Newser Story Index from May, 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.
How to Make a Real Old-Fashioned
Esquire
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May 27, 2009 5:16 PM CDT
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Esquire adds to its everything-a-man-must-know lessons with a primer on the Old-Fashioned, which is nothing less than the “Fender Strat of cocktails” because it “embodies the classic American combination of offhand style, swagger, and micrometer engineering,” writes David Wondrich. At its heart is good old American whiskey—at...
Monkeys Pass Altered Traits to Offspring
Washington Post
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May 27, 2009 4:55 PM CDT
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Japanese scientists have produced the first genetically modified monkeys that can pass on their new traits to offspring, a research breakthrough mired in ethical quandaries. The technique is meant to be used to infect monkeys with diseases like Parkinson’s and then test treatments on them, but could eventually be employed to modify humans, the...
Man Without Prints Stumps Airport Security
USA Today
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May 27, 2009 4:42 PM CDT
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The side effects of a drug to treat cancer led to a Singapore man being detained for hours by airport security officials who couldn’t find his fingerprints, USA Today reports. The drug capecitabine causes hand-foot syndrome, in which the skin peels off; the man was finally allowed through after being advised to carry a doctor’s note....
Why US Is Still (Sorta) at War With North Korea
Slate
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May 27, 2009 4:30 PM CDT
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The US says North Korea’s recent nuclear test is an obstacle to a “peace treaty formally ending the Korean War,” which gives pause to Juliet Lapidos, writing for Slate. “Wait, we’re still at war with North Korea?” The armistice that ended hostilities in 1953 was supposed to lead to talks on a unified government,...
Peterson Calls Radio Show to Joke About Prison
TMZ
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May 27, 2009 4:14 PM CDT
(Newser) -
That Drew Peterson is quite a card. In prison on charges of murdering his third wife, Peterson called a Chicago radio station this morning to crack jokes about prison life, reports TMZ. Among other things, Peterson told the Mancow & Cassidy show on WLS-AM that they should run a “Win a Conjugal Visit With Drew” contest, the AP notes.
Geithner Headed to China
New York Times
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May 27, 2009 4:08 PM CDT
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Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner will meet with Chinese officials, including the president, next week in Beijing, the New York Times reports. Before being confirmed for the position, Geither had charged China with “manipulating” its currency. The visit is intended to solidify the trading relationship between the countries, and Geithner...
Hollywood Hunks Bound for Broadway
New York Post
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May 27, 2009 4:00 PM CDT
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Daniel Craig and Hugh Jackman will share a Broadway stage this fall in A Steady Rain , the dark tale of two Chicago cops whose lifelong friendship is tested. This is Craig’s New York stage debut, though the Bond man has performed in London theaters, the Post reports. Jackman is a sought-after Broadway veteran who won a Tony for the 2004 musical...
Attacking Nominees Demeans Court
Miller-McCune
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May 27, 2009 3:53 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The political attack ads popular in general elections have a profoundly negative effect on the public’s view of the Supreme Court when used during the nomination process, James L. Gibson writes fror Miller-McCune.com. “Politicized confirmation processes can indeed damage the institution of the US Supreme Court itself,” Gibson writes...
'Adult' Ads Make Craigslist More Dangerous
Ars Technica
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May 27, 2009 3:39 PM CDT
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Craigslist's new "adult services" section is doing little to curb prostitution and may actually be making the profession more dangerous, Ars Technica reports. With the demise of the explicit erotic services page, many posters have started using code words like "erotic massages" and "french lessons" and less explicit...
Anti-Chemo Mom Duped Into Calif. Trip: Filmmaker
Minneapolis Star Tribune
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May 27, 2009 3:25 PM CDT
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The film producer who flew Daniel Hauser and his anti-chemotherapy mom back to Minnesota says they were lured to California by a lawyer who promised to sneak them into Mexico for alternative cancer treatment. Alan Pezzuto tells the Minneapolis Star Tribune that Susan Daya abandoned the Hausers as soon as a fugitive arrest warrant was issued.
Choke Artist LeBron Is No Jordan
CBS Sports
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May 27, 2009 3:15 PM CDT
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The Cavaliers' loss to the Orlando Magic last night further highlights the difference between LeBron James and his spectacular forebear, Michael Jordan, Mike Freeman writes for CBS Sports. “Jordan wouldn't have lost this game or been destroyed in this series,” Freeman writes. Furthermore, Jordan would not have delivered James’ easygoing...
T-Note Surge Puts Dow Off 173
Wall Street Journal
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May 27, 2009 3:11 PM CDT
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A Treasury note bump and continued skittishness about the US economy sent stocks down today, the Wall Street Journal reports. “Yesterday, everyone was happy about the consumer,” one strategist said. “Now people are wondering about the flip side: What happens if consumption gets out of hand?” The Dow was down 173.47 to 8,300.02....
Producer Kanye: New Jay-Z Album 'Anti-Auto-Tune'
MTV
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May 27, 2009 3:08 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Kanye West says Jay-Z’s new album, Blueprint 3 , will not feature the Auto-Tune effects West himself has relied on in the past, MTV reports. “We actually removed all the songs with Auto-Tune off of his album to make the point that this is an anti-Auto-Tune album,” said West, who is producing the record. “Even though I released...
How China Rewrote Tiananmen History
Chronicle of Higher Education
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May 27, 2009 2:59 PM CDT
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The Tiananmen Square massacre isn’t something the Chinese government wants the world to remember, and it's doing a good job keeping the matter quiet, writes Terrence Cheng in the Chronicle of Higher Education . In China, “those who dare to speak about it are swiftly silenced,” he writes. “The fading concern over Tiananmen,...
'Rockefeller' Jury Won't Hear of Calif. Case
Associated Press
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May 27, 2009 2:51 PM CDT
(AP) -
Prosecutors in the kidnapping trial of the man who calls himself Clark Rockefeller have agreed not to tell the jury that he is a "person of interest" in the 1985 disappearance of a California couple. But they want the jury to hear the dramatic 911 call and subsequent statements made by a social worker who saw the mystery man take his 7-year-old...
UFO Saved Earth in Suicide Mission: Russian Scientist
Fox News
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May 27, 2009 2:42 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Alien spacecraft crashed into a giant meteor 100 years ago to stop it from hitting Earth, according to a Russian scientist. Most scientists say an exploding meteorite caused 1908’s Tunguska event, which flattened 80 million trees across 100 miles. But researcher Yuri Labvin says crystals found in sparsely populated Siberia prove an extraterrestrial...
Simpson Shops Body Image Reality Show
Us Weekly
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May 27, 2009 2:33 PM CDT
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Jessica Simpson is pitching a reality show that focuses on society’s scrutiny of women’s bodies. The singer, often maligned for her own weight gain, will travel the world to understand perceptions of beauty and try out the “shocking things that women do to make themselves beautiful,” insiders tell Us . “Picture Fear...
Flush Mafia Invests Big in Recession Italy
Bloomberg
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May 27, 2009 2:22 PM CDT
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As banks spurn borrowers, Italian mafiosi are lending out their cash stockpiles to profit from the global recession, Bloomberg reports. Long invested in cash-intensive businesses like food distribution, the mafia is using its liquidity to take control of other legitimate businesses—and as a bonus, the three main mob outfits are using the occasion...
Hyperbolic Newt's Antics Highlight Desperate GOP
American Prospect
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May 27, 2009 2:13 PM CDT
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Newt Gingrich is back, and he’s here to stay. “It’s Gingrich time,” Paul Waldman writes for the American Prospect . That’s not a good thing, for the Republicans or the country. “This is Newt's time again not only because there's a leadership vacuum in the GOP but because the Republicans are back in opposition,...
5-Year-Old Russian Girl Raised by Cats, Dogs
Times (UK)
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May 27, 2009 2:04 PM CDT
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Russian police have removed a feral girl from the home where she was raised by cats and dogs, the Times of London reports. Natasha, 5, who mimics the animals rather than speaking, has never been outside her family's unheated apartment. Her grandparents and father also lived there, but she had little contact with humans. She understands Russian but...
Credit Scores Plunge as Consumers Twist in Wind
USA Today
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May 27, 2009 1:55 PM CDT
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Consumers are caught in the credit crunch, and their scores are starting to show it, USA Today reports. The average TransUnion credit score fell 6 points between the third quarter of 2008 and the first of 2009, and the group’s financial services director expects it to fall even more through 2010. “Consumers are feeling the bite of the...
Mongolia Votes for Change, Too
GlobalPost
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May 27, 2009 1:48 PM CDT
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In a lot of ways, Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj looks a lot like another newly elected president. A young, Harvard-educated orator, Elbegdorj rode into power Sunday on a message of change, with most of his support coming from cities. His opponents cried that he was part Chinese. Sound familiar? Elbegdorj isn’t quite the Mongolian Obama—he’s...
Air Force Ship Becomes Artificial Reef Off Fla. Keys
Associated Press
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May 27, 2009 1:40 PM CDT
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Demolition experts sank an Air Force ship this morning to create an artificial reef in the Florida Keys, the AP reports. The 17,000-ton, WWII-era cargo ship took less than 2 minutes to sink after a series of explosions. The new "reef" is expected to bring in about $8 million in tourism revenue, just shy of the $8.6 million it took—over...
Film Shoots Aging Rockers to Success
CNN
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May 27, 2009 1:31 PM CDT
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After decades, the heavy-metal band Anvil has finally broken into the mainstream thanks to a well-received documentary—and “kismet,” guitarist Steve “Lips” Kudlow tells CNN. After he saw the film, he said, “I started crying, because it seemed like kismet, as if it was all meant to be this way. And quite honestly,...
OpenTable Brings (False) Hope for IPOs
SmartMoney
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May 27, 2009 1:21 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A hot website goes public, and investors go wild. Shares soar 59% on the first day of trading. “Is this really May 2009?” asks James B. Stewart of SmartMoney. The stock is OpenTable.com, which went public at $20 and is trading just south of $27. "The company seems to have chosen the worst possible time to raise capital," but don't...
Eminem's Relapse Tops Charts
Associated Press
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May 27, 2009 1:19 PM CDT
(AP) -
Eminem's new album Relapse has sold more copies in its first week of release than any other album this year. The Detroit rapper's first album in nearly five years sold 608,000 copies and is his fifth straight No. 1 album. His last disc, 2004's Encore, sold 711,000 in its first four days and went on to sell 5.1 million copies.
Battle Over Prop 8 Moves to Federal Court
Associated Press
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May 27, 2009 1:11 PM CDT
(Newser) -
California’s gay marriage battle continued today as lawyers for the American Foundation for Equal Rights announced a lawsuit challenging Proposition 8 and called for the restitution of marriage rights while the suit is decided, the Los Angeles Times reports. The lawyers—Theodore Olson, then the solicitor general, and David Boies—were...
Twitter 'Twollars' Raise Cash for Charity
Guardian (UK)
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May 27, 2009 12:48 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Twitter has unveiled an online currency of sorts, the “twollar,” aimed at boosting charitable giving, the Guardian reports. Twitter users start out with 50 twollars (the equivalent of $5), which they can award to other users for astute posts and the like. Twollars are currency, but only charities can sell or redeem them. So if you run...
Woman Stashes Mom's Body in Freezer for 20 Years
Daily Mirror (UK)
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May 27, 2009 12:42 PM CDT
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A London woman hid her dead mother’s body in a freezer for two decades, apparently out of fear of immigration authorities, reports the Daily Mirror . The daughter, now 83, was worried that if the public knew her mother had died, officials would find out she’d been in the UK illegally, neighbors said. “I’ve lived here all my...
Fla. Teacher Cops to Sex With Boy, 15; Mom Approves
Miami Herald
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May 27, 2009 12:33 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A teacher at a Florida private school has resigned and been charged with sexual battery of a child for allegedly carrying on an affair with a 15-year-old student, the Miami Herald reports. Maria Hernandez, 32, was arrested upon the pair's return from Disney World and admitted to sleeping with the boy, sometimes at his mother's place. The mom is under...
Runaway Bride Flees Before Reception
ANSA (Italy)
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May 27, 2009 12:19 PM CDT
(Newser) -
As a newlywed groom and the wedding guests waited at a restaurant in Trieste, Italy, the bride was speeding away with the driver, a friend of her husband, ANSA reports. After an hour and a half, the groom got through to his new wife, who said that she had "made a mistake" and that her "heart belongs to someone else."
Madonna Nude Up for Auction
Daily Mirror (UK)
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May 27, 2009 12:07 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Want to gaze upon Madonna in the nude? Your chance is coming up when a 2005 portrait goes up for auction in Glasgow Saturday, the Mirror reports. The oil painting shows a naked Material Girl with now-ex-hubby Guy Ritchie. Elsewhere: Rihanna and Chris Brown are both moving on—from just singing, the New York Daily News reports. Both...
Test for Early Alzheimer's in Development
Associated Press
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May 27, 2009 11:59 AM CDT
(AP) -
A research institute devoted to Alzheimer's and related diseases has teamed up with a major maker of diagnostic tests to speed development of what could be the first test to detect Alzheimer's in its early stages. If all goes well, the first commercial version of the test could be available in 12 to 18 months, possibly enabling patients to try to slow...
Introducing Web 3.0
All Things Digital
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May 27, 2009 11:54 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Web 2.0’s a thing of the past, write Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher for All Things D. "Something major is happening at the intersection of tech and media, and we think it deserves its own new hyped-up name,” they announce. Web 3.0 is the era of “the thin client, running clean, simple software, against cloud-based data and services”—and...
Web Will Make Conservatives Miss the Times
The Week
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May 27, 2009 11:49 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Conservatives have delighted in making a piñata out of the New York Times, but they’re not going to like the post- Times world, writes Francis Wilkinson of The Week. “Like most powerful, entrenched institutions, the Times has a deep bias in favor of the way things are,” he argues, and that’s benefited conservatives....
Meet Lady Gaga, New Princess of Pop
Rolling Stone
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May 27, 2009 11:40 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Lady Gaga is taking the world by storm—including the cover of Rolling Stone ’s Hot List issue. “I don’t feel like I look like the other perfect little pop singers,” she says. “I think I’m changing what people think is sexy.” Her unique, often pants-less, style has become as famous as her dance hits,...
The New Gourmet Greens: Weeds
Wall Street Journal
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May 27, 2009 11:30 AM CDT
(Newser) -
One man’s weeds are another man’s delicacy. The bane of American gardeners has a new home on gourmet dinner plates, the Wall Street Journal reports. “These are as good a yuppie green as you can get,” said one buyer who paid $9 a pound for dandelion greens, a very common weed. As avant-garde chefs lead the way, wild greens...
Rating Agency Again Judges USA AAA
Associated Press
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May 27, 2009 11:28 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Moody’s today reassured investors that the United States government won’t lose its AAA credit rating…yet. Last week Standard & Poor warned that it might soon drop Britain’s debt rating, sparking panic that other governments could follow. A Moody’s VP said the US’ rating is the highest possible and safe for now—but...
Mel's Galpal Found 'Someone to Take Care of Her'
People
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May 27, 2009 11:19 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Mel Gibson is allowing girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva to “do what she does best: be a mom and play piano,” friends tell People in a profile of the much-discussed couple. “We’re very happy for her. She was trying to make it and now she has. She wins,” says one friend, while another adds that it’s “very important...
Policymakers Float Federal Sales Tax Idea
Washington Post
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May 27, 2009 11:10 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A federal sales tax has long been seen as politically off-limits, but the massive deficit has some in Washington pushing for it. “It's common to the rest of the world, and we don't have it,” a tax analyst tells the Washington Post . In dire times, “fundamental tax reform” may be needed, said the chair of the Senate Budget Committee....
Director Buys Apartment for Slumdog Kid
Reuters
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May 27, 2009 11:08 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The makers of Slumdog Millionaire have bought a home for one of the film’s Indian child actors whose real-life shanty was demolished by the Mumbai government, Reuters reports. Azharuddin Ismail is now living in a “comfortable” apartment “in a good neighborhood near his school,” an exec from the fund established by director...
'Rockefeller' Trial Sparks Identity Crisis
Boston Herald
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May 27, 2009 10:49 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A Boston court saw the selection yesterday of 11 of the 16 jurors needed to begin the trial of Clark Rockefeller. Or of Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter. Or of "the defendant," as the judge calls him. The mystery man is on trial for kidnapping his daughter, and because he's also charged with giving police a false name, the issue is a serious...
Obama Headlines Reid's $2M Vegas Fundraiser
Washington Post
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May 27, 2009 10:36 AM CDT
(Newser) -
President Obama jetted to Las Vegas yesterday for a glitzy fundraiser for Harry Reid, the Washington Post reports. Aides estimate the shindig, which cost revelers between $50 and $2,400, pulled in $2 million for Reid’s contentious reelection battle. Though Obama and Reid haven’t always seen eye-to-eye, Obama is counting on Reid to shepherd...
Congress Mulls Tighter Offshore Drilling Rules
ProPublica
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May 27, 2009 10:27 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A bill pushed by Dick Cheney 4 years ago freed natural-gas drillers from clean-water laws, but pollution concerns are driving congressional Democrats to rethink the matter, ProPublica reports. They’ve drafted legislation that would end the natural-gas exemption and require drillers to reveal the chemicals they use in their work, some of which...
Levy Murder Suspect Pleads Not Guilty
Associated Press
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May 27, 2009 10:21 AM CDT
(AP) -
The man accused of killing federal intern Chandra Levy has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and other charges. Twenty-seven-year-old Ingmar Guandique was arraigned today in District of Columbia Superior Court on six counts, including murder, kidnapping, and attempted sexual abuse. He pleaded not guilty to all counts. A judge set a two-week...
What They'll Say to Fight Sotomayor
Politico
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May 27, 2009 10:13 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Sonia Sotomayor’s opponents are already polishing their script, Politico reports. They’ll call her radical, racist, and stupid—albeit via softer buzzwords. She’s a “judicial activist” fond of “identity politics,” with a questionable “intellect.” Here are the charges against her: ...
Tough Times Push Chains to Try New Fare
USA Today
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May 27, 2009 10:00 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Desperate times are driving chain restaurants to desperate measures—straying from their bread-and-butter dishes and diversifying the menu. KFC now sells grilled chicken, Domino’s offers subs, and McDonald’s dips into the world of espresso coffee, USA Today reports. “This is a defining moment for the industry," says a...
New Budget Airline Launches With 1 Plane, $9 Seats
Chicago Tribune
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May 27, 2009 9:44 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The founder of the short-lived discount airline Skybus thinks conditions are right for a second attempt at adding service to less-used regional airports, the Chicago Tribune reports. JetAmerica will follow the model of European budget carriers like Ryanair, offering a handful of seats for $9 and charging for services like food, checked bags, and...
Jealous Boyle Curses Traitorous Talent Judge
Daily Mirror (UK)
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May 27, 2009 9:34 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Seemingly sweet Britain’s Got Talent finalist Susan Boyle ranted against fellow contestant Shaheen Jafargholi last night at a London hotel bar, the Mirror reports. When judge Piers Morgan called the 12-year-old's performance “the best singing we have heard in the semifinals so far,” Boyle, 48, allegedly made a rude gesture, shouted...
Celebs Likely to Fight Harder for Gay Marriage in 2010
Variety
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May 27, 2009 9:26 AM CDT
(Newser) -
For those who believe Hollywood came too late to California’s “No on Prop 8” party during last year’s election, yesterday’s Supreme Court decision to uphold the voter-approved ban on gay marriage brings a question: Will Tinseltown get it right this time around? “I think the message of today’s decision is we...
