Persistence Presents Problems
There are at least five different strategies in forecasting. One could look at trends, e.g. today is warmer than yesterday, so tomorrow will be warmer than today. Another method would use climatology. For instance, tomorrow’s high would look at the maximum temperatures that occurred on that particular day of the year and take the average of that data set. Thirdly, a more sophisticated way is called the analog method. For example, one would recognize the current pattern with a similar one that happened in the past and expect the same result. The fourth method is using numerical weather prediction. Finally, the fifth strategy is called persistence. One would forecast the weather to behave as it is currently. For example, using this strategy, one would expect it to rain tomorrow, since it rained today.
Silicon Valley Venture Capital Firm Names Former VP Gore as Partner
Deepening his ties to Silicon Valley, former Vice President Al Gore said on Monday that he had become a partner in the venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.
Iraq Milatary to Remove Roadblocks In Baghdad to Help Reduce Violence
Iraqi military commanders signaled Monday that they would soon remove some roadblocks and other restrictions that had been imposed over the past nine months as part of the effort to reduce violence here in the capital.
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A widening corruption scandal at Samsung engulfed the government of South Korea on Monday as President Roh Moo-hyun’s next chief prosecutor and his top anti-corruption agent faced accusations of accepting bribes from the conglomerate.
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The U.S. attorney’s office has begun investigating an oil spill last week in San Francisco Bay. The move signals that criminal charges may be filed against the crew of the vessel that lost 58,000 gallons of fuel after hitting the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge.
Wal-Mart Increases Availability, Quality in Health Plan Overhaul
For much of the last decade, the retailing behemoth Wal-Mart Stores has been associated with stingy health care as much as low prices.
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The Roman Catholic Diocese of Scranton, Pa., has agreed to pay $3 million to a man who said that as a teenager he was sexually abused by one of its priests.
Democrats Tie Iraq Spending Measure to Troop Reductions
Congressional Democrats renewed their challenge to President Bush’s Iraq war policy on Thursday, offering $50 billion in interim spending for combat operations coupled to a goal of pulling out most troops within a year.
Egypt Accused of Complacency in Hamas Weapon, Money Smuggling
Israel says Egypt is doing far too little to stop the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, from smuggling weapons, militants and cash into the area from Egypt, and is appealing to Cairo to do more.
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Ben S. Bernanke PhD ’79, chairman of the Federal Reserve, told Congress on Thursday that the economy is going to get worse before it gets better, a message that got a chilly reception from both Wall Street and politicians.
Congress Overrides Bush Veto 79-14 To Pass $23 Bil. Water Resources Bill
The Senate on Thursday dealt President Bush the first veto override of his presidency, with a resounding bipartisan vote to adopt a $23.2 billion water resources bill that authorizes popular projects across the country.
Saakashvili Calls for Election Amidst Rioting, Police Clashes
The president of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, on Thursday called for a special presidential election on Jan. 5, saying he would test whether he retained a mandate a day after a police crackdown and clashes with opposition demonstrators led the government to declare a state of emergency.
Niger’s Oil-Rich Delta Plagued By Gang Shootings and Violence
Rosemary Douglas has no connection to the oil business that pumps more than 2 million barrels of crude a day from beneath the swampy Niger Delta. But the violence surrounding it pierced her home in September anyway, when a bullet shattered her upper left arm as she napped with her 2-year-old daughter.
It’s Beginning to Feel Like Winter
Temperatures over the next few days will continue to be below average for a change. The month of October saw temperatures average more then five degrees above normal for Boston, mainly thanks to a dry high pressure pattern. That’s all a distant memory as far as the near-term weather is concerned. A low pressure system will be redeveloping off the mid-Atlantic coast today and track northeastward out to sea, although it will still provide us a chance of light precipitation Friday night and Saturday morning. If any precipitation does fall, it will likely be of the liquid variety, although temperatures may be marginal enough to have a few flakes mixed in as well. After the storm scrapes by us on Saturday, high pressure will settle into New England, yielding pleasant and sunny conditions for Sunday and the early part of next week. Enjoy the holiday!
Israeli and Palestinian Officials Say They Hope for Accord Soon
Israeli and Palestinian officials hope to reach a comprehensive peace agreement before the end of President Bush’s term, Israeli, Palestinian and American officials said Monday.
Thousands of Movie and TV Writers On Strike Over Stake in New Media
Hollywood writers took to the sidewalks, if not quite the streets, Monday, as last-ditch bargaining failed to avert the first industrywide strike in more than 19 years.
The Third Noel
Twice before has Hurricane Noel spun across the open waters of the North Atlantic, but the Noels of 1995 and 2001 were only storms for the fish as neither threatened any land mass. Hurricane Noel of 2007 proved much different and will likely be the most fatal of this year’s Atlantic hurricanes as it inflicted parts of Hispanola with 20 inches (50 cm) of rain, causing devastating mudslides.
Musharraf Urged to Reverse Course, Hold Elections Soon
President Bush on Monday urged Gen. Pervez Musharraf, the Pakistani president, to hold elections and give up his army post “as soon as possible,” but gave no indication that the general’s imposition of emergency rule would bring about any significant change in American policy.
Bayer Pulls Heart Surgery Drug From Market After Controversy
Pressured by regulators, the German pharmaceutical giant Bayer AG announced on Monday that it had agreed to withdraw the controversial heart surgery drug Trasylol after a Canadian study suggested that it increased death rates.
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President Bush pledged Monday to increase intelligence cooperation with Turkey in its fight against Kurdish rebels, hoping to head off any significant Turkish military operation in Iraq.