Datebook
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29
FADE TO DARK. A total solar eclipse is visible today across a narrow band of the globe stretching from the eastern tip of Brazil to northwestern Mongolia. Prime viewing spots include the Greek island of Kastellorizo and Antalya, Turkey.
INTO ORBIT. American Jeffrey Williams, Russian Pavel Vinogradov, and Brazilian Marcos Pontes are scheduled to lift off from a cosmodrome in Kazakhstan for a trip to the international space station. Pontes will do eight days of research before returning to Earth with astronaut Bill McArthur and cosmonaut Valery Tokarev, who've been in space since October.
EBAY'S BID Lawyers for online auction giant eBay will try to convince U.S. Supreme Court justices that the company's use without permission of "buy it now" technology patented by another firm does not merit an injunction imposed by a lower court. The case, one of the most important patent disputes to be heard in decades, comes during a tech-driven explosion in new patents and a related increase in disputes heading to court. Justices have to decide whether courts may continue to automatically grant blanket injunctions against companies like eBay when violations involve a tiny--and often technology-related--part of their operations.
ABRAMOFF BACK IN COURT. Disgraced Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff is to be sentenced in Miami federal court for his role in the fraudulent purchase of a $147.5 million casino gambling fleet. Abramoff pleaded guilty in January to taking part in fabricating a wire transfer used in the deal.
THURSDAY, MARCH 30
ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT. Twenty-five years ago today, John Hinckley shot President Ronald Reagan, Press Secretary James Brady, a Secret Service agent, and a police officer outside a Washington, D.C., hotel. Hinckley, who is now 50, was found not guilty by reason of insanity and is held at a psychiatric hospital in the nation's capital. Last December, for the first time, a judge granted Hinckley's request to make overnight visits to his parents' home near Williamsburg, Va.
THREE AMIGOS? President Bush, President Vicente Fox of Mexico, and Canada's new prime minister, Stephen Harper, meet in the Mexican resort of Cancun.
FRIDAY, MARCH 31
MEDIEVAL OKLAHOMA. Jousting knights and dulcimer-playing lasses transform Norman, Okla., as the 30th annual Medieval Fair draws some 300,000 people over three days. Such festivals aren't uncommon, but this one stands out: It's free.
SATURDAY, APRIL 1
THERAPEUTIC THINKING. The American Association for Cancer Research meets in Washington, D.C. (through April 5). Some 16,000 people, ranging from laboratory researchers to cancer survivors, are expected to attend the annual meeting, which will focus on promising therapeutic approaches.
APRIL MADNESS. College basketball's Final Four weekend enlivens Indianapolis (men's semifinals today and championship April 3) and Boston (women's semis tomorrow and championship April 4). Today, fans in Boston can watch the women's teams practice free of charge and get autographs. Tomorrow, John Mellencamp headlines an all-day music festival at Indianapolis's Monument Circle.
NO JOKE, PART 1. Today is April Fools' Day.
NO JOKE, PART 2. Austin, Texas, hosts the Spamarama, billed as a "pandemonious potted pork festival." It's a tongue-in-cheek tribute to Spam (during which the foodstuff is cooked, thrown, and even eaten) and helps, as the saying goes, "keep Austin weird."
SUNDAY, APRIL 2
SPRING FORWARD. Daylight saving time goes into effect in most of the United States at 2 a.m. today. Clocks should be set forward one hour. Standard time resumes the last Sunday in October, but beginning next year DST will extend from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November.
A SOAP'S SEMICENTENNIAL. The CBS soap opera
As the World Turns first aired 50 years ago today. A combination of more women working outside the home and competition from daytime talk shows has eroded soaps' popularity, but
As the World Turns still boasts an audience of about 3
MONDAY, APRIL 3
JOHN PAUL REMEMBERED. Pope Benedict XVI celebrates a memorial mass in St. Peter's Basilica to mark the first anniversary of Pope John Paul II's death (April 2). Worshipers will recite the rosary in St. Peter's Square Sunday night.
TUESDAY, APRIL 4
THE WAR IN WISCONSIN. Thirty Wisconsin municipalities hold referendums on whether the Bush administration should withdraw American troops from Iraq. Antiwar activists snared enough signatures to place questions on the ballot in towns and cities like Baraboo, Ladysmith, Sturgeon Bay, LaCrosse, and Madison. Critics say the vote will demoralize U.S. forces, bring comfort to the enemy, and accomplish nothing.
With Liz Halloran and Angela Prikockis
This story appears in the April 3, 2006 print edition of U.S. News & World Report.
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