The World – Sept. 16, 2010

THURSDAY

Alaska petitioned a U.S. District Court to overturn the Obama administration’s moratorium on drilling in federal waters of the Arctic. The state is arguing the Interior Department “arbitrarily and capriciously imposed” a moratorium on drilling in federal waters off Alaska after the Deepwater Horizon disaster

Proving money may well be able to buy happiness, a Princeton University survey of 1,000 Americans found that satisfaction increased with income. The increase in happiness peaked at a salary of $75,000.

Research firm StudyLogic found more than half of Americans have not used a day of their vacation time this year, while nearly a third of those that did checked in with work daily while on vacation.

FRIDAY

A thunderous explosion of a Pacific Gas & Electric Co. gas pipeline left at least four people dead and destroyed 38 homes in the San Francisco suburb of San Bruno.

U.S. District Court Judge Virginia Phillips ruled the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” rule banning openly gay people from serving in the armed forces violates constitutional rights to free speech and due process.

A Dutch history student unearthed a 1606 share of the Dutch East India Company that had been locked away in forgotten archives in the city of Enkhuizen. It is the world’s oldest share of stock. It belonged to Pieter Harmensz, an assistant to the city’s mayors. The company paid out spices as its first dividends in 1610.

John James Audubon “Birds of America,” billed as the most expensive book in the world, will go on the auction block at Sotheby’s this December. It is expected to fetch $6.2 to $9.2 million under the hammer. It was last sold for $8.8 million in 2000.

WEEKEND

Pop star Lady Gaga drew heat from animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals for wearing a raw, red meat dress with a matching purse to the MTV Video Music Awards ceremony Sunday. She won eight prizes.

About 100 Seattle firefighters descended on the Interbay neighborhood early Sunday to put out a large fire aboard a fishing vessel called the “Arctic Dawn,” which has appeared in episodes of the “Deadliest Catch” reality TV show.

MONDAY

Americans spend more time reading the news now than they have at any time during the last decade, according to a study by the Pew Research Center. Thirty-four percent of respondents had used the Internet to check the news the day before they were polled. About a third of people listed to the radio for their news, while 39 percent said they used traditional news sources such as newspapers and television.

Australian scientists determined bats develop different dialects depending on where they live. Researcher Brad Law of the Forest Science Center found that bats living in the forests along the east coast of the state of New South Wales had different calls.

TUESDAY

American Sarah Shourd was released from prison in Iran more than a year after she and two other hikers were apprehended by Iranian security forces near the border with northern Iraq.

Derek Fenton was fired from his job at NJ Transit, a New Jersey transportation provider, after he was captured on camera ripping pages out of a Quran and burning them near Ground Zero in lower Manhattan Saturday.

A 54-year-old Blaine man was booked into Whatcom County Jail on three DUI counts. Police stopped him driving a tow truck while intoxicated, on his way to retrieve his family’s pickup and BMW that he had crashed in two different spots outside of town. Police said he had a cut on his forehead and reeked of alcohol.

New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush said he will forfeit the Heisman Trophy he won in 2005 while representing the University of Southern California. USC is under sanctions from the NCAA after the regulatory agency found Bush had accepted money and other benefits from marketing agents while playing for the school.

WEDNESDAY

Israeli aircraft bombed smuggling tunnels under the Gaza Strip’s border with Egypt, killing a Palestinian and wounding two other people. Militants have stepped up rocket and mortar bomb attacks during peace talks in Israel.

Tropical Storm Karl strengthened on a path that posed a risk to Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula and some of its oil installations in the Bay of Campeche. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Karl, 11th named storm of the season, had winds of 63 mph and would likely reach hurricane status.