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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: politicians

politicians stories: 12 news summaries

OPINION

 Downtrodden Detroit 
 Can Rise Again, Green 

Cheap labor, empty factories, can-do legacy scream green revolution

(Newser) - The Detroit of Daniel Okrent’s childhood is gone. The “elm-lined streets” of the “City of Homeowners”—“the place that America once knew as the Arsenal of Democracy”—have become “the urban equivalent of a boxer's mouth, more gaps than teeth.” A devastating... More »

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Detroit Michigan racism manufacturing renewable energy auto industry politicians urban blight Daniel Okrent

APPRECIATION
(Newser) - Amid the praise for the late Ted Kennedy, one blogger reminds that the Massachusetts senator was the first member of Congress with his own website. “Back in 1993, this was no small feat,” writes Paul Blumenthal for the Sunlight Foundation. “At the time there were no congressional... More »

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Congress technology Internet Ted Kennedy Capitol Hill website politicians early adopter Chris Casey Sunlight Foundation

(Newser) - The Abbey Road crosswalk made famous by the Beatles' album cover may be eliminated because hordes of fans are making it unsafe, say legislators. Accidents at the London intersection have climbed as an increasing number of fans pose on the striped crosswalk for photos, reports the Telegraph. “Maybe it... More »

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London traffic Beatles collisions intersection politicians Abbey Road traffic accidents

China Trusts Prostitutes More Than Politicians

Oldest profession comes in third in poll; farmers are tops

(Newser) - The Chinese people trust prostitutes more than they trust politicians, scientists, or soldiers, according to a new survey from Insight China Magazine. Sex workers finished third, the BBC reports, with 7.9% of the vote, just behind farmers and religious workers. “A list like this is at the same... More »

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China prostitute survey farmers politicians

(Newser) - The 44 New Jersey politicians and New York and New Jersey rabbis arrested this morning were the subject of a 10-year probe, the Newark Star-Ledger reports. “The politicians willingly put themselves up for sale,” the US Attorney says. “For these defendants, corruption was a way of life.... More »

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US attorney New Jersey corruption money laundering nonprofit arrest politicians Ralph Marra

Pols Pushed U. of Illinois
Into Taking Students

'Clout list' just amounts to 'blackmail:' critics

(Newser) - Prominent state lawmakers have been pressuring administrators at the University of Illinois to accept favored applicants or risk facing their wrath, the Chicago Tribune reports. Analyzing 1,800 documents, the paper found that subpar applicants on a “clout list” gained admission over the objections of admissions officers after school... More »

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admissions University of Illinois blackmail Illinois students politicians

(Newser) - Social Security and Medicare are headed toward disaster, and that’s a good thing, Robert J. Samuelson writes in Newsweek. The programs are expected to run out of money by 2017 and 2037, respectively, and when they do, politicians will have to make painful, necessary reforms. “The counterintuitive lesson:... More »

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health care bankruptcy Medicare retirement aging Social Security retirement benefits politicians

OPINION
(Newser) - Recent studies have yielded a good picture of the ideal CEO, and the life of the party he ain’t, writes David Brooks in the New York Times. Traits like empathy, good communication skills, and team-building aren’t very important. Flamboyant visionaries rarely work out. No, those who often thrive... More »

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CEO corporate culture corporate governance David Brooks Obama administration politicians

Film Outs Pols, Draws Fire From All Sides

Documentary that targets Crist has even gay groups worried

(Newser) - Outrage isn’t a conventional summer blockbuster, but its central aim will surely prove explosive: outing prominent politicians who have opposed gay causes. “It’s the responsibility of journalists and filmmakers to report on hypocrisy wherever they see it,” director Kirby Dick told the San Francisco Chronicle. His... More »

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entertainment homophobia GOP Charlie Crist Ed Koch homosexual Republicans politicians Kirby Dick

 Palin Ignores 
 McCain on Twitter 

She uses feed to clear up 'misquoting'

(Newser) - Sarah Palin is following some fellow Republicans on Twitter, but she's not showing any love for former running mate John McCain.The Alaska governor is keeping tabs on Sean Hannity and Bill O'Reilly of Fox, David Gregory of NBC, George Stephanopoulos of ABC, and CNN, but not nemesis Katie Couric—... More »

(Newser) - Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has appalled the world with his crass remarks, yet somehow remains popular at home. "Is there a logic to what might seem like a strange form of Tourette's syndrome?" asks Alexander Stille, analyzing the gaffe-prone pol in The New Republic. The answer to Berlusconi's... More »

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European Union Italy Silvio Berlusconi politicians

(Newser) - Politicians are too scared of looking poorly informed to appear as contestants on Jeopardy!, the game show’s host tells Politico. “We’d be hard-pressed to come up with more than three,” says Alex Trebek, in the Washington area promoting tryouts, “because most of them realize... More »

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television Jeopardy game shows Alex Trebek politicians

12 Stories