Obama Puts His Own Spin on The Mix of Science, Politics
President Barack Obama’s directive on Monday to “guarantee scientific integrity” in federal policymaking could have a far-reaching impact, affecting issues as varied as climate change, national security, protection of endangered species and children’s health.
Surprise: Return to Winter!
It appears as if this year’s cold and snowy season is not yet over! In the wee hours of Monday (around 3 a.m. when I was up pondering today’s forecast), I noticed sleet. When I woke up a few hours later, I witnessed another attack from the snow gods. And what was there yesterday afternoon? More snow. This weekend’s glorious 60 degree temperatures are gone. We move from spring to winter in 24 hours, such is the will of the weather of Cambridge, Mass. But never fear, spring is nearly here! The temperatures this week aren’t returning anywhere near the January abyss, with highs in the mid 40s, and lows no lower than the low 30s. And after tonight, all the potential precipitation this week is more likely to be of the liquid variety.
Fear Slams Shares, as Blue Chips Trade for Pocket Change
The banking giant Citigroup once commanded a stock price of $55. But at one point on Thursday, as markets hurtled to their lowest close in 12 years, the shares were worth less than an item at the Dollar Store.
Quiet Layoffs Hit Workers By Thousands
With the economy weakening, chief executives want Wall Street to see them as tough cost-cutters who are not afraid to lay off workers. But plenty of job cuts are not trumpeted in news releases.
Food Safety Problems Slip By Private Auditors
When food industry giants like Kellogg want to ensure that American consumers are being protected from contaminated products, they rely on private inspectors like Eugene A. Hatfield. So last spring Hatfield headed to the Peanut Corp. of America plant in southwest Georgia to make sure its chopped nuts, paste and peanut butter were safe to use in foods like granola bars and ice cream.
Clinton Proposes Including Iran In Talks on Afghanistan
Setting up the prospect of its first face-to-face encounter with Iran, the Obama administration has proposed a major conference on Afghanistan later this month that would include Iran among the invited countries, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Thursday.
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Alex Rodriguez will try to play through a labrum tear of his right hip, the Yankees said Thursday, because the condition would require him to miss four months if he needs surgery.
Amid Outcry, Gandhi’s Simple Things Sold for $1.8 Million
More than a decade ago, a Los Angeles filmmaker and peace activist named James Otis began collecting items that represented the ascetic lifestyle of Mohandas K. Gandhi. They were the simple belongings of a man who did not care for possessions: his steel-framed spectacles, a pair of sandals, a bowl, a plate and a pocket watch.
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President Barack Obama vowed Thursday to end a decades-long stalemate on overhauling the health care system, and he indicated for the first time that he was open to compromise on details of the proposal he put forth in the campaign.
Historical Perspective for 2008–2009 Seasonal Snowfall
Monday’s 8.5 snowfall brought our seasonal total to 63.7 , about 20" above an average winter season. The average additional snowfall from now until the end of the season is still another 8 . However, even if we were to receive no additional snow this winter, this year would still rank as the 18th snowiest season (snowfall records for Boston date back to 1871–1872). So if you feel that we’ve had a lot of snow this winter, you’re correct, although it could have been a lot worse! The highest snowfall for a season belongs to 1995–1996, when Boston recorded 107.6 of the white stuff. In case you’re wondering what the historical snowfall trends are for Boston, the answer is that the trend is fairly flat over the entire period of record 1871-2008, although four of the seven snowiest winters have occurred since the 1990’s (2004–2005, 1995–1996, 1993–1994, and 1992–1993).
Bush Administration Releases Memos On Terror
The secret legal opinions issued by Bush administration lawyers after the Sept. 11 attacks included assertions that the president could use the nation’s military within the United States to combat people deemed as terrorists and to conduct raids without obtaining a search warrant.
In Secret Letter Last Month, Obama Offered Deal To Russia
President Barack Obama sent a secret letter to Russia’s president last month suggesting that he would back off deploying a new missile defense system in Eastern Europe if Moscow would help stop Iran from developing long-range weapons, American officials said Monday.
Stocks Tumble Across the Globe Amid Economic Worries
Fears that the world’s economies are even weaker than had been thought ricocheted around the globe on Monday as investors from Hong Kong, to London, to New York bailed out of stocks.
Fannie and Freddie Likely to Stay In U.S. Hands
Despite assurances that the takeover of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac would be temporary, the giant mortgage companies will most likely never fully return to private hands, lawmakers and company executives are beginning quietly to acknowledge.
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By easing the terms of its $150 billion rescue package for the American International Group, the government is trying to buy time for the financial conglomerate to slim down and reinvent itself as a simple property and casualty insurer, with a new name, new faces in the boardroom and perhaps an initial public offering in its future.
Sanctuaries Established for Abused Afghan Women
Mariam was 11 in 2003 when her parents forced her to marry a blind 41-year-old cleric. The bride price of $1,200 helped Mariam’s father, a drug addict, pay off a debt.
Just When You Thought Winter Was Over…
The classic nor’easter swept through New England Monday morning, dumping 7.5 inches of snow at Logan airport (as of Monday afternoon).
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The legal advocacy group that successfully argued for sex-same marriage in Massachusetts intends to file suit here on Tuesday seeking some federal benefits for spouses in such marriages.
Bosnia’s Serbs Threaten To Seek Independence
Bosnian Serb leaders have threatened to pull out of state institutions and are pressing anew for independence from Bosnia-Herzegovina, threatening to throw the fragile, multiethnic country into political crisis once again.
No Application Needed: College Tours
On a cold Saturday morning in February, Shawn Pelak and David Parent were at the Sterling Memorial Library at Yale University, in New Haven, Conn., soon after the doors opened. But the couple, from Ann Arbor, Mich., wasn’t there to hit the books. Pelak and Parent were spending the weekend in Hartford, 45 minutes north, and after downloading a walking tour of the Yale campus from the school’s Web site, they had gotten in their car for a firsthand look.