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It was an unusually strong year for great unknown artists. While bigger, more established bands continued to attract the most attention, smaller, lesser-known acts made the most memorable music of 2008. All of the great unknown artists featured here made music that was inspired, original and heartfelt.

GMAC is the most recent beneficiary of a government bailout. As the financing arm of General Motors, it supplies funding for auto dealers to buy inventory and credit for consumers to buy cars. It is also a major player in the home mortgage market.

One of the best years for kids' music in recent memory includes releases from artists with feet firmly in both kid-friendly and adult-oriented worlds. Old favorites went in new directions, while emerging artists gave a glimpse of the future of a genre as diverse and unpredictable as kids themselves.

The Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip is causing people to panic, says Ahmed Abu Hamda, a news producer for foreign news organizations, including NPR. He says that Monday's air attacks went on almost continuously from midnight to 7 a.m., but after that it wasn't as heavy.

Mortgage interest rates are the lowest they have been in a generation. Even the indexes that many adjustable-rate mortgages are tied to are down. For many, this is excellent news. But for those in the biggest trouble, great rates aren't enough to solve their problems.

This has been a strong year for African music, with two big trends emerging: the continuing integration of African music into the U.S. and European mainstream, as well as the ongoing unearthing of treasures from Afropop's "golden era," particularly the '70s.

The more than two-decade-old investigation into who killed 6-year-old Adam Walsh, the son of America's Most Wanted host John Walsh, in 1981 has come to a close. Police in Florida say Ottis Toole, a serial killer who died in prison in 1996, decapitated Adam Walsh.

The White House is considering the designation of a new marine reserve in the Northern Mariana Islands, but it may not get the same amount of protection as an area created two years ago near Hawaii. The same could be true for other sites in the Pacific that are also under consideration.

More bad news for the economy this week: A new report showed more than a half-million American jobs lost in November alone — the most since 1974. Meanwhile, a report says 1 in 10 homeowners with mortages are a month behind in payments or already in foreclosure. And automakers are begging for financial help.

The full weight of the recession has come bearing down on the labor market. Employers shed more than half a million jobs in November. The unemployment rate is now 6.7 percent and economists expect it to go significantly higher. Layoffs are accelerating in just about every industry.