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Something's going on at some schools in states hit hard by the weather this winter. What it is ain't exactly clear. But administrators seem to want to have some fun when they have to spread the word about school being closed. See how they set their news to hits by Queen and Vanilla Ice.

If you don't get those roses from your special someone, first consider that your gift might be held up by the weather. Small-business owners across the East Coast are working overtime and trekking through snow to get orders to their customers.

From cross-country skiers to ski jumpers, elite athletes can have very different fueling priorities. Endurance winter athletes may need up to 5,000 calories on competition day, while ski jumpers hoping to stay light and lithe might limit themselves to 1,800 calories or less a day.

Termites are masters of construction in the insect world, working together to construct complex, sky-scraping homes with neither blueprint nor foreman. Harvard engineers have created 8-inch-long robots that can build in the same way — by sensing their environment, and applying a few rules.

Facebook is rolling out changes to its 159 million members in the U.S. that will allow people to have a wider choice than simply male or female when selecting a gender description on the site. Users can choose from roughly 50 options including Trans Male, Trans Woman or Androgynous.

Strained relations between Afghanistan and the U.S. and NATO may only get worse this week. The Afghan government is releasing 65 prisoners, many of whom have been accused by the West of plotting and participating in terrorist activities. Robert Siegel speaks with Nathan Hodge of The Wall Street Journal to learn more about the rationale behind this release and what it might mean for Afghan security and diplomacy.

Comcast, the nation's largest cable provider, is set to become even bigger. The Philadelphia-based company has reached an agreement to acquire Time Warner Cable, the nation's second-largest cable provider, in an all-stock deal valued at roughly $45 billion. Consumer groups oppose the deal on the grounds that it will hurt competition and raise prices. But the companies claim competition won't be harmed at all.

The snow and ice storms sweeping the East Coast have been felt not only on the ground but in the air, as well. Airlines are cancelling thousands of flights, and both the companies and their passengers have had to deal with the fallout.

Another spate of harsh winter weather has hit the East Coast, wreaking havoc with power lines and airline itineraries along the way. Cities unused to the snow and ice are having the toughest time coping with the storms. We hear first from Dwayne Cartwright, President and CEO of South Carolina-based Berkeley Electric Cooperative. He says that at one point about two-thirds of their customers experienced an outage. Then Ron Carlee, the city manager of Charlotte, N.C., joins us to discuss the ways his city is dealing with the weather.

President Obama used to say that he wanted to rely more on career diplomats to serve as U.S. ambassadors. But he's been opting for political appointees who are big donors with limited international experience.