Shorts (right)
The circulation declines of American newspapers continued over the spring and summer, as sales across the industry fell almost 3 percent compared with the year before, according to figures released Monday.
Shorts (left)
Crack cocaine offenders will receive shorter prison sentences under more lenient federal sentencing guidelines that went into effect on Thursday.
Islamic Militants Draw New Front Line Inside Pakistan’s Swat Region
For much of the last century, the mountainous region of Swat was ruled as a princely kingdom where a benign autocrat, the wali, bestowed schools for girls, health care for everyone and the chance to get a degree abroad for the talented.
London Police Faulted in 2005 Killing Of Brazilian Citizen on Subway Train
London’s police force on Thursday was found guilty of putting the public at risk during a flawed counterterrorism operation in 2005 that led to the killing of an innocent Brazilian electrician on a subway train.
Japan Ends Naval Support for Military Mission in Afghanistan
Japan’s Defense Ministry ordered home its naval ships from the Indian Ocean on Thursday, ending for now a six-year mission in support of the war in Afghanistan that raised the nation’s military presence overseas but has recently drawn increasing criticism domestically.
Stocks Tumble on CitiGroup, Consumer Spending Outlook
A day that dawned bleakly on Wall Street turned even darker late Thursday as an afternoon sell-off sent the Dow Jones industrial average down more than 360 points, or 2.6 percent. Investors worried that Citigroup’s woes might be worsening and that consumers would not spend freely this holiday shopping season.
Shorts (right)
Stephen Colbert’s nascent and satirical presidential campaign came to an abrupt end on Thursday when the Democratic Party in South Carolina decided he was not serious and turned down his application to get his name on the primary ballot.
Counterclockwise Rotation for Saturday
The most interesting aspect of today’s forecast is the possibility that we will see firsthand some of the effects of Noel (officially a hurricane by yesterday at 8 p.m.). As the tropical storm transitions into an extratropical cyclone, it will weaken back to tropical storm strength, to later intensify into hurricane force winds by Saturday afternoon. By Saturday at 5 p.m., the center storm will (most likely) pass at about 150 miles from the coast of Massachusetts with some models (those with the westernmost trajectories) giving even hurricane force winds for the Cape and tropical storm winds for Boston. The exact trajectory of the storm is at this moment uncertain, but there is the potential of significant wind related disruptions for Saturday afternoon and evening, so plan your activities accordingly and stay tuned to the latest forecasts.
Administration Starts an Effort To Save Mukasey’s Nomination
The White House began a campaign Thursday to save the candidacy of Michael B. Mukasey for attorney general, with President Bush defending the nominee in a speech and in an Oval Office interview, where he complained that Mukasey is “not being treated fairly” on Capitol Hill.
Shorts (right)
They have gone from exorcism to coronation in record time. The Boston Red Sox, who fought ghosts for most of the last century, are the premier team of the new millennium.
General Motors to Build Hybrid Research Facility in Shanghai
GM announced Monday that it would build an advanced research center in Shanghai to develop hybrid technology and other advanced designs, in the latest research investment in China by a foreign automaker despite chronic problems with purloined car designs.
Participants In Halted Medical Trials Left Uninformed Of Results Of Tests
When Congress passed a bill in September requiring makers of drugs and medical devices to disclose the results of clinical trials for all approved products, advocates of greater study disclosure applauded the move.
Shorts (left)
The nation’s top official for consumer product safety has asked Congress in recent days to reject legislation intended to strengthen the agency that polices thousands of consumer goods, from toys to tools.
5 Nuclear Facilities To Miss Upcoming Security Deadline
More than a year after Congress told the Energy Department to harden the nation’s nuclear bomb factories and laboratories against terrorist raids, five of the 11 sites are certain to miss their deadlines, some by many years, the Government Accountability Office has found.
Nasa Extends Shuttle Mission To Repair Rotary Joint On ISS
NASA mission managers will add an extra day to the mission of the space shuttle Discovery so crewmen can do “exploratory surgery” on a malfunctioning part of the International Space Station’s power system, the space agency announced on Monday.
Venezuelans Oppose Subsidy Cuts For Fuel Despite Economic Woes
In a country moving toward socialism, the beneficiaries of government largess here are still people like Nicolas Taurisano, a businessman who dabbles in real estate and machinery imports. He is the proud owner of a Hummer.
Sunny Days Ahead
As the Boston Red Sox return home for their victory parade today, nature will treat them to a beautifully sunny sky and relatively mild October temperatures. Expect a high around 60°F (16°C) today and an even warmer 65°F (18°C) tomorrow. Make sure your Halloween costume is well attached tomorrow evening as it could get rather windy. Look for a chance of a sprinkle on Thursday with a high of 61°F (16°C). Night-time temperatures, as you may have noticed, are beginning to get on the chilly side, so if you plan to be out late a coat and perhaps some gloves or a hat might be a good idea.
Vote on New Version of Vetoed Child Health Care Bill Planned
Sensing a political advantage, Democrats rushed Wednesday to move a health care bill for children back to the House floor after making minor changes to win over more Republicans.
Iraq Should Act Against Kurdish Guerillas, U.S. Ambassador Urges
U.S. Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker said Thursday that Iraq should disrupt supply lines and develop a “lookout list” of senior leaders for the Kurdish guerrillas who use the northern Iraqi mountains as a haven for attacks inside Turkey.
Weather and Wildfire
The rapid growth of the wildfires in Southern California early this week was primarily facilitated by the prevailing weather conditions. In particular, there was an intense northeasterly wind and the relative humidity was extremely low, both characteristics of the Santa Ana flow regime. The Santa Ana wind is a regional example of the more general phenomenon of downslope flow. As the name implies, downslope flow occurs when wind is directed down a gradient of surface elevation. In the case of the Santa Ana, the wind blows from the plateau of the Mojave desert (elevation of roughly 1,000 meters) towards the Pacific coast. As the air travels along such a path, it descends and is consequentially compressed, as it adjusts to the higher environmental pressure at lower elevation. The compression results in heating of the air, 18 degrees (10°C) for every 1000 meters of descent. While the temperature of the descending air increases, its water vapor content remains unchanged, such that the relative (to temperature) humidity decreases. Hence, the downslope Santa Ana winds are necessarily accompanied by low relative humidity, setting the stage for explosive wildfire growth.