Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, October 18, 2018)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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do-gooder
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Defining PhrasesPhrases are groups of two or more words that work together to perform a single grammatical function in a sentence. How do phrases differ from clauses? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 ConscriptionConscription, compulsory enrollment in a country's armed forces, existed as early as the 27th century BCE in Egypt. Since then, forms of obligatory military service have been recorded in countless cultures; Japanese samurai, Aztec warriors, and citizen militiamen in ancient Greece and Rome are just a few examples of conscripted forces. Conscription in the modern sense dates from 1793, when the French Republic raised an army of 300,000 men. What countries draft women into military service? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Women in Canada Finally Recognized as "Persons" (1929)In the early 20th century, Canadian women were often prohibited from hearing court testimony deemed inappropriate. Emily Murphy protested and became the first woman magistrate in Canada—and all of the British Empire—but her rulings were often challenged because women were not legally considered "persons." Murphy and four other women, the "Famous Five," submitted a petition for constitutional clarification. The subsequent Persons Case granted Canadian women personhood. What else did it establish? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Pierre Trudeau (1919)As prime minister of Canada from 1968–79 and 1980–84, Trudeau advocated a strong federal government and took a determined stand against the Quebec separatist movement. Despite his opposition to Quebec's independence, he supported Canadian sovereignty and secured for the country a new constitution in 1982 that precipitated its official independence from Britain. He also had French adopted as an official state language. How did Trudeau figure into an alleged plot to assassinate Fidel Castro? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 It is the same with man as with the tree ... The more he seeketh to rise into the height and light, the more vigorously do his roots struggle earthward, downward, into the dark and deep—into the evil.Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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spit (out) the dummy— To have a childish overreaction or angry outburst to a negative situation or outcome; to act in a bad-tempered manner, likened to a temper tantrum of a child. "Dummy" here refers to a plastic teat used to soothe teething infants (also called a "pacifier" in the U.S. or a "soother" elsewhere), which they may spit when in the middle of a tantrum. Primarily heard in Australia. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Azerbaijan Independence Days (2018)Azerbaijan observes two independence days. The May 28, 1918, establishment of the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan provides the occasion for the older independence celebration. Two years later, Azerbaijan came under Soviet rule. Azerbaijan's new independence day commemorates the declaration of independence made by the Supreme Soviet of Azerbaijan on October 18, 1991. After the U.S.S.R. ceased to exist as a geopolitical entity in December 1991, Azerbaijan became an official independent state on December 26, 1991. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: literarycenacle - A discussion group or literary clique—also, a small dining room where a literary or philosophic group eats and talks (from Latin cena, "dinner"), such as the room in which the Last Supper was held. More... literary - A painting or sculpture that depicts a story can be described as "literary." More... opuscule - A diminutive of opus, meaning a minor or small work, literary or musical. More... copyright - Literally, "the right to reproduce" one's own work or authorize others to do so; copyright protects original artistic, literary, dramatic, musical, and intellectual work in a tangible medium. More... | |
| Match Up | |
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| Mismatch | |
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| In the News | |
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How Mushrooms Might Save the BeesA household cure for declines in the bee population, from a mushroom retailer named Paul Stamets who realized mushrooms may hold an antiviral power for the insects, could be in wide use by next year, giving hope in a struggle to save the vital species. The ... More... | |