Newser Story Index from February, 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.
Students Hurt By Colleges' Digital Verdicts
US News & World Report
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Feb 26, 2009 12:30 PM CST
(Newser) -
College admissions offices are jazzing up acceptance packages—adding confetti, T-shirts, internet videos—to lure students, and are also trying to keep up with the times in their rejections, US News and World Report writes. But some efforts have backfired, with students hurt by brutally short, electronic turndowns—including text...
Weakness at Top Worsens Pakistan's Woes
Wall Street Journal
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Feb 26, 2009 12:19 PM CST
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In less than 6 months at Pakistan's helm, Asif Ali Zardari has surrounded himself with cronies, alienated top advisers, and created a situation that has diplomats warning that he's undercutting efforts to oppose al-Qaeda and the Taliban. Benazir Bhutto's widower is holed up inside his palace, and cabinet ministers who venture there risk public insult: He...
Leno Scabbed on Own Show During Writers Strike: Union
Los Angeles Times
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Feb 26, 2009 12:09 PM CST
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The Writers Guild of America claims Jay Leno broke union rules when he hit the air with his own material during the 2007-08 strike, the Los Angeles Time s reports. Leno denies wrongdoing. The accusation against the host, who was publicly supportive of striking writers, was kept mum until he appeared before the union’s trial committee yesterday....
Feds Prepare to Spring Vick
Associated Press
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Feb 26, 2009 12:00 PM CST
(AP) -
Michael Vick has been approved for release to home confinement, a government official said today. The disgraced NFL quarterback's lawyers have said they expect him to be moved any day into a halfway house in Newport News, Va. But the official says there's no bed space, so Vick could be released to his Hampton, Va., home as soon as May 21.
Conservatives Must 'Obstruct and Delay' Obama: Kristol
Washington Post
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Feb 26, 2009 11:57 AM CST
(Newser) -
The “day of reckoning” has come for Republicans, writes William Kristol in the Washington Post . On Tuesday, President Obama delivered “the most unabashedly liberal and big-government speech” since Lyndon Johnson, and seems poised to undo the whole Reagan agenda. “Conservatives can’t win politically right now,”...
UN Acquits Serb Leader
BBC
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Feb 26, 2009 11:46 AM CST
(Newser) -
A UN tribunal acquitted former Serbian president Milan Milutinovic today of war crimes during the late-1990s conflict in Kosovo, the BBC reports. Milutinovic, the titular leader of Serbia in 1997-2002, did not have direct control of the Yugoslav army during the campaign of violence committed against Kosovar Albanians, the tribunal ruled.
GOP's Cantor Plays Foil in Obama's Bipartisan Push
ABC News
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Feb 26, 2009 11:40 AM CST
(Newser) -
At a time when congressional Republicans hold little power, Minority Whip Eric Cantor has finagled a pivotal role for himself in Washington. Cantor—Barack Obama’s Republican of choice in bipartisan overtures—has coyly positioned himself against House Democrats instead of the popular president, Rick Klein notes for ABC News. He’s...
Germans Exalt Grocery Clerk Sacked Over $2
Der Spiegel
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Feb 26, 2009 11:30 AM CST
(Newser) -
A grocery clerk fired from her job of 31 years after allegedly stealing $1.66 has turned into a recession-time hero in Germany. While financial fat cats walk away with billions despite triggering a worldwide economic crisis, the sacking of a 50-year-old mother seems unfair, her supporters tell Der Spiegel . A labor court upheld Barbara E’s firing...
Congrats, DC: Sen. Burris Is on Your Side
Washington Post
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Feb 26, 2009 11:18 AM CST
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DC residents have a new Senate ally in their quest for congressional representation. Unfortunately, Dana Milbank points out in the Washington Post , it’s the monumentally unpopular Roland Burris, “the Democrat from Blagojevich.” As Milbank points out, “Burris is not one to be set back by shunning,” launching into a plea...
New Enemy in Climate Fight: Methane-Heavy Sheep Burps
Wall Street Journal
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Feb 26, 2009 11:09 AM CST
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Big oil, coal-fired power plants, automakers and now sheep: As governments look to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, researchers are looking seriously at livestock, believed to contribute more than cars via the methane gas they belch during digestion, the Wall Street Journal reports. To that end, researchers in New Zealand are trying everything from...
'Insourcing' Is Recession's DIY Buzzword
Washington Post
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Feb 26, 2009 11:00 AM CST
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The recession is prompting Americans to forgo luxuries—and that means doing for themselves what they would once have paid someone else to do, the Washington Post reports. Starter sewing-kit sales have soared 30%; landscapers are losing business; customers are forsaking salons to dye their own hair. The trend is popular enough for marketers...
Obama Unveils Budget, Slams 'Dishonest Accounting'
CNN
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Feb 26, 2009 10:51 AM CST
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Barack Obama rolled out his ambitious 2010 budget proposal today, promising a break from the “dishonest accounting” of the past. “For too long, our budget has not told the whole truth,” the president said. “Large sums have been left off the books, including the true cost of fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.” The...
Crash Passenger: I'm Not Freeman's Mistress
Commercial Appeal (Memphis)
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Feb 26, 2009 10:50 AM CST
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The woman suing Morgan Freeman for damages after a car crash says the actor was drinking all night before getting behind the wheel, the Commercial Appeal of Memphis reports. Demaris Meyer also denied that she was his mistress but said they were headed for his home when they piled into her car. She also said the actor "has provided extremely...
Dems Shrug Off Obama's Call to Battle Earmarks
The Hill
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Feb 26, 2009 10:40 AM CST
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Leading Democratic lawmakers didn't welcome President Obama’s call to jettison budget earmarks, suggesting that as elected officials, they should control where funds are headed, the Hill reports. “We cannot let spending be done by a bunch of nameless, faceless bureaucrats,” Harry Reid said yesterday. Obama pointed to earmarks as...
Warren Beatty Courts LiLo ... No, Not Like That
Fox News
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Feb 26, 2009 10:29 AM CST
(Newser) -
Warren Beatty wants to cast Lindsay Lohan in his upcoming film, but he’s not willing to gamble on the troubled starlet's reliability. The film icon will require the 22-year-old to live with him—or at least on his property—during production, Fox News reports. Lohan is said to be seriously considering the opportunity to play the star/director’s...
Labradoodle Fans, Relax: Obamas Still Undecided
Associated Press
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Feb 26, 2009 10:19 AM CST
(Newser) -
It seems Michelle Obama was using the media to influence household politics when she announced her dog choice, the Los Angeles Times reports. “They have not selected a breed,” her press secretary insists. “Mrs. Obama likes the Portuguese water dog, but she is only one of four votes.” Last month, President Obama narrowed the...
Busted Teen 'Madam' Rips Pimp Charges
Arizona Republic (Phoenix)
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Feb 26, 2009 10:08 AM CST
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A 16-year-old girl charged with running a child prostitution ring calls the charges "ridiculous," the Arizona Republic reports. The girl and a pal were the madams of a ring that recruited girls as young as 14 to have sex for money, according to Phoenix police. "We have two girls who are, in essence, pimps," said a police spokesman....
Lobbyists Open War Chests to Battle Obama
Wall Street Journal
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Feb 26, 2009 10:00 AM CST
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In his address to Congress, President Obama made it clear certain industries are in his crosshairs, from agribusiness to defense to health care. But those industries aren’t taking it lying down, the Wall Street Journal reports. They’re spending big on lobbyists, hoping to derail—or at least reshape—details of Obama’s...
Injured Good Samaritan Gets Traffic Ticket for His Efforts
Associated Press
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Feb 26, 2009 9:51 AM CST
(AP) -
A good Samaritan who pushed three people out of the path of a pickup truck before being struck and injured has gotten a strange reward for his good deed: a jaywalking ticket. A Denver bus driver was helping two elderly women cross a busy street in a snowstorm when he was hit Friday night, the AP reports. The state police said that despite...
Two-Thirds of Americans Back Afghanistan Surge
Washington Post
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Feb 26, 2009 9:47 AM CST
(Newser) -
The 17,000 additional troops President Obama plans to send to Afghanistan will ship out with the support of two-thirds of Americans, a contrast to the public’s poor reception of George W. Bush’s Iraq surge, the Washington Post reports. Polls also show Obama’s troop increase has widespread backing: Four in 10 of those who say...
Fed Bailout Spawns More 'Zombie' Banks
Wall Street Journal
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Feb 26, 2009 9:40 AM CST
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The Federal Reserve’s aggressive lending to banks has helped avert financial collapse, but it may have created some monsters as well, the Wall Street Journal reports. A research paper from the University of Chicago suggests that while federal aid has succeeded some in thawing frozen credit markets, it has also sustained weak banks laden with...
Book of Tweets Is No Big Feat
Gawker
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Feb 26, 2009 9:35 AM CST
(Newser) -
It takes very little work to put together a book nowadays, Gawker's Ryan Tate observes. He slams former colleague Nick Douglas for collecting a five-figure fee to "write" Twitter Wit , a book of his favorite tweets. Douglas retorts: "Reading a thousand jokes is like watching five hours of porn."
Under Tight Security, Israeli Makes Dubai Tennis Debut
Guardian (UK)
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Feb 26, 2009 9:23 AM CST
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A week after denying a visa to one Israeli tennis player, Dubai ushered in another yesterday amid tight security—and his match went smoothly, the Guardian reports. After fines and criticism for its decision to reject female player Shahar Peer’s bid to play, the United Arab Emirates made Andy Ram the first Israeli to play in the country,...
Brit's Dad Wins Extension of Restraining Order
People
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Feb 26, 2009 9:18 AM CST
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An LA court yesterday extended the restraining order against Britney Spears' ex-manager, ex-boyfriend, and another man who've been accused of trying to influence the troubled pop star, People reports. Her father and conservator, Jamie Spears, had requested the extension. At a hearing yesterday, the singer's hairstylist testified the ex-manager,...
Limbaugh: 'What Must I Do to Own Women?'
RushLimbaugh.com
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Feb 26, 2009 9:07 AM CST
(Newser) -
Women don’t like Rush Limbaugh, and he wants to know why. A new poll shows that the radio host has a 49% disapproval rating among women—with only 37% favorable—so he held a “female summit” on his show yesterday, inviting women callers of all political stripes to tell him what he’s doing wrong. “I own the men,...
Jobs, GM Can't Knock Stocks
Wall Street Journal
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Feb 26, 2009 8:50 AM CST
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Stocks headed north early, with the Dow up 93 points, despite bleak economic data and a $9.6 billion loss from GM. Jobless claims unexpectedly leaped last week, with total claims topping 5 million for the first time, while durable goods orders sunk 5.2% in January. But JPMorgan rose 5% ahead of its shareholder meeting, and Bank of America climbed 8%...
K-Fed Stitches Together Future in Kids Fashion
Women's Wear Daily
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Feb 26, 2009 8:46 AM CST
(Newser) -
Having tried his hand at backup dancing, celebrity marriage, and rapping, Keven Federline now plans a venture into the world of fashion design, he tells Women's Wear Daily . K-Fed says he's in talks to create a children’s clothing line, and he plans to spin threads with a more reasonable price tag than the $200 jeans his and ex-wife Britney...
Nasdaq Swipes $80B in NYSE Listings
Wall Street Journal
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Feb 26, 2009 8:35 AM CST
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In the war for stock listings, Nasdaq is on the offensive, offering companies beefed-up information and appearances on the exchange's towering Times Square video screen to woo them from the NYSE, the Wall Street Journal reports. Nasdaq was "very aggressive in creating marketing opportunities" for Dreamworks, including a 7-story Shrek to...
US Gun Dealers Arm Mexican Drug Wars
New York Times
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Feb 26, 2009 8:26 AM CST
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More than 6,000 Mexicans died in drug wars last year, and violence has surged recently as gangs battle the police and each other. But because of Mexico's strict gun laws, cartels have to get their weaponry from elsewhere: the United States. Ninety percent of guns recovered in Mexico originated north of the border, the New York Times reports—often...
Michelle Digs Newfound Family Time
Reuters
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Feb 26, 2009 8:11 AM CST
(Newser) -
Barack Obama's incredibly short commute means that he has more time than usual to spend with his wife and daughters, Reuters reports in a look at Michelle Obama's interview with People . The family has dinner together each night, and the president tucks Sasha and Malia into bed. "We haven't had that kind of time together" for years, "so...
Economic Woes Threaten Iraq's Stability
New York Times
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Feb 26, 2009 7:56 AM CST
(Newser) -
Countries around the world are suffering budget shortfalls and declining exports, but few nations have seen as calamitous a fall in revenues as Iraq. As oil prices have plummeted and American financial support has dried up, Iraq is canceling projects and struggling to pay government employees. As the New York Times reports, many in Iraq worry that...
Stroke Survivor Kim Puffs Away
Associated Press
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Feb 26, 2009 7:33 AM CST
(AP) -
President Obama isn't the only world leader with a less-than-consistent message about smoking. Despite his reported stroke last August, North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il was recently photographed puffing on a cigarette during a recent tour of a tobacco factory, reports the AP. One photo shown on North Korean state television shows Kim—in a parka,...
Obama Budget Taxes Wealthy to Expand Health Care
Washington Post
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Feb 26, 2009 7:17 AM CST
(Newser) -
President Obama's budget plan, which he delivers to Congress today, attempts to balance a broad spending program with a commitment to slash the deficit in half by the end of his first term. It calls for tax increases on the wealthy and spending cuts to fund a "down payment" on a huge expansion of health care. It also makes permanent middle-class...
50 Dead in Widening Bangladesh Mutiny
BBC
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Feb 26, 2009 7:15 AM CST
(Newser) -
A growing mutiny among troops in Bangladesh has left 50 people dead and forced the army to unleash tanks on the streets of the capital, Dhaka. The unrest began yesterday when border guards rebelled over pay and work conditions and has spread to at least 12 cities throughout the country. Some mutineers are said to be holding their officers hostage,...
GM Loses $9.6B in Q4, Guzzles $6.2B in Cash
Wall Street Journal
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Feb 26, 2009 7:08 AM CST
(Newser) -
General Motors burned through $6.2 billion in cash on its way to losing $9.6 billion in the fourth quarter, the company announced today, dragging its liquidity down to $14 billion. Analysts were expecting a loss, but not one this ghastly—the company’s stock is down nearly 24% in pre-market trading, the Wall Street Journal reports. The...
Kenneth: I'm More Lumberjacky Than Jindal
Late Night With Jimmy Fallon
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Feb 26, 2009 7:01 AM CST
(Newser) -
With the Internet buzzing over how much Gov. Bobby Jindal sounded like Kenneth the Page from 30 Rock in his Obama response Tuesday night, Jimmy Fallon gave Kenneth—aka Jack McBrayer—a chance to respond. On the Jimmy Fallon Late Night blog, McBrayer appears before a background strikingly similar to the one Jindal used for his speech. “I...
China Slams Auction of Looted Relics
BBC
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Feb 26, 2009 6:42 AM CST
(Newser) -
A Christie's auction of two relics looted from Beijing's Summer Palace 150 years ago has infuriated China, the BBC reports. A statement from the country's cultural agency denounced the "illegal" sale and warned of unspecified consequences. The bronze rat and rabbit, seized by invading French and British troops, sold for almost $40 million...
Pakistani Colonel Linked to Mumbai Attacks
Times (UK)
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Feb 26, 2009 6:33 AM CST
(Newser) -
Indian police have accused an officer in Pakistan's army of involvement in the November 2008 terrorist attacks that left 170 people dead, reports the Times of London. In a document detailing the charges against surviving assailant Ajmal Amir Kasab, which runs more than 11,000 pages, Indian authorities mention that a Pakistani government email account...
RBS Posts $34B Loss, Biggest in UK History, Gets 2nd Bailout
Times (UK)
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Feb 26, 2009 6:03 AM CST
(Newser) -
The Royal Bank of Scotland today announced an annual loss of $34.3 billion, the largest in British corporate history, and the Treasury said it would inject another $36 billion into the troubled bank. The UK government already owns 70% of RBS, a figure that could now rise to 95%, reports the Times of London. Much of today's loss stems from RBS'...
Mexican Mayor Assassinated
CNN
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Feb 26, 2009 5:27 AM CST
(Newser) -
The mayor of Vista Hermosa in Mexican President Felipe Calderon's home province was ambushed and killed by gunmen last night, CNN reports. The mayor, who survived an assassination attempt last week, is the second mayor in the province to be killed in eight months. The assassination came as US Attorney General Eric Holder announced that more than 750...
Feds: Swindlers Blew $500M on Horses, Houses, Teddies
Reuters
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Feb 26, 2009 4:52 AM CST
(Newser) -
A pair of money managers who once co-owned the New York Islanders hockey team have been charged by federal prosecutors with treating $550 million in client investments like their own "personal piggy bank," reports Reuters. Paul Greenwood, 61, and Stephen Walsh, 64, managing general partners of WG Trading Co. in Connecticut, spent a decade...
Seinfeld Returns to NBC With 'Marriage Ref' Reality Show
Variety
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Feb 26, 2009 4:30 AM CST
(Newser) -
Jerry Seinfeld is returning to network TV after an 11-year-break with a show mining marriages for comedy gold, V ariety reports. The comedian is the creator and executive producer of the upcoming NBC reality series The Marriage Ref , which will feature opinionated celebs giving lighthearted marriage advice to couples going through "classic...
Knox: 'I Heard Meredith Screaming'
The Independent
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Feb 26, 2009 3:55 AM CST
(Newser) -
Accused student murderer Amanda Knox will be confronted in court with her contradictory stories about the night her British roommate was killed when prosecutors reveal her handwritten statement to police that she heard "screaming" the night Meredith Kercher was stabbed to death, reports the Independent . The accused killer from Seattle now...
Rare Cheetah Spotted in Sahara
Telegraph (UK)
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Feb 26, 2009 3:36 AM CST
(Newser) -
An incredibly rare and elusive Saharan cheetah has been caught on camera in the Algerian desert, reports the Daily Telegraph . Fewer than 250 of the animals are believed to exist. Zoological Society of London researchers obtained the camera-trap photos as part of a project to systematically survey life in the Central Sahara. They say they hope the...
Helmsley Cash Doesn't Have to Go to Dogs
New York Times
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Feb 26, 2009 3:03 AM CST
(Newser) -
Leona Helmsley's fortune won't be going exclusively to canine charities after all, the New York Times reports. A judge decided yesterday that the famously prickly late hotelier's instruction in her will that all of her $8 billion go toward helping dogs was not binding, clearing the way for the trustees managing her estate to distribute the cash to...
Amsterdam Survivors Recount 'Miracle'
Guardian (UK)
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Feb 26, 2009 2:39 AM CST
(Newser) -
Nothing seemed amiss on a Turkish jetliner heading for Amsterdam yesterday until the big plane suddenly "lurched downward" with a sickening pull and smoke poured into the cabin, a passenger told the Guardian . "People were panicking and then we hit the ground," said the traveler, whose daughter burst into tears as the jet plunged....
Auto Suppliers Seek Their Own Bailout
Washington Post
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Feb 26, 2009 2:12 AM CST
(Newser) -
The auto industry is warning that it could collapse from the bottom up if the government doesn't immediately assist America's car parts suppliers, the Washington Post reports. Suppliers are struggling to use their unpaid billings to troubled automakers—usually 45 to 60 days behind deliveries—as collateral for operating loans, and may...
Obamas Honor Stevie Wonder
ABC News
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Feb 26, 2009 1:46 AM CST
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The First Couple last night honored Stevie Wonder with an award, a White House concert and an acknowledgment of the role his music has played in their relationship, reports ABC News. The president presented the Motown legend with the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song lifetime achievement award. Guests, including Paul Simon and Tony Bennett, honored the...
Banks That Fail 'Stress Test' Have 6 Months to Fix
Los Angeles Times
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Feb 25, 2009 9:40 PM CST
(Newser) -
The federal government has begun its so-called "stress tests" of the nation's big banks, reports the Los Angeles Times . The tests will run through April, and the banks will have to prove they can withstand a worsening economy—even if unemployment rises above 10% and home prices decline 22%. Banks that fail the test will have 6 months...
Fast Thinking Makes People Happy
Scientific American
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Feb 25, 2009 9:16 PM CST
(Newser) -
Happy people think fast thoughts, say researchers at Princeton and Harvard. They asked two groups to perform the same tasks—problem-solving, reading, and watching TV—at different speeds. Those forced to move along briskly felt more elated, creative, even powerful, Scientific American reports. The findings suggest a crossword puzzle or...
