Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, December 20, 2018)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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finicky
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Defining the Continuous AspectThe continuous aspect is a subclass of the imperfective that emphasizes the progressive nature of the verb, looking at it as an incomplete action in progress over a specific period of time. The continuous aspect does not indicate the duration of the action, nor how often it occurs. Instead, it shows what? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 FunkCharacterized by a syncopated rhythm and a heavy, repetitive bass line, funk is a musical style that originated in the US in the 1960s when African-American musicians blended soul, jazz, and rhythm and blues into a danceable new form of music. Following the popularity of Motown artists like The Temptations, The Four Tops, and The Supremes in the 60s, funk emerged with artists such as James Brown, Sly and the Family Stone, and George Clinton. More recently, funk has been fused with what genres? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 South Carolina Becomes the First State to Secede from the US (1860)In the 1830s, South Carolina residents, frustrated by agricultural tariffs, broached the possibility of secession. Tariff reform appeased them for some time, but following the election of President Abraham Lincoln in 1860, South Carolina seceded from the Union. The state's governor immediately demanded all federal property within the state, including Fort Sumter. The firing on Sumter by Confederate batteries in 1861 precipitated the Civil War. When was the US flag raised over Fort Sumter again? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Branch Wesley Rickey (1881)Rickey was an American baseball executive. In 1919, he devised baseball's farm system of using minor-league teams to train major-league players. In 1945, after he took over the Brooklyn Dodgers, he defied convention and broke a long-standing race barrier by hiring Jackie Robinson, the first black player in the major leagues. A deeply religious man, the "Mahatma"—as Rickey was popularly known—never played, attended, or managed games on Sundays. What protective gear did he introduce to baseball? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 It has long been an axiom of mine that the little things are infinitely the most important.Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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go soft on (someone)— To treat someone delicately, gently, or leniently; to not criticize, punish, or berate someone too harshly. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Posadas (2019)This nine-day Christmas celebration in Mexico commemorates the journey Mary and Joseph (the parents of Jesus) took to Bethlehem. Reenacting their search for shelter (posada in Spanish) in which Jesus might be born, a group of "pilgrims" will knock on someone's door and ask the owner to let them in. The master of the house finally invites them to enter and the Posadas party begins. The children are blindfolded and given a chance to break the piñata by swinging at it with a stick. The posadas are repeated for nine evenings, the last occurring on Christmas Eve. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: trafficfilter lane - The lane of traffic reserved for those making a specific turn at the next junction. More... reverse commute - To travel to work opposite of the normal rush of traffic. More... traffic calming - The deliberate slowing of traffic in residential areas, with speed bumps or other obstructions. More... traffic - Can only be traced to Italian traffico and trafficare, "trade," but that is all that is known. More... | |