Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, June 4, 2016)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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inebriety
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Substituting Modal VerbsModal auxiliary verbs can be quite similar in how they are used, and it is sometimes unclear when it is appropriate to use one instead of another. For instance, "will," "can," "could," and "would" can all be used to make a request of someone, with differing degrees of what? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Al-Azhar UniversityLocated in Cairo, Egypt, Al-Azhar University was founded in 972 CE as a madrasa—a place of Islamic learning. By teaching numerous subjects in the same place, it was one of the first universities in the world and the only one to survive as a modern university. Historically, students primarily studied the Qur'an and Islamic law. Today, the university is the world's chief center of Arabic literature and Islamic learning. When did it begin teaching a wide range of secular subjects? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Jonathan Pollard Pleads Guilty to Espionage Charges (1986)After leaving graduate school in 1979, Pollard immediately began applying for intelligence positions, and landed one at the US Naval Investigative Service (NIS). In 1985, after he had attained a high level of clearance, coworkers noticed that he was accessing a huge number of documents for seemingly no reason. He was arrested and, the following year, pled guilty to selling secrets to Israel. He was sentenced to life in prison. What early clues nearly derailed his career before it started? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 François Quesnay (1694)While serving as consulting physician to Louis XV at Versailles, Quesnay developed an interest in economics. In his 1758 Tableau économique, he described the relationship between the different economic classes of society and the flow of payments among them, and he developed the concept of economic balance used by many later economic analysts. An advocate of laissez-faire economics, he believed that all wealth originated with the land. What school of economics is he credited with founding? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 The very essence of an instinct is that it is followed independently of reason.Charles Darwin (1809-1882) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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be had up (for something)— To be indicted, arrested, and/or tried (for a crime). More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 International Festival-Institute at Round Top (2020)This teaching institute and music festival was founded by world-renowned pianist James Dick in 1971 to establish a center where talented student musicians could make a smooth transition to a professional career. The emphasis is still on pianists, but there is also instruction in strings, woodwinds, brass, chamber music, and orchestra. The faculty is composed of internationally known musicians who also perform as soloists at the concerts given there. Round Top is the smallest incorporated city in Texas; just north of the town square is the scenic 200-acre Festival Hill grounds. 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... | |