Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, February 28, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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acquirement
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Primary Auxiliary VerbsThe "primary" auxiliary verbs are "be," "have," and "do"—they occur most commonly in English. What is the emphatic "do"? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 GuanyinA popular Mahayana Buddhist deity, Avalokitesvara is the bodhisattva—enlightened being who defers Nirvana to help others—of infinite compassion and mercy. He is said to be the creator of the fourth world, the actual living universe. In Tibetan Buddhism, he is thought to be reincarnated in each Dalai Lama to preserve Buddha’s teachings. However, in China and Japan, his gender became ambiguous, and he evolved into the goddess of mercy known as Guanyin. How does Guanyin differ from Avalokitesvara? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme Is Assassinated (1986)Palme served as prime minister of Sweden from 1969 to 1976 and from 1982 to 1986. In 1971, he led Sweden's rejection of a bid for membership in the European Community. A pacifist, he criticized US policy in the Vietnam War, creating a diplomatic rift that ended in 1974. Palme also opposed the nuclear arms race and South African apartheid. He was assassinated in 1986, and his murder remains unsolved. What did US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger reportedly say about his relationship with Palme? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Samuel Joel "Zero" Mostel (1915)Mostel was an American comic actor who combined a large paunch with acrobatic grace and an expressive face. He initially worked both on Broadway and in film but was blacklisted in Hollywood for his political views and worked primarily in New York City theater after 1955. He had lead roles in the musicals A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and Fiddler on the Roof. In 1968, he starred in the Oscar-winning Mel Brooks film The Producers. What was Mostel's real name? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Conscience is the guardian in the individual of the rules which the community has evolved for its own preservation. It is the policeman in all our hearts, set there to watch that we do not break its laws. It is the spy seated in the central stronghold of the ego.W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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a lick with the rough side of the tongue— Severe criticism and/or a stern reprimand. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Paczki Day (Thusty Czwartek) (2019)Paczki Day is a day in early to mid-February in Poland and the United States on which a rich, jelly- or crème-filled doughnut is traditionally eaten in anticipation of the 40 days of fasting required during the religious season of Lent. In Poland, the observance of Paczki Day is known as Thusty Czwartek, or Fat Thursday; in the United States, Polish-Americans celebrate Paczki Day on Fat Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday, which signals the beginning of Lent. Paczki are made of dense, rich dough that is deep-fried and may be filled with fruit-flavored jam or crème. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: mineralsdouse, dowse - Douse first meant "knock, punch, strike" and now means "to extinguish or wet thoroughly"; dowse means to look for water or minerals with a divining rod. More... hard water - That which contains large amounts of minerals. More... mica - Any of a group of minerals that occur in small glittering plates or scales in other rocks. More... micronutrient - One of the vitamins and minerals needed only in small amounts for normal body function. More... | |