August 31, 2006
Peru’s “Ice Maiden” in Danger
Peru's famed "Ice Maiden," the frozen mummy of an Inca girl sacrificed to the gods 500 years ago, might be at risk from humidity. Dampness was detected inside the mummy's glass-enclosed refrigeration compartment by an expert from the Smithsonian Institution, who warned that the mummy could be destroyed within five years if the problem is not corrected. The "Ice Maiden" was discovered in 1995 in a ceremonial burial pit near the top of Mount Ampato.hovercraft
DEFINITION: (noun) A craft capable of moving over water or land on a cushion of air created by jet engines.
SYNONYMS: ground-effect machine.
USAGE: The police lost track of the bank robbers at the water's edge, where the thieves escaped in a hovercraft.
Wilhelmina I of the Netherlands
Strong-willed and astute, Wilhelmina I enjoyed great popularity as queen of the Netherlands. She reigned for 50 years and guided her country through two world wars. Wilhelmina also had a keen understanding of business matters, and her investments made her one of the wealthiest women in the world and the first woman to accumulate a net worth in excess of a billion dollars. In 1948, Wilhelmina abdicated in favor of whom?Edison Patents Kinetoscope
Edison helped design the kinetoscope, a precursor to the modern motion picture projector. It worked through a phenomenon known as "persistence of vision," in which a sequence of images is blended by the eye to create the illusion of motion. Because the work of so many others had gone into its invention, Edison never bothered to apply for an international copyright on the device, believing that it would not stand up in European courts. What effect did this have on the development of cinema?Benjamin Spock
Benjamin Spock was an American pediatrician who wrote one of the best-selling books of all time, Baby and Child Care, published in 1946. By 1998, it had sold more than 50 million copies. Spock was the first pediatrician to study psychoanalysis, and his revolutionary message to mothers was, "You know more than you think you do." Politically active, he was also the People's Party candidate for president in 1972. What extensive changes did he help bring about in child care?August 30, 2006
Nobel-Winning Egyptian Writer Dies
Naguib Mahfouz, who became the first Arab writer to win the Nobel Prize for Literature for his novels depicting Egyptian life in Cairo, died Wednesday at age 94. Mahfouz was known for moderation and religious tolerance. In 1994, an attacker inspired by a militant cleric's ruling that a Mahfouz novel was blasphemous stabbed the author. Mahfouz survived and maintained a busy schedule well into his 90s. His health declined after he suffered a head injury last month.frowzy
DEFINITION: (adjective) Unkempt; slovenly.
SYNONYMS: slovenly, frowsy.
USAGE: Between his frowzy clothes and late arrival, he made a decidedly bad first impression.
Warren Buffett
Ranked the second richest man in the world, with an estimated net worth of about US$46 billion, this "Oracle of Omaha" has amassed a fortune from astute investments through his company, Berkshire Hathaway. In June 2006, he made the commitment to give away his fortune, with 85% of it going to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Buffett's donation represents the largest act of charitable giving in US history. What is his annual salary from Berkshire Hathaway?Socialist Revolutionary Attempts to Assassinate Lenin
Fanny Kaplan was a political revolutionary who was executed for attempting to assassinate Vladimir Lenin. She became disillusioned with Lenin as a result of the conflict between the Socialist Revolutionaries and the Bolshevik party and decided to take action, shooting Lenin three times as he exited a Moscow factory. Though she confessed to the shooting, it has been suggested that Kaplan could not have been responsible for the assassination attempt. Why not?Weeping Willow
The Weeping Willow belongs to the Salicaceae family of deciduous trees and shrubs that are especially abundant in the cooler zones of the Northern Hemisphere. Willow cuttings and broken branches take root very easily. In fact, legend has it that all of England's Weeping Willows are descendents of a twig sent to Lady Suffolk from Spain. Salicylic acid, originally derived from the active extract of willow bark, is the basis of what extensively used class of drugs?- » About
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