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.
$25 Billion Fund for Electric Cars Is Still Untouched
The future of the American auto industry is getting off to a slow start.
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Twenty-eight members of a Shiite messianic cult responsible for brutal attacks on Shiite pilgrims in Iraq were sentenced to death on Thursday, said an official from the federal court in Dhi Qar province.
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The Senate approved a bill Thursday to provide the nation’s capital with a voting representative in the House, but it came with a hitch. A controversial amendment was added that would repeal most of the city’s gun-control regulations.
A Cold Winter — Now What?
Sure the calendar doesn’t say winter is over until March 20th. But meteorologists are impatient; they don’t wait until that date to close the chapter on winter. Instead, they consider December, January, and February (DJF) the winter months. (Meteorologists are also so impatient that the hundreds of weather stations across the U.S. have been programmed to report the hourly meteorological conditions seven minutes before the top of the hour.) With February coming to an end tomorrow, was the DJF temperature in Boston below average? You don’t need me to tell you that the answer is yes, but not as much as you might think. Surprisingly, December and February were slightly above-normal, while January was a whopping four and a half degrees Fahrenheit colder than normal. Thus, as a whole, DJF will turn out to be one degree Fahrenheit below normal.
Palestinian Rivals Announce Steps to Healing Rift
Leaders of the rival Palestinian groups Hamas and Fatah declared Thursday a “historic day” at the conclusion of a meeting here aimed at healing a 20-month schism.
Iraq Museum That Was Looted Reopens, Far from Whole
Well over half the exhibition halls in Iraq’s National Museum are closed, darkened and in disrepair. And yet, the museum whose looting in 2003 became a symbol of the chaos that followed the U.S. invasion officially reopened on Monday.
Pressure Grows to Widen Bailout for Big Companies
The federal government faced mounting pressure on Monday to put billions more in some of America’s biggest banks, two of the biggest automakers and the biggest insurance company, despite the billions it has already committed to rescuing these ailing industries.
Fall of British Bank Echoes Across the Atlantic
Is partial nationalization the cure for America’s ailing banks?
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The White House echoed on Monday with familiar expressions of determination to make tough decisions, as President Barack Obama used a “fiscal responsibility summit” to promise to do his part to move the nation’s balance sheet back toward balance.