| Clinton Retaliates against Al Qaeda for Embassy Bombings |
| Operation Infinite Reach was a US cruise missile strike on purported terrorist bases in Afghanistan and Sudan. The attack came in response to bombings at US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania that killed more than 200 people and were linked to local members of al Qaeda. The US response targeted terrorist camps in Afghanistan and a pharmaceutical factory in Sudan, which the US claimed was helping Osama bin Laden build chemical weapons. Why was the US criticized for the attack in Sudan? |
| Read More...(Source: This Day in History - Wed, 20 Aug 2008 05:00:00 GMT) |
| Afghanistan Gains Independence from United Kingdom |
| After becoming the major power on the Indian subcontinent in the late 18th c, the British Empire sought to secure its trade routes through Afghanistan against expanding Russian influence in the region. In doing so, Britain transformed Afghanistan into something of a buffer state, subjecting it to countless wars and treaties before finally relinquishing control of its foreign affairs with the Treaty of Rawalpindi. According to archeological research, when did humans first come to Afghanistan? |
| Read More...(Source: This Day in History - Tue, 19 Aug 2008 05:00:00 GMT) |
| Lolita Published in US |
| Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita is the story of a middle-aged European intellectual's infatuation with a 12-year-old American "nymphet," a term Nabokov himself coined in this novel. Due to the novel's highly controversial subject matter, Nabokov initially had trouble finding a publisher for the work. Today, it is considered one of the finest novels written in the 20th century. Lolita contains a number of literary allusions to the works of Edgar Allan Poe. What are a few examples? |
| Read More...(Source: This Day in History - Mon, 18 Aug 2008 05:00:00 GMT) |
| Emily Bronte |
| I cannot express it: but surely you and everybody have a notion that there is, or should be, an existence of yours beyond you. |
| Read More...(Source: Quote of the Day - Tue, 19 Aug 2008 05:00:00 GMT) |
| William Makepeace Thackeray |
| Follow your honest convictions and be strong. |
| Read More...(Source: Quote of the Day - Mon, 18 Aug 2008 05:00:00 GMT) |
| Agatha Christie |
| One doesn't recognize the really important moments in one's life until it's too late. |
| Read More...(Source: Quote of the Day - Sun, 17 Aug 2008 05:00:00 GMT) |
| politic |
| DEFINITION: (adjective) Smoothly agreeable and courteous with a degree of sophistication. SYNONYMS: bland, smooth, suave. USAGE: He was too politic to quarrel with so important a personage. |
| Read More...(Source: Word of the Day - Wed, 20 Aug 2008 05:00:00 GMT) |
| cagey |
| DEFINITION: (adjective) Showing self-interest and shrewdness in dealing with others. SYNONYMS: canny, clever. USAGE: The jurors saw right through the cagey lawyer's attempt to divert their attention away from the evidence. |
| Read More...(Source: Word of the Day - Tue, 19 Aug 2008 05:00:00 GMT) |
| cogitation |
| DEFINITION: (noun) Thoughtful consideration; meditation. SYNONYMS: study. USAGE: After much cogitation he rejected the offer, deciding instead to pursue his dream of becoming an artist. |
| Read More...(Source: Word of the Day - Mon, 18 Aug 2008 05:00:00 GMT) |
| Slobodan Miloševic |
| Miloševic was a Serbian Communist Party leader and the president of Serbia (1989–1997) and of Yugoslavia (1997–2000). After the dissolution of the former Yugoslavia, he promoted the idea of a “greater Serbia” and supported Serbian militias in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia, leading to accusations of “ethnic cleansing.” In 2002, a UN criminal tribunal charged Miloševic with war crimes, but he died before his trial concluded. What medical condition may have played a role in his death? |
| Read More...(Source: Today's Birthday - Wed, 20 Aug 2008 05:00:00 GMT) |
| John Dryden |
| Dryden was an English poet, dramatist, and critic who dominated the literary life of Restoration England to such an extent that the period is now known in literary circles as the “Age of Dryden.” He first came to public notice in 1659 with his Heroic Stanzas, commemorating the death of Oliver Cromwell. An early member of the Royal Society—a scientific society that still exists today—he was expelled for non-payment of his dues after only four years. How many siblings did he have? |
| Read More...(Source: Today's Birthday - Tue, 19 Aug 2008 05:00:00 GMT) |
| Alain Robbe-Grillet |
| Robbe-Grillet, a French novelist and filmmaker, is considered the originator of the nouveau roman, or "new novel." In this writing style, timelines and plots are fractured, and the resulting novel resembles the literary equivalent of a cubist painting. In The Erasers (1953), for example, a detective searches for the assassin in a murder that has not yet occurred, only to discover that he is destined to become the assassin. This novel is based on what legend from ancient Greece? |
| Read More...(Source: Today's Birthday - Mon, 18 Aug 2008 05:00:00 GMT) |
| Gamers prove their metal as rock stars |
| Jess Hu is a child care provider from Brooklyn, New York, but for 20 hours a week, she's a rock star. That's how much she estimates she plays the video game "Rock Band." |
| Read More...(Source: CNN.com - Funny News - Tue, 22 Jan 2008 12:27:09 EST) |
| Comedian is living in an Ikea store |
| Read full story for latest details. |
| Read More...(Source: CNN.com - Funny News - Tue, 08 Jan 2008 20:23:26 EST) |
| Texas town hopes to become UFO landing spot |
| Read More...(Source: CNN.com - Funny News - Wed, 23 Jan 2008 09:39:56 EST) |
| Governor's son sells 'Don't Drop the Soap' |
| Read full story for latest details. |
| Read More...(Source: CNN.com - Funny News - Mon, 28 Jan 2008 11:05:59 EST) |
| Cops snag lotto ticket from accused drug dealer |
| Read full story for latest details. |
| Read More...(Source: CNN.com - Funny News - Mon, 21 Jan 2008 10:51:26 EST) |
| Politician cuts the fat with photo fakery |
| Read full story for latest details. |
| Read More...(Source: CNN.com - Funny News - Sat, 19 Jan 2008 13:56:45 EST) |
| Puppy vs. polar cub for cuteness title |
| Read More...(Source: CNN.com - Funny News - Mon, 14 Jan 2008 09:56:18 EST) |