Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, September 10, 2015)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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abstemious
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Concrete and Abstract NounsConcrete nouns name people, places, or things with physical properties. Abstract nouns name intangible things, such as concepts, feelings, characteristics, etc. Gerunds are verbs that end in "-ing" and function as nouns. Are they concrete or abstract? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Scuba DivingDeep sea diving is generally performed with the aid of a breathing apparatus. Scuba (an acronym for Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus) is a system that delivers air to the diver at the same pressure exerted by the surrounding water. Most scuba divers limit their descent to about 130 ft (40 m), though certain record setters have reached depths of 300 ft (91 m) or more. At depths beyond 130 ft, nitrogen narcosis may set in; how does this condition impair a diver's judgment? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 People of Gibraltar Vote to Remain a British Dependency (1967)A rocky peninsula on the southern tip of Spain, the Rock of Gibraltar was held by the Moors from 711 to 1462, annexed by Spain in 1501, and captured by the British in 1704. After more than 200 years as a British crown colony, the people of Gibraltar participated in a national referendum and rejected a proposal to transfer control of Gibraltar to Spain, choosing instead for it to remain a British territory. What were the results of a 2002 referendum proposing shared British-Spanish sovereignty? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Alice Brown Davis (1852)The Indian Removal Act of 1830 forced Native Americans to leave their lands within state borders and relocate to unsettled land in the West. Brown Davis, whose mother was a Seminole, grew up on the new Indian Territory and cared for Seminoles during a cholera epidemic when she was a teen. Once the US government began dismantling tribal governments to push Oklahoma toward statehood, Brown Davis acted as the Seminoles' interpreter in court and became their first female chief, serving for how long? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Joy can be real only if people look upon their life as a service, and have a definite object in life outside themselves and their personal happiness.Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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miss the cut— In golf, to fail to match or better the score necessary to remain in the final two rounds of a four-round tournament, thus resulting in elimination. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Gibraltar National Day (2021)On September 10, 1967, the people of Gibraltar participated in a national referendum and rejected the option to pass under Spanish Control. Since 1967, Gibraltarians have commemorated the referendum date. In recent years, events leading up to the momentous day have included dance performances, military band concerts, and a governor's parade. On National Day, people typically dress in the national colors of red and white. A popular tradition is the ceremonial release of 30,000 red and white balloons, each representing an individual living on the rock. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: teacherfescue - A pointer, such as that used by a teacher, having originally meant "a straw or twig." More... docent, docible, docile - Docent comes from Latin docere, "to teach"; docible is "capable of learning" and docile first meant "teachable." More... Socratic method - A teaching technique in which a teacher does not give information directly but instead asks a series of questions, with the result that the student comes either to the desired knowledge by answering the questions or to a deeper awareness of the limits of knowledge. More... tuition - First meant taking care of something, then teaching or instruction, especially for a fee. More... | |