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.
Obama to Travel to Normandy for D-Day Anniversary
New York Daily News
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Mar 26, 2009 1:00 PM CDT
(Newser) -
President Obama will travel to Normandy for the 65th anniversary of the D-Day invasion, the New York Daily News reports. An aide to Nicolas Sarkozy spilled the beans on Obama’s June 6 visit after a reporter claimed the relationship between the two presidents was distant. “Relations are excellent and very productive,” Claude Gueant...
2009's Least Sexy Men
Boston Phoenix
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Mar 26, 2009 12:51 PM CDT
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The Boston Phoenix rolls out its 100 unsexiest men list, taking into account both looks and karma. Here’s a taste: Rush Limbaugh: “America’s ugliest moment of 2009? Rush Limbaugh, his man-boobs a-jiggle, bouncing at the CPAC podium.” Alex Rodriguez: “Could those performance enhancers have been shrinking...
Post 9/11, Highest Military Honor Grows Scarce
Military Times
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Mar 26, 2009 12:40 PM CDT
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The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have produced only five recipients of the Medal of Honor, all of whom died as a result of their heroism, the Military Times reports. Pentagon stinginess with the highest military honor in the post-9/11 era frustrates service members who say a politicized, stringent, and lengthy review process has denied recognition...
Richardson Tragedy Helps Save 7-Year-Old's Life
CNN
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Mar 26, 2009 12:28 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The tragic death of actress Natasha Richardson from an epidural hematoma has raised awareness of the dangers of seemingly minor head injuries, and helped save the life of a 7-year-old Ohio girl, CNN reports. Morgan McCracken was hit by a baseball while playing with her father, but seemed OK. “For the next two days, she was perfectly fine,”...
Braille Read by Less Than 10% of Blind Americans
Associated Press
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Mar 26, 2009 12:20 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Less than 10% of blind Americans know how to read Braille, and just 10% of blind children are being taught the printed language, the AP reports. A study by the National Federation of the Blind also pegs Braille illiteracy to unemployment. While the blind population faces 70% unemployment overall, that number drops to 44% in Braille readers.
Rihanna Arms Herself With Gun Tattoo
Us Weekly
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Mar 26, 2009 12:12 PM CDT
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Rihanna, often seen with a gun pendant around her neck, has decided to add a gun to the assemblage of tattoos on her body. This one graces her ribcage, safely out of view for her modeling spots. “I really wanted to put it on her arms,” her artist tells Us . “But Cover Girl wouldn’t have liked it much, and they pay the bills!”
Vet Bills Force Families to Euthanize Pets
MSNBC
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Mar 26, 2009 12:05 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The recession is having some tragic consequences for family pets. Experts say owners are delaying care, opting out of pricey treatments, and putting down pets they’d otherwise save, MSNBC reports. One shelter has seen a 20% jump in admittances. “They come straight from the vet and say, ‘I can’t afford to treat my animal,’”...
Madonna Adopting Again: Officials
Daily Mirror (UK)
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Mar 26, 2009 11:54 AM CDT
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As officials confirm Madonna is en route to Malawi to adopt a new baby, the singer received a glowing recommendation from young lover Jesus Luz’s father, the Mirror reports. “When Cupid strikes, age doesn't matter,” he said. More on Cupid in Hollywood: Britney Spears is still texting ex Adnan Ghalib, even though he is legally...
Tiny New Fibers Draw Power From Wind, Flowing Blood
LiveScience
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Mar 26, 2009 11:50 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Scientists have developed electricity-generating fibers that can be embedded in clothing and other materials and draw power from the smallest of movements, LiveScience reports. The zinc oxide nanowires are as small as 1/5,000th the width of a human hair and produce energy when they vibrate, even from blood flowing through veins. Cell phones and other...
Obama Inspires School's 'Pull Up Your Pants' Day
Miami Herald
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Mar 26, 2009 11:40 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Among Barack Obama’s many inspirational quips, it’s “Brothers should pull up their pants” that stuck with the Florida high school teacher behind today’s Pull Up Your Pants Day. Fed up with droopy drawers, she enlisted community members to hand out belts to kids who could use some tightening. The event included a lunchtime...
Obama Holds Online Town Hall
Chicago Tribune
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Mar 26, 2009 11:26 AM CDT
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President Obama held a unique “online town-hall” today, answering questions submitted and voted on at WhiteHouse.gov. An aide acted as a moderator, calling it a “new experiment in getting questions from outside Washington.” The questions ran the gamut from education to the economy to health care, with the highest vote-getters...
Exposing Autism's Violent Side One Mother's Last Hope
Salon
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Mar 26, 2009 11:20 AM CDT
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After years of painting autism as “beautiful, mysterious, perhaps even evolutionarily necessary,” Ann Bauer has been moved by the transformation of son Andrew into a violent monster to write about the condition’s violent side. Bauer forgave her son’s attacks—which broke three of her ribs—until he choked his caretaker....
Caffeine: Athletes' Secret Weapon, and Legal, Too
New York Times
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Mar 26, 2009 11:08 AM CDT
(Newser) -
If Alex Rodriguez had only known. Caffeine is a performance-enhancer that helps athletes go longer and faster, and isn’t a banned substance. Caffeine works by turning fat into extra fuel, releasing calcium stored in muscles, and numbing the brain’s sense of exhaustion. The triple whammy improves performance by an average 5%—up to...
Commercial Real Estate Crisis May Rival '90s Disaster
Wall Street Journal
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Mar 26, 2009 11:00 AM CDT
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Commercial real-estate borrowers are defaulting on their loans at an ever-faster pace, and experts now believe the crisis could match or exceed the early-1990s slump, the Wall Street Journal reports. That catastrophe killed off 1,000 banks and savings institutions, with lenders taking $48.5 billion in charges. This time, one firm estimates, as much...
7,500 Hourly UAW Workers Take GM Buyouts
Wall Street Journal
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Mar 26, 2009 10:49 AM CDT
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General Motors has convinced 7,500 unionized, hourly workers to accept buyouts and exit the company as early as next week, the Wall Street Journal reports. The automaker offered $20,000 in cash and $25,000 car vouchers—far less than previous offers—in this latest round of cuts to match declining demand, and prove to federal overseers...
In Tough Times, Celebs Seek Out Infomercials
New York Post
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Mar 26, 2009 10:45 AM CDT
(Newser) -
With the economy tanking, it may not be long before you see high-profile stars hawking ShamWows or Slankets, the New York Post reports. “Celebrities who were once appalled at the idea can’t afford to be quite as picky,” says the author of a home-shopping business book.
In Bankruptcy Maneuver, GM May Split in 2
BusinessWeek
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Mar 26, 2009 10:36 AM CDT
(Newser) -
General Motors executives and Treasury officials alike seem adamant that the company should avoid Chapter 11 bankruptcy at all costs, but bankruptcy scenarios are already crystallizing behind the scenes, BusinessWeek reports. One option calls for splitting the company into a “good GM,” which would emerge from bankruptcy with brands like...
Docs Foresee Trouble With Digitizing Records
New York Times
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Mar 26, 2009 10:27 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The administration's push to digitize health records is raising red flags with an important constituency: doctors. "We have a long way to go," said the lead author of a report out today that shows only 9% of hospitals have computerized records. His article is part of a 1-2 punch in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine casting...
NRA Wins a Round on Gun Control
Newsweek
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Mar 26, 2009 10:21 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Attorney General Eric Holder has backed off calls to once again ban assault weapons after a strong blowback from the gun lobby, Newsweek reports. Mexico is pressuring the US to reinstate such a ban, since US assault rifles make up 90% of drug-cartel arsenals. But when Holder floated the idea last month, the National Rifle Association triggered “action...
How Long to Fall in Love? 8.2 Seconds
Telegraph (UK)
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Mar 26, 2009 10:15 AM CDT
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Is he in love? Grab a stopwatch to know: At first encounter, the length of man’s gaze betrays his interest in a woman, a study of 115 students’ eye movements has uncovered. Four seconds say he’s unimpressed, but 4.2 more and he may be in love, the Telegraph reports. Researchers say the tactic—used exclusively by men—helps...
$100M Divorce Is Made for Tabs
ABC News
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Mar 26, 2009 10:08 AM CDT
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The demands of a Swedish countess looking for a $100 million divorce settlement from her CEO husband are making headlines, ABC reports. Marie Douglas-David’s pursuit of $53,000 in weekly expenses stands out during a time when many are downplaying lavish spending. “She threatened him with a mud fight if he did not give her everything she...
IBM Slashes 5K US Jobs
Wall Street Journal
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Mar 26, 2009 10:08 AM CDT
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IBM will cut 5,000 US jobs, the Wall Street Journal reports, sending many to India to continue its expansion there and downsizing in the US. The cuts hit IBM’s global business services unit. They stem in part from customers ending contracts and the automation of some work, but employees say IBM has been training its Indian workers in tasks...
Critics Bowled Over by World's Cheapest Car
Guardian (UK)
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Mar 26, 2009 10:00 AM CDT
(Newser) -
India unveiled the world's cheapest car this week, and a few lucky drivers took the $2,000 Tata Nano for a test drive. Their reactions: “A surprisingly smooth ride. Thrifty transport is not meant to be this comfortable,” writes Randeep Ramesh in the Guardian . “Built for functional frugality, the Nano is a striking if not...
Dodging Olympics, 2010 Oscars Return to March
Los Angeles Times
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Mar 26, 2009 9:54 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Thanks to the Olympics, you’ll have some extra time to see the Best Picture nominees before the 2010 Oscar telecast, the Los Angeles Times reports. The awards ceremony will move to March 7 from late February to avoid competing with the Vancouver Games. “Why have two gigantic, spectacular events happen on the same day, particularly these...
Stylist Keeps Michelle's Secrets Under His Hat
Washington Post
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Mar 26, 2009 9:46 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Michelle Obama has chosen the first hairstylist, and he's not among those seen publicly vying for the spot and milking their connections. Chicagoan Johnny Wright—whose clients include Vivica A. Fox and Selita Ebanks—hasn't let out a peep about his 2-year history with Obama's coif, and that respect may just be what won him the gig, the ...
Apps Your iPhone Must Have
Wall Street Journal
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Mar 26, 2009 9:40 AM CDT
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The iPhone App Store has been a slam dunk as far as Walter Mossberg is concerned. “We’ve seen this before, on a smaller scale,” he writes in the Wall Street Journal . “But these new apps can be far more sophisticated, and they are appearing at a much faster rate.” He helpfully suggests his favorites:
US Takes Charge in Afghanistan
Washington Post
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Mar 26, 2009 9:32 AM CDT
(Newser) -
As President Obama sends 17,000 more troops to Afghanistan—making American service members two-thirds of the foreign force there—the US is taking a firmer grip on the country’s reins, the Washington Post reports. America’s civilian presence in the country is also growing by at least half, to some 900, who will take a lead...
GOP Targets Critics With Own Economic Plans
Politico
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Mar 26, 2009 9:22 AM CDT
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“The Party of No” is rejecting that label by introducing alternatives to President Obama’s policies rooted in GOP ideology, Politico reports. The Republican Road to Recovery is a weighty fiscal counterpart to the Democrats’ economic agenda, and marks a new strategy in the minority’s response. Republicans laud their plan...
Car Bomb Kills 20 in Baghdad
Associated Press
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Mar 26, 2009 9:14 AM CDT
(AP) -
A car bomb exploded near a crowded market in a mainly Shiite area of Baghdad today, killing as many as 20 people, Iraqi officials said, in the sixth major attack in Iraq this month. The blast occurred a day after the US military said overall attacks nationwide have fallen to levels equal to the early months of the war.
President's Half-Brother Hospitalized
Associated Press
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Mar 26, 2009 9:13 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Barack Obama's elder half-brother has been hospitalized in Kenya amid an outbreak of cholera in the region, reports the AP. Malik Obama, 51, was taken to the hospital Tuesday, and a domestic worker of his was hospitalized for cholera last week. Malik is the son of Barack Obama Sr. and his first wife, Kezia; he was best man at Barack and Michelle's...
This Rally May Be the Real Deal
BusinessWeek
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Mar 26, 2009 9:07 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The tentative rally on Wall Street is reason enough for one economist to feel hopeful: "I’m ready to take another shot at calling the bottom," writes Michael Mandel in BusinessWeek. Since (apparently) bottoming out March 9, stocks have risen 20%, and the reasons behind the climb are genuine. Better policy, signs of economic revival,...
Israel Suspected of Jan. Bombing in Sudan
Haaretz (Israel)
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Mar 26, 2009 9:01 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Sudan said today that foreign fighter planes carried out an attack in January on 17 trucks carrying weapons to Gaza, amid reports that the Israeli Air Force was behind the bombardment. The strike killed 39 people near the Sudan-Egypt border soon after the start of the war in the Gaza Strip. Israel has refused to confirm or deny the allegations, Haaretz...
Push to Use HPV Vaccine on Boys Stirs Debate
Washington Post
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Mar 26, 2009 8:58 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Merck is pushing the FDA to approve its HPV vaccine for men, and that’s raising a whole new set of controversies, the Washington Post reports. When the human papillomavirus vaccine was originally marketed for girls, many questioned whether or not it would encourage young girls to have sex. With boys on the receiving end, the debate has centered...
China Lashes Out at US Report on Its Military
BBC
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Mar 26, 2009 8:49 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A Pentagon report on China's military power that warned of "disruptive" new nuclear, space, and cyber programs has provoked angry criticism from Beijing, who accused the defense department of "Cold War thinking," reports Reuters. The report says that China has been successfully expanding its weapons arsenal, though its ability...
Stocks Keep Rally Going
Wall Street Journal
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Mar 26, 2009 8:48 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Stocks headed higher at the open, as bulls bet that this rally will last. The Dow rose 95 points, powered by a 10% gain for GM, while the S&P and Nasdaq added 1.5% and 2%, respectively. That came despite some negative economic news: Initial jobless claims rose 8,000 last week, and fourth-quarter GDP loss was revised to 6.3%, a pinch worse than...
Tech Industry Falls for 'Cloud Computing'
Wall Street Journal
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Mar 26, 2009 8:40 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Today's hottest tech term is "cloud computing": Google, Amazon, Yahoo, and Intel have all begun projects with such nebulous names as OpenCirrus and Elastic Compute Cloud. But while the projects behind the names all have something in common—storing data on far-off computers—nobody can agree on what cloud computing really is, writes...
CSI Star, SAG Prez Split Up
E! Online
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Mar 26, 2009 8:33 AM CDT
(Newser) -
CSI star Marg Helgenberger and Screen Actors Guild president Alan Rosenberg filed for divorce Tuesday, E! reports. The two married in 1989 and have an 18-year-old son together. The split, blamed on irreconcilable differences, follows a separation in December. At that time, Helgenberger’s rep said, “They love and respect each other and...
Scholar Who Lived Black History Dead at 94
Washington Post
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Mar 26, 2009 8:26 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Influential historian John Hope Franklin died yesterday at 94. The author of a seminal book on race, Franklin was born and raised in an all-black community in Oklahoma, marched in Selma, and assisted on a Brown v. Board of Education brief. "He managed to embody this history and yet recount it with extraordinary candid honesty," writes...
Joaquin a 'Crazy Person With a Beard': Director
Times (UK)
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Mar 26, 2009 8:19 AM CDT
(Newser) -
If Joaquin Phoenix’s transition to rapping is a hoax “then it’s the most elaborate thing that I have ever seen,” Two Lovers director James Gray tells the Times of London, citing the actor’s in-home recording studio and constant claims of being “tired” on-set as proof. But either way, Gray isn’t happy...
Auto Task Force to Back More Loans, Push Concessions
Wall Street Journal
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Mar 26, 2009 8:10 AM CDT
(Newser) -
President Obama’s auto task force will back new loans for General Motors and Chrysler but will ask for more sacrifices from unions, management, and GM’s bondholders, the Wall Street Journal reports. GM and Chrysler have requested $22 billion more atop the $17.4 billion already loaned to them. The stakes are high; 140,000 autoworkers,...
In DC, the Obamas Are Everywhere
New York Times
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Mar 26, 2009 8:03 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The Obamas aren’t confining themselves to their ivory tower: They’re showing up everywhere in an economically divided Washington, from the Kennedy Center to a chili joint, the New York Times reports. Barack Obama is connecting to the capital more than any other modern president, says historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, though whether it’s...
UN Meeting on Afghanistan Will Include Iran
Reuters
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Mar 26, 2009 7:55 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Iran plans to attend a US-initiated UN conference on the situation in Afghanistan, Reuters reports. A foreign ministry rep said Tehran hasn't decided who to send; other attendees include Ban Ki-Moon and Hillary Clinton. “Iran will participate,” the spokesman said. “The level of participation is not clear.” Iran will advocate...
Economy Spurs Renewed Thai Protests
Associated Press
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Mar 26, 2009 7:48 AM CDT
(AP) -
More than 20,000 supporters of Thaksin Shinawatra surrounded the Thai prime minister's office today to demand the resignation of the government and new elections. The latest mass protest in Bangkok began shortly after the government of PM Abhisit Vejjajiva began doling out $55 checks to millions of Thais to stimulate an economy battered by the global...
Boy George Replaces Queen on Fake Bills
Telegraph (UK)
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Mar 26, 2009 7:33 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Boy George made a convincing stand-in for the Queen on a counterfeit note found in Britain this week, the Daily Telegraph reports. The £20 note was passed at a stationary shop and the staff didn't realize it was a fake until a bank worker checked the anti-forgery watermark and found the '80s star's image there instead of the monarch's.
US Pinpoints New Drone Targets in Pakistan
Wall Street Journal
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Mar 26, 2009 7:22 AM CDT
(Newser) -
As the US reviews its controversial air strike program in Pakistan, US and Pakistani intelligence officials are adding new targets to its list, the Wall Street Journal reports. Pakistani officials hope that expanding the drone program to target extremists will win them public support; at the same time, the Obama administration is weighing the program’s...
AIG Honchos Quit Paris Office, Spurring Fears of Default
Wall Street Journal
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Mar 26, 2009 7:08 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Two of the top managers at AIG's Paris unit have resigned, reports the Wall Street Journal , leaving the insurer scrambling to avoid potential defaults on $234 billion in derivative transactions. The complicated scenario results from a French law that says regulators must approve of the managers' replacements or else pick their own—which would...
Beware the 'Experts'
New York Times
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Mar 26, 2009 6:57 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Why did financial experts so spectacularly fail to warn us about the economic crisis? Mostly because “so-called experts turn out to be, in many situations, a stunningly poor source of expertise,” writes Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times . Experts of all stripes are enormously influential, but their prognostications are just a hair...
RealAge Quiz Offers Data to Big Pharma
New York Times
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Mar 26, 2009 6:41 AM CDT
(Newser) -
More than 27 million people have gone online to take a quiz called RealAge, which promises to determine your "biological age" and then suggests recommendations on how to feel "younger." But most users are unaware that the site makes its money by selling test results to pharmaceutical companies, who then pitch their products...
Israel Committed Gaza War Crimes: Rights Group
Guardian (UK)
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Mar 26, 2009 6:28 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Israel's military committed war crimes by repeatedly firing white phosphorus into crowded areas of Gaza, Human Rights Watch said today. A report by the group alleges that Israel chose not to use less dangerous smoke shells and even fired the incendiary agent at the main UN compound in the Strip. White phosphorus is not illegal when used as a smokescreen,...
Sailor's Widow Stunned She Survived Pirate Attack
Times (UK)
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Mar 26, 2009 6:17 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A British grandmother was trussed "naked like a chicken" in her sailboat cabin while pirates beat her husband with hammers and slit his throat off the coast of Thailand, she told the Times of London. Three men "tied and gagged me, then went toward the forward cabin," she said. "I heard my husband shouting, ‘Get off...
