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DEFINITION: (noun) Abusive or venomous language used to express blame or censure or bitter deep-seated ill will. SYNONYMS: invective, vituperation. USAGE: At first, she patiently listened to him vent his frustration, but when he began to spout vitriol, she told him she had to leave.

Galvani was an Italian physiologist and physician. While experimenting with electricity, Galvani noticed that a frog's leg contracted when it was touched with charged metal. He incorrectly concluded that animal tissue generates electricity. Galvani's research focused attention on electricity in animals, stimulating the study of electrotherapy and electric currents. Today, many terms in electricity are derived from Galvani's name. How did his work influence Mary Shelly's Frankenstein?

During the Soviet occupation of North Korea, a Korean Communist named Kim Il Sung was selected to lead the new state. Kim had remained loyal to the Soviet Union while in exile during World War II, becoming a Captain in their Red Army. Under Kim's leadership, North Korea established Soviet-style regulation of the economy and fought a war with US-backed South Korea. After Kim Il Sung's death in 1994, his son, Kim Jong Il, took power. Why have the two Koreas technically been at war since 1950?

Officials at Zoo Atlanta announced the birth of a giant panda in captivity. The cub was born Wednesday afternoon to nine-year-old female Lun Lun. It is the first panda cub born at the Atlanta zoo and just the fifth giant panda born at a US zoo in the last six years. Zoo officials said they expected to name the cub in 100 days, which is a tradition in China. Only an estimated 1,600 to 3,000 giant pandas remain in the wild today and another 185 live in captivity.

"Bulletproof" is a misnomer for these protective vests; depending on the type, they may provide little or no protection against certain ammunition. A vest protects its wearer by catching a bullet in layers of material and spreading its force over a larger portion of the body. While a vest can prevent a bullet from penetrating the body, the wearer can still be injured by the bullet's momentum, which can cause bruises and even internal injuries. Why must certain types of vests always remain dry?