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Zeitgeist Checklist, Dems in ChargeWhat Washington is talking about this week.

By Christopher BeamPosted Friday, Jan. 5, 2007, at 6:45 PM ET

(Continued from page 1)

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Bombs Over Bangkok
New Year's. A series of nine deadly bombings interrupt celebrations in Bangkok. Britney Spears also rings in the New Year at a Vegas nightclub by getting totally bombed. Er, "falling asleep," according to her manager. Fortune-telling religious broadcaster Pat Robertson predicts a "mass killing" in late 2007 based on an alleged message from God. Pay heed: Robertson has a history of predicting national tragedies, starting with Bush's victory in 2004.

Welcome Back, Nonrapists!
Crime. Duke University invites lacrosse players Colin Finnerty and Reade Seligmann back to school as students in good standing. For the welcome-back party, lawyers advise them to please hire a magician or a clown or something. Another former lacrosse player who wasn't charged in the incident sues the school, claiming a professor gave him an F when he deserved a C. It's unclear whether due process applies to grade grubbing.

iPad
Business. A lawsuit accuses Apple computer executives of backdating stock options to inflate their value. Look for new ads showing a hipster Mac exploring cool new investing loopholes, while an out-of-touch PC reads a big boring book of rules. Dumb old PCs! After driving his company's stock into the ground, Home Depot CEO Robert Nardelli ducks out with a $210 million severance package. It seems the best thing he did for the company was to leave—its stock price is already up.