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.
Best Videos of the Decade
Paste Magazine
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Nov 12, 2009 1:33 PM CST
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The "aughties" saw a breakdown in the traditional music business and the outlets for music videos. But that doesn't mean people didn't make good ones—maybe they're even better for it. Steve LaBate runs down the best since 2000 in Paste. A sampling: Outkast, "Bombs Over Baghdad": "A luscious Technicolor feast, exploding...
20 Jolie-Style Moves That Need Your Partner's OK
The Frisky
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Nov 12, 2009 1:17 PM CST
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Inspired by Angelina Jolie’s rumored decision to adopt a seventh child without Brad Pitt’s consent, Kate Torgovnick of The Frisky runs down 20 things you should never do without talking to your partner first: Get a vasectomy (here's looking at you, Spencer Pratt). Start dating someone else. "Throw out all the boxes of frozen...
Fed Restricts Overdraft Fees
USA Today
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Nov 12, 2009 1:06 PM CST
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Starting in July, banks will have to get consumers' explicit consent before authorizing an overdraft—and the accompanying fee—on debit and ATM card transactions. Since the advent of the financial crisis, overdraft fees have become the biggest source of consumer fee income for banks. Congress is also considering making the amount that can...
Don't Let This Army Captain Wear a Beard
National Review
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Nov 12, 2009 12:56 PM CST
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Following the Fort Hood shootings, top Army brass have worried about a “backlash” against Muslim soldiers. Funny, then, that the Army itself is creating the climate for backlash by eroding the uniform code with concessions to religious custom, writes Elaine Donnelly . Capt. Kamaljeet Singh Kalsi, a Sikh, was granted the right to wear his...
Meet Mexico's Fake President
Wall Street Journal
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Nov 12, 2009 12:38 PM CST
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Andrés Manuel López Obrador narrowly lost Mexico’s 2006 presidential election to Felipe Calderón, a result he attributed to fraud. In what seemed at the time like a show of defiance, held a mock inauguration. But Obrador was serious: To this day, he calls himself the “Legitimate President” leading the “Legitimate...
A Bra That's a Putting Mat
Telegraph (UK)
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Nov 12, 2009 12:29 PM CST
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Lingerie maker Triumph has really outdone itself this time in the “wacky Japanese novelty bra” category. Its “Nice Cup in Bra,” a corset made to highlight the increasing popularity of golf among Japanese women, has pockets for balls and tees and rolls out into a 5-foot-long practice putting green. Get the ball in the hole, the...
Walk the Runway Like a Pro
New York Times
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Nov 12, 2009 12:07 PM CST
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J. Alexander—otherwise known as Miss J, the 6’4" drag-dressing America’s Next Top Model judge—has been coaching models on how to rock the runway for almost 20 years. Cathy Horyn of the New York Times takes a lesson and offers a few tips: Develop your own style: Carmen Kass has the bust shake; Naomi Campbell has...
US to Karzai: Clean Up Corruption or ... Nothing
New York Times
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Nov 12, 2009 11:59 AM CST
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President Obama is gravely serious about pressuring Hamid Karzai to reel in Afghan corruption—but has almost zero “or else” options. The most logical threat to entice Karzai to clean up his government, pulling out US troops, is “stupid,” a former ambassador tells the New York Times , as it would destabilize the region...
Trump Weeds Out Ugly Girls
TMZ
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Nov 12, 2009 11:51 AM CST
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In her new book, Carrie Prejean claims Donald Trump weeds less-than-attractive girls out of the Miss USA pageant, and TMZ says she’s right. In an audio tape from the 2009 pre-show screening, the Donald executes “The Trump Rule,” which declares that almost half of the women who advance are selected—based on looks, naturally—by...
MIA Dog A-OK After Year in Afghanistan
CNN
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Nov 12, 2009 11:46 AM CST
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An Australian military bomb-sniffing dog that went missing during a firefight in Afghanistan in September 2008 has been reunited with one of her trainers. An American soldier found Sabi wandering near a remote base last week and realized the black Lab wasn’t a stray when she responded to commands. “She’s the last piece of the puzzle,”...
Colo. Senator Compares Obama to 9/11 Hijackers
Denver Post
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Nov 12, 2009 11:36 AM CST
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A Colorado state senator is at the eye of a storm of criticism for a tweet that critics say likened President Obama to the 9/11 hijackers—and urged violent action. “Don't for a second think Obama wants what is best for US,” David Schultheis tweeted. “He is flying the US plane right into the ground at full speed. Let's roll."...
John King Will Replace Lou Dobbs
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Nov 12, 2009 11:09 AM CST
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CNN political reporter and State of the Union host John King will replace the abruptly departed Lou Dobbs in CNN's 7pm weekday slot starting early next year. Aside from hosting the network's Sunday political gabfest, King is known for using a touch-screen “magic map” to illustrate his election analysis. “There is a lot of noise...
Carrie Prejean Was Over 18 in Sex Tape: Ex
TMZ
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Nov 12, 2009 10:56 AM CST
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Carrie Prejean’s ex-boytoy—the recipient of her so-called “sex tape”—says that she sent “probably about 15, 20” graphic videos to him during their relationship, that she was over 18 at the time—and that she asked him to lie and say that she was underage. “She’s not the girl that she’s...
Steve Phillips' Galpal Talks Affair
ABC News
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Nov 12, 2009 10:47 AM CST
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Brooke Hundley is shocked—shocked!—that she’s “been called a homewrecker” and Jay Leno used her “to get a cheap laugh” after her affair with Steve Phillips got them both fired from ESPN. The 22-year-old talks about the scandal for the first time, telling Good Morning America that she regrets her mistakes—and...
Megan Fox: It's All an Act
New York Times
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Nov 12, 2009 10:35 AM CST
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Megan Fox isn’t really an out-of-control, stripper-seducing wild child—she just plays one in interviews. Hollywood’s current favorite sex symbol tells Lynn Hirschberg of the New York Times that she’s manufactured her own image, creating a character to play in the press because “I’m not willing to give my true...
Koalas Face Extinction by Climate, Chlamydia?
BBC
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Nov 12, 2009 10:28 AM CST
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Australia's koalas face extinction as their population has been decimated by climate change and the loss of trees due to development and wildfires. Six years ago, they were thought to number more than 100,000; today, their count is as low as 43,000. Threats to their diet of eucalyptus leaves are part of the problem—“It's really no tree,...
In Interview, Palin Covers 'Everything': Oprah
New York Daily News
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Nov 12, 2009 10:09 AM CST
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Oprah Winfrey taped her interview with Sarah Palin yesterday, posting a video on her Twitter feed (watch it at left) where she says they “talked about everything”—including the campaign, Bristol’s pregnancy, the Palins’ marriage, and, of course, Levi Johnston. Apparently, though, no trash was talked about Johnston,...
Facebook Is Now Offering Alibis
New York Times
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Nov 12, 2009 9:57 AM CST
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We’ve all read about bonehead criminals getting caught because of social networks, or people’s online lives coming back to haunt them in divorce proceedings—but can Facebook actually help you in court? The answer is yes, at least for one New York teen, who is free after he provided probably the first ever Facebook alibi. Rodney...
Levi Gets Parenting Tips ... From Jon
People
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Nov 12, 2009 9:47 AM CST
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The unholy union of Levi Johnston and Jon Gosselin continues. The reality show dad has been giving the Playgirl model parenting advice that, sadly, Johnston plans to take. “He’s a good guy,” Johnston tells People . “He's kind of in the same situation I am right now. He's getting the same bad image as I am and it ain't true....
Disaffected Right, Left Close Purse Strings to Parties
Politico
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Nov 12, 2009 9:42 AM CST
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Frustrated voters are letting Congressional Democrats and Republicans know how they feel—by opening their mouths and closing their pocketbooks. One Dem blogger, miffed at the DNC for perceived inaction in the Maine gay marriage fight, has proposed a boycott on donations to the national committee: “Clearly, money talks." GOP activists...
Abortion Activists Mobilize Against Stupak-Pitts
Politico
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Nov 12, 2009 9:30 AM CST
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Abortion rights activists are organizing a massive grassroots effort and targeting lawmakers to ensure the hated Stupak-Pitts Amendment never reaches the president’s desk. The coalition of groups is first meeting with senators and organizing a phone drive and petition to keep the House language out of the Senate's bill. Failing that, they are...
American Adviser to Kurds Outed as Oil Shareholder
New York Times
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Nov 12, 2009 9:15 AM CST
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An influential American advocate for Iraqi Kurds, who helped successfully secure Kurdish control over new oil finds in northern Iraq in the country's constitution, stands to reap more than $100 million from the policy he shaped. Peter Galbraith, it turns out, received rights to an enormous oil stake in Kurdistan in 2004, after negotiating permission...
Intel to Pay AMD $1.25B
Associated Press
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Nov 12, 2009 8:51 AM CST
(AP) -
Intel says it is paying AMD, its largest rival in the computer chip market, $1.25 billion to settle all antitrust and patent suits, and has agreed to abide by a set of "business practice provisions." In return, AMD, which had been complaining to regulators for five years that Intel has broken antitrust laws to limit its market share, will...
Stripper-Mobile Shocks Even Las Vegas
Las Vegas Sun
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Nov 12, 2009 8:37 AM CST
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Even in over-the-top Sin City, the stripper-mobile is an attention-getter. The Plexiglas-walled truck roaming the Las Vegas Strip features a stripper pole—and strippers, of course, albeit ones still wearing their skivvies. It has proven an effective marketing technique for Déjà Vu Showgirls, but if county commissioners get their...
Rage Against Privilege Seeps Into Left, Right
New York Times
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Nov 12, 2009 8:32 AM CST
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It takes a lot for the folks in middle America to "look upon concentrated wealth as anything except a virtue," writes Timothy Egan for the New York Times , but that line has finally been crossed. Hearing of tens of billions in holiday bonuses at Wall Street firms bailed out by taxpayers, or of investment bankers skipping ahead of pregnant...
Balloon Parents Will Plead Guilty
MSNBC
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Nov 12, 2009 8:21 AM CST
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Richard and Mayumi Heene will plead guilty tomorrow for lying to police and rescuers and sending them on a wild balloon chase for their “missing” son Falcon, who they knew was safe at home. Mayumi will cop to false reporting, a misdemeanor, while Richard will plead guilty to attempting to influence a public servant, a felony. Both are expected...
Home-Grown Islamic Terrorism No Threat
The Atlantic
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Nov 12, 2009 8:14 AM CST
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Whatever place religious extremism occupied in the troubled mind of Nidal Hasan, the United States—unlike Europe—has no reason to fear terrorism from its own Muslim population, says Max Fisher . American Muslims are far less vulnerable to al-Qaeda recruitment than their brethren across the pond, Fisher writes in the Atlantic , because...
Obama Rejects Afghan War Options
Associated Press
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Nov 12, 2009 7:45 AM CST
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President Obama refused to accept any of the Afghanistan war options presented to him in yesterday's 2 1/2 hour strategy meeting, the AP reports, as concerns soar over the leadership of Afghan President Hamid Karzai and the ability of a corrupt Afghan government to eventually secure its own country. Obama asked for modified choices, including different...
Taylor Swift Snags 4 CMAs
Associated Press
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Nov 12, 2009 6:47 AM CST
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Taylor Swift was the biggest winner at last night’s Country Music Awards, winning all four categories she was nominated in. Swift’s entertainer of the year award made her the youngest-ever winner of country music’s top honor, and the first solo female to win since 1999, the AP reports. Swift also won album of the year, female vocalist,...
White House Eyes TARP Cash to Slash Deficit
Wall Street Journal
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Nov 12, 2009 6:17 AM CST
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The White House is debating using some of what remains in the $700 billion bailout fund to help cut the nation's deficit. Around $210 billion remains unspent and financial institutions are expected to repay another $50 billion over the next 18 months. The administration wants to keep some of that cash for emergencies, but the bulk will be dedicated...
Death Penalty Extremely Rare in Military
Associated Press
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Nov 12, 2009 5:49 AM CST
(AP) -
Nidal Hasan could face the death penalty for the Fort Hood shootings, but he will be prosecuted in a military justice system where no one has been executed in nearly 50 years. He may also benefit from protections the military provides defendants that are greater than those offered in civilian federal courts."Our military justice system is not...
Lou Dobbs Leaves CNN
New York Times
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Nov 12, 2009 5:33 AM CST
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Anchor Lou Dobbs is leaving CNN, he announced during tonight’s show—his last after 27 years at the channel. Dobbs, whose contract wasn’t up until 2011, has made waves with his anti-immigration views and his questioning of President Obama’s citizenship; he didn’t shed much light on his next move, saying he was “considering...
Witness: Hero Cop's Partner Took Down Hasan
New York Times
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Nov 12, 2009 5:30 AM CST
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Kimberly Munley's heroism during the Fort Hood shootings isn't in question but her equally heroic partner deserves the credit for actually stopping Nidal Hasan's rampage, according to an eyewitness. Hasan shot Munley as she appeared from behind a building and was reloading, apparently unharmed, when Sgt. Mark Todd came around the corner and shot him...
Prejean Throws Smiling Tantrum on Larry King
Radar
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Nov 12, 2009 5:29 AM CST
(Newser) -
Showing she could also win top honors in a Miss Passive-Aggression pageant, Carrie Prejean last night blanked out Larry King's questions about her recent lawsuit settlement by repeatedly calling King "inappropriate"—all the while flashing a blindingly white smile. Prejean's pageant smile only faltered a bit when a gay caller asked her...
Taliban Is Paid to Protect US Supply Convoys
Nation
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Nov 12, 2009 5:20 AM CST
(Newser) -
The Taliban is getting a big chunk of its financing by protecting supply convoys to the American military. Security contractors paid by the US to bring supplies into Afghanistan pay huge amounts of protection money to warlords and insurgents, an investigation by the Nation has discovered. Pentagon officials are aware of the situation and estimate...
Why the Senate Health Bill Will Move at a Crawl
New Republic
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Nov 12, 2009 4:55 AM CST
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The House version of the health bill galloped from introduction to passage in just 10 days, but the Senate's version won't be through until Christmas at the earliest. Suzy Khimm at the New Republic explains the reasons for the snail's pace. The Senate has to vote on a “motion to proceed" before the bill hits the floor, and Harry Reid...
Chinese Complainers Kidnapped
Associated Press
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Nov 12, 2009 4:44 AM CST
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Chinese citizens en route to Beijing to lodge complaints with China's central government are routinely nabbed by thugs and tossed into makeshift "black jails" where they are illegally detained for days or months, deprived of food and water, beaten and threatened—then sent back home without filing their complaints. So claims a new report...
Mo. Cops Seek Bodies, Kids' Notes on Abuse
Kansas City Star
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Nov 12, 2009 4:25 AM CST
(Newser) -
Investigators are digging up property at a Missouri farm where an elderly man and his four sons have been charged in repeated sexual assaults of young relatives, according to officials. Police are searching for bodies, as well as buried glass jars containing handwritten notes by children detailing their abuse up to 15 years ago. Burrell Edward Mohler...
In Lead-up to Attack, Hasan Hit Strip Club
Telegraph (UK)
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Nov 12, 2009 4:14 AM CST
(Newser) -
Shooter Nidal Hasan repeatedly visited a local strip joint in the days leading up to the Fort Hood rampage, spending six hours at one stretch watching pole dancers, according to investigators. Insiders believe the behavior may have been one more indication that Hasan was about to snap. The 9/11 hijackers indulged in last-minute Western decadence at...
Team to Launch Tests to Regrow Breasts
Times (UK)
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Nov 12, 2009 3:59 AM CST
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Australian scientists are about to launch tests of a new medical technique that they expect will help cancer victims regrow their own breasts and will eventually replace reconstructive surgery. The technique, which involves implanting a device to help fat tissue grow, worked well on pigs and will be tested on human volunteers within the next six months....
Obama: Forget Bush's Playbook
Wall Street Journal
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Nov 12, 2009 3:31 AM CST
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Karl Rove is flattered that President Obama appears to be borrowing the strategy he devised for President Bush in the 2002 midterm elections, but he warns it won't work for the Democrats next year. Making the midterms a referendum on the White House worked in 2002 because national security was the most important issue for voters, and because Bush...
DC, Catholic Church in Gay Rights Standoff
Washington Post
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Nov 12, 2009 3:04 AM CST
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The Catholic Archdiocese of Washington has told the District of Columbia it will tear up its social service contracts to help the city's needy if it passes a proposed same-sex marriage bill next month. The bill wouldn't require the church to perform or provide space for gay marriages, but would require it to obey laws banning discrimination against...
Eyeless Chimp Victim Recounts Ordeal on Oprah
BBC
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Nov 12, 2009 2:30 AM CST
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A woman viciously attacked early this year by a crazed pet chimpanzee discussed her ordeal and revealed her ravaged face on the Oprah Winfrey Show yesterday. Charla Nash lost her nose, lips, eyelid—and hands—in the attack by a Connecticut neighbor's chimp. Doctors also removed both eyes because of severe infection. "I want to get...
Scientists Disarm Cancer Protein
BBC
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Nov 12, 2009 1:45 AM CST
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Scientists believe they have found a way to neutralize a protein involved in cancer formation that was previously considered "undruggable." The researchers, experimenting on mice, created chemical "staples" to mold snippets of protein into shapes capable of disrupting the protein's function. The protein is linked to runaway cell...
Thirst Is the 'Anti- Twilight '
Spiked
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Nov 11, 2009 10:37 PM CST
(Newser) -
The Twilight series found its remarkable success in subverting the traditional vampire story, turning the monsters of legend into symbols of teenage narcissism and self-pity—another “youth tribe” like jocks and geeks, writes Brendan O’Neill at Spiked. If that treatment leaves you well, cold, check out the "brilliant...
Wife: Depression Ate German Keeper
Independent (UK)
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Nov 11, 2009 9:50 PM CST
(Newser) -
The German soccer star who committed suicide yesterday by jumping in front of a train had battled depression for years, his wife said today, with Robert Enke fearing he could lose his newly adopted daughter because of his condition. “We thought we could cope with everything. We thought that with love there would always be a way,” Teresa...
Husband of Retired Justice O'Connor Dies
Associated Press
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Nov 11, 2009 9:26 PM CST
(AP) -
John J. O'Connor III, the husband of retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, died today at age 79 due to complications arising from Alzheimer's disease. John O'Connor, himself a lawyer, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's nearly two decades ago. His condition deteriorated markedly in mid-decade and when she announced her retirement in 2005, the...
Hannity to Daily Show : Yep, We Screwed Up
New York Times
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Nov 11, 2009 9:18 PM CST
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Fox News host Sean Hannity admitted tonight that his staff spliced video from a Capitol Hill protest last week with footage from an earlier, much larger protest over the summer—and apologized to Comedy Central’s Daily Show and host Jon Stewart, who brought the creative editing to light. “We screwed up,” Hannity said at the...
Tyson Arrested in Bloody Run-In With Paparazzi
TMZ
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Nov 11, 2009 8:52 PM CST
(Newser) -
Boxer Mike Tyson is in police custody tonight after a violent incident with paparazzi at Los Angeles International Airport that, according to a TMZ source, left “blood on the ground.” A rep for Tyson, 43, said he was defending his wife and 10-month-old child from an overly aggressive photographer; a police spokesman tells the AP the...
9 Other States Have Calif.-Sized Fiscal Messes
Pew Center
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Nov 11, 2009 8:14 PM CST
(Newser) -
California has by no means cornered the market on enormous financial problems at the state level, with a report out today saying Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin are also at tremendous risk. The Pew Center sees widespread unemployment, huge budget deficits, and the ongoing foreclosure crisis...
