Newser - NY Timeshttp://www.newser.com/2008 - Newseren-usNewser Feed GeneratorWed, 03 Dec 2008 22:40:30 CSThttp://www.newser.com/story/44246/big-lebowski-revives-white-russians.html?refid=rss_all_defaultOnce derided by cocktail enthusiasts as more of a milkshake than anything else, the White Russian is becoming a signature drink among hipsters, writes Steven Kurutz in the New York Times . For this, we can thank the 1998 cult classic The Big Lebowski . The drink—a mixture of vodka, Kahlua, and milk or cream—is the beverage of choice for Jeff Bridges' character, the Dude. The movie's many devotees have followed suit.http://www.newser.com/story/44246/big-lebowski-revives-white-russians.html?refid=rss_all_defaultWed, 03 Dec 2008 16:24:27 CSThttp://www.newser.com/story/44254/college-may-be-out-of-reach-for-most-us-kids.html?refid=rss_all_defaultRising tuition costs are putting college out of reach for most Americans, a new report shows. Since 1982, college costs have gone up 439%, but median family income only 147%. That has forced the middle class to increasingly fund higher education through loans. For lower-income families—for whom public universities cost about 55% of their annual income—it may already be unaffordable, reports the New York Times .http://www.newser.com/story/44254/college-may-be-out-of-reach-for-most-us-kids.html?refid=rss_all_defaultWed, 03 Dec 2008 12:39:18 CSThttp://www.newser.com/story/44282/obamas-in-for-an-awkward-cia-transition.html?refid=rss_all_defaultOn the campaign trail, Barack Obama frequently railed against the CIA’s secret jails and harsh interrogation techniques. Now, he must lead the agency, and the transition’s already proving rocky, the New York Times reports. Liberal outcry derailed his rumored pick for director, John Brennan. Brennan was chief of staff for George Tenet when the policies were created, but says he was a “strong opponent” of them.http://www.newser.com/story/44282/obamas-in-for-an-awkward-cia-transition.html?refid=rss_all_defaultWed, 03 Dec 2008 12:08:06 CSThttp://www.newser.com/story/44293/money-or-your-life-brits-weigh-drug-cost-vs-benefit.html?refid=rss_all_defaultA British government institute that approves drugs based on cost-benefit analysis is coming under fire at home even as other countries are seeing it as a model for bringing down costs, the New York Times reports. Though the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence often balks at expensive life-prolonging medications—denying one cancer patient a $54000 treatment that would have given him six months—some see it “as the only workable paradigm” of US reform.http://www.newser.com/story/44293/money-or-your-life-brits-weigh-drug-cost-vs-benefit.html?refid=rss_all_defaultWed, 03 Dec 2008 11:38:21 CSThttp://www.newser.com/story/44255/auto-bailout-has-detractors-back-in-michigan-too.html?refid=rss_all_defaultThe auto industry has driven Michigan’s economy since Henry Ford set up shop, but not all residents are sympathetic to Detroit’s plight, the New York Times reports. Unemployment runs high, and some wonder where the rescue was when their livelihoods were on the line. “The car companies saw the banks getting a bailout and said, ‘Oh, let’s go!’” one resident grumbles.http://www.newser.com/story/44255/auto-bailout-has-detractors-back-in-michigan-too.html?refid=rss_all_defaultWed, 03 Dec 2008 11:19:00 CSThttp://www.newser.com/story/44256/obnoxious-docs-linked-to-dangerous-mistakes.html?refid=rss_all_defaultIf your doctor's a jerk, it might be dangerous to your health. Many nurses are reporting that hostile, harried physicians often ignore their summons—or make them hesitant to questions in the first place. This "health care equivalent of road rage" causes errors, dangerous complications, and sometimes the patient's death, reports the New York Times .http://www.newser.com/story/44256/obnoxious-docs-linked-to-dangerous-mistakes.html?refid=rss_all_defaultWed, 03 Dec 2008 9:37:00 CSThttp://www.newser.com/story/44223/now-you-can-buy-insurance-for-insurance.html?refid=rss_all_defaultHealthy and insured but afraid you might someday lose your medical coverage? UnitedHealth has just launched a new product that lets consumers pay now for the guarantee that they’ll be able to get insurance later—even if they get sick, the New York Times reports. Critics are skeptical of the novel “Continuity” product, noting that health care changes under the new administration could render it obsolete.http://www.newser.com/story/44223/now-you-can-buy-insurance-for-insurance.html?refid=rss_all_defaultWed, 03 Dec 2008 9:23:03 CSThttp://www.newser.com/story/44233/only-pakistanis-can-stop-the-violence-friedman.html?refid=rss_all_defaultIn 2006, thousands of Pakistanis took to the streets in weeks of protests against Danish cartoons that satirized the Prophet Muhammad. Yet after 173 people were shot dead in Mumbai, apparently by Pakistani killers, the response in the streets was silence. If Pakistan is to become a viable state, writes Tom Friedman in the New York Times , then its citizens must collectively "isolate, condemn, and denounce publicly and repeatedly the murderers."http://www.newser.com/story/44233/only-pakistanis-can-stop-the-violence-friedman.html?refid=rss_all_defaultWed, 03 Dec 2008 7:59:25 CSThttp://www.newser.com/story/44224/cleveland-clinic-first-to-divulge-docs-drug-ties.html?refid=rss_all_defaultOne of America's leading medical research centers will reveal all links its doctors and scientists have to drug companies and makers of medical devices, the New York Times reports. The move by the Cleveland Clinic—stung by conflict-of-interest accusations when cozy relationships between staff and suppliers have been discovered—is believed to be the first of its kind. Medical ethicists argue that doctors' decisions may be influenced by profits they earn in consulting fees, royalties, and equity interests.http://www.newser.com/story/44224/cleveland-clinic-first-to-divulge-docs-drug-ties.html?refid=rss_all_defaultWed, 03 Dec 2008 4:35:01 CST