A paralyzing storm has coated much of Central and Western Massachusetts with an inch of ice, snapping countless limbs and power lines and knocking out electricity to nearly 1 million homes and businesses across New England. Hardest hit was northern Worcester County, where 119,000 people are without power and some roads are impassable in communities such as Fitchburg and Leominster (note to DJ: pronounced "lemin-ster")

Source: http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2008/12/ice_storm_leave.html

*******************************

The Bush administration said Friday that it will consider using the money set aside to help banks and Wall Street to rescue the auto industry.

The statement -- a change in the administration's long-held position -- might be the last best chance to keep troubled automakers General Motors and Chrysler LLC out of bankruptcy.

The defeat of a $14 billion bailout plan in the Senate late Thursday left the administration little choice but to tap the $700 billion bailout approved by Congress in October, the Troubled Asset Relief Program or TARP, according to White House Press Secretary Dana Perino.

Source: http://money.cnn.com/2008/12/12/news/companies/auto_future/index.htm?postversion=2008121209

****************************

Bettie Page, the iconic pinup and cult figure, died yesterday in Los Angeles, at the age of 85. She suffered a heart attack last week and had been in a coma ever since.

Between the years 1949 and 1957, Page was the subject of more than 20,000 pinup photos, many of them dealing with bondage subjects that are today regarded as an important gateway to the sexual revolution of the 1960s.

Source: http://jezebel.com/5108259/pinup-girl-pop-culture-icon-bettie-page-dead-at-85

************************

Prosecutors in Taiwan have formally indicted ex-President Chen Shui-bian and his wife on corruption charges.

The charges include forgery and money laundering, a spokesman for the prosecutors said.

The 57-year-old former leader has been held in a Taipei jail since 12 November, pending the results of the prosecutors' probe into his affairs.

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7778960.stm