FrontPage Archive - February 2009
Created | Updated Mar 1, 2009
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2 February 2009
Coastal Redwoods - These giant trees grow in cool temperate regions of the world and get their name from their thick red bark.The Spirograph Nebula - 2,000 light years distant, it looks like it has been designed using the educational toy.
® Bad Habits and How to Stop Them - This Entry explores how best to deal with the annoying/yukky side of human nature.
3 February 2009
Atheists and Christmas - Some non-believers like to celebrate what many see as an increasingly secular celebration.The Visigoths - The most powerful of the disparate tribes which swept into Iberia in 409 AD, taking advantage of a weakened Rome.
® Plant Propagation - The basic methods are easy to master and require very little in the way of tools or equipment.
QOTD: Well, the kitchen was a little colder than usual this morning, but there was no snow on the stairs or landing, so I reached my office on time.
4 February 2009
The History of Spain: The Moorish Conquest - The religiously tolerant Moors made quick work of ousting the unloved Visigoth rulers.Shell Shock - We now consider the terrible symptoms of war-induced 'shell shock' to be a form of post-traumatic stress disorder.
® Near Earth Objects (NEOs) - What would happen if a giant meteorite ploughed into Earth at several hundred thousand miles an hour?
QOTD: The College of Knowledge is shut today.
5 February 2009
Trinity: the Number Three - Ancient Greeks who studied under Pythagoras considered three to be the first true number.Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - In 1984, two American artists were sitting around, doodling, when one of them hit on an incongruous idea.
® John Bird, MBE - As a child, the founder of The Big Issue experienced his family being constantly evicted as they were unable to pay the rent.
QOTD: One thing puzzles me (well, okay, more than one), how can a five-dimensional universe be "shaped like a Pringle"?
6 February 2009
Oliver Cromwell: Lord Protector of the Commonwealth - A historically divisive figure, but his effect on history is significant.A Presidential Inauguration? - As the first inaugural oath of office was taken on 30 April, 1789, nobody was quite sure what to do.
® How Do You Make a Little Money Go a Long Way? - Prudent financial advice from the collective consciousness of the h2g2 Community.
QOTD: I had to make do with the merest scrap of dirty slush this morning. … So not fair!
9 February 2009
The History of Spain (1250 - 1450) - With the conquest of the Moors, Spain was more or less united, but only in terms of religion.Blencathra - An old favourite of fell-lover Alfred Wainwright, this fell is said to take its name from the old Cumbrian for 'Devil's Peak'.
® Mind the Gap - It's not just an announcement that you'll hear on London's Underground railway system when a train arrives at a station.
QOTD: Similar distortions of Time are reported by those who observe pots put on to boil.
10 February 2009
Using a Shell to Hear the Sea - There are various ideas about what actually makes the 'wave' sound when you put a shell to your ear.Taunton, Somerset, UK - This is a market town in the south-west of England, situated midway between Bristol and Exeter.
® Big Star - Although this band existed for only a few short years in the early to mid-1970s, their influence on today's pop music is inexorable.
QOTD: Sleep? :- its just your bodies way of telling you that your running low on caffine....
11 February 2009
Today we're delighted to present, in full for the first time, an excellent project by Skankyrich on the History of Spain:
® First Inhabitants - Spain has the oldest European hominid evidence.
® The Roman Era - Ancient history's clash of the titans.
® Visigoths - Also known as Goths, they left little of their presence.
® Moorish Conquest Their advance through alien country was swift.
Christian Reconquest - Spain still had four distinct kingdoms.
® 1250 - 1450 - The country was at last united, but only by religion.
Fernando and Isabel - A partnership that reunited Aragon and Castile.
QOTD: This thread is goldmine for race horse names.
12 February 2009
Today we're proud to present a project by kitrapsjasani on the India-Pakistan Conflict:
The Origins of Conflict - From the Mughal to Gandhi's assassination.Kashmir: The Traces of the Conflict - Conflict over the princely state.
1965 - 1999 - The Line of Control and the creation of Bangladesh.
Operation Vijay - Armed conflict in Kashmir.
Aftermath - The nuclear threat eases as Mussharaf comes to power.
QOTD: I think it would smell like one of those Arctic Breeze air fresheners.
13 February 2009
Today we're proud to present a series of Entries on Pond Life:
Introduction to a Microcosm - Often taken for granted, ponds are veritable 'jungles', teeming with the strangest of creatures.The Larger Creatures - Dragonflies, hoverflies, damselflies, moths, water molluscs and spiders all inhabit ponds.
Exploring the Small World - Frogs, toads and other amphibians, as well as fish and all the predators of these animals, can be found.
QOTD: For a while now I've been wanting to adopt Stephen Fry as my Dad.
16 February 2009
The Pharaohs of the Fourth Dynasty - According to Dr Zahi Hawass, this time period represented the Golden Age of Ancient Egypt.Astrocytoma - This is a type of brain tumour deriving from a star-shaped cell called an astrocyte.
® Darwin in the Dock - In defiance of a religiously motivated and archaic law, substitute teacher John Scopes taught a class about evolution.
QOTD: If it's up there I'll give you points myself...
17 February 2009
The Gladiators Of Rome - Most gladiators were slaves, but some free men also volunteered to enter the arena for fame or wealth.The Shelling of Copenhagen - For three days in 1807, the British Army and Navy shelled the city's largely civilian population.
® The Greek Alphabet - Mathematicians and scientists pronounce the names of the letters quite differently from Greek people.
QOTD: … do this a few times and he will get the message and naff off to bother some other nerk instead
18 February 2009
The Shellsuit - Is the shellsuit the ultimate crime against fashion, or merely a brilliant concept given a bad reputation by the media?Whitwell: Twinned with Paris - The tale of an obscure East Midlands village whose French 'twin' is the impossibly glamorous Paris.
® The Mustang Aircraft - Built to last and loved by pilots, the Mustang aircraft produced by North American Aviation (NAA) is a legend.
QOTD: I cant stand the constant replacing of stuff that's not worn out yet! Why the new phone? Why the new TV? Why the new computer console? Is the old one fulfilling your requirements?
19 February 2009
Light Pollution - Dark Skies Awareness is a new initiative aimed at reducing light pollution in as many towns and cities as possible.The UK's Misuse of Drugs Act (1971) - The Act puts drugs into three classes, outlining penalties for those caught possessing them.
® Mathematical Knots - A mathematical knot is not that different from a normal knot and is similar to the continuous loops of Celtic knotwork.
QOTD: why does water expand when it freezes, rather than contract and become more dense? It seems counterintuitive.
20 February 2009
® Presented here for the first time as whole collection on the front page, a delightful University project on Orchids of the British Isles:
Animal Nomenclature; Tresses;
Orchids of Bogs, Fens and Marshes; Orchis;
Helleborines (Cephalanthera); Dactylorhiza;
Helleborines (Epipactis); Insect Mimics;
Lady's Slipper Orchid; Twayblades;
Miscellaneous Orchids; Saprophytes.
QOTD: This thread has had fewer posts than it deserves
23 February 2009
Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip - A range of hip deformities and dislocations found in small children.The Pyramid of Hawara, Egypt - Once the tomb of a great king, the history of this pyramid is fascinating.
® Truffles - The original truffle is a subterranean fungus that is harvested mainly in France.
QOTD: Was it HG Wells who suggested that binmen be allowed to wear special, golden suits to indicate their worth to society?
24 February 2009
Who Shelled the Nut? - Hazel trees were once laden with lovely hazelnuts, but not so these days. Who's been stealing the nuts? Eddie the Eagle - A very British kind of hero, Eddie's tale is one of great bravery and no little humour in the face of insurmountable odds.
® The Rosetta Stone - Until its discovery, historians had been unable to decipher the hieroglyphs painted on Egyptian tomb walls.
QOTD: How do you pronounce Ozymandias?
25 February 2009
The English Smoking Ban of 2007 - A ban on smoking tobacco in any enclosed public space was implemented in England on 1 July. Vanished Alexandria - Lovely Entry that focuses on those ephemeral parts of classical Alexandria that are no longer directly visible.
® The Three Gorges - Moving across China, the Yangtze River has carved three magnificent valleys.
QOTD: Would those in work like to pay someone to do what they are doing for the pay that they are getting ?
26 February 2009
Oysters - The ultimate food of love and an epicurean delight, or a thoroughly slimy experience, redolent of salt 'n' sewage?Florence Foster Jenkins - Despite an inability to ever actually hit the right note, Jenkins was determined to be an opera singer.
® The Ferret Badger - Interestingly, Burmese people often encourage these creatures to enter their homes to get rid of rodents and insects.
QOTD: I aim for a sort of generic Greek-god look.
27 February 2009
Nebulae: an Overview - The mysterious dark shapes of these dusty, gaseous clouds in outer space continue to fascinate and perplex us.The Motorway Network of Northern Ireland - Did you know that newly-qualified drivers are limited to 45mph for the first year?
® Singing Saturn's Hexagonal Mystery - Saturn's rings not only resemble a vinyl LP, they plays tunes as well, broadcast as radio waves.
QOTD: What's the biggest thing you ever broke?
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