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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: Best of 2008

Best of 2008 stories: 33 news summaries

21 - 33 of 33 Stories | << Prev 1 2

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OPINION

 Pogue's 
 Top Tech 
 Ideas of '08 

List includes advancements from iPhone, Amazon and Netflix

Dec 18, 08 1:35 PM CST
(Newser) - David Pogue runs down the best tech ideas of 2008 in the New York Times, “the flashes of genius that somehow made it through committee, past the lawyers, and into the marketplace.” Highlights include:
  • Headache-free packaging: Amazon’s plastic-free alternative is good for the environment and does
... More »

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technology • iPhone • list • BlackBerry • Netflix • Photoshop • headphones • computer applications • Amazon • App Store • Best of 2008

GLOSSIES

 Biggest 
 Stories 
 You Didn't 
 Hear in '08 

Catching up on the stuff blotted out by the election and financial crisis

Dec 17, 08 7:40 PM CST
(Newser) - Election coverage and reports on the financial crisis ate up much of the media's attention in '08—while some major news stories went under-reported. Time runs down the biggest:
  1. A Pentagon gaffe accidentally sent nuclear warhead fuses to Taiwan in 2006; the mix-up was noted this year—by the
... More »

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Pentagon • FDA • mental health • Sri Lanka • list • civil war • nuclear arsenal • Congo • genetically modified meat • Best of 2008

 Biggest Jerks
 of 2008 

Nickelback, Sarko, and a TV character all incur the Guardian's wrath

Dec 14, 08 7:02 PM CST
(Newser) - As a tumultuous year winds down, the Guardian asks the question on everybody’s mind: who are 2008’s biggest douchebags? A selection:
  • Nicolas Sarkozy: “Good God, man, will you put her away just for a second?”
  • Sarah Palin's advisors: "What you need to do, Sarah,
... More »

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Nicolas Sarkozy • Mattel • The Wire • Scrabulous • Sarah Palin • Best of 2008

 Errors Apparent: 
 2008's Worst 
 Predictions 

magazine recalls year's worst punditry

Dec 13, 08 4:42 PM CST
(Newser) - Presidential candidate Bloomberg? Nope. Russia invading the Ukraine? Hardly. Foreign Policy takes a look back at the worst predictions of the year:
  • A stabilized banking system: Shortly after Henry Paulson forecast stability on Wall Street, Citigroup’s stock price dropped 75% and closed below $5 for the first
... More »

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Henry Paulson • Michael Bloomberg • Citibank • $100 a barrel oil • Kenyan elections • Best of 2008 • William Kristol

Dog Poop DNA, Sean Avery Rule 2008 Ideas

NYT assembles hodgepodge of year's memorable concepts

Dec 13, 08 2:42 PM CST
(Newser) - For the eighth straight year, the New York Times Magazine has compiled the best—and worst—ideas that influenced the past 12 months:
  • Can’t get enough of popping bubble wrap? A Japanese, battery-operated key chain now simulates your favorite mindless activity.
  • Sean Avery not only made his
... More »

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Barack Obama • Hillary Clinton • moon • dog • Sean Avery • condoms • bubble wrap • Best of 2008

ANALYSIS

 Google Taps Zeitgeist, 
 Finds Palin a Winner 

Alaska governor went zooming up search charts in '08

Dec 11, 08 1:34 PM CST
(Newser) - Every year, Google releases its analysis of the global zeitgeist based on billions of searches around the world. Newsweek reports the highlights:
  • Sarah Palin: "Obama" was the most searched for term overall, but the Alaska governor grabbed the top spot on the fastest-rising list.
  • Beijing
... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Barack Obama • Google • Facebook • list • 2008 Beijing Olympics • Heath Ledger • Jonas Brothers • Election 2008 • Sarah Palin • 2008 • Google Zeitgeist • Best of 2008

OPINION

 5 Best Songs You 
 Didn't Hear in 2008 

Esquire picks this year's best under-the-radar songs

Dec 11, 08 12:34 PM CST
(Newser) - Test your indie chops, courtesy of Esquire, which rounds up the five best tunes you probably didn’t hear this year:
  • “Jingle Bells,” Julian Koster: There's not a single bell in this holiday classic, just a harrowing singing saw.
  • “One Last Round,” Ron Sexsmith:
... More »

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Led Zeppelin • Christmas music • Jesus Christ • commentary • Ron Sexsmith • Elbow • Best of 2008

OPINION

  Pop Culture Casualties of 2008 

A look back at the year's cultural departures

Dec 9, 08 7:28 PM CST
(Newser) - A Led Zeppelin world tour? Sorry, that was a whole lotta hype. Madonna and Guy Ritchie's love story? Ditto. As the curtain comes down on 2008, the Los Angeles Times bids farewell to this year’s departed cultural phenomena.
  • Joaquin Phoenix’s movie career: He walked the line as
... More »

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Britney Spears • Led Zeppelin • Madonna • Guns N' Roses • Guy Ritchie • The Shield • Best of 2008

OPINION

 Bolaño's 2666 Tops 
 Another Book List 

Choi's A Person of Interest also gets Salon fiction nod; '67 Oscar race tops non-fiction

Dec 8, 08 2:55 PM CST
(Newser) - Chilean author Roberto Bolaño's novel 2666, about the murders of women in a border town, features on Salon's list of the 10 best books of the year. They include:
  • 2666: Bolaño, who died young in 2003, is celebrated posthumously in the English-speaking world. "He pursues, with
... More »

MORE ABOUT:
reading • great books • Roberto Bolano • Jane Mayer • Susan Choi • Mark Harris • Best of 2008

OPINION

 Morrison 
 Tops Times 
 10 Best 
 Books List 
 

NY Times names its top 10 for 2008

Dec 4, 08 3:41 PM CST
(Newser) - Nobel Prize-winner Toni Morrison's most recent novel and nonfiction books about two wars feature on the New York Times list of the 10 best books of the year. They include:
  • A Mercy: Morrison's tale of 17th-century slaves and masters is "part Faulknerian puzzle, part dream-song."
... More »

MORE ABOUT:
New York Times • literature • book • Toni Morrison • Drew Gilpin Faust • 2008 • Roberto Bolano • VS Naipaul • Jane Mayer • Jhumpa Lahiri • Julian Barnes • Best of 2008

OPINION

 Top Foreign Fiction of 2008 

Pair of Spanish-language works highlight NPR list

Dec 2, 08 4:40 PM CST
(Newser) - Of 340 new works of foreign fiction and poetry translated for US audiences this year, NPR has culled five of the best into a list:
  • Senselessness, by Horacio Castellanos Moya: A Latin American freelance writer is hired by the Catholic Church to edit sinister documents in this
... More »

MORE ABOUT:
fiction • literature • translation • Best of 2008

 'Bailout' Named 
 Word of the Year 

'Trepidation' and 'turmoil' also top list of words readers often look up

Nov 26, 08 6:20 AM CST
(Newser) - The word "bailout," in frequent use in newspapers, magazines, and TV thanks to the economic meltdown, has been named Merriam-Webster's 2008 Word of the Year, reports the AP. It was the word most looked up on the company's online dictionary, edging out other newly prominent and worrisome terms... More »

MORE ABOUT:
vocabulary • bailout • definitions • Word of the Year • Merriam-Webster • Best of 2008

OPINION

 10 Best Viral Election Videos 

Web offers chance to poke fun, change a few minds

Nov 3, 08 5:18 PM CST
(Newser) - Viral election videos offer campy calls for change, seamless special effects, and more than a few celebrity cameos. Laughs aside, “over the past decade they’ve also impacted politics—sometimes changing the course of elections and frequently providing a few laughs in an otherwise wonky world,” Jeffrey Ressner... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Barack Obama • John McCain • comedy • Obama Girl • viral video • Election 2008 • Sarah Palin • Will.i.am • Best of 2008

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