Briefing

THE MOON

Japanese lunar-probe photo mimics iconic 1968 Apollo pics

WASHINGTON

Jena 6 supporters protest at Capitol

LOS ANGELES

Bush vows to ease holiday air congestion

WASHINGTON

New dino unveiled

GOSEONG, SOUTH KOREA

The Koreas open their long-closed border to freight-train service

DONETSK, UKRAINE

Mine explosion leaves at least 70 dead

THE MAP

Who's Crossing the Borders?

Americans aren't the only ones squabbling over immigration. As more nations join the European Union, massive influxes of migrants are moving westward. Latest official figures don't capture some movement, like the exodus of Poles to Britain. But the stress is beginning to show: Italy has been in a recent uproar since a Romanian immigrant was charged with the murder of an Italian woman outside Rome.

EXPLAINER

Potato Chips Go Green

Turns out trans fats weren't the only problem with potato chips. Frito-Lay, after realizing that its factories burn enormous amounts of energy, plans to take its Casa Grande, Ariz., facility off the power grid. Scheduled for 2010, the new design is capable of reducing electricity and water consumption 90%. Parent corporation PepsiCo's CEO says the company will be content to reach even 50% of the program's potential. Here's the plan:

POTATO POWER

Captured potato peelings will be used to fertilize farmland. High-tech filters will recycle wastewater and use it to power the plant.

WASTE NOT, WANT NOT

All the recycled wastewater sludge will be burned, creating methane gas to power the factory's boilers.

BRIGHT IDEA

Frito-Lay plans to develop 50 acres (20 hectares) of solar concentrators to power the factory using energy from the sun.

STADIUM-SIZE

Additional renewable fuel from an agricultural waste-burning biomass generator will help power a site larger than two football fields.

LEXICON

Fortress Britain

DEFINITION for-tris brit-in n. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's plan to institute increased security measures at many of the nation's public places.

CONTEXT On Nov. 14, almost two weeks after Jonathan Evans, Britain's domestic-intelligence head, said there could be up to 4,000 potential terrorists in the country, Brown unveiled a series of recommendations, including "additional screening of baggage and passenger searches" at train stations. Proposals also include additional barriers, vehicle-free zones and extra blast-proofing for public buildings to protect against car-bomb attacks.

USAGE Besides announcing the physical security steps, Brown also proposed that the government work closely with local imams, spend about $800 million to "tackle radicalization and promote understanding overseas" and advise hospital, hotel and school staffers on how to be more vigilant.

ECOLOGY NOTE

Southern Forests Blown Away

DEADWOOD Believe it or not, a tree's greatest foe may not be logging but Mother Nature herself. According to a new study published in Science--which compared satellite images before and after August 2005--hurricanes Katrina and Rita resulted in the nation's largest forestry disasters. Nearly 320 million trees were killed or severely damaged along the Gulf Coast after enduring capsizing winds and floods from the two disasters.

CARBON FALLOUT Researchers say the carbon released by the dying vegetation will contribute heavily to greenhouse-gas emissions, nearly canceling out the total absorbed by trees in the U.S. through photosynthesis.

TECHNOLOGY NOTE

Chavez Goes Cellular

THE STING Spanish King Juan Carlos I made headlines when he cut off a ranting Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez at a Chilean summit by saying "Why don't you shut up?" Now the comment has become a cultural phenomenon.

THE RING Technophiles turned the retort into a ringtone. More than half a million people have downloaded it, generating more than $2 million in profits. While the tone struck a chord with Spanish cell-phone users, Venezuelans are also getting involved--some students are downloading the ringtone as a form of protest against Chavez.