A federal judge in New York has approved settlements in 92 of the 95 cases filed on behalf of those injured or killed in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The total amount paid was close to $500 million, according to the mediator in the case, Sheila Birnbaum, of Skadden, Arps. Click here for the early AP story; here for a copy of Judge Alvin Hellerstein's order, which attaches Birnbaum's report. The lawsuits were brought by those who chose not to participate in the Victim's Compensation Fund, a special fund Congress established that distributed more than $7 billion to more than 5,000 survivors.
Trial dates for the remaining three cases have not been set.
Attorneys often strike people from juries because of their race, ethnicity or gender despite the wee problem that such discrimination is unconstitutional. A WSJ piece today looks at the conundrum of peremptory challenges. They are designed to help lawyers pick a fair jury, but judges are often loath to seriously probe whether lawyers are using peremptories to discriminate against jurors. Some critics say states should abolish peremptory strikes, which typically allow lawyers to dismiss a limited number of jurors, no questions asked. (As opposed to challenges "for cause," which require a showing that a juror can't be fair.) WSJ Law Blog March 5, 2009

EPA Unveils Top 25 U.S. Cities with the Most Energy Star Buildings
News release: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released a list of U.S. metropolitan areas with the largest number of energy efficient buildings in 2008 that have earned EPA’s Energy Star. The list is headed by Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, Washington, D.C., Dallas-Fort Worth, Chicago, Denver, Minneapolis-St Paul, Atlanta and Seattle. In 2008, more than 3,300 commercial buildings and manufacturing plants earned the Energy Star--EPA’s label for high efficiency--representing savings of more than $1 billion in utility bills and more than 7 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions. These buildings include schools, hospitals, office buildings, courthouses, grocery stores, retail centers and auto assembly plants.

New York Times Charts Unemployment Rate Throughout U.S.
The Geography of a Recession: "Job losses have been most severe in the areas that experienced a big boom in housing, those that depend on manufacturing and those that already had the highest unemployment rates. Related Article."

Project On Government Oversight (POGO), an independent nonprofit group, offers recommendations on the FY 2010 budget proposal that “would result in an increase of over $100 billion in revenue and savings for the federal government, nearly all of which can be accomplished over the next four of five years.” http://www.pogo.org/pogo-files/alerts/good-government/gg-20090227.html

Snow statistics
Based on National Weather Service records for 1961 through 1990, Rochester, New York averages 94 inches of snow annually and is the snowiest large city in the United States. Buffalo, New York, is a close runner-up in terms of U.S. large cities with the most snow. http://nsidc.org/snow/facts.html

A Winter Storm Watch means that severe winter conditions, such as heavy snow and/or ice, may affect your area, but its occurrence, location and timing are still uncertain. A winter storm watch is issued to provide 12 to 36 hours notice of the possibility of severe winter weather. A watch is upgraded to a Winter Storm Warning when 4 or more inches of snow or sleet is expected in the next 12 hours, or 6 or more inches in 24 hours, or 1/4 inch or more of ice accretion is expected. Winter Weather Advisories inform you that winter weather conditions are expected to cause significant inconveniences that may be hazardous. A Blizzard Warning means that snow and strong winds will combine to produce a blinding snow (near zero visibility), deep drifts, and life-threatening wind chill. http://www.weather.gov/os/winter/winter1.htm

The history of the word cappuccino exemplifies how words can develop new senses because of resemblances that the original coiners of the terms might not have dreamed possible. The Capuchin order of friars, established after 1525, played an important role in bringing Catholicism back to Reformation Europe. Its Italian name came from the long pointed cowl, or cappuccino, derived from cappuccio, “hood,” that was worn as part of the order's habit. The French version of cappuccino was capuchin (now capucin), from which came English Capuchin. The name of this pious order was later used as the name (first recorded in English in 1785) for a type of monkey with a tuft of black cowl-like hair. In Italian cappuccino went on to develop another sense, “espresso coffee mixed or topped with steamed milk or cream,” so called because the color of the coffee resembled the color of the habit of a Capuchin friar. The first use of cappuccino in English is recorded in 1948. http://www.answers.com/topic/cappuccino

Boustrophedon
an ancient writing system: having alternate lines written in opposite directions; literally `as the ox ploughs'
wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn
adj. boustrophedonic Greek boustrophedon, "turning like an ox while plowing": bous, "ox" + stroph, "a turning" ...
www.ancientneareast.net/glossary.html

The nut of the filbert tree acquired its name from the Norman French, who observed that it was ripe for picking around St. Filbert's Day, celebrated by them on August 22. The name Filiberto is a boy's name in Italy and Spain.
http://www.babynamer.com/filiberto