Month: February 2022

imply

imply, infer – A speaker or writer implies, a hearer or reader infers; implications are incorporated in statements, while inferences are deduced from statements. Imply means “suggest indirectly that something is true,” while infer means “conclude or deduce something is true”; furthermore, to imply is to suggest or throw out a suggestion, while to infer is to include or take in a suggestion. More…

intent, intention – Intent implies a sustained unbroken commitment or purpose, while intention implies an intermittent resolution or an initial aim or plan. More…

The Enigma Tornado Outbreak (1884)

One of the largest and severest tornado outbreaks in US history, the Enigma Outbreak of 1884 consisted of at least 50 and possibly more than 60 tornados that tore across 10 states over a 15-hour period. In addition to the question of exactly how many tornados touched down during the outbreak, there are the “enigmas” of precisely how many people died—estimates range from 178 to 1,200—and the extent of the property damage sustained. Best estimates place the figure at how many millions of dollars? Discuss

Carson McCullers (1917)

McCullers, born Lula Carson Smith, was an aspiring pianist until she was partly paralyzed by a series of strokes in her early twenties, complications stemming from misdiagnosed rheumatic fever in her adolescence. She went on to study writing instead, publishing her first—and perhaps finest—novel, The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter, when she was just 23. It, like many of her works, draws upon her Southern background and explores themes of loss and isolation. Who starred in its film adaptation? Discuss

The Arrow of Time

Time is not perfectly symmetrical—if it were, a video of real events would seem realistic whether played forward or backward. British astronomer Arthur Eddington explored time’s perpetually forward motion with his “arrow of time” concept, developed around 1927. The arrow of time explains why humans have the sense that time is continuously moving from the known past to the unknown future. Though the future always seems to be something that one is moving toward, what is it really? Discuss

George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence, Secretly Executed (1478)

Sibling rivalry and political intrigue are a dangerous combination. In the case of George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence, mixing the two brought about his early demise. As a young man, Clarence joined in a rebellion against his brother, King Edward IV. He soon had a change of heart and reconciled with Edward, but a few years later, he became involved in another plot against him. Clarence was then sent to the Tower of London, where he was secretly executed, allegedly by being drowned in what? Discuss

Nepal Democracy Day

Also known as Rashtriya Prajatantra Divas, this holiday commemorates the introduction of a democratic system of government in Nepal, which had been ruled by the Rana family since the mid-19th century. Two other national holidays in Nepal are Unity Day, January 11—celebrating the unification of the various principalities into one country more than 200 years ago—and Constitution Day, November 8—observing the adoption of a new Nepalese constitution in 1990. Discuss