Naming the storm\nEver wonder how hurricanes are named? According to the National Hurricane Center, the first hurricane was named by an Australian forecaster in the early 1900s. He named them after political figures he disliked. During World War II, U.S. Army and Navy meteorologists named cyclones in the Pacific Ocean after their wives or girlfriends. The National Weather Center started naming hurricanes officially in the early 1950s and added the use women's names in the late 1970s. The NHC uses six lists of 21 names to name the storms, so this year's hurricane names will be re-used in 2010. Names such as Karl, Nicole, Otto and Richard will follow Hurricane Frances if needed. The World Meteorological Organization retires some names if the storm caused major destruction and can't be used for a decade. Retired hurricane names include Andrew and Floyd. Cyclones in the Northwest section of the Pacific Ocean are named not after human names but after animals, flowers or foods.
Gambling and college credits? \nALBANY, N.Y. — Marvin Phillips is spending a lot of time this summer at the Akwesasne Mohawk Casino, taking in some poker, roulette and live music. Not for pleasure -- for college credit. The 21-year-old from the St. Regis Mohawk Reservation will enter his senior year at Morrisville State College in September as part of a growing movement: College educated blackjack dealers, casino security experts, restaurant and entertainment operators, and gaming managers. Over the past five years, gaming courses and majors have cropped up at colleges including San Diego State University, Michigan State University, Tulane University's University College in New Orleans, and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. They join the pioneering University of Nevada at Las Vegas and Reno, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education.
