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| BBC News - US & Canada |
| Robotic arm controlled by thought Wed, 16 May 2012 17:05:51 GMT A brain-implanted sensor enables two US patients who are paralysed from the neck down to control a robotic arm with the power of thought. |
| Robert F Kennedy Jr's wife dead Thu, 17 May 2012 01:32:36 GMT Mary Kennedy - the estranged wife of Robert F Kennedy Jr, nephew of John F Kennedy - is found dead at her home. |
| Activists storm Montreal classes Wed, 16 May 2012 18:49:08 GMT Student protesters in Montreal storm the University of Quebec, disrupting classes as they were due to resume after a boycott protesting rising tuition fees. |
| 'Innocent man' executed in Texas Wed, 16 May 2012 17:27:08 GMT The US state of Texas is likely to have executed an innocent man due to careless handling of the case, a report by US law students claims. |
| Obama honours Vietnam War soldier Wed, 16 May 2012 22:01:30 GMT US President Barack Obama awards the Medal of Honor to a Vietnam War soldier, four decades after his original recommendation was lost. |
| Edwards does not testify in trial Wed, 16 May 2012 20:28:23 GMT The defence in John Edwards' corruption trial rests its case without calling the two-time presidential candidate or his ex-mistress to the stand. |
| Facebook to sell 25% more shares Wed, 16 May 2012 16:23:57 GMT Facebook says it will sell 25% more shares than first planned in its forthcoming flotation in response to strong demand. |
| Google makes search 'more human' Wed, 16 May 2012 20:05:52 GMT Google revamps its search engine in an attempt to offer instant answers to search questions with a new function, the Knowledge Graph. |
| Fed wary of any US spending cuts Wed, 16 May 2012 19:07:08 GMT The Federal Reserve is worried about the impact on the US economy if government spending is cut sharply, minutes of its April meeting show. |
| Obama bid raises $44m in April Wed, 16 May 2012 14:04:50 GMT US President Barack Obama and the Democratic Party raise a combined $43.6m in April, down from a total of $53m a month earlier. |
| Accused Zimmerman 'nose broken' Wed, 16 May 2012 16:00:30 GMT Florida murder suspect George Zimmerman reportedly had a broken nose after shooting teenager Trayvon Martin, says a doctor's report cited by US media. |
| Masseur drops Travolta sex claim Wed, 16 May 2012 09:16:53 GMT One of the two male masseurs who have accused actor John Travolta of sexual assault withdraws his legal action. |
| Virgin Atlantic allows air calls Wed, 16 May 2012 15:32:23 GMT Passengers flying Virgin Atlantic from London to New York will soon be able to make in-flight phone calls using personal devices. |
| Avengers sets box office record Sun, 13 May 2012 17:35:26 GMT Superhero movie The Avengers becomes the first film in Hollywood history to make more than $100m in its second week. |
| GM to drop adverts on Facebook Wed, 16 May 2012 10:05:57 GMT US car giant General Motors says it will stop advertising on Facebook, days ahead of the social networking site's share flotation. |
| Facebook raises flotation price Tue, 15 May 2012 12:49:17 GMT Facebook raises the price range at which it hopes to sell shares to between $34 and $38, potentially putting its total value above $100bn. |
| Canada country profile Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:21:27 GMT Provides an overview of Canada, including key events and facts about the world's second-largest country |
| Puerto Rico profile Thu, 23 Feb 2012 11:36:28 GMT Provides and overview as well as facts and figures for this small dependency of the United States situated in the Caribbean |
| St Pierre and Miquelon profile Thu, 23 Feb 2012 17:03:36 GMT Provides an overview of what remains of France's once-extensive possessions in North America |
| United States country profile Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:32:43 GMT Provides an overview of the United States, including key events and facts about this superpower |
| VIDEO: Soyuz spaceship docks at ISS Thu, 17 May 2012 06:59:45 GMT A Soyuz spacecraft has successfully docked with the International Space Station. |
| VIDEO: Horse rescue two miles out at sea Thu, 17 May 2012 08:13:26 GMT A photo shoot at a beach in California had to be stopped after the horse in the pictures panicked and bucked the rider off. |
| VIDEO: Arizona wildfire continues to rage Wed, 16 May 2012 06:33:18 GMT US firefighters are continuing to battle a growing wildfire near Crown King in Arizona, with dry conditions and high wind hampering efforts to contain it. |
| VIDEO: Thoughts used to control robotic arm Wed, 16 May 2012 17:59:10 GMT Two patients in the United States who are paralysed from the neck down have been able to control a robotic arm using their thoughts. |
| VIDEO: Cut price booze: Lessons from Canada Tue, 15 May 2012 15:32:27 GMT BBC Scotland's political correspondent Glenn Campbell visits Canada to assess the impact of a minimum price for alcohol. |
| VIDEO: David Beckham butt of Obama's jokes Wed, 16 May 2012 05:35:38 GMT President Obama has welcomed the LA Galaxy football team to the White House to celebrate the team's winning of the Major League soccer championship in the US. |
| VIDEO: Rattlesnake bites man in Wal-Mart Tue, 15 May 2012 12:03:31 GMT A Wal-Mart customer is recovering after he was bitten by a rattlesnake in a garden department of the chain store. |
| VIDEO: When General Grant expelled the Jews Wed, 16 May 2012 21:54:53 GMT The wide consequences of US Civil War hero's expulsion of Jews |
| Swiss Army knife adapts to remain a cutting-edge tool Wed, 16 May 2012 23:26:03 GMT How the Swiss Army knife adapted after events of 9/11 |
| VIDEO: Dominican-American vote crucial to presidential poll Wed, 16 May 2012 01:24:59 GMT Why New Yorkers may choose Dominican Republic's next leader |
| Flipboard integrates audio in app Wed, 16 May 2012 00:21:16 GMT Flipboard starts making noise in world of mobile apps |
| DR Congo mining's reputation in tatters Mon, 14 May 2012 23:00:38 GMT Is US 'conflict minerals' law adding to Congo misery? |
| VIDEO: Creative brains imagine a smarter tomorrow Tue, 15 May 2012 12:11:09 GMT The creative brains imagining a smarter future |
| Profile: Sea Shepherd Cpt Watson Mon, 14 May 2012 12:22:05 GMT Environmental campaigner Paul Watson, founder of Sea Shepherd |
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| Word of the day |
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 17, 2012 is:
maffick • \MAF-ik\ • verb
: to celebrate with boisterous rejoicing and hilarious behavior
Examples:
Fans mafficked for hours outside the stadium, celebrating the team's dramatic victory in the division championship.
"In half an hour, after the mildest of mafficking, the last visitors of the exhibition's last day had gone out of the gates and the staff began their final acts of closing up shop." — From an article in The Guardian (London), October 1, 2011
Did you know?
"Maffick" is an alteration of Mafeking Night, the British celebration of the lifting of the siege of a British military outpost during the South African War at the town of Mafikeng (also spelled Mafeking) on May 17, 1900. The South African War was fought between the British and the Afrikaners, who were Dutch and Huguenot settlers originally called Boers, over the right to govern frontier territories. Though the war did not end until 1902, the lifting of the siege of Mafikeng was a significant victory for the British because they held out against a larger Afrikaner force for 217 days until reinforcements could arrive. The rejoicing in British cities on news of the rescue produced "maffick," a word that was popular for a while, especially in journalistic writing, but is now relatively uncommon.