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Issue #411 - 27 January 2017
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| Contents | — – o o O o o – — |
^ WORD OF THE WEEK
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Friday 27 January - Dante Alighieri was exiled from Florence, 1302. Artist Hendrick Avercamp born, 1585. Guy Fawkes and seven Gunpowder Plot co-conspirators went on trial, 1606. Anatomist Thomas Willis born, 1621. The surviving inmates of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp were liberated by the Red Army, 1945. Astronauts Gus Grissom, Edward White and Roger Chaffee died in a capsule fire during a test of the Apollo 1 spacecraft at Cape Kennedy Space Centre, Florida, 1967. Actress Rosamund Pike born, 1979. International Holocaust Remembrance Day and Holocaust Memorial Day or Holocaust Remembrance Day in various countries. Saturday 28 January - King Henry VII of England was born, 1457. King Henry VIII of England died, 1547. The first British colony in the Caribbean was founded on Saint Kitts, 1624. Typographer John Baskerville born, 1706. Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice was published, 1813. Physicist Émile Clapeyron died, 1864. Walter Arnold became the first person in the world to be convicted of speeding, having driven at 8 mph (13 km/h), 1896. Sooty puppeteer Harry Corbett born, 1918. Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel died, 1996. Data Privacy Day (International). Sunday 29 January - Mongol forces withdrew from Vietnam after losing the Battle of Đông Bô Đầu, 1258. Philosopher Emanuel Swedenborg born, 1688. King George III of the United Kingdom died, 1820. Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven" was published in New York's The Evening Mirror, 1845. Writer Anton Chekhov born, 1860. Poet & illustrator Edward Lear died, 1888. The Mantra-Rock Dance took place in San Francisco, 1967. Entertainer Jimmy Durante died, 1980. Olympic and Paralympic swimmer Natalie du Toit born, 1984. Monday 30 January - Livia, wife of Roman emperor Augustus, born, 58 BCE. Massive flooding destroyed an estimated 200 square miles of land along the Bristol Channel and Severn Estuary coastlines, 1607. King Charles I of England executed, 1649. Historian Charles Rollin born, 1661. The world's first modern suspension bridge, the Menai Suspension Bridge linking north Wales and Anglesey opened, 1826. Seamstress Betsy Ross, designer of the American Flag, died, 1836. Franklin D. Roosevelt, 32nd President of the United States, born, 1882. Mahatma Gandhi assassinated, 1948. "Elk Cloner", the first microcomputer virus to 'go wild', was written by Richard Skrenta, 1982. Tuesday 31 January - Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu born, 1543. Gunpowder Plot conspirator Guy Fawkes executed, 1606. The first VD clinic opened at London Lock Hospital, 1747. Composer Franz Schubert born, 1797. The US Congress passed the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution abolishing slavery, 1865. Actress Suzanne Pleshette born, 1937. Writer A.A. Milne died, 1956. Ham the Chimp became the first hominid launched into space, aboard Mercury-Redstone 2, 1961. Broadcaster Terry Wogan died, 2016. Wednesday 1 February - Polymath Johannes Trithemius born, 1462. Physician John Floyer died, 1734. France declared war on the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, in the French Revolutionary Wars, 1793. Film director John Ford born, 1894. South African president Paul Kruger proclaimed Fountains Valley, Pretoria, a nature reserve, the oldest nature reserve in Africa, 1895. Writer Muriel Spark born, 1918. Artist Piet Mondrian died, 1944. The Beatles had their first #1 single in the US, with "I Want to Hold Your Hand", 1964. Child actress Heather O'Rourke died, 1988. The start of Black History Month in the US & Canada. The start of LGBT History Month in the UK. Thursday 2 February - Alaric II of the Visigoths promulgated the collection of "Roman law" known as the Breviary of Alaric, 506. Caribbean tribal leader Hatuey executed, 1512. Mathematician Lodovico Ferrari born, 1522. Robinson Crusoe inspiration Alexander Selkirk was rescued from his desert island, 1709. Philanthropist Solomon R. Guggenheim born, 1861. Chemist Dmitri Mendeleev, creator of the modern periodic table, died, 1907. Grand Central Terminal in New York City opened, 1913. Singer Shakira born, 1977. Actor Donald Pleasence died, 1995. Groundhog Day in the US & Canada. Marmot Day in Alaska.
This week, Franklin D. Roosevelt:Repetition does not transform a lie into a truth.
A bag of quotations from films with a common actor. Answers next issue or from the regular address.Last issue's quotations were all from films starring Tom Cruise:
- Okay, campers, rise and shine, and don't forget your booties 'cause it's cooooold out there today.
- - Do you believe in UFOs, astral projections, mental telepathy, ESP, clairvoyance, spirit photography, telekinetic movement, full trance mediums, the Loch Ness monster and the theory of Atlantis?
- Ah, if there's a steady paycheck in it, I'll believe anything you say.- Once again, my life has been saved by the miracle of lasagna.
- In the immortal words of Jean Paul Sartre, 'Au revoir, gopher'.
- They made soup out of my research turtles.
- I'm really trying to be friends with you. But, I'd appreciate it, if you'd stop laying these little judgments on me, while you're leaning on your daddy's $40,000 car.
-- Risky Business [1983]- What you have to understand is, four days ago he was only my brother in name. And this morning we had pancakes.
-- Rain Man [1988]- You're not going to be happy unless you're going Mach 2 with your hair on fire.
-- Top Gun [1986]- Goodnight sweet prince, may flights of devils wing you to your rest.
-- Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles [1994]- - Do you know what your problem is?
- I could think of a couple of women that'd be happy to tell ya.
-- War of the Worlds [2005]
Strange stories from around the world, some of which might be true...
NO BOOM THOUGH. A team from Washington University has photographed the photonic shock cone formed by light. They used a dry ice fog-filled narrow channel between two silicone rubber plates down which they fired pulses of green laser light, each lasting 7 trillionths of a second, photographing the results with a trillion frames-per-second ultra-speed camera. Because the silicon slowed down the light at the sides a mach cone formed in the channel as the light waves overtook themselves and the camera caught it.
WRONG NUMBER. In the UK there are a handful of late-night sex chat phone lines linked to overnight TV channels such as Babestation. The channel can be picked up in parts of Ireland, from where callers should add the UK's international dialling prefix (+44) to the numbers before calling. Unfortunately many apparently forget and are instead calling phones in Westport, County Mayo, in the small hours of the morning looking for, er, a good time. Irish regulators BAI and COMREG are at a loss for what to do while the Phone-Paid Services Authority in the UK is studying the problem, and a spokesman for Irish communications minister Denis Naughten said that the minister would "get to the bottom of the issue".
PURR. Japanese scientists have concluded that cats may be as intelligent as dogs after studying 49 felines. They found that cats have episodic memories - recall of specific events such as eating a favourite food froma particular bowl. It is known that humans have such memory processes, forming personal and unique memories of actions and situations, such as eating a good meal, and dogs have shown evidence as well, but cats were not previous believed to show that type of consciousness. The team tested cats' ability to remember which bowl they had eaten from, and which had been untouched, after 15 minutes, and the results suggest that felines might be able to form longer-lasting episodic memories.
BOOK YOUR HOLIDAY NOW... Travel website Destination has drawn up a list of the ten worst places to take a vacation in. Not surprisingly the list includes Damascus in Syria, Pyongyang in North Korea and crime-ridden hotspots such as Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea and Ciudad Juarez in Mexico. In ninth place (above Port Moresby) is... Skegness, once a key British holiday destination in north-east England, famed for its sandy beach, amusement arcade and caravan park. Comments by visitors to the website about 'Skeggy' say that it is "stuck in the past, [offering] very few attractions for tourists to enjoy and is overpriced," and that "this is one of the worst travel destinations in the world, not from a safety standpoint, but you will be let down if you visit." Not surprisingly the town Mayor said that such comments should be held up to ridicule and contempt.
JARVIS, THE SEWING MACHINE, PLEASE! Comics and the recent flood of comic-based films has made the image of bulky metal exosuits such as that worn by Iron Man a common trope, and since the 1960s various militaries have investigated whether such suits could be produced for use. Researchers at Harvard Biodesign Lab, who have worked on such projects are now taking a different approach. They have produced a spandex-based suit weighing just 2lb (0.89kg) with a waist belt, calf wraps, vertical straps and an actuator that can reduce the metabolic rate while walking by about 23%. While this might not be so useful in direct combat, it is showing potential for civilian use to aid sufferers of strokes, Parkinson's and cerebral palsy, although the metabolic reduction will need to be considerably more. In addition, because the suit can be worn beneath regular clothing and will not affect gait wearers will not have the embarassment factor that helped kill off more visible physicial enhancement projects including Google Glass.
IN BRIEF: Scientists re-evaluating base period for global warming as current 1750-1900 is after industrialisation began and greenhouse gases had begun rising, as shown by ice cores; suggest 1720-1800 would be better. Fossil of wolf-sized giant otter found in China. Red Panda escapes from Virginia Zoo, believed to be searching for a mate. University of London researchers find that naturists are happier than their clothed counterparts. Australia 7 news report from bank office captures man in the background browsing glamour photos on his computer. You can now stay in a luxury renovated former Soviet TV tower for £500 ($633) a night. Hairy Gucci slippers being compared to Donald Trump's hair. Vegetarian who ordered a bean burger served with regular burger with baked beans on top of the patty. Identical twins who blew £150,000 ($190,000) on plastic surgery to look even more alike plan to both marry same man - in Arizona where polygamy is banned but there are no constitutional punishments. Snow in the Sahara. Swiss watchmaker produces watch made of Swiss Vacherin Mont d'Or cheese (in resin to preserve it) in protest at change in government policy on "Made in Switzerland" tag rules; sells for 1,081,291Fr (just short of £1m or $1.263m). Car fan gets funeral cortege of 100 Volkswagens including camper van hearse. Man runs 4880 London streets, equivalent to 50 marathons, in ten months. Curiosity rover finds evidence that there was mud on Mars.
Premiere of family film A Dog's Purpose cancelled after video of dog being mistreated on set leaked. Apple, Amazon end exclusive audiobook deal (legacy from when Amazon bought Audible in 2008). Asteroid named for Star Trek: TNG child actor turned geek hero Wil Wheaton. BBC not blocking Channel 4 from airing full series of The Great British Bake Off this year; BBC to air second series of professional version Great British Bake Off: Creme de la Creme with new host Angus Deayton. David Beckham to be castaway on 75th anniversary Desert Island Discs this weekend. La La Land backlash begins. Kings of Leon, Stormy, Little Mix signed for Big Weekend festival in UK City of Culture Hull next May. Madonna denies rumours she's in Malawi to adopt more children. Nintendo announce that Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild will be the last game released for the Wii U console. La La Land gets record-equalling 14 Oscar nominations; Arrival & Moonlight get 8 each. Roman Polanski pulls out of Cesars' judging panel after outrage from women's rights groups. Sir Patrick Stewart to voice Poo emoji in The Emoji Movie. T2 Trainspotting gets positive reviews after Edinburgh premiere. US libraries in St Louis hit by ransomware attack shutting down computer systems and preventing book borrowing. Pokémon Go finally launches in South Korea. Zoolander No. 2 get 9 Razzie nominations, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice gets 8. Tess Daly suggests new Strictly Come Dancing judge will be announced before May. Bryan Singer to direct X-Men TV pilot. British classical music orchestras facing funding cuts despite increase in audience numbers. Next Star Wars film title revealed as Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi.
London Critics' Circle Awards: Film of the Year: La La Land, Actor of the Year: Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea), Actress of the year: Isabelle Huppert (Things to Come), Supporting actor of the year: Mahershala Ali (Moonlight) & Tom Bennett (Love & Friendship), Supporting actress of the year: Naomie Harris (Moonlight).
Comic artist John Watkiss (Deadman, 55), actor Miguel Ferrer (Twin Peaks, NCIS: Los Angeles, 61), singer Loalwa Braz (Lambada, 63), singer Maggie Roche (The Roche Sisters, 65), Olympic speed skater Lisbeth Korsmo (1976 bronze medallist, 69), bassist Pete Overend (Mott the Hoople, 69), drummer Butch Trucks (The Allman Brothers Band, 69), actor Gordon Kaye ('Allo, 'Allo, 75), drummer Jaki Liebezeit (Can, 78), actress Mary Tyler Moore (Ordinary People, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, 80), women's right and anti-nuclear activist Betty Tebbs (98).
Whether you are a fan of Star Trek or not you cannot deny the massive impact it has had on both popular culture and science. This week's site is a (transcribed) oral history of Star Trek by the people who made it what it is.- http://www.clickhole.com/article/oral-history-star-trek-5174
^ DUMBLEDORE BEAR'S LOTTERY PREDICTOR!
Dumbledore Bear, our in-house psychic predicts that the following numbers will be lucky:6, 11, 14, 35, 39, 40[UK National Lottery, number range 1-59]
You can get your very own prediction at http://www.simonlamont.co.uk/tfir/dumbledore.htm.
It was a rainy day in the school holidays and Little Jennifer was bored while her mother was busy ironing. Little Jennifer came downstairs. "Mummy," she said, "can we play restaurant? I've got my table and plastic plates and things upstairs. Can you come up and order a meal and I'll be the waitress?"
"In a minute, Little Jennifer, I'm busy right now." Little Jennifer pouted, but went back upstairs.
Ten minutes later, Little Jennifer reappeared. "Mummy, are you still busy?"
"Five minutes, Little Jennifer."
"OK, Mummy, but when you come up you'll have to ring the restaurant doorbell, OK?"
"Alright, Little Jennifer."
Ten minutes later, Little Jennifer's mother went upstairs, and through the open door of her daughter's bedroom saw the table with plates laid out neatly, and Little Jennifer sitting on her bed reading. Her mother pressed the imaginary doorbell. "Ding-dong," she said. Little Jennifer didn't move. Her mother knocked on the door. No reaction. "Little Jennifer," she said, "I've been ironing all morning and I'm really hungry now. Can I come in and have a meal, please?
Little Jennifer looked up and smiled sweetly. "I'm sorry, Madam, we're closed. You should have been here a few minutes earlier. Can you come back after lunch?"
^ ...end of line