Predictions of the Future and Never Materialized Scenarios
What would have happened if you went to Caltech instead of MIT? What would life be like if that hobby or activity you’ve spent years pursuing was never introduced to you? Just like in real life, the track of weather systems has a full spectrum of various, but plausible, scenarios, and we generally focus on what actually transpired. But every so often, we ask ourselves, what would have happened? What would have happened if I had asked that guy or girl out on a date? In the version of today’s weather the question is: what would have happened if the jet stream shifted less? For about 5 days last week, all weather models had a major storm debilitating the northeast today. Forecasts of three feet of snow and wind gusts in excess of 80 mph were plentiful.
Outcry Over a Plan to Sell Brandeis Museum’s Holdings
The Massachusetts attorney general’s office said on Tuesday that it planned to conduct a detailed review of Brandeis University’s surprise decision to sell off the entire holdings of its Rose Art Museum, one of the most important collections of postwar art in New England.
‘Mini-Madoffs’ Ran Their Own $100 Million Ponzi Schemes
Their names lack the Dickensian flair of Bernie Madoff, and the money they apparently stole from investors was a small fraction of the $50 billion that Madoff allegedly lost of his clients’ savings.
Murder-Suicide Leaves 7 Dead in California
A man shot and killed his wife and five young children before taking his own life Tuesday, apparently out of despair after the couple lost their jobs at a hospital, the police and city officials said.
Clinton Sees Possible Progress On Iran and North Korea
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said on Tuesday that Iran had a “clear opportunity” to engage with the international community, amplifying the conciliatory tone struck a day earlier by President Barack Obama toward Iran and the rest of the Muslim world.
Shorts (left)
John Updike, the kaleidoscopically gifted writer whose quartet of Rabbit novels highlighted a body of fiction, verse, essays and criticism so vast, protean and lyrical as to place him in the first rank of American authors, died on Tuesday in Danvers, Mass. He was 76 and lived in Beverly Farms, Mass.
Obama Tells Muslims, ‘Americans Are Not Your Enemy’
In one of his first interviews since taking office, President Barack Obama struck a conciliatory tone toward the Islamic world, saying he wanted to persuade Muslims that “the Americans are not your enemy” and adding that “the moment is ripe for both sides” to negotiate in the Middle East.
Shorts (right)
An explosive device killed an Israeli soldier just outside Gaza on Tuesday, and Israel retaliated with incursions that killed one Palestinian and wounded another, in the first serious confrontations between Hamas and Israel since each declared a tentative cease-fire 10 days ago. With the new American envoy to the region, George J. Mitchell, set to arrive in Jerusalem on Wednesday, the fighting here underlined the urgency of his mission.
Snow!
A storm that just left the South and Midwest hits us today, bringing the Boston area snow, freezing rain and sleet within the next 12–24 hours. This storm affected many communities from Texas to Ohio yesterday. Arkansas, Kentucky and Oklahoma were especially hard hit by ice from the storm; power lines and tree branches were downed, and many lost electricity. Snow fell to the north of the ice belt, with white accumulations from Illinois to Ohio. The storm moved our way into the northeast early in the am. The commute this morning should be hit by the hardest of the snow and sleet from this storm. This afternoon, Boston should see the snow changing into sleet and freezing rain as warmer air will be move in. How much snow and how much frozen stuff will we see? Expect from 3–6 inches of snow, with more emphasis on the lower side of this estimate. After 3 p.m., rain and sleet could total as much as a half of an inch or more.
Optimism in Washington, Pessimism on Wall Street
President Barack Obama took office Tuesday urging Americans to choose hope over fear, but on Wall Street, fear was making a comeback.
Shorts (left)
Some 300 women held at immigration detention centers in Arizona face dangerous delays in health care and widespread mistreatment, according to a new study by the University of Arizona, the latest report to criticize conditions at such centers throughout the United States.
Shorts (right)
Kara Neumann, 11, had grown so weak she could not walk or speak. Her parents, who believe that God alone has the ability to heal the sick, prayed for her recovery but did not take her to a doctor.
Obama Is Sworn in as the Forty-Fourth President
Barack Hussein Obama became the 44th president of the United States on Tuesday before a massive crowd reveling in a moment of profound racial significance, and called on Americans to confront together an economic crisis that he said was caused by “our collective failure to make hard choices.”
Speech Spanned History But Tiptoed Around Bush
Though couched in indirect terms, Barack Obama’s inaugural address was a stark repudiation of the era of George W. Bush and a vow to drive the United States into “a new age” by reclaiming the values of an older one.
Few Israelis Near Gaza Feel War Achieved Much
The wheat and potato fields of this kibbutz, or communal farm, in southern Israel stretch right up to the Gaza border fence. In almost surreal proximity on the other side rise the apartment buildings, water towers and minarets of the Palestinian village of Abasan.
A Break From the Snow, But Not From the Cold
After receiving 12.4 inches of snow at Logan Airport this past Sunday and Monday, Boston could use a break from the snow. Luckily, the weather looks free of precipitation over the next week. Friday will be the warmest day in two weeks, with the high temperature looking to reach 40°F (4°C). Otherwise, temperatures will remain below freezing, not giving the snow already on the ground any chance to melt. Another shot of cold air invades us on Sunday, with a forecasted high of around 10°F (-12°C).
Clinton Pledges to Revive International Accords
Senator Hillary Clinton pledged Tuesday that as secretary of state she would revitalize US leadership by embracing a host of treaties on arms control and climate change that the Bush administration has been reluctant to endorse.
Ethiopians Withdraw From Bases in Somalia
Ethiopian troops pulled out from crucial bases in Mogadishu on Tuesday, leaving a power vacuum that was quickly filled by Islamist fighters who seized their positions.
Japan’s Governing Party Is Plunging in Polls
Is this the beginning of the end for Japan’s long-governing Liberal Democratic Party?
Stimulus Also Requires Stability, Bernanke Says
The chairman of the Federal Reserve, Ben S. Bernanke, warned Tuesday that the highly unpopular job of using taxpayer money to bail out financial institutions in the United States and other countries was far from over.