One reason that Eurasian civilizations dominated the globe is because they came from a continent that was broader in an east–west direction than north–south, claimed geographer Jared Diamond in his famous 1997 book Guns, Germs and Steel.  Now, a modelling study has found evidence to support this 'continental axis theory'.  Continents that span narrower bands of latitude have less variation in climate, which means a set of plants and animals that are adapted to more similar conditions.  That is an advantage, says Diamond, because it means that agricultural innovations are able to diffuse more easily, with culture and ideas following suit.  As a result, Diamond's hypothesis predicts, along lines of latitude there will be more cultural homogeneity than along lines of longitude.  To test that prediction, researchers at Stanford University in California used language persistence as a proxy for cultural diversity, and analysed the percentage of historically indigenous languages that remain in use in 147 countries today relative to their shape.  For example, the team looked at the difference between Chile, which has a long north–south axis, and Turkey, which has a wider axis running east to west.  The researchers found that if a country had a greater east–west axis than a north–south one, the less likely it was for its indigenous languages to persist.  The relationship isn't straightforward, but the model suggests that Mongolia, which is about twice as wide as it is tall, would have 5% fewer indigenous languages than Angola, which is roughly square.  Meanwhile, Peru — about twice as tall as it is wide — would be predicted to have 5% more persistent languages than Angola.  The result, say the authors, supports Diamond's theory because it indicates that east–west countries have more homogeneous cultures.  Read more at:  http://www.nature.com/news/how-geography-shapes-cultural-diversity-1.10808 

perdure   (puhr-DOOR, -DYOOR)   verb intr.  To continue to exist; endure.

From Latin per- (through) + durare (to last), from durus (hard).  Earliest documented use:  1475.

esthesia or aesthesia  (es-THEES-zhuh)  noun:  The capacity for sensation.

Back formation from anesthesia (loss of sensation), from Greek an- (not) + aisthesis (sensation). Earliest documented use:  1829; anesthesia is from 1721.  
A.Word.A.Day with Anu Garg

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Börje Forssell  Subject:  Position of verbs
You wrote:  'In English the verb goes in the middle of a sentence (I love you), while some languages relegate it to the end (I you love).  This may sound preposterous to those not familiar with such a language (German, Hindi, Japanese, among others), but it's quite common.'  For German, however, this is only partly true, i.e. in subordinate clauses.  In a main clause as 'I love you', the order of the words is the same as in English ("ich liebe dich").

Jonathan Swift (1667–1745) was an Anglo-Irish satirist, essayist, political pamphleteer (first for the Whigs, then for the Tories), poet and cleric who became Dean of St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin.  He is remembered for works such as Gulliver's Travels, A Modest Proposal, A Journal to Stella, Drapier's Letters, The Battle of the Books, An Argument Against Abolishing Christianity, and A Tale of a Tub.  Swift is probably the foremost prose satirist in the English language, and is less well known for his poetry.  Swift originally published all of his works under pseudonyms—such as Lemuel Gulliver, Isaac Bickerstaff, M.B. Drapier—or anonymously.  Find Swift's poems at:  http://www.poemhunter.com/jonathan-swift/ 

Bookcases are in transition, just like the people who own them.  The printed word no longer needs paper, and paper no longer needs stiffened linen or leather to contain it and be a … book.

Rows of decorative spines with titles stamped in gold or black — those advertisements of a household’s taste and personality lined up in view — might actually start looking a bit too 20th century for people hurtling themselves into a paperless future.  Or not.  Current magazines still recommend buying hardbacks for almost nothing at garage sales to fill shelves to make a person seem well-read.  As recently as March 2012, Dwight Garner, after taking a dig at the limitations of e-books in The New York Times, thought it relevant to quote bibliophile and novelist Anna Quindlen:  “I would be most content if my children grew to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building bookshelves.”  And Benjamin Sundermeier, designer at Space Planning + Design in the Northeast area of Kansas City, said his clients don’t seem motivated to “shift away from shelves” housing books.  Sundermeier has recently noticed a trend toward repurposing bookshelves for imaginative uses in the home.  “We used antique bookshelves in a closet for shoes and sweaters and boxes,” he said of a recent design project.  Another client, he said, has an iron and wood bookshelf “displaying her collection of beautiful cookware and her kitchen TV.”  In another house, a Chinese pot rack has found its function as a place to stack books.  Laura K. Lloyd  http://www.kansascity.com/2012/06/14/3654875/books-are-competing-for-shelf.html 

A good many of the  pigeons of Paris make annual visits to the French Open where they have attacked tennis balls and decorated the court with their droppings.  This year the Open uses a team of five falcons and three hawks to provide air surveillance for the tournament.   Kennedy Airport has used falcons to keep birds away from jet engines, and Wimbledon has done the same to protect its grass seed from hungry pigeons.  The New Yorker  June 18, 2012

A Delta flight headed for Los Angeles made a safe emergency landing at JFK International Airport in New York on April 19 after a bird strike.  A flock of birds hit the Delta plane’s right engine causing it to malfunction and burn.  Bird strikes are fairly common.  The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reports there were 2,586 bird strikes at JFK alone since 1990 and most are not considered to pose any risk to aircraft or passengers.  However, this Delta flight bird strike was different.  It struck the plane’s engines while on take-off, a critical part of the flight wherein the engines were on full thrust.  Passengers on Delta Flight 1063 reported hearing a loud grinding noise when the flock of birds struck the plane, then some shaking.  Moments later, the cabin started filling with smoke – an indication that the engine that was struck had started burning.  One passenger said he thought it was the end for him and his fellow passengers. Fortunately, Delta Flight 1063 made it safely to JFK.

http://manila-paper.net/bird-strike-sends-delta-flight-on-emergency-landing-at-jfk-video/32189

June 21 is the 172nd day of the year (173rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar.  There are 193 days remaining until the end of the year.  On non-leap years (until 2039), this day marks the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere and the winter solstice in the southern hemisphere, and is the day of the year with the most hours of daylight in the northern hemisphere and the least hours of daylight in the southern hemisphere. 

217 BC – The Romans, led by Gaius Flaminius, are ambushed and defeated by Hannibal at the Battle of Lake Trasimene.

1307 – Külüg Khan is enthroned as Khagan of the Mongols and Wuzong of the Yuan.

1529 – French forces were driven out of northern Italy by Spain at the Battle of Landriano during the War of the League of Cognac.
1749 – Halifax, Nova Scotia, is founded.
1788 – New Hampshire ratifies the Constitution of the United States and is admitted as the 9th state in the United States.  See more events at:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_21