Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, October 26, 2018)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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nipper
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Using the Active VoiceYou should always use the active voice if an agent is identifiable or contains information that is relevant to the rest of the sentence. On the other hand, when an agent is unknown or irrelevant, we usually switch to the passive voice and do what to the agent? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 GerrymanderingGerrymandering is the political practice of drawing electoral district lines in a way that gives an unfair advantage to a particular political party. Numerous countries have enacted reforms against gerrymandering, but in the US such reforms have met with opposition from groups that benefit from the practice. The term "gerrymander" was inspired by an 1812 Massachusetts redistricting scheme that favored the party of Governor Elbridge Gerry. Where did the "mander" part of the word come from? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 USA PATRIOT Act Signed into Law (2001)Enacted quickly and with little opposition in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the sweeping USA PATRIOT Act dramatically enhanced the powers of law enforcement and intelligence-gathering agencies within the US. The bill has since come under increasing scrutiny and criticism, and aspects of it have faced legal challenges in the courts. After it was renewed in 2006, most of its sections became permanent. What section of the act has riled librarians in particular? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Mahalia Jackson (1911)As a child, Jackson sang at the New Orleans church where her father preached. After moving to Chicago, she sang with a touring gospel quintet. Her warm, powerful voice first came to wider public attention in the 1930s. Called "The Queen of Gospel," she sang at an inaugural party for US President John F. Kennedy, at the 1963 March on Washington, and at the funeral of Martin Luther King, Jr. Despite many offers, she refused to sing secular songs. Jackson was born with what physical deformity? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 It is well known to all experienced minds that our firmest convictions are often dependent on subtle impressions for which words are quite too coarse a medium.George Eliot (1819-1880) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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in the eye of (something)— At, in, or amidst the central or focal point of something. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 St. Demetrius's Day (2020)St. Demetrius is the patron saint of Salonika (Thessalonike) in northeastern Greece, near where he was martyred, perhaps during the fourth century. His feast day marks the beginning of winter for farmers, and a spell of warm weather after October 26 is often called "the little summer" or "the summer of St. Demetrius." It is a day for opening and tasting the season's new wines. St. Demetrius is also the patron saint of soldiers. October 26 is also the anniversary of the liberation of Salonika from the Turks in 1912. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: leadercoryphaeus - A Greek word meaning "chief," for the leader of a party, sect, school of thought, etc. More... herald - Etymologically, a "leader of an army," from Germanic kharjaz, "army." More... hegemon - A Greek word for "leader." More... nestorian, nestor - Nestorian means wise and aged, and a nestor is a senior figure or leader in one's field. More... | |