MONDAY, AUGUST 30, 2004 NATION THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN 5A Star-spangled shade o, are arian indm e rap Well, their long for from testion: e U.S. Raffi first he'll share of bizarre teagan's a do many far, was I have means. crumped on with /iith pol- National and the remembering cons French" would stop blishes litheir good migration in English test-com- political man fuller rizes the mb down ners. This waters. Daniel Hulshizer/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Elsa Auth of Old Tappan, N.J., uses her American flag to try to shade herself on a hot, humid day as she waits for a ferry in Jersey City, N.J. Auth traveled to Ellis Island to see Vice President Dick Cheney speak at a rally to kick off the Republican National Convention yesterday. The convention officially begins today at Madison Square Garden in New York. Wild winter in Northeast; Almanac has snowy outlook THE ASSOCIATED PRESS LEWISTON, Maine — Gas up the snowblower but don't put away your umbrella: The Farmers' Almanac is predicting a wild winter with heavy precipitation and dramatic temperature swings in the Northeast. The northern Plains and Great Lakes will be snowy, the almanac says, while it will be milder in the southern half of the country. The Northeast will have unusually wet weather — either as rain or snow, according to the almanac. "The big thing is it's going to be a winter of extremes," said managing editor Sandi Duncan, whose almanac hits newsstands tomorrow. The weather formula used by the 188-year-old Farmers' Almanac is a closely guarded secret. Prepared two years in advance, the forecasts are based on sunspots, the position of the planets and tidal action of the moon. The National Weather Service questions the accuracy of forecasts made so far in advance, but the almanac says it is right 80 percent of the time. Some people use it for planning weddings and other outdoor events. The almanac's forecast last The weather formula used by the 188-year-old Farmers' Almanac is a closely guarded secret. Prepared two years in advance, the forecasts are based on sunspots, the position of the planets and tidal action of the moon. This coming winter will get off to a cold start in the Pacific Northwest and northern Plains, the almanac says. Milder weather is in store for southern half of the nation, with near normal or balmy temperatures from California to the Deep South, according to the almanac. The almanac also forecasted a wet and cool summer. And that seems to ring true in many places, including Maine. winter was largely on the mark. It predicted a cold winter and Mother Nature delivered a January deep freeze in the Northeast. Later in 2005, the almanac predicts a wet spring for most of the country and an active pattern for the Midwest's "Tornado Alley" in April and June. Alley in Upper Marsh The Farmers' Almanac — not to be confused with the Old Farmer's Almanac in New Hampshire — also offers up recipes, brainteasers, jokes, gardening tips and trivia. This year's edition also continues a focus by the almanac editors on finding happiness through simplicity. An article on "Putting the Joy Back into Christmas" noted that the holiday buying binge leads to personal debt and an additional 5 million to 7 million tons of extra waste in landfills. The editors expect to distribute 4.5 million copies of the three versions of the almanac: the 200-page retail version, a shorter promotional version and a Canadian version. "We're not saying don't give. Let's give things that are more significant to the recipient," editor Peter Geiger said. Last year the editors launched a syndicated column that's in 100 newspapers, and the almanac's Web site remains popular. Now the editors are exploring a new medium. "Our goal is to have a family-oriented television show," Duncan said. Tiny chips from Intel earn hype THE ASSOCIATED PRESS SAN JOSE, Calif. — Intel Corp. announced Monday it has created a memory chip using transistors that are considerably smaller than those powering today's state-of-the-art chips, allowing for more memory and greater performance. As a result of their smaller size, more of the tiny switches can be packed into a single piece of silicon without having to increase the size of the chip. Products built with the new technology are on track for delivery in 2005, Intel said. The gate — or switching mechanism — of each transistor on the new chip is about 30 percent smaller than those in use today, Intel said. About 100 of them could fit inside a human red blood cell. Santa Clara, Calif.-based Intel and other semiconductor companies have thrived on the ability to pack more performance into their chips. But with each generation, it becomes increasingly difficult to maintain the pace as the tinier and tinier transistors test the physical limits of silicon. Analyst investigation creates more pressure for Rumsfeld, Pentagon WASHINGTON — The FBI investigation into whether a Pentagon analyst passed classified information to Israel is yet another political weight on Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS It is not clear whether the investigation will result in charges of espionage at the Pentagon. At the least, the probe complicates Rumsfeld's position as congressional committees that oversee the Defense Department prepare for more hearings on the abuse scandal. It is focused on an analyst of Iranian affairs who works in a policy office headed by Douglas J. Feith, the undersecretary for policy. He has been accused by Democrats of seeking to manipulate intelligence to help make the case for going to war in Iraq. Congressional investigations have found no evidence of that. Larry Di Rita, Rumsfeld's chief spokesman, said yesterday that the Pentagon was sticking by its initial statement that it understands the investigation is limited in scope. As for the possible political implications for Rumsfeld at the height of a presidential election campaign, Di Rita said, "I would not try to predict how the political season will affect this." In his 3 1/2 years as secretary, Rumsfeld has had a sometimes rocky relationship with Congress. When the administration began a fight against terrorism in response Early in his tenure at the Pentagon, Rumsfeld spoke out publicly against the unauthorized release of classified information. He undertook a special investigation when some elements of Pentagon planning for war in Iraq leaked to the news media in 2002. to the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, his stock rose and he gained popularity for his tough approach. But as the insurgency in Iraq took hold in the summer of 2003 and the casualty toll for American troops mounted more than 950 have been killed — Rumsfeld became a target of criticism on Capitol Hill. Rumsfeld took much political heat when the Abu Ghraib prisoner scandal came to light in April with photographs of U.S. soldiers abusing and sexually humiliating Iraqi prisoners Two official investigations found that the highest levels of the Defense Department shared blame for management lapses that may have contributed to the problems at Abu Ghraib. But those reviews found no evidence to suggest that Rumsfeld ordered, encouraged or condoned any abuse of Iraqis. You are cordially invited to attend MINK LAW DAY 2004 Missouri Iowa Nebraska Kansas Thursday, September 9 3:00 - 7:00 Overland Park Convention Center 6000 College Boulevard Overland Park, Kansas MINK Law Day provides prospective law students with an opportunity to speak with law school representatives from around the country. 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