Tuesday, March 11, 2008

 

Spotlight: You learn something new every day. When we think of an octopus, most of us think of a creature with eight tentacles and a round head. It turns out that there is a difference between tentacles and arms. Tentacles are generally longer than arms and they have a few suckers (similar to suction cups) only at the tips. The arms of an octopus, for instance, have two rows of suckers, extending their entire length. And just to throw another anomaly into the pot of mollusks, recently marine biologists discovered a "hexapus" — an octopus with only six arms. They believe the abnormality was caused by a genetic defect.

Quote: "Tell me, O Octopus, I begs,/ Is those things arms, or is they legs?/ I marvel at thee, Octopus; If I were thou, I'd call me Us." — Ogden Nash

Question of the Day: What is a hexapus?
A hexapus is a six-legged octopus. The first and only known one of its kind was found in a lobster pot off the coast of north Wales. He's at the Blackpool Sea Life Centre in northwest England. More

Word of the day: dowager
Generally, a widow supported by the property of her deceased husband. In real property, a widow who has a life estate in the real property of her husband by her right of dower. Moynihan, Introduction to the Law of Real Property 68 (3d ed. 2002). (© Barron's Educational Series, Inc)

Today's History:

Gorbachev (center) in Sofia, 1985

• Mikhail Gorbachev: was appointed the leader of the Soviet Union, despite being the youngest member of the politburo at the time (1985)
• Paul McCartney: was knighted by Queen Elizabeth (1997)
• Madrid bombings: 10 bombs exploded on the train system during rush hour, killing 191 (2004)

Today's Birthdays:

Terrence Howard

• Frederick IX (1899-1972): Danish king who supported resistance against Germans in WWII; another world leader born on this date was Harold Wilson (1916-1995)
• Rupert Murdoch (77): media mogul, CEO of News Corp.
• Bobby McFerrin (58): a capella singer of "Don't Worry, Be Happy"
• Douglas Adams (1952-2001): sci-fi author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
• Terrence Howard (39): Oscar nominee for Hustle & Flow; other actors born on this date include Peter Berg (44), Wallace Langham (43) and Thora Birch (26)