Only a Month Until Spring!
By now, the semester has hit you like a bus; we’re three weeks into term and the problem sets are stacking up. You’re probably starting to get stressed with the first round of tests and chilly weather isn’t helping. “When’s winter going to end?” a Texan friend asked as it was snowing this Wednesday night. But never fear, spring’s almost here! The daily highs are increasing, slowly but certainly. The normal high for today is 40˚F (4˚C), and the low 25˚F (-4˚C). By next week, climatology for Boston shows highs increasing to 41˚F (5˚C) by next Friday, but by the following Friday (March 6th) we could be seeing temperatures reaching from 43˚F (6˚C) to 29˚F (-2˚C). And a month from now, we’ll be seeing an average high of 48˚F (9˚C), and the average low will finally be above freezing.
As Clinton Lands in Asia, North Korea Threatens Missile Test
As Hillary Rodham Clinton arrived in Japan on Monday, her first foreign visit as secretary of state, North Korea threatened to test what its neighbors believe is a ballistic missile capable of reaching the United States.
Revelations by Senator from Illinois Cause Concern
Several Democratic lawmakers from Illinois said Monday that they were troubled by revelations about Roland W. Burris, the state’s newest senator and a fellow Democrat. And at least one called for Burris to come before the state Legislature and explain himself.
In Vatican Controversies, Questions of Pope’s Focus
Close on the heels of the pope’s rehabilitation of a group of schismatic bishops, including one who denied the Holocaust, a second scandal has compounded a searching debate within the church over whether Pope Benedict XVI’s focus on doctrine and perceived insensitivity to political tone are alienating mainstream Catholics and undermining the church’s moral authority.
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The U.S. Justice Department’s ethics office is in the final stages of a report that sharply criticizes Bush administration lawyers who wrote legal opinions justifying waterboarding and other harsh interrogation methods, according to department and congressional officials.
Eastern All Stars
Although the Western Conference may have bested the Eastern Conference in Sunday’s NBA All Star Game, the weather bragging rights are clearly in the East. It didn’t seem possible, but much of the ice and snow that fell in the prior month has vanished in recent days. Although temperatures haven’t been far from the climatological average, daily high temperatures have consistently climbed above freezing. This, combined with a few bouts of rain in lieu of additional snow storms, has laid waste to the deep snow pack Mother Nature had built up last month. However, we’re still in the depths of winter and the risk of snow returning spontaneously is still in the cards. Thankfully, this week does not feature a return to the ice cavern of January.
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The fireball that streaked across the Texas sky and appeared to dive toward earth over the weekend remained a mystery on Monday after the military said the event had nothing to do with a collision of satellites last week and did not seem to involve an artificial satellite coming down.
France and Britain Disclose Collision of 2 Submarines
In a freak accident, two submarines carrying nuclear weapons, one French and the other British, collided while submerged on operational patrols in the Atlantic earlier this month, the British and French defense ministries said Monday.
First on Cambodia’s Docket: A Man Linked to 14,000 Killings
The first trial of a senior Khmer Rouge cadre opened Tuesday, 30 years after the end of the brutal communist regime that took the lives of as much as one fourth of Cambodia’s population.
Obama’s Second Choice to Run Commerce Withdraws
Sen. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire abruptly withdrew Thursday as the nominee to be commerce secretary, saying he had “irresolvable conflicts” with President Barack Obama over his economic stimulus plan and a concern over what many fellow Republicans believe is the politicization of the 2010 census.
Willem Kolff, Inventor of Kidney And Heart Machines, Dies at 97
Dr. Willem J. Kolff, a resourceful Dutch physician who invented the first artificial kidney in a rural hospital during World War II, using sausage casings and even orange juice cans, and went on to build the first artificial heart, died Wednesday at his home in Newtown Square, Pa. Kolff, whose work has been credited with saving millions of lives, was 97.
Charting Bird Migrations by Using Tiny Backpacks
Birds are famous for airborne speed and endurance. Some have been clocked flying 60 mph or more. Others make annual migrations from Alaska to New Zealand, nonstop.
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Gov. John Lynch of New Hampshire on Thursday proposed closing a quarter of the state’s district courts as part of a plan to deal with a $500 million two-year budget gap.
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A spate of attacks on Thursday, including the assassination of a Sunni Arab political leader in the violent northern city of Mosul, killed at least 13 Iraqis and left 39 wounded, security officials said.
New Research Focuses on Cure for Common Cold
Curing the common cold, one of medicine’s most elusive goals, may now be in the realm of the possible.
Pakistan Backtracks On Mumbai Terrorist Attacks
Pakistan acknowledged for the first time on Thursday that parts of the Mumbai terrorist attacks were planned on its soil and said that six suspects were being held and awaiting prosecution.
Return to Winter
After not cracking 40°F (4°C) for the entire month of January, February in contrast has brought us a taste of spring so far. Maximum temperatures during the past two days have been in the 50s°F, but don’t expect that to last. A cold front moved through the area yesterday morning, ushering in more seasonable conditions. Where we had only a few showers with the frontal passage, parts of the South experienced severe weather and early-season tornadoes that killed several people.
Trimmed Bill Still Offers Vast Sums for Education
The economic stimulus bill that is expected to win passage in the Senate on Tuesday would provide about $83 billion for child care, public schools and universities.
Obama Aides Clashed Over Bank Bailout Plan
The Obama administration’s new plan to bail out the nation’s banks was fashioned after a spirited internal debate that pitted the Treasury secretary, Timothy F. Geithner, against some of the president’s top political hands.
Obama Makes Case As Stimulus Bill Clears Hurdle
President Barack Obama took his case for his $800 billion economic recovery package to the American people on Monday, as the Senate cleared the way for passage of the bill and the White House prepared for its next major hurdle: selling Congress and the public on a fresh plan to bail out the nation’s banks.