WRBB NEWS 2/6/07

WORLD NEWS
Climate change 'affecting' China
At least 300,000 people in north-west China are short of drinking water because of unseasonably warm weather, which officials link to climate change.

Parts of Shaanxi province face drought after January saw as little as 10% of average rainfall, state media say. Frozen lakes are melting and trees are blossoming in the capital Beijing as it experiences its warmest winter for 30 years, the China Daily reported.

China is the world's biggest producer of greenhouse gases, after the US. The country's top meteorologist, Qin Dahe, said the recent dry and warm weather in northern China was related to global warming. But he told reporters that China was committed to improving energy efficiency, and planned to reduce carbon dioxide and other emissions by 20% in the next five years. China's foreign ministry spokesperson, Jiang Yu, reiterated the government's commitment to curbing greenhouse bases.

Although China is trying to develop alternative energy sources, it is still the world's biggest consumer and producer of coal. It is expected to surpass the US as the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the next decade. (From BBC News)

US NEWS
Astronaut in 'love kidnap plot'
A US astronaut has been charged with trying to kidnap a woman she thought was a rival for the affection of a space shuttle pilot. Navy Capt Lisa Nowak, 43, who flew to the international space station last July, was charged with attempted kidnapping, battery and other crimes.

She drove from Texas to Florida to confront Colleen Shipman, disguised in a wig and trench coat. Police said Capt Nowak, who was denied bail, used pepper spray on Ms Shipman. The man in the love triangle was said to be Navy Cmdr William Oefelein, who was a pilot on the Discovery's mission to the space station in December.

Capt Nowak told police she just wanted to scare her rival into talking about her relationship with Cmdr Oefelein. Attempted kidnapping carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Nasa biographies list Capt Nowak as married with three children and Cmdr Oefelein as single with two children. The pair never flew together. (BBC News)


LOCAL NEWS
$2m settlement over scare
Turner Broadcasting System agreed yesterday to pay local governments and agencies $2 million as compensation for the guerrilla marketing epsiode that caused confusion throughout the Boston region last week. Half the money covers police and other costs of responding to reports of possible bombs, but the other $1 million, wrested from the company by incensed mayors, is "goodwill" money for unspecified security and emergency preparedness programs and is to be shared by the affected cities and agencies.

The mayors also pushed for an admission from Turner Broadcasting that the region's high-intensity police response, now comedic fodder at Boston's expense, was warranted. The settlement yesterday absolves Turner Broadcasting and Interference Inc., the New York guerrilla marketing company it hired to promote the Cartoon Network show, of any criminal or civil liability. The settlement negotiations went beyond Turner Broadcasting, drawing in Richard D. Parsons, chairman and chief executive officer of the Time Warner empire, which owns Turner.

Attorney General Martha Coakley, the lead negotiator in the settlement, said yesterday she was also negotiating to settle criminal cases against Peter Berdovsky, 27, and Sean Stevens, 28, who were hired by Interference to place 38 electronic signs around the area. The two men, who have become the public face of the bizarre episode, face felony hoax charges, punishable by up to five years in prison.

Though the Cartoon Network received considerable attention after the scare, there appears to have been no short-term payoff. Viewership for the first "Aqua Teen" episode to air after the incident was down 100,000 viewers, compared to the night before, then only rebounded to its average rating the following night, according to Nielsen Media Research, which monitors television viewership. (boston.com)


CAMPUS NEWS

The Marine Science Center presents:
Evening Lecture Series

“The Art of War in Marine Life”

Plants and animals in the sea evolved complex offensive and defensive strategies long before the creation of the first human militia. Finding your next meal and avoiding becoming someone else’s next meal are critical components of oceanic survival. These components created unusual and surprisingly sophisticated weapons in marine life including chemical warfare, espionage, fortification, and retreat. For example, some seaweeds detect enemies remotely and some invertebrates produce yucky chemicals. This talk will highlight these and other recent discoveries of defenses in marine prey and why they are important to us.

Presenter: Dr. Jeremy Long
Marine Science Center Researcher
Tuesday, February 13th, 2007
7:00pm


Next Lecture
Dr. Steve Vollmer, Northeastern University
Tuesday, March 6th 7:00pm
This lecture is free to the public.
Light refreshments served at 6:30PM.
The lecture begins at 7:00PM and is roughly an hour long.
The Marine Science Center is wheelchair accessible.


430 Nahant Road, Nahant, MA 01908
Call Tracy Hajduk for more information
or email t.hajduk@neu.edu
http://www.marinescience.neu.edu/outreach
Phone: 781-581-7370 ext 321