Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, April 8, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Modal Auxiliary Verbs - MayThe modal verb "may" is used to ask, grant, or describe permission, and to politely offer to do something for someone, among other things. Why is "can't" more commonly used in questions than "may not"? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Dihydrogen Monoxide HoaxThe dihydrogen monoxide hoax utilizes an uncommon scientific name for molecules composed of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom to demonstrate how the lack of scientific literacy combined with an exaggerated analysis can lead to misplaced fears. The hoax points out that dihydrogen monoxide "is the major component of acid rain," "may cause severe burns," "contributes to the erosion of our natural landscape," and "accelerates corrosion and rusting of many metals." What is dihydrogen monoxide? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Entente Cordiale Signed by France and UK (1904)The Entente Cordiale was an agreement that settled numerous colonial disputes and ended antagonisms between Britain and France. It granted freedom of action to Britain in Egypt and to France in Morocco and resolved several other imperial disputes. The agreement was consequently upsetting to Germany, which had benefited from their antagonism. The Entente paved the way for Anglo-French diplomatic cooperation against Germany before World War I and for what later military alliance? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Edmund Husserl (1859)Husserl was a German philosopher and the founder of the phenomenological movement. His philosophy is a descriptive study of consciousness for the purpose of discovering the structure of experience—the laws by which experiences are had. Husserl concluded that consciousness has no life apart from the objects it considers and, in his later work, moved toward idealism and denied that objects exist outside consciousness. Husserl had a major influence on what German philosopher? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Hitch your wagon to a star.Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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can't even— slang Cannot handle (something). A phrase used (usually comically) when one cannot articulate their strong feelings (often of frustration) about something or someone. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Hana Matsuri (2019)Hana Matsuri is a celebration of the Buddha's birthday, observed in Buddhist temples throughout Japan. The highlight of the celebration is a ritual known as kambutsue ("ceremony of 'baptizing' the Buddha"), in which a tiny bronze statue of the Buddha, standing in an open lotus flower, is anointed with sweet tea. People use a small bamboo ladle to pour the tea, made of hydrangea leaves, over the head of the statue. The custom is supposed to date from the seventh century, when perfume was used, as well as tea. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: ranchbiscuit shooter - A waitress at a lunch counter or a cook on a ranch. More... dude, dude ranch - A dude is a city-dweller, especially one vacationing on a ranch—hence, dude ranch. More... ranch dressing - A creamy buttermilk-based dressing with garlic and other spices and herbs, developed at Hidden Valley Ranch in Santa Barbara in the 1950s. More... ranch - From Spanish rancho, "group of persons eating together." More... | |