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.
Rangers Have Devils' Number
Associated Press
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Mar 27, 2008 11:00 PM CDT
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It looked as though New Jersey was going to skate away with a rare victory against the Rangers tonight, but Christian Backman changed all that with a game-tying goal in the 3rd period. New York went on to win, 3-2, securing their seventh straight win over the Devils this season. Nigel Dawes produced the game winner for the Rangers.
Washington St. No Match for Mighty Tar Heels
News & Observer (Raleigh)
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Mar 27, 2008 10:00 PM CDT
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North Carolina averaged 110 points in its first two games of the NCAA tournament but was held to a mere 68 tonight against Washington State. Didn't matter. The Tar Heels still managed to dominate and come away with a 68-47 win to advance to the Final Eight. The 21-point spread was the smallest margin of victory for UNC so far this tournament and was...
Iraqi Lawmakers to Meet as Violence Escalates
Reuters
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Mar 27, 2008 9:45 PM CDT
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Iraqi lawmakers will hold an emergency session in Baghdad tomorrow to try to find a way to resolve the escalating violence in Basra and the capital, Reuters reports. Baghdad, its Green Zone rocked by steady rocket and mortar fire, is now under a three-day curfew, and the State Department ordered US personnel to stay indoors. Militias in Basra, meanwhile,...
Weezer Star Needs Help Writing a Song
Pitchfork
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Mar 27, 2008 9:05 PM CDT
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In yet another example of the Internet democratizing the music industry, Weezer's frontman is using YouTube to get some help writing a new song. Rivers Cuomo is broadcasting himself (don't miss the campy moustache) in a series he's dubbed "Let's Write a Sawng." His latest dispatch asks fans to "come up with some chords yo," Pitchfork...
Visitor Fingerprinting Expanded
Christian Science Monitor
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Mar 27, 2008 8:28 PM CDT
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Visitors to the US entering through New York's John F. Kennedy airport will have all 10 fingers scanned under a new program of the Department of Homeland Security, the Christian Science Monitor reports. Officials hope the program, called US-VISIT, will allow customs—which currently collects just two prints from non-citizen visitors—to...
Determine Your Daddy—at the Drugstore
MSNBC
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Mar 27, 2008 8:26 PM CDT
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The sometimes vexing task of determining a child's father can now be solved by plunking down $29.99 at the local drugstore. A Utah company has expanded sales of its do-it-yourself DNA kit to Rite Aids in 30 states after sales soared in sample markets, MSNBC reports. Identigene of Salt Lake City expects to sell 52,000 of them this year.
Va. Police Hunt Highway Snipers
ABC News
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Mar 27, 2008 7:56 PM CDT
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Police in Virginia are on the hunt for gunmen who fired at cars on I-64 near Charlottesville and left two people injured, ABC News reports. Police say the suspects, at least two of them traveling together in one car, hit six vehicles on the interstate after midnight last night. None of injuries are life-threatening. Police have no suspects or motive.
Beer Family Scion Busted for Underage Drinking
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
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Mar 27, 2008 7:29 PM CDT
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A 17-year-old member of the Anheuser-Busch beer family was busted yesterday and charged with underage drinking, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. Hardly shocking, perhaps, except for what Adolphus August Busch V was drinking: Natural Light. Though the frat house favorite is one of the company's products, it's surely a far cry from the company's...
Prized Cheese in Italy at Risk
New York Times
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Mar 27, 2008 7:03 PM CDT
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More consumers are turning up their noses at Italy’s prized buffalo mozzarella, and not over its smell, the New York Times reports. Toxins have been found in samples of the delicacy, likely caused by illegal dumping of garbage around Naples. Sales are down 40%, and farmers and restaurateurs fear a panic despite that fact that best cheese region...
West Must Boycott Olympic Venues 'Stained With Blood'
New Republic
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Mar 27, 2008 6:33 PM CDT
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The West must take a stand against China's human-rights abuses by boycotting the Summer Olympics, French philosopher Bernard-Henry Levy insists in the New Republic . Otherwise, athletes will compete in “stadiums stained with blood.” China was supposed to cease its worst behavior, but it’s done the opposite: A pre-Games cleanup has...
Fall Out Boy Misses Historic Gig
NME
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Mar 27, 2008 6:04 PM CDT
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MTV faves Fall Out Boy won’t be taking its place alongside champion hand-walkers and fingernail-growers in the Guinness Book of World Records, NME reports: Nasty weather has kept the band from traveling to Antarctica, where it was to become the first group to have played on all seven continents. Said bassist Pete Wentz, “It’s an utter...
Dollar-Store Dining Possible in Big Apple
New York Times
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Mar 27, 2008 5:42 PM CDT
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Grocery-shopping in New York City takes a hefty toll on one’s pocketbook, Henry Alford writes in the New York Times , but at 99-cent stores, more diamonds in the rough exist than one might expect. Alford embarked on a challenge: to craft a week's worth of meals made mainly from on-the-cheap ingredients, culminating in a 99-cent dinner party.
Google Pushes Privacy Reforms
ComputerWorld
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Mar 27, 2008 5:31 PM CDT
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Google is working to ease concerns about privacy infringement in online advertising, ComputerWorld reports. The online giant hosted a meeting for the Consumer Privacy Legislative Forum, a group working to get a bill protecting online consumers’ information passed in Congress. Google will also file comments concerning the FTC’s proposed...
Mugabe Foes Vow Massive Protests
Guardian (UK)
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Mar 27, 2008 5:22 PM CDT
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The opposition to Zimbabwe’s ruling party threatened to incite Kenya-style protests if Saturday’s election is rigged as expected, the Guardian reports. President Mugabe has told Zimbabweans not to waste their votes by supporting the other candidates, who “will never be allowed to rule this country.” Mugabe said his security...
LA Times Apologizes for Diddy-Tupac Story
Los Angeles Times
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Mar 27, 2008 4:54 PM CDT
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The Los Angeles Times today admitted the paper was duped in its story alleging that Sean "Diddy" Combs was connected to the 1994 murder of fellow rapper Tupac Shakur. The reporter and editor responsible for the story apologized and said parts of it were based on FBI records that turned out to have been fabricated by an imprisoned con man.
Bush Praises Iraqi Offensive
Associated Press
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Mar 27, 2008 4:47 PM CDT
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President Bush praised the government of Iraq today for the offensive launched three days ago against militias in Basra, painting it as a sign of progress toward the goals of the US war, the AP reports. Bush also criticized Congress for calling for troop withdrawals so the military’s attention could be turned to anti-terrorism efforts elsewhere,...
T.I. Will Get Jail Sentence in Weapons Rap
Associated Press
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Mar 27, 2008 4:32 PM CDT
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Rapper T.I.—aka Clifford Harris—pleaded guilty today in Atlanta to weapons charges, the AP reports. Harris will have to spend about a year in jail but must complete 1,500 hours of community service first; he also faces three years' house arrest and a $100,000 fine. Addressing youth groups on the dangers of guns, drugs, and gangs will be...
AMD Updates Phenom, Adds 4 Quad-Core Chips
CNET
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Mar 27, 2008 4:26 PM CDT
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Semiconductor company AMD has revealed updates to its Phenom line and will launch four quad-core chips that “can improve performance for gaming and multi-threaded applications,” the company says. The California firm also said it would ship triple-core processors, which CNet reports is a first for the PC market, CNet reports.
Spitzer Linked to Second Ring
New York Post
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Mar 27, 2008 4:10 PM CDT
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Former New York governor Eliot Spitzer was a client of an upscale prostitution operation busted Tuesday in Manhattan, the New York Post reports. The news comes less than two weeks after Spitzer stepped down for patronizing a similar operation based in New Jersey. And as that saga had "Kristen," the paper charges Spitzer's favored woman...
Islamic Groups Reject Truce in Egypt Peace Talks
Reuters
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Mar 27, 2008 3:49 PM CDT
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Egypt’s talks with Palestinian militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad, aimed at establishing a truce with Israel, ended unsuccessfully today, Reuters reports. The militant groups demanded Israel stop Gaza and West Bank raids, end its Gaza blockade, and reopen border-crossings. Hamas and Israel already appear to have instituted a de facto ceasefire,...
Stocks Dip on Tough Tech Day
MarketWatch
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Mar 27, 2008 3:28 PM CDT
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The markets fell today on weak news from the tech and financial sectors. The Dow dropped 120.16 points to 12,302.7, the Nasdaq fell 43.53 to 2,280.83, and the S&P closed down 15.36 at 1,325.77, MarketWatch reports. Disappointing results from bellwethers Oracle and Google sent techs downward, and Lehman Brothers, Bank of America, and JP Morgan also...
New Methods Help Make Beef Jerky Safer
LiveScience
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Mar 27, 2008 3:08 PM CDT
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Good news for meat lovers in a time of massive beef recalls: Researchers at Kansas State have found a way to make beef jerky safer from E. coli and salmonella, LiveScience reports. They found that a longer drying time would eliminate the pathogens in contaminated beef samples, offering a low-cost way for producers to comply with federal standards.
Swank Suites Sweeten Stadiums
Forbes
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Mar 27, 2008 2:45 PM CDT
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Private boxes are great on game day, and sports clubs are taking it to the next level, giving well-heeled fans super-sumptuous treatment—in return for deluxe bucks. Forbes rundowns some of the priciest stadium suites: Yankee Stadium’s Legend Suites: $2,500 per front row seat per game, or $1 million for a 5-year contract ...
Obama Plan: $30B Stimulus, More Regulation
Wall Street Journal
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Mar 27, 2008 2:29 PM CDT
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Barack Obama called today for stricter financial regulations and laid out a $30 billion stimulus plan, the Wall Street Journal reports, including measures aimed at the foreclosure crisis. The Democratic candidate said President Bush had “a generally scornful attitude toward oversight and enforcement,” and proposed expanding Fed powers...
Saddam's Last Days Revealed
CNN
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Mar 27, 2008 2:10 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The dictator who ruled with a murderous fist spent his time writing in his journal and tending to a small garden his captors allowed him in the prison courtyard. And on his execution day, the man known as "Vic" told guards to tell his daughter he was going to meet God with a clear conscience, a soldier for Iraq. CNN toured Saddam Hussein's...
North Korea Boots Officials from S. Korea
New York Times
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Mar 27, 2008 1:48 PM CDT
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South Korean officials left North Korea this morning, after receiving their eviction notice from Pyongyang. Relations have soured between the Koreas since the South demanded the North cease its nuclear activities, but the South said it was “undaunted” by the expulsion of its men. “We will deal with this issue in a pragmatic way,”...
TV Newbie Verizon to FCC: Help Cable Users Switch
Washington Post
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Mar 27, 2008 1:26 PM CDT
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As Verizon rolls out its subscription-TV service, the company has asked the FCC to make the switch from cable easier for consumers, the Washington Post reports. In its petition, Verizon asked for the authority to shut off its customers’ cable services on their behalf, arguing that the switchover process is “cumbersome” for customers...
Montana Ad Blitz Busts Meth Use
Christian Science Monitor
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Mar 27, 2008 1:23 PM CDT
(Newser) -
In 2005, Montana had the fifth-worst methamphetamine problem in the US; now it’s 39th, and negative advertising is to credit for much of the stunning turnaround. Montana’s nonprofit Meth Project launched a massive blitz against the drug, blanketing airwaves, websites, newspapers, and billboards. “The intention is to treat meth like...
Court Refuses to Reinstate Mumia's Death Sentence
Philadelphia Inquirer
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Mar 27, 2008 1:00 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Famed death-row inmate Mumia Abu-Jamal earned some measure of triumph today as a US appeals court refused to reinstate his death sentence, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. Abu-Jamal was convicted in 1982 of killing a Philly cop, and has fought for retrial. The court upheld the conviction but said Abu-Jamal should face life in prison or get a new...
GDP Growth Weakest Since '02
MarketWatch
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Mar 27, 2008 12:46 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The US economy sputtered—as expected—in the fourth quarter of 2007, growing at the slowest rate since 2002, MarketWatch reports. Estimated growth of the US gross domestic product was 0.6% for the last three months of 2007, matching economists' forecasts. Consumer spending grew 2.3%, and exports increased 6.5%, both beating the Commerce...
Why Do Kids Love to Cuss?
NPR
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Mar 27, 2008 12:34 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Kids swear. They swear like sailors. Why is that, and should parents be worried? NPR decided to investigate and found, logically enough, that kids swear because they pick up the words from others, particularly mom and dad. “That’s just language learning,” says psychologist Paul Bloom. “These words have no special status as taboo...
Carla Outshines Sarko in UK
Times (UK)
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Mar 27, 2008 12:20 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Gordon Brown and Nicolas Sarkozy tackled Afghanistan, immigration, climate change, and global markets as the French president’s visit to Britain continued—but Carla Bruni still hogged the headlines. Sarkozy ripped a French reporter who suggested his wife had overshadowed his trip, the Times of London reports—saying, “this...
YouTube Will Show When, Where Clips Are Hot
New York Times
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Mar 27, 2008 12:13 PM CDT
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In what could be a boon to advertisers, a new YouTube feature will allow video makers to see when and where their clips are being watched, reports the New York Times . YouTube Insight will show a map and graph representing the video’s popularity by state and over time--interesting information for casual users, but a boon to marketers hoping...
Saint John Still Tainted by Senate Murk
Time
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Mar 27, 2008 12:12 PM CDT
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With John McCain the presumptive Republican nominee, Democrats are rushing to expose chinks in the Arizona senator's saintly armor, Michael Scherer reports in Time . Though McCain talks tough about special interests, he has often appeared to have done their bidding. He once, for example, wrote a letter on behalf of a donor after a fundraiser on said...
Space Tourism Gets New 2-Seater
Los Angeles Times
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Mar 27, 2008 11:57 AM CDT
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California's XCor Aerospace is jumping aboard the space-tourism bandwagon with a new rocket plane, the Los Angeles Times reports. For $100,000, one passenger at a time will be able to ride the Lynx to 200,000 feet and feel about 90 seconds of weightlessness. With flight tests beginning in 2010, XCor aims to be the second company in the business.
Feds Indict Puerto Rican Governor in Finance Probe
Associated Press
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Mar 27, 2008 11:46 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Puerto Rican Gov.Anibal Acevedo Vila was indicted today on 19 counts, including election fraud and conspiracy to violate federal campaign-finance laws, the AP reports. Vila and 12 associates are accused of breaking rules in financing the 2000 campaign that saw Vila elected the territory's Washington rep. Vila says the charges, and the probe that spawned...
Monks Spoil China's PR Tour
Financial Times (UK)
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Mar 27, 2008 11:37 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Tibetan monks burst into a carefully choreographed Chinese media event yesterday, breaking the image of restored calm China had hoped to project. China had allowed a small group of foreign reporters into the region, but even as one monk at Lhasa’s Jokhang Temple was expounding on the return to normalcy, 30 younger monks burst in, shouting “We...
Earliest Recording of Sound Finally Played Back
New York Times
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Mar 27, 2008 11:29 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Thomas Edison and associates might've been first to hear recorded sound, but scientists have revealed they weren’t the first to create it, the New York Times reports. A 10-second recording of “Au Clair de la Lune” made in 1860—17 years before Edison patented the phonograph—has finally been played back by researchers...
Feds Must Ward Off Stagnation, Clinton Says
Wall Street Journal
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Mar 27, 2008 11:15 AM CDT
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The government should step into the mortgage mess on a broader scale, Hillary Clinton told the Wall Street Journal yesterday, suggesting monetary policy alone can’t ignite a recovery and warning that procrastination could lead to stagnation similar to Japan’s weary economy. Clinton said the Federal Housing Administration should buy troubled...
What?! Tourist Arrested for Busting Ancient Statue's Ear
Guardian (UK)
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Mar 27, 2008 11:05 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A Finnish tourist is facing an imposing sentence for cracking an ear off one of Easter Island's ancient monoliths, the Guardian reports. A local woman saw him snap the ear off the 13-foot statue. It shattered in several pieces as it fell to the ground, and he fled with one of the bits clutched in his hand, said authorities. A Finnish diplomat said...
Top Reasons to Ogle DWTS
Entertainment Weekly
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Mar 27, 2008 10:49 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Go on, admit it: Dancing With the Stars has you glued to the tube like a nude bodysuit on a ballroom dancer. Don’t worry—Annie Barrett of Entertainment Weekly is right there with you. She shares the 15 reasons she’s a Dancing fool. Stars dancing with gusto, no matter how goofy. Campy men who get campier as they...
Kosovo Eager for Freedom's Ring
Wall Street Journal
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Mar 27, 2008 10:23 AM CDT
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Kosovo has won recognition as an independent state from three dozen countries, but a call to the world's newest nation is a reminder of its history. Telephone numbers in Kosovo still begin with the old Serbian dialing code, and the breakaway republic now wants its own international prefix. It's not an isolated case, writes the Wall Street Journal...
Chelsea Draws the Monica Query
Associated Press
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Mar 27, 2008 10:15 AM CDT
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“Presumably, the question had to come at some point,” write the LA Times ’ Andrew Malcolm and Mark Silva, but Chelsea Clinton dealt with an audience query on Monica Lewinsky “quite neatly” yesterday. The question came at the end of an Indiana college appearance when a man asked if Bill’s notorious affair had hurt...
Litvinenko Wife Defies Brits, Demands Inquiry
Times (UK)
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Mar 27, 2008 10:04 AM CDT
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Alexander Litvinenko's widow calls for a public inquiry into the poisoning of the Russian spy in an op-ed for today's Times of London. Both the British foreign secretary and Scotland Yard have sought to dissuade her from petitioning for an inquest, saying it would prejudge a criminal trial against chief suspect Andrei Lugovoy. But after 15 months,...
Delta Latest to Cancel Flights
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Mar 27, 2008 9:52 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Delta Airlines canceled dozens of flights today and tomorrow after voluntarily grounding 133 of its older jets for inspections, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports. As with American Airlines, Delta is checking wiring on some McDonnell-Douglas jets to ensure compliance with FAA directives. "It's an inconvenience," one traveler said,...
Superdelegates Ask: Which Candidate Has the Coattails?
Bloomberg
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Mar 27, 2008 9:38 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Ten of Pennsylvania's superdelegates have yet to back a Democratic presidential candidate ahead of the April 22 primary. And while Clinton is expected to win the balloting, Bloomberg writes, some—especially several freshman congressmen up for reelection—are concerned that her "high negatives" might inspire more Republicans to...
Saturn Moon Holds Recipe for Life
Reuters
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Mar 27, 2008 9:27 AM CDT
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Basic components of life like heat, organic chemicals, and water have been found on a Saturn moon, Reuters reports. A spacecraft flying over Enceladus this month spotted 500-mile-high geysers spouting off its surface, containing water vapor and the organic molecules found in living things. Though no one’s saying there’s life on Enceladus,...
US Supplier Arms Afghan Forces With Ancient Ammo
New York Times
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Mar 27, 2008 9:13 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The US military's main supplier for munitions to Afghanistan is an unvetted business run by a 22-year-old with no military experience and a string of domestic violence allegations, an investigation by the New York Times finds. And the tiny company's shady dealings with arms traffickers has left Afghan forces armed with obsolete, 40-year-old ammo.
Photoshop for the Rest of Us
CNET
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Mar 27, 2008 9:00 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Adobe’s Photoshop has long been the standard for high-end image editing, but for Joe Q. Digital Camera, it’s too imposing, too complicated, and much too expensive. Today, Adobe hopes to fix all that, rolling out Photoshop Express, its free, web-based photo editor. The flash-based editor gives point-and-clickers a quick, easy way to eliminate...
Shining Sun Belt Beckons to Rust Belt's Weary
Associated Press
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Mar 27, 2008 8:43 AM CDT
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Americans are continuing to flock to the Sun Belt, reports the AP. Almost all of the 50 fastest-growing metro areas in 2006 and 2007 were in the South and West, and four of the top 10 were in Texas. None were in the Northeast. Experts say the Sun Belt's strong economies and low house prices are drawing in people, especially from the Rust Belt.
