Egypt crash kills 49 schoolchildren; transportation chief resigns

CAIRO — The Egyptian transportation minister resigned Saturday after 49 children were killed on their way to school in southern...

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Israel's Rocket-Hunting Ace Got His Start Playing <em>Warcraft</em>

War has once again erupted between Hamas and the Israel Defense Forces, with the Gaza-based militant group launching hundreds of rockets and missiles at Israeli towns. But many of these projectiles never made it to their targets, thanks to the new Iron Dome missile defense system that’s arguably become this conflict’s most important technological difference-maker. This article, first published...

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“Sister” Director Tackles Taboo of Switzerland’s Class Divide With Her Oscar Contender

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) – Director Ursula Meier can hardly believe that her film “Sister” – which depicts tenements, poverty and a seemingly rigid class system in lovely Switzerland – has made it over the Alps to Hollywood for Academy consideration.“It shows a not-very-usual aspect of Switzerland,” Meier told the audience at a showing of “Sister” Thursday...

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Well: Meatless Main Dishes for a Holiday Table

Most vegetarian diners are happy to fill their plates with delicious sides and salads, but if you want to make them feel special, consider one of these main course vegetarian dishes from Martha Rose Shulman. All of them are inspired by Greek cooking, which has a rich tradition of vegetarian meals.I know that Greek food is not exactly what comes to mind when you hear the word “Thanksgiving,” yet why...

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David Petraeus didin't settle partisan divide on Benghazi

WASHINGTON – Appearing before two congressional committees in closed-door sessions, former CIA Director David Petraeus did little...

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Wired Readers Create Epic Soundtrack for Space Photo of the Day

Last week I was listening to the Inception soundtrack and flipping through the Wired Science Space Photo of the Day gallery, a collection of the best astronomical images on the web, hand-selected by the Wired Science staff. It was quite possibly the most dramatic thing my brain has ever comprehended, even more so than weddings and the Olympics and such. So I sent out...

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“30 Rock” character Liz Lemon to get her happy ending

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – “30 Rock” perpetual unlucky-in-love heroine Liz Lemon is finally getting her happy ending, as NBC invited fans on Thursday to watch her get married this month.After a string of bad boyfriends and unsuccessful romances, Lemon, played by comedienne Tina Fey, finds her soul mate in budding entrepreneur Criss Chross, who owns an organic...

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Change Rattles Leading Health-Funding Agency

Major changes erupted at one of the world’s leading health-funding agencies Thursday as it hired a new director, dismissed the inspector general who had clashed with a previous director and announced a new approach to making grants. Alex Wong/Getty ImagesDr. Mark Dybul, who led the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, in 2007. Dr. Mark Dybul, the...

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Wealth Matters: Advisers Caution Against Hasty Decisions in Advance of Tax Changes

WITH all the ominous talk of tax increases and a “fiscal cliff” if President Obama and Congressional leaders can’t agree on a plan to avert automatic tax increases on Dec. 31, some investors may be tempted to act soon to take advantage of the current tax rates. But financial advisers say that in their rush to do something this year, investors may end up with regrets. “Any time you...

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Egypt calls on U.S. to help stop Gaza fighting

Rockets From Gaza Jolt Tel Aviv Area ...

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Curiosity Rover Measures Radiation and Wind on Mars

NASA’s Curiosity rover has lately been investigating the wind and radiation on Mars, providing data on some uniquely Martian weather phenomena.The probe’s main objectives on Mars are to scour the planet for signs of ancient habitability. “But we also have some pretty important goals of studying the modern environment,” said geophysicist Ashwin Vasavada, deputy project scientist for Curiosity...

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Stars honor Veloso as Latin Grammys person of year

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Juanes, Juan Luis Guerra, Nelly Furtado and Natalie Cole are among the artists who celebrated Brazilian musician Caetano Veloso at a ceremony honoring him as the Latin Recording Academy‘s Person of the Year.Veloso’s influence as a composer and activist also was the subject of a video featuring Sting and Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodovar...

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Well: Southern Flavors on a Vegetarian Table

If you’re looking for new ways to cook vegetables, a trip south of the Mason-Dixon line is a good place to start. The fair weather and long growing season of the South means there’s always a plentiful supply of fresh vegetables and produce.“We live in Memphis, and it’s true there is a lot of barbecue, but there are a good deal of farmers’ markets too,” says Amy Lawrence, co-author of “The Southern...

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BP to Admit Crimes and Pay $4.5 Billion in Gulf Settlement

BP, the British oil company, said Thursday that it would pay $4.5 billion in fines and other payments to the government and plead guilty to 14 criminal charges in connection with the giant oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico two years ago. US Coast Guard, via Associated PressThe explosion on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico that was connected to a well owned by BP...

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Obama pressures House Republicans to pass tax breaks

WASHINGTON -- President Obama used his post-election news conference to pressure House Republicans to extend expiring tax rates...

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Wannabe Obama Assassin Wanted to Go Down in 'Infamy'

A Colorado man charged with threatening to kill President Barack Obama said he wanted to assassinate the chief executive so he could go down in “infamy,” according to court records.Mitchell Kusick faces up to five years in prison for the alleged presidential threats, which were detailed by Secret Service Agent Melissa Blake in an affidavit unsealed Tuesday (.pdf)...

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Clapton platinum watch nets $3.6 million at auction

GENEVA (Reuters) – An Asian collector bought a platinum chronograph Patek Philippe wristwatch owned by British rock guitarist Eric Clapton for 3.44 million Swiss francs ($ 3.63 million) at auction on Monday, Christie’s said.The “ultra-rare” reference 2499/100 by the Swiss luxury watchmaker, one of only two cased in platinum, was acquired by Clapton some...

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Filthy Water in California Farmworker Communities

Jim Wilson/The New York TimesStudents at Stone Corral Elementary in Seville, Calif. The school budgets $100 to $500 a month for bottled water. SEVILLE, Calif. — Like most children, the students at Stone Corral Elementary School here rejoice when the bell rings for recess and delight in christening a classroom pet. But while growing up in this impoverished agricultural community of numbered...

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Samuel Adams Brewer Counsels Small Businesses

Gretchen Ertl for The New York TimesJim Koch, who started brewing Samuel Adams Boston Lager at his house in 1984, and Carlene O'Garro, who runs a cake business, participate in a program in which big businesses help small ones. Carlene O’Garro’s cake business was barely a month old when she arrived at the Samuel Adams brewery in South Boston recently to meet with business counselors, but she brought...

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L.A. City Council votes to put sales tax hike on March 5 ballot

Searching for a long-term solution to the city's chronic financial woes, the Los Angeles City Council agreed Tuesday to ask...

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Audio: McAfee, Still in Hiding, Predicts 'They Will Track Me Down'

Antivirus pioneer John McAfee is still on the run, hiding in the bottoms of boats and cars, sleeping on a mattress infested with lice, and finally taking refuge in the home of friends in Belize. “Obviously, given enough time, they will track me down,” he said in an exclusive interview this morning. “It’s just a matter of time.”McAfee phoned me again at 6:13 a.m. Belize time and described his...

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Comcast’s NBCUniversal unit lays off 500 employees: source

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Comcast Corp‘s NBCUniversal entertainment unit is laying off about 500 employees at cable channels, Jay Leno‘s late-night TV show and the Universal Pictures movie studio, a person with knowledge of the matter said on Monday.The cuts add up to about 1.5 percent of the company’s workforce of 30,000 employees, the source said. A...

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‘Half-Match’ Bone Marrow Transplants Cure Sickle Cell in Trial

In her mid-20s, Yetunde Felix-Ukwu wore a Fentanyl patch that delivered enough narcotic to knock most adults out cold. Yet it barely kept her pain, caused by sickle cell disease, tolerable. Even with the patch, she was hospitalized almost every month for the pain, which she said was “like being hit with a hammer, searing, throbbing, you name it.” A debilitating genetic disorder, sickle-cell...

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