Month: July 2021

pine

Japanese garden – Often uses bamboo, mondo grasses, pine, and small pools of water containing koi. More…

pine, pinecone – Pine, the tree, is from Latin pinus, from Indo-European pei-, “resin”; pinecones were originally called pineapples. More…

pine, fir, spruce – Pine, fir, and spruce are quite different from each other, though they are all conifers; pine has clusters of long, needle-shaped leaves, spruce is a type of fir, and the only scientific difference between the two is that spruces have rectangular needles while firs have flat, needle-shaped leaves. More…

pinot – A variant of French pineau, a diminutive of pine, from the shape of the clusters of grapes. More…

Six-Year-Old Adam Walsh Kidnapped (1981)

Adam Walsh disappeared in 1981 after his mother left him playing video games at a department store in Hollywood, Florida, while she shopped nearby. Two weeks later, his severed head was found in a canal, but the investigation was largely mishandled, and no one was ever arrested. His father, John Walsh, devoted his life to advocating for missing children and became the host of the TV show America’s Most Wanted. In 2008, police closed the case on Adam. Who do they believe killed him? Discuss

North Korea Victory Day

Victory Day marks the end of the Korean War, the three-year conflict between North Korea and South Korea. On July 27, 1953, the opponents signed an armistice that formally ended the war. Victory Day is a public holiday observed throughout North Korea. Officials and citizens mark the occasion by laying wreaths and flowers at military cemeteries and monuments nationwide. In the capital city, Pyongyang, public celebrations can include displays by military personnel, dance performances, and youth oratorical events. Discuss

The End of Civilization

Throughout history, people have feared that civilization, human life, and even planet Earth could one day come to an end, either as a result of natural, manmade, or supernatural causes. Catastrophic doomsday scenarios include antibiotic resistant super-bacteria devastating humanity and runaway global warming rendering Earth’s climate uninhabitable. Among the more bizarre potential threats is what field of science, which some fear will give rise to out-of-control, self-replicating robots? Discuss

possession

have – Coming through Proto-Germanic khaben, it was from Indo-European kap-, meaning “possession.” More…

jouisance – Also spelled jouissance, it is another word for “enjoyment” or “possession or use of something.” More…

tenement – First meant “holding as a possession.” More…

white elephant – The name of this animal, which has an enormous appetite, has come to mean “useless, expensive possession”—or a possession that is more trouble than it is worth. More…

US Camel Corps

The US Camel Corps was an experiment by the US Army to use camels as pack animals in the Southwest US. Using camels militarily had been suggested, to no avail, in 1836 during the Seminole Wars in Florida, but in 1855, Congress appropriated $30,000 for the Camel Corps project. One year later, a US ship arrived in Texas from the Middle East with about 30 camels. Despite the camels’ impressive strength and ability to survive without water, the Camel Corps project was soon abandoned. Why? Discuss