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.
Study Links Video Games to Improved Vision
CNET
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Mar 30, 2009 4:03 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Adults can apparently improve their eyesight by playing action video games, a treatment less painful—for some, at least—than corrective lenses or eye surgery, according to researchers. Scientists compared study subjects who played the action games Call of Duty and Unreal Tournament 2004 to a group who played the more sedate Sims 2. ...
Sulzberger: the Wrong Savior for the New York Times
Vanity Fair
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Mar 30, 2009 3:48 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Newspaper scion Arthur Sulzberger Jr., who "has spent a lifetime faithfully placing his feet in his father’s footsteps," Mark Bowden writes in Vanity Fair , may be exactly the wrong guy to pull the New York Times out of the financial death spiral it seems to be in. With "his life’s mission to maintain the excellence he...
'Imprisoned' Cruise Ship Passengers Threaten Revolt
Guardian (UK)
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Mar 30, 2009 3:36 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Furious British cruise ship passengers on a $12,000 around-the-world voyage threatened mutiny yesterday unless they're allowed to disembark to visit ports. Some 600 passengers on the Aurora have only been allowed to visit three cities in 22 days after the 76,000-ton ship was held up for repairs. Passengers, who formed a protest committee to meet...
Tiger Returns to Win at Bay Hill
Associated Press
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Mar 30, 2009 3:16 AM CDT
(AP) -
The clutch shots, the late charge, an electric birdie putt on the 18th hole at Bay Hill. Tiger Woods is back. With a final putt everyone knew he was going to make, Woods nailed a 15-footer to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational for his first victory since returning from knee surgery.
20 Killed in Siege at Pakistan Police School
Times (UK)
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Mar 30, 2009 2:45 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Pakistani troops were locked in a fierce firefight today with gunmen who stormed a police academy near Lahore, killing 20 officers. The attackers, armed with automatic rifles and grenades, stormed the academy's morning turnout dressed as police, reports the Times of London. They "opened fire after throwing grenades," said a trainee, one...
Skype Expands to iPhone, iPod Tomorrow
Reuters
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Mar 30, 2009 2:25 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Skype is launching service for the iPhone tomorrow, expanding its popular internet phone operation from computers to the lucrative mobile market. Users of iPhones as well as iPod Touches—which have wifi but no cell connection—will be able to make free calls to fellow Skype users and pay for others. The company is planning a BlackBerry launch...
Doctor Zhivago Composer Dies
BBC
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Mar 30, 2009 1:59 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Maurice Jarre, the composer who wrote the Oscar-winning scores of Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago and A Passage to India , has died of cancer at the age of 84. The Frenchman—who rose to fame after moving to Los Angeles in the '60s—worked with such film director legends as Alfred Hitchcock, David Lean and Luchino Visconti. He also...
22 Fans Crushed at Ivory Coast World Cup Qualifier
Telegraph (UK)
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Mar 30, 2009 1:37 AM CDT
(Newser) -
At least 22 people were killed and 132 wounded in a stampede yesterday at a packed Ivory Coast soccer match, the Telegraph reports. The panic was sparked as fans without tickets broke down a stadium wall and poured inside. Victims were treated just yards away as Ivory Coast beat Malawi 5 to 0 in the World Cup qualifier.
Bankrupt Vick Shops His Memoir
New York Daily News
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Mar 29, 2009 8:21 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Former Atlanta Falcons star Michael Vick is shopping around a memoir that will likely "be a big mea culpa," Rush & Molloy write in the New York Daily News . The bankrupt quarterback has a tale to tell—from poverty to stardom to a 23-month prison sentence on dog-fighting charges—but must show public contrition if...
Why Today's Heroes Are So 'Effed Up'
Entertainment Weekly
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Mar 29, 2009 7:36 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Heroes and villains have clashed in American pop culture since D.W. Griffith's Birth of a Nation in 1915, but today's heroes are oddly at war with another foe—themselves, Jeff Jensen writes in Entertainment Weekly . Like Lost 's castaways, modern heroes are "flawed or messed up," reflecting "a culture that feels powerless...
Tar Heels Top Sooners to Make Final Four
Associated Press
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Mar 29, 2009 7:06 PM CDT
(AP) -
Blake Griffin might be the nation's best player. North Carolina brushed him aside with a total team effort. Ty Lawson scored 19 points and Danny Green added 18 to lead the top-seeded Tar Heels to a 72-60 win over Griffin and Oklahoma today in the South Regional final. North Carolina (32-4) advanced to the Final Four for the second straight year and...
US Muslims Lobby Obama for Posts
Los Angeles Times
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Mar 29, 2009 6:52 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Hoping for an era of warm relations with the White House, more than 300 Muslim-Americans have submitted resumes for government jobs, the Los Angeles Times reports. Vetted by community leaders, the list includes Ivy League graduates, civil servants, and Fortune 500 execs. It was created "under the radar," one advocate said, out of fear it...
Globalization Is Changing Our Brains
NPR
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Mar 29, 2009 6:20 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Having boogied in 70 countries on all seven continents, Matt Harding concludes that “globalization is forcing our brains to evolve." Known via the Internet for dancing poorly with locals in far-flung locations, Harding argues that our brains were designed for social interaction within a small tribe—but we now inhabit a “single,...
Blago Singled Out Senate Contenders for Cash
Chicago Sun-Times
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Mar 29, 2009 5:51 PM CDT
(Newser) -
In his race to build a $2.3 million campaign war chest last year, Rod Blagojevich listed four possible candidates for President Obama's vacated Senate seat as prospective donors, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. A list of 150 names in all shows that Rep. Luis Gutierrez, billionaire J.B. Pritzker, and Rep. Jan Schakowsky were targeted for money—as...
Hillary: 'Who Painted It?' Monsignor: 'God!'
Catholic News Agency
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Mar 29, 2009 5:21 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Hillary Clinton invoked a higher power on a recent diplomatic trip to Mexico City, the Catholic News Agency reports. Making a surprise detour to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the US secretary of state asked who painted a famous image that Catholics say was made by the Virgin Mary. Replied a monsignor: "God!" Leaving a half...
US Ousts Wagoner at GM, Pushes Tougher Auto Overhaul
Wall Street Journal
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Mar 29, 2009 4:48 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The White House has forced out General Motors chief Rick Wagoner as part for a more aggressive restructuring of the beleaguered automaker than the company has proposed, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Treasury threatened to withhold billions in federal loans if the chairman and CEO refused to step down. The surprise move came a day before President...
Monsters vs. Aliens Wins Box Office Showdown
Entertainment Weekly
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Mar 29, 2009 4:21 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Monsters vs. Aliens battled its way to the top this weekend, grossing $58.2 million, Entertainment Weekly reports. A staggering $32.6 million of that total was from 3-D showings, helping the family flick best Watchmen as the year’s top opener. The Haunting in Connecticut scared up $23 million for second place, while Knowing ($14.7 million),...
Spartans Upend No. 1 Cards
Associated Press
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Mar 29, 2009 4:14 PM CDT
(AP) -
Michigan State is marching on to Motown. The Spartans gave the Final Four a hometown feel, stopping overall No. 1 seed Louisville 64-52 today to win the Midwest Regional. Goran Suton had 19 points and 10 rebounds as the second-seeded Spartans (30-6) reached their fifth Final Four in 11 years—the most trips of any team in the nation during that...
Madonna Arrives in Malawi to Begin Adoption
BBC
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Mar 29, 2009 3:57 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Madonna is now in Malawi to get her adoption of a young girl named Mercy James rolling, the BBC reports. Spotted in the village of Chinkhota, Madge said it was “amazing” to be back in Malawi, where she adopted her son David Banda three years ago. Mercy James is reportedly three or four years old, and her 18-year-old mother died a few months...
Mendes Film Crew Flees Mexican Violence
Independent (UK)
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Mar 29, 2009 3:31 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A Hollywood film crew prepping to shoot in Mexico has high-tailed it back to the US after receiving death threats, the Independent reports. The film, an adaptation of a novel about a cocaine smuggler, was set to star Eva Mendes, Josh Hartnett, and Ben Kingsley on Mexico's northern coast, a region ravaged by drug wars. "It just wasn't possible,"...
More Levees Doomed: Fargo Mayor
Associated Press
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Mar 29, 2009 2:45 PM CDT
(AP) -
The bloated Red River briefly breached a dike early today, pouring water into a school campus in Fargo, ND. The mayor called it a "wakeup call" for a city that needs to be vigilant for weaknesses in levees that could give way at any time. "The campus is basically devastated. They fought the good fight," Mayor Dennis Walaker said....
Culture of Rape Plagues African Women
NPR
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Mar 29, 2009 2:40 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Decades of violence have left South Africans numb to even the most gruesome acts of rape, NPR reports. Tens of thousands of women are raped each year, nearly half of them under 18, but many cases go unreported by victims. Cops and doctors, whose work is “horrendous,” aren’t much help either, said activist Romi Sigsworth: “It's...
8 Dead in NC Nursing Home Shooting
Associated Press
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Mar 29, 2009 2:02 PM CDT
(AP) -
A gunman opened fire at a North Carolina nursing home early today, killing at least eight people and wounding several others, police said. The local police chief says the shootings happened around 10am at Pinelake Health and Rehab in the town of Carthage. Authorities say the gunman, who's in custody, was among those injured, as was a police officer....
Love's Furious Tweets Not Lost in Lawsuit
Independent (UK)
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Mar 29, 2009 1:49 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Twitter, the microblogging site that even counts President Obama as a member, has reached yet another milestone: it’s first libel suit, the Independent reports. Courtney Love’s former fashion designer claims the wild rocker left angry “tweets” about her, calling her a “nasty, lying, hosebag thief” with “a...
Dogs of War Deploy Again and Again
Washington Post
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Mar 29, 2009 1:12 PM CDT
(Newser) -
It's not just US troops making return tours of duty overseas: military canines are also seeing extra time at the front. The specialty bomb sniffers have seen their ranks swell since 2001, and with $15,000 price tags for their training and upkeep, are considered valuable assets, writes the Washington Post in a look at a service dog's life.
Would-Be GOP Successors Flee the Governator
Los Angeles Times
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Mar 29, 2009 12:53 PM CDT
(Newser) -
After years of getting the cold shoulder from Arnold Schwarzenegger, California Republicans are returning the sentiment as they mount efforts to succeed him, the Los Angeles Times reports. Top GOP contenders Meg Whitman and Steve Poizner have criticized Schwarzenegger’s budget and ballot measures, tossing in digs about his ego and work...
Wills Wants to Be a Real Soldier
AFP
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Mar 29, 2009 12:12 PM CDT
(Newser) -
It may seem like England's Prince William has it all, but the News of the World is reporting that the 26-year-old is jealous of his brother's chance to serve in Afghanistan . An undercover reporter says he got the prince to open up at a party, reports the AFP, but a royal spokesman says Wills "does not recall this conversation."
CBS News: Is the Future of News Newser?
CBS News
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Mar 29, 2009 12:00 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Political correspondent Jeff Greenfield examined what he called "the demise of the great metropolitan daily" on CBS News this morning, wondering what will replace it. The answer: Newser, among other online sources. "It is potentially an incredibly good time," said Newser founder Michael Wolff. "We have a much bigger audience...
Insiders Blame Palin Blunders on Rookie Staff
Politico
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Mar 29, 2009 11:32 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Sarah Palin has made her share of missteps over the last few months—dropping invitations from conservative events at the last minute, making snide comments about Katie Couric, and appearing in front of doomed turkeys—and defenders of the governor are happy to blame Palin's Alaska staff and DC political action committee for their rookie...
Madoff 'Cheated on Wife, Too'
New York Daily News
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Mar 29, 2009 11:08 AM CDT
(Newser) -
His investors may not have been the only ones Bernie Madoff cheated: sources tell the New York Daily News that the Ponzi schemer had at least one extramarital affair . He was involved with an executive assistant at a big media firm "eight or nine years ago," one insider tells the News. “He was quite generous with her. He used to...
Geithner on AIG: 'We Had No Good Choices'
Politico
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Mar 29, 2009 10:53 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Timothy Geithner may have reignited the AIG bonus brouhaha on ABC’s This Week just as calls for his ouster had begun to subside. “We had no good choices. The contracts were set,” he said, insisting Treasury acted quickly to renegotiate the parts of the bonuses it could. Geithner also said there’s $135 billion of “uncommitted...
Popular Prez Faces Uphill Battle in Euro Meetings
Washington Post
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Mar 29, 2009 10:36 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Obama may be a big hit in Europe, but that doesn’t mean his upcoming foreign trip is going to be easy. Overseas, he’ll be pushing for a new take on Afghanistan, fighting against weapons proliferation, and calling for Europeans to join together to fix the global economy, the Washington Post notes. He’ll get “a rapturous welcome,”...
Obama: Make Middle-Class Tax Cuts Permanent
Politico
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Mar 29, 2009 10:29 AM CDT
(Newser) -
President Obama hit the Sunday talk show circuit today, vowing to push Congress for a permanent middle-class tax cut for as long as it takes. “I strongly believe that we should continue those tax cuts,” Obama told CBS’ Face the Nation . “It’s still the right thing to do.” The president also said he’s advised...
Mark Cuban Takes His Ref Gripes to Twitter
CNET
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Mar 29, 2009 10:02 AM CDT
(Newser) -
When Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has disagreed with referees in the past, he's tended to gripe, shout, or bellow—and pay the resulting fines. But now he's also tweeting, notes Chris Matyszczyk on Cnet.com. Cuban posted a complaint about a no-call on a Nuggets player: "how do they not call a tech on JR Smith for coming off the...
Biden Crafts Key Niche as 'Adviser-in-Chief'
New York Times
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Mar 29, 2009 9:36 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Blunt, verbose, and a Beltway insider, Joe Biden could not be more different than his polished, change-loving boss, but he's solidified a key role in the administration just the same, the New York Times reports. When Barack Obama asked Biden to join his ticket, he sought a “uber-adviser” who wouldn’t see his job as a stepping stone...
Anorexia Breakthrough Gives Hope for an Rx
Telegraph (UK)
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Mar 29, 2009 9:23 AM CDT
(Newser) -
New research revealing brain differences in anorexics offers hope that drugs could one day soon effectively battle the disease, according to scientists. Some 70% of anorexics show signs of problems with neurotransmitters, which help brain cells communicate. The differences are believed to occur in the womb. The findings could "pave the way for...
Aussies Croak Toxic Toads
Sydney Morning Herald
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Mar 29, 2009 8:45 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Aussies killed thousands of "toxic" cane toads today in an annual hunting festival to help reduce their ravenous numbers, reports the Sydney Morning Herald. The toads were introduced in 1935 from South American to eat pest beetles, but they now number in the millions and are driving out local species and spreading disease. They were sent...
'Colombia Fritzl' Fathered 11 Kids With Daughter
BBC
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Mar 29, 2009 8:20 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A Colombian man has been accused of imprisoning his daughter and raping her from the age of 9 and fathering 11 children with her, the BBC reports. He denies incest and rape charges, insisting his daughter was adopted and that the two “agreed to have a romantic relationship because we really loved each other.” Local press is calling Arcebio...
Website That 'Tans' Sucks in 1M
Telegraph (UK)
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Mar 29, 2009 7:52 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A website that claims to "tan" people as they bask in front of their computer screen has drawn a million duped viewers, reports the Daily Telegraph . The fake infomercial site by a British skin cancer charity directs pasty viewers to a free tanning trial on a web page where they can absorb ultra-violet rays and get that "just-back-from-vacation"...
Man Shops 'Biden Daughter' Cocaine Video to Newspaper
New York Post
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Mar 29, 2009 7:24 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A man claiming to be a friend of Vice President Joe Biden's daughter is offering to sell the media a videotape that allegedly shows her snorting cocaine at a party this month, reports the New York Post. The man approached the Post through a lawyer, initially asking for $2 million. The newspaper didn't purchase the video, but a 90-second clip of...
Brit Firm Offers Bigger Breasts From Stem Cells
Times (UK)
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Mar 29, 2009 6:55 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A new breast enhancement procedure using stem cells from stomach fat to grow larger breasts is being made available for the first time in the UK, reports the Times of London . The procedure has already been used in trials for use on breast cancer survivors. Now a controversial new operation will expand its use for cosmetic enhancement in healthy...
US, Iran Meet in Moscow on Afghanistan Peace
Times (UK)
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Mar 29, 2009 6:29 AM CDT
(Newser) -
American and Iranian officials gathered in Moscow for Afghanistan peace talks, highlighting a warming of US-Tehran relations under President Obama, reports the Times of London. “We’ve turned a page to have Iranians and Americans at the same table all discussing Afghanistan,” said Russia’s foreign minister at the Friday meeting,...
Pope May Be Right About Condoms in Africa
Washington Post
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Mar 29, 2009 6:07 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Pope Benedict's controversial statements that condoms aren't helping in Africa may be unpopular, but evidence shows that he might be right, a public heath researcher argues in the Washington Post. It's a divisive topic in part because the condom has become such a potent symbol of sexual freedom and female emancipation, acknowledges Edward C. Green....
Hef Party Pad Up for Sale at $28M
Los Angeles Times
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Mar 29, 2009 5:45 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Octogenarian player Hugh Hefner and wife, Kimberly, have put their plush pad next to the Playboy Mansion up for sale for $28 million, reports the Los Angeles Times . The "sister party house" is a 7300-square-foot English Manor-style home. It features a hand-carved staircase, leaded windows, five bedrooms, seven bathrooms, a fun "family"...
Posh Eateries Uncork Deals in Downturn
CNN
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Mar 29, 2009 5:18 AM CDT
(Newser) -
High-end eateries are rolling out three-course deals and wine specials to lure America's hungry in hard times, CNN reports. "A year ago, to be honest, I didn't have to hit that three-course menu at $35 a head," said a Manhattan restaurateur whose business is down 20%. "Now you have to." Restaurants are faring better than...
GOP's Bachmann Not Exactly Lying Low
The Hill
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Mar 29, 2009 4:54 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Controversial Congresswoman Michele Bachmann is making headlines again, despite promises to keep a low profile and stay on message. The Minnesota Republican infamously endangered her reelection last year by demanding an investigation of "anti-American" members of Congress. Now, she's drawing attention for warning of "nefarious activities" in...
'Nova Wins Thriller, Joins UConn in Final 4
Associated Press
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Mar 28, 2009 9:32 PM CDT
(AP) -
Villanova beat Pitt, 78-76, in dramatic fashion to reach the Final Four for the first time since its surprise run to the championship in 1985. The Wildcats join UConn, which held off Missouri, 82-75. 'Nova's Scottie Reynolds made a driving layup with 0.5 seconds left for the win. Dwayne Anderson added 17 points for Villanova, which responded to Pittsburgh’s...
Spain May Indict Gonzales, 5 Others for Torture
New York Times
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Mar 28, 2009 7:49 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A top Spanish court is close to investigating six former Bush administration officials for circumventing international law to justify torture at Guantanamo Bay, the New York Times reports. Judge Baltasar Garzon, a human rights crusader who has gone after former Chilean ruler Augusto Pinochet, is reviewing the case, which could lead to arrest warrants...
Prison Crew Helps Toddler Lost on Highway
Frederick News Post
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Mar 28, 2009 7:20 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Inmates in a Maryland road crew helped care for a toddler who wandered down a freeway yesterday when his family forgot about him, the Frederick News-Post reports. A trucking company owner first spotted the 2 1/2-year-old boy running on the center lines of Route 550 as gravel trucks drove by. "I thought it was a small animal," said...
German Demand for New Cars Outstrips Supply
Der Spiegel
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Mar 28, 2009 7:00 PM CDT
(Newser) -
German auto dealers are mulling a problem that their counterparts around the world would love to have: A crushing demand for new cars. New auto sales shot up 21% in February, and could go higher this month, the Christian Science Monitor reports, thanks to the government’s “scrapping bonus,” which gives consumers about $3,300 if...
