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News Bytes

8.2 million millionaire households Despite the stock market collapse in the US, the number of millionaire households has increased by 33% compared to the previous year. There are now a total of 8.2 millionaire households, or 7% of all households in the US, according to a study by the Affluent Market Research Program for the research institute TNS. They say the reason for this were the steady investment strategies of the newly rich. Continuity in the strategies was especially recognizable in the aftermath of 9/11 - 46% had stayed their course and did not change their concept of investment.

NASA plane reaches almost 11,000 kilometers per hour NASA's hypersonic plane X-43A set a new speed world record. The plane reached ten times the speed of sound, or 11,000 kilometers per hour, writing aviation history. The four-meter plane of the US space agency set the new record during an unmanned flight. In case this speed could be maintained, you could travel from Berlin to New York in a little over 30 minutes.

New theory: first settlers came to America 50,000 years ago Up to now, the official theories said that the first settlers came to North America about 13,000 years ago. They came over a land bridge from Russia to the present day American continent. Albert Goodyear, from the Columbia University in South Carolina now challenged this theory with some new discoveries that were made in South Carolina. Apart from rock tools, he also found the remains of a fire that had been built about 50,000 years ago. Further analyses will be conducted to confirm the dating. If this is successful, the old theories will have to be revised. Experts have already doubted the authenticity of other finds on the continent.

The Schwarzenegger law - immigrants for president Former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, born in former Czechoslovakia, wants to allow people who were not born in the US to run for president of the United States. Since the US were a country of immigrants, the constitution should be changed accordingly. Also the Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, who was born in Austria, could profit from this. Supporters of the former movie star have already voiced their opinion that "Arnie" should be allowed to run for president.

MoMA exhibition in New York The MoMA exhibition in New York has been reopened after a two-year expansion period. People started lining up at 6am. On the reopening day, admittance was free. Visitors could see the entire exhibition as well as the expansion by Japanese star architect Yoshio Taniguchi. With $858 million the MoMA is the most expensive museum in the world.

Christo wraps Central Park in saffron-colored fabric Until Christmas, metal gates will be put up in Central Park for the ca. $15 million piece of art "The Gates in Central Park" by Christo and Jeanne-Claude. On January 3, 7,500 gates will be erected over 37 kilometers ad on February 7, saffron-colored fabric will be attached to them that will be unrolled on February 12. The project will be paid for by the artists. The project will last 15 days and color the Central Park a nice shade of yellow before everything will be removed and grey winter will return. New York expects 50,000 additional visitors for this event.

The land of opportunity - domestic cat graduates from university A 6-year old tomcat has graduated from a Texan university and is now holding a Master's of Business Administration (MBA). The cat's owner acquired the degree via the internet for $399. In his application, he stated that tomcat Colby already had experiences as manager and babysitter. A little later, he received the diploma with an official signature of the web-university's Dean by mail. For an additional $99 he acquired a list of the courses that Colby had supposedly attended. Too bad that the tomcat's owner is an attorney and the "university" is now facing charges.

Poker wave - 80 million gamblers Ever since Chris Moneymaker won the poker world championship and thus $2.5 million in 2003, a regular poker mania took over the US. Approximately 80 million people are currently playing poker in the US. Tutoring is available for $250 per hour, poker chips can be bought as Christmas presents and the poker company WPTE is registered on Wall Street. The internet made poker socially acceptable outside of Las Vegas. Today, people prefer to play at home and not in the well-known casinos.

Emergency landing on truck In the US state of Texas, a one-engined plane came down in an emergency landing due to engine failure. The pilot of the Mooney M20F initially succeeded in landing on a driving truck. However, he only managed to stay on for a few minutes before the plane crashed down onto the road. The truck driver, according to his own statement he gave the police, didn't even notice. The pilot was not injured.