Eight alternatives to Detroit’s ‘Big Three’

Want some choices???   Maurizio Gambarini / EPA file Don’t want to buy a car from General Motors, Ford or Chrysler? You still have options. A handful of non-traditional North American carmakers are out there selling cars, and the products they make range from super fast roadsters to the greenest of electric vehicles. Learn about eight North American automakers and the vehicles they make.

Tax cows, hogs for passing gas, burping?

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – For farmers, this stinks: Belching and gaseous cows and hogs could start costing them money if the federal government decides to charge fees for air-polluting animals.

The 10 most overlooked stories of 2008.

Military conflicts (and potential ones) are among the big stories that were underplayed in 2008

 

 

What a year of huge stories: the Dow descended, Obama ascended and the world had the pleasure of getting to know a family of Palins, a country called Georgia, a pregnant man (remember that?) and the opportunity to say buh-bye to scores of commercial banks. But amid all the economic crises and political campaigns, much was happening beyond the front pages of America’s newspapers: attacks in Africa and Afghanistan, important health legislation, even a few Pentagon snafus that largely escaped the public’s attention. What follows is NEWSWEEK’s list of 10 stories that deserved more ink and airtime in 2008. And tell us which events and people you think were undercovered during the year, in our comments section below. The best responses will be featured on Readback, our feedback blog. In the meantime, our picks:

John Travolta’s 16-year-old son dies in Bahamas

This Feb. 24, 2008 file photo shows John Travolta and Kelly Preston on the red carpet during the 80th Annual Academy

NASSAU, Bahamas – John Travolta’s teenage son, Jett, died in the Bahamas after falling ill and hitting his head at his family’s vacation home, police said Friday. A house caretaker found Jett, 16, unconscious in a bathroom late Friday morning. He was taken by ambulance to a Freeport hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to a statement from chief police superintendent Basil Rahming.