What’s the Right Punishment for Balloon Boy’s Parents?

Hoax is such a flimsy word, far too feeble to describe the wickedness of which the Heenes, Richard and Mayumi, now stand accused. Theirs was sleight of hand for the soul: now we see it, now we don’t; now we watch in horror and fear for their child’s life, a 6-year-old boy, frightened, cold, lost in the clouds; now we learn he was up in the garage attic with snacks, while Mom and Dad auditioned for their 15 minutes of fame.

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Is El Nino behind spate of Pacific typhoons?

With all of the recent deadly storms in the news, it may seem as though this year as been more active than a normal year. Since September 1 we have seen eight tropical cyclones, five of which became typhoons and two of those reached Super Typhoon status, the strongest classification of tropical cyclones in the Western Pacific.

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Hurricane Jimena closes in on Mexico’s Baja peninsula

An "extremely dangerous" Hurricane Jimena bore down Tuesday on the Mexican peninsula of Baja California, with the resort town of Cabo San Lucas lying in its path. The government of Mexico extended a hurricane warning northward along the west coast of the Baja peninsula to Puerto San Andresito and east to the city of Loreto, the U.S. National Weather Service said in an advisory at 5 a.m

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Typhoon death toll in Taiwan climbs higher

The number of people killed by a typhoon that slammed into Taiwan and China earlier this month continues to rise, Taiwan announced Thursday. At least 543 people are now known to have died when Typhoon Morakot hit Taiwan, the country’s Central Emergency Operation Center said Thursday. At least 117 people are still missing, and at least 46 people were injured.

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Bill could be major hurricane, edges closer to land

Hurricane Bill blew toward land early Tuesday, edging closer to the West Indies with near 100 mph winds and the potential for developing into a major hurricane. The National Hurricane Center expected Bill to strengthen over the next 48 hours. Various weather models showed the storm either missing or grazing the west side of Bermuda as it heads toward the U.S

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