Kitsune

In ancient Japan, foxes and humans lived in close proximity, giving rise to many legends about the animals, known in Japanese as kitsune. A common subject of both traditional and modern Japanese folklore, the kitsune is depicted as an intelligent being possessing magical abilities that increase with age and wisdom. It is said that the more tails a kitsune has—as many as nine—the wiser and more powerful it is. What is said to happen when a kitsune gets its ninth tail? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

US Air Force Claims to Have Recovered a Flying Disc (1947)

On July 8, 1947, an officer at the Roswell Army Air Field in New Mexico announced the recovery of a crashed flying disc, prompting the Roswell Daily Record to proclaim the “capture” of a “flying saucer.” The next day, the official story changed—the debris was now simply a weather balloon. The case was ignored until 1978 when supposed witness testimony emerged, shaping the event as an alien encounter. A government investigation discredited this theory, explaining the “aliens” as what? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Mariposa Folk Festival

This three-day folk music festival is the oldest in Canada, where it has served as a model for many smaller festivals. Since 1961 the festival has presented a broad spectrum of folk music by performers from all over Canada, the United States, Britain, Africa, and Australia. The events are held on the grounds of Tudhope Park in Orillia, Ontario, about 60 miles north of Toronto. The Mariposa Folk Festival helped pioneer the workshop concept, emphasizing the importance of establishing a dialogue between the artist and the audience. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Käthe Kollwitz (1867)

Kollwitz was a German Expressionist painter, sculptor, and printmaker whose work centered on human suffering. Her initial focus was the plight of the poor, whom she encountered firsthand at her physician husband’s clinic in Berlin. After their son died in World War I, however, Kollwitz channeled her depression into a cycle of prints emphasizing a mother’s love and a memorial sculpture of grieving parents. Unfortunately, many of Kollwitz’s drawings and prints were lost in 1943 when what happened? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

The Road of Death

Leading from La Paz to Coroico, Bolivia, the North Yungas Road was named the world’s most dangerous road in 1995. Notoriously deadly due to its single-lane width, extreme drop-offs, and lack of guardrails, the route is dotted with memorials marking the many spots where vehicles have fallen. According to one estimate, 200 to 300 travelers are killed on the route each year, along with many thrill-seeking mountain bikers. According to local road rules, who never has the right of way on the road? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Where the ‘No Ending a Sentence With a Preposition’ Rule Comes From

There are thousands of individual rules for proper grammatical use of any given language; mostly, these are created, and then taught, in order to maximize understanding and minimize confusion. But the English language prohibition against “preposition … Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary