To engage in a series of telephone calls with another person in which each time one party calls, the other is not available to answer. Watch the video
Month: April 2022
Selena
A rising star in the Tejano music scene, Selena Quintanilla-Pérez went from singing before a captive audience at her father’s restaurant to performing for tens of thousands of screaming fans in a few short years. Described as the Madonna of Latin music, Selena had hit after hit on the Latin music charts and won her first Grammy in 1994, at age 22. Tragically, she was shot and killed by the president of her fan club just a year later. What was the motive behind the murder? Discuss
confabulate
Daniel Defoe
And of all plagues with which mankind are curst, Ecclesiastic tyranny’s the worst. Discuss
trivia
factlet – A piece of trivia. More…
inconsequentia – Trifling facts or trivia. More…
nugae – Trifles or trivia. More…
trivia – Derives from Latin tri, “three” and via, “ways.” In Roman times, at the intersection of any three streets were kiosks where information was posted for travelers, but which was totally ignored by the citizens—a possible source of its modern meaning; trivia is actually plural and should take “these” instead of “this” (etc.). More…
"British Bang" on German Archipelago (1947)
Heligoland is a pair of small German islands located in the North Sea, comprising the main island and the smaller island of Düne. The main island is commonly divided into three geographic sections, the last of which came into being in 1947, when the British Royal Navy detonated 6,700 tonnes of explosives on the island, actually changing its shape. The so-called British Bang was one of the largest non-nuclear single detonations in history. Why did the British bomb the island? Discuss
Lucrezia Borgia (1480)
Lucrezia was an Italian noblewoman and daughter of the future Pope Alexander VI. Her family came to epitomize the ruthless Machiavellian politics and sexual corruption allegedly characteristic of the Renaissance papacy, but rumors of her participation in her family’s poison plots and of incestuous relations with her father and brother have not been proved. Nevertheless, Lucrezia is often viewed as a femme fatale and has been portrayed as such in many works of art. What are a few examples? Discuss
Peter Pan syndrome
A psychological state or condition in which a grown person cannot or refuses to act like an adult; a stubborn and persistent immaturity found in an adult person. Watch the video
Aloe Vera
Aloe vera is just one of hundreds of species of aloe plant native to the drier parts of Africa, but it is perhaps the best known thanks to its purported medicinal properties. The mucilaginous gel obtained from the leaves of the Aloe vera plant is widely used to help treat burns and dry skin conditions and has also been used internally as a stimulant laxative. Still, the literature is mixed on the effectiveness and safety of these extracts. What health problems might they cause? Discuss