http://hdlns.com/g488 http://hdlns.com/rss_g488.xml Top Sources en-us Aggregation copyright hdlns (dot com), articles copyright original authors. http://hdlns.com/g488zf638za29039447/Democracy+in+Nicaragua+In+Peril%2C+Ortega+Critics+Say MANAGUA, Nicaragua -- The U.S. Embassy has been accused of counterrevolutionary subversion. A nervous Catholic Church is appealing for calm. The opposition party is crying electoral fraud, while roaming gangs armed with clubs are attacking marchers. http://hdlns.com/g488zf755za29039441/Samsung+launches+256GB+solid+state+drive Samsung said it has added 256GB solid state drives to its SSD product mix. The largest-capacity drive to date. http://hdlns.com/g488zf725za29039405/Ex-Detainee%3Fs+Restrictions+Will+End Australian police said that they would stop restricting a former Guantanamo Bay detainee after he broke his long media silence to ask them to let him ?get on with? his life. http://hdlns.com/g488zf603za29039298/New+BlackBerry+is+good+iPhone+challenger Review: BlackBerry fans can rejoice: the Storm, Research In Motion's first all-touchscreen Blackberry will make even iPhone users salivate just a little bit over some of the features of this very slick and sophisticated smartphone. http://hdlns.com/g488zf603za29039297/Microsoft+lets+Zune+subscribers+keep+tunes Microsoft Corp. is giving an early holiday gift to people who pay for all-you-can-listen access to the Zune digital music store: 10 songs to keep each month, included in the $14.99 monthly subscription fee. http://hdlns.com/g488zf603za29039296/Google+gives+online+life+to+Life+mag%27s+photos Google Inc. has opened an online photo gallery that will feature millions of images from Life magazine's archives that have never been seen by the public before. http://hdlns.com/g488zf455za29039211/PSA+Peugeot+Citroen+to+cut+2%2C700+jobs LONDON (MarketWatch) -- French automaker PSA Peugeot Citroen said it's cutting 2,700 jobs through voluntary departures. The job cuts come after a 'violent drop in volumes' and the car maker says European car sales will drop by around 10% in 2009.Mar http://hdlns.com/g488zf455za29039210/Sweden%27s+Sandvik+announces+2%2C450+job+cuts LONDON (MarketWatch) -- Sandvik , the Swedish industrial tool maker, said it's cutting 2,450 jobs, mostly in its materials technology division in Sweden. Sandvik said the negative trend from the third quarter has continued in to the fourth quarter. S http://hdlns.com/g488zf455za29039209/World+economic+climate+falls+to+lowest+level+in+20+years LONDON (MarketWatch) -- The Ifo World Economic Climate fell in the fourth quarter to its worst level in more than 20 years, to 60 points from 73.4 points in the third quarter. The long-term average of the poll is 96.8. Both the current situation and http://hdlns.com/g488zf455za29039212/U.K.+retail+sales+declined+0.1%25+in+October LONDON (MarketWatch) -- U.K. retail sales fell 0.1% in October compared to the previous month, according to data released by the Office of National Statistics Thursday. The drop was smaller than the 0.9% decline expected by economists. Sales in the m http://hdlns.com/g488zf975za29039200/Poets+Writing+History+%97+Immediate+Responses+to+the+2008+American+Election Poetry has played a prominent role throughout the course of the two-year campaign leading up to this year's U.S. Presidential election (see our previous postings on the topic listed below),... http://hdlns.com/g488zf857za29038997/Gay+advocates+upset+at+shelving+of+Chicago+school CHICAGO (AP) -- As far as Miguel Garcia is concerned, Chicago already has a gay high school. Jones College Prep, where the 16-year-old is a junior, has the city's largest Gay Straight Alliance, an organization of more than 100 students that he an http://hdlns.com/g488zf857za29038996/Calif.+Supreme+Court+to+take+up+gay+marriage+ban SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- California's highest court agreed Wednesday to hear several legal challenges to the state's new ban on same-sex marriage but refused to allow gay couples to resume marrying before it rules.... http://hdlns.com/g488zf857za29038992/30-day+age+limit+for+Neb.+safe-haven+law+advances LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) -- A 30-day age limit in the Nebraska safe-haven law appears headed for final approval. The state Legislature voted 41-6 Wednesday to give second-round approval to the limit. A final vote is expected Friday and then the bill wi http://hdlns.com/g488zf857za29038991/Prospect+of+sewers+strikes+horror+in+rustic+Malibu MALIBU, Calif. (AP) -- 'Sewer' has always been a dirty word in this celebrity-studded community, which has avoided the sprawl that pervades much of the Southern California coast in part because it has refused to install the plumbing for it.... http://hdlns.com/g488zf857za29038995/Drug+suspect%27s+wife+charged+in+FBI+agent%27s+death GLENSHAW, Pa. (AP) -- An FBI agent trying to arrest a cocaine-dealing suspect at a home near Pittsburgh was killed Wednesday by the man's wife, who might have thought she was shooting an intruder, authorities said.... http://hdlns.com/g488zf857za29038990/Files+show+Md.+police+watched+variety+of+activists BALTIMORE (AP) -- Surveillance of anti-death penalty protesters and other activists by the Maryland State Police was broader and went on longer than previously disclosed, according to files that were turned over by police to dozens of activists w http://hdlns.com/g488zf857za29038994/NJ+inmates+vs.+Princeton+students%3A+Prison+chess TRENTON, N.J. (AP) -- David Wang is a young man who's clearly going places. The Princeton University sophomore is gifted with a brilliant mind, a movie-star smile and an understated self-confidence.... http://hdlns.com/g488zf857za29038993/Upstate+NY+dad+drowns+saving+2+sons+after+crash MANCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) -- A man whose car slid off a snowy road and into a 12-foot-deep pond saved the two sons he had been driving home but could not save himself, police said.... http://hdlns.com/g488zf762za29038869/IBM+gets+DARPA+cognitive+computing+contract Initiative is first of several phases intended to eventually reproduce the computing power of the brain, as well as its efficiency. http://hdlns.com/g488zf476za29038858/Kathmandu+is+halted+by+shutdown Life in the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, comes to a virtual halt during a shutdown called in protest at two killings. http://hdlns.com/g488zf858za29038789/Piracy+watchdog+hails+Indian+attack+on+pirate+ship KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) -- An anti-piracy watchdog group on Thursday welcomed an Indian warship's destruction of a suspected pirate vessel in waters off Somalia, where hijackings have become increasingly violent and the hijackers increasingly http://hdlns.com/g488zf858za29038788/Police+to+end+restrictions+on+ex-Gitmo+detainee CANBERRA, Australia (AP) -- Australian police said Thursday they will stop restricting the movements and communications of a former Guantanamo Bay detainee after he broke his long media silence to ask them to let him 'get on with' his life.... http://hdlns.com/g488zf858za29038785/Hungry+in+Zimbabwe%3A+%27If+you+rest%2C+you+starve%27 MHANGURA, Zimbabwe (AP) -- Katy Phiri, who is in her 70s, picks up single corn kernels spilled from trucks that ferry the harvest to market. She says she hasn't eaten for three days.... http://hdlns.com/g488zf858za29038784/IAEA%3A+Syrian+site+could+have+been+nuclear+reactor VIENNA, Austria (AP) -- The U.N. nuclear watchdog agency said Wednesday that a Syrian site bombed by Israel in 2007 had the characteristics of a nuclear reactor. It also admitted that its investigation into Iran's alleged nuclear weapons program http://hdlns.com/g488zf858za29038787/Somali+pirates+transform+villages+into+boomtowns MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) -- Somalia's increasingly brazen pirates are building sprawling stone houses, cruising in luxury cars, marrying beautiful women - even hiring caterers to prepare Western-style food for their hostages.... http://hdlns.com/g488zf858za29038786/Al-Qaida+No.+2+insults+Obama+with+racial+epithet CAIRO, Egypt (AP) -- Al-Qaida's No. 2 leader used a racial epithet to insult Barack Obama in a message posted Wednesday, describing the president-elect in demeaning terms that imply he does the bidding of whites. The message appeared chiefly aime http://hdlns.com/g488zf665za29038690/After+Wall+Street+Rescue%2C+Bush+Changes+Course+on+Federal+Intervention After pledging more than $1 trillion to rescue financial markets, President Bush has fought against a series of proposals for additional bailouts by Democrats and emphasized the benefits of free markets. http://hdlns.com/g488zf665za29038689/Dow+Closes+Below+8000%2C+Hits+5-Year+Low Stocks plummeted yesterday, sending the Dow Jones industrial average to a five-year low after poor economic data were compounded by gloomy pronouncements by the Federal Reserve. http://hdlns.com/g488zf667za29038688/Jan.+20+Housing+Is+Risky+Business When Barack Obama clinched the Democratic presidential nomination in June, Margaret Knox Baum, a supporter from Boulder, Colo., logged on to Craigslist and booked three rooms in a Capitol Hill townhouse for inauguration week. http://hdlns.com/g488zf667za29038683/Sunrise+Shares+Hit+New+Low%3B+Company+Enacts+Defensive+Measures Sunrise Senior Living yesterday took new defensive steps to protect itself from investors grabbing a significant stake in the company as its stock price continued its historic fall, closing at a new low of 38 cents per share. http://hdlns.com/g488zf667za29038678/%27Playing+the+Market%27+Gets+New+Meaning+at+Schools Manassas sixth-grader Anthony DiRenzo said it has been a long-standing tradition to meet his dad in front of the television at 6:30 each night to watch PBS's 'Nightly Business Report.' http://hdlns.com/g488zf667za29038687/Grapes+of+Wealth%2C+Potentially A region once known for its leafy tobacco fields is trying for a new image: a mini-Napa in the heart of Southern Maryland. http://hdlns.com/g488zf667za29038682/Downtown+Clarksburg+Wrangling+Continues It has been more than two years since the developer of Clarksburg Town Center and a residents group sat down with a mediator to try to find a way to build a walkable downtown for the northern Montgomery County development. But, after a recent plannin http://hdlns.com/g488zf667za29038677/Maryland+Public+TV+Debuts+%27Ask+the+Governor%27 Gov. Martin O'Malley is teaming with Maryland Public Television to launch 'Ask the Governor: Special Edition of Direct Connection,' a monthly live program that will feature questions from the public. The half-hour show, hosted by MPT's Jeff Salkin, w http://hdlns.com/g488zf667za29038686/Officials+Envision+400-500+Layoffs+in+Budget+Squeeze Prince George's County might have to lay off 400 to 500 employees during the next fiscal year, more than 7 percent of the county government's workforce, according to an internal document obtained by The Washington Post. http://hdlns.com/g488zf667za29038681/Ficker%27s+Victory+Leaves+Politicos+Black+and+Blue The county's political realm continues the tizzy it began election night, when Robin Ficker 's ballot offering appeared to be -- shock -- headed for the winners' column. http://hdlns.com/g488zf667za29038685/It%27s+Not+the+Eggnog+Talking%3A+Christmas+Is+Starting+Earlier At any other time of year, the sight of an older, unshaven man dragging a child toward his lap would be reason to call the cops. And yet when I witnessed just such an incident Sunday at White Flint mall in North Bethesda, no one seemed to mind. No, i http://hdlns.com/g488zf667za29038680/Silver+Spring+Residents+Hope+Light-Bulb+Moments+Will+Be+Rewarded Silver Spring residents Catherine Sumi Kay and Shaun Sablowski say they have always had great ideas for inventions but never followed through on them. But now the house mom and the auto parts salesman are channeling their inner Edisons and making goo http://hdlns.com/g488zf667za29038684/Grayer+Resigns+as+CEO+of+Kaplan%2C+Biggest+Revenue-Generating+Business+of+Wa The head of The Washington Post Co.'s biggest revenue-generating business is resigning after 17 years, the company said yesterday. http://hdlns.com/g488zf667za29038679/Teenagers+in+Foster+Care+Get+a+Lesson+in+Finance A dozen teenagers gathered their swivel chairs around a conference table on a recent afternoon and talked about the credit crisis, or more specifically, how to avoid one of their own. http://hdlns.com/g488zf462za29038659/Mobile+banking%27s+prospects+looking+better+in+Asia Polillo, a remote island in the northeastern Philippines with poor road infrastructure and no public transport, is set to get a taste of mobile banking long before the developed world does. http://hdlns.com/g488zf462za29038658/Europe+Markets%3A+Europe+stocks+face+fresh+round+of+selling European stocks see a fresh round of selling on Thursday on concerns of a lingering global recession that few firms will be able to escape. http://hdlns.com/g488zf666za29038657/After+Wall+Street+Rescue%2C+Bush+Changes+Course+on+Federal+Intervention After pledging more than $1 trillion to rescue financial markets, President Bush has fought against a series of proposals for additional bailouts by Democrats and emphasized the benefits of free markets. http://hdlns.com/g488zf692za29038407/Redskins%27+Kelly+Might+Finally+Get+His+Shot Eager to contribute after having several weeks off to rest his bothersome left knee, Washington Redskins rookie wide receiver Malcolm Kelly was ready for practice to resume yesterday at Redskins Park. http://hdlns.com/g488zf692za29038406/Zorn+Addresses+Loss+Of+Sean+Taylor+With+Redskins The anniversary of Sean Taylor's death doesn't come until Thanksgiving, but Taylor's presence is still felt daily at Redskins Park. Though Coach Jim Zorn was not with the team when Taylor, Washington's Pro Bowl safety, was shot at his Miami area home http://hdlns.com/g488zf692za29038405/Portis+Heads+List+of+Injured+Redskins+Expected+to+Play+in+Seattle RB Clinton Portis said his knee is still sore, and although he remains limited in practice, he left no doubt he will play Sunday in Seattle. http://hdlns.com/g488zf632za29038403/Around+the+Nation CAPE CANAVERAL -- The astronaut who lost her tool bag on a spacewalk admitted Wednesday that she made a mistake by not checking to see if the sack was tied down, and said she's still smarting over the whole thing. http://hdlns.com/g488zf632za29038404/Al-Qaeda+Leader+Uses+Slur+Against+Obama+in+Web+Video BERLIN, Nov. 19 -- Al-Qaeda delivered a harsh, personal message to President-elect Barack Obama on Wednesday, tagging him with a racial slur in an attempt to undercut his political appeal in parts of the world where the network has recently tried to http://hdlns.com/g488zf867za29037958/NC+undercover+officers+use+Taser+on+pallbearer WILMINGTON, N.C. (AP) -- Five sheriff's deputies will be disciplined after they used a Taser while serving an arrest warrant on a man at his father's funeral, a North Carolina sheriff said Wednesday.... http://hdlns.com/g488zf867za29037953/New+constable+allows+friend+to+fire+gun+into+air SAN BENITO, Texas (AP) -- A newly elected constable was questioned by sheriff's deputies after allowing a friend to fire his county-issued handgun into the air at a party.... http://hdlns.com/g488zf867za29037957/Mass.+woman%27s+1+cent+debt+paid+in+full ATTLEBORO, Mass. (AP) -- A 74-year-old blind woman's 1 cent debt to a Massachusetts city has been settled. People from across the country called Attleboro City Hall on Tuesday offering to pay the 1 cent balance owed by Eileen Wilbur for an overdu http://hdlns.com/g488zf867za29037952/Iowa+zoo+recaptures+flamingo+that+flew+the+coop DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- An Iowa zoo has recaptured a flamingo that flew over a Des Moines neighborhood, a golf course and the entire zoo during a 7-hour freedom flight.... http://hdlns.com/g488zf867za29037961/Ind.+inmates+sneak+through+ceiling+to+have+sex BLOOMFIELD, Ind. (AP) -- Three male and three female inmates at a southern Indiana jail face charges that they devised a way to sneak between cell blocks to help pass their time behind bars by having sex.... http://hdlns.com/g488zf867za29037956/Irate+man+wields+bat+to+liberate+his+lost+cat DALLAS (AP) -- Police are looking for an irate pet lover so intent on liberating his lost cat that he wielded a bat to fend off animal shelter employees. Dallas Animal Shelter manager Kent Robertson said the man found his missing gray and blue sh http://hdlns.com/g488zf867za29037960/Rapper+gets+20+years+after+writing+shooting+song DUBLIN, Ga. (AP) -- He shot a man twice and felt so good about it, police said, a rapper wrote a song describing the shooting and calling out the victim by name. A judge sentenced 25-year-old Rico Todriquez Wright Monday to spend the next 20 year http://hdlns.com/g488zf867za29037955/Fla.+man+accused+of+hurling+sandwich+at+girlfriend PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (AP) -- A Florida man is accused of tossing a sandwich at his girlfriend as they cruised down an interstate, knocking off her glasses and nearly causing her to lose control of the car.... http://hdlns.com/g488zf867za29037959/Thieves+pry+bronze+Virgin+Mary+statue+from+church NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. (AP) -- Thieves may have to take an awkward trip to the confessional. A bronze statue of the Virgin Mary was lifted from a Catholic church in Newport Beach. Police Lt. Craig Fox said the 4-to-5 foot statue was pried from its http://hdlns.com/g488zf867za29037954/Driver+loses+control+after+sneeze%2C+hits+river BOSTON (AP) -- An untimely sneeze nearly cost Andrew Hanson his life. The 42-year-old Weymouth man told authorities that a sneeze caused him to lose control of his pickup on Soldiers Field Road and plunge into Boston's Charles River on Tuesday... http://hdlns.com/g488zf445za29037944/Isuzu%2C+Mazda+to+cut+2%2C700+seasonal+workers+in+Japan Isuzu Motors Ltd. and Mazda Motor Corp. announce layoffs Thursday, amounting to a combined 2,700 seasonal workers as the automakers curtails production amid weaker demand, according to a media report. http://hdlns.com/g488zf445za29037943/Mobile+banking%27s+prospects+looking+better+in+Asia Polillo, a remote island in the northeastern Philippines with poor road infrastructure and no public transport, is set to get a taste of mobile banking long before the developed world does. http://hdlns.com/g488zf1023za29037897/Grieving+Mom+Testifies+in+Cyber+Suicide+Case The mother of Megan Meier, who hung herself after interacting online with someone she thought was a 16-year-old boy, testified Wednesday in the trial of Lori Drew, who is... http://hdlns.com/g488zf1023za29037896/New+York+Bouncer+Convicted+of+Kidnapping%2C+Assault A New York man accused of kidnapping and killing graduate student Imette St. Guillen in February 2006 has been found guilty of kidnapping and assaulting another young college student.... http://hdlns.com/g488zf860za29037529/Seattle+Youth+Symphony+gets+%24500%2C000+grant SEATTLE (AP) -- The Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra is getting $500,000 from the Wallace Foundation.... http://hdlns.com/g488zf860za29037528/UN+climate+official+urges+action+on+emission+cuts BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) -- A top United Nations climate official said Wednesday that regional government leaders must step up their efforts to combat global warming and press their national governments to follow their lead.... http://hdlns.com/g488zf860za29037532/Wakamatsu+hired+to+manage+Mariners SEATTLE (AP) -- Don Wakamatsu is proud to be the first Asian-American manager in major league history. He's also keenly aware of what his grandparents endured, generations before he took over the Seattle Mariners.... http://hdlns.com/g488zf860za29037527/Boeing+says+orders+will+shrink+from+here MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Boeing Co. has seen its orders peak and the number of planes in its backlog will probably decline going forward, the chief of its commercial airplanes division said Wednesday.... http://hdlns.com/g488zf860za29037531/Aberdeen+burn+victim+in+critical+condition ABERDEEN, Wash. (AP) -- The mother of a critically burned man who was dropped off at an Aberdeen hospital has asked anyone with information on what happened to him to contact the Grays Harbor County sheriff's office.... http://hdlns.com/g488zf860za29037526/Amid+woes%2C+3+US+airports+open+new+runways CHICAGO (AP) -- Multimillion-dollar runways are set to open at three U.S. airports Thursday, but the immediate impact aviation officials touted when plans got off the ground will be stunted amid global economic woes that have fewer people taking http://hdlns.com/g488zf860za29037530/State+agency+considers+plight+of+killer+whales SEATTLE (AP) -- The Puget Sound Partnership is considering ways to help the sound's resident killer whales in its plan to clean up the region.... http://hdlns.com/g488zf628za29037504/Ariz.+Governor+Said+to+Be+Pick+For+Homeland+Security+Post Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano (D), whose handling of immigration issues brought her accolades from fellow governors, is President-elect Barack Obama's choice to serve as secretary of homeland security, Democratic sources said late Wednesday. http://hdlns.com/g488zf483za29037465/Second+arrest+in+murder+inquiry Police are questioning a 46-year-old man arrested in connection with the murder of doorman Brian McGlynn. http://hdlns.com/g488zf483za29037474/UK+returns+stolen+icon+to+Greece A 14th-Century Greek icon stolen from a monastery 30 years ago is sent back to Greece by the UK. http://hdlns.com/g488zf483za29037469/UK+sailor+fined+over+bar+incident A Royal Navy sailor has been fined 3,000 Euros after a disturbance at a bar in Sicily, the Ministry of Defence confirms. http://hdlns.com/g488zf483za29037478/October+UK+retail+sales+fall+0.1%25 Sales on the UK's high streets fell by 0.1% in October down for a second month in a row, Office for National Statistics' data showed. http://hdlns.com/g488zf483za29037464/Jaw+broken+in+city+cab+stoning A 25-year-old woman has her jaw broken in a stone attack on taxi in south Belfast, police in the city say. http://hdlns.com/g488zf483za29037473/Unknown+heroes The diplomats who helped Jews flee Nazi oppression http://hdlns.com/g488zf483za29037468/Farewell+to+Sergeant The papers mull John Sergeant's shock decision to leave BBC 1's Strictly Come Dancing. http://hdlns.com/g488zf483za29037477/Red+tape+%27hampers+crime+victims%27 Victims of violent crime entitled to compensation are being hampered by excessive bureaucracy, say MPs. http://hdlns.com/g488zf483za29037463/Police+investigate+baby%27s+death Tayside Police are investigating the sudden death of a nine-month-old baby girl in the Perth area. http://hdlns.com/g488zf483za29037472/A+winning+feeling Smiles all round as England supporters celebrate in Berlin http://hdlns.com/g488zf483za29037467/Player+%27should+back+speed+plans%27 The parents of two boys killed by a footballer in a drink-drive crash say he should support a new road safety campaign. http://hdlns.com/g488zf483za29037476/Rolls-Royce+plans+UK+job+cuts Aircraft engine maker Rolls-Royce says it plans to cut up to 2,000 jobs in 2009, including 140 in the UK. http://hdlns.com/g488zf483za29037462/Bosch+jobs+threat+%27devastating%27 A decision that could see a further 250 manufacturing jobs axed is described as a devastating blow. http://hdlns.com/g488zf483za29037471/Escape+prompts+mother%27s+jail+call A man accused of murder who escaped from a hospital should have been in jail, his alleged victim's mother says. http://hdlns.com/g488zf483za29037466/Arrest+over+dead+baby+discovery Detectives in Warrington arrest a 56-year-old man after the body of a baby girl is discovered by police officers. http://hdlns.com/g488zf483za29037475/Key+NHS+reform+%27delivered+little%27 A flagship NHS reform aimed at developing more innovative community services has delivered little, a report says. http://hdlns.com/g488zf483za29037461/%27Pledge%27+invite+to+binge+drinkers Police and church leaders call on drinkers to sign a pledge to cut consumption and the binge culture. http://hdlns.com/g488zf483za29037470/Teenagers+%27optimistic+about+jobs%27 Most young people are confident of finding a job despite the economic downturn, a survey finds. http://hdlns.com/g488zf657za29037377/Harold+F.+Baker%2C+87%3B+Leading+Antitrust+Lawyer Harold F. 'Hal' Baker, 87, a retired partner in the law firm of Howrey Simon Baker and Murchison, died Nov. 11 at Washington Hospital Center of complications following heart surgery. He was a Boyds resident. http://hdlns.com/g488zf657za29037381/Clive+Barnes%2C+81%3B+Influential+Theater+and+Dance+Critic Clive Barnes, 81, a witty and powerful arts critic whose voracious interest in theater of all forms led him from ballet to discotheques, died of cancer Nov. 19 at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan. http://hdlns.com/g488zf657za29037376/Obituaries Douglas Roy Chavez, 54, a retired locksmith, died Nov. 10 at his home in Laurel of a gastrointestinal hemorrhage. http://hdlns.com/g488zf657za29037380/Adrian+Kantrowitz%3B+Performed+First+U.S.+Heart+Transplant Adrian Kantrowitz, 90, a doctor who performed the first human heart transplant in the United States and developed numerous medical devices that helped save thousands of heart patients, died of complications from congestive heart failure Nov. 14 at th http://hdlns.com/g488zf657za29037375/Obituaries Ruby V. Hood, 91, who spent more than 10 years as a companion and caregiver to senior citizens until retiring in the mid-1990s, died Oct. 27 at Culpeper (Va.) Baptist Retirement Community of acute coronary insufficiency. http://hdlns.com/g488zf657za29037379/Jazz+Pianist%2C+Mentor+Lawrence+Wheatley Lawrence Wheatley, 73, an enigmatic Washington jazz pianist and composer who led jam sessions for more than 40 years but refused to allow his music to be recorded, died Oct. 19 of vascular disease at his home in the District. http://hdlns.com/g488zf657za29037378/Holocaust+Survivor%2C+Art+Dealer+Jan+Krugier Jan Krugier, 80, a celebrated art dealer and Auschwitz survivor who collected the works of Picasso and other renowned artists to help move past the horrors of the Nazi era, died Nov. 15 at his home in Geneva. No cause of death was reported. http://hdlns.com/g488zf496za29037225/U.S.+pact+can+pass+Iraqi+parliament%3A+minister BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A pact allowing U.S. troops to stay in Iraq for three more years has a chance of being approved by parliament despite some heated opposition, Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari said on Thursday. http://hdlns.com/g488zf861za29037217/GM%2C+Chrysler+scale+back+glitz+at+LA+auto+show LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Chrysler and General Motors are still showing off their newest vehicles at the Los Angeles Auto Show, but their displays were noticeably quiet Wednesday while Asian and European companies unveiled new models that will likely c http://hdlns.com/g488zf861za29037218/Detroit+automakers%27+rescue+stalls+in+Senate WASHINGTON (AP) -- A plan to give troubled U.S. automakers billions of dollars in government-backed loans is on life support, leaving the fate of hundreds of thousands of workers and Detroit's once-venerable car companies hanging in the balance.. http://hdlns.com/g488zf861za29037216/US+home+construction+sinks+to+new+record+low WASHINGTON (AP) -- Construction of new homes plunged last month to the lowest level on records going back nearly 50 years as U.S. builders slashed production while Wall Street nosedived....