Metaphor (from Latin metaphoria) is a figure of speech and or phrase that portrays one word as being or equal to a second object in some way. It compares two subjects without using 'like' or 'as'. Compared to simile, the metaphor takes us one step further than the simile. Instead of asking us to picture one thing as being like another, the metaphor asks us to picture one thing as being the other.
A mixed metaphor is one that leaps from one identification to a second identification that is inconsistent with the first one. Example: "He stepped up to the plate and grabbed the bull by the horns," where two commonly used metaphoric grounds for highlighting the concept of "taking action" are confused to create a nonsensical image.
A dying metaphor is a derogatory term coined by George Orwell in his essay Politics and the English Language. Orwell defines a dying metaphor as a metaphor that isn't dead (dead metaphors are different, as they are treated like ordinary words), but has been worn out and is used because it saves people the trouble of inventing an original phrase for themselves. In short, a cliché. Example: Achilles' heel. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metaphor

According to Gisslen's Professional Cooking, “Herbs are the leaves of certain plants that usually grow in temperate climates" and “Spices are the buds, fruits, flowers, bark, seeds, and roots of plants and trees, many of which grow in tropical climates." See examples of which is which at http://www.helium.com/items/1440821-the-difference-between-spices-and-herbs

Over 350 new species, including the world’s second smallest deer and a bright green frog that uses its red and long webbed feet to glide in the air, have been discovered. One of the most significant findings was not exactly “new” in the classic sense. A 100-million year-old gecko, the oldest fossil gecko species known to science, was discovered in an amber mine in the Hukawng Valley in the northern Myanmar. The WWF report The Eastern Himalayas–Where Worlds Collide details discoveries made by scientists from various organizations between 1998 and 2008 in a region reaching across Bhutan and north-east India to the far north of Myanmar as well as Nepal and southern parts of Tibet Autonomus Region (China). http://www.worldwildlife.org/who/media/press/2009/WWFPresitem13240.html

A British family has set a world record for the longest solar-powered flight by paramotor, soaking up some serious rays in the process. The Cardozos took 15 days to travel 2,000km (1,242 miles) along the Mediterranean coast using machines the size of backpacks. The expedition from Monte Carlo to Morocco was led by brother Gilo, an engineer who helped explorer Bear Grylls fly a powered paraglider over Mount Everest in 2007. He ensured the batteries for the paramotors were charged up using solar panels on top of a support vehicle that followed the pilots. Three other machines that took part in the stunt–which included a spectacular flight over the shark-infested Straits of Gibraltar–ran on biofuels. The trip raised £10,000 for Ataxia UK–a charity supported by Damian and his wife, Madeleine. Three of their six children were diagnosed with the debilitating condition that attacks the nervous system. http://www.metro.co.uk/news/article.html?Family_flies_the_Med_powered_only_by_sunshine&in_article_id=718046&in_page_id=34

Report on URL Shorteners: Speed and Reliabiltiy
Royal Pingdom: URL shortener speed and reliability shootout - "The services included in this test are: Bit.ly, TinyURL, Ow.ly, Is.gd, Su.pr, Snipurl, Cli.gs, Tr.im and Twurl."

In Tampa, minimum-security Hillsborough County Jail inmates and employees sell hot sauce and plants outside the Falkenburg Road Jail. Inmates grow the plants there as part of a vocational program aimed at giving them real-world skills. The hot sauce is made of jail-grown peppers. Flavors include Original, Smoke and No Escape—the hottest of the bunch. Each bottle is $7. Allen Boatman, the jail's horticulture instructor, said inmates and staff came up with the recipe and started selling it in 2005. Since then, he estimates profits have reached about $10,000. The money is used to keep up the greenhouse and buy basic supplies, Boatman said. http://www.tampabay.com/news/article1025682.ece

Why does this e-book cost $14?! By Rick Broida
Dear e-book publishers: stop gouging us. Case in point: I just read a glowing review of Jonathan Tropper's "This is Where I Leave You." I'm sold; I want it. But something's amiss here: Amazon's hardcover price is $15.57, while the Kindle edition sells for $14.01. http://news.cnet.com/8301-13845_3-10309090-58.html

On August 21, 1911 the Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre Museum in Paris, France. More than two years later, in Italy, the thief contacted an art dealer and offered to sell him the Mona Lisa for $100,000. The art dealer met him, along with the director of the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. The thief, Vincenzo Peruggia, explained that all he wanted was to return the Mona Lisa to Italy where it belonged. He said he would sell it as long as the men promised to hang it at the Uffizi and not let it go back to Paris. Peruggia was, of course, arrested, and the Mona Lisa was sent back to the Louvre … but not until it went on a tour across Italy. The Writer’s Almanac