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.
McAuliffe Tack: Virginia Is for Garbage Lovers
Washington Post
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Mar 20, 2009 10:06 AM CDT
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For Terry McAuliffe, the former Democratic party chief turned Virginia gubernatorial candidate, the way to Old Dominion’s heart runs through trash. “I love trash," he tells Dana Milbank of the Washington Post . "I love chicken litter, cow manure, garbage. This is the kind of thing that gets me excited.” Apparently, this...
US Nuclear Sub, Ship Collide in Strait of Hormuz
Associated Press
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Mar 20, 2009 10:04 AM CDT
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Two US vessels—the USS Hartford nuclear submarine and the amphibious USS New Orleans—collided in the waters between Iran and the Arabian peninsula today, the AP reports. Fifteen sailors were slightly injured aboard the Hartford, but all were able to return to duty. The New Orleans crew was unscathed, but the ship suffered a ruptured fuel...
AIG Execs Face Fury of Angry Public
New York Times
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Mar 20, 2009 9:58 AM CDT
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The AIG scandal has turned company execs from pillars of their communities into dastardly villains, reports the New York Times . Witness James Haas—or Jackpot Jimmy as the New York Post calls him. "I didn’t have anything to do with those credit problems,” says Haas, who fought back tears and told reporters outside his home...
LiLo on Britney: She's No Artist
Nylon
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Mar 20, 2009 9:51 AM CDT
(Newser) -
From one tabloid obsession to another: Lindsay Lohan tells Nylon magazine that she respects Britney Spears—for her honesty, not for her talent, which she cheerfully disparages. “She’s marketed as an entertainer, which is what she is. Not necessarily as, like, an artist," LiLo opines. "And I respect that about her,...
Smarties 'Smokers' Stressing Schools
Wall Street Journal
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Mar 20, 2009 9:35 AM CDT
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Parents and school officials are sweating over a new kids’ craze: “smoking” Smarties candies, the Wall Street Journal reports. Children crush the sugary discs into a powder in their wrapper, dump the powder into their mouths, and, in a move eerily reminiscent of cigarette smokers, exhale a cloud of dust. “To freak your mom...
Rare Portrait Might Not Be Shakespeare
Telegraph (UK)
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Mar 20, 2009 9:28 AM CDT
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A recently rediscovered painting originally thought to be the only surviving portrait of Shakespeare may actually portray a 17th-century courtier, the Telegraph reports. The subject’s clothes are too grand to be the playwright's, experts say, and although the portrait is similar to another image believed to be of the Bard, the more likely explanation...
Noonan to Obama: Get Focused
Wall Street Journal
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Mar 20, 2009 9:19 AM CDT
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There are two crises facing the new president, writes Peggy Noonan in the Wall Street Journal : the economy and the threat of terrorism. Either one would warrant near-obsessive focus, but President Obama can’t seem to zero in. “What strikes one is the weightlessness of the Obama administration, the jumping from issue to issue and venue...
Iran Welcomes Obama Overture
Guardian (UK)
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Mar 20, 2009 9:18 AM CDT
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The Iranian government gave a muted welcome to Barack Obama's surprise video appeal for better relations, but said the US must "realize its previous mistakes," drop sanctions, and end its support for Israel. An aide to president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that Iran would "not show its back" if Washington made further overtures,...
Jacko Wants Apology for IRA Joke
Daily Mirror (UK)
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Mar 20, 2009 8:57 AM CDT
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Michael Jackson was “appalled” after BBC comedians compared him to the IRA, and he wants an apology, the Mirror reports. Just days after three IRA-related murders, the comedians noted that both Jacko and the terrorist organization are “80s celebrities” making a surprise comeback. “To compare him to cold-blooded murderers...
Mortgages Won't Go Any Lower
Wall Street Journal
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Mar 20, 2009 8:48 AM CDT
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The extraordinary measures the Fed has taken to reduce long-term mortgage rates may have hit their limits. Lenders are now quoting an average rate of 4.75% on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages, and that’s probably as cheap as it’s going to get, says James Hagerty of the Wall Street Journal . With homeowners banging down the doors to refinance...
PSA Re-enacts Rihanna Beating
Associated Press
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Mar 20, 2009 8:46 AM CDT
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Rihanna’s alleged assault by Chris Brown is re-enacted in a new PSA, AP reports. Actors play out the scene while a narrator reads details from the police affidavit. “There was no need to sensationalize things. It was bad enough,” says the CEO of DoSomething.org, adding that white actors were chosen for the roles: “I think people...
Stocks Inch Up; Volatility Likely
Wall Street Journal
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Mar 20, 2009 8:44 AM CDT
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Stocks advanced by inches this morning, as investors remained cautious about the Federal Reserve’s latest recovery moves, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Dow rose 25 points, while the Nasdaq rose 0.5% and the S&P crawled up 0.2%. But that calm probably won’t last long—today marks a so-called triple witching, with options...
Zimbabwe Sees Hope as Mugabe's Grip Weakens
New York Times
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Mar 20, 2009 8:40 AM CDT
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Gains are fragile and much work remains, but opposition lawmakers in Zimbabwe's new coalition government finally see hope that they can weaken Robert Mugabe and put the nation on track, the New York Times reports. Donor nations are pressuring for better economic policies, a free press, and other reforms, and “there is a creeping sense that...
Ex AIG Boss: It's Not My Fault
CBS News
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Mar 20, 2009 8:31 AM CDT
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AIG’s former CEO tells CBS that the bonuses now sparking national outrage would not have happened under his watch. Hank Greenberg, ousted in 2005, said he doesn’t back such retention bonuses, blamed the firm's collapse on the "stupidity" of his successors, and thinks the current CEO should go. “When I was there, nobody had...
China-India Friction Rises Amid Downturn
Wall Street Journal
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Mar 20, 2009 8:23 AM CDT
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With US demand shrinking, China is looking to India to keep its exports buoyant and buy everything from iron ore to stuffed animals. But although China is its largest trading partner, India's not happy: this year it banned toy imports for safety reasons, and the country has lodged a dozen antidumping cases against China at the WTO. "It's...
Apologetic Obama Invites Special Olympic Athletes
Associated Press
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Mar 20, 2009 8:20 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The head of the Special Olympics said today that Barack Obama called to apologize for his cringe-inducing gaffe on the Tonight Show , even before the episode aired last night, the AP reports. "He apologized in a way that was very moving," Tim Shriver told ABC. "He expressed that he did not intend to humiliate this population."...
Vatican Insiders Call Pope 'a Disaster'
Telegraph (UK)
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Mar 20, 2009 8:05 AM CDT
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As Benedict XVI continues his pilgrimage in Africa, sources inside the Vatican say that the pope's frequent gaffes and difficulties with modern communication are threatening to undermine him. One member of the Vatican told the Telegraph that Benedict is "a disaster" who is "out of touch with the real world," citing his recent...
Let's Downsize Our Outrage
Washington Post
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Mar 20, 2009 7:56 AM CDT
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It’s time to put down the pitchforks, writes Steven Pearlstein in the Washington Post . Public outrage is getting so hot that it’s actually undermining government efforts to contain the financial crisis. Right now, the Treasury is desperately trying to lure private capital back into the so-called shadow banking system. But how eager will...
Aussie Critics Rip Micky D's McMath Tutoring
Guardian (UK)
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Mar 20, 2009 7:47 AM CDT
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Nutritionists and educators are having trouble swallowing McDonald's sponsorship of an online math program, the Guardian reports. The tutoring program, available free to schools and students across Australia, features the golden arches logo on its front page. Australia's government commended McDonald's for providing the resource, but critics see...
Dodd Weakened by Outcry Over AIG Bonuses
The Hill
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Mar 20, 2009 7:38 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The financial crisis has exacted a political toll on Sen. Chris Dodd few would have seen coming. The veteran senator, elected in 1980, now trails his challenger by 1%, reports the Hill . Resentment of VIP mortgages he received was already hurting him. Dodd’s fumbled explanations of his role in exempting AIG-style bonuses from regulation have...
No Shockers on Day One
ESPN
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Mar 20, 2009 7:32 AM CDT
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It was a disappointingly sane opening to March Madness yesterday, writes ESPN’s Mark Schlabach. Only four out of the 16 games were won by the lower seeds, and only one of those—12-seed Western Kentucky over 5-seed Illinois—approached headline status. Top seeds UNC and UConn rolled, with UConn scoring the third-largest rout ever, despite...
Nazi Prosecutor Loved Zinging 'Fat Boy' Goering
BBC
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Mar 20, 2009 7:23 AM CDT
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Newly released letters offer a glimpse behind the scenes of the Nuremberg trials of Nazi leaders, reports the BBC. The letters that British prosecutor David Maxwell-Fyfe sent his wife reveal a playful side—he refers to Reichsmarshall Hermann Goering as "the fat boy" and "slap-happy Hermann"—as well as an uneasy...
Leftist Party Could Join Israel Government
Haaretz (Israel)
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Mar 20, 2009 7:19 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister-designate of Israel, has been given an extra two weeks to form a government after a breakthrough in talks with Ehud Barak, the leader of the Labor Party and the country's outgoing defense minister. While Netanyahu has been ready to complete his right-wing cabinet this week, Barak seems ready to join in, warning...
Maliki Charts Post-Sectarian Politics in Iraq
Washington Post
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Mar 20, 2009 7:04 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The Shiite party of PM Nouri al-Maliki has allied itself with Sunni political figures and even Moqtada al-Sadr, a major departure from earlier politics that followed ethnic and sectarian lines. writes Anthony Shadid in the Washington Post . All support a strong central government and advocate a united Iraq over a federated state—and they...
Mystery Archer Busted in NY Arrow Attack
New York Daily News
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Mar 20, 2009 7:00 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A plumber who said he was just playing around was busted yesterday in a bizarre bow-and-arrow attack on a Yonkers woman. A 30-inch arrow arced from the sky to pierce the woman's stomach as she walked in the Bronx last Sunday. Police became suspicious when the plumber, who lived near the attack, acted "squirrely" while being questioned, a...
YouTube Streaming NCAA Games
CNET
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Mar 20, 2009 6:47 AM CDT
(Newser) -
YouTube started streaming NCAA tournament games yesterday from CBS, joining several other sites, including ESPN, AOL, and Yahoo, CNET reports. But it seems strange, writes Greg Sandoval, that neither CBS nor YouTube has done much to promote the broadcasts there, given an audience recently estimated at more than 100 million. CBS has long supported YouTube,...
Israeli Troops: We Were Ordered to Kill Gaza Civilians
Los Angeles Times
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Mar 20, 2009 6:26 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Israeli soldiers' accounts about their actions in Gaza seem to back up critics' assertions that the army violated rules of war and have set off a "soul-searching" in Israel, writes Richard Boudreaux in the Los Angeles Times. The troops tell of orders to shoot civilians without warning and destroy property "just because you can."...
Gmail Adds 'Undo Send' Option
Wired
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Mar 20, 2009 6:25 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Anybody who's ever been gripped by regret seconds after hitting "Send" will like Gmail's new feature, Wired reports. "Undo Send" gives users a grace period—currently 5 seconds, although future updates will provide the option for 10 seconds—in which they can yank back emails that are being sent to the wrong person,...
Palin Rejects a Third of Stimulus Cash
Anchorage Daily News
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Mar 20, 2009 5:41 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Sarah Palin is refusing to accept almost a third of stimulus funds offered to Alaska, the Anchorage Daily News reports. The governor—who can be overruled by the state legislature—says the funds, including $170 million for education, would expand government, but critics charge that she is going against Alaska's best interests for the sake...
Mexico Busts Drug Lord's Son
Los Angeles Times
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Mar 20, 2009 5:12 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The Mexican military has arrested the son of one of the country's most powerful drug barons, reports the Los Angeles Times . Vicente Zambada, 33, whose father is deputy head of the Sinaloa cartel, had risen through the ranks to become one of the cartel's top leaders and had ordered the killings of police and rivals, according to authorities.
A Third of America's Bird Species in Trouble
Wall Street Journal
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Mar 20, 2009 4:45 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Almost a third of America's bird species are in peril from habitat destruction and other threats, according to a federal report released yesterday. The study, which may spur the Obama administration to increase regulation in some areas to protect the animals, found that 67 of America's over 800 bird species are endangered and 184 more are threatened...
Fritzl Heads to Plush Psych Cell
Telegraph (UK)
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Mar 20, 2009 4:19 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Austrian monster dad Josef Fritzl will spend his days in far plusher accommodations than his daughter, who was repeatedly raped in her cellar prison for 24 years. Fritzl has been sentenced to life and remanded to a secure psychiatric unit of a Viennese hospital because of what the judge called his "abnormality of mind." He'll have a cell...
Prez Offers Iran 'New Beginning'
BBC
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Mar 20, 2009 3:51 AM CDT
(Newser) -
President Obama has offered Iran a fresh start in relations with the US in an unprecedented video message to the Iranian people and leadership, reports the BBC. The president, in a message released to mark the start of Iranian New Year and distributed to news outlets across the region, said his administration was committed to diplomacy, but warned...
'Snatched' Toddler's Body Found; Mom Grilled
Los Angeles Times
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Mar 20, 2009 3:25 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Police are probing inconsistencies in a California mother's story of her daughter's abduction after the toddler's body was found in a ditch off a freeway, reports the Los Angeles Times . Stacy Barker, 20, said she was knocked unconscious in a Los Angeles area park by attackers who snatched 18-month-old Emma Leigh. She later indicated the girl's death...
Texas School Forced Teens Into Cage Fights
Dallas Morning News
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Mar 20, 2009 2:59 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Employees at a Dallas high school forced troubled teens to settle their differences in bare-knuckle brawls inside a locker room cage while spectators cheered, says a report obtained by the Dallas Morning News . The principal of South Oak Cliff High at the time did nothing to stop the fights and even orchestrated some of them, the report states. None...
Prez Trips Up With Special Olympics Gaffe
ABC News
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Mar 20, 2009 2:34 AM CDT
(Newser) -
President Obama is expected to be zinged by critics today after a quip he made about his bad bowling and the Special Olympics during the taping of yesterday's Tonight Show appearance, ABC News reports. "I scored a 129," the president said when Jay Leno asked him if the White House bowling alley was getting any use. "I know, it...
Horns Beat Gophers 76-62 With Abrams Onslaught
Associated Press
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Mar 20, 2009 2:12 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The Texas Longhorns set up a second-round match against Duke with a 76-62 win over Minnesota in their NCAA opener, reports AP. AJ Abrams—whose 3-pointers were credited with getting the Longhorns to within a game of the Final Four last year—was as deadly as ever at long range, sinking eight 3-pointers, including a run of six straight treys...
Enough Already: Breastfeeding Is Overrated
The Atlantic
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Mar 20, 2009 1:43 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Breast milk isn’t a magical elixir that boosts IQ and thwarts illness, but it may be the residue of women’s subjugation, Hanna Rosin writes in the Atlantic . Science has never handily declared breastfeeding better than bottled formula, says Rosin. At best, it prevents gastrointestinal illness in some children, and at worst, wreaks havoc...
Obamas Planting Veggie Garden at White House
Washington Post
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Mar 19, 2009 8:35 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The Obamas are planting a vegetable garden at the White House, the Washington Post reports. And not just any garden—it will have 55 different vegetables, including the one that vexed candidate Obama: arugula. Michelle will break ground tomorrow with local students, and chefs will use its bounty to feed the first family and visiting dignitaries....
Obama to Leno: 'Stunned Is the Word' on AIG
New York Times
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Mar 19, 2009 7:19 PM CDT
(Newser) -
President Obama played the role of talk-show guest tonight with Jay Leno, mixing in jokes about his bowling game (up to 129) and Final Four picks (all from swing states) with a lengthy discussion of fiscal policy, the New York Times reports. He professed himself "stunned" by the AIG bonuses, railed against Wall Street ethics, and said embattled...
Astronauts Install Last Pair of Solar Panels
Space.com
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Mar 19, 2009 6:55 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The International Space Station is about to get full power for the first time. Two astronauts today installed the last pair of solar panels for the station in a six-hour spacewalk, reports Space.com. The station, which now has a total of eight solar panels, will unfurl the newly installed pair tomorrow. Astronauts Steven Swanson and Richard Arnold...
Geithner: I Take Full Responsibility
CNN
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Mar 19, 2009 6:26 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Treasury chief Tim Geithner said today that he asked Chris Dodd to add a stimulus loophole allowing AIG to dole out bonuses. Geithner told CNN he felt he had no choice because the government would have been vulnerable to lawsuits if it tried to stop them. "But we also worked with (Dodd) to strengthen the overall framework, and his bill has...
Israel Opens Inquiry Into Soldiers' Gaza Killings
Associated Press
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Mar 19, 2009 5:54 PM CDT
(AP) -
Israel's military today ordered a criminal inquiry into its own soldiers' reports that some troops killed Palestinian civilians during its recent Gaza assault by hastily opening fire, confident that relaxed rules of engagement would protect them. Their accounts, published in a military institute's newsletter, echo Palestinian allegations that Israel...
Parkinson's Treatment Shows Promise in Mice
Reuters
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Mar 19, 2009 5:35 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Potential good news for Parkinson's patients: An experimental treatment on mice that involves implanting electrodes on the spinal cord had great success, Reuters reports. Mice that received the so-called stimulator were able to move more easily. Human trials are expected to start next year, and they could lead the way to a safer, cheaper, and more...
Quebec Docs Push to Make Ski Helmets Mandatory
Gazette (Montreal )
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Mar 19, 2009 5:07 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Doctors in Quebec are pressing their case to the province's sports minister to make helmets mandatory for skiers, the Montreal Gazette reports. They met with the minister yesterday, the same day Natasha Richardson died after falling on a beginners' course there. She had no helmet. Minister Michelle Courchesne will next meet with ski operators.
US Deports Former Nazi Guard to Austria
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Mar 19, 2009 4:57 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A former guard at a Nazi concentration camp who participated in a mass slaughter of prisoners has been deported from Wisconsin to Austria, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. Immigration officials today sent Josias Kumpf, 83, back to his homeland, where his fate is unclear. He had lived in the US since 1956, though he was stripped of his US citizenship...
Neeson Film Won't Stop Production
Entertainment Tonight
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Mar 19, 2009 4:38 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The crew of Liam Neeson’s latest film is “bereft” over the death of his wife but will continue shooting, Entertainment Tonight reports. Chloe will focus on scenes that don’t need Neeson, who is mourning wife Natasha Richardson. “There are some scenes with Liam Neeson which have not been completed, (but) we do not feel...
US Cars Catch Foreign Makers in Dependability
Detroit News
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Mar 19, 2009 4:31 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Buick and Jaguar are the most dependable all-around car brands this year, the Detroit News reports. A study by JD Power and Associates looked at the average number of problems that crop up in 2006 models to make its estimation, which could be more influential as the recession has drivers holding onto cars longer. Joining Buick and Jaguar—which...
SNL Insider Dishes on Early Days
Salon
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Mar 19, 2009 4:19 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The early seasons of Saturday Night Live “set an almost impossibly high bar” for the future, writes Stephanie Zacharek in Salon , and Al Franken’s writing partner shows why in his new book. Tom Davis offers a backstage pass to early antics at 30 Rock, and it's a compelling read even though the "connect-the-tokes structure...
VH1 Brings Back Behind the Music
Hollywood Reporter
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Mar 19, 2009 3:43 PM CDT
(Newser) -
VH1 is reviving Behind the Music—yes, it was gone—after the success of last fall’s popular New Kids on the Block special. “It felt like the time was right,” a network exec tells the Hollywood Reporter . “There’s all sorts of new artists who have emerged.” Kicking off the rebirth are 10 new episodes,...
