Newser Story Index from January, 2009
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.
Comet Crash Created Diamonds, Death
Los Angeles Times
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Jan 2, 2009 6:13 AM CST
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Newly discovered microscopic diamonds suggest that a comet crashed into North America 13,000 years ago, triggering devastating floods and fires that killed 35 species and wiped out human communities, reports the Los Angeles Times . Layers of "nanodiamonds," found in a number of regions in the country, were created by the crash some 65 million...
Cheney Wasn't Puppetmaster, Say Bush Aides
Washington Post
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Jan 2, 2009 5:32 AM CST
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Popular beliefs about the Bush presidency are way off the mark, a pair of top advisers who served throughout the administration tell the Washington Post . The idea that Vice President Dick Cheney wielded unprecedented power and pulled the strings on Bush's foreign policy is "just hooey," said Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten.
Sri Lankan Troops Capture Rebel Capital
Reuters
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Jan 2, 2009 4:59 AM CST
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Sri Lankan government troops have captured the Tamil Tiger capital of Kilinochchi after months of heavy fighting, Reuters reports. Soldiers are mopping up the last of the rebel resistance and many have fled into the jungle, say officials. The capture of Kilonochchi is a devastating blow to the Tigers, leaving them with only one remaining stronghold....
Obama to Meet With Congress on Economy
Reuters
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Jan 2, 2009 4:30 AM CST
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Barack Obama's Hawaiian holiday is over, and he's now preparing to meet with congressional leaders Monday to discuss jump-starting America's economy, reports Reuters. Aides say the meetings—the president-elect's first with Congress since winning the election—will cover Obama's proposed stimulus package and a range of other issues.
Final Chapter for Mystery Writer Westlake
New York Times
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Jan 2, 2009 3:57 AM CST
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Prolific mystery writer Donald E. Westlake, who wrote hundreds of novels, stories and screenplays under his own name and a posse of pseudonyms, died from a heart attack on New Year's Eve while vacationing in Mexico. He was 75. One of his characters, downsized executive turned killer Burke Devore, stands among the most emblematic figures in American...
4 Busted in 'Hate Crime' Rape of Lesbian
San Francisco Chronicle
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Jan 2, 2009 3:30 AM CST
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Police have arrested all four suspects in the Bay Area kidnapping and gang rape of a lesbian last month that police have deemed a hate crime, reports the San Francisco Chronicle . The two adults and two teenagers face charges including felony kidnapping to commit a sex crime, carjacking and gang rape. The attackers taunted the victim about her sexuality...
Israel Fears Rocket Attack on Nuke Plant
Times (UK)
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Jan 2, 2009 3:03 AM CST
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Israeli officials, shaken by the size and sophistication of Hamas' rocket arsenal, fear the country's nuclear center at Dimona may be targeted, the Times of London reports. The group's new, more accurate, Grad missiles, smuggled in by land and sea, can penetrate significantly farther into Israel than the crude, home-made Qassam missiles it once relied...
Steel Industry Hopes Stimulus Will Forge Recovery
New York Times
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Jan 2, 2009 2:32 AM CST
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Leaders of America's sagging steel industry are hoping their operations will spearhead the economy's recovery with some major help from the US government, the New York Times reports. Steel orders have collapsed since September, causing thousands of layoffs. Execs are pushing hard for the expected stimulus package from the incoming administration...
Vatican Splits Off From Italian Law
BBC
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Jan 2, 2009 1:59 AM CST
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The Vatican is getting a divorce from Italian law. The Pope has decreed his city-state within Rome will no longer automatically endorse Italian legislation, but will scrutinize bills for conflicts with Roman Catholic doctrine before adopting them. It's the first time the Vatican has distanced itself from Italy's laws—and treaties—since...
Dems May Ask Cops to Keep Burris Off Senate Floor
CNN
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Jan 1, 2009 10:13 PM CST
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The inauguration ceremony for new senators is generally not a must-see affair, but then Rod Blagojevich never played a role before. Democratic aides tell CNN they will block the Illinois governor's appointment, Roland Burris, from entering the Senate chamber Tuesday, even if it means calling in the Capitol police. Burris says he plans to be there,...
Raul Castro: Outside Forces Can't Harm Us
Miami Herald
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Jan 1, 2009 9:09 PM CST
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Raul Castro marked the 50th anniversary of his brother's rise to power by declaring that the revolution is "stronger than ever" but warning Cubans that more hardships lie ahead, the Miami Herald reports. Though he didn't mention the US by name, Castro said that outside forces could not harm the nation. He warned, however, that it could...
USC Crushes Penn State to Win Rose Bowl
Associated Press
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Jan 1, 2009 7:55 PM CST
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Southern California made a strong case of its own to be No. 1 as it manhandled Penn State in the Rose Bowl, 38-24. Mark Sanchez passed for 413 yards and four touchdowns, and USC dominated on defense. Out of the BCS championship mix, the fifth-ranked Trojans (12-1) could only wonder what might have been had they not lost at Oregon State 27-21 in September.
CD Sales Down 20% in 2008
Wall Street Journal
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Jan 1, 2009 7:00 PM CST
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The music industry ends 2008 in familiar territory: Sales are down for the seventh time in eight years, the Wall Street Journal reports. CD purchases dropped by 20% to 360.6 million as labels continue to adapt to the digital revolution. Apple's iTunes store moved ahead of Wal-Mart to become the world's largest music retailer in 2008, the Journal...
E!'s Lyons Draws Scorn of Fellow Film Critics
Los Angeles Times
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Jan 1, 2009 6:23 PM CST
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In his four months as critic on E!'s At The Movies , Ben Lyons—he who called Will Smith's I Am Legend one of the greatest films in history with a straight face—has galled the critics' community and presided over a plunge in viewership of the show once hosted by Siskel and Ebert. Lyons' detractors accuse him of nepotism (his father is...
50 Ways to Improve Your 2009
US News & World Report
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Jan 1, 2009 5:50 PM CST
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Just in case your pledge to exercise more didn’t satiate your need for self-improvement resolutions, US News and World Report offers 50 more ways to improve your life in 2009. Here are a few: Pack up for Vermont: When it comes to healthy habits and community, the Green Mountain State beats all, a recent study found.
Creator of Pell Grants Dead at 90
Associated Press
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Jan 1, 2009 5:17 PM CST
(AP) -
Claiborne Pell, the quirky blueblood who represented blue-collar Rhode Island in the Senate for 36 years and was the force behind a grant program that has helped tens of millions of Americans attend college, died today of Parkinson's disease. He was 90. Pell sponsored legislation creating the Basic Educational Opportunity Grants, which passed in 1972...
Hockey at Wrigley? Wings Beat Blackhawks
Chicago Tribune
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Jan 1, 2009 4:32 PM CST
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Two of the NHL's oldest franchises got together for some old-school outdoors hockey today, with the Detroit Red Wings beating the Chicago Blackhawks 6-4, the Chicago Tribune reports. The league's second annual Winter Classic, staged in a converted Wrigley Field, threw the players plenty of curveballs, from chilly temperatures to last-minute ice repair....
Want Two Free Inauguration Tix?
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Jan 1, 2009 3:53 PM CST
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Curious to check out this “historic inauguration” thing everyone’s talking about? The Presidential Inaugural Committee is giving away 10 tickets—plus an equal number for guests—to the winners of an essay contest on what Barack Obama’s swearing-in means to them, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. The committee...
BoA, Wells Fargo Wrap Up Takeovers
Reuters
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Jan 1, 2009 3:27 PM CST
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Bank of America and Wells Fargo completed their respective takeovers of Merrill Lynch and Wachovia this week, expected developments that close the books on a year of unprecedented change in the banking industry, Reuters reports. The acquisition of Merrill makes BoA the largest US bank by assets, with $2.7 trillion, while Wells Fargo is now fourth,...
Pyrotechnics Likely Caused Thai Club Fire
BBC
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Jan 1, 2009 3:03 PM CST
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Firecrackers or a pyrotechnic New Year's display are the likely culprits in last night’s Bangkok nightclub blaze that killed 61 people and injured 200, the BBC reports. Witnesses said flames shot from a stage set the ceiling on fire, which then fell onto terrified partygoers. “People were screaming for help from every window. It was a terrible...
Thieves Return Madoff Statue, Lesson Attached
Palm Beach Post
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Jan 1, 2009 2:53 PM CST
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The thieves who nabbed a $10,000 copper statue from fraudster Bernard Madoff's swank Florida home have returned it, along with this note: "Bernie the Swindler, Lesson: Return stolen property to rightful owners." The advice was penned by "The Educators," whose inspiration may be a German namesake film in which anti-capitalists break...
What's In and Out for 2009
Washington Post
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Jan 1, 2009 2:36 PM CST
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The New Year is here, and that means it’s time to clean out the cultural wardrobe. Hank Stuever of the Washington Post offers his annual take on things that are so last year, and others sure to be cool in the next 12 months: Out: LOLcats In: “ Garfield Minus Garfield” Out: Dressing like “Mad Men”...
Federal Judges Lose Pay Raise Battle, Again
Los Angeles Times
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Jan 1, 2009 2:07 PM CST
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Federal judges went without a cost-of-living pay increase yet again in 2008, the LA Times reports. A quirk in federal law prevents judges from getting the automatic raises other federal employees get, and the financial crisis derailed a bill that would have upped their pay by 28%. John Roberts is not pleased. “Courts cannot preserve their vitality...
For Refugees, New Year Means New Way of Life
Boston Globe
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Jan 1, 2009 1:50 PM CST
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It's no coincidence that 15% of recent Somali refugees to the US share a birthday today. Aid workers often assign Jan. 1 when a birth date is unavailable, as is often the case in war-ravaged and disaster-ridden countries or cultures that don't celebrate birthdays. American rituals seem especially peculiar to the latter, though refugees are increasingly...
Anti-Apartheid Crusader Suzman Dead
BBC
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Jan 1, 2009 1:26 PM CST
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Anti-apartheid icon Helen Suzman has died peacefully in her Johannesburg home, her daughter announced today. She was 91. Suzman served in South Africa’s parliament at a time when few whites criticized apartheid, and for 13 years was the only legislator to publicly do so. She was twice nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts. “She...
A State of Shameless Opportunism
Washington Post
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Jan 1, 2009 12:55 PM CST
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Illinois politicians are swiftly revealing themselves as a pack of opportunists. Rod Blagojevich saw Obama’s seat as an opportunity to make a buck, Illinois Dems see an opportunity to oust their hated governor, and Roland Burris sees an opportunity to vault himself into the Senate—“no matter what Obama and every other Democrat from...
Barkley's Arrest for DUI Leads to TMI
E! Online
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Jan 1, 2009 12:32 PM CST
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Charles Barkley lived up to his reputation for telling it like it is when Arizona police pulled him over on suspicion of DUI early yesterday, E! reports. Asked why he had run a stop sign at 1:26am, he said he was in a hurry to pick up the woman in the passenger seat, and, pointing her out, asked the cop to confirm that she was "hot."...
'Green' Tops 2008's Most Annoying Terms
Associated Press
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Jan 1, 2009 12:23 PM CST
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Did you get your fill of mavericks this year? Or companies claiming to go green? Those words made Lake Superior State University’s list of the most overused words and phrases of 2008, the AP reports. Other annoying winners: Carbon footprint First dude Bailout Wall Street, in comparison with Main Street
Shoppers Go Whole Hog for Piggy Banks
Reuters
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Jan 1, 2009 12:08 PM CST
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Piggy banks have been flying off the shelves this holiday season, reports Reuters. Newly frugal consumers see the pigs as symbolic of the need to save, retailers say. The savings rate across America has shot up from zero to 2.8% as worried households start to sock away cash—although economists warn that the recession will last longer if...
Global Warming Battle Hits Malibu Beach
Los Angeles Times
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Jan 1, 2009 11:50 AM CST
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Malibu's scenic Broad Beach is vanishing between the rising sea and the sea walls homeowners are building to protect million-dollar properties from global warming, the Los Angeles Times reports. Ocean levels are projected to rise at least a couple feet in the next century, wiping away this and many other iconic beaches in California, where an inch...
Aspen Bomb Plot Suspect Kills Himself
Denver Post
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Jan 1, 2009 11:13 AM CST
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Jim Blanning, the 72-year-old parolee police suspect sent threatening notes and mysterious packages to a pair of Aspen banks yesterday, was found dead east of town this morning, having apparently shot himself, the Denver Post reports. Police identified Blanning, a former Aspen native now living in Denver, from bank security footage, during an investigation...
Fido's Clone Just Ain't Fido
New York Times
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Jan 1, 2009 10:43 AM CST
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Lou Hawthorne's canine cloning business is well on its way—with clients paying upwards of $130,000 to duplicate their pets—but the copies of his own beloved family dog have hardly replaced her. Clones Mira and MissyToo vary in size and color, and Hawthorne's mother—keeper of the original Missy, now deceased—refuses to keep the...
Last-Minute Flood Jams College Application Site
New York Times
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Jan 1, 2009 10:27 AM CST
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Some high school seniors submitting college applications hours before the Dec. 31 deadline encountered timeout errors and slowdowns that gave them quite a scare, the New York Times reports. The Common Application site—used by a million students to apply for 350 colleges—buckled twice under the volume of last-minute applicants. The site's...
Israeli Strike Kills Hamas Leader
CNN
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Jan 1, 2009 10:08 AM CST
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An overnight Israeli air strike killed a top Hamas commander and nine others, including family members, in a refugee camp north of Gaza City, CNN reports. Nizar Rayan—described by Haaretz as an "outspoken advocate of renewing suicide bombings against Israel"—is the most senior Hamas leader killed in the 6-day Gaza offensive....
Time Warner, Viacom Reach Zero-Hour Deal
Hollywood Reporter
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Jan 1, 2009 9:57 AM CST
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The countdown to the New Year was a frantic one for Viacom and Time Warner. The companies had set a midnight deadline in their tense negotiations to keep Viacom’s networks—which include MTV, Comedy Central, and Nickelodeon—on the massive cable provider. As the ball dropped, Viacom granted a 1-hour extension, and the sides reached...
Paparazzi, Celeb Mags Power Obama
Politico
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Jan 1, 2009 9:50 AM CST
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He’s a fixture in People and Us magazine. Paparazzi snap photos of him shirtless on the beach, titillating the masses. And oh, right, Barack Obama is about to be leader of the free world. But being Celebrity in Chief has its perks, Politico reports. “The number of eyeballs that read People magazine are enormous,” says one strategist....
Russia Stops Supplying Gas to Ukraine
Reuters
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Jan 1, 2009 9:35 AM CST
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Russia's gas export monopoly has cut off Ukraine's supply over a contract dispute, and has boosted European supply to head off worries about reliability, Reuters reports. The EU gets 20% of its gas from Ukrainian pipelines. Kiev has already tapped the country's reserves, and maintaining the pressure in the supply pipelines is a concern. Crisis-battered...
Battered Markets Crawl Into 2009
New York Times
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Jan 1, 2009 9:22 AM CST
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Weary relief that 2008 was finally over greeted the final bell at the New York Stock Exchange yesterday, but shaken investors worry about what 2009 holds, the New York Times reports. The final tally confirmed that the year was the worst for stockholders since the Great Depression. Stock plunges across the board wiped out the gains of the previous...
Palin: My Future Son-In-Law's No Dropout
Anchorage Daily News
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Jan 1, 2009 9:10 AM CST
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Sarah Palin is blasting media reports that her daughter and future son-in-law are high school dropouts, reports the Anchorage Daily News . The Alaska governor told several news outlets that eldest daughter Bristol, who just gave birth to Palin's first grandchild, starts her last semester in high school next week, and that proud poppa Levi Johnston,...
Green Zone Turned Over to Iraqis
Washington Post
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Jan 1, 2009 8:55 AM CST
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The heart of the US occupation in Iraq was returned to Iraqi control at midnight last night, the Washington Post reports. Iraqi soldiers now control checkpoints leading to the heavily fortified Green Zone enclave in Baghdad. American troops and workers have moved out of many buildings, including the former palace of Saddam Hussein that once served...
Matt Dillon Clocked at 106 mph
Reuters
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Jan 1, 2009 8:21 AM CST
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Actor Matt Dillon was arrested for speeding after a police radar caught him zooming northbound on a Vermont highway at 106 mph, reports Reuters. The Crash star was driving a rented 2009 Chevy Impala in a 65 mph zone. Dillon, 44, faces up to three months in jail and a $300 fine if convicted.
Baby Born on Transatlantic Flight
Boston Herald
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Jan 1, 2009 7:48 AM CST
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Passengers on a Boston-bound plane from Amsterdam got a New Year's surprise when a woman on board went into labor, the Boston Herald reports. Two doctors on the flight informed the pilot that the baby would come before the aircraft could make an emergency landing. Passengers cheered after the woman delivered a baby girl.
Crotch-Grabbing Granny Fends Off Naked Attacker
Oregonian (Portland)
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Jan 1, 2009 7:19 AM CST
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An 88-year-old woman fought off a naked intruder in her home with a good squeeze in the right place, the Oregonian reports. The man forced the woman into her living room and pushed her face down onto a chair, but fled after she reached behind her, grabbed his genitals, and squeezed. A 46-year-old man was arrested and charged with burglary,...
Gaza Death Toll Hits 400
CNN
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Jan 1, 2009 6:50 AM CST
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The Gaza death toll passed 400 as Israeli airstrikes continued for a sixth day on the start of the New Year and gutted the Palestinian parliament building, CNN reports. The dead include 42 children, 13 women and two medical workers. Some 2,000 others are injured, hundeds of them critically. Israel has rejected calls for a truce and vowed to continue...
Leap-Year Bug Zapped Zunes
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
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Jan 1, 2009 6:21 AM CST
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All 2006 model Zune30s froze up at midnight last night because of a problem handling the last day of leap years, according to Microsoft. The company advises owners to wait until 4pm PST today, drain the device's batteries, and then recharge, reports the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Microsoft apologized for the inconvenience, and promised that a future...
G Rating Not Safe for Kids Anymore
Slate
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Jan 1, 2009 5:42 AM CST
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The G rating has devolved into ambiguity, providing parents little clue of what's in store for their kids, Emily Bazelon writes in Slate. Take The Tale of Despereaux about a bookish mouse's fairy tale rescue of a princess from rats. It was entertaining and age-appropriate as a kids' book, she says, but the too-real animation—full of ominous...
Bailout Success Will Teach Wrong Lesson
Washington Post
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Jan 1, 2009 5:03 AM CST
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America needs to learn some hard lessons that a $700 billion bailout of the economy isn't going to teach, David Ignatius writes in the Washington Post . If the the country manages to dodge a depression, the message will be that irresponsible behavior brings a rescue, and that bills don't need to be paid, he notes.
