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Gasp! First Lady Snubs UK First Lady

(Newser) - Apparently, admiration for Michelle Obama is not universal. In a column that might just qualify as a snit, Sarah Vine of the London Times takes the first lady to task for an "uncharacteristic lapse of judgment." The awful offense? Michelle gave toy models of Marine One to the...

Don't Expect Diamonds on V-Day

Americans to spend 15% less this year on holiday

(Newser) - This may not be the year you get that Tiffany necklace: Americans plan to cut back on lavish displays of love this Valentine's Day, MSBNC reports. One survey predicts that holiday spending will drop 15%, from, says another survey, about $123 to $103 per person. The plunge comes after nearly...

Daschle Faces Grilling on Charity Gifts, Apologizes on Taxes

Releases letter of apology to lawmakers for tax mistakes

(Newser) - Already beset with questions about his failure to pay taxes, Tom Daschle will likely also face questions today over whether he received improper gifts from charities, the Wall Street Journal reports. President Obama's nominee for health secretary is reported to have flown with an education charity to a Bahamas retreat...

Drug Companies Agree to Stop Docs' Free Goodies

Critics charged stacks of free trinkets were attempt to influence doctors' decisions

(Newser) - The piles of freebies drug companies lavish on doctors will go the way of the VHS tape as of tomorrow, the New York Times reports. The industry, facing criticism that it is trying to unduly influence doctors' decisions, has voluntarily decided to stop handing out pens, stethoscope holders, bandages, T-shirts,...

Arab Leaders Shower Condi With Jewelry; Bush, Meh

State chief got $316K in gifts last year, to about $100K for Bush

(Newser) - Condoleezza Rice scored $316,000 worth of lavish jewelry from Arab royals last year, the AP reports. Jordan’s King Abdullah treated Rice to an emerald and diamond necklace, ring, bracelet, earrings, and other finery; King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia a ruby and diamond necklace and earrings, bracelet and ring....

Economy Spells Weary Christmas for Toy Charities

Donations off as much as 30%, some say

(Newser) - Across the country, charities that dole out gifts to underprivileged kids have seen donations fall off steeply compared to last holiday season, USA Today reports. Some are reporting as much as a 30% decline in giving as the economy flags. “Families that would normally have been helping us by...

Brangelina Push DIY Christmas
 Brangelina Push DIY Christmas 
Dec 16, 2008 11:12 AM CST

Brangelina Push DIY Christmas

Family aims to keep spending to a minimum, want kids to 'make something' for each other

(Newser) - Though they are among the richest couples in the world, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie don’t plan to drop a bundle on their six kids this Christmas. “We have gifts, but we try to keep the money spent to a minimum,” said Pitt in an interview with...

Physics Fuels Santa's Magic
 Physics Fuels Santa's Magic 
Dec 15, 2008 4:15 PM CST

Physics Fuels Santa's Magic

Nanotechnology, space-time distortions enable Christmas miracles

(Newser) - New research has shed light on the amazing ability of Santa Claus to deliver presents to children around the world in a single night, Reuters reports. Santa is able to distort the space-time continuum, says a North Carolina State expert: "He understands that you can stretch time, compress space...

Declines in Gift Cards, Self-Splurges Hurt Retailers

(Newser) - Naughty or nice, America’s retail stores can’t look forward to two of the holiday season’s usual boons: gift card sales and “self-gifting” splurges, MarketWatch reports. About 44% of shoppers say they will not buy gift cards this year, up from 26% last year, a marketing study...

Just in Time for Holidays: No Job
Just in Time for
Holidays: No Job
Nov 30, 2008 5:03 AM CST

Just in Time for Holidays: No Job

Families struggle to save traditions on Tiny Tim budgets

(Newser) - Few things ruin the holidays like losing a job. Yet that's what's happening to thousands of Americans just as they were planning to treat friends and families to gifts and holiday gatherings. The turnaround is excruciating as families struggle to save traditions on extremely tight budgets, reports the New York ...

Strapped Budgets Make for Better Gifts


 Strapped Budgets 
 Make for Better Gifts 
opinion
Nov 29, 2008 4:10 PM CST

Strapped Budgets Make for Better Gifts

Use a signature gift to cut costs, give meaningfully

(Newser) - Tight budgets are forcing Americans to skirt the season's traditional buying frenzy and make gifts that put "emphasis on people, not stuff," Melissa Magsaysay writes in the Los Angeles Times. She's creating "a creative signature gift" of Ugandan beads that she's turning into bracelets: The...

Stevens Jury Finds Typo; Defense Urges Acquittal

On indictment, feds charged senator checked 'no' box when he checked 'yes'

(Newser) - The jury in Ted Stevens’ corruption trial has uncovered an error in one indictment, and the defense is springing at the chance, the Hill reports. Jurors sent the judge a note today questioning a discrepancy in the prosecution’s allegations regarding the senator’s 2001 financial disclosure. Where the indictment...

Stevens' Fate in Jury's Hands
 Stevens' Fate in Jury's Hands 
Oct 21, 2008 10:21 PM CDT

Stevens' Fate in Jury's Hands

Deliberations to begin Wednesday

(Newser) - The jury in the corruption trial of Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens will begin deliberating tomorrow, the Anchorage Daily News reports. Prosecutors urged the jury to use common sense to conclude that $250,000 in gifts received by the powerful senator were bribes. His defense counsel told jurors that evidence against...

Jury Hears Secret Tapes in Stevens Trial

Alaska senator curses, claims innocence in talks with key witness

(Newser) - Jurors heard tapes yesterday of Ted Stevens cursing federal investigators and declaring his innocence in conversations he did not know were being recorded, reports the Anchorage Daily News. Stevens was speaking with former Veco CEO Bill Allen, the prosecution’s chief witness in the Alaska senator’s corruption trial. "...

Friend Fingers Stevens at Trial
 Friend Fingers Stevens at Trial 
Sep 30, 2008 4:37 PM CDT

Friend Fingers Stevens at Trial

Government's chief witness acknowledges giving inappropriate gifts to Alaska sen.

(Newser) - A longtime friend of Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens crossed the powerful lawmaker and testified today as the star witness in the Republican senator's gift-giving trial. The fiercely loyal Stevens did not acknowledge Bill Allen when he entered the courtroom. The two men barely looked at each other as Allen prepared...

Palin Grabbed $25K in Gifts
 Palin Grabbed $25K in Gifts 
Sep 26, 2008 6:08 AM CDT

Palin Grabbed $25K in Gifts

41 gifts as governor include some from industry execs, municipalities

(Newser) - Sarah Palin accepted gifts totaling over $25,000 during her 20 months as governor of Alaska, the Washington Post reports. The gifts to Palin, who made a crackdown on gift-giving a central plank of her reform agenda, included expensive artwork and free travel for a family member. Donors included industry...

This Won't Be the Mother of All Mother's Days

Gift spending shrinks for poor old mom amid financial crunch

(Newser) - Even gifts for mom aren't  immune to the economic crunch, Newsday reports. Spending on Mother's Day gifts is thought to be dipping, but only by an average of 50 cents, from last year's $139.14, according to a consumer survey. Only 13% of consumers plan to spend more this year....

Fidelity Pays $8M in SEC Gift Scandal

Investor giant Peter Lynch fined $20K for procuring tickets to concerts, games

(Newser) - Investment guru Peter Lynch and Fidelity Investment settled SEC charges brought against them alleging that Lynch used Fidelity traders to procure tickets to high-profile concerts and sporting events. Lynch, vice chairman of Fidelity's parent company, agreed to pay $15,948 for the tickets, plus $4,183 in interest. Fidelity will...

Note to Self: Be My Valentine?
Note to Self:
Be My Valentine?
Feb 13, 2008 12:52 PM CST

Note to Self: Be My Valentine?

Millions of Americans buy their favorite person gifts on Feb. 14

(Newser) - Rather than going without that box of Godiva, about 8 million Americans are their own valentines, sending themselves gifts they're guaranteed to like, reports Reuters. Should you receive a valentine offering from a date, beau, or husband, disappointment may follow: There's a big difference between women's wishes and men's purchases....

Retail Scores Big on Unused Gift Cards

$7.8B in cards unused annually; some states want cut of profit

(Newser) - Retailers are likely rubbing their hands with glee after shoppers snapped up $97 billion in gift cards this year, up from $83 billion in 2006. Why the excitement? The industry makes billions each year from “breakage," or gift card money that is never spent. Lost, discarded, or under-used...

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