mar 24, 2008 9:47 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Andrea Riley's free throw with 0.7 seconds remaining gave Oklahoma State a 73-72 see-saw victory over Florida State to advance to the regional semifinals in the women's NCAA tournament, only two years removed from an 0-16 Big 12 season. Riley got to the line after being fouled by FSU's Shante Williams while attempting an awkward buzzer-beating jumper,...
Fans Pray It's No Careless Whisper
NME
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Mar 24, 2008 9:46 PM CDT
(Newser) -
UK pop icon George Michael will embark on his first US tour in 17 years this summer, NME reports. Scheduled to coincide with his upcoming "Twenty Five" album, the 20-show trip will kick off in California in June and include visits to Los Angeles, Vancouver, and Madison Square Garden before wrapping up in Sunrise, Fla. in early August.
'White People' Is Model of Right Time, Right Place
ABC News
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Mar 24, 2008 9:27 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The skyrocket success of blog “Stuff White People Like” has shown anew how quickly (and lucratively) a zeitgeist-capturing blog can become a mass-market success story. Only three months young, the site—which skewers the posturing of liberal bourgeois Caucasians—has earned its creator a massive readership and a six-figure book...
The West Warms to Hamas, But Israel Stays Cold
Christian Science Monitor
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Mar 24, 2008 9:25 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The West may be warming to talks with Palestine's radical Hamas party, the Christian Science Monitor reports. The EU is promoting them, and Washington has nudged Egypt to spark Israel-Hamas dialogue, although Jerusalem remains staunchly opposed. "Whoever invites us to negotiate with Hamas is actually inviting us to negotiate on the...
They're Just Not That Into You
Guardian (UK)
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Mar 24, 2008 8:52 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The Clinton-Obama slugfest resembles the “drawn-out and painful break-up of a relationship,' Michael Tomasky writes in the Guardian —and the sparring couple might be on its last rounds. "Mark down May 7," he suggests. "That's the date by which Clinton should be one of two things: a, the possible nominee after all; or, b,...
$4M NASA Cut May Strand Mars Rover
CNN
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Mar 24, 2008 8:38 PM CDT
(Newser) -
NASA confirmed and denied plans today to scuttle a Mars rover and fire 300 employees, CNN reports. The space agency first announced a $4 million cut to the Mars program's $20 million budget and vowed to unplug one of two rovers roaming the red planet. Then a NASA spokesman told CNN that "the cancellation of the Mars Exploration Rovers is not under...
Engineer Gets 24 Years in China Spy Case
Los Angeles Times
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Mar 24, 2008 8:10 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A judge sentenced Chinese-born engineer Chi Mak to 24 years in prison today for conspiring to send US military data to China, the Los Angeles Times reports. A US assistant attorney argued that Mak, 67, had violated US law even though the data on Navy submarines was not classified. Mak, a naturalized US citizen, proclaimed his love for America and...
Separate Beds: the Key to Happy Marriage?
Times (UK)
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Mar 24, 2008 7:50 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Looking for lengthy love? It may be time to sleep single. More couples are opting for separate beds, and 60% of custom-built homes in the UK will have dual master bedrooms by 2015, the London Times reports. Many in modern times consider separate beds the end of love, but in fact sleep disturbance is what creates friction, researchers say.
Bush: 4,000 US Lives 'Were Not Lost in Vain'
CNN
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Mar 24, 2008 7:29 PM CDT
(Newser) -
President Bush sympathizes with the families of 4,000 Americans slain in Iraq, he said today. They "were not lost in vain. One day, people will look back at this moment in history and say, 'Thank God there were courageous people willing to serve,'" CNN reports. In an ABC interview, Dick Cheney said Bush's "burden" in the war is...
'Barbie Bandits' Sentenced in Bank Heist
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Mar 24, 2008 6:57 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The so-called "Barbie Bandits"—two ex-strippers who were caught on video robbing a bank and giggling—were sentenced today in suburban Atlanta. Ashley Nicole Miller, 19, got two years in prison, plus eight of probation; Heather Lyn Johnston, 20, faces 10 years' probation. A male accomplice was also sentenced to 10 years in the...
FBI Recovers 2 US Contractors in Iraq
Associated Press
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Mar 24, 2008 6:28 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The FBI said today it has the bodies of two US contractors who were kidnapped in Iraq, the AP reports. John Roy Young, a security worker, and Ronald Withrow, employed by an IT firm, were two of six contractors kidnapped in Iraq over the past 2 years. Journalists shone attention on the missing Americans last month after their severed fingers were sent...
Donkey Retires From Ballet
Reuters
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Mar 24, 2008 5:54 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A veteran Russian artiste is headed for retirement today: Monika, a 21-year-old female donkey. She has performed for 19 years as the trusty steed of Sancho Panza in the Mariinsky ballet's production of Don Quixote. "She loves to perform and she loves applause," said Tatyana Solomatina of the St. Petersburg zoo, where Monika lives between...
Kevorkian Declares Bid for House Seat
Detroit Free Press
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Mar 24, 2008 5:30 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Euthanasia advocate Jack Kevorkian declared a bid for Congress in Detroit today, the Detroit Free Press reports. In a free-wheeling press conference, he admitted to being apolitical but vowed to trumpet individual rights in his campaign. “You can’t take my innate rights away from me without a fight,” said Kevorkian, who will run...
Bad Credit News Means Good Tidings for Analysts
Guardian (UK)
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Mar 24, 2008 5:01 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The Bear Stearns crisis was bad news for many, but it was good news—or at least good business—for financial analysts at London-based Breaking Views. The credit crunch is increasing demand for the company’s financial insights, offered online and, through various partnerships, in print. Breaking Views is seizing the moment, courting...
Petraeus: Iran Behind Green Zone Attack
BBC
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Mar 24, 2008 4:37 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Gen. David Petraeus says Iran was behind yesterday's mortar attack on Baghdad's Green Zone, the BBC reports. Tehran trained, equipped, and funded the insurgents who carried out the attack, he said. "All of this in complete violation of promises made by President Ahmadinejad and the other most senior Iranian leaders to their Iraqi counterparts,"...
