An Australian physicist has uncovered an error in dictionary definitions that has likely stood uncorrected for a century. University of Queensland academic Stephen Hughes found that entries for the word ‘siphon’ incorrectly said atmospheric pressure is the force that allows the device to move liquids from one place to another. “It is gravity that moves […]
Category Archives: Off Topic
Wanna Buy Nicolas Cage’s Money Pit?
Apparently not. At an auction held Wednesday in Los Angeles, no one was willing to throw down the minimum bid of $10.4 million. Debt-ridden movie star Nicolas Cage lost his Bel Air mansion to foreclosure on Wednesday. The courthouse auction was a flop, as no one was willing to make the minimum $10.4 million bid. […]
How a Secretary Made and Gave Away $7 Million
She lived in a tiny one-bedroom cottage in Lake Forest, Ill. She bought her clothes at rummage sales, didn’t own a car and worked most of her life as a secretary for a pharmaceutical company. Yet after her death at age 100, Grace Groner left Lake Forest College a gift of $7 million to be […]
Clinton’s party tent rises
The big top is up and the big day almost here for Chelsea Clinton. A massive white tent stands behind a sprawling Rhinebeck estate as preparations for the year’s most anticipated wedding kick into high gear. The 50-acre Astor Courts estate, overlooking the Hudson River, was abuzz with activity Wednesday in the final hours before […]
Asteroid Will Fly Close by Earth Thursday
A newly discovered asteroid will zip close by Earth Thursday, but poses no threat of crashing into our planet even though it is passing within the orbit of the moon. The asteroid, called 2010 GA6, is a relatively small space rock about 71 feet (22 meters) wide and was discovered by astronomers with the Catalina […]
New dictionary words
New Words for the Dictionary The English language is always evolving. There was a time when words like email, x-ray, and d’oh were nowhere to be found in the dictionary. Today, we add a few more new words to the tome. The bookworms behind the Oxford Dictionary of English recently released a list of 2,000 […]
World’s most spectacular pools
Bliss in the Golden Triangle Landscape architect Bill Bensley was responsible for a complete redesign of the grounds at Anantara Resort & Spa, a 90-room hotel located in Thailand—in the Golden Triangle, the point where Myanmar, Laos and Thailand meet. Commanding a view over a jungle canopy, its pool may be the only one in […]
Chinese dissident wins Nobel Peace Prize
Chinese dissident Liu wins Nobel Peace Prize Imprisoned Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo won the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for “his long and nonviolent struggle for fundamental human rights” — a prize likely to enrage the Chinese government, which had warned the Nobel committee not to honor him. Thorbjoern Jagland, the Norwegian Nobel Committee […]