| US Govt South Pole shutdown

THE United States federal government
shutdown has reached as far as Antarctica.
This week the National Science Foundation
announced it had placed its three Antarctic
scientific stations in deep freeze just as
scientists were starting to turn up for the start
of a new research season.
A ship had been scheduled to arrive
yesterday with several researchers, including
those working on a long-term study that has
tracked penguins since 1990.
A skeleton staff will remain for safety and
property protection, AP reports.