Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, November 24, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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subsist
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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BracketsBrackets ( [ ] ), sometimes known as square brackets, are usually used within quoted speech to indicate that a writer has added material to the quotation. What are the different types of brackets? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Vincent of BeauvaisVincent was a French scholar and encyclopedist. A Dominican priest, he became lector and chaplain to the court of King Louis IX. By 1244, he had compiled Speculum majus, an 80-book compendium of knowledge that included human history from creation to the time of Louis IX, natural history and science known to the West, and a compendium of European literature, law, politics, and economics. His work influenced scholars and poets up to the 18th century. What does the work's title mean? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Mysterious Hijacker Parachutes from Plane with $200,000 Ransom (1971)To this day, the true identity of the well-dressed man calling himself Dan Cooper—reported in the press as D. B. Cooper—who hijacked a passenger jet and then parachuted from the airborne Boeing 727 with a $200,000 ransom, remains a mystery. Despite numerous leads and a great deal of media attention, the mystery man's true identity and whereabouts continue to elude investigators, and the bulk of the money has never been recovered. What are some theories about who he was and what became of him? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Benedict de Spinoza (1632)Spinoza was a Dutch Jewish philosopher whose early interest in new scientific and philosophical ideas led to his expulsion from the synagogue in 1656. His philosophy represents a development of and reaction to the thought of René Descartes, and many of his most striking doctrines are solutions to difficulties created by Cartesianism. In his masterpiece, Ethics, he constructed a monistic system of metaphysics modeled on Euclid's Elements. How did Spinoza earn a living? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Fortune always leaves a door open in adversity in order to bring relief to it.Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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have (one's) feet on the ground— To be and remain in a calm, stable, sensible, and pragmatic state or condition; to not be subject to extreme emotional reactions or affected by exceptional changes in one's situation. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Jizo Ennichi (2023)Tradition calls for Japanese Buddhists to honor Kshitigarba Jizo on the 24th day of each month with a ritual known as Jizo Ennichi. Kshitigarba Jizo is a Bodhisattva, or "Buddha-to-be." Among Japanese Buddhists, he is known for helping children, women in labor, and the wicked. He is also believed to participate in ushering in the souls of the faithful when they die. His statue is most often found outside temples, where he can guide both the dead and the living. Shrines in his honor are set up along roadsides, since he protects travelers as well. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: platformlectern, podium, dais, rostrum - A lectern is the stand on which the speaker's notes are placed, the podium is the platform on which the speaker and lectern stand, a dais is a platform for several people, and a rostrum is a platform for one or more. More... pulpit - From classical Latin pulpitum, "platform, stage." More... hustings - Its early meaning of "platform" led to its sense of "any place from which campaign speeches are made" and "political campaigning." More... rostrum - Latin for "beak," it first referred to part of the Rome Forum decorated with bird beaks and used as a platform for speakers. More... | |