10 May 2019

sawbuck(1)

[saw-buhk]

noun

a sawhorse.

Origin of sawbuck(1)

1860–65, Americanism; compare Dutch zaagbok

sawbuck(2)

[saw-buhk]

noun Slang.

a ten-dollar bill.

Origin of sawbuck(2)

1840–50, Americanism; so called from the resemblance of the Roman numeral X to the crossbars of a sawbuck(1)

Dictionary.com Unabridged

Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for sawbuck

Historical Examples of sawbuck

“Here’s your ten and costs,” says Pinckney, tossing him a sawbuck.
Shorty McCabe
Sewell Ford

They drove a pack-horse, their supplies loaded on a sawbuck saddle with kyacks.
Oh, You Tex!
William Macleod Raine

Rob threw the sawbuck pack-saddle on top of the padded blanket.
The Young Alaskans in the Rockies
Emerson Hough

“It pleases me to say that I pulled a sawbuck out of Emery,” he said.
Frank Merriwell’s Races
Burt L. Standish

The sawbuck followed it, the cinch flying high so that it should go clear.
The Eagle’s Heart
Hamlin Garland

Today’s quote

People like to say that the conflict is between good and evil. The real conflict is between truth and lies.

– Don Miguel Ruiz

On this day

10 May 1837 – the Panic of 1837: New York City banks fail and unemployment reaches record levels.

10 May 1893 – the Supreme Court of the United States rules in Nix v Hedden that a tomato is a vegetable, not a fruit, under the Tariff Act of 1883.

10 May 1908 – Mother’s Day first celebrated. Andrews Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia in the United States becomes the first place in the world to hold the first official Mother’s Day celebration. 407 women were in attendance that day. In 1872 Julie Ward Howe suggested a national holiday to celebrate peace and motherhood. At that time, many local groups held their own celebration of motherhood, but most were religious gatherings. Another influential figure was Anna Jarvis who campaigned for a national holiday following the death of her mother in 1905. Her mother, social activist Ann Jarvis used to hold an annual celebration, Mother’s Friendship Day, to help ease the pain of the US Civil War. In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson declared Mother’s Day a national holiday on the second Sunday of May. Anna Jarvis was arrested at a Mother’s Day celebration when she tried to stop the selling of flowers. She stated, ‘I wanted it to be a day of sentiment not of profit‘.

10 May 1924 – Edgard J. Hoover appointed Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. A position he holds until his death in 1972.

10 May 1933 – in Germany, Nazis stage massive public book burnings.

10 May 1941 – Deputy Fuhrer Rudolf Hess, parachutes into Scotland to negotiate a peace settlement between the UK and Germany. Hess was arrested and convicted of crimes against peace and spent the remainder of his life in jail. He died in 1987.

10 May 1954 – Bill Haley and His Comets release Rock Around the Clock, the first rock and roll record to reach number one on the Billboard charts.

10 May 1960 – birth of Bono (Paul David Hewson), activist and Irish singer-songwriter with U2.

10 May 1994 – Nelson Mandela inaugurated as South Africa’s first black president.

10 May 2003 – The Golden Gumboot opens in Tully, North Queensland. It stands 7.9m tall and represents the record annual rainfall of 7900mm that Tully received in1950. Tully is officially Australia’s wettest town.

9 May 2019

echidna

[ih-kid-nuh]

1. In Greek mythology, Echidna (/ɪˈkɪdnə/; Greek: Ἔχιδνα, “She-Viper”) was a monster, half-woman and half-snake, who lived alone in a cave. She was the mate of the fearsome monster, Typhon and was the mother of monsters, including many of the most famous monsters of Greek myth. (Wikipedia)

2. Also called spiny anteater. any of several insectivorous monotremes of the genera Tachyglossus, of Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea, and Zaglossus, of New Guinea, that have claws and a slender snout and are covered with coarse hair and long spines.

Origin of echidna

New Latin (1798), originally a genus name; Latin: serpent, Echidna a mythical creature which gave birth to the Hydra and other monsters; Greek échidna, akin to échis viper

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for

Historical Examples of echidna

Echidna was a bloodthirsty monster, half maiden, half serpent.
Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome
E.M. Berens

The Ornithorhyncus has fur, the Echidna has spines, with hairs between them.
Stories of the Universe: Animal Life
B. Lindsay

Man-serpent, therefore, in Dante, as Echidna is woman-serpent.
Modern Painters, Volume V (of 5)
John Ruskin

In Ornithorhynchus the zygomatic arch is much stouter than in Echidna .
The Vertebrate Skeleton
Sidney H. Reynolds

In Echidna the carpus is broad, the scaphoid and lunar are united and there is no centrale.
The Vertebrate Skeleton
Sidney H. Reynolds

Today’s quote

Not voting is not a protest. It is a surrender.

– Keith Ellison

On this day

9 May – Russian Victory Day which marks the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in 1945.

9 May 1960 – the ‘pill’, a contraceptive, is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. It is now used by 100 million women worldwide.

9 May 1970 – 100,000 protestors gather near the White House to protest US involvement in the war in Cambodia.

9 May 1994 – Nelson Mandela is chosen by the newly-elected South African parliament to be the country’s new President.

8 May 2019

cloister

[kloi-ster]

noun

a covered walk, especially in a religious institution, having an open arcade or colonnade usually opening onto a courtyard.

a courtyard, especially in a religious institution, bordered with such walks.

a place of religious seclusion, as a monastery or convent.

any quiet, secluded place.

life in a monastery or convent.

verb (used with object)

to confine in a monastery or convent.
to confine in retirement; seclude.
to furnish with a cloister or covered walk.
to convert into a monastery or convent.

Origin of cloister

1250–1300; Middle English cloistre; Anglo-French, Old French, blend of cloison partition (see cloisonné) and clostre (< Latin claustrum barrier (Late Latin: enclosed place); see claustrum)

Related forms

clois·ter·less, adjective
clois·ter·like, adjective

Synonyms for cloister

3. abbey, priory.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for cloister

nunnery, convent, hermitage, monastery, abbey, cell, sanctuary, house, order, retreat, priory, friary, lamasery, priorate

Examples from the Web for

Historical Examples of cloister

For five years Angelique lived and grew there, as if in a cloister, far away from the world.
The Dream
Emile Zola

But, to say he turned his eyes upon the cloister keys, is a mere figure of speech.
The Channings
Mrs. Henry Wood

The convent-bell struck midnight, and there was a foot-fall in the cloister.
Graham’s Magazine Vol. XXXII No. 2. February 1848
Various

This enclosed, quiet residence vaguely recalled the cloister.
Therese Raquin
Emile Zola

Here they may have supported the wooden roof of a cloister or porch.
Byzantine Churches in Constantinople
Alexander Van Millingen

Today’s quote

Happiness is an attitude of mind, born of the simple determination to be happy under all outward circumstances.

– J. Donald Walters

On this day

8 May 1911 – birthday of Robert Johnson. American blues guitarist and singer-songwriter. Legend has it that Johnson met the devil at a crossroads and sold his soul in return for fame and fortune. One of the first musicians of the 20th century to join the 27 club. Died 16 August 1938.

8 May 1945 – VE day. Victory in Europe – the day that Nazi Germany formally surrendered in World War II.

7 May 2019

suspiration

[suhs-puh-rey-shuh n]

noun

a long, deep sigh.

Origin of suspiration

1475–85; Latin suspīrātiōn- (stem of suspīrātiō ), equivalent to suspīrāt(us ) (past participle of suspīrāre to suspire) + -iōn- -ion

Dictionary.com

Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for suspiration

Historical Examples of suspiration

At times, it is true, like a deep sigh, the suspiration of the open sea rose and fell among the islands.
The Washer of the Ford
Fiona Macleod

The girl’s voice trembled, her breath came so hard Morgan could hear its suspiration where he stood.
Trail’s End
George W. Ogden

Today’s quote

If the present world go astray, the cause is in you, in you it is to be sought.

– Dante Alighieri

On this day

7 May 351 – Jews in Palestine revolt against the rule of Constantius Gallus, Caesar of the East and brother-in-law of Emperor Constantius II, after he arrived in Antioch to take up his post.

7 May 1429 – Joan of Arc leads the victorious final charge in the Siege of Orleans, marking a turning point in the One Hundred Years war.

7 May 1718 – the city of New Orleans is founded on the banks of the Mississippi River in the American state of Louisiana, by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville.

7 May 1919 – birthday of Eva Perón, first lady of Argentina and second wife of Argentine President, Juan Perón. Her life was immortalised in the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, Evita, which included the hit song, ‘Don’t cry for me Argentina’. Died 26 July 1952.

7 May 1952 – the concept of the integrated circuit, the basis for all modern computers, is published by Geoffrey W.A. Drummer.

6 May 2019

tincture

[tingk-cher]

noun

1. Pharmacology. a solution of alcohol or of alcohol and water, containing animal, vegetable, or chemical drugs.
2. a slight infusion, as of some element or quality:
A tincture of education had softened his rude manners.
3. a trace; a smack or smattering; tinge :
a tincture of irony.
4. Heraldry. any of the colors, metals, or furs used for the fields, charges, etc., of an escutcheon or achievement of arms.
5. a dye or pigment.
verb (used with object), tinctured, tincturing.
6. to impart a tint or color to; tinge.
7. to imbue or infuse with something.

Origin of tincture

Latin

1350-1400; Middle English: dye; Latin tīnctūra dyeing. See tinct, -ure

Related forms

pretincture, noun
untinctured, adjective

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for tincture

Historical Examples

Mix two drams of the tincture of galls with one dram of lunar caustic, and for marking of linen, use it with a pen as common ink.
The Cook and Housekeeper’s Complete and Universal Dictionary; Including a System of Modern Cookery, in all Its Various Branches,
Mary Eaton

A tincture for the gums may be made of three ounces of the tincture of bark, and half an ounce of sal ammoniac, mixed together.
The Cook and Housekeeper’s Complete and Universal Dictionary; Including a System of Modern Cookery, in all Its Various Branches,
Mary Eaton

Bruise three ounces of cloves, steep them for ten days in a quart of brandy, and strain off the tincture through a flannel sieve.
The Cook and Housekeeper’s Complete and Universal Dictionary; Including a System of Modern Cookery, in all Its Various Branches,
Mary Eaton

Thou canst not withhold a tincture of lemon from the sweetest cup!
St. Cuthbert’s
Robert E. Knowles

Used as a sedative in tincture ; ten to twenty drops in water.
Cattle and Their Diseases
Robert Jennings

Externally, vesicant; used in form of ointment, or tincture.
Cattle and Their Diseases
Robert Jennings

The water or brine solution must be at least twenty times the bulk of the tincture.
Field’s Chromatography
George Field

Today’s quote

Men of genius sometimes accomplish most when they work the least, for they are thinking out inventions and forming in their minds the perfect idea that they subsequently express with their hands.

– Giorgio Vasari

On this day

6 May – Following ‘May the Fourth be with you’, and Cinco de Mayo yesterday, does this make today ‘Revenge of the Sixth?’

6 May 1937 – the German passenger dirigible (Zeppelin), The Hindenburg, crashes bursts into flames, falling 200 feet to the ground, killing 37 people. The Hindenburg was the world’s largest hydrogen airship and the disaster marked the end of the airship era. The disaster was captured on camera and a newsreel released, which can be viewed on Youtube.

6 May 1945 – Hermann Göring, Hitler’s second in command and the most powerful Nazi alive, surrenders to US forces, effectively marking the end of the Second World War. The official surrender was announced by German officers on 8 May 1945.

6 May 1954 – Roger Bannister becomes the first man to break the 4 minute mile on foot. He ran the mile in 3 minutes 59.4 seconds at the Iffley Road Track, Oxford, England.

5 May 2019

ewer

[yoo-er]

noun

1. a pitcher with a wide spout.
2. Decorative Art. a vessel having a spout and a handle, especially a tall, slender vessel with a base.

Origin of ewer

Middle English, Anglo-French, Old French, Latin

1275-1325; Middle English; Anglo-French; Old French evier; Latin aquārius vessel for water, equivalent to aqu(a) water + -ārius -ary

Dictionary.com
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018.

Cite This Source

Examples from the Web for ewer

Historical Examples

Without a word Oliver turned to a side-table, where stood a metal basin and ewer.
The Sea-Hawk
Raphael Sabatini

The bowl had scallops around the edge, and the ewer was tall and slim.
A Little Girl in Old Boston
Amanda Millie Douglas

He found an ewer and basin, and his ablutions refreshed and invigorated him.
The Last Of The Barons, Complete
Edward Bulwer-Lytton

And she knelt down with ewer and basin and a napkin to wash the feet of the poor.
The Ruinous Face
Maurice Hewlett

A basin of similar material and design accompanied the ewer.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 15, Slice 5
Various

When he had undressed, he dipped a towel into his ewer and rubbed himself all over.
Married
August Strindberg

Luckily there was no water in the ewer because we had forgotten it, only dust and spiders.
The Story of the Treasure Seekers
E. Nesbit

She was obliged to break the ewer to free the little dog’s head.
Hungarian Sketches in Peace and War
Mr Jkai

And the ewer is said to be of gold, to express the dignity of the head.
Medica Sacra
Richard Mead

He got up and poured some water from the ewer into a cracked cup and drank it.
The Angel of the Revolution
George Griffith

Today’s quote

Our revenge will be the laughter of our children.

– Bobbie Sands

On this day

5 May – Cinco de Mayo (Spanish for 5th of May), celebrates Mexican heritage and pride. It originated as a celebration of freedom for Mexicans following the victory by Mexican forces over the French at the Battle of Puebla on 5 May 1862.

5 May 1818 – birth of Karl Marx, German philosopher, economist, sociologist, historian, journalist and revolutionary socialist. One of the most influential economists in history. Marx’s work included Das Kapital, as well as The Communist Manifesto which he co-authored with German social scientist, Friedrich Engels. He fathered modern communism and socialism with the aim of putting the means of production in the hands of the workers to end exploitation at the hands of the bourgeoisie. He believed in the redistribution of wealth for the benefit of all, rather than accumulation of wealth in the hands of the few. The wealth, he believed, was created by the workers and should therefore be shared amongst the workers. He stated that communism would not succeed in the individual nation unless other nations supported it, hence the adoption of L’internationale as the socialist anthem following the ‘First International’ conference held by Marx and Engels in 1864. His international theory perhaps makes him the world’s first globalisationist. He believed socialism would not succeed in poverty, but required the building of wealth to succeed and distribution of wealth to be sustainable. Died 14 March 1883.

5 May 1821 – death of Napoleon Bonaparte, French Emperor. Born 15 August 1769.

5 May 1970 – University of New Mexico is the scene of protests against the Vietnam War, US attacks on Cambodia and the Kent State University massacre (see 4 May 1970), the National Guard and police are called in. The National Guard fixed bayonets and attacked the protestors, resulting in eleven protestors and journalists being bayonetted.

5 May 1981 – death of Bobby Sands, member of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) who died following a hunger strike while imprisoned at HM Prison Maze. He and other prisoners, were protesting against the removal of special category status which conferred a ‘Prisoner of War’ status on prisoners convicted of ‘Troubles-related’ offences in Ireland. Special Category Status meant they were subject to the Geneva Convention so didn’t have to wear prison uniforms or do prison work, were housed within paramilitary factions, received extra visits and more food. During his fast, Sands was elected to British Parliament as an anti-H-Block candidate (H-Block representing Maze Prison’s H-shaped block). Sands was one of 10 hunger strikers to die during the 1981 hunger strike. Born 9 March 1954.

3 May 2019

utilitarian

[yoo-til-i-tair-ee-uhn ]

adjective

pertaining to or consisting in utility.

having regard to utility or usefulness rather than beauty, ornamentation, etc.
of, relating to, or adhering to the doctrine of utilitarianism.

noun
an adherent of utilitarianism.

RELATED WORDS

sensible, functional, pragmatic, down-to-earth, effective, efficient, hard, hardheaded, matter-of-fact, realistic, serviceable, useful, commonsensical, pragmatical, unromantic, unidealistic

NEARBY WORDS
utile dulci, utilicare, utilidor, utilisation, utilise, utilitarianism, utility, utility function, utility man, utility player

ORIGIN OF UTILITARIAN

First recorded in 1775–85; utilit(y) + -arian

SYNONYMS FOR UTILITARIAN

2. practical, useful, functional, sensible.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR utilitarian ON THESAURUS.COM

RELATED FORMS

an·ti·u·til·i·tar·i·an , adjective, noun
non·u·til·i·tar·i·an , adjective, noun
un·u·til·i·tar·i·an , adjective

Dictionary.com

EXAMPLES FROM THE WEB FOR UTILITARIAN

Is that a utilitarian approach—that you need to understand how institutions have changed to understand the way they are?
THANK CONGRESS, NOT LBJ FOR GREAT SOCIETY|JULIAN ZELIZER, SCOTT PORCH|JANUARY 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST

Everything is meant to be utilitarian and efficient, at the expense of relaxation or comfort.
WHY SMART PEOPLE ARE DUMB PATIENTS|JEAN KIM|JULY 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The problem is that professional intelligence is mechanical and functional – utilitarian .
RICHARD HOFSTADTER AND AMERICA’S NEW WAVE OF ANTI-INTELLECTUALISM|DAVID MASCIOTRA|MARCH 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The available options were utilitarian and only came in a few colors.
CONCEALED CARRY HANDBAGS: AN EVENING BAG FOR YOUR GUN?|ERIN CUNNINGHAM|OCTOBER 15, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Today’s quote

One lives in the hope of becoming a memory.

― Antonio Porchia

On this day

3 May 1913 – The Indian film industry (otherwise known as Bollywood) kicks off with the release of its first full-length feature film, Raja Harishchandra.

3 May 1915 – The iconic poem In Flanders Fields written by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae.

3 May 1919 – birth of Peter Seeger, American singer-songwriter, musician, activist. Died 27 January 2014.

3 May 1921 – birth of Sugar Ray Robinson (born Walker Smith Jr), American welterweight and middleweight professional boxer, declared to be the greatest boxer of all time. Sugar Ray stood at 5′ 11″ (1.80m). He fought 200 fights, winning 173 (108 by knock-out), lost 19, drew six, with two no contests. By 1946 Sugar Ray had won 40 fights straight, but was denied a shot at the world welterweight championship because he refused to cooperate with the mafia, which controlled much of boxing. In December 1946, he was finally allowed to contest the world championship and won. In 1947 Sugar Ray defended his welterweight title against Jimmy Doyle. In the eighth round, Doyle was knocked out and died later that night. Sugar Ray crossed weight classes and also won the world middleweight championship. In 1950, he broke the record for the shortest fight by knocking out Jose Basora 50 seconds into the first round. The record wasn’t broken for a further 38 years. in 1951, he fought Jake La Motta in what became known as the St Valentine’s Day massacre after the fight was stopped in the 13th round when La Motta was out on his feet, unable to even lift his arms throw a punch. That fight and some of the other matches with La Motta were adapted for the Martin Scorsese movie, Raging Bull. Died 12 April 1989.

3 May 1933 – birth of James Brown, the Godfather of Soul. He died 25 December 2006.

3 May 1978 – the first spam email (unsolicited bulk email) is sent by a marketing representative for Digital Equipment Corporation to every ARPANET address on the West Coast of the USA.

2 May 2019

felicific

[fee-luh-sif-ik]

adjective

– causing or tending to cause happiness.

ORIGIN OF FELICIFIC

1860–65; < Latin fēlīci- (stem of fēlīx ) happy + -fic

Dictionary.com

EXAMPLES FROM THE WEB FOR FELICIFIC

The ‘ felicific calculus’ is enough to show the inadequacy of his method.
THE ENGLISH UTILITARIANS, VOLUME I.|LESLIE STEPHEN

We are bound to apply our ‘ felicific calculus’ with absolute impartiality.
THE ENGLISH UTILITARIANS, VOLUME I.|LESLIE STEPHEN

It is the economic equivalent of the ‘utility’ of Bentham’s ‘ felicific calculus.’
THE ENGLISH UTILITARIANS, VOLUME II (OF 3)|LESLIE STEPHEN

Today’s quote

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication

– Leonardo Da Vinci

On this day

2 May 1519 – death of Leonardo Da Vinci, Italian renaissance inventor, painter, sculptor, mathematician, writer. Born 15 April 1452.

2 May 1536 – Anne Boleyn, Queen of England, second wife of King Henry VIII and mother of the future Queen Elizabeth I, is arrested and imprisoned on charges of adultery, incest, treason and witchcraft.

2 May 1568 – Mary Queen of Scots escapes from Loch Leven Castle.

2 May 1611 – the King James Bible is published for the first time in London by Robert Barker.

2 May 1933 – Within months of becoming Chancellor of Germany, Adolf Hitler bans trade unions. Hitler saw unions as organising the power of workers which could be a threat to his power. Police arrested union leaders and confiscated union money. The funds had essentially been provided by workers so to quell any worker uprisings, Hitler created the German Labour Force to replace the unions and to supposedly represent workers’ rights. The GLF was sold to the workers under a veil of patriotism. Strikes were banned and labelled un-German. He further duped the workers under the ‘Strength Through Joy’ movement that offered them subsided holidays and other events. To reduce unemployment he introduced forced labour. Any worker refusing to take up a job assigned to them, was imprisoned. Under the GLF wages dropped while the cost of living of increased 25%. (http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/nazi-germany/trade-unions-and-nazi-germany/)

2 May 1986 – The Ukrainian city of Chernobyl is evacuated six days after the nuclear reactor disaster.

2 May 2011 – Osama bin Laden, founder and leader of Al Qaeda, FBI’s most wanted man, is killed by US Special Forces in Abbottabad, Pakistan. Born 10 March 1957 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

1 May 2019

palimpsest

[pal-imp-sest]

noun

a parchment or the like from which writing has been partially or completely erased to make room for another text.

Origin

1655–65; < Latin palimpsēstus < Greek palímpsēstos rubbed again ( pálin again + psēstós scraped, rubbed, verbid of psân to rub smooth)

Related form

pal·imp·ses·tic , adjective

Dictionary.com

Contemporary example

Sri Lankan Muslims and Catholics have not been in conflict in the past, adding to a palimpsest of reasons that make this attack all the more puzzling to experts.
Sri Lankan Muslims To Fast In Solidarity With Fellow Christians
Muslim Matters
24 April 2019

Today’s quote

The rarest of all human qualities is consistency.

― Jeremy Bentham

On this day

1 May – May Day, a pagan celebration in the Northern Hemisphere to celebrate Spring and which includes crowning the May Queen. Led Zeppelin referenced it in ‘Stairway to Heaven’: ‘if there’s a bustle in your hedge-row don’t be alarmed now, it’s just a spring clean for the May Queen‘.

1 May – International Workers Day, or Labour Day, which includes celebrating the introduction of the 8 hour work day: ‘8 hours labour, 8 hours recreation, 8 hours rest’.

1 May 1962 – First KMart store opens in Garden City, Michigan, USA. In 2005, the USA KMart merged with Sears, Roebucks and Company.

1 May 1967 – Elvis Presley marries Priscilla Ann Beaulieu in Las Vegas.

28 January 2019

stolid

[stol-id]

adjective

1. not easily stirred or moved mentally; unemotional; impassive.

Origin of stolid

Latin

1590-1600 First recorded in 1590-1600, stolid is from the Latin word stolidus inert, dull, stupid

Related forms

stolidity [stuh-lid-i-tee], stolidness, noun
stolidly, adverb

Can be confused

solid, stolid.

Synonyms

apathetic, lethargic, phlegmatic.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for stolid

Contemporary Examples

The New York Times began its review with the words “ stolid and humorless.”
‘From Up on Poppy Hill’: Goro Miyazaki, the Next Generation of Studio Ghibli
Melissa Leon
March 15, 2013

And when he did, he was not positioned in front of a stolid stage set.
Election Night 2012: Fashion of Jubilation And Mourning
Robin Givhan
November 7, 2012

Taylor was perfectly formed for the intuitive, opportunistic life of a rebel, but not for the stolid bureaucracy of government.
Liberian Nostalgia for War Criminal Charles Taylor
Finlay Young
April 28, 2012

Today’s quote

There is a great deal of pain in life and perhaps the only pain that can be avoided is the pain that comes from trying to avoid pain.

– R.D. Laing

On this day

28 January 1853 – birth of José Julián Martí Pérez, (José Martí), Cuban national hero, nicknamed The Maestro. He was a poet, essayist, revolutionary philosopher. Fought for Cuba’s independence from Spain. Martí’s poetry is respected across the globe. One of his poems was adapted into the song, Guantanamera. Died 19 May 1895.

28 January 1968 – 4 hydrogen bombs are lost when the B-52 bomber that was carrying them, crashes near Thule, Greenland. The bombs are eventually located, but it took nine months to clear the area of radiation.

28 January 1939 – death of William Butler Yeats (W.B. Yeats), Irish poet, Nobel Prize laureate. One of the foremost literary figures of the 20th century. He served as an Irish senator for two terms. He led the Irish Literary Revival. In 1921 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for ‘inspired poetry, which in a highly artistic form gives expression to the spirit of a whole nation‘. Born 13 June 1865.

28 January 1986 – the space shuttle, Challenger, explodes moments after lift-off, killing all seven astronauts on board, including Christa MacAuliffe, a teacher from New Hampshire, who was scheduled to deliver a lesson from outer-space as part of the ‘Teacher in Space’ project.