Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, February 14, 2016)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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coeval
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| Article of the Day | |
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 WaterboardingWaterboarding, a torture method that simulates drowning, has existed in various forms since the time of the Spanish Inquisition. Generally, water is poured over the face of an immobilized prisoner, inducing the gag reflex and mimicking sensations associated with drowning. The technique gained international attention in 2006, when reports surfaced charging the US with torturing detainees during the "War on Terror." When CIA officers were waterboarded during training, how quickly did they break? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Israeli Knesset Convenes for the First Time (1949)In 1948, following a failed attempt by the UN to divide Palestine, which had been under British mandate, the nation of Israel proclaimed its independence. The first legislative assembly, or Knesset, convened in February 1949 and succeeded the Assembly of Representatives that had functioned as the Jewish community's parliament during the Mandate era. The prime minister and the president are responsible to the Knesset, whose members are elected by popular vote. What does "knesset" mean in Hebrew? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Renée Fleming (1959)Fleming is an American soprano who specializes in opera and lieder, a type of German art song intended for soloists. The daughter of two music teachers, Fleming graduated from SUNY Potsdam in 1981 with a degree in music education and went on to study at Eastman School of Music and Juilliard. Her professional debut was in Austria in 1986. She has won numerous awards for her roles in opera and for the classical music she has recorded. What did Fleming do to pay for her studies at Juilliard? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 To criticize is to appreciate, to appropriate, to take intellectual possession, to establish in fine a relation with the criticized thing and to make it one's own.Henry James (1843-1916) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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gut-wrenching— Agonizing; extremely distressing, unpleasant, or emotionally disturbing; having a severe effect on one's feelings. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Birthday of Richard Allen (2017)The son of two slaves, Richard Allen (1760-1831) was born in Philadelphia on this day. By the time he was 26 years old, he had saved enough money to buy his way out of slavery, and soon after that he established America's first African-American church. Allen's work among African Americans expanded at such a rapid rate that in 1816 he had to expand the organization of his church nationwide. Members of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church commemorate the birth of their founder and first bishop on this day. More... | |
| In the News | |
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World's Oldest Wild Bird Just Became a Mom for the 40th TimeThe world's oldest known wild bird just added a new chick to the family — her 40th one, experts say. The Laysan albatross (Phoebastria immutabilis), named Wisdom, is at least 65 years old but ... More... | |