Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, March 3, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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wraith
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Rules for Using Prepositions with NounsCertain prepositions can be used in conjunction with nouns. There is no clear-cut rule that determines which prepositions connect to which nouns, but we can make an educated guess by looking at what? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Kalahari DesertThe Kalahari Desert is an arid to semi-arid desert area that extends over 362,500 sq mi (900,000 sq km), forming most of Botswana and extending into Namibia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa. Although its name is likely derived from words meaning "great thirst" or "a waterless place," the Kalahari is not a true desert. In fact, some areas receive erratic rainfall and are well vegetated, and the region is home to a number of animals. What is sand mining, and how does it impact the Kalahari's wildlife? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Significant Oil Reservoirs Discovered in Saudi Arabia (1938)Prior to 1938, Saudi Arabia was not considered an oil-rich nation. Today, the oil industry dominates its economy, making up 90 percent of all Saudi exports. Oil was first discovered there in the mid-1930s by the US-owned Arabian Standard Oil Company, which became the Arabian American Oil Company. However, it was not until 1938 that a commercially viable oil field was found, yielding one of the largest supplies in the world. How large are Saudi Arabia's oil reserves estimated to be? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Charles Ponzi (1882)Possibly the most famous con man in history, Ponzi is now synonymous with a particular type of ruinous investment scheme. By promising impossibly high returns on a "get rich quick" scheme, Ponzi attracted enough new investors to use their money to pay off old investors, which made his outfit appear successful and solvent. It was not. After a series of trials, he was deported from the US, but in at least one case in 1922, he was found not guilty. Who was his lawyer at that trial? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Bashfulness is an ornament to youth, but a reproach to old age.Aristotle (384 BC-322 BC) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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lay (one's) life on the line— To put oneself in harm's way (to achieve something), especially at the risk of losing one's life. (Sometimes used hyperbolically.) More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Hina Matsuri (2021)Hina Matsuri is a festival for girls, celebrated in homes throughout Japan since the Edo Period (1600-1867). A set of 10 to 15 dolls (or hina), usually family heirlooms from various generations, is displayed on a stand covered with red cloth. Dressed in elaborate silk costumes, the dolls represent the emperor and empress, court ministers, and servants. In parts of Tottori Prefecture, girls make boats of straw, place a pair of paper dolls in them and set them afloat on the Mochigase River. The custom dates back to ancient times when dolls were used as talismans to exorcize evil. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: layersply - From Latin plicare, "fold," a thickness or any of the layers of a multilayer material, such as plywood. More... disk - The layers of cartilage and pulp between vertebrae. More... Neapolitan ice cream - Gets its name from its layers resembling the Italian flag. More... delaminate - To separate into layers. More... | |