January 31, 2007
“Hobbit” Skull Belongs to New Species
Researchers at Florida State University have determined that a tiny skeleton discovered on the Indonesian island of Flores four years ago is definitely that of a new species of human. Because of its small size, the skull of the 3-foot tall Homo floresiensis, nicknamed “the hobbit” by scientists, had been thought to be either a child's or that of a Homo sapiens with microcephaly, a condition that inhibits brain growth.redoubt
DEFINITION: (noun) A small, often temporary defensive fortification.
SYNONYMS: sconce.
USAGE: Great mounds had been heaped about the crest of the hill, making a huge redoubt of it.
Norman Mailer
A prolific writer, Mailer is best known for his innovative nonfiction novels. He became a recognized author with the publication of The Naked and the Dead, which is based on his WWII experiences and has been touted as one of the best books about the war years. During the Vietnam era, he was arrested briefly for his involvement in anti-Vietnam demonstrations. Mailer's 1979 Pulitzer prize winning novel, The Executioner's Song, depicts the events surrounding the execution of whom?Private Slovik Executed for Desertion
US Army private Eddie Slovik was executed for desertion in 1945. His was the first such execution after the Civil War and the only one of 49 WWII desertion death sentences to be carried out. Slovik deserted with a friend during an artillery attack and later confessed to an MP in writing that he would do it again. Refusing several offers to tear up the confession, he said, "I've made up my mind. I'll take my court martial." How old was Slovik when he died?Marcel Proust
Marcel Proust was one of the great literary figures of the modern age whose work is viewed as vital to the development of modernism. He wrote his masterpiece, In Search of Lost Time, while living in a cork-lined room, troubled by asthma, neuroses, and the deaths of his parents. His ability to interpret innermost experience in terms of such eternal forces as time and death created a profound world view that has influenced generations of novelists and thinkers.January 30, 2007
Low Sodium Levels Tied to Salty Food Consumption
In a study of 41 children and teenagers who'd been born prematurely, researchers found that those who'd had low sodium levels in their blood at birth had a particular fondness for salty food later in life. The study also found that children with the most severe sodium deficiency at birth weighed 30% more, on average, than their peers born with the highest sodium levels. High salt intake is considered a marker for the risk of obesity.schoolman
DEFINITION: (noun) A scholar who is skilled in academic disputation.
SYNONYMS: academician.
USAGE: The symposium was scheduled to end at seven, but the schoolman continued to lecture the group for an additional hour.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
FDR's policies in the 1930s and 40s shaped the economic and political character of the US for the remainder of the century. Elected to an unprecedented four terms, his inspirational leadership guided the nation through the Great Depression and to victory in World War II. He was an advocate for the increasingly revolutionary underprivileged of his time, and he supported the creation of the United Nations. He served as the governor of which state early in his career?Hitler Is Appointed Chancellor of Germany
After the Nazi party lost seats in Germany's 1932 parliamentary elections, leading German businessmen and political figures appealed to Hindenburg, the president of Germany, to appoint Hitler chancellor, and Hindenburg reluctantly complied. Hitler then moved to eliminate his main rivals, the Communists, by blaming the ensuing Reichstag fire on them and using that as an excuse to put them in "protective custody." What was the Enabling Act?The Addams Family
The Addams Family is a group of eccentric characters representing a satirical inversion of the ideal American nuclear family. A creation of American cartoonist Charles Addams, the group first appeared in a comic strip in The New Yorker, and has since been featured in TV shows, movies, and video games. In Charles Addams' original cartoons, the characters were not named. When the TV show was developed, Addams was asked to contribute names. All his suggestions were used except for what?- » About
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