NEWS FOR MONDAY

NEWS

WORLD NEWS
Hidden Treasures - Discoveries Made in the Antarctic

A previously unexplored section of Antarctic sea floor lured marine scientists and their vessel Polarstern to the frozen continent for a voyage of exploration over Christmas and New Year.

The trip yielded, said researchers, a wealth of useful information and some undiscovered species.

Among the new species was this giant amphipod, a type of crustacean, which researchers caught in baited traps. About 10cm (four inches) long, it is one of the biggest amphipods found in the region.

What makes the region so special - "virgin geography", in the words of researcher Julian Gutt - is its recent history.

The Larsen A and B ice shelves collapsed here 12 and five years ago respectively, leaving unexplored sea floor which is now being colonised by a new batch of organisms.

Among the colonising organisms are sea squirts. These gelatinous tubes have moved into the Larsen B region only since the ice shelf collapsed in 2002, scientists believe.

Such migrations may be repeated in other parts of the Antarctic Peninsula as temperatures rise.

One of the extraordinary adaptations which evolution generates in the extreme Antarctic cold is found in the ice fish.

It has evolved to have no red blood cells and no haemoglobin, meaning that its blood flows more freely. The oxygen which its muscles need simply dissolves in the blood.



The 10-week voyage of the Polarstern, which belongs to the Alfred Wegener Institute in Germany, is part of the ongoing Census of Marine Life (CoML).

The ship and many of the scientists involved will also be taking part in International Polar Year (IPY) projects after its launch this week.

(BBC NEWS)

US NEWS
Jaguar mauls US keeper to death

A female zookeeper has died after being mauled by a jaguar at Denver Zoo in the United States, officials have said.

The zookeeper, who was not named, was attacked inside the jaguar's enclosure on Saturday morning, prompting armed employees to rush to her aid.

They shot and killed the animal after it threatened them, and the zoo was closed after the incident.

The jaguar, a six-year-old male named Jorge weighing 140lbs (64kg), came to Denver Zoo from Bolivia in 2005.

"We are deeply saddened by this loss. It is with utmost sympathy that our condolences go out to this zookeeper's family and loved ones," Denver Zoo president Clayton Freiheit said in a statement on the zoo's website.

An investigation is under way to determine how the mauling occurred.

The zookeeper was taken to hospital where she died of her injuries.

Zoo officials said that the public was never in any danger and that the zoo planned to reopen on Sunday, although the Feline Buildings would remain closed.



LOCAL NEWS
2 BU students killed in blaze
Third person hurt; 30 are displaced

Boston fire officials are investigating what caused a blaze to rip through an Audubon Circle apartment building yesterday , killing two Boston University students, injuring a third man, and displacing 30 people, many of them college students.

Fire officials did not identify the man or the woman who died in the three-alarm fire at 19 and 21 Aberdeen St. They said the third victim suffered from smoke inhalation and was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital, where he was in serious condition. Officials said they need to interview him before determining what caused the fire to break out at 5:15 a.m. at the three-story building.

Relatives identified the woman as Rhiannon McCuish, 21, of Mashpee. The man was identified by a friend as Stephen Adelipour , 21, a Boston University senior.

Those displaced yesterday described a chaotic morning that began when NStar employees trying to repair a power outage on Aberdeen Street saw flames shooting from the roof and the windows of the third floor of 21 Aberdeen St . They began screaming to alert residents inside.

"I was never so scared," said Lauren Fischer , 21, who was sleeping in her first-floor apartment in the building when she was awakened by the sounds of breaking glass and the smell of smoke. "I've never seen anything like it in my life."

Holt Pagano, a sophomore at Emmanuel College who lives at 19 Aberdeen St., said he and his roommates had lit candles after the power failed before 9 p.m.

"I assume others did, too," said Pagano, 20.

Kenneth Elmore , the dean of students at Boston University, confirmed that two BU students had died in the fire. "This is like a death in the family," he said. "We've lost two students and all their potential. Young people dying, it's just devastating."

He said that he had not yet spoken to the families, adding that the university would offer counseling services to students.

According to BU's website, university chaplains will be on hand this afternoon in Robinson Chapel for anyone who would like to talk about the tragedy or remember the victims.

A crew of seven NStar employees who had been at the complex for hours, trying to repair an underground cable line, were working in a manhole when they saw the fire, said Caroline Allen , a spokeswoman for NStar. They ran to the building and began banging on the doors.

Students living in the building said they could hear them screaming from outside, "There's a fire! There's a fire! Get out! Get out."

People scrambled out of the building screaming, most in pajamas, several of them barefoot, and some of the men shirtless. They gathered outside in the cold, and watched flames shoot out of the windows of unit 6 at 21 Aberdeen St., where Adelipour lived with two other men.

About 50 firefighters arrived at 19 and 21 Aberdeen St. and worked for an hour to extinguish the flames, said Stephen MacDonald , spokesman for the city's fire department. He estimated the damage at $1,000,000.

"Through the process of elimination we're trying to figure out how it started," he said.

Allen, the NStar spokeswoman, said the company had received no information on whether the fire department is investigating the power outage as a possible cause of the fire. The crew was able to restore power to the building by 10 a.m. It was unclear what caused the outage.

"We replaced a section of cable that had failed," she said. She did not know what made it fail. "We have a very large underground system, from time to time we do experience problems." She said NStar crew members were interviewed at the scene by the Boston Fire Department. "There was no current running into the building," she said.

"We're just very happy that [the employees] were there and able to help get people out," said John Connelly, an NStar spokesman. "Hopefully they helped save some lives."

The three victims were found in two bedrooms in the back of the apartment, MacDonald said. Neighbors said a small party had taken place in the apartment the night before. The party was loud, but not rowdy. Neighbors said that even though there was no power, they could hear music playing at about 2 a.m.

Yesterday afternoon, Pierre L. Wolfe , the manager of the property, shook his head as he walked through the charred apartment, where nearly everything had been burned beyond recognition, except a bed and a dresser in a bedroom. The walls were blackened and the floors were covered in a thick layer of soot and ash.

"It's totally destroyed," Wolfe said, almost in a whisper.

Adelipour had been living in the three-bedroom apartment with two other Boston University students since September, said the owner of the unit, who asked not to be identified. The men had never caused problems at the apartment, which had a smoke detector, a carbon monoxide detector, and a fire escape, the owner said.

"They were all wonderful fellows, very responsible," the owner said. "It's a great tragedy." Most of the tenants in the two apartments at 19 and 21 Aberdeen St., which together hold 18 units, were from Boston University, but some attended Emmanuel College and other schools, said Colin Riley, spokesman for Boston University. The school had no oversight over the units.

The city's Inspectional Services Department had received no complaints other than individual reports of infestation by bed bugs inside the building and by rodents outside, said Lisa Timberlake , spokeswoman for the department.

Steve Barr , a trustee of the 7-21 Aberdeen Condo Association , said the association sets rules and regulations concerning safety at the building.

Students displaced by the fire were taken to the Boston University Sargent Activities Center , where they waited for their parents or word from officials that it was safe to return to the buildings.

Several hours after the fire, some parents rushed into the center, looking for their children. Fischer, a senior at Boston University majoring in advertising communications, began crying when she saw her mother, who drove from Pennsylvania yesterday.

Fischer's roommate, Charlotte Morris , 21, had been staying at a friend's house for the night when Fischer called her in the morning to tell her about the fire. Morris rushed home, and barged through a police line to get to the apartment, but had to wait outside as firefighters doused the flames.

"I've never been so cold in my life," she said. Morris said she was worried about the kind of damage the fire had done to her belongings, especially her laptop.

"The last five years of my life is on my computer," she said. "But at least I'm here. Unfortunately, other people can't say that."

Students living in 21 Aberdeen St. and neighboring apartments returned to their buildings late yesterday afternoon and gathered anything they could, including clothing, electronics, and CDs.

Several students gathered at the building yesterday to look at the damage. Krafchin recalled her last conversation with Adelipour, whom she had known for more than three years. She said he had told her he would visit her Friday night, but he never showed up.

"I just wish he would have come over," she said. (Boston Globe)


CAMPUS NEWS
Northeastern University and the Department of Visual Arts will be hosting Laura Kurgan as part of our second annual visiting-artist lecture series.

Laura Kurgan teaches architecture at Columbia University's Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, where she is Director of Visual Studies and the Director of the Spatial Information Design Lab (SIDL). SIDL is currently collaborating with the Justice Mapping Center (JMC) on a project called "Graphical Innovations in Justice Mapping" in selected states. She has followed the declassification of satellite imagery and GPS technology in a series of research projects across the significant political events of the last decade. This work, which has been exhibited internationally, is collected in You Are Here: Post-Military Technology and the New Landscape of Satellite Images, forthcoming from Zone Books.

Kurgan also runs an interdisciplinary design practice in New York City, blending academic research with design, information, communication, advocacy and architecture. Most recently Laura Kurgan Design has been working with New Visions for Public Schools on the re-programming and master-planning of 21 existing large public school buildings into campuses of small schools. For more information, please visit: http://www.l00k.org/

Date: Tuesday February 27, 2007
Time: 6:00 PM
Location: 105 Shillman Hall
Admission: free to the public
Contact Info: j.ulman@neu.edu


CELEB NEWS
Most Boring Oscars Ever

But Little Miss Sunshine takes some Oscars home! Abigail Breslin robbed by lame-o Jennifer Hudson...

(Check out all the dresses on www.perezhilton.com)

MUSIC NEWS
R.I.P. Arthur Magazine: 2002-2007

Hippies, stoners, and folk freaks the world over wept today as it was announced that Arthur magazine will close its doors after five glorious years of delivering discourse and pretty pictures on art, music, and more to our marijuana-stained hands. As confirmed by editor Jay Babcock, Arthur will cease operations effective immediately.

Arthur, printed bi-monthly in oversize format and available free at the savvier venues, bookstores, and record shops near you, set up shop in October 2002. In addition to publishing articles, interviews, artwork, and more on/by Thurston Moore, Arthur C. Clarke, Spike Jonze, Devendra Banhart, Will Oldham, Joanna Newsom, Joe Strummer, and others-- and playing a vital role in the freak folk boom of a few years back-- Arthur also hosted/curated a number of festivals, including Arthur Nights in the magazine's home city of Los Angeles.

Additionally, Arthur founded Bastet as its publishing imprint, which went on to release discs from Sunn O))) and Arthur's own Million Tongues Festival, as well as what's arguably the definitive freak-folk compilation, the Devendra Banhart-curated Golden Apples of the Sun. No word yet whether Arthur will continue hosting events or publishing via Bastet, but Pitchfork wishes the best for all involved with the adventurous publication. (Pitchfork Media)