Newser Story Index from April, 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.
Pelosi Stirs a Feud: 'Jon Stewart Had It Wrong'
The Hill
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Apr 22, 2009 9:45 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Jon Stewart has a new feud going, this time with Nancy Pelosi, the Hill reports. Stewart thinks she's a hypocrite, accusing her of flip-flopping on an obscure legislative maneuver called budget reconciliation now that Democrats are in charge. He played clips showing her denouncing the move when the GOP ran the show and supporting it this year. Or...
Jailed Journo in Iran Plans Hunger Strike
ABC News
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Apr 22, 2009 8:47 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The Iranian-American journalist jailed on spy charges in Iran has told her parents she plans to begin a hunger strike tomorrow, reports George Stephanopoulos of ABC News. Roxana Saberi's parents said they tried to talk her out of it to no avail. They also told Stephanopoulos—who's in Iran for an interview with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad—that...
Apple's Profit Soars; Jobs Due Back in June
Wall Street Journal
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Apr 22, 2009 8:17 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Steve Jobs may be on the sidelines—at least in theory—but Apple is showing no signs of a letdown. The company's quarterly profit surged 15% on strong sales of iPhones and iPods, the Wall Street Journal reports. Jobs, reportedly still very much calling the shots during his medical leave, remains on track to return at the end of June.
MySpace Founders Leaving in News Corp Shakeup
All Things Digital
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Apr 22, 2009 7:36 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Big changes afoot at MySpace: Co-founder Chris DeWolfe is stepping down as CEO and fellow co-founder Tom Anderson is in talks with owner News Corp to end his run as president. MySpace has lost much of its mojo in recent years to Facebook, and it looks like DeWolfe will be replaced by Owen Van Natta—Facebook's former chief operating officer,...
Census: Fewer Americans Moving in Tough Times
New York Times
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Apr 22, 2009 6:54 PM CDT
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The economy is doing a number on Americans' wanderlust. The number of people who switched residences last year dropped to 35.2 million, the lowest since 1962, the New York Times reports. The Census Bureau pegs the nation's mobility rate at 11.9%, down from 13.2% last year and now at a record low since WWII. Moves between states fell the most.
Taliban Just 70 Miles From Islamabad
New York Times
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Apr 22, 2009 6:06 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The Taliban are expanding their reach in Pakistan and are now perched about 70 miles from the capital of Islamabad. The militants, recently given control of the Swat Valley by the government, took over the neighboring Buner district last night. Hillary Clinton told a House panel today that the "Pakistani government is basically abdicating to the...
Obama Rejected Idea of Interrogation Inquiry
Washington Post
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Apr 22, 2009 5:38 PM CDT
(Newser) -
More details are emerging from the Obama camp's debate on how to handle the Bush interrogation memos. In the Washington Post , Dan Balz writes that President Obama rejected the idea of setting up an investigation panel along the lines of the 9/11 Commission. Obama wanted to move on rather than drag out a never-ending investigation under the auspices...
5 Ways to Make Cash Online
Popular Science
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Apr 22, 2009 5:21 PM CDT
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Look no further than the Internet for some recession relief. Popular Science suggests some ways to make money—a little bit, at least—online: Charge for wit. Tipjoy.com lets Facebook and Twitter fans award you for your quips. Research for the KGB. The Knowledge Generation Bureau, silly. It pays a dime for answers...
GM to Shut Most Factories for 9 Weeks
Associated Press
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Apr 22, 2009 4:51 PM CDT
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General Motors plans to shut most of its US factories for 9 weeks this summer, the AP reports. The shutdown will include the normal 2-week stoppage in July to gear up for new models, two sources said, blaming the move on slumping sales and rising inventories. GM, which has received $13.4 billion in government loans, faces a June 1 deadline to restructure...
World's Rivers Running Low: Study
BBC
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Apr 22, 2009 4:50 PM CDT
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The world’s rivers are drying up as climate change worsens and the demand for water increases, the BBC reports. Researchers studying 925 major waterways—from the Ganges to the Colorado—found significantly less fresh water flowing into oceans in 2004 than 50 years earlier. If the trend continues, the growing global population could...
Bad Vitamin Killed Polo Horses: Team Captain
Miami Herald
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Apr 22, 2009 4:38 PM CDT
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A tainted vitamin supplement killed the 21 horses that collapsed before a polo match in Florida last weekend, the captain of the Venezuelan team claims. He notes that five horses not given the drug are fine. The French drug, called Biodyl, is commonly administered in Europe but not approved for use or sale in the US, the Miami Herald reports.
Trudeau Mocks Journos for Overtwittering
Mediabistro
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Apr 22, 2009 4:29 PM CDT
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Cartoonist Garry Trudeau has been lampooning TV journalists for decades in Doonesbury , so it’s natural he would satirize their latest folly: excessive Twittering. Roland Hedley, Trudeau’s fictitious TV journo, has become an avid Twitter user both in print and in the real world, where @Roland_Hedley boasts 2,900 followers. Trudeau recently...
FDA Will Let 17-Year-Olds Get 'Morning After' Pill
Associated Press
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Apr 22, 2009 4:18 PM CDT
(AP) -
The Food and Drug Administration will allow 17-year-olds to get the "morning-after" birth control pill without a doctor's prescription. The agency said today it would not appeal a federal judge's recent order overturning restrictions imposed during the Bush administration. The judge had ruled that Bush appointees let politics, not science,...
7 Men Who Led Double Lives
ABC News
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Apr 22, 2009 4:10 PM CDT
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Alleged Craigslist killer Philip Markoff is just one of many men whose double lives were exposed by the law, ABC News reports: Eliot Spitzer seemed a dedicated governor and family man until he was pinned in a prostitution ring. Christophe Rocancourt pretended to be a Rockefeller heir to defraud the rich before he was busted in 2000....
Clinton: Cheney Not a 'Particularly Reliable Source'
Associated Press
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Apr 22, 2009 4:00 PM CDT
(Newser) -
No love lost between Hillary Clinton and Dick Cheney. Asked today on Capitol Hill about Cheney’s request to declassify information related to the interrogation memos, Clinton responded, “It won’t surprise you that I don’t consider him a particularly reliable source,” the Los Angeles Times reports. Pressed by Rep. Dana...
New Software Judges Blog Credibility
Ars Technica
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Apr 22, 2009 3:54 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Software that would automatically rate the credibility of blogs on a scale from highly credible to “little credible” is in the works in Austria, Ars Technica reports. The program analyzes the distribution of words in successive blog posts and also compares topics against stories covered in the mainstream media to judge timeliness and accuracy....
Obama's Earth Day Pitch: 'New Energy Economy'
Chicago Tribune
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Apr 22, 2009 3:45 PM CDT
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President Obama returned to Iowa—his crucial campaign battleground win—for Earth Day, hailing the “new, clean energy economy” and unveiling an offshore wind project. “It is time for us to lay a new foundation for economic growth by beginning a new era of energy exploration,” he said. But the town he chose may not...
Japan Pays Latin American Workers to Go, Stay Home
New York Times
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Apr 22, 2009 3:41 PM CDT
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Faced with rising unemployment, Japan is paying foreign workers to leave the nation for good, the New York Times reports. The offer targets some 366,000 Latin Americans of Japanese descent who perform undesirable manufacturing jobs. With industrial production at a 25-year low, many of them are out of work, and lawmakers say the controversial idea...
Pharma Pushes Dow Down 83
Wall Street Journal
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Apr 22, 2009 3:29 PM CDT
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Stocks were mixed today as pharmaceuticals declined but tech saw gains, the Wall Street Journal reports. GlaxoSmithKline reported a 13% drop in first-quarter earnings; GSK, Merck and Pfizer shares dropped. Yahoo and Sandisk were up despite posting quarterly losses. The Dow fell 82.99 to close at 7,886.57. The Nasdaq gained 2.27, settling at 1,646.12,...
Robber Told Bank He Was Fed Up With Bailouts
San Francisco Chronicle
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Apr 22, 2009 3:20 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Police are looking for a man who robbed a San Francisco branch of Bank of America—ostensibly out of disgust for corporate bailouts, the Chronicle reports. The man requested a meeting with a manager and told him he represented “a corporation” concerned with the bailouts—before threatening to detonate a bomb he claimed to have...
As Staffers Take Pay Cuts, NYT Execs Get Bonuses
Huffington Post
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Apr 22, 2009 3:12 PM CDT
(Newser) -
New York Times Co. executives have taken big bonuses as their newsrooms endure layoffs and pay cuts, a proxy statement filed with the SEC reveals. At the eye of the storm is CEO Janet Robinson, whose compensation in 2008 was more than $1 million greater than her 2007 salary and bonuses, the Huffington Post reports. "What are they being rewarded...
Detroit Mayoral Race Looks Like NBA Reunion
Detroit News
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Apr 22, 2009 3:04 PM CDT
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NBA Hall of Famer Dave Bing, who’s running for mayor of Detroit, is turning to the political branch of the “NBA family” for support, the Detroit News reports. Former senator and presidential candidate Bill Bradley will appear next week with retired Suns point guard Kevin Johnson, now the mayor of Sacramento, to support Bing. “I...
Coleman Wants More Time to Craft Appeal
Minneapolis Star Tribune
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Apr 22, 2009 2:56 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Lawyers for Republican Norm Coleman want more time to prepare arguments for their appeal to Minnesota’s top court in the fight over last November's election, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. The attorneys’ timeline, presented today, would put off oral arguments until mid-May; attorneys for Democrat Al Franken, declared the winner...
Md. Man Who Killed Family Was $460K in Debt
Washington Post
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Apr 22, 2009 2:48 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The Maryland man who murdered his family before shooting and killing himself complained of his financial troubles in notes left at the scene, the Washington Post reports. Christopher Wood’s family was at least $460,000 in debt from two mortgages and credit card charges. The family owned a Florida home that had been foreclosed, police said.
Mo. Paper Axes Journalist Shot on the Beat
Riverfront Times
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Apr 22, 2009 2:40 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A St. Louis-area reporter shot last year while covering a city council meeting has been laid off from his paper, the Riverfront Times reports. Todd Smith spent days in the hospital last February after taking a bullet in the hand in an attack that left seven dead. “This is the second shooting I know I can survive,” said Smith, 37. “It’s...
Eating Charred Meat Boosts Cancer Risk
Reuters
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Apr 22, 2009 2:28 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Grill-happy Americans who favor burned or charred red meat are 60% more likely to develop pancreatic cancer than people who eat less incinerated protein, Reuters reports. Charred meat is known to contain cancer-causing compounds, but the study makes the first direct connection. “Turning down the heat when grilling, frying, and barbecuing,”...
Saberi's Release Is Not My Call: Ahmadinejad
ABC News
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Apr 22, 2009 2:17 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad skirted talk of releasing jailed Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi during an interview with ABC News, saying that decision lies with Iran's “independent” judiciary. Responding to President Obama’s concerns for her safety, the Iranian president said, “I think Mr. Obama, as a sign of change and also...
Pelosi: I Knew Harman Was Wiretapped
CQPolitics
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Apr 22, 2009 2:08 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Nancy Pelosi said today she knew fellow California Democrat Jane Harman was the subject of intelligence wiretaps, but she couldn’t spill because the information had come in a confidential briefing, CQ Politics reports. “Even if I wanted to share it with her I would not have had the liberty,” said Pelosi, who learned of the surveillance...
Little Backlash as Gay Marriage Spreads
ABC News
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Apr 22, 2009 2:01 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Gay marriage rights are spreading faster than ever, and it’s happening awfully quietly, reports Rick Klein of ABC News. Conservatives barely made a peep when gay marriage was legalized in Iowa or Vermont, and aren’t mounting much resistance to motions to do the same in New York, Connecticut, or New Hampshire. “It’s almost like...
Fate of Dozens of CIA Detainees Still Unknown
ProPublica
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Apr 22, 2009 1:57 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The Bush-era CIA memos made public last week revealed that an al-Qaeda suspect, Hassan Ghul, had been held in one of the agency’s secret jails. But the inadvertent disclosure of one name merely highlights how much the public still doesn’t know about the network of secret detention facilities, ProPublica reports. One of the new memos...
Great Barrier Reef Rebounds From Crisis
Guardian (UK)
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Apr 22, 2009 1:52 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Parts of the Great Barrier Reef bleached by warming waters 3 years ago have made a speedy recovery because of a few lucky breaks, the Guardian reports. Reefs typically take at least a decade to overcome human-created crises, but a combination of biological factors helped the reef's speedy healing, Australian scientists conclude in a new study.
Snot Pizza Isn't a Felony: Keillor
Chicago Tribune
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Apr 22, 2009 1:39 PM CDT
(Newser) -
One minimum-wage worker farts on a salami sandwich, and suddenly the president of Domino's is issuing a public apology? “This is the world turned upside down,” writes Garrison Keillor in the Chicago Tribune . In the actual world, the salami fart is nothing. “The night manager just says, ‘Hey, you guys cut it out and go clean...
'Poor' TARP Wife Unmasked, Tarred, and Feathered
New York
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Apr 22, 2009 1:34 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A snooty “confessions of bailout wife” piece has the web’s gossip-mongers in a frenzy, with New York magazine leading the way in divining the anonymous author’s identity. By process of elimination, Jessica Pressler determines, the woman behind the “eye-rolling details” of foregoing birthdays at Michelin-rated restaurants...
Secular Kid Goes Undercover at Falwell's School
Newsweek
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Apr 22, 2009 1:18 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Kevin Roose spent spring break in Florida last year, but instead of boozing with the rest of the college students, he proselytized them. It was all part of the Brown University student’s undercover semester at Jerry Falwell-founded Liberty University, where he “had to follow their 46-page code of conduct: no drinking, no cursing, no hugs...
GM Seeks Ways Around $1B Debt Payment
Wall Street Journal
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Apr 22, 2009 1:03 PM CDT
(Newser) -
General Motors won’t make a $1 billion payment on its debt June 1, an exec told the Wall Street Journal today, and will instead try to swap it for stake in the company—or turn to courts for protection. “They want us to be a viable entity when we emerge,” chief financial officer Ray Young said of having the US government’s...
Va. Repairman Swiped $170K From Meters
Washington Post
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Apr 22, 2009 1:02 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A repairman stole $170,000 in coins from parking meters in Alexandria, Va., during the past 12 months, the Washington Post reports. William Fell, 61, looted meters in the early hours of the morning before his maintenance shifts, police say. Wary of depositing his ill-gotten gains, Fell kept the coins his house, where police recovered them in an April...
Write Your Own 'I'll Be Back' Joke
Los Angeles Times
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Apr 22, 2009 12:52 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The Governator might just be a Terminator once more, the Los Angeles Times reports. Arnold Schwarzenegger has given director McG permission to insert old footage of him into next month’s Terminator Salvation , he told bloggers in a webcast interview today. “I think it’s cool to continue on with the franchise,” he said, “in...
'Craigslist' Suspect Kept Victims' Panties
Boston Globe
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Apr 22, 2009 12:49 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A search of the suspected Craigslist killer’s home uncovered 2 pairs of underwear belonging to his victims, the Boston Globe reports. Police could not determine the garments' owners but did identify them as “mementos” of the crimes. Police are also testing the gun found in suspect Philip Markoff's apartment to determine if it was...
Republicans Take Page From Libertarian Book
FiveThirtyEight
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Apr 22, 2009 12:42 PM CDT
(Newser) -
It looks as though the GOP is turning libertarian, says Nate Silver of FiveThirtyEight.com. The tea parties it championed last week take their cue from libertarian movement shindigs, and participation was high in libertarian-leaning states like New Hampshire. The GOP’s alternative budget was a like-minded proposal, "dramatically slashing...
Levi Plans Book to Fund Custody Fight
National Enquirer
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Apr 22, 2009 12:40 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Levi Johnston is shopping a tell-all memoir about his experience with the Palin family, the National Enquirer reports. Insiders say the estranged father of Sarah Palin’s grandson is hoping to start a war chest in advance of an anticipated custody battle. “If Levi could get a million bucks, it would be worth telling all he really knows,”...
Taiwanese Med Students Honor Cadaver Donors
Wall Street Journal
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Apr 22, 2009 12:34 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A Taiwanese medical school is responding to the island nation’s shortage of cadavers for study by bringing the family of the deceased fully into the program, the Wall Street Journal reports. At Tzu Chi University, medical students meet with donors' families and even compose poems to their “silent mentors” to express their gratitude....
Memo Release Paralyzes CIA 'Shadow Warriors'
Washington Post
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Apr 22, 2009 12:25 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The ripples from the release of the torture memos continue to ruffle the CIA, David Ignatius writes for the Washington Post. “America will be better off, in the long run, for Obama's decision to expose the past practice of torture,” he acknowledges. “We all knew the political wind would change,” said one officer. Still, his...
Clinton Threatens Sanctions If Iran Won't Come to Table
BBC
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Apr 22, 2009 12:23 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Hillary Clinton said today that the US is “laying the groundwork” for sanctions against Iran if it doesn’t participate in nuclear talks, the BBC reports. The secretary of State said a rebuff of US overtures or continued enrichment would lead to a “very tough” response. Iran is engaged in discussions with other nations...
Perez, I Pray For You, Miss Cali Retorts
Associated Press
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Apr 22, 2009 12:15 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Miss California's gay-marriage stance has stirred a media frenzy among pundits and beauties alike, but none more heated than the crossfire between her and Miss USA judge Perez Hilton. "Perez, I feel sorry for you," Prejean told Fox News after he called her a "dumb bitch." On MSNBC, Hilton agreed with the beauty that her...
Pirate Bay Ruling Invigorates Pirates
Christian Science Monitor
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Apr 22, 2009 12:14 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Last week’s guilty verdict against the Swedes behind the Pirate Bay filesharing site not only hasn’t shuttered the operation—it’s boosted support for the cause of free information, the Christian Science Monitor reports. The affiliated Pirate Party, which advocates for copyright reform, has doubled its membership just since...
Duncan to Schools: Uncle Sam Is Watching
Wall Street Journal
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Apr 22, 2009 12:11 PM CDT
(Newser) -
States should be careful when spending their stimulus education windfall, because Uncle Sam will be watching, the US education secretary writes in the Wall Street Journal. “We will require an honest assessment of key issues like teacher quality, student performance, college readiness, and the number of charter schools,” Arne Duncan...
Case on Vaccines Far From Closed: Carrey
Huffington Post
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Apr 22, 2009 11:56 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The media act as though questions about vaccines’ potential harm to children have all been answered, but that’s based on “a huge leap of logic,” Jim Carrey writes for the Huffington Post . The court convened to rule on the vaccine cases said vaccines hadn’t caused autism in three of the incidences. But is that really...
Critic Fights Copycat for Twitter Identity
New York Times
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Apr 22, 2009 11:46 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A restaurant reviewer and her lawyers are after a man who’s been tweeting and blogging under her name, the New York Times reports. Adam Robb Rucinsky has been spoofing New York Daily News critic Danyelle Freeman, aka Restaurant Girl, imitating her distinctive style in posts using both her monikers. Freeman’s lawyers have asked Rucinsky...
'Inaugurabilia' Reaps $2M for Ceremonies
Associated Press
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Apr 22, 2009 11:31 AM CDT
(AP) -
Barack Obama's inauguration fundraisers had no problem capitalizing on a hot market for keepsakes. Obama-themed clothing, jewelry, rulers, and piggy banks raked in a grant total of $2 million for the inaugural committee. Even before the tchotchke change, the committee was already debt-free—the $53 million in individual donations disclosed earlier...
Firms Fight Overseas Tax Changes Worth Billions
Wall Street Journal
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Apr 22, 2009 11:10 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Overseas tax reform plans in the works under President Obama would put a serious squeeze on top firms, which under current law can store foreign income abroad indefinitely, reports the Wall Street Journal. Ten of the biggest companies earned $58 billion in 2008 that’s now sheltered overseas—money that could bring $20 billion in tax revenue....
