This Day in African History — Britain, France Bomb Egypt | About.com African History On 31 October 1956, following a 12 hour ultimatum to Egypt and Israel, British and French forces bombard military airfields near Cairo in the Suez Canal Zone. More Zulu Leaders | About.com African History Find out more about Senzangakhona kaJama and [...]
Wild-Eyed Theorists In Pinstripes – NYTimes.com – Paul Krugman The point here is that we have a couple of centuries’ experience with central banking, and that experience clearly shows that the lender of last resort function is crucial. The Federal Reserve basically was created after America had to rely on J.P. Morgan to fill that [...]
We’re a culture, not a costume tags: racism Hypothes.is: A Peer-Review Layer for the Whole Internet A team of long-time leaders of the Internet community have come together behind Dan Whaley, one of the forefathers of contemporary search engines, to build a system called Hypothes.is: an “open-source Internet platform to crowdsource peer-review on information everywhere.” [...]
Women’s History Image of the Week: Peace Day September 21 is International Peace Day. Peace activism has been a cause for many women reformers, with many of the early 20th century suffrage activists also active in peace movements. Eliza Palmer Peabody | About.com Women’s History Meet Eliza Palmer Peabody, mother of Elizabeth Palmer Peabody, Mary [...]
Arctic ice at second-lowest extent since 1979 | Bad Astronomy …the lack of ice means that the northernmost latitudes are able to be plied by ships in the summer. But every year there is less ice even at maximum, meaning more and more area is accessible year-round. It’s well-known that there are deposits of oil [...]
Whistleblower Fired After Revealing Wisconsin ‘Voter Suppression’ | Crooks and Liars • by David A Wisconsin state employee has been fired after he revealed that a Department of Transportation official had instructed workers to not notify citizens that IDs necessary for voting could be obtained for free. State employee Chris Larsen told radio host John [...]
In The Dark, Cave Fish Follows Its Own Rhythm – Science News A fish that swims in limestone caverns under the Somalian desert has something to tell scientists about keeping time. Despite living in permanent darkness, with no difference between day and night, this blind cave-dweller still has its own quirky sense of rhythm. The [...]
50 Famous Asian Inventions | About.com Asian History Important Asian Battles | About.com Asian History Art and Asian History: The Boxer Rebellion in Cartoons | About.com Asian History During the Boxer Rebellion in China (1898-1901), magazine editors in the western world ran editorial cartoons about the conflict … 6 September 1968 – Swaziland Gains Independence [...]
Romanian Salt Mine Looks Awesome, Might Actually Be Batcave | The Mary Sue • by Susana Polo What follows are some arresting pictures of what is actually the Turda Salt mine, a mine since about one thousand years ago, but a tourist attraction since 1992. > photography 10 Real Life "Memoirs" That Read Like Scifi [...]
Glenn Beck: ‘African American’ Is Stupid | The Root Poor Glenn Beck. He’s been thoroughly confused, and made to feel “afraid” and “bad” by the use of the term “African American.” By the sounds of a recent rant on his radio show, he really can’t take it anymore. Highlights of the commentary included the following:… [...]
28 August 1879 – Capture of Cetshwayo | About.com African History Following the Battle of Ulundi (oNdini) on 4 July 1879, the ability of the Zulu army to challenge the British was effectively broken. … The British deposed King Cetshwayo, escorted him to the coast and then shipped him to Cape Town on 15 September. [...]
Bountiful Books: 13 Incredibly Intricate Historic Libraries | WebUrbanist • by Steph Dark wood, dazzling details, leaded glass windows and tier after towering tier of books – classic historic libraries are a bibliophile’s dream. These 13 (more) libraries, dating from the 18th to the early 20th centuries, represent some of the most astonishingly beautiful book [...]
Maine Couple On Trial For Redeeming Deposits For Bottles From New Hampshire | The Consumerist • by Chris Morran The investigation led authorities to the redemption center, which prosecutors allege illegally redeemed out-of-state recyclables for two years, effectively stealing $10,000 from the state. In addition to the New Hampshire sports complex, a former employee at [...]
Maybe Tomorrow: My new friend Sean Hunt, Violator of Community Standards We all joined in excitement and thought we had been welcomed by Google, only to have the welcome mat pulled out from under some of us. It is not a pleasant experience, and it is only being amplified with time. [Google user changes profile [...]
Children Play Like Scientists Work | Wired: Science …according to a new research project at MIT and Stanford University. The findings, which were published in the journal Cognition, reveal how 4- and 5-year-olds approach games methodically. … “This study does not establish whether children understood the importance of isolating variables initially or whether they inferred [...]
Herman Cain’s Bigotry: No More Free Pass On a weekend talk show, Herman Cain took the position that any community in the nation has the right to prohibit Muslims from building a mosque. The Washington Post’s Eugene Robinson says his reasoning sounds a lot like the arguments bigots of generations past used to make about [...]
7 Obscure Children’s Books by Authors of Grown-Up Literature BP oil spill cleanup reveals archaeological sites Cleanup operations for the BP oil spill has revealed dozens of archaeological sites left behind by prehistoric Indian settlements. > massive_oil_spill archaeology The Man Who Came To Steal Your Dinner | Law “Burglary has been evolving away from the [...]
Experimental Archaeologists Test Past by Making It Real | Wired: Science • by Brandon Keim Experimental archaeologists test ancient tools and techniques, determining how they worked and whether modern interpretations are correct. Sometimes the studies look more like play than research — but why shouldn’t research be fun? From ancient noodle recipes to spear throwing, [...]
It Is Not Necessary To Drink At Least Eight Glasses Of Water A Day To Stay Properly Hydrated | Misconception Junction • by noreen The bottom line is that the body does a pretty good job of letting us know when we need more water by making us feel thirsty. The only thing chugging down [...]
Elements of Happiness: A happy life depicted in diagrams | FlowingData • by Nathan Yau For several decades, Harvard Laboratory of Adult Development has chronicled the lives of hundreds of men from adolescence through adulthood for “an unprecedented database of life histories with which to view the dynamic character of the aging process.” Designer [...]