The Week in Review

The Week in Review (1/12/13)

Nick Dobis

Bowie is Back

This week rock legend David Bowie decided to celebrate his 66^th birthday by doing something he hasn’t done in ten years, release a new record. News of the release of The Next Day and his single “Where Are We Now?” made national and international headlines and sent the twitter world was in a tizzy. Bowie has largely withdrawn from public view over the decade, with the exception of his performance at last year’s Summer Olympics in London. In a report filed by the Economist, his 26^th album as a solo artist was recorded under the radar in New York the last two years. Throughout his nearly 46 year career, Bowie has sold an estimated 140 million albums, 5 platinum and 7 gold in the US alone.  True to form, Bowie gives his fans around the world a surprise the British rock icon is adored for.

Photo via the Daily Beast

 

Baseball Leaves Hall of Fame Bench Empty

For the first time since 1996, and the second time in 40 years, the baseball Hall of Fame will shut-out all inductees in 2013. Notable snubs on the list included Barry Bonds, baseball’s career home run leader, as well as Rodger Clemens, Sammy Sosa, and Mark McGuire, all of whom will forever be associated with steroids and performing enhancing drugs. The only player close to being inducted was Craig Biggio, receiving 68% percent of the vote, but needing 75% to slide home safe. The move by current vote holders proves many have forgiven, but not forgotten those who many believe tainted America’s pastime. The best advice for these players may come from one of the games’ greatest hitters still waiting for baseball to forget his transgressions:

“It doesn’t matter how long it takes,” said Pete Rose in an interview with ESPN. “You just have to try to be a productive citizen and live your life, and hopefully someday somebody calls you and says ‘Hey, we want to give you a second chance.’”



 

Hot, and Getting Hotter

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced this week 2012 was the hottest year on record in the contiguous United States, dashing the previous record set in 1998. In a report filed by the Washington Post, the average temperature was 55.3 degrees, a full degree above the 1998 mark and over three degrees higher than the 20^th century average. Although many federal scientists are pointing to this announcement as stark evidence of climate change, Alaska and the Pacific Northwest did not register record breaking numbers, largely due to a cold weather pattern which stayed around over the region most the year. If you would like to read more about climate change, and how to combat it, read an excerpt from “Fiddling While Rome Burns”.

Photo via The Oregonian

 

All Eyes on Apophis

 

With the world focused on everything else, asteroid scientists have kept their eyes on since 2004 has been officially put on their “watch list” this week.  In a BBC News Report, the asteroid dubbed Apophis, an Egyptian demon of destruction and darkness, currently hurls past earth at a safe distance of 14 million kilometer s (8.69 million miles) away. In 2004, Apophis was estimated to have a one-in-45 chance of striking the earth on Friday, April 13^th 2029. This estimation was later revised and it is expected Apophis will now come within 30,000 km (18,641 miles) in 2029, close enough for the earth’s gravity to change its orbit.  Scientists now currently believe the asteroid has a one-in-200,000 in hitting the earth in 2036. An unlikely event… we can only hope, for the report stated if Apophis ever does strike the earth, it will hit with an estimated 100 times the energy of the largest nuclear weapon.

Photo via British Gazette