The mere dimensions of the Lincoln Memorial command a certain reverence. Perched atop a three-tiered stack of steps, the base covers roughly the same area as a football field. Thirty-six massive Doric-styled columns surround it. Each is 44 feet high and more than 23 feet around at the base. Then there's the statue. At 19 feet tall, the seated figure of Abraham Lincoln is almost as imposing as the Memorial itself. Its giant hands, gripping the arms of his chair, look as though they could cradle you comfortably. If the statue could stand, it would reach a towering height of 28 feet. Designing the shell of the Memorial was relatively easy. Architect Henry Bacon's earliest drawings show the influence of Greek architecture. Begun in 1914, after decades of debate, the construction of the Lincoln Memorial took eight years, lasting through a World War.
http://www.npr.org/programs/morning/features/patc/lincoln/

Prefix follow-up
I couldn't remember the difference between mega and meta, and found them in two different lists. So I printed some of each list recently. Mega means 1 million--although today people also use it to mean gigantic. Meta means after, beyond, changed, different, and has been paired with many roots.

Alexander Calder's last major work of art, a mobile, was installed in the National Gallery of Art on November 18, 1977, one year after his death. Calder created his first moving abstract sculptures or "mobiles" in the early 1930s. Using an ingenious system of weights and counterbalances, he eventually designed constructions that moved freely when suspended, powered only by slight air currents. The work he created for the East Building, Untitled, 1976, is by far the largest example of this type of motorless construction. Originally planned in steel, the sculpture's thirteen panels and twelve arms were too heavy to function as the artist intended. Paul Matisse translated the design into an aluminum construction that retained the look and dynamism of Calder's original maquette. The mobile is now constructed of aluminum honeycomb panels, hollow aluminum tubes, and very little steel. http://www.nga.gov/collection/calderinfo.shtm

Red peppers are ripened green peppers. Black olives are ripened green olives.
Raisins are dried grapes. Prunes are dried plums.

Are fennel and anise the same plant? Although they share a similar taste profile—reminiscent of black licorice—fennel and anise are two different plants. The botanical name of anise is Pimpinella anisum while the botanical name of fennel is Foeniculum vulgare. Both anise and fennel belong to the Apiaceae family. In addition to the fact that they share a similar flavor, what often creates confusion among these two plants/foods is that fennel is often referred to as anise. Since the whole plant (bulb, stalks, fronds) of fennel is consumed while it is usually just the seeds from the anise plant that are eaten, if you see a vegetable-like plant called "anise," chances are that it is actually fennel.
There is one further complication to the anise and fennel story. Historically, several different plants have been referred to as "anise." One version of anise you may also be familiar with is star anise (also called Chinese anise). This form of anise gets its name from the eight-pointed star that forms a pod for its seeds. Star anise has its own scientific name (Illicum verum) and unlike fennel and anise, it is not a part of the Apiaceae family but rather the Illiciaceae family. http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?pfriendly=1&tname=dailytip&dbid=220

See food of the week, recipe of the week and hot topics from The George Mateljan Foundation at: http://www.whfoods.com/

Magenta is a purplish-pink color evoked by lights with less power in yellowish-green wavelengths than in blue and red wavelengths. It is an extra-spectral color, meaning it cannot be generated by a single wavelength of light, being a mixture of red and blue wavelengths. The name magenta comes from the dye magenta, commonly called fuchsine, discovered shortly after the 1859 Battle of Magenta near Magenta, Italy. In the Munsell color system, magenta is called red-purple. In the CMYK color model used in printing, it is one of the primary colors of ink. In the RGB color model, the secondary color created by mixing the red and blue primaries is called magenta or fuchsia, though this color differs in hue from printer’s magenta.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magenta

Venetian red is a light and warm (somewhat unsaturated) pigment that is a darker shade of scarlet, derived from nearly pure ferric oxide (Fe2O3) of the hematite type. Modern versions are frequently made with synthetic red iron oxide. The first recorded use of Venetian red as a color name in English was in 1753. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venetian_red

U.S. embassies and consulates around the world:
http://immigration.findlaw.com/immigration/immigration-resources/immigration-us-embassies.html

The United States has unveiled plans for its new $1 billion high-security embassy in London—the most expensive it has ever built. The vast crystalline cube, surrounded by a 100-ft.wide moat and parkland, will separate the building from the main road. The price also does not include the 17.5 per cent VAT demanded by the Treasury on all buildings in Britain and which the US has refused to pay. The new location will take the embassy out of the Central London congestion zone. US diplomats owe an estimated £32 million in congestion charges and fines, which they refuse to pay on the ground that they are exempt from taxes in Britain. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article7038550.ece

Chipmunks in Toledo were out of hibernation by March 10 this year.