Witches, Vampires and Pirates Most Popular Adult Costumes for 2009

1. Witch
2. Vampire
3. Pirate
4. Clown
5. Wench/Tart/Vixon
6. Cat
7. Devil
8. Scary Costume/Mask
9. Athlete
10. Police Officer

Tiger Woods: First $1 Billion Athlete

Tiger Woods has been making history on and off the course since he joined the PGA Tour in 1996. First up was a record $40 million contract from Nike. The following year he won the Masters by a record 12 strokes, becoming the youngest winner ever and first black player to take the title. His career has been packed full of accomplishments, including major titles (14), annual money titles (9) and Player of the Year awards (9).

Now Woods can add one more accolade to his trophy case: the first athlete to earn $1 billion. Our calculations show that the $10 million bonus Woods earned winning this year's FedEx Cup title nudged him over the $1 billion mark in career earnings.

Teen Unemployment Highest Since 1948

"Indeed, because of the horrible economy, younger workers are now competing with more experienced workers for positions traditionally [in] the domain of the young and less experienced," Rep. George Miller, a California Democrat and the committee chairman, said according to prepared remarks. "Until the economy as a whole turns around, younger workers will continue to be hit the hardest."

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Even in good times teens tend to experience higher levels of joblessness: The unemployment rate for the age group was at 16.9% in December 2007 when the recession began. Recessions tend to amplify their disadvantages, such as their lack of work experience. Set against a backdrop of retired workers who were forced to rejoin the workforce to pay bills, parents who've been laid off and are trying to care for children, and adults who have seen their retirement funds evaporate, young people often find it hard to get any sympathy. Particularly when it seems like the only thing they're losing is pocket money.

And yet studies have shown that being shut out of the labor market early in one's career can lead to persistent, negative effects on a person's ability to find a job and earn competitive wages for up to a decade or more.

Trustee Suing Bernie Madoff's Relatives

The trustee, Irving Picard, alleged that Mr. Madoff's brother, Peter, his sons, Andrew and Mark; and niece Shana all received preferential payments or fraudulent funds stemming from the fraud. The funds enriched the family members, allowing them to fund personal business ventures and purchase homes, boats and cars, according to the lawsuit. Mr. Picard is seeking at least $198.7 million, including about $141 million that allegedly was received by the family members in the six months leading up to Mr. Madoff's arrest in December 2008.

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Mr. Picard alleged that Peter Madoff, the firm's chief compliance officer, improperly received more than $60 million paid to himself, his family members and to entities on his behalf. The trustee said Peter Madoff invested only $32,146 into his own investment accounts at the Madoff firm, including just $14 after 1995, yet withdrew $16.25 million from those same accounts, at times through the fabrication of backdated trades that never took place.

According to the suit, customer funds were used to purchase homes for Peter Madoff on Park Avenue in Manhattan and in Palm Beach, Fla. Mr. Picard accused Mark Madoff and Andrew Madoff of receiving directly or through related entities $66.9 million and $60.6 million, respectively, in improper compensation and through falsified transactions between 2001 and 2008.

Jobless Rate Hits 9.8 Percent

The Labor Department figures prompted President Barack Obama to say he's working to "explore any and all additional measures" to spur growth, and underscored forecasts for the Federal Reserve to keep its benchmark interest rate near zero through next year.

"This has the potential to put a big stop sign on the road to economic recovery," said Chris Rupkey, chief financial economist at Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ Ltd. in New York. "The harder jobs are to get, the harder and longer this road to recovery is going to be."

Payrolls dropped by 263,000 in September, exceeding the median forecast in Bloomberg's survey, with losses extending from cash-strapped state and local governments to retailers to builders, yesterday's report showed. The jobless rate rose to 9.8 percent from 9.7 percent in August, while working hours matched a record low.

Hasbro Launches Online Monopoly Game For Google Maps

Players start the free game with three million Monopoly dollars and can buy Downing Street for $231,000, while Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, where the White House stands, costs $2 million.

Rent is paid automatically each day, from $50,000 for a house to $100 million for a skyscraper.

Hasbro said: 'It's a chance to escape the harsh reality of recession and enjoy building up an empire.'