Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, June 5, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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abaxial
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Grammar with Countable NounsWhen we use countable nouns, certain elements in a sentence will change depending on whether the noun is singular or plural. When a noun is singular and names a person (or, sometimes, a pet) whose gender is known, then we use which third-person singular pronouns? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Technological SingularityThe technological singularity is a theoretical point in the future in which technology advances beyond the human capacity to participate in its development in a meaningful way. Computers will then be responsible for creating new breakthroughs. The term "technological singularity" was first used by computer scientist and sci-fi author Vernor Vinge, who wrote in 1993 that after this superhuman intelligence is created, "the human era" will end. By when does Vinge expect the singularity to occur? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Six-Day War Begins (1967)After a period of relative calm, border incidents between Israel and Syria, Egypt, and Jordan increased during the early 1960s. Palestinian guerrilla attacks on Israel from bases in Syria led to increased hostility between the two countries. After Egypt signed a defense treaty with Jordan, Israel launched a preemptive air strike against the three Arab states, capturing the Sinai Peninsula, Gaza Strip, West Bank, Old City of Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights. How many were killed in the fighting? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Ruth Fulton Benedict (1887)Benedict was an American anthropologist whose theories have had a profound influence on cultural anthropology. Her landmark text Patterns of Culture was published in 1934, at a time when her field was dominated by men. In it, she promotes cultural relativism—the assessment of cultural practices within their own cultural context. From a young age, she was fascinated with death and was drawn to studying how other cultures treat death. Whose "cult of grief" did Benedict despise? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 The world owes all its onward impulses to men ill at ease. The happy man inevitably confines himself within ancient limits.Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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go out with the girls— To go and socialize somewhere with a group of exclusively female friends. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 World Environment Day (2023)The United Nations General Assembly designated June 5 as World Environment Day in 1972. The date was chosen because it marked the opening day of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, which led to the establishment of the United Nations Environment Programme. The General Assembly urges countries and organizations to mark this day with activities that educate people about threats to the environment and encourage them to strike a balance between development and concern for Earth's future. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: stealembezzle - Originally, it simply meant "steal." More... purloin - Meaning to steal, it is from Latin pur/pro, "forth," and loign, "far." More... scrounge - First meant to live off or sponge off someone else; it is a variant of scrunge, "steal." More... snoop - From Dutch snoepen, "eat on the sly," it first meant "steal and eat in a clandestine manner." More... | |