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.
Paris: Acting Dumb Is Hard
Daily Mirror (UK)
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Jan 28, 2009 11:00 AM CST
(Newser) -
Paris Hilton is no dummy—just ask her. The hotel heiress blames her stint on The Simple Life for her international reputation as a five-star ditz, the Daily Mirror reports, and she insists she didn't really mistake TV chef Gordon Ramsay for British PM Gordon Brown. “I know exactly who Gordon Brown is," she says. "I was...
Don't Dodge Recession: The Case Against Stimulus
Politico
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Jan 28, 2009 10:45 AM CST
(Newser) -
There’s a near-consensus in DC that the recession calls for major government action. But on the libertarian fringe is what Politico calls “the Do Nothing Crowd.” This group tends to think there's no alternative to letting the economy, which became "filled with phantom wealth," contract, however painfully. “Our standard...
Guy's Dad to Madge: Stay Away
Perez Hilton
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Jan 28, 2009 10:33 AM CST
(Newser) -
There’s at least one person truly happy about the Madonna-Guy Ritchie divorce: Guy’s dad. John Ritchie told In Touch magazine he’s glad Madonna has “lots of boyfriends” to keep her from pulling her ex-hubby back into her clutches, Perez Hilton reports. The protective parent added, “The worst thing would be if they...
Some Hudson Passengers Say $5K Not Enough
USA Today
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Jan 28, 2009 10:28 AM CST
(Newser) -
US Airways paid $5,000 to each passenger aboard Flight 1549 for the baggage that the NTSB needs to keep for its investigation into the crash—but not everyone is satisfied with that payout, reports USA Today . Some say their belongings were worth more than $5,000, while others want restitution for injuries.
'Harry' Invites Obama Girls to Hogwarts
Daily Mail (UK)
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Jan 28, 2009 10:17 AM CST
(Newser) -
Malia and Sasha Obama just moved into the White House, and they may soon get a tour of an even more exciting place: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry Potter himself—or, rather, actor Daniel Radcliffe—invited the first daughters to visit the set and said he “would be honored to be their personal tour guide,” the...
Storm Kills 19, Cuts Power to 600K in South, Midwest
Associated Press
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Jan 28, 2009 10:08 AM CST
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A storm sweeping from the middle of the country into the Northeast today has left at least 19 dead and cut power to 600,000 people, the AP reports. In hard-hit states like Arkansas, where power companies warned service might not return for days, 3 inches of ice weighed down tree limbs and made driving treacherous.
Phoenix 'Breakdown' More Like a Put-On
Entertainment Weekly
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Jan 28, 2009 10:06 AM CST
(Newser) -
Joaquin Phoenix's transformation from Oscar-nominated actor to bumbling rapper may be a prank meant to satirize media coverage of pompous actors, Entertainment Weekly reports. “He said, ‘It's a put-on. I'm going to pretend to have a meltdown and change careers, and Casey [Affleck] is going to film it,’” a source close to the...
New BlackBerry Lands in a Sweet Spot
Wall Street Journal
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Jan 28, 2009 9:57 AM CST
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Research in Motion’s newest BlackBerry, the Curve 8900, is "a satisfying combination of high-end features, ideal size, and good looks," writes Katherine Boehret for the Wall Street Journal. Unlike the high-profile Storm, the new smartphone has a real keyboard that's "a dream for thumbs," she raves. Overall, the Curve 8900...
Media Day Close But No Bizarre
Tampa Tribune
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Jan 28, 2009 9:44 AM CST
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Super Bowl media day, traditionally one of the weirdest episodes on the sports calendar, came and went yesterday with nary an international incident and less exposed flesh than usual. True, a Telemundo reporter traipsed about in drag, while another very serious journalist busily measured players’ biceps. "Last time, I got interviewed by...
Iceland to Appoint First Openly Gay Woman as PM
Associated Press
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Jan 28, 2009 9:30 AM CST
(AP) -
Iceland is set to appoint the world's first openly gay woman as prime minister: a former flight attendant who rose through the political ranks to become a cabinet minister. Johanna Sigurdardottir, the 66-year-old social affairs minister, is the pick of the Social Democratic Alliance Party to lead an interim government. Sigurdardottir's appointment...
It's Time to Endow Newspapers
New York Times
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Jan 28, 2009 9:23 AM CST
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Newspapers are dying, and there’s only one way to save them, write Yale's David Swensen and Michael Schmidt in today’s New York Times : Make them nonprofit, endowed institutions, like colleges. The Internet has made the for-profit model systematically unsustainable, and constant attempts to refinance and cut costs are just “Band-Aids...
War, Not Nation-Building, Will Be Obama's Top Afghan Goal
New York Times
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Jan 28, 2009 9:08 AM CST
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In a departure from Bush policies, the Obama administration intends to ramp up military operations in Afghanistan at the expense of reconstruction, the New York Times reports, shifting the burden of civil work to NATO allies. “If we set ourselves the objective of creating some sort of Central Asian Valhalla over there,” Defense Secretary...
Stocks Soar on Bank Hopes
Wall Street Journal
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Jan 28, 2009 8:52 AM CST
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Stocks skyrocketed at today's open, spurred by reports that the Obama administration would likely form a “bad bank” to buy up illiquid assets. The Dow jumped 110 points, and the S&P and Nasdaq gained 1.9% and 1.8% respectively. Banking stocks led the way, with Citigroup leaping 20% and Bank of America 18%. Wells Fargo threw more fuel...
Octuplets Sound Alarm Bells for Fertility Experts
Los Angeles Times
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Jan 28, 2009 8:45 AM CST
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After Monday’s birth of octuplets in southern California, fertility experts are raising concerns that the mother’s doctors went ahead with procedures that could result in such a high-order multiple birth. It’s not hard to avoid fertilizing so many eggs at once, and the danger for both mother and babies rises sharply beyond triplets,...
Jumbo Mortgage Defaults Soar
Wall Street Journal
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Jan 28, 2009 8:33 AM CST
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Jumbo mortgages are now going south at an alarming rate, reports the Wall Street Journal , as affluent Americans face mounting layoffs and see their stock portfolios shrivel. Nearly 7% of prime jumbo loans—which average $750,000—were at least 90 days delinquent at the end of 2008, up from 2.6% a year earlier. That's three times the default...
GOP Rep Fires Back at Limbaugh
Politico
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Jan 28, 2009 8:29 AM CST
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Rush Limbaugh is in hot water with an unexpected critic: A Republican congressman who doesn't appreciate the radio blowhard's take on his party's leaders. Limbaugh and President Obama have traded barbs this week, but Limbaugh's dragging Mitch McConnell and John Boehner into the spat was too much for Phil Gingrey of Georgia. "It’s easy if...
Murder-Suicide Parents Fired for Misconduct
Los Angeles Times
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Jan 28, 2009 8:12 AM CST
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The Los Angeles man suspected of killing his wife and five children before committing suicide lost his job due to misconduct, not layoffs, the Times reports. Ervin Antonio Lupoe and wife Ana were terminated from a Kaiser Permanente medical center, and sources say allegations of fraud were involved. A letter Lupoe sent to KABC-TV indicated the investigation...
Calif. Court Rules School Can Expel Lesbian Kids
Los Angeles Times
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Jan 28, 2009 8:07 AM CST
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A California court has ruled that a private school's expulsion of two girls for "conducting themselves in a manner consistent with being lesbians" was lawful, the Los Angeles Times reports. The court decided the religious school did not count as a business and was therefore exempt from discrimination laws. A lawyer for the girls—who...
Sepsis Strikes, Kills Quickly
CNN
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Jan 28, 2009 8:00 AM CST
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The quick and seemingly inexplicable death of 20-year-old Brazilian model Mariana Bridi da Costa brought the dangers of sepsis—the body's inflammatory reaction to an infection—into focus, CNN reports. It can start with something as simple as a skin wound or, as in da Costa's case, a urinary tract infection. Most times, the body heals...
Nadal, Serena Reach Semis in 110° Heat
Bloomberg
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Jan 28, 2009 7:55 AM CST
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Rafael Nadal cruised into the semifinals of the Australian Open, winning his fifth straight-set victory at Melbourne Park over France's Gilles Simon, 6-2, 7-5, 7-5. He will face fellow Spaniard Fernando Verdasco, while Roger Federer will play Andy Roddick. Nadal's victory came as the heat in Melbourne reached 110°, forcing tournament officials...
For Iran, Change Means Having to Say You're Sorry
BBC
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Jan 28, 2009 7:39 AM CST
(Newser) -
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has responded to President Obama's offers of a new start for US-Iranian diplomacy with a demand—that the US "apologize to the Iranian people and try to repair their past crimes." The Iranian president delivered a tirade against the United States at a rally today, condemning its support for Israel and saying...
Israel Turns Right—and Away From America
Telegraph (UK)
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Jan 28, 2009 7:29 AM CST
(Newser) -
Polls indicate the next prime minister of Israel will be Benjamin Netanyahu, an election result that will push the country even further to the right and away from a two-state solution. The Likud leader presents a paradox, Damien McElroy writes in the Telegraph : although Netanyahu is the most "American-style" politician in Israel, "no...
Tough Economy Bares a Slew of 'Mini-Madoffs'
New York Times
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Jan 28, 2009 7:18 AM CST
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Cash-strapped investors looking for redemption from investment funds are turning up surprises in the form of “mini-Madoffs,” Ponzi schemes that—while dwarfed by the alleged $50 billion fraud perpetrated by Bernie Madoff—nevertheless have taken victims for millions, reports the New York Times . At least six frauds with multimillion-dollar...
Spanish Bank Offers $1.82B to Madoff Victims
Bloomberg
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Jan 28, 2009 6:43 AM CST
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Spanish banking giant Banco Santander, whose clients lost nearly $3.1 billion in Bernard Madoff’s Ponzi scheme, has offered to pay back customers some $1.82 billion, reports Bloomberg. The bank is facing a lawsuit in US federal court, filed by investors who say it failed to exercise due diligence with Madoff.
Mass. AG Will Probe Brandeis Museum Sale
New York Times
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Jan 28, 2009 6:32 AM CST
(Newser) -
The Massachusetts attorney general announced a probe into Brandeis University's shock decision to shut its modern art museum and sell off the entire 6,000-work collection. Brandeis did not consult the AG's office or even the museum's board, and wills and agreements between the Rose Art Museum and its donors may prevent the proposed sales. The university's...
$150B Stimulus to Double Education Budget
New York Times
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Jan 28, 2009 6:15 AM CST
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The stimulus plan before Congress today more than doubles the Department of Education's budget, reports the New York Times. An unprecedented extra $150 billion in federal aid would provide funds for nearly every aspect of education, from school construction to college grants. Opponents and backers alike agree that the injection of cash could change...
Sniffing for Coke Blamed in Police Dog's Death
New York Daily News
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Jan 28, 2009 6:00 AM CST
(Newser) -
A police dog's owner believes his years of sniffing drugs cost him his life, the New York Daily News reports. Max, a springer spaniel, spent 7 years helping British police bust drug offenders but had to be put down last week after developing an aggressive tumor in his nose. His vet said nose cancer is very rare in dogs and Max's job could well have...
Google Brings Gmail Offline
CNET
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Jan 28, 2009 5:51 AM CST
(Newser) -
Google has rolled out an offline service for Gmail in a bid to woo business users, CNET reports. The system lets users read, write, and search emails in their browsers even when they’re not connected to the Internet. Messages are sent and retrieved again once network access is restored. A "flaky connection mode" synchronizes mail with...
Russia Scraps Plan for Nukes Near Europe
Guardian (UK)
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Jan 28, 2009 5:27 AM CST
(Newser) -
Russia will abandon its plans to deploy nuclear-capable missiles near Poland, the country's defense ministry said today. The Kremlin pulled back on the plan after President Obama announced a review of the Pentagon's controversial missile defense shield program in the region. The move offers an olive branch to Washington, says the Guardian , and puts...
Hackers Zap Kyrgyz Internet
Wall Street Journal
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Jan 28, 2009 5:21 AM CST
(Newser) -
A Russian "cyber-militia" has shut down access to the Internet in Kyrgyzstan, the Wall Street Journal reports. Service providers in the former Soviet republic have been swamped with traffic during the past several days, in a denial of service attack that has downed websites and crippled email delivery. Motivations for the attack are unclear....
Wife Knew Haggard Was Hot for Guys
Associated Press
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Jan 28, 2009 4:53 AM CST
(Newser) -
Ted Haggard told his wife early in their 30-year marriage that he struggled with his attraction to men, she tells Oprah in an appearance with her husband due to air today. Gayle Haggard says she was shocked by the disclosure, but believed he was "winning the battle" before a scandal involving a male prostitute led to his resignation from...
'Medical Document' Used in Travolta Blackmail Plot
People
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Jan 28, 2009 4:30 AM CST
(Newser) -
Two people arrested in an extortion plot against John Travolta allegedly attempted to blackmail the actor with a signed document purportedly revealing that he refused hospital treatment for his teenage son shortly before the boy's death, reports People. A Bahamian paramedic and the man's attorney pressed Travolta to buy a "refusal to transport"...
Amended Stimulus Plan Hits House Today
Politico
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Jan 28, 2009 4:09 AM CST
(Newser) -
Barack Obama's economic stimulus plan hits the House floor today after tweaks aimed at assuaging conservatives on both sides of the aisle, Politico reports. Many critics remained wary of the package, but some—including the top Republican on the Senate Budget Committee—appeared swayed by Obama's argument that the plan is merely "one...
Israel Bombs Gaza Tunnels
CNN
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Jan 28, 2009 3:49 AM CST
(Newser) -
Israel bombed smuggling tunnels under the Egypt-Gaza border today in response to yesterday's killing of an Israeli soldier, CNN reports. The escalating violence is threatening the fragile ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinians. The strikes occurred just as George Mitchell, President Obama's envoy to the Middle East, was scheduled to arrive for...
Becks May Check Out of Hotel California
Los Angeles Times
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Jan 28, 2009 3:11 AM CST
(Newser) -
Soccer virtuoso David Beckham may have kicked his last ball in the US, reports the Los Angeles Times. The midfielder is on loan from the Los Angeles Galaxy to AC Milan until March, and the boss of the Italian club has said he would welcome Beckham with "open arms"—and a permanent deal—if he can wriggle his way out of his...
Iran Nears Nuke Breakthrough
Telegraph (UK)
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Jan 28, 2009 2:46 AM CST
(Newser) -
Iran may be mere months away from amassing enough low-enriched uranium to begin the next step in developing nuclear weapons, reports the Daily Telegraph. If the regime overcomes certain technical hurdles and further enriches its uranium to weapons grade, it could potentially develop a nuclear warhead by next year, reports the International Institute...
'Cello Scrotum' Exposed as Medical Hoax
Independent (UK)
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Jan 28, 2009 2:20 AM CST
(Newser) -
The world's cellists can rest easy today knowing the dreaded "cello scrotum" is a myth, the Independent reports. A doctor who's a member of Britain's House of Lords has confessed that she invented the condition described in a letter to the British Medical Journal as a spoof. It has been referenced in articles on medical maladies for the...
Obama Out to Topple Mugabe
Times (UK)
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Jan 28, 2009 1:49 AM CST
(Newser) -
President Obama is preparing to lead an international effort to crack down on the Mugabe regime with an aim to driving the controversial autocrat from office, reports the Times of London. The US will push for tougher UN sanctions against Zimbabwe, including a foreign investment ban, and press Russia and China not to veto the action. There's a "tremendous...
Plant Found Salmonella, Still Sold Peanut Products
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Jan 27, 2009 9:05 PM CST
(Newser) -
The plant in Georgia implicated in the latest salmonella outbreak knowingly sold peanut products even after its own tests turned up evidence of the bacteria, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. The plant's internal labs showed evidence of salmonella 12 times in the past two years, but the company sold the products after an outside lab deemed...
Bill Clinton Earns $6M in Speaking Fees in 2008
Associated Press
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Jan 27, 2009 8:26 PM CST
(AP) -
Bill Clinton earned nearly $6 million in speaking fees last year, almost all of it from foreign companies, say financial documents filed by his wife. Of the former president's $5.7 million in 2008 honoraria, $4.6 million came from foreign sources, including Kuwait's national bank and firms in Canada, Germany, India, Malaysia, Mexico, Hong Kong, and...
Identify Sperm Donors? Risks May Outweigh Benefits
Reason Magazine
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Jan 27, 2009 8:01 PM CST
(Newser) -
Mindful that genetic profiling helps diagnose disease, US fertility clinics are looking for a way to give donor-conceived children access to their fathers’ medical records—without imperiling the industry, writes Cheryl Miller in Reason . A US registry appears imminent, though transparency laws in Europe have resulted in a huge drop in...
Starbucks Will Cut Back on Afternoon Decaf
Bloomberg
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Jan 27, 2009 7:29 PM CST
(Newser) -
This one ranks among the more unusual consequences of the slow economy: Those who drink decaffeinated coffee at Starbucks may have to wait longer for an afternoon fix. The company is going to stop brewing fresh pots of decaf every 30 minutes after noon because of low demand, Bloomberg reports. Too many unused pots were being tossed, so now those who...
Professor (Jill) Biden Returns to Classroom
Daily Press (Newport News, Va.)
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Jan 27, 2009 6:56 PM CST
(Newser) -
Jill Biden isn't letting all this Washington hubbub affect her career. The wife of the vice president has begun teaching English as an adjunct professor at Northern Virginia Community College, the Daily Press reports. Biden, who has two master's degrees in English and reading and a doctorate in education, taught for nearly 30 years in Delaware before...
Octuplet Babies Doing 'Amazingly Well'
Associated Press
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Jan 27, 2009 6:34 PM CST
(Newser) -
The mother who gave birth to eight babies is expected to be able to touch them tonight for the first time since delivery, the Los Angeles Times reports. The newborns are kicking and "doing amazingly well," said a doctor who helped in Monday's delivery. The six boys and two girls are all in incubators, but none of them need breathing tubes...
Blago Tapes Captivate Senate
Associated Press
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Jan 27, 2009 6:29 PM CST
(AP) -
Rod Blagojevich was hundreds of miles away, but his voice captivated the Illinois Senate today as impeachment prosecutors played FBI wiretaps of conversations in which he seems to demand campaign contributions in exchange for signing legislation. One person on the recordings assures Blagojevich that a horse-racing track owner "is good for it"...
SnorgTees Girl Says It's All in the Smile
BrandFreak
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Jan 27, 2009 6:15 PM CST
(Newser) -
Alice Fraasa—better known as the SnorgTees girl—rejects the label of professional model even though her image hawking the shirts is ubiquitous on high-traffic websites. The Auburn senior tells BrandFreak she does the gig for fun and because she gets all the free T-shirts—with slogans such as "I'm kind of a big deal" and...
Here Comes the New Kindle (Probably)
New York Times
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Jan 27, 2009 6:00 PM CST
(Newser) -
Tech bloggers reading their tea leaves say e-book fans can expect the new version of the Kindle on Feb. 9. Though maker Amazon has made no announcement, the company has scheduled a major press conference that day with chief Jeff Bezos. And, notes Brad Stone of the New York Times , the Kindle details page on Amazon.com now notes that the electronic...
Screening Technique Improves In Vitro Odds
Time
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Jan 27, 2009 5:36 PM CST
(Newser) -
Scientists have discovered a way to greatly increase the chance of success for in vitro fertilizations, Time reports. Under current procedures, fresh eggs yield only a 25% success rate, necessitating multiple—and expensive—attempts. Many eggs hold chromosomal defects that make them incapable of conception, but it has, until now, been...
Another Autopsy Links NFL Hits to Brain Damage
Tampa Tribune
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Jan 27, 2009 5:14 PM CST
(Newser) -
A sixth former NFL player has been diagnosed posthumously with a rare brain disease, lending credence to claims that concussions sustained playing football can have a cumulative, even deadly, effect, the Tampa Tribune reports. Tom McHale, who played for the Buccaneers, died from an overdose of painkillers and cocaine in May. But doctors think his...
Yahoo Posts $303M Loss, Beats Estimates
Associated Press
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Jan 27, 2009 4:58 PM CST
(AP) -
Yahoo Inc. stumbled to a fourth-quarter loss of $303 million, but the Internet company withstood the recession better than analysts had expected. Yahoo's loss—officially wrapping up the Jerry Yang era—translated into 22 cents per share, compared with a profit of 15 cents per share in the prior year, when Yahoo earned $206 million. Investors...
