Newser Story Index from March, 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.
Tourists Return to Iraq
Guardian (UK)
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Mar 21, 2009 3:18 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The first package tourists since the days of Saddam Hussein have arrived in Baghdad, the Guardian reports. The group—four Brits, two Americans, a Russian, and a Canadian—are on a 17-day tour of the country, taking in the sights of ancient Mesopotamia in a journey that would have been impossible less than a year ago.
Global Warming Will Bring 'Global Weirding'
Yale Environment 360
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Mar 21, 2009 2:41 AM CDT
(Newser) -
While the physical changes brought on by global warming—droughts, floods, and the like—are fairly easy to model, the effect on ecosystems is disconcertingly unpredictable, John Waldman writes in Yale Environment 360 . Species will shift migration patterns and seek new homes, affecting other species in ways we can't imagine. Waldman fears...
Arizona Topples No. 5 Utah
Associated Press
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Mar 20, 2009 10:06 PM CDT
(AP) -
So much for the notion Arizona might not have belonged in the NCAA tournament. Nic Wise scored 21 of his 29 points in the second half, Chase Budinger added 20 and the 12th-seeded Wildcats—one of the last teams into the field of 65—knocked off fifth-seeded Utah 84-71 tonight in the first round of the Midwest Regional, the AP reports.
Geithner Aide Lobbied for CEO Bonuses
Mother Jones
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Mar 20, 2009 9:31 PM CDT
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The Treasury's new chief of staff once fought for the very executive bonuses Washington is trying to curb. When working for Goldman Sachs, Mark Patterson lobbied against a 2007 bill supported by Barack Obama to help limit Wall Street payouts. The initiative died in Senate committee. "Whatever Patterson had done, he could claim a success," David...
Post Office Plans Big Job Cuts
NPR
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Mar 20, 2009 7:17 PM CDT
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Citing severe losses, the US Postal Service is slashing 1,400 jobs and offering early retirement to 150,000 workers, NPR reports. The post office will also shut down six district offices, but says delivery will not be affected. Hobbled by a 5.2 billion drop in mail volume in the first quarter this year, the post office lost $384 million—adding...
5 Tax Scams: Do They Work?
Esquire
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Mar 20, 2009 6:34 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Cheating the IRS is illegal and dumb. That said, Details asked attorney Kelly Phillips Erb—who keeps a blog that welcomes cheaters—to evaluate a few of the more popular scams. "I find their logic interesting," Erb says. Hide Your Gambling Winnings : Doable, but a score of $1,200 at the slots or $600 at the...
Senate GOP Slows Rush to Tax AIG Bonuses
Associated Press
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Mar 20, 2009 6:00 PM CDT
(AP) -
Senate Republicans are drawing out a flap that has made the Obama administration squirm, the AP reports. Sen. Jon Kyl, the Republicans' vote counter, blocked Democratic efforts yesterday to bring up the Senate version of the tax bill to recoup most of the $165 million paid out by AIG last weekend and other bonuses in 2009. The House had swiftly...
If I Knew, I Would Have 'Rejected' Legislation: Dodd
CNN
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Mar 20, 2009 5:10 PM CDT
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Sen. Chris Dodd says that if he had known the purpose of changes to legislation he drafted for the stimulus package, he “would have flatly rejected it,” CNN reports. Dodd’s rewrite, at the behest of unnamed Treasury officials, allowed AIG and others receiving federal assistance to dole out millions in previously promised bonuses....
In Online Traffic, It's Truly Madness
Business Insider
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Mar 20, 2009 4:52 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Despite a lack of surprises on the court, the first day of March Madness saw a huge jump in visits to the CBS website as well as a bump in TV ratings, the Business Insider reports. The 2.7 million viewers of streaming video online represented a 56% increase over last year, and each visitor watched about an hour of content. On the broadcast end,...
Female Finches 'Pick' Sex of Chicks
BBC
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Mar 20, 2009 4:25 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The female Gouldian finch can control the sex of her egg to produce the strongest possible offspring, the BBC reports. The species comes in two head colors, red and black, and same-color mates are more compatible. If a female finds herself with a different color mate, her offspring will be 70% male, the heartier gender in that case. A same color match...
Mourners Assemble in NY for Richardson Wake
Associated Press
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Mar 20, 2009 4:11 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Family and friends assembled in New York today for the wake of Natasha Richardson, the AP reports; husband Liam Neeson, their sons, and mother Vanessa Redgrave were among them. “It’s been a very, very sad few days and I think it will stay that way,” said family friend Matthew Broderick. “I had dinner with her Saturday,”...
Budget Deficit Soars Past $1.8T
Wall Street Journal
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Mar 20, 2009 4:01 PM CDT
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The federal budget deficit will surpass $1.8 trillion during the current fiscal year, the Congressional Budget Office said today. The figure far outstrips the previous estimate of $1.2 trillion and spells trouble for President Obama's proposed budget, the Wall Street Journal reports, but the White House budget director said the projection won't derail...
Street View Catches Britons in Compromising Positions
Telegraph (UK)
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Mar 20, 2009 3:54 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Google has scrubbed several embarrassing photos from its Street View map feature following the rollout of the service in the UK yesterday, the Telegraph reports. Google received numerous complaints about certain snapshots, including one of a man leaving a sex shop. Google noted that Street View has tools for the removal of awkward photos, and that...
Popular Porcupine Ads Prod NY Governor
Audubon Magazine
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Mar 20, 2009 3:42 PM CDT
(Newser) -
New York’s wildlife advocates are hoping an unemployed porcupine can help in a prickly battle with Gov.David Paterson, Audubon Magazine reports. Paterson has proposed cutting $9 million from the state’s 76 zoos, botanical gardens, and aquariums. To convince lawmakers to reject the cuts, opponents are releasing humorous PSAs featuring...
Oprah's Next Cover Girl: Ellen
USA Today
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Mar 20, 2009 3:32 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Ellen DeGeneres learned a lesson on her talk show today: Ask and ye shall receive—from Oprah, USA Today reports. DeGeneres’ dream has been to be on the cover of O magazine, and today Winfrey surprised her with an invitation. “I’m just in shock right now,” Ellen said. Joked Winfrey: “We will coordinate our outfits...
Banks Fall; Dow Slides 122
MarketWatch
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Mar 20, 2009 3:20 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Stocks fell today but managed to lock in the first two consecutive weeks of gains since May 2008, the Wall Street Journal reports. Comments from FDIC chair Sheila Bair that she expects bank failures to drain her agency sank financials, with the broader market following suit. The Dow dropped 122.42 to close at 7,278.38. The Nasdaq fell 26.21, settling...
Medical Pot Use Legal, Confusing in Michigan
Chicago Tribune
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Mar 20, 2009 3:15 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Medical use of marijuana is about to become fully legal in Michigan, but loopholes and inconsistencies in the law could keep reefer madness underground, the Chicago Tribune reports. Voters approved the decriminalization measure last fall, and next month, patients will be able to request authorization from doctors. Legislatures in Illinois, Minnesota,...
Polish Meaning of New Name Embarrasses 'Syfy'
Broadcasting & Cable
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Mar 20, 2009 3:06 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The much-maligned rebranding of the channel formerly known as Sci-Fi has yielded another embarrassment for the network. “Syfy”—the new name—is Polish slang for syphilis, Broadcasting & Cable reports. Native Poles, however, may be less offended by the name change than hard-core fans: Polish embassy officials say “Syfy”...
Michelle Digs Into White House Garden
Newsday
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Mar 20, 2009 2:55 PM CDT
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Michelle Obama and kids from a Washington elementary school got their hands dirty today, Newsday reports, breaking ground for a vegetable garden on the White House lawn. The garden, the first on the grounds since World War II, will feature many veggies—but not beets, at the president’s request. The first family intends to cook some of...
Space Station Panels Unfurled, Despite Threat of 'Stiction'
ABC News
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Mar 20, 2009 2:45 PM CDT
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Astronauts on the International Space Station successfully unfurled the last of the craft’s solar panels today, despite the chronic problem of “stiction,” ABC reports. Stiction is, predictably, the engineering term for things sticking together. When panels have had trouble opening in the past, spacemen have resorted to everything...
Grandmother: Casey Stole $45K From Anthonys
Orlando Sentinel
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Mar 20, 2009 2:36 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Casey Anthony’s grandmother alleges that the murder suspect may have stolen up to $45,000 from her parents, the Orlando Sentinel reports. “I don’t think she blowed it all at once, but what was she doing all this time?” Shirley Plesea told investigators in August, according to documents released today. “She didn’t...
Frank Targets Fannie, Freddie Execs' Bonuses
MarketWatch
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Mar 20, 2009 2:27 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Executives at government-owned mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are scheduled to receive six-figure retention bonuses, but Barney Frank wants the payments canceled, MarketWatch reports. “In this troubled economy, and in this job market, it is difficult to imagine that the companies would not be able to find competent and talented replacements...
It's No Lie: Duplicity Scores
New York Times
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Mar 20, 2009 2:18 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Critics aren’t hiding their love for the twists and turns of Duplicity , a combination “caper movie,” “love story,” and “extra-dry corporate satire,” AO Scott notes in the New York Times . The buzz on the Julia Roberts-Clive Owen flick: "Attempts—and to a surprising degree, succeeds—to...
DC Right-Wingers Get Joe the Plumber 'Horny'
Washington Post
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Mar 20, 2009 2:09 PM CDT
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Being honored at a Washington event last night skewering the liberal media made Samuel Wurzelbacher—better known as Joe the Plumber, of Campaign ’08 fame—“horny,” the Washington Post reports. “God, all this love and everything in the room—I’m horny,” the Republican everyman said after a standing...
State AGs Probe AIG Bonuses
Wall Street Journal
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Mar 20, 2009 2:01 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The attorneys general of 19 states have joined forces to investigate the bonus payments made to AIG employees, the Wall Street Journal reports. In a letter to the firm, the coalition demands a list of all employees of the financial products unit who received bonuses after the government started providing financial assistance in September 2008.
Love Endures, Sort Of: Study
LiveScience
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Mar 20, 2009 1:47 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Romantic love is more enduring than previously thought, says a new study in the Review of General Psychology . Researchers surveyed more than 6,000 people, some newly coupled, some married for decades, and found that 13% still reported high levels of romance. That may not sound like much, but it was still surprisingly high, researchers say. Until...
Suze Orman: Bush Owes America Every Cent He Has
Women's Wear Daily
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Mar 20, 2009 1:29 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Chances are, Suze Orman disapproves of how you've handled your finances. She's said as much in her dozens of television appearances in the past months, becoming big enough for SNL to parody her. ("The greatest honor of my career.") Women's Wear Daily looks at how Orman became the shrill, savvy money guru she is today, and gets some...
HBO's Unlikely New Series Offers No Sex, Violence
Wall Street Journal
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Mar 20, 2009 1:17 PM CDT
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HBO's newest series one has nothing to do with single New Yorkers or mobsters in New Jersey. The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, based on the novels by Alexander McCall Smith, is more like a younger, Botswanan version of Miss Marple—in a good way. R&B singer Jill Scott stars as Precious, a mild, tea-sipping detective who owns a herd of cattle...
Smuggler Makes Dishes From Cocaine
Times (UK)
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Mar 20, 2009 1:15 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Spanish police have seized a 42-piece crockery set—complete with cups, plates, bowls, you name it—that happens to be made entirely of cocaine, the Times of London reports. Police say a smuggler got nabbed trying to sneak the bogus dishware from Venezuela to Catalonia, by way of London. It's the latest trend in drug smuggling, apparently—using...
Richardson Waited 4 Hours Before Seeking Treatment
New York Times
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Mar 20, 2009 12:59 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Natasha Richardson wasn’t admitted to the hospital until nearly 4 hours after she’d taken her fateful tumble, almost 3 hours later than the ski resort officials claimed Tuesday, the New York Times reports. Ambulance dispatch records show that the first paramedics to arrive at 1pm were waved off when Richardson declined treatment; a second...
Knowing Doesn't Add Up
Rotten Tomatoes
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Mar 20, 2009 12:52 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The reviews are in, and it doesn’t look good for Knowing, Nicolas Cage’s predestination-driven sci-fi epic. Here’s what critics are saying: It’s “laughably bad,” says Joe Neumanier of the New York Daily News , a pseudo-philosophical mess that “reaches for sci-fi relevance, but just keeps getting...
Chrysler, GM May Need 'Considerably' More US Aid
Bloomberg
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Mar 20, 2009 12:50 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Chrysler and GM could end up needing a “considerably higher” amount than the $21.6 billion so far requested, Bloomberg reports. Steven Rattner, who heads President Obama’s auto task force, said it's possible the request could go as high as $40 billion. He also said that Chrysler’s mention of a merger with Fiat is a “worthy...
French Uncork World's Oldest Champagne
Times (UK)
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Mar 20, 2009 12:39 PM CDT
(Newser) -
In honor of its "liquid history," the French champagne house Perrier-Jouët uncorked a bottle of the world's oldest vintage: an 1825 that went straight to critics' heads. "There were flavours of mushrooms, woods and a bit of honey," said one, while another detected "mince pie at Christmas time," reports the Times...
Drug Ecstasy May Help Stress Disorder Victims
Reuters
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Mar 20, 2009 12:28 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The drug ecstasy may help people recover from post-traumatic stress disorder, Reuters reports. The drug could help patients in therapy bond with their therapists—key to recovery—and get a better hold on their feelings, studies suggest. It may help reestablish a balance between two areas of the brain, while causing the release of chemicals...
RI Strip Club Hosts Job Fair
Providence Journal
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Mar 20, 2009 12:22 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A prominent Rhode Island strip club is betting that long spells of unemployment will attract newcomers to the adult entertainment industry, the Providence Journal reports. The Foxy Lady is even hosting a job fair tomorrow, looking to hire up to 25 new dancers, bartenders and bouncers. Unemployment in Rhode Island is above 10%, and a Foxy Lady manager...
Deported Ex-Nazi Goes Free in Austria
Reuters
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Mar 20, 2009 12:00 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Austria says there’s no way it can prosecute Josias Kumpf, the 83-year-old ex-Nazi guard the US shipped its way yesterday, Reuters reports. “We have always pointed out to the United States that he cannot be charged here,” said an Austrian justice ministry spokeswoman. Kumpf has admitted to taking part in the murder of 8,000 Jews in...
New Bilingual West Side Story Tender, Uneven
New York Times
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Mar 20, 2009 11:44 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The highly anticipated revival of West Side Story on Broadway opened last night to solid reviews, with critics applauding an unusually tender interpretation in which the women rule. Highlights: “Even when they’re flashing switchblades and kicking people in the ribs, the teenage hoodlums who maraud through Arthur Laurents’s...
African Union Suspends Madagascar
BBC
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Mar 20, 2009 11:34 AM CDT
(Newser) -
International pressure is mounting against the new government of Madagascar, installed this week via coup, the BBC reports. The African Union has suspended the island nation’s membership, calling the takeover “unconstitutional,” and South Africa said it might impose sanctions. France likewise condemned the takeover, and the US cut...
AIG Bonus Vote Splits GOP Honchos
Politico
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Mar 20, 2009 11:25 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The vote to tax AIG bonuses split the House’s top two Republicans, and illustrates the differences in their strategies, reports Politico. Minority Leader John Boehner voted against, calling it “a bad bill with bad consequences.” Boehner’s No. 2, rising star Eric Cantor, supported it, calling it a “messy situation.”...
Special Olympics Champ Challenges First Bowler
TMZ
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Mar 20, 2009 11:21 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Kolan McConiughey says he’s confident he can beat Barack Obama in a bowling matchup, despite the president’s recent improvement to a score of 129. The Special Olympics champion, who has three perfect games on his record and averages 266, tells TMZ that "he’s cool, but he can’t beat me.” The White House had no comment...
Judge Denies Madoff's Bail Appeal
New York Daily News
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Mar 20, 2009 11:17 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A federal appeals court today denied Bernard Madoff’s request to be released on bail until his June sentencing date, the New York Daily News reports. “The defendant’s age and exposure to imprisonment are undisputed, and the court did not err in inferring an incentive to flee from these facts,” the three-judge panel said in...
Rare Lynx Cubs Born in Spain
Associated Press
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Mar 20, 2009 10:59 AM CDT
(AP) -
Officials say three endangered Iberian lynx cubs have been born in a nature reserve in southern Spain. The Iberian lynx is the world's most endangered cat, and the cubs were part of a breeding program in Andalusia's Donana National Park. The regional environmental department says the cubs born Wednesday bring the total born to 27 since the program...
Israeli Prez Follows Obama in Appeal to Iranians
Jerusalem Post (Israel)
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Mar 20, 2009 10:54 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Following President Obama's video message to Iran, Shimon Peres issued an audio address today, urging Iranians to reject the rule of their “oppressive and fanatical regime” and “reclaim their worthy place among the nations of the enlightened world.” The Israeli president's message, delivered partly in Farsi, was broadcast over...
High Profile Helps Drive Obama Agenda
Politico
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Mar 20, 2009 10:53 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Don’t look now, but President Obama’s on TV again. And gracing magazine covers, delivering a radio address, even on the Web making NCAA tournament picks. The "Everywhere President” strategy is a gamble, as evidenced by the fact that Republicans haven't retired the "celebrity" put-down. One branding expert tells...
Robot Fish Will Help Battle Pollution
Financial Times (UK)
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Mar 20, 2009 10:51 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Robots will soon be patrolling the harbor of Gijon, Spain, and if all goes well, the local sea life won't notice a thing, reports the Financial Times . The pollution-detecting bots cost $30,000 each and are modeled after carp, complete with shiny scales and an undulating swimming motion. "We are building on a design created by hundreds of...
Disgraced Credit Raters See Windfall in Fed Plan
Wall Street Journal
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Mar 20, 2009 10:49 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Credit-rating companies faulted for their role in creating the financial crisis could rake in more than $1 billion in Ben Bernanke’s new plan to prop up the financial system, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Fed is planning $7 billion worth of bond deals, and they'll need the approval of two of the three giant credit rating firms—Moody’s,...
New Israeli Government on Collision Course With US
Washington Post
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Mar 20, 2009 10:42 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Israel’s incoming governing coalition is expected to take a harder line on a Palestinian state than its predecessors, even as the US may be moving more toward a conciliatory position, reports the Washington Post . Incoming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thinks American-backed talks are a waste of time, and he relies heavily on conservative...
Madonna's Phone Hangups Irk Boytoy Jesus
Daily Mail (UK)
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Mar 20, 2009 10:35 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Madonna has decided to let Jesus Luz use his cellphone around her—but only in emergencies. The unlikely pair had a fight when Madonna walked in on her 22-year-old beau on a family phone call, and “she told him it was rude for him to take a phone call in front of her,” a source told the Daily Mail . The 50-year-old pop star can...
AIG Sues US Over Tax Payments
New York Times
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Mar 20, 2009 10:32 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Even as Washington rails against AIG’s bonus giveaway, the insurer is quietly suing the government for $306 million in tax payments, the New York Times reports. AIG’s case hinges largely on its use of offshore tax havens, including one entity that handles executive compensation. It also says it overpaid the government after a 2004 accounting...
I Love You, Man : Bromance at Its Best
Rotten Tomatoes
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Mar 20, 2009 10:23 AM CDT
(Newser) -
I Love You Man 's tale of a guy searching for a best friend rolls out every buddy movie cliché from the Odd Couple onward but stays likable, thanks to its stars, say critics. Rossiter Drake, San Francisco Examiner : Paul Rudd and Jason Segel "take what might have been a slick, formulaic exercise and turn it into the year's funniest...
