Month: September 2018

‘Predatory Bacteria’ Might Be Enlisted In Defense Against Antibiotic Resistance

Here’s a bold idea to fight back against bacteria that can’t be stopped by antibiotics: Go after them with germ-eating microbes. That reasoning lies behind an intriguing line of research that might also be put to use in the event of a germ-warfare … Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

People of Gibraltar Vote to Remain a British Dependency (1967)

A rocky peninsula on the southern tip of Spain, the Rock of Gibraltar was held by the Moors from 711 to 1462, annexed by Spain in 1501, and captured by the British in 1704. After more than 200 years as a British crown colony, the people of Gibraltar participated in a national referendum and rejected a proposal to transfer control of Gibraltar to Spain, choosing instead for it to remain a British territory. What were the results of a 2002 referendum proposing shared British-Spanish sovereignty? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Horn Dance

The ancient Horn Dance, believed by many to have originated in Norman times or before, is performed at Abbots Bromley, a small village in Staffordshire, England, as part of the Wakes Monday celebration each year. A dozen local men, ranging in age from 12 to more than 50, dress in 16th-century foresters’ costumes. Six of them carry reindeer antlers mounted on short wooden sticks. The men dance their way around the parish boundaries, stopping to perform at homes and farms along the way. There is also a Hobby Horse, a man dressed as Maid Marian, a Fool, and a young archer. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Alice Brown Davis (1852)

The Indian Removal Act of 1830 forced Native Americans to leave their lands within state borders and relocate to unsettled land in the West. Brown Davis, whose mother was a Seminole, grew up on the new Indian Territory and cared for Seminoles during a cholera epidemic when she was a teen. Once the US government began dismantling tribal governments to push Oklahoma toward statehood, Brown Davis acted as the Seminoles’ interpreter in court and became their first female chief, serving for how long? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Chaos

In Greek mythology, Chaos was the first thing to exist, the vacant space from which all earthly and divine things arose. According to the ancient Greeks, it was made up of the four elements: earth, air, fire, and water. Sometimes personified as the most ancient of gods, it appears in various legends attributing the creation of all things to either the goddess Eurynome or the goddess Gaea—each of whom was said to have risen from Chaos. When did the word “chaos” acquire its modern meaning? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Does Planet 9 Exist? Mystery Object Will Soon Have Have ‘Nowhere’ to Hide

The mysterious, fabled “Planet 9” will have nowhere to hide once a new astronomical experiment is underway, scientists think. Some scientists believe a mysterious, as-yet-unseen planet might be causing a number of minor planets to take strangely … Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Attica Prison Riot: 33 Guards Taken Hostage (1971)

Though the US made strides in prison reform in the 20th century, not enough had apparently changed at Attica Correctional Facility by 1971 to appease those confined in the overcrowded New York prison. At the time, inmates got just one “shower” a week and one roll of toilet paper a month. It was against these, and other, conditions that prisoners were protesting when they rioted and took 33 guards hostage. Days later, authorities stormed the prison, killing 39, including how many of the hostages? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary