Word: digging
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...though his lawyer argues that the accused is incapable of premeditating a murder. "No, gentlemen, this skull here holds no plans," the defense claims. "What you see here is a thing . . . to hold the handle of a plow, a thing to load your bales of cotton, a thing to dig your ditches, to chop your wood, to pull your corn." In effect, Jefferson is not condemned to die like a man but be destroyed like a beast. Worse still, he believes that he is no better than a dumb animal...
...northern sections of the swamp are already dry. Most of the rice farming population has left. In the central marshes, the Shi'ite stronghold, the water level has dropped as much as 18 ft. Inhabitants now have to dig wells to find drinking water; in one attempt, villagers struck oil instead...
Backcountry skiers can substantially reduce their risk by heeding avalanche- center warnings, which rank the danger as low, medium, high and extreme. Forecasters routinely dig pits into targeted slopes to probe the condition of the snow below. Sometimes they even check the stability of the slope by carving ski-size slices through a test area, then standing or jumping on it. In general, south-facing slopes are less prone to avalanches because warmth from the sun promotes the bonding of the snowpack. Avalanches are also rare on slopes with inclines of less than 30 degrees. But there are exceptions...
Last week the archaeologist got some impressive support. An international team of researchers announced that a new magnetic survey has revealed a 14- ft.-thick clay wall about 1,300 ft. south of Schliemann's dig. His find now appears to be the dwelling site of the city's rulers; the still buried wall probably marks Troy's true boundaries and might be the very wall that Achilles reputedly chased Hector around three times. Archaeologists intend to excavate the barrier, which lies 6 to 10 ft. underground, this summer. Still missing are any signs of the Trojan horse...
...usual, some of the best characters have little to do with the plot. Brian Martin does a terrific job as Tess Pattern, a wovewy journalist with a speech impediment. She and Tab Lloyd (Andrew Howard), a 15th-century Geraldo Rivera-Maury Povich type, dig away at the sleazy side of the kingdom, threatening to broadcast everyone's dirty laundry. (Political Subtext...