FrontPage Archive - July 2007
Created | Updated Jan 19, 2008
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2 July 2007
Ursa Major: The Great Bear - Probably the most recognisable of all constellations for those north of the Equator.Richard Curtis: Screenwriter - A comedy writer behind some of the biggest-grossing British films of all time.
® Visiting the Grand Canyon - One of the seven natural wonders of the world and a powerful tourist magnet.
QOTD: One side of the Nobel Peace Prize medal depicts three naked men frolicking
3 July 2007
The History of the Button - Definitive h2g2 Entry on the subject of buttons, from Bronze Age decoration to pearly kings and queens.Craig Ferguson: Comedian - He battled the bottle and won, becoming a much-respected TV presenter, scriptwriter and author.
® The History of Radar - The introduction to an astoundingly comprehensive set of Entries, all well written and soundly researched.
QOTD: Handy Life Tips no. 38 Never sneeze with your mouth full.
4 July 2007
The Adelie Penguins: Pebbles For Payment - These birds sometimes resort to desperate measures to insulate their nests.'Half Nelson': the Film - This 2006 work examines how high ideals can crumble under the weight of reality.
® 'A Bus Driver's Prayer': The Ian Dury Song - Altogether now: Our Father, who art in Hendon...
QOTD: The first thing to look for when buying a caravan is Jeremy Clarkson's driveway.
5 July 2007
Quatermass - Tremendous entry on a ground-breaking UK television production that had viewers trembling behind their living room sofas.Chips Mayai - Or, if you don't speak KiSwahili, chips and egg. It's quite possibly Tanzania's second national dish.
® The Stonechat - There is something captivating about this little bird with the call that sounds like two stones being knocked together.
QOTD: Obviously, I know that you get a shadow by blocking light with something that's either translucent or opaque. But what exactly *is* a shadow?
6 July 2007
Using an Abacus for Addition and Subtraction - Made from beads and wires, an abacus is a more endearing object than an electric calculator.Will They Power Your Car With Sawdust From Canada? - Can we 'seize opportunity where once we saw dust'?
® Iced Tea without Boiling Water - Obviously, this is with regard to the actual making of the tea, without a kettle.
QOTD: Earlier this week I was asking myself if slugs had a sense of smell.
9 July 2007
The Lion of Chaironeia - A giant statue erected in Central Greece in about 300 BC to commemorate the dead who fell in a battle.® The Two-envelope Paradox: - A puzzle in which an argument based on probability seems to conflict with common sense.
® Orson Welles: Theatre and Radio - Incredibly, there was even more to Welles than Citizen Kane, widely regarded as the greatest film ever.
QOTD: Where else would you use the words 'truculent', 'guileless' or 'unconstructive'?
10 July 2007
Freddie Mercury - Singer/Songwriter and Musician - Farrokh Bulsara's journey from Zanzibar to London and international fame.® Cake Recipes - This extensive Entry shows you how to make everything from Victoria Sponge to...Chocolate Courgette Cake...?
® Melbourne, Australia - This state capital has a population of around three million and a climate of seasonal extremes.
QOTD: I just love it when you talk Pythagoras to me...
11 July 2007
Freegans - A look at a group of people who are cleaning up and reusing the things 'everyday folk leave behind' all around the world.The American Piddock Invasion of Europe - This occurred via a merchant consignment of American oyster before 1890.
® SUNCTS Headaches - A debilitating problem that many sufferers have to deal with on a weekly, daily or even hourly basis.
QOTD: What would children in YOUR primary school have called you if your name was Shiloh Pitt?
12 July 2007
London Underground - Bakerloo Line - It's 14 miles long, it's brown and it's (mostly) underground.Slipped Upper Femoral Epiphysis - This condition certainly sounds painful, but what exactly is 'soofee', as it's known for short?
® Edinburgh Castle - The castle may be ancient but it's still awe-inspiring, attracting over a million tourists each year.
QOTD: The awesome 'Dumpy's rusty nuts' deserves a mention here I believe.
13 July 2007
Leopold Ritter von Sacher-Masoch - A look at the life of a man whose name is the eponym of masochism.Ruddy Shelduck - This rust-coloured bird that appears as a cross between a duck and a goose, measuring up to 67cm.
® What Can Go Wrong When Firing Military Weapons - The title of this one's fairly self-explanatory.
QOTD: Has Jennifer Aniston, for instance, got over Brad yet? Does she have Pitt Closure? Sorry.
16 July 2007
Pronouncing Ancient Greek for English Speakers - Have you ever wondered how Homer would have sounded reading the Iliad? Allergic Feminine Irritation (AFI) - Although men can irritate women, this Entry covers a more personal allergy.
® The Hairy Ball Theorem - No matter how you comb it, it's always going to have that annoying tufty bit that you just can't do anything with.
QOTD: You can get great views as well if you mount Lord Hereford's Knob.
17 July 2007
42 Amazing Facts About Sawdust - It's hard to believe there any 'amazing facts about sawdust' but we've got 42 of them here! The Wreck of The Hesperus - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote a poem about it but did the Hesperus actually exist?
® How to Play Open Mic Nights - The first step that many musicians take, a daunting but often rewarding experience.
QOTD: Can't blame my parents for the surname, but my maiden name was Towers, so I was forever referred to as Fawlty
18 July 2007
Chocolate Mole - One bite of this holds a big mouthful of flavours: sweet, bitter, fruity, earthy and piquant.Sleeping in a UK Youth Hostel Bed - Tips on how to utilise the infamous 'sheet sleeping bag.'
® 'Tevye's Daughters' - A collection of short stories that served as the basis for The Fiddler on the Roof.
QOTD: Can two cats become friends?
19 July 2007
Historic Buildings of Bradford, West Yorkshire, UK - Bradford is a forward-looking city, but it's also celebrating its past.Having a Barium Enema - It doesn't sound very pleasant. It isn't - but this article explains why having one could be important.
® Orson Welles - He said he started at the top and worked his way down. Find out about the man behind Citizen Kane.
QOTD: a typical female oppossum has thirteen nipples. Twelve in a circle and one in the middle.
20 July 2007
A wonderful collection of entries detailing the eccentric yet spectacular history of The New Yorker magazine, a bastion of exemplary writing and high ideals...
- The New Yorker: A guided tour through this iconic publication.
- Ross's Little Magazine : The first copy leaves the shelves in 1925.
- Mr Shawn's New Yorker: A golden age from 1951 to 1987.
- A Condé Nast Publication : A new era as Tina Brown makes her mark.
- Harold Ross: Fascinating history of the archetypal editor.
- Who was Ross?: Father, uncle, brother, confessor and nursemaid
- Katherine S White: 'Tenacious, indomitable, uncompromising'.
- EB White: Described as the 'most companionable of writers'.
- James Thurber: Never lost for words, a raconteur extraordinaire.
- Wolcott Gibbs: Typical of the brilliant New Yorker misfits.
- William Shawn: Wonderfully enigmatic, quietly powerful editor.
QOTD: I just ate crumpets with lashings of butter. So now I'm feeling naughty - but nice!
23 July 2007
Watling Street - Let us take you on a journey along the most important Roman road in Great Britain.The Like - A band formed by the teenage daughters of three rock industry types with a shared passion for music and vegetarianism.
® Origins of Days of the Week - Most societies worldwide have some form of week, though the number of days can vary from three to 16.
QOTD: I'm appalled to read that. "Herd" is entirely the wrong collective noun in that context.
24 July 2007
The Groma: The Tool That Built An Empire - The poles and plum lines that kept the Romans on the straight and narrow.DB Cooper: Skyjacker and Folk Hero - He walked onto a plane with a bag full of dynamite, but did he get away with the perfect crime?
® George Formby - One of Lancashire's most famous sons, George kept millions entertained 'With (his) Little Ukulele'.
QOTD: I happen to know that he's not a tube, but a cone. And he smells of chips.
25 July 2007
The Wellington Statue, Aldershot, Hampshire, UK - Lovely entry about the UK's largest equestrian statue proudly installed in 1885.Haematuria (Blood in the Urine) - Microscopic or macroscopic haematuria indicates the presence of red blood cells in the urine.
® Mars - A concise, informative Entry on the planet Mars, part of a group of Entries on the planets in our solar system.
QOTD: If it takes longer to load than h2g2 I consider the website to be anti-dailup
26 July 2007
Mount Everest - Though some may make claims for other mountains, this 'Holy Mountain' is the tallest in the world.Howling Bells: the Band - Originally known as Waikiki, this Australian quartet are based in London.
® MASH: The Film - One of the most original war films ever to have been produced by a major US film studio.
QOTD: What a weird summer... … How can anyone know what to wear in these conditions?!
27 July 2007
How To Get an Egg Into a Bottle - Confound your friends, delight your family and bemuse the easily bemused.'Das Leben Der Anderen' (The Lives of Others): Film - East Berlin, November 1984. Reunification is an impossible dream...
® The Measurement of Radioactivity - Radiation is, in the strictest sense of the word, simply a form of energy propagation.
QOTD: I can get in an early shot about my theory that re-incarnation is the problem.
30 July 2007
Kathleen Ferrier: Contralto - One of England's greatest-ever natural singing talents who captivated all who saw her perform.The Phaistos Disc - The mysterious impressions made on this ancient clay disc are the earliest-known examples of typography.
® Jack Russell Terriers - These bundles of nervous energy owe their name and character to a legendary 'sporting' Oxford Minister.
QOTD: The only thing I will auto-condiment is fish and chips... but only if I can do it with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
31 July 2007
George Archer-Shee aka The Winslow Boy - The true story of a young boy and his family fighting against injustice.The Legend of the Lorelei - Clemens von Brentano's ballad of the Lore Lay, written in 1801, soon became the basis of a popular myth.
® Toffee Popcorn - Sweet, sticky and fully compatible with films, both at home and at the cinema.
QOTD: Fortunately the religious brainwashing didn't work but I'm pretty good with a tent.
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