Month: January 2018

US Supreme Court Declares Home VCRs Legal (1984)

After Sony introduced the Betamax home video tape recorder in the mid-1970s, Universal Studios sued, alleging that Betamax facilitated copyright infringement by allowing users to make copies of television programs. After an eight-year legal battle, the US Supreme Court ruled that using the new technology to “time-shift” one’s television viewing constituted fair use. By then, Betamax had been eclipsed by the VHS format. What later case concerned the “space-shifting” of media? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Feast of St. Anthony the Abbot

St. Anthony the Abbot was one of the earliest saints, and, if St. Athanasius’s biography of him is correct, Anthony lived more than 100 years (251-356). He eventually came to be regarded as a healer of animals as well as of people. His feast day is celebrated in Mexico and other parts of Latin America by bringing household pets and livestock into the churchyard, where the local priest blesses them with holy water. All the animals are carefully groomed and often decorated with ribbons and fresh flowers. In some Latin American cities, the Blessing of the Animals takes place on a different day—often on Holy Saturday, the day before Easter. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Anne Brontë (1820)

Though often overshadowed by her more famous sisters, Charlotte and Emily, Anne Brontë was a novelist and poet in her own right. She possessed a style distinct from the romanticism of her sisters, and her works—which include Agnes Grey and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall—have been praised for their realism and moral force. Like her five older siblings, Anne died of tuberculosis at a fairly young age. After she died, who prevented her controversial second novel from being reprinted? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Amanita muscaria

Amanita muscaria is a psychoactive species of mushroom found throughout the world. The quintessential toadstool, it can be recognized by its bright red cap and white spots, which have made it a fixture in pop culture media such as the Super Mario Bros. series. Famed for its hallucinogenic properties, it is sometimes used in religious rituals but is generally considered poisonous and can act as an insecticide. How is Amanita muscaria related to Santa Claus and his flying reindeer? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Mysterious series of fast radio bursts may have been twisted by extreme environment

Astronomers watching a fast radio burst flashing from more than 3 billion light-years away say that its source lies in an extreme environment with a powerful magnetic field — perhaps a supermassive black hole, or the remains of a supernova. The findings … Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Prohibition Era Begins in the US (1920)

By January of 1919, members of the US temperance movement had been campaigning against excessive drinking for a century. Their efforts resulted in the 18th Amendment, which, when it went into effect in 1920, prohibited the sale—but not the consumption—of liquor. Prohibition spawned what John D. Rockefeller called “a vast army of lawbreakers” who profited from the illegal sale of alcohol, and the failed ban was repealed in 1933. What was delivered to the White House immediately after the repeal? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Harbin Ice and Snow Festival

This extravaganza of ice sculptures takes place from January 5 through February in the port city of Harbin, the second largest city of northeast China, located in Heilongjiang Province. The sculptures, using themes of ancient legends and stories and modern historic events, depict pavilions, temples, and mythic animals and persons. Located in Zhaolin Park, they shimmer in the sun by day, and at night are illuminated in a rainbow of colors. Theatrical events, art exhibitions, and a photo exhibition mark festival time, and wedding ceremonies are often scheduled in the ice-filled park. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary