Broad, far-reaching power or influence. (Usually paired with a noun, as in “the long arm of the law.”) Watch the video
Month: July 2021
The Emin Pasha Relief Expedition
Born Eduard Schnitzer, Emin Pasha was a German explorer and doctor who served as a medical officer and governor in Equatoria, part of the Egyptian Sudan. In 1885, he was cut off from the outside world by a Mahdist uprising, prompting a European rescue mission. The rescue party undertook a year-long steamer ship journey through densely forested “Darkest Africa,” where food was scarce, disease was rampant, and natives shot them with poison arrows. When they finally reached Pasha, how did he react? Discuss
ignominious
Definition: (adjective) Marked by shame or disgrace.
Synonyms: inglorious, shameful, opprobrious, disgraceful, black.
Usage: It was an old fisherman who, with immense difficulty, at last rescued us, and we were towed back in an ignominious fashion to the boat-yard.
Discuss
knowing
Belarus Independence Day
After nearly 70 years under Soviet rule, Belarus declared its sovereignty on July 27, 1990, and issued its declaration of independence on August 25, 1991. Belarus officially became autonomous on December 26, 1991, as did other former Soviet republics. On April 2, 1997, however, a treaty was signed to unite Belarus with the Russian Federation. Thus, Belarus reverted to its earlier Independence Day, July 3, which commemorated the liberation of the capital, Minsk, from German occupation in 1944. Discuss
make a long arm for (something)
To extend one’s arm fully toward something; to reach out for something. Watch the video
Assemblage
Assemblage is an artistic process in which a three-dimensional composition is made from combining found objects. In 1961, “The Art of Assemblage” exhibition at New York’s Museum of Modern Art publicized the movement and featured many renowned artists, including Marcel Duchamp and Pablo Picasso, both of whom had been working with found objects for years. The term “assemblage” originated in the early 1950s when Jean Dubuffet created a series of collages of butterfly wings and called it what? Discuss
disembarrass
slope
escarpment, scarp, palisade(s) – A cliff formation or line of cliffs can be called an escarpment, scarp (from Italian scarpa, “slope”), or palisade(s). More…
scree – A mass of small loose stones that form or cover a slope on a mountain. More…
katabatic – Skiing is a katabatic sport—moving down a slope or valley. More…
the short and the long of it
The essential or most important point being made; the plain truth of the matter. Watch the video