To lie or (especially) sit down, generally after being upright for a long period of time. Watch the video
Month: May 2022
Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a developmental disability that inhibits recognition and processing of graphic symbols, particularly those pertaining to language. The condition is often diagnosed in childhood, as the symptoms—trouble reading, reversing words and letters, writing illegibly—become evident in the classroom. To a dyslexic, d may be seen as b or was as saw. Though dyslexia’s underlying cause is unknown, it appears to be heritable to some degree. When was it first identified? Discuss
flummox
pillar
gnomon, gnomonics – A gnomon is the pillar or rod that casts a shadow on a sundial; gnomonics is the art or science of dialing or of constructing dials to show the hour of the day by the shadow of a gnomon. More…
pilaster – First referred to a square or rectangular column or pillar. More…
pillar – From Latin pila, “pillar,” the source of compile, pilaster, and pile. More…
column – Its underlying notion is of “height, command, extremity,” and it comes from Latin columna, “pillar,” which probably came from columen/culmen, “top, summit.” More…
Anne Boleyn Beheaded for Adultery (1536)
Boleyn was the second queen consort of Henry VIII and mother of Elizabeth I. Anne’s marriage to Henry was a key part of the English Reformation. Henry had divorced his first wife to marry Anne, whom he hoped would produce a male heir. When she did not, she was brought to trial on charges of adultery and incest. Under great pressure, a court headed by her uncle—the Duke of Norfolk—condemned her, and she was beheaded. According to one account, what did her executioner do before beheading her? Discuss
Atatürk Remembrance
On May 19, 1919, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk landed with his forces at the Black Sea town of Samsun, Turkey, to begin his fight against the Allies who had occupied the Ottoman Empire at the end of World War I. He ushered in an era of reform, development, and an increasingly Western approach to government and society. Because Turkish youth have always engaged in sporting events to celebrate the day, it is also known as Youth and Sports Day as well. In the capital city of Ankara, the celebration of the day begins with a 21-gun salute at 7:00 in the morning, the time when Atatürk arrived in Samsun. Discuss
Ho Chi Minh (1890)
Ho was a Vietnamese nationalist leader, president of North Vietnam, and one of the most influential political leaders of the 20th century. Near the end of World War I, he went to France and became a founding member of the French Communist Party. He studied revolutionary tactics in Moscow and organized revolutionaries in Indochina. During World War II, Ho returned to Vietnam and declared it a republic. Why was news of his death in 1969 initially withheld from the North Vietnamese people? Discuss
take no notice of (something or someone)
To not pay any attention to someone or something; to ignore or disregard someone or something. Watch the video
Phonetics
Phonetics is the study of the sounds of languages. This branch of linguistics focuses on the production, perception, and analysis of speech sounds from both a physiological and an acoustic point of view. Phonetics is not a new discipline—the first phoneticians were Indian scholars working to preserve the pronunciation of Sanskrit holy texts around 300 BCE, and the Classical Greeks are credited with the first writing system based on a phonetic alphabet. What is a phoneme? Discuss