Metro takes a four-day weekend

Sometimes even major newspapers need a long weekend.

And that apparently was the case with the Metro, as the newspaper decided to make today’s (Thursday’s) issue the weekend issue, instead of the usual Friday paper, which is intended to cover Saturday and Sunday, as well.

An Editor’s note on the top of the second page noted, “Like many of you, we’ve planned a long weekend, so there won’t be a newspaper tomorrow.”

There’s no word on whether this will become a common practice for the free daily paper or whether the staff simply needed a day off.

The front cover and some of the News section of the issue memorialize recently deceased Senator Ted Kennedy, which no doubt may still be of major importance come Sunday. However, you might find your Phillies coverage a little more outdated if you’re riding the train that afternoon, looking for something to read.

Arabic studies growing at U.S. colleges

The Metro gave Temple a nod yesterday for its fast-growing Arabic program in the Department of Critical Languages. According to the Metro’s piece, Arabic is a fast-growing program and major at U.S. colleges and universities, and Temple is no exception to the trend.

Courtesy Getty Images via www.metro.us

Courtesy Getty Images via www.metro.us

Still, though, Temple only offers a specialization certificate in Arabic. As of now, only nine universities on the East Coast offer majors in the language.