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Issue #422 - 21st April 2017
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| Contents | — – o o O o o – — |
^ WORD OF THE WEEK
postprandial |
Friday 21st April - Philosopher Peter Abelard died, 1142. Henry VIII acceeded to the English throne, 1509. Mathematician Michel Rolle, 1652. The founding of Bangkok, then called Rattanakosin, 1782. Writer Charlotte Brontë born, 1816. Writer Mark Twain died, 1910. The "Surgeon's Photograph", purportedly of the Loch Ness Monster (though admitted as a fake in 1999), was published in the Daily Mail, 1934. Economist John Maynard Keynes died, 1946. Singer-songwriter Iggy Pop born, 1947. Saturday 22nd April - Isabella I of Castile born, 1451. Conquistador Hernaán Cortés established the settlement that became present-day Veracruz, Mexico, 1519. Writer Henry Fielding born, 1707. Steam-powered transport pioneer Richard Trevithick died, 1833. The Land Rush of 1889 began, leading to the establishment of Oklahoma City and Guthrie within a day, 1889. Model Bettie Page born, 1923. Engineer and co-founder of Rolls-Royce Ltd, Henry Royce died, 1933. Sir Robin Knox-Johnston completed the first solo non-stop circumnavigation of the world, winning the Sunday Times Golden Globe Race, 1969. Richard Nixon, 37th President of the United States, died, 1994. Earth Day. Sunday 23rd April - Dagobert III was crowned King of the Franks, 711. Brian Boru, King of Ireland, died, 1014. King Malcolm IV of Scotland born, 1141. King Edward III of England announced the founding of the Order of the Garter, 1348. William Shakespeare died, 1616. James Buchanan, 15th President of the United States, born, 1791. Coca-Cola released New Coke, only to withdraw it three months later, 1985. Actor Dev Patel born, 1990. Cricketer & soccer player Denis Compton died, 1997. St George's Day in England. World Book Day. Monday 24th April - The fall of Troy (traditional date), 1184 BCE. Demographer John Graunt born, 1620. Writer Daniel Defoe died, 1731. US President John Adams signed legislation to purchase books to found the Library of Congress, 1800. Writer Anthony Trollope born, 1815. Psychologist G. Stanley Hall died, 1924. The Hubble Space Telescope was placed in orbit by the crew of Space Shuttle Discovery on STS-31, 1990. Quadruple Olympic gold medal cyclist Laura Kenny born, 1992. Anti-apartheid activist and politician Oliver Tambo died, 1993. World Day for Laboratory Animals. Tuesday 25th April - Renaissance Man Leon Battista Alberti died, 1472. Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of Great Britain, born, 1599. The Spanish fleet anchored at Gibraltar was destroyed by the Dutch, in the Eighty Years' War, 1607. Poet William Cowper died, 1800. Mathematician Felix Klein born, 1849. The start of the Battle of Gallipoli in World War I, 1915. Artist Cy Twombly born, 1928. Soviet leader Yuri Andropov invited American schoolgirl Samantha Smith to visit the USSR after she wrote to him about her fears for nuclear war, 1983. Singer-songwriter Bobby Pickett died, 2007. ANZAC Day in Australia and New Zealand. DNA Day. Red Hat Society Day. World Malaria Day. Wednesday 26th April - Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius born, 121. Petrarch (possibly) climbed Mount Ventoux, 1336. 16-year-old Sybil Ludington rode 40 miles to alert American colonial troops of the approach of the British, 1777. Artist Eugéne Delacroix born, 1798. John Wilkes Booth, assassin of Abraham Lincoln, shot dead, 1865. Singer Caro Emerald born, 1981. Bandleader Count Basie died, 1984. The Chernobyl nuclear disaster occurred, 1986. Journalist & broadcaster Jill Dando killed, 1999. Hug a Friend Day. World Intellectual Property Day. Thursday 27th April - Explorer Ferdinand Magellan killed, 1521. Queen Elizabeth I of England was declared a heretic by Pope Pius V, 1570. Historian Edward Gibbon born, 1737. Beethoven composed Für Elise, 1810. Explorer & mountaineer Edward Whymper born, 1840. Writer & philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson died, 1882. Actress Sally Hawkins born, 1976. Betty Boothroyd became the first women to be elected Speaker of the House of Commons, 1992. Physicist & astronomer Gerard K. O'Neill died, 1992.
This week, Ralph Waldo Emerson, in Books [1877]:A man's library is a sort of harem, and I observe that tender readers have a great pudency [modesty] in showing their books to a stranger.
A selection of quotations from films with a common actor or actress. Answers next issue or from the regular address.Last issue's quotations were all from films starring Michael Caine:
- A naked American man stole my balloon.
- Daddy! My Daddy!
- Superheroes? In New York? Give me a break!
- Did you know that every 7 minutes, a black person is born in this country with no soul?
- Last day. Capricorn 15's. Year of the city - 2274. Carousel begins.
- Just remember this - in this country they drive on the wrong side of the road.
-- The Italian Job [1969]- We have been invaded, by an enemy far more lethal than any human force.
-- The Swarm [1978]- - Married six years and you're not pregnant yet? How old are you now, Susan?
- I'm seventy-four, Dad.
- You are not! You're twenty-seven. What's wrong with you? Here's your sister, married six minutes, and she's already four months pregnant!
-- Educating Rita [1983]- If 1200 men couldn't hold a defensive position this morning, what chance have we with 100?
-- Zulu [1964]- - I fell down the chimney and landed on a flaming hot goose!
- You have all the fun!
-- The Muppet Christmas Carol [1992]
Strange stories from around the world, some of which might be true...
iNABBED. Police at the Coachella music festival in California last week had stepped up their presence after social media chatter carried reports of stolen iPhones, but before they could find the culprit he was apprehended by revellers who had used the Find My iPhone app and collaborated to track all the missing phones to one person, who was detained and handed over to police. His backpack had over 100 stolen phones in it, many of which were returned to their owners on the spot, the rest handed to the festival's lost property office. Police issued reminders that valuable items like phones should not be carried in back pockets.
SATURNALIA! We mentioned the upcoming press conference in the last issue which went out shortly before NASA held it, but we can now report that Enciladus, a moon of Saturn, has been found to have conditions suitable for life to develop. The Cassini probe currently studying the giant ringed planet flew through a plume of water ejected from the moon and found that it contained free hydrogen molecules, implying that, similar to the hydrothermal vents at the bottom of Earth's oceans, the water below Enceladus' ice crust is home to hydrogen-emitting vents. Cassini has not detected actual life, just the right chemical environment for it, and the probe is due to end its mission soon by being aimed into Saturn. NASA plans to send a probe to Jupiter's moon Europa to search for similar conditions, and will launch a probe back to Encaladus in the next decade to search for signs of serpentinisation, the production of hydrogen when seawater is forced through, and reacts with, iron- and magnesium-rich rocks. If they find the process exists on Encaladus (or, indeed, Europa), it would increase the chance for life developing there as microbes that metabolise the hydrogen - and are thought to have been the first lifeforms on Earth - would be able to survive.
NOTED (AGAIN). The poor old new, plastic £5 note. We have reported how it caused controversy for a minute amount of tallow in each note, then more over the plan to replace the tallow with palm oil. Now the Bank of England has been forced to admit that the notes are not quite as impervious to damage as they claimed at the notes' launch. Last week Cornish police issued a warning over 'fake' £5 notes which did not have the golden image of Big Ben, and oddly-coloured holograms, only for the Bank to admit that the notes in question were genuine and had been damaged through "extreme use". The police warning was swiftly removed from Devon & Cornwall Constabulary's website. It has also emerged that simple household chemicals (though presumably not clothing detergents) can be used to wipe the entire image from the notes, although why anyone would want to lose their money just to get a smallish rectangle of clear plastic is beyond us. Then there is the video of an elderly woman tearing up one of the notes with her teeth...
MOTION. It is one of the fundamental laws of physics (specifically Newton's second law of motion) that the rate of change of momentum of a body is directly proportional to the force applied to it, and takes place in the direction of the applied force, but scientists at Washington State University have released a report in which they describe the production of "negative mass" - that is an object which when pushed in one direction, instead of moving in that direction, accelerates towards the applied force. The scientists cooled rubidium atoms to just above absolute zero (-273C, -459.4F), to form a Bose-Einstein condensate - one of the rare states of matter beyond liquid, solid, gas and plasma, in which the atoms move extremely slowly in synchronisation and follow the laws of quantum physics. The researchers then used lasers to trap and change the atoms' spin directions. They discovered that when released from the laser trap some of the atoms displayed negative mass. While the finding may have little daily use on Earth it does open up new avenues to astrophysicists researching black holes, neutron stars and dark energy.
BRICKS! Some of the most spectacular places on Earth are also the most remote. One such is St Kilda, an archipelago 100 miles (161km) west of the Scottish mainland with only the Outer Hebrides between, some 40 miles (64km) away. The last full-time inhabitants of St Kilda left the island of Hirta in 1930, with only temporary staff at the military base or on wildlife conservation projects staying on the islands now. To mark World Heritage Day this week games company ImmersiveMinds has spent over 125 hours, and used more than 3 million bricks, working in collaboration with The National Trust for Scotland's St Kilda archaeologist, to create a 1:1 scale model of St Kilda in Minecraft, the game that lets users build virtual structures, and have made it available for public download so people can explore the archipelago and its surviving remains of buildings.
IN BRIEF: Sportswear giant Adidas apologises after sending marketing email to runners who finished the 2017 Boston Marathon (sponsored by Adidas) containing the phrase "Congrats, you survived the Boston Marathon!", four years after the event saw three deaths and 260 injured in bombings at the finishing line - at least two actual survivors of that attack were running this year. Researchers using smartphone app to track weather at locations of joint pain sufferers and how they feel to test adage that bad weather can trigger their pain. North Norfolk District Council advertises Cromer's 60s Festival with claim that Thunderbirds creator Gerry Anderson will be there - until someone points out that he died four years ago. Ferryland, small town in Newfoundland, Canada, becomes tourist hotspot after iceberg runs aground just offshore. Analysis of layers of penguin droppings on Antarctic island of Ardley reveals the population experienced numerous extinction events following volcanic eruptions over last 7,000 years. Researchers fix cameras to backs of whales (using suction cups which fall off after a few days) to record their behaviour. Man injured in car crash suffers further problems when both girlfriend and mistress turn up for visit at the same time. Western Australian police tweet notice issued to man caught running red traffic light, with his stated excuse "I'm in a rush to get the kids Nando's". Woman filmed giving CPR to pigeon (successfully). Donald Trump upstaged by scary giant Easter Bunny at hastily-arranged White House Egg Roll. San Diego, Chile, police using public address speaker-equipped drones to talk directly to miscreants. No reported sightings of Loch Ness Monster in eight months. Man with 20,000 bird ornaments cannot cook in his own kitchen for fear of smoke or grease damage to them. April the giraffe at Animal Adventure Park in Harpurville, NY, finally gave birth to baby boy watched live around the world via webcam, but less reported was the fate of a vet who went to check on her son and got a little too close, only for April to kick him in a very sensitive spot, then try again as he staggered out of the pen; no long-term injuries but much amusement to anyone still watching the cam.
US Federal Trade Commission sends warning letter to almost 100 Instagram "influencers" warning them that paid promotions must be clearly stated as such. "Sonic screwdriver" joins other Doctor Who terms 'TARDIS', 'Dalek' and 'Cyberman' in Oxford English Dictionary. Ed Sheeran asks Saoirse Ronan to tattoo "Galway Girl" on his arm in her handwriting during break from filming video for song, ends up with tattoo reading "Galway Grill". Russia pulls out of 2017 Eurovision Song Contest, will not even broadcast it, after spat over ban on their entrant for previously entering annexed Crimea from Russia rather than from contest host Ukraine. Harry Styles hit by plagiarism claims over similarity of track Ever Since New York to Badfinger's 1971 hit Baby Blue. Comedian Jason Manford to host BBC rival to The Great British Bake Off, My Mum Cooks Better Than Yours. 662 Charlie Chaplin impersonators gather at Manoir de Ban in Vevey, Switzerland, to celebrate 128th anniversary of his birth. BBC Proms announce 2017 concert schedule, includes concerts dedicated to music from the Harry Potter, Star Wars, Jaws &al. composer John Williams, first complete performance of Philip Glass' Passages, a 'relaxed' prom for adults and children with autism, hearing loss and learning disabilities, a performance of Beethoven's Eroica symphony entirely from memory, tributes to Ella Fitzgerald and Dizzy Gillespie, Indian and Pakistani classical music, an orchestral reworking of Scott Walker's songs and the Last Night concert honouring 1947-67 Proms conductor Malcolm Sargent. Star Wars actor John Boyega taking to stage for Woyzeck at London Old Vic, hopes to one day play Othello. Queen with Adam Lambert announce first UK tour in three years. Lady Gaga, Prince William discuss mental health over Facetime as part of campaign by Princes Harry and William and Duchess of Cambridge to raise awareness. Confusion over Han Solo's name in upcoming spin-off origins film. Sylvester Stallone suing Warner Bros over allegedly-owed profits from 1993's Demolition Man. The Fate of the Furious (aka The Fast and the Furious 8) breaks worldwide box office debut takings record, takes less than previous franchise film in US. Tracy Emin drops price of her Death Mask in half to enable National Portrait Gallery to afford to buy it. LucasFilm president Kathleen Kennedy confirms that Star Wars Episode IX has been reworked to remove Carrie Fisher's Princess Leia following actress' death (possibly because that CG A New Hope Leia in Rogue One was so jarring); she will still appear in The Last Jedi using footage completed before her death. Will Smith in talks to voice CG Genie in live-action Aladdin. Brie Larson confirmed to play Captain Marvel. Ian McShane reveals that HBO has script for film revival of TV series Deadwood. Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2 soundtrack revealed, includes ELO's Mr Blue Sky, Fleetwood Mac's The Chain and Cat Stevens' Father and Son.
Keyboardist Toby Smith (Jamiroquai, 46), screenwriter Trish Vrandeburg (Kate and Allie, Family Ties, 70), stage director Michael Bogdanov (The Romans in Britain, 78), songwriter/producer Sylvia Moy (Uptight (Everything's Alright), 78), anti-apartheid activist Philip Kgosana (80), Internet pioneer Robert Taylor (Arpanet, GUIs, 85), actor Clifton James (Live and Let Die, The Man With the Golden Gun, Dallas, 96), Emma Morano, world's oldest person and officially the last person born in the 1800s (117).
Movie posters. They can make great films look better and bad films look good (We're looking at you, various Batman franchise films). This week's site collects movie posters, searchable by either actor, director, designer and title.- http://www.impawards.com/
^ DUMBLEDORE BEAR'S LOTTERY PREDICTOR!
Dumbledore Bear, our in-house psychic predicts that the following numbers will be lucky:4, 39, 43, 44, 46, 57[UK National Lottery, number range 1-59]
You can get your very own prediction at http://www.simonlamont.co.uk/tfir/dumbledore.htm.
Little Jennifer's class is having a lesson about logical thinking. "Picture this," their teacher said, "there is a man standing up in a boat fishing, in the middle of a wide river, some way out from land, and he loses his balance, falls in and starts splashing about and calling for help. His wife hears him, knows that he can't swim, and runs down to the bank. Why do you think she ran down to the bank?"
Little Jennifer's hand shot up. "To take out all his money, Miss?"
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