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The "reality" show megahit "Jersey Shore" returns to the airwaves Thursday evening and the media hype machine is in full swing. As part of the promotional buildup, the cast of the show rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange this morning and they drew the biggest trading floor crowd since Abbie Hoffman rained dollar bills down from the visitor's gallery in 1967. This season the cast members, almost exclusively comprised of New Yorkers (only Sammi Sweetheart actually hails from the Garden State), will be shown adjusting to a new scene while they spend an extended sojourn in

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Today marks the 150^th birthday of Lizzie Borden, the Massachusetts spinster who was accused of brutally murdering her father and stepmother with a hatchet on August 4, 1892. Lizzie's fame soared during the nationally publicized courtroom drama, the O.J. Simpson trial of its day. Despite incriminating circumstances and inconsistent testimony from the accused, the prosecutors were hampered by their failure to incontrovertibly produce a murder weapon or blood evidence tying Lizzie to the crime, and she was acquitted after only an hour and a half of jury deliberations.  Amid widespread

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After a quarter in which investors appeared to be having a bad romance with stocks, the market has been reeling off hits at a pace that would make even Lady Gaga envious. Now threatening to conclude its seventh consecutive winning session, the market appears to be shrugging off investor's fears of a double-dip recession, instead focusing on the growing number of indications that economic activity is continuing to expand. Intel's report that business spending on PCs is strengthening has fueled early buying this morning, although weakening retail sales and deflationary worries may pose a

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