World News
Top News
Moderate Democrat boosts Senate healthcare bill
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - One of three wavering U.S. Senate Democrats said on Friday he would vote to start the chamber's healthcare debate, bolstering the chances for a broad overhaul one day before its first crucial test.
| Cautious optimism as job losses slow
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The pace of job losses slowed in many U.S. states in October, and the unemployment rate slipped in hard-hit Michigan, the Labor Department said on Friday, hinting the recession may be easing in some areas.
| New guidelines push back age for Pap smears
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Women in the United States should start cervical cancer screening at age 21 and most do not need an annual Pap smear, according to new guidelines issued on Friday that aim to reduce the risk of unnecessary treatment.
| No Obama decision on Afghan until after Thanksgiving
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's announcement of a new strategy on Afghanistan will not take place until after the Thanksgiving holiday next week, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Friday.
| More than 20 killed in separate Afghan blasts
HERAT, Afghanistan (Reuters) - A suicide bomber in southwestern Afghanistan killed 17 people Friday, and an Afghan lawmaker escaped a separate blast on the outskirts of Kabul but five of his bodyguards were killed, officials said.
| Philip Morris ordered to pay $300 million to smoker
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A Florida jury on Thursday ordered cigarette maker Philip Morris USA to pay $300 million in damages to a 61-year-old ex-smoker named Cindy Naugle who is wheelchair-bound by emphysema.
| Somalia to join child rights pact, only U.S. outside
GENEVA (Reuters) - Somalia has announced it plans to ratify a global treaty aimed at protecting children, leaving the United States as the only country outside the pact, UNICEF said Friday.
| Powers urge Iran to reconsider nuclear offer
BRUSSELS/BERLIN (Reuters) - Senior officials from six world powers said on Friday they were disappointed Iran had not accepted proposals intended to delay its potential to make nuclear bombs, and urged Tehran to reconsider.
|
Technology
Barnes & Noble says Nook shipments will be delayed
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Barnes & Noble Inc said on Friday it had sold out of its first allotment of newly launched Nook electronic readers due to high demand and new shipments will not arrive in time for the holidays.
| Gameloft says it, others reining in Android plans
BARCELONA (Reuters) - French mobile phone games company Gameloft said it and other software developers were cutting back investment in developing games and other applications for Google's Android platform.
| Google says PC will start in seven seconds or less
MOUNTAIN VIEW, California (Reuters) - New Google Inc software will start up a computer as fast as a television can be turned on, the search company said on Thursday as it showed off its Chrome operating system designed for PCs that do their work on the Web.
| Smartphone growth to continue strong in 2010
BARCELONA (Reuters) - The wireless chip industry expects smartphone market surge to continue, with British microchip designer ARM saying growth would likely even accelerate further next year.
|
Tech toys
Science
Space
Science Magazines Honor Cutting-Edge NASA Programs
NASA's revolutionary planet-hunting Kepler space telescope has been honored with the 2009 Best of What's New Grand Award from Popular Science Magazine and a 2009 Breakthrough Award from Popular Mechanics Magazine.
| NASA Awards $350,000 to Winning Astronaut Glove Designers
NASA's Centennial Challenges program awarded $350,000 this week to a pair of designers who developed concepts for more flexible space gloves that could make it easier for astronauts to perform tasks.
| NASA Pushes Social Media Experience to New Heights
NASA launched a social media experience at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida that quickly turned into an unprecedented world-wide event as more than 100 Twitter users got a unique look inside America's space program and front row seats to the Nov. 16 liftoff of the space shuttle Atlantis.
| Planet 51 Star Brings NASA's Message of Exploration Down to Earth
Actor Dwayne Johnson, usually known for his action and comedic film roles, takes to the stars as an astronaut in a new animated feature that brings important messages about the importance of space exploration and education to those of us here on Earth.
|
Space Image of the Day
Space Shuttle Atlantis
This view of the aft portion of the space shuttle Atlantis, including the three main engines, was provided by the Expedition 21 crew during a survey of the approaching vehicle prior to docking with the International Space Station. As part of the survey and every mission's activities, Atlantis performed a back-flip for the rendezvous pitch maneuver. The image was photographed with a digital still camera, using a 400mm lens at a distance of about 600 feet (180 meters). Image Credit: NASA
Business
Stocks dip as investors weigh recovery bets
NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks fell for third straight day on Friday as investors took weaker-than-expected results from computer maker Dell and homebuilder D.R. Horton as a further sign that the recovery would be anemic.
| U.S. layoffs fall in October
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The number of mass layoffs reported by U.S. employers fell last month from September, a government report showed on Friday, suggesting job losses were close to bottoming.
| U.S. Q3 seen revised down on widening trade deficit
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. economy's return to growth in the third quarter was less brisk than previously thought as the trade deficit worsened and companies still aggressively cut inventories, a Reuters survey predicted.
| Black Friday deals may not signal retail comeback
CHICAGO (Reuters) - When the U.S. holiday shopping season kicks off on the day after Thanksgiving, retailers can expect to see millions of less frightened but even more bargain hungry customers cross their thresholds.
|
Health
Sport
Entertainment
Urban Legends
Team Project
Was accused Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan 'an advisor to the Obama Homeland Security team'?
| Cleaning for a Reason
Non-profit offers free cleaning services to women undergoing treatment for cancer.
| Eiffel Tower Suicide
Photograph purportedly shows a suicide victim stepping off the Eiffel Tower just before plunging to his death.
| Veterans Day
Photograph shows President Obama during a 2009 Veterans Day ceremony?
|
Jokes
Cadets
The following is a quote from a director of sports infor-
mation in the Navy, regarding the theft of some mascots
from the Naval Academy by Army rivals:
"We knew Army cadets were involved because they cut through
two fences to get to the goats, and 15 feet away there was
an unlocked gate."
| Back then...
...A computer was something on TV from a science fiction show, a window was something you hated to clean, and ram was the cousin of a goat.
Meg was the name of my girlfriend, and gig was something you did on stage for money; now they all mean different things and that really mega bytes.
An applic
| Cold Water Cleaning
John went to visit his 90 year old grandfather in a very secluded,
rural area of Georgia.
After spending a great evening chatting the night away, John's grandfather
prepared breakfast of bacon, eggs and toast. However, John noticed a film
like substance on his plate, and questioned his grandfat
| Cross Country
When we moved cross-country, my wife and I decided to drive
both of our cars. Nathan, our eight-year-old, worriedly
asked, "How will we keep from getting separated?"
"We'll drive slowly so that one car can follow the other,"
I reassured him.
"Yeah, but what if we DO get separated?" he persis
|
Kids
|
Where am I?