Newser Story Index from February, 2012
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.
Dying Fan Gets Sneak Peek at Book Series
hlntv.com
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Feb 29, 2012 7:10 PM CST
(Newser) -
A pretty cool birthday present, as recounted by hlntv and Techdirt : Nachu Bhatnagar is a young guy with terminal cancer who may not live long enough to see how his favorite book series, Harry Turtledove's The War That Came Early , will turn out. His friend, Colton Jang, turned to Reddit for help, asking if anyone on the site knew how to...
Judge: Graphic Smoking Images Are Unconstitutional
BusinessWeek
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Feb 29, 2012 6:20 PM CST
(Newser) -
Tobacco companies can't be forced to put ultra-graphic images on cigarette packages and advertising to scare away smokers, a federal judge ruled today. The FDA requirement, which was supposed to go into effect later this year, violates the companies' free-speech rights, declared US District Judge Richard Leon in Washington, reports BusinessWeek...
More People Going to ER for ... Toothaches
NPR
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Feb 29, 2012 5:41 PM CST
(Newser) -
More and more people are showing up to the emergency room to deal with teeth problems. According to a new report, more than 800,000 people in 2009 alone bolted straight to the ER with dental troubles such as toothaches that could have been avoided with proper care. Part of the problem may stem from states cutting Medicaid dental benefits, forcing low-income...
US Will Need $1T to Fix Water Pipes
Huffington Post
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Feb 29, 2012 5:03 PM CST
(Newser) -
The US could be facing a $1 trillion plumbing bill. That's how much it will cost over the next 25 years to mend or replace the disintegrating pipes that carry drinking water throughout cities and build new ones to accommodate a rising population, according to an industry study. And that's not including wastewater pipelines, which might tack...
Bristol Palin Lands Reality TV Show
vulture.com
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Feb 29, 2012 4:43 PM CST
(Newser) -
Bristol Palin will be back on the tube in her own reality TV show. It's called Bristol Palin: Life’s a Tripp and will premiere on Lifetime later this year, reports USA Today . The premise of the "docuseries" is to follow Bristol in Alaska as she "steadfastly moves forward both personally and professionally," notes...
Santorum Camp: Count Michigan as a Tie
Detroit Free Press
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Feb 29, 2012 4:23 PM CST
(Newser) -
All the headlines say Mitt Romney won Michigan , but Rick Santorum's camp begs to differ. One of his top strategists says both candidates will end up with 15 delegates when all is said and done, reports the Detroit Free Press . “The race has been moved up to a tie on delegates,” says John Brabender. “For this to end up a tie...
Priciest Celeb Engagement Ring: $5M
Huffington Post
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Feb 29, 2012 4:00 PM CST
(Newser) -
Justin Timberlake reportedly put a ring on it . Natalie Portman flashed a diamond engagement ring—now surrounded by what are reported to be wedding diamonds —at the Oscars. Will these rings go down in history as Hollywood's priciest? Only if they can beat out these 10 engagement rings, handed by celebrities to their one true love...
Southerners Sleep the Worst
UPI International
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Feb 29, 2012 3:50 PM CST
(Newser) -
People who live in the South are getting the worst, disturbance-filled sleep and experiencing the most fatigue during the day, reports a new study. The states with the highest sleep problems are Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, and West Virginia, while the best-rested snoozers generally hail from the the West, reports UPI.com . People in...
T. Rex: History's Best Biter
BBC
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Feb 29, 2012 3:27 PM CST
(Newser) -
Yet another reason that Tyrannosaurus Rex was the scariest creature to ever stalk the planet: Scientists have figured out that T. rex boasted the most powerful bite of any animal in history, reports BBC Nature . The clench of the dinosaur's massive jaw was between 30,000 and 60,000 Newtons, "equivalent to a medium-sized elephant sitting on...
Graham Sorry for Doubting Obama's Faith
Religion News Service
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Feb 29, 2012 3:12 PM CST
(Newser) -
Franklin Graham has apologized for comments he made on MSNBC 's Morning Joe last week in which he seemed evasive about whether he considered President Obama a Christian. "I regret any comments I have ever made which may have cast any doubt on the personal faith of our president, Mr. Obama," Graham said in a statement. He said that...
Broadway's Most Expensive Flop Is Back
Associated Press
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Feb 29, 2012 3:01 PM CST
(AP) -
When the musical Carrie had a sudden early death on Broadway in 1988, few were as unhappy as three men who worked hard to give it life. Lawrence D. Cohen, Michael Gore, and Dean Pitchford, who wrote the script, music, and lyrics, clearly were not happy with the final product, which closed after five regular performances, lost $8 million, and became...
Michael Jordan Selling Estate for $29M
Wall Street Journal
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Feb 29, 2012 2:46 PM CST
(Newser) -
It would make a nice souvenir for any Chicago Bulls fan: Michael Jordan's estate along Lake Michigan in suburban Chicago is up for sale, reports AP . It's got the usual estate specs: 56,000 square feet, nine bedrooms, 15 bathrooms, five fireplaces, plus a few Jordan-esque touches: a regulation-size basketball court with "competition-quality"...
Ethicists: Killing Babies Should Be Legal
Telegraph (UK)
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Feb 29, 2012 2:43 PM CST
(Newser) -
Two Oxford bioethicists are taking heat for their assertion that there is nothing morally wrong with infanticide—or, as they call it, "after-birth abortion." In an article published in the Journal of Medical Ethics , Alberto Giubilini and Francesca Minerva argue that babies, like fetuses, are only "potential persons" with...
Ron Paul to Bernanke: Do You Shop for Groceries?
blogs.wsj.com
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Feb 29, 2012 2:29 PM CST
(Newser) -
Ron Paul may have a presidential race to run, but he's never too busy to return to DC to do a little Fed bashing. Paul grilled Ben Bernanke today, declaring in his opening statement that "what we are witnessing today is the end stages of a grand experiment," reports the Wall Street Journal. The Fed's control of the money supply...
Crowd Gathers as Giant Rock Departs
Los Angeles Times
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Feb 29, 2012 2:16 PM CST
(Newser) -
It's not every day you get to see someone move a 340-ton rock , so a crowd of more than 150 people showed up last night to see the "Big Rock" begin its 105-mile journey from a quarry to the Los Angeles County Museum, the LA Times reports. The rock was shrink-wrapped in white cellophane, and bedecked with around 300 string lights...
9 Killed as Violent Storms Lash Midwest
CNN
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Feb 29, 2012 1:41 PM CST
(Newser) -
At least nine people are dead as a violent storm system sweeps across the Midwest, causing tornadoes, pounding rain, high winds, golf-ball-sized hail, and "dangerous lightning." "It's like nothing I've ever seen, and something I don't care to see again," says the mayor of Harrisburg, Illinois, where Reuters reports...
Egypt Allows Arrested Americans to Travel Again
Associated Press
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Feb 29, 2012 1:34 PM CST
(Newser) -
It looks like a thorny problem between the US and Egypt—one involving the son of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood—is going away. Egyptian officials today lifted a travel ban on seven Americans, including Sam LaHood , who are facing trial in the country, reports the AP . They are among 43 employees of pro-democracy groups from various...
Dating Site Swiped Dead Soldier's Picture: Suit
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
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Feb 29, 2012 1:14 PM CST
(Newser) -
A friend of an Army lieutenant killed in Iraq in 2007 came across something disturbing in December: a picture of the late Peter Burks, in uniform and looking for love online. His picture was featured in ads—with the words, "Military Man Searching for Love" or "Soldiers Want You!"—for dating site True.com that ran on...
Monkees' Davy Jones Dead at 66
TMZ
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Feb 29, 2012 12:59 PM CST
(Newser) -
Monkees frontman Davy Jones died of a heart attack this morning in Florida at the age of 66. Jones had the heart attack in his home, and was taken to Martin Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, a spokesman tells TMZ . He gave what turned out to be his final performance just 10 days ago in Oklahoma.
Windows 8: Bold, Risky, Revolutionary
Slate
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Feb 29, 2012 12:53 PM CST
(Newser) -
Microsoft unleashed Windows 8 on the world today, in the form of a "Consumer Preview" (read: Open Beta), and it's definitely not business as usual. The OS is designed to work on both tablets and PCs, and that means that, while it still has a familiar Windows "Desktop" mode tucked inside, its default is a bold new "Metro"...
Will Olympia Snowe Join Third-Party Ticket?
New York
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Feb 29, 2012 12:37 PM CST
(Newser) -
What's Olympia Snowe up to? Her surprise decision to retire from the Senate came with what Jonathan Chait at New York magazine sees as an "unusually specific" statement about her desire to try to fix DC's partisan ways. "I intend to help give voice to my fellow citizens who believe, as I do, that we must return to an era...
To Save Owls, Gov't Wants to ... Kill Owls
Associated Press
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Feb 29, 2012 11:57 AM CST
(Newser) -
The Obama administration is trying to save the spotted owl, but bailing out the endangered critter might just involve the premeditated demise of someone sitting on the family tree: The larger barred owl is a rival to the spotted owl, and is often cited as one of the major threats to the survival of the one-pound bird, which has been on the threatened...
North Korea to Halt Nuclear Activities
Associated Press
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Feb 29, 2012 11:44 AM CST
(AP) -
North Korea will suspend uranium enrichment and has agreed to a moratorium on nuclear and long-range missile tests; it has also agreed to allow International Atomic Energy Inspectors to verify and monitor the moratoriums and confirm disablement of its nuclear reactor at Yongbyon. Today's joint announcement suggests North Korea has met the key US...
Woman Torched Ancient Cypress to Better See Drugs
Orlando Sentinel
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Feb 29, 2012 11:41 AM CST
(Newser) -
When we last visited the sad tale of "the Senator," arson had been ruled out as the source of the fire that felled the famously ancient cypress tree. Now, a pathetic and unfortunate cause emerges: Sara Barnes, 26, was charged yesterday with setting the fire that burned the 3,500-year-old tree, and the Orlando Sentinel reports that she...
Next Big Primary: Ohio
Washington Post
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Feb 29, 2012 11:22 AM CST
(Newser) -
With Arizona and Michigan in the books, the countdown to "Super Tuesday" has begun. But not all of the March 6 states are created equal. Expect the campaigns to set up shop in Ohio, a state without which, the Washington Post points out, no Republican president has ever been elected. Super PACs backing Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, and...
US Home to 74% More Mosques Since 2000
USA Today
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Feb 29, 2012 10:55 AM CST
(Newser) -
Even as protests against new mosques got quite a bit of attention, their numbers in the US grew from 1,209 in 2000 to 2,106 in 2010, USA Today reports. And most of the leaders of those Islamic places of worship believe America is not hostile to Islam, according to a census of US mosques and poll of mosque leaders released today. "This is a...
NJ Bars Weep: Snooki Really Is Pregnant
New York Post
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Feb 29, 2012 10:27 AM CST
(Newser) -
Perhaps you heard the terrifying rumors earlier this month that Snooki was with child: She denied them , but now the New York Post insists that the Jersey Shore star is indeed three months pregnant. Not only that, but Snooks (whom the Post kindly refers to as "trashy") wants to be "the next Kourtney Kardashian," sources...
Streep Does Viola Davis— and Rhode Island—a Favor
Reuters
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Feb 29, 2012 10:03 AM CST
(Newser) -
Meryl Streep's Best Actress win over Viola Davis was the big upset of the Oscars; even Streep herself seemed surprised, calling the whole process "a crapshoot." But now she's making it up to Davis—in a big way. Streep donated $10,000 to a struggling school in Rhode Island in Davis' honor, Reuters reports. Davis has been...
Syria Launches Ground Assault to 'Clean' Baba Amr
Associated Press
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Feb 29, 2012 9:48 AM CST
(Newser) -
Syrian ground troops advanced on Homs today, indicating that the regime was about to launch a ground assault to take the restive city. One Syrian official told the AP that the rebel-held Baba Amr neighborhood would be "cleaned" in a matter of hours. Three western journalists are still trapped in Baba Amr, and one of them is wounded. Rebels...
Why Leap Years Don't Happen Every 4 Years
USA Today
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Feb 29, 2012 9:37 AM CST
(Newser) -
Why do we have leap years? Basically, to ensure that there's a better chance you'll see snow on Christmas than falling leaves. "If we didn't have leap years, our calendar would be totally scrambled," explains a worker at America's timekeeper, Washington DC's US Naval Observatory. Since the Earth doesn't take exactly...
Lesbian Denied Communion —at Mother's Funeral
Washington Post
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Feb 29, 2012 9:31 AM CST
(Newser) -
These certainly weren't the gentle and consoling words Barbara Johnson expected to hear at her mother's funeral on Saturday: When attempting to take Communion at the service at St. John Neumann Catholic Church in Gaithersburg, Md., the priest "put his hand over the body of Christ and looked at me and said, 'I can't give you Communion...
James Murdoch Resigns From News International
Associated Press
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Feb 29, 2012 8:54 AM CST
(Newser) -
James Murdoch is resigning as executive chairman at News International, the UK publishing arm of his father's News Corp, the company announced today. Murdoch will instead focus on News Corp's international TV business, the AP reports, noting that the younger Murdoch has faced scrutiny during the phone hacking scandal involving News Corp...
Colbert Looks for GOP's Obama
Gawker
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Feb 29, 2012 8:51 AM CST
(Newser) -
Last night was Stephen Colbert's 1,000th show, but he's not looking back. With the GOP presidential race in turmoil, he's looking for the party's future savior, and since Barack Obama made the leap from senator to president in just four years, he figured state legislatures were the place to look. His top choices: Bob Morris of...
Gitmo Prisoners' New Perk: $750K Soccer Field
Fox News
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Feb 29, 2012 8:34 AM CST
(Newser) -
For those in the US wailing about wasteful government spending and/or the Obama administration's failure to close Guantanamo Bay, cue the outrage: Gitmo detainees are getting a new soccer field, which will cost taxpayers $744,000. The field is just about finished and was shown to reporters during a tour yesterday; it is half the size of an American...
Bank Robber Busted When He Returns for Cab Fare
Associated Press
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Feb 29, 2012 8:11 AM CST
(Newser) -
Police in suburban Atlanta say they have arrested a bank robber so inept that he couldn't get his own money out of the bank. Trevor Gladston, 39, left a Wells Fargo branch empty-handed after handing a teller a note asking for money, police say. Problem? The failed robbery left him sans cash for the ride home, and his cabbie wasn't buying his...
Mitt Romney Holds Onto Lead, Sort Of
Politico
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Feb 29, 2012 7:52 AM CST
(Newser) -
Mitt Romney may have had to sweat a little, but he won in both Michigan and Arizona last night. Is he the favorite for the nomination again? Here's what pundits are saying: We'll let Romney himself have the first word: "We didn't win by a lot, but we won by enough, and that's what matters," he said in his victory speech....
1 Killed, 3 Missing in Coast Guard Chopper Crash
Associated Press
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Feb 29, 2012 7:32 AM CST
(Newser) -
Rescuers are this morning again attempting to access the wreckage of an MH-65C Coast Guard helicopter that went down in Alabama's Mobile Bay last night, having been thwarted by foggy conditions in the search for three missing crew members. Divers overnight failed to gain entry to the wreckage, which rests in about 13 feet of water, reports the...
Ohio Shooting Hero: I Wish I'd Done More
Reuters
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Feb 29, 2012 7:05 AM CST
(Newser) -
When gunshots rang out Monday morning in Chardon High School's cafeteria, everyone hit the deck—except Frank Hall, a massive 6-foot-2, 300-pound assistant football coach who instead yelled, "Hey!" and charged the shooter. "He did what he usually does," one student tells Reuters , "he breaks up fights." In...
Mormons Also Baptized Daniel Pearl
Boston Globe
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Feb 29, 2012 6:48 AM CST
(Newser) -
The Mormon Church is already under fire for posthumously baptizing Anne Frank and the parents of Nazi-hunter Simon Wiesenthal , and now it turns out the church did the same thing to Daniel Pearl. The Wall Street Journal reporter, who was killed in Pakistan soon after 9/11, was baptized last year at a temple in Idaho, according to records found...
Chavez Has Tumor Removed
BBC
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Feb 29, 2012 4:35 AM CST
(Newser) -
The Venezuelan government ended an information blackout today to announce that Hugo Chavez has had a tumor removed from his pelvis and is recovering in a Cuban hospital. The president "is in good physical condition," his vice president told the National Assembly, prompting cries of "Onward, comadante," the AP reports. Chavez ...
Virginia Repeals Gun-a-Month Limit
Richmond Times Dispatch
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Feb 29, 2012 4:33 AM CST
(Newser) -
Virginia has killed off a law enacted in 1993 to tackle gun-running. GOP Gov. Bob McDonnell has signed a measure repealing a law that restricts residents to one handgun purchase a month , reports the Richmond Times-Dispatch . Before signing, McDonnell spoke to the families of victims of the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre, who had hoped to persuade...
GOP Grumbles as GM Spends $500M on Bonuses
Associated Press
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Feb 29, 2012 4:31 AM CST
(Newser) -
General Motors had a great year last year— making a record profit and reclaiming its crown as the world's biggest automaker —but some lawmakers aren't happy about its plans to reward its workers. The company plans to pay bonuses of at least $182 million to white-collar workers today, on top of $332.5 million in profit-sharing...
Mitt, Rick to Nearly Split Michigan Delegates
Detroit Free Press
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Feb 29, 2012 3:55 AM CST
(Newser) -
Rick Santorum narrowly lost the popular vote in Michigan's GOP primary, but he has a consolation prize: nearly half of the state's delegates. Santorum, who won six congressional districts in the north and west of the state, will have at least 12 of the state's 30 voting delegates at the Republican National Convention, while Mitt Romney...
13 Syrians Killed Saving Injured British Journalist
Associated Press
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Feb 29, 2012 3:31 AM CST
(Newser) -
The wounded British photographer who was spirited out of the besieged Syrian city of Homs to safety in Lebanon escaped at a terrible cost to the rebels who helped him. Activists say 13 of their number were killed by snipers and shelling in the drive to rescue Paul Conroy and three other injured Western journalists, AP reports. Conroy was injured...
Ohio Victim's Mom Begged Son: Don't Go, Danny
CBS News
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Feb 29, 2012 3:07 AM CST
(Newser) -
Ohio mom Dina Parmertor had a "sick feeling" when she heard about the shooting at Chardon High School on the radio early this week. "I was scared," she says, and tried to call her son—but there was no answer, she tells CBS News . "Danny, it's Mom. Call me back," she messaged him. Later, a firefighter called...
25 Anonymous Hackers Busted in 4 Countries: Cops
Associated Press
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Feb 29, 2012 2:35 AM CST
(Newser) -
Some 25 suspected members of the Anonymous hacking collective have been arrested in Europe and South America, according to Interpol. The international police agency says 250 items of IT equipment were seized in raids in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, and Spain, the BBC reports. The suspects—including "Pacotron," the alleged chief of...
Limbaugh Slams Romney for 'Hair on Fire' Dig
Huffington Post
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Feb 29, 2012 2:09 AM CST
(Newser) -
Mitt Romney has ticked off Rush Limbaugh by saying he's not willing to make outrageous accusations against President Obama just to excite the conservative "base," and win votes. "It’s very easy to excite the base with incendiary comments,” Romney told reporters ahead of the Arizona and Michigan primaries. "I’m...
Apps Can Snatch iPhone Photos, Too
New York Times
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Feb 29, 2012 1:50 AM CST
(Newser) -
It's not only contacts that can be snatched from your cellphone by apps—photos, too, can be yanked, thanks to an Apple loophole. Once a user allows an application on an iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch to have access to location information—to launch a mapping function, for example— the app can copy the user’s entire photo...
Asteroid Could Threaten Earth
Space.com
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Feb 29, 2012 1:02 AM CST
(Newser) -
Astronomers are keeping their eyes on an asteroid with the potential to make life very uncomfortable for a lot of Earthlings 28 years from now. The near-Earth asteroid 2011 AG5, a chunk of rock roughly 460 feet wide, will be close to our planet in 2040, and scientists believe there is a 1 in 625 chance that Earth's gravitational pull could put...
Natalie Portman Shows Off Wedding Ring
New York Daily News
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Feb 29, 2012 12:46 AM CST
(Newser) -
Yes, those were wedding bands worn by Natalie Portman and her guy, Benjamin Millepied, that lit a buzz at the Oscars. They're made with "recycled platinum and conflict-free diamonds," spilled jeweler Jamie Wolf, who designed the wedding rings for the 30-year-old actress and choreographer, 34. The platinum band is for Millepied, and...
