Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, April 1, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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jurisprudence
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Forming the First ConditionalThe first conditional is very similar in structure to the zero conditional. We still use "if" plus the present simple to create the condition, except that we now use what tense to describe a probable result of the condition? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 CockroachesThough cockroaches are insects commonly associated with human dwellings, only about 20 of the 3,500 known species are suited to thrive in the typical home. Once a home is infested, however, it is extremely difficult to eradicate the pest. One of the world's hardiest insects, the cockroach can live without food for up to a month and without breathing for up to 45 minutes. Even decapitation does not immediately kill the bugs. Experts believe cockroaches could even survive what cataclysmic event? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 BBC Report: Spaghetti Grows on Trees (1957)An estimated 8 million unsuspecting viewers were watching the BBC's trusted current affairs program Panorama when it aired one of the first televised hoaxes in history, a 3-minute report on the Swiss spaghetti harvest. Afterwards, the station received calls from hundreds of curious viewers, including some who wanted information on cultivating their own spaghetti plants. In the report, the year's abundant spaghetti crop was attributed to a mild winter and the near-elimination of what pest? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Otto von Bismarck (1815)Bismarck was a 19th-century Prussian and German statesman. Under his leadership, Prussia defeated Austria and France, and Germany was united. He was appointed premier in 1862 and became chancellor of the North German Confederation in 1867. When the new German Empire formed in 1871, he became its first chancellor, gaining almost complete control of foreign and domestic affairs and eventually earning the nickname "Iron Chancellor." What was the Kulturkampf, and why did he encourage it? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Virtue is insufficient temptation.George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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desperate times call for desperate measures— Extreme and undesirable circumstances or situations can only be resolved by resorting to equally extreme actions. Derived from the proverb, "Desperate diseases must have desperate remedies." More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Greek Cypriot National Day (2023)This holiday marks the anniversary of the 1955 start of the Greek Cypriot liberation struggle against British colonial forces. The Turkish community, which preferred an alliance with Turkey, also took up arms, complicating the struggle. Greek Cypriot National Day is celebrated in South Cyprus, which is the Greek partitioned part of the island. Almost all public services and most private shops are closed. The holiday is often celebrated with parades in city streets, along with music, dancing and flag-waving. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: scrapmammock - A scrap, shred, or piece that is torn or broken off. More... riffraff - Rif/riff, "spoil, strip," and raf, "carry off," combined as rif et raf in French, then went to English as riff and raff, "everything, every scrap," and then riffraff. More... scrip - Can be a scrap of paper with writing on it. More... tatter - A scrap of cloth, from Old Norse totrar, "rags"; often used as tatters. More... | |