Comet Lulin pairs up with Saturn
Comet Lulin probably won’t be high enough in the east for decent viewing until 8:30 or 9:00 p.m. on February 23. Later at night is even better. At mid-evening, two respectively bright starlike points of light bedeck the eastern sky. The higher of these two lights is the star Regulus, the brightest star in the constellation Leo the Lion. Saturn is to the lower left of Regulus, its golden color contrasting to that of sparkling blue-white Regulus. Comet Lulin and Saturn will remain within each other’s vicinity all night long, until morning dawn finally washes them from the sky. Look for Comet Lulin and Saturn to swing highest up for the night around 1 a.m. on February 24, at which time they’ll be due south. f you’re up before dawn on February 24, look for Comet Lulin and Saturn in your western sky. Astronomers believe this is Comet Lulin’s first trip into the inner solar system. If you miss Comet Lulin by Saturn on February 23-24, try again on the night of February 27-28. See sky map at:
http://www.earthsky.org/article/comet-lulin-saturn-pair-up-on-february-23-24

Government Information, OGR
OpenTheGovernment.org and the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) recently launched a new Web site (http://www.showusthedata.org/) to allow the public to decide what government information is not available on the Internet that should be.
Show Us the Data gives the public the opportunity to share what documents they think should be made available and to vote on the documents that others have submitted. The deadline to participate is March 9, 2009. http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/?p=1954

NOAA: Seventh Warmest January for Global NOAA: Seventh Warmest January for Global Temperatures News release : "The combined global land and ocean surface average temperature for January 2009 was the seventh warmest since records began in 1880, according to a preliminary analysis by NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C. The analyses in NCDC’s global reports are based on preliminary data, which are subject to revision.” Climate of 2009 January in Historical Perspective, National Climatic Data Center. 17 February 2009

Annex – U.S.- Canada clean energy dialogue, 19 February 2009, Ottawa, Ontario: "...The United States and Canada are collaborating on energy research related to advanced biofuels, clean engines, and energy efficiency. In order to address the energy and environmental challenges that we face together, the two nations agreed to expand collaboration in these and other key areas of energy science and technology...The United States will draw from the $3.4 billion for carbon capture and sequestration demonstrations in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Canada’s Economic Action Plan establishes a $1 billion Clean Energy Fund which builds on Canada’s previous investments in carbon capture and sequestration."

Collisions in sky and sea
On February 10 at approximately 1656 GMT, the Iridium 33 and Cosmos 2251 communications satellites collided over northern Siberia. The impact between the Iridium Satellite LLC-owned satellite and the 16-year-old satellite launched by the Russian government occurred at a closing speed of well over 15,000 mph at approximately 490 miles above the face of the Earth. The low-earth orbit (LEO) location of the collision contains many other active satellites that could be at risk from the resulting orbital debris. http://www.stk.com/corporate/mediaCenter/news/iridium-cosmos/
In the Atlantic Ocean, on the night of February 3-4, nuclear submarines HMS Vanguard and Le Triomphant collided. The submarines are equipped with sonar to detect other vessels nearby but our correspondent said it might be the case that the anti-sonar devices, meant to hide the submarines from enemies, were "too effective". http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7892294.stm http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/defence/4640673/British-and-French-nuclear-submarine-collision-as-serious-as-sinking-of-Kursk.html

sword of Damocles (sord uhv DAM-uh-kleez)
noun: an ever-present threat; an impending disaster
After Damocles of Greek legend. Damocles was a courtier who flattered the ruler Dionysius, tyrant of Syracuse, to excess. The fulsome praise so annoyed the king that he decided to teach him a lesson. He held a banquet in honor of Damocles but when Damocles saw the sword hanging by a single horse-hair over his head, he lost all taste for the lavish feast. He realized that even those who appear to enjoy great fortune face fears and worries. By the way, the word impending literally means hanging over.
A.Word.A.Day

To your health: encyclopedia, finder, personal health tools, news
http://healthfinder.gov/

Scholastic Inc., the children’s publisher of favorites like the Harry Potter, Goosebumps and Clifford series, may be best known for its books, but a consumer watchdog group accuses the company of using its classroom book clubs to push video games, jewelry kits and toy cars. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/10/books/10scho.html?_r=1