Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, April 20, 2018)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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saunter
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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CommasCommas are used to connect two or more elements in a sentence, but the way in which they do this varies widely, depending on what these elements are. What is a comma splice? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Raw FoodismRaw foodism is a lifestyle involving the consumption of uncooked, unprocessed, and often organic foods as a large percentage or the entirety of one's diet. Raw foodists vary in the extent to which they eat raw foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, eggs, fish, meat, and even unpasteurized dairy products, such as milk, cheese, and yogurt. Proponents claim that raw foods encourage weight loss, promote digestion, and prevent illness and toxicity. What have studies shown about raw food diets? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Sun Dog Phenomenon Observed over Stockholm (1535)Today, the science behind parhelia—also known as "sun dogs"—is well understood, but when the huge, glowing halos and miniature suns appeared in the sky above Stockholm in 1535, it was a major event. A painting of the occurrence is the earliest color depiction of Stockholm, then a crowded cluster of stone buildings on an island. It is also the earliest depiction of sun dogs and is largely scientifically accurate. What were some of the conflicting interpretations of the omen at the time? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Ernesto Antonio "Tito" Puente, Jr. (1923)One of the premier composers and players of Latin music, Puente was an American bandleader, pianist, and virtuoso percussionist. He formed his own band in 1947 and rose to prominence with the salsa, mambo, merengue, and cha-cha-cha fads of the 1950s. Always experimenting, he became a pioneer of Latin-jazz fusion and recorded more than 100 albums, winning multiple Grammy awards. His compositions include "Pare Cochero" and "Oye Como Va." On what TV shows did Puente appear as a guest star? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 The founders of a new colony, whatever Utopia of human virtue and happiness they might originally project, have invariably recognized it among their earliest practical necessities to allot a portion of the virgin soil as a cemetery, and another portion as the site of a prison.Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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have the better of (someone or something)— To have or gain superiority, mastery, or an advantage over someone or something; to have control over someone or something. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Boston Marathon (2020)The oldest footrace in the United States was first held on Patriots' Day, April 19, 1897. Organized by members of the Boston Athletic Association, the race involved only 15 runners. Nowadays the Boston Marathon draws upwards of 30,000 official starters. The 26.2-mile course begins exactly at noon in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, includes the infamous "Heartbreak Hill" (a section of Commonwealth Avenue in Newton Centre, Massachusetts, that marks the race's 21st mile), and ends near Copley Square in the Back Bay Area. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: plasterdrywall, plasterboard - Drywall is a building material made of a sheet of plaster covered with heavy paper on both sides; it is also called plasterboard. More... gypsum - From Semitic, a relative or ancestor of Arabic jibs and Hebrew gephes, "plaster." More... plaster of Paris - So called because it is prepared from the gypsum of Paris, France. More... trullization - Laying on plaster with a trowel. More... | |