The term “secularism” was first used by British writer George Holyoake in the mid-19th century to denote the view that religious considerations should be excluded from civil affairs. Though he was agnostic, Holyoake wrote that he did not seek to discredit religion or deny the existence of a higher power; rather, he aimed to promote the notion that secular knowledge offers its own form of guidance rooted in testable life experience. What did he offer as secularism’s three essential principles? Discuss
Month: May 2021
objurgate
tray
East Timor Independence Day
On May 20, 2002, about half of a small island in the Lesser Sundra group became the Democratic Republic of East Timor, after being an unwilling and brutalized province of Indonesia for the previous two decades, and under Portuguese rule for hundreds of years before that. Among the approximately 200,000 attendees at the independence ceremony in the capital city of Dili were Bishop Carlos Belo and Jose Ramos Horta, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1996 for their efforts toward building the peaceful independence of this Roman Catholic region within Indonesia, the largest Muslim country in the world. Discuss
hit (someone) when (he or she) is down
To criticize, exploit, insult, or otherwise treat badly someone who has already suffered a setback or is in a vulnerable position. Watch the video
Installation Art
The 1960s and 70s ushered in a period of radical experimentation that touched many aspects of popular culture, particularly contemporary art. During that time, happenings, the Fluxus movement, the conceptual art movement, and installation art—site-specific art incorporating materials or physical features from its environment—all emerged on the scene. Which 19th-century composer developed a multimedia art form that can be seen as a precursor to the modern installation art movement? Discuss
thwack
touching
adjoining – Implies meeting and touching at some point or line. More…
tact, taction – Tact first referred to the sense of touch, from Latin tactus, “touch, sense of touch”; taction is the action of touching. More…
contact – Its underlying notion is “touching,” from Latin tangere, “touch.” More…
attinge, attingent – To attinge is to touch or come into contact with; attingent is touching or being in contact. More…
kick the tires
To inspect or test something or someone to ensure that he, she, or it meets the required or expected standard of quality. Primarily heard in US, Canada. Watch the video
Typhoid Fever
A potentially fatal disease characterized by high fever, headache, intestinal bleeding, and rose-colored spots on the skin, typhoid is caused by the bacillus Salmonella typhi. The bacterium is passed into the waste of infected patients and is transmitted chiefly through contaminated food or water, a pathway of disease transmission known as the fecal-oral route. The most notorious carrier of typhoid in history, Mary Mallon, or “Typhoid Mary,” infected how many people during her lifetime? Discuss