Posted: August 5th, 2010 | Author: Brad | Filed under: Society | Tags: conflagration | No Comments »
Smoke over Sumatra, Indonesia from forest fires
Indonesia routinely has some of the world’s largest conflagrations. A series of colossal fires in 1997-1998 burned down an estimated 25,000 square miles of forest, releasing up to 2.6 Gigatonnes of carbon dioxide. Slash and burn techniques used by farmers make such conflagrations typical; its annual carbon emissions from fires average at least 5 times as much as those from all industrial processes, making the country, next to the United States and China, the third largest greenhouse gas emitter.
Conflagration (pronounced “kon-flə-GRAY-shən”)
A large destructive fire.
Etymology
From Latin flagrare, meaning “to burn”, plus prefix com, meaning “with, together”. Flagrare is also the base of “flagrant” (meaning “conspicuously bad or offensive”).
Synonyms
inferno
Sources
Wikipedia, Reuters
Posted: August 4th, 2010 | Author: Brad | Filed under: People | Tags: espy | 2 Comments »
Pacific Ocean at over 200 km (124 miles) from surface
The astronaut Gordon Cooper had 20-12 vision, which means that he could see almost twice as well as a normally-sighted person. In fact, he claimed to espy railroad tracks in northern India and smoking chimneys in the Himalayas when orbiting the earth 100 miles above its surface. While some psychologists argue that he was merely making accurate guesses based on vague clues, science writer Joan Steen Wilentz points out several factors that lend him credibility. Because the atmosphere was very clear, lighting was ideal, and he was breathing pure oxygen in his capsule (which enhances vision), he may have actually seen the objects he claimed to — from 100 miles away.
Espy (pronounced “ih-SPIE”)
To catch sight of (something distant, partially hidden, or obscure); glimpse.
Etymology
From Old French espier, from colloquial Latin spiare, “to spy”.
Synonyms
detect, glimpse, descry
Source
The Senses of Man (pg. 318) | Photo by: blatantworld
Posted: August 2nd, 2010 | Author: Brad | Filed under: People | Tags: outré | 2 Comments »
Nakamatsu claims patent to the floppy disk, CD, and digital watch
Inventor Yoshiro Nakamatsu is the world record holder for the most patents, currently numbering over 3,000. However, he is characterized as much by his outré habits as he is by his inventiveness. He has photographed and analyzed every meal he has eaten over the past 34 years, and with the help of a specially formulated snack, expects to live for 144 years—no more, no less. When asked how he he triggers his ideas, he responded that “A lack of oxygen is very important”; he submerges himself underwater until he gets a “flash” only “0.5 seconds before death”, and scribbles it onto a plexiglass writing pad.
Outré (pronounced “ooh-TRAY”)
Highly unconventional; eccentric or bizarre: “outré and affected stage antics”
Etymology
Appeared in English in early 1700s, from French outré, present participle of outrer, meaning to “to carry to excess, overdo, or exaggerate”.
Synonyms
eccentric, idiosyncratic, outlandish
Source
Yoshiro Nakamatsu, We Salute You | Photo by: blakespot
Posted: July 30th, 2010 | Author: Brad | Filed under: Society | Tags: clandestine | 5 Comments »
One Tunnel from the Great Escape in Poland
One of history’s most notable clandestine acts is the “Great Escape” from the Nazi prison camp, Stalug Luft III. Six hundred airmen imprisoned within the camp collaborated to build three massive tunnels, each carving an escape route 30 feet underground. They discreetly started the tunnels in a bathroom drain, underneath a stove, and in a dark corner of a hallway. They grew them to the point where they had installed air pumps, electrical lighting, and rail cars, which were needed to remove an estimated 200 tons of soil. Despite suspicions that something major was going on, the Nazis never caught the prisoners constructing the tunnels.
Clandestine (klan-DES-tin)
Kept or done in secret, often in order to conceal an illicit or improper purpose.
Etymology
From Latin adverb form of celare, meaning “to hide”, and possibly intestinus, meaning “internal”. Celare is also the root of cell, ceiling, conceal, and occult.
Synonyms
undercover, cloak-and-dagger, surreptitious
Source
Wikipedia: Stalug Luft III
Posted: July 29th, 2010 | Author: Brad | Filed under: People | Tags: irascible | 3 Comments »
Photo of Andrew Jackson at 78, months before his death
Whether Andrew Jackson was a good or bad president, he was certainly an irascible being. Mere insults frequently provoked him to engage in duels, which in those days consisted of standing point-blank in front of an opponent and firing a musket. He was shot so many times that historian Chris Wallace exaggerated, “he was known to rattle like a bag of marbles”. The only man he actually killed in a duel, Charles Dickinson, was challenged after he insulted his wife. Jackson let Dickinson shoot first, which lodged a bullet deeply in his chest that stayed there for life.
Irascible (pronounced “ih-RAS-əh-bəl”)
1. *Prone to outbursts of temper; easily angered.
2. Characterized by or resulting from anger.
Etymology
From Latin irasci, “grow angry”, from ira, “anger”. Ira is also the root of “irate”.
Synonyms
irritable, hotheaded, choleric
Source
Wikipedia: Andrew Jackson
