Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe NOISEMAKERS The annual test of the warning sirens around the San Onofre nuclear power plant in Southern California will take place as scheduled Wednesday -- despite concerns that the already nervous public could be spooked by the sound. Advertisement A network of 49 sirens will wail at 12 decibels for a period of 3-5 minutes across a 10-mile zone around the coastal plant, located in San Diego and Orange County, between 10 a.m. and noon PDT. While the siren test is nothing new to the approximately 170,000 residents of coastal communities such as Dana Point, San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano, Calif., as well as the neighboring Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base, plant officials reportedly had second thoughts about conducting it so close to Sept. 11 and the ensuing terrorist activities. However, plant spokesman Ray Golden told the Los Angeles Times that, "when we polled all the entities (government agencies) ... there was a unanimous decision to go forward. The logic was that we felt, especially during these times, that there needed to be a demonstration of the sirens' operability." Advertisement The Times said 58,000 flyers have been mailed to area residents advising them of the test and asking them not to call 911 when the sirens go off. THINGS WE DON'T UNDERSTAND Harvard University is asking its professors to justify the high grades they give. At issue is whether Harvard students are academically extraordinary or the beneficiaries of grade inflation. In June, Harvard graduated a record 91 percent of students with honors, and more than half of Harvard's grades last year were A's and A-minuses, according to the Boston Globe. The newspaper said other Ivy League and nationally ranked universities had far lower rates of honors. The dean of undergraduate education, Susan Pedersen, told professors in a faculty meeting last week to explain their grading practices in writing by January. The Educational Policy Committee will review the data in the spring and recommend whether grading changes should be considered. The Globe said many professors see themselves as fairly tough graders and don't believe grade inflation is a major problem, and also believe they give high marks only because their students are academically extraordinary. NEWS OF OTHER LIFE FORMS There are only two days left to bid on a one-of-a-kind U2 collectible -- an artificial pumpkin signed by all four members of the Irish rock group. Advertisement The pumpkin is being auctioned online at metromix.com and has attracted interest from U2 fans as far away as Canada and France. The current bid stands at $1125. The pumpkin is carved and inked with an American flag and the U2 Elevation Tour logo by artist Hugh McMahon. It was signed by the band during the tour's Chicago stop. One hundred percent of the winning bid will benefit the Chicago Remembers Fund -- established to help the victims of the Sept. 11th terrorist attacks. The auction ends at 5 p.m. CST Thursday. (Web sites: chicagotribune.com, metromix.com) TODAY'S SIGN THE WORLD IS ENDING A Florida high school has cancelled a planned science experiment that would have seen student-designed packages containing eggs dropped from a 35-foot-high cherry picker onto a poster of terrorist Osama bin Laden. District officials reportedly feared the physics project would be seen by some as culturally insensitive and suggested a poster saying "terrorism" might be a more appropriate target. The egg drop will continue, but without the poster -- keeping school officials out of the soup. (From UPI Capital Comment) AND FINALLY, TODAY'S UPLIFTING STORY Good news for chocoholics. Pennsylvania State University researchers say cocoa powder and dark chocolate may help delay the progression of heart disease. Advertisement They report in Tuesday's American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that chocolate contains a healthful nutrient known as a flavonoid that appears to have a modest protective benefit for blood vessels. In previous research, flavonoids in other plant-based foods such as green tea, red wine, soybeans and apples, have been found to produce health benefits as well. Chocolate lovers now can add their favorite food to that list. "Cocoa and chocolate are 'fun foods' and I think these results show they can contribute to a healthy diet," said study leader Penny Kris-Etherton, a professor of nutrition at Penn State. She said this is especially true if the cocoa and chocolate are eaten in forms that do not include large amounts of fat and sugar, such as in a hot chocolate drink.
