| Tuesday, July 31, 2007 |
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| Vacation Plans |
SpotlightVacations aren't just for lolling around on the beach anymore. Many people are donating part of their vacation these days to rebuilding homes destroyed by hurricanes, replanting forests ravaged by fire or playing with children who have been displaced from homes destroyed by floods. "
Quote"I envy people who can just look at a sunset. I wonder how you can shoot it. There is nothing more grotesque to me than a vacation."
Word of the dayzero-sum game
A game in which the winnings of some players must equal the losses of the others. Zero-sum games are mentioned in a political context when it is believed that resources are limited, and every decision will produce both winners and losers. In such situations, political decisions will be made on the basis of trade-offs between competing interests.
This week's words are from Politics, our political dictionary from Houghton-Mifflin. The dictionary includes institutions, parties and terminology from the world of politics, from ancient to cutting-edge.
Today's News
- Japanese yen: currency falls from sky, shows up in mailboxes, appears in men's restrooms (story)
- William McGonagall: museum nixes memorial for "world's worst poet" (story)
- Ingmar Bergman: Swedish director dies at 89 (story)
Today's History
- Trinidad: island in the Caribbean was discovered by Columbus (1498)
- potash: first US patent was granted to Samuel Hopkins, for his process of making potassium compound used in soap, glass and fertilizer (1790)
- NYSE: closed due to the outbreak of World War I, but opened again 4 months later to help the war effort by selling bonds (1914)
- Hebrew University: terrorist bombing at Jerusalem campus cafeteria killed nine people, among them five Americans (2002)
Today's Birthdays
- Primo Levi (1919-1987): Italian chemist and writer
- Gary Lewis (62): singer, Gary Lewis and the Playboys
- Wesley Snipes (45): star of Demolition Man, Blade
- J.K. Rowling (42): creator of Harry Potter (who shares the same birthday)
