Retail Sales in US Exceeded Forecasts in November

BloombergDec. 11 (Bloomberg) — Sales at U.S. retailers rose more than forecast in November, a sign consumer spending is gathering speed heading into 2010.The 1.3 percent increase followed a 1.1 percent gain the prior month that was smaller than previously estimated, Commerce Department figures showed today in Washington. Purchases excluding autos climbed 1.2 percent, also more than anticipated… Read more

Utah Mom’s Disappearance ‘Suspicious,’ Police Say

FOXNewsThe disappearance of a missing Utah stockbroker and mother of two has turned “suspicious,” police say.West Valley City Police Capt. Tom McLachlan said Thursday that no one will reveal where 28-year-old Susan Powell is and “she has not contacted us or anyone else we know about.”Powell failed to show up at her job at Wells Fargo Financial on Monday. Her purse, cell phone and car all were… Read more

Mandela saw Freeman as the actor to play him in films

MiamiHeraldLOS ANGELES — There was an actor Nelson Mandela had in mind when asked in 1995 who should play him in a movie of his autobiography, “Long Walk to Freedom.” Morgan Freeman was that man.”From then on it was Morgan Freeman was going to play Nelson Mandela somewhere down the line,” Freeman says in an interview about the Clint Eastwood movie “Invictus,” in which he plays Mandela.But,… Read more

Mugabe opens Zanu-PF congress

Al Jazeera EnglishRobert Mugabe, Zimbabwe’s president, has condemned splits within Zanu-PF, saying internal fighting is tearing the party apart and emboldening its rivals.Mugabe opened the party’s congress in the capital, Harare, on Friday, and addressed the party for the first time since it lost absolute grip of power and entered a unity government.”The reason why we lost last year was because… Read more

Live chat: Tony Grossi analyzes beating the Steelers at noon

clevelandChat live with Tony Grossi today at noon.How did the Browns beat the defending Super Bowl champion Steelers for the first time in 13 games last night? Does Eric Mangini deserve another year solely based on beating Pittsburgh? What does this win mean for the rest of the season?Tony Grossi will be online for a special live Friday chat at noon to provide the answers and field your questions… Read more

China’s Consumer Prices Rise 0.6% Amid Recovery

Wall Street JournalBEIJING — China is moving out of deflation after nearly a year of falling consumer prices, a turnaround driven in part by changes in government policies that kept costs of oil, water and electricity artificially low.China’s consumer price index climbed 0.6% from a year earlier in November, the National Bureau of Statistics said Friday, after declining every month since… Read more

Top Chef : Death by mushrooms

Los Angeles Times"Man, I never shoulda done those mushrooms," is a phrase you're more likely to hear on a Sunday morning in Santa Cruz than on prime time TV. Who could have guessed that it would be one funky little matsutake 'shroom that would bring down the fan favorite, Kevin Gillespie?In a poll taken during the show, 58% of viewers thought that a more simple style of cooking… Read more

Judge Halts Jon Gosselin’s Media Appearances

PeopleJon Gosselin’s media tour comes to an end.A judge in Maryland on Thursday ruled in favor of TLC, granting a preliminary injunction ordering the reality TV dad to stop making appearances, according to the Associated Press.The cable network argued that Gosselin’s paid and unpaid media appearances – including hosting a party in Las Vegas – violated his contract with the network. A… Read more

SABCS: More Evidence that Bisphosphonates Prevent Breast Cancer

MedPage TodayAction Points Explain to patients that two studies have shown that drugs used to treat osteoporosis may help reduce the risk of breast cancer.Note that the findings came from retrospective reviews of databases and cannot prove that bisphosphonates prevent breast cancer.Note that this study was published as an abstract and presented at a conference. These data and conclusions should… Read more

It’s Done: Stephanopoulos to Join ‘Good Morning’

New York TimesABC News has made official the long-rumored appointment of George Stephanopoulos to succeed Diane Sawyer as the anchor of ‘Good Morning America’ – and its top executive promised on Thursday that the show would move ‘in a new direction,’ toward more news and substantive information.David Westin, the president of ABC News, who made the announcement on Thursday, conducted a three-month… Read more

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