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they didn't have gasoline or were without power to run the pumps. Five days before the election, figures were released showing that new unemployment claims were down, worker productivity was up, auto sales and retail sales were rising and consumer confidence was at the highest level since a year before Obama took office.
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• Today's Birthdays: Actress Betsy Palmer is 87. Golfer Gary Player is 78. Country singer Bill Anderson is 76. Actress Barbara Bosson is 74. Actor Robert Foxworth is 72. Actress Marcia Wallace is 71. Magazine publisher Larry Flynt is 71. Country singer-humorist Kinky Friedman is 69. Actress Jeannie Berlin is 64. Music producer David Foster is 64. Rhythm-and-blues musician Ronald Khalis Bell (Kool and the Gang) is 62. Country singer-songwriter-producer Keith Stegall is 59. Country singer Lyle Lovett is 56. Actress Rachel Ticotin is 55. Rock musician Eddie MacDonald (The Alarm) is 54. Rock singer Anthony Kiedis (Red Hot Chili Peppers) is 51. Pop singer-musician Mags Furuholmen (a-ha) is 51. Rock musician Rick Allen (Def Leppard) is 50. Country singer "Big Kenny" Alphin (Big and Rich) is 50. Singer Sophie B. Hawkins is 49. Rapper Willie D (Geto Boys) is 47. Country musician Dale Wallace (Emerson Drive) is 44. Actress Toni Collette is 41. Actress/talk show host Jenny McCarthy is 41. Rock musician Andrew Gonzales is 41. Actor David Berman is 40. Actress Aishwarya Rai (ash-WAHR'-ee-ah rye) is 40. Rock singer Bo Bice ("American Idol") is 38. Actor Matt Jones is 32. Actor Penn Badgley is 27. Actor Max Burkholder is 16. Actor-musician Alex Wolff is 16.
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• Thought for Today: "God give me strength to face a fact though it slay me." -- Thomas Huxley, English biologist (1825-1895).
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