Newser Story Index from November, 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.
Swine Flu Mutation Worries Norway Scientists
Washington Post
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Nov 20, 2009 1:37 PM CST
(Newser) -
Norwegian scientists say they've discovered a mutated version of swine flu in two patients who died and another who is severely ill. The mutation "could possibly make the virus more prone to infect deeper in the airways and thus cause more severe disease," said the nation's health institute. Bottom line from health officials in the US and...
Bullock Shines in Crowd-Pleasing Blind Side
Dallas Morning News
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Nov 20, 2009 1:25 PM CST
(Newser) -
The Blind Side lacks inherent suspense—it's based on the true story of Michael Oher, a rookie offensive tackle for the Baltimore Ravens. But the tale of a homeless African-American teen adopted by big-hearted white yuppies, at bottom a Sandra Bullock vehicle, goes over big in football country. Writer-director John Lee Hancock "manages...
100M Years Ago, Africa Was Crocodile Central
USA Today
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Nov 20, 2009 1:12 PM CST
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The universe of diverse prehistoric crocodile species keeps expanding, suggesting crocs were one of the dominant forms of life 100 million years ago. Paleontologists have just unearthed three new species in the Sahara desert: the 20-foot BoarCroc, which likely fed on dinosaurs; the 20-foot PancakeCroc, a flat-bodied fish-gobbler; and the 3-foot herbivore...
Calif. Buffalo Go on Birth Control
Wall Street Journal
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Nov 20, 2009 1:00 PM CST
(Newser) -
Southern California's only herd of wild buffalo has been put on birth control. A conservation authority seeking to protect unique plant life on Santa Catalina Island, where buffalo have roamed since 14 of them were shipped out for a silent film in 1925, has been corralling the animals and injecting them with contraceptives. The move replaces earlier...
Don't Land On Planet 51
New York Post
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Nov 20, 2009 12:48 PM CST
(Newser) -
It has a cool concept—a human is greeted with paranoia on an alien planet straight out of the '50s—but critics say Planet 51 never reaches orbit. Some reviews: It’s a “bland, humor-free narrative,” with lame references to other movies instead of jokes, writes Glenn Whipp of the LA Times . If the '60s ever come...
Hasan Asked Cleric When Jihad Was OK
ABC News
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Nov 20, 2009 12:36 PM CST
(Newser) -
Before he allegedly opened fire at Fort Hood, Nidal Hasan told a radical Islamic cleric that he couldn’t wait to drink nonalcoholic wine with him in the afterlife, according to one US official. Hasan exchanged 18 emails with Anwar al-Awlaki, who authorities believe is an al-Qaeda recruiter. In them, he asks when jihad is appropriate, and whether...
Georgia Mourns Football Mascot
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Nov 20, 2009 12:24 PM CST
(Newser) -
The University of Georgia football team’s mascot, bulldog Uga VII, has died. He was 4 and had not yet served out two full seasons, the shortest reign in 54 years of Ugas at UGa. Uga was not only a mascot but a beloved pet to the Savannah family that provides the school with its bulldogs. “We are all in a state of shock,” his owner...
Defense Accuses Man Who Found Caylee's Body
ABC News
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Nov 20, 2009 12:12 PM CST
(Newser) -
Lawyers representing Casey Anthony, accused of murdering her daughter, Caylee, are attempting to cast suspicion on another suspect who has been cleared by police. Roy Kronk, a meter reader, found the Florida toddler’s body and notified police. After interviews with ex-wives and family, Anthony's defense team has concluded Kronk is “equally...
Bad Lieutenant Is Terribly Fantastic
The Onion (A.V. Club)
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Nov 20, 2009 12:02 PM CST
(Newser) -
What is Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans , exactly? Most critics haven't the foggiest, but they like Werner Herzog's not-at-all-a-remake and Nicholas Cage's performance. Some reactions: Cage’s “sublimely deranged lead performance” compares favorably to Herzog’s work with Klaus Kinski, Scottt Tobias writes for the...
Ethics Panel Slaps Burris on the Wrist
Washington Post
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Nov 20, 2009 11:47 AM CST
(Newser) -
The Senate Ethics Committee today issued a “public letter of qualified admonition,” its gentlest censure, to Roland Burris. The Illinois Democrat had been required to come clean about his dealings with then-governor Rod Blagojevich before his appointment to replace Barack Obama, which he did—before amending his testimony. "You...
How Twilight Rescued Hot Topic
DoubleX
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Nov 20, 2009 11:34 AM CST
(Newser) -
Like much of America, Ylan Q. Mui had forgotten all about Hot Topic, the mall mainstay for baby Goth merchandise—and then Twilight came along and made the store relevant again. The uber-popular vampire franchise “accomplished what the store had tried but failed to do: It made goth mainstream,” Mui writes for DoubleX . And thanks...
Vatican Historian: Shroud of Turin Is Authentic
Associated Press
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Nov 20, 2009 11:24 AM CST
(AP) -
A researcher at the Vatican archives claims a nearly invisible text on the Shroud of Turin proves the authenticity of the artifact revered as Jesus' burial cloth. Author Barbara Frale says computer-enhanced images of faint Greek, Latin, and Aramaic words show the name "Jesus Nazarene" in a writing style typical of the age and region.
Pub's Bad Service Leads to Arrest—of Irate Patrons
NBC Philadelphia
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Nov 20, 2009 11:14 AM CST
(Newser) -
Turns out that mandatory 18% gratuity for large parties at restaurants is mandatory enough that skipping it can get you arrested. A Philadelphia-area couple who found service at a pub was so scarce they essentially waited on themselves and their six friends ended up in cuffs when they refused to tip their server. “I understand that, you know,...
Mariah's Latest Diva Demands
Daily Mail (UK)
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Nov 20, 2009 11:04 AM CST
(Newser) -
Famous for her diva behavior, Mariah Carey kept thousands of London fans waiting for nearly an hour before she finally arrived at a holiday lighting ceremony. The Daily Mail runs down her demands for the appearance, all but one of which she got: One hundred white doves and 20 white kittens surrounding her (health officials said no) Indoor...
Suicide Suspected in Death of Model Daul Kim
Associated Press
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Nov 20, 2009 10:57 AM CST
(Newser) -
Police officially suspect suicide in the death of top South Korean model Daul Kim, who was discovered hanged in her Paris apartment yesterday. Kim’s boyfriend found the 20-year-old Fashion Week regular, the AP reports, and sources tell New York she committed suicide. Also a popular video diarist and blogger , Kim’s last post is titled,...
Emotional Oprah: 'It's Time'
Chicago Tribune
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Nov 20, 2009 10:54 AM CST
(Newser) -
Oprah Winfrey fought back tears today as she officially announced the end of her show, telling the audience the decision came from the heart. “You may hear speculation in the press about why I am making this decision,” she said. “Here is the real reason: I love this show. … I love it enough to know when it’s time to say...
Plastic Surgeons Make Faces Over Health Care Tax
BusinessWeek
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Nov 20, 2009 10:44 AM CST
(Newser) -
Plastic surgeons want to do a little work on the Senate health care bill, nipping off a 5% tax on elective cosmetic procedures. The tax, expected to raise as much as $6 billion, wouldn’t apply to anyone trying to repair a deformity caused by birth defect, injury, or disease. But the surgeons argue that because 91% of cosmetic procedures are performed...
Fla. Man to Smoke 115,000th Joint
NBC Miami
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Nov 20, 2009 10:32 AM CST
(Newser) -
He set the bar high and smoked the competition. Irvin Rosenfeld, a 56-year-old stockbroker from Fort Lauderdale, will toke his way into the record books today by smoking his 115,000th joint. The best part: It's completely legal. "Yep, provided by Uncle Sam," Rosenfeld told NBC Miami . "They grow it for me."
P&G Recalls Contaminated Vicks Nasal Spray
CNN
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Nov 20, 2009 10:19 AM CST
(Newser) -
Procter & Gamble has voluntarily recalled batches of its Vicks nasal spray contaminated with bacteria. Though the bacteria are likely harmless to healthy people, CNN reports, the contamination could prove disastrous for those with compromised immune systems. The product is in the Vicks Sinex line in the US and UK, and Wick Sinex Schnupfenspray...
Far-Right Challenger a Threat to McCain
Talking Points Memo
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Nov 20, 2009 10:09 AM CST
(Newser) -
Everyone’s favorite maverick could be unseated in 2010 by a hard-line conservative talk show host who's mulling a bid, a new Rasmussen poll suggests. John McCain leads potential primary opponent JD Hayworth, a local radio host and former House member, by a razor-thin 2%, which is within the poll’s 4% margin of error. Whoever emerged from...
AIG Bailout Squandered Our Money, Trust
New York Times
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Nov 20, 2009 9:55 AM CST
(Newser) -
Financial officials, “most notably Timothy Geithner,” deservedly lost the public's trust with their no-strings-attached bailout of AIG, Paul Krugman rails in the New York Times . As a damning report from the TARP inspector general points out, the government made no serious attempt to extract concessions from the banks that made bets...
Microsoft Office 2010: Worthy, But Not Worth It
Slate
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Nov 20, 2009 9:45 AM CST
(Newser) -
The latest edition of the Fantastic Four of productivity—Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook—is worthy but not actually worth buying, writes Farhad Manjoo for Slate . Out next year but now available in a beta edition, Microsoft Office 2010 offers some definite improvements: It lets you preview how text or images you're copying will look...
Top 9 Oprah Moments
E! Online
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Nov 20, 2009 9:42 AM CST
(Newser) -
After 23 years of The Oprah Winfrey Show , the queen of talk has racked up quite a few memorable moments. In the wake of news that she's going to end the show in 2011, E! runs down the top nine, including Tom Cruise’s crazy couch dance, her car giveaway, James Frey , her Michael Jackson interview, and Sarah Palin’s sitdown . Check...
Most Red State Dems Can Vote for Health Care
FiveThirtyEight
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Nov 20, 2009 9:27 AM CST
(Newser) -
The main reason Senate Democrats have a prayer of passing health care reform is that not many of them are up for reelection next year, says Nate Silver. Only a third of the Senate is up for re-election in 2010, and most of the Democrats in that group come from liberal states. Only two Democrats up for reelection come from McCain states: Blanche Lincoln...
Demi Moore: That's Really My Hip!
Huffington Post
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Nov 20, 2009 9:08 AM CST
(Newser) -
The latest Photoshop scandal to hit the magazine world involves Demi Moore, who is apparently missing a portion of her hip on the cover of W —but she says the image was not touched up. A close-up courtesy of the Huffington Post shows that a chunk of her leg appears to have been shaved off. Moore is discussing the controversy on her Twitter...
Vulgar Online Comment Costs Man His Job
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
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Nov 20, 2009 8:40 AM CST
(Newser) -
Commenters, beware. A St. Louis man who posted a vulgarity at a newspaper website soon found himself out of a job. When the St. Louis Post-Dispatch asked readers to weigh in with the strangest thing they've ever eaten, one guy responded with what the paper describes as a "vulgar expression for a part of a woman’s anatomy." The single-word...
John Kerry: My Daughter Wasn't Legally Drunk
People
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Nov 20, 2009 8:33 AM CST
(Newser) -
John Kerry supports daughter Alexandra after her recent DUI arrest, he says in a statement, adding that she was originally pulled over for expired registration and was released after a breathalyzer test found she was under the legal limit. But a police officer tells People Alexandra was stopped “for a DUI investigation,” and TMZ points...
Fox News Lets Jon Get Under Its Skin, Again
YouTube
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Nov 20, 2009 8:25 AM CST
(Newser) -
Fox News commentator Bernard Goldberg is just so sad that Jon Stewart doesn’t like him anymore, and he made a point of saying so on last night’s O’Reilly Factor . Stewart slammed Goldberg the night before on the Daily Show for Goldberg's comment that liberals don’t “allow” Down syndrome babies “to happen.”...
New Moon So Bad It's Funny
Boston Globe
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Nov 20, 2009 8:19 AM CST
(Newser) -
The Twilight Saga: New Moon is guaranteed to be a hit, but no one but its die-hard teen devotees should sit through it, critics say. Some reviews: It’s “an anemic comedown after the full-blooded swoon of Twilight ,” writes Ty Burr of the Boston Globe . Kristen Stewart is wooden as ever, and Robert Pattison “suddenly...
Rush: Gallup Counting Too Many Blacks for Obama
Politics Daily
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Nov 20, 2009 8:15 AM CST
(Newser) -
Rush Limbaugh has a novel explanation for why President Obama's approval ratings remain above 50% in Gallup polls: The agency is purposely boosting the number of black respondents. "Gallup has him just teetering on the little teeter-totter at 50% and they're doing everything they can—they're upping the sample to black Americans—to...
Broken Embraces 'Gorgeous and Seductive'
Times (UK)
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Nov 20, 2009 8:06 AM CST
(Newser) -
Broken Embraces isn't quite up there with Pedro Almodovar's finest work, say critics, but the noirish tribute to '50s Hollywood looks fantastic and tells a compelling story. "While it may not elicit the affection reserved for some of Almodovar's more heartfelt films," writes Claudia Puig in USA Today , "Broken Embraces is a...
Now Panel Urges Delay in Pap Test
Los Angeles Times
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Nov 20, 2009 7:46 AM CST
(Newser) -
The screening cutbacks continue. Just days after the government announced more conservative guidelines for mammograms, a major medical body says women should begin having Pap smears for cervical cancer later and less frequently. The new guidelines from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists say women don't need to be tested until age...
By Ending Show, Oprah Bets Big on Cable
New York Times
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Nov 20, 2009 7:43 AM CST
(Newser) -
Oprah's decision to end her network show in 2011 is a risky bet on cable TV that will cost CBS millions of dollars and ABC stations millions of viewers. Oprah will concentrate solely on her long-delayed cable channel, OWN, though it’s not clear how yet. She’s told her staff that she won’t simply move the show, the New York Times...
Goldman Bonuses Irk Investors, Too
Wall Street Journal
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Nov 20, 2009 7:35 AM CST
(Newser) -
With Goldman Sachs on course to hand out the highest bonuses in its history, it's not only furious populists who are complaining; investors, too, are getting into the act. Major shareholders, who have stayed out of the executive compensation controversy until now, are calling for the bank to cut back on its expected $20 billion in payouts and boost...
Hoffman Can't Catch Owens in NY-23 Race
Watertown Daily Times
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Nov 20, 2009 7:23 AM CST
(Newser) -
It looks like the NY-23 race is over, again. With 3,072 absentee ballots left to be counted, conservative Doug Hoffman can't catch Democrat Bill Owens, who leads by 3,176 votes. State officials haven't called the race and won't until it's formally wrapped up, but the Watertown Daily Times says it's a mathematical certainty now. Owens already has...
Sarah Palin's $25.6M Week
Daily Beast
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Nov 20, 2009 7:11 AM CST
(Newser) -
Estimates that Sarah Palin's Going Rogue sold 300,000 copies its first day out prompt Duff McDonald to calculate how much this week of wall-to-wall Palin exposure will net not just for her, but for her publisher, and the media outlets that love and hate her. Total take, he guesses in the Daily Beast , tops $25.6 million, counting the benefit to...
Suicide Bomber Kills 16 in Afghanistan
Associated Press
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Nov 20, 2009 6:44 AM CST
(AP) -
A suicide bomber on a motorcycle killed 16 people, including two children and a policeman, and wounded at least 23 others today in a busy city square in western Afghanistan. The violence comes a day after President Hamid Karzai, in his second inaugural address, said he has placed national reconciliation with insurgents at the top of his peace-building...
Blindness Cure Could Be 1st Human Stem Cell Trial
Independent (UK)
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Nov 20, 2009 5:41 AM CST
(Newser) -
The first-ever clinical trials of stem cell treatment of humans could be under way early next year if a Massachusetts biotech firm wins FDA approval. Advanced Cell Technology yesterday applied for a license to use embryonic stem cells left over from IVF treatment, to aid people suffering from a rare and currently incurable disease that causes blindness...
FHA Helps High-End Buyers
New York Times
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Nov 20, 2009 5:34 AM CST
(Newser) -
When the government last year doubled the amount the FHA will guarantee on a home loan, to more than $700,000, it moved the agency into uncharted territory: backing loans for the middle-class and the wealthy, too. It also moved the FHA, designed to help low-income buyers who can't raise a hefty deposit, into expensive cities like San Francisco, where...
Geithner Got It Right
New York Times
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Nov 20, 2009 5:16 AM CST
(Newser) -
David Brooks leaps to the defense of Tim Geithner today, arguing that the treasury secretary's critics, who last spring were dismissing him as a hapless "Bambi in the headlights," were mostly wrong and he was mostly right. The system is now much healthier, TARP money is being repaid, and the administration's unwavering support for Geithner...
KSM Trial Will Be a Perverse Farce
Washington Post
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Nov 20, 2009 5:13 AM CST
(Newser) -
Everybody knows that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is never going to walk free, and that makes the logic behind Eric Holder's decision to give him a civilian trial in New York all the more puzzling, writes Charles Krauthammer. With the 9/11 not just the most destructive terrorist attack, "but the most spectacular and telegenic," Holder is essentially...
Russia Blocks Autopsy on Jailed Lawyer
Telegraph (UK)
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Nov 20, 2009 4:54 AM CST
(Newser) -
Friends of an anti-corruption lawyer who died in a Moscow prison this week accuse the government of denying him medical care and say authorities have refused to release his body for an independent autopsy. Sergei Magnitsky, 37, died after spending almost a year in jail in squalid conditions awaiting trial on tax evasion charges, the Telegraph reports....
This Bud's for You: Pot Cafe Makes the Grade
Telegraph (UK)
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Nov 20, 2009 4:27 AM CST
(Newser) -
A first peek into the the first legal "pot cafe" in America reveals well-behaved Oregon patrons "sipping" marijuana mist from vaporizers and chatting amiably on couches. Not just anyone can wander into the Portland spot, which also sells chocolate croissants, notes a Times of London reporter. Smokers must enroll in Oregon’s...
IAAF Denies It OK'd Gold Medal for Semenya
Telegraph (UK)
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Nov 20, 2009 3:54 AM CST
(Newser) -
The International Association of Athletics Foundation is denying claims by the South African government that it decided to allow runner Caster Semenya to keep her gold medal in the wake of questions about her gender. South African officials announced yesterday that Semenya has been cleared of "wrongdoing" and would be allowed to keep her...
Huckabee: Obama Attacks 'Shameful'
Huffington Post
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Nov 20, 2009 3:32 AM CST
(Newser) -
Mike Huckabee denounced some of his fellow Republicans' knee-jerk attacks on President Obama as "deplorable" and "shameful" in a recent speech. Huckabee said attacking Obama over well-intentioned actions like visiting Dover Air Force Base as the bodies of American troops arrived home or handing out Halloween candy made civil debate...
NYC Targets Subway Gropers
New York Times
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Nov 20, 2009 3:11 AM CST
(Newser) -
Sexual harassment is on the rise in the New York City subway system and city officials are cracking down on gropers and flashers. Sexual harassment is the "No. 1 quality of life offense on the subway," the chief of the NYPD's Transit Bureau told a hearing yesterday. The average age of a groper is 39 and most victims are women over 17.
Pre-Lady Gaga Wowed NYU
Huffington Post
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Nov 20, 2009 2:40 AM CST
(Newser) -
Before she was an over-the-top star dogged by rumors that she's intersex, Lady Gaga was babelicious Stefani Germanotta, a New York University student with a killer voice who wowed her classmates at a 2005 talent show. Gaga strutted her new stuff for fictional students of her near-alma-mater (she never graduated because other things came up) for this...
Zoo Lions Kill White Tigress
BBC
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Nov 20, 2009 2:11 AM CST
(Newser) -
A rare white tiger was ripped to shreds by two lions that gained access to her enclosure at a Czech zoo yesterday. The lions unexpectedly entered the tiger's open-air area through a trap door, and workers who heard Isabella's cries were unable to prevent them from killing the elderly tiger. The zoo has now abandoned a rotating-enclosure system it blames...
Mammogram Backdown Hurts Health Reform
Washington Post
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Nov 20, 2009 1:50 AM CST
(Newser) -
Health secretary Kathleen Sebelius has set back the cause of health care reform in her rush to distance herself from the recommendation of her own department's task force concerning mammograms, writes Steven Pearlstein. The advice that women under 50 shouldn't get annual mammograms was based on science, and Sebelius should have used the opportunity...
Chicago Suburb Tops Best Family Towns
BusinessWeek
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Nov 20, 2009 1:24 AM CST
(Newser) -
BusinessWeek has combed the US for the best places to raise a family and has come up with a Chicago suburb to top the rankings again. The rest of the list, based on factors that include education, crime rate, cultural vitality, and air quality, is broken down by state. A sampling: Tinley Park, Ill.: Takes the top spot for its "top-rated...
