ARTICLE OF THE DAY from the Free Dictionary
The Rack  An ancient torture device, the rack was used to stretch its victims' joints to the breaking point. A prisoner's hands and feet would be fastened to rollers located at either end of the device's rectangular frame, and during interrogations, a ratchet would gradually increase the tension on the chains. The excruciating torture inspired such terrible fear that some prisoners would confess after merely watching someone else being stretched on the rack. Who were some of the device's famous victims? Discuss

IN THE NEWS from the Free Dictionary
Researchers Hope to Block Type 1 Diabetes  Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the body’s own cells mistakenly attack insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. Insulin is a hormone crucial to the process of converting sugar to energy. Patients who suffer from this form of diabetes must rely on regular insulin injections in order to survive, but researchers are looking for a new way to treat diabetes, and their approach involves attacking the disease at its root. They are working to create a vaccine that will selectively shut down the immune system cells attacking the pancreas, thereby preventing the damage that necessitates later insulin injections. Discuss

THIS DAY IN HISTORY from the Free Dictionary
Revolt Aboard the Amistad (1839)  In 1839, 53 African slaves being transported on the Spanish merchant ship La Amistad revolted against their captors. Though their transport to the US was illegal, when they arrived in New York they were declared salvage by the US Navy and were taken to be sold as slaves. The widely publicized court cases that ensued helped propel the abolitionist movement. In 1842, the Africans finally returned home after the Supreme Court ruled they were not legally slaves. What does "amistad" mean? Discuss