Top headlines:
In shaky times, are gift cards a bad bet?: Is the threat of retailer bankruptcy great enough to write off gift cards this holiday season? TODAY financial editor Jean Chatzky offers advice on this, plus wise words about investing, breaking a lease, mortgages and more. ›15:25 26 Nov, Wed
Newsweek: What Obama's team needs to understand: Critics of Obama's choices misunderstand them. They don't spell "continuity." Quite the contrary: they signal a shift away from the going-in approach of the Bush administration. ›17:34
Hopes of ever separating conjoined girls dashed: Twin girls born joined at the head have overcome long odds, but the doctor who brought them to the U.S. now says there's no longer a chance they will ever lead separate lives. ›22:03 28 Nov, Fri
Budget tips for the self-employed: Are you self-employed and struggling to pay the bills? TODAY financial editor Jean Chatzky offers advice on this, plus information on paying off your debt and maintaining your credit score. ›18:52 29 Nov, Sat
Son of slain rabbi heads to Israel: An Israeli Air Force jet left India for Israel Monday carrying the 2-year-old orphan of a rabbi and his wife who were slain in the Mumbai Jewish center attack. ›16:47
Military fears surge in mental health disorders: Some 15,000 soldiers are heading home to this sprawling base after spending more than a year at war in Iraq and Afghanistan, and military health officials are bracing for a surge in brain injuries and psychological problems among those troops. ›20:18 29 Nov, Sat
John Updike: Laureate of bad sex: The author won a lifetime achievement award from judges of Britain's Bad Sex in Fiction Prize, which celebrates crude, tasteless or ridiculous sexual passages in modern literature. ›21:15 25 Nov, Tue
Feast on Fido? Dog meat a delicacy in Korea: Dog meat is eaten in Asia. South Korea, mindful of criticism attached to eating dogs in the West, has made the practice more discreet and better regulated,but isolated North Korea attaches no public stigma to consuming the meat. ›15:03 26 Nov, Wed
Key to HIV shot may be bodys initial reaction: The body's initial response to contracting HIV could provide the answers scientists need to develop a vaccine for the AIDS-causing virus, a Nobel-winning expert said on Monday. ›19:34
NYT: A team for a foreign policy shift: While Obama's hand-picked foreign policy team tend to be more hawkish than the new president, they have all embraced a sweeping shift of priorities in the national security arena. ›10:24
Churches: Chocolate Jesus is 'tasteless': Frank Oynhausen set up his "Sweet Lord" chocolate Jesus-making business saying he wanted to restore some traditional religious values to Christmas in Germany. ›19:39 25 Nov, Tue
Global AIDS crisis overblown? Some dare to say so: As World AIDS Day is marked on Monday, some experts are growing more outspoken in complaining that AIDS is eating up funding at the expense of more pressing health needs. ›17:42 30 Nov, Sun
Space shuttle crew reuniting with family: The astronauts from the space shuttle Endeavour headed for a delayed reunion with their families Monday in Houston a day after touching down safely in California following a nearly 16-day mission to repair and upgrade the international space station. ›14:32
Eau de Penn State: Flowers, not football: Want to smell like your alma mater? A fragrance developer says it has made a perfume and a cologne inspired by Penn State, and plans to roll out more college scents next year. ›14:13
Britney Spears, Obama lead Yahoo top searches: Barack Obama's presidential victory got more clicks than any other story on yahoo.com this year, but the most searched term was "Britney Spears," Yahoo Inc reported on Monday. ›15:27
'Butt Bandit' suspect faces charges: Ten misdemeanor counts have been filed against a man Cherry County authorities believe is the vandal some townspeople have dubbed the "Butt Bandit." ›20:52 25 Nov, Tue
Revving up the race for fuel efficiency: New research suggests that impressive increases in fuel economy could be obtained by integrating innovative devices into the nations fleet of gas-guzzling vehicles. ›13:39
New hope on AIDS in Africa: In a sign of hope on a continent ravaged by AIDS, a South African fertility clinic has started a service allowing couples infected with the virus to have a healthy baby. ›12:20
Manufacturing index drops to 26-year low: A measure of U.S. manufacturing activity fell to a 26-year low in November as new orders declined for the twelfth straight month, a trade group said Monday. ›17:21
Turn your Thanksgiving leftovers into a new feast: Is your refrigerator filled with uneaten stuffing? Did your guests leave without taking turkey? If so, here are some creative recipes from the Scottos that'll help get rid of your Thanksgiving extras. ›16:11 28 Nov, Fri
No Who-ville in Louisville this Christmas: The Kentucky city is scrapping plans to use the iconic Dr. Seuss village and characters as part of its annual Christmas display after receiving a cease-and-desist letter from Dr. Seuss Enterprises. "These lawyers' hearts are two sizes too small," said the mayor. ›16:55 25 Nov, Tue
Specter: 'I'll be prepared' for 2010 race: Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., says he's ready for a tough re-election race in 2010, whether it's against MSNBC pundit Chris Matthews or someone else. ›16:14
Facebook making Web surfing more social: Facebook is getting ready to take another stab at introducing a Beacon-like feature that allows your Facebook friends to track your Web-whereabouts with a service called Connect. ›18:26
'Obama cookie' bringing in a lot of dough: Want an example of the change Barack Obama is bringing? Ever since word spread about how much the president-elect and his family like the chocolate chunk cookies at Baby Boomers Cafe, the small Des Moines, Iowa restaurant can't bake them fast enough. ›19:56 28 Nov, Fri
