Facing a sputtering economy and escalating tuition, college students are applying for financial aid in surging numbers, the latest sign of tough times buffeting the nation's campuses.

Public colleges and universities in Massachusetts received nearly 15 percent more financial aid applications over the first half of 2008, compared to the same period last year, a striking jump that surpassed the expectations of college officials. Some private institutions - notably Harvard University, Amherst College, Williams College, and Northeastern University - experienced even sharper rises, according to recent statistics from the US Department of Education.

College administrators and education advocates said the increase illustrates the strain families are experiencing in paying for college as they confront falling home values and growing everyday expenses.

Source: http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/08/14/many_more_ask_colleges_for_aid/

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Famed chef Julia Child shared a secret with Supreme Court Justice Arthur Goldberg and Chicago White Sox catcher Moe Berg at a time when the Nazis threatened the world.

They served in an international spy ring managed by the Office of Strategic Services, an early version of the CIA created in World War II by President Franklin Roosevelt.

The full secret comes out Thursday, all of the names and previously classified files identifying nearly 24,000 spies who formed the first centralized intelligence effort by the United States. The National Archives, which this week released a list of the names found in the records, will make available for the first time all 750,000 pages identifying the vast spy network of military and civilian operatives.

Source: http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/08/14/spies.revealed.ap/index.html

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