alpha male – A domineering man; the dominant member in a group of males, especially animals. More…
kiva – In Native American Pueblo practices, an underground chamber used by the males for religious rites. More…
mixed voices – Voices of both males and females united in the same performance. More…
Along with St. Bridget and St. Patrick, St. Columba (c. 521-597) is a patron saint of Ireland. Although he led an exemplary life, traveling all over Ireland to set up churches, schools, and monasteries, he is chiefly remembered for his self-imposed exile to the island of Iona off the Scottish coast. He landed at Iona on the eve of Pentecost, and proceeded to found a monastery and school from which he and his disciples preached the gospel throughout Scotland. Although he had been forbidden to see his native country again, he returned several years later. Discuss
McNamara served as the US Secretary of Defense from 1961 to 1968. He took the post just months after being named president of the Ford Motor Company. As secretary, he shifted US military strategy away from heavy reliance on nuclear weaponry and strengthened conventional fighting capacity. He initially supported the escalation of the Vietnam War, but his growing doubts led him to eventually resign from the cabinet. He then became the president of what international organization? Discuss
An expression of annoyance, exasperation, or disappointment when someone does something unhelpful or disagreeable. Watch the video
Scientists have applied inventor Buckminster Fuller’s name not only to the 60-carbon molecule—the “buckyball”—whose arrangement of atoms resembles his geodesic dome, but to various other objects. Buckypaper, for instance, is a thin sheet made of carbon nanotubes—”buckytubes”—that are approximately 50,000 times thinner than a human hair. Buckypaper is one tenth the weight yet potentially 500 times stronger than steel when its sheets are stacked to form a composite. What are its possible uses? Discuss
Fear is the main source of superstition, and one of the main sources of cruelty. To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom. Discuss
trope – A figurative or metaphorical use of a word or phrase. More…
ingrain, ingrained – Ingrain literally means “work into the grain” (originally, of fabric), and ingrained is metaphorically “deep-seated.” More…
farce – First meant forcemeat stuffing and came to be used metaphorically when a humorous play was “stuffed” in between two more serious acts of the main theatrical presentation—or for interludes of impromptu buffoonery in a dramatic presentation. More…
relieve – Metaphorically, to “alleviate, lighten,” from Latin relevare, “raise again.” More…
During the 1967 Six-Day War, Israeli aircraft and naval forces attacked a US intelligence ship in international waters off the coast of the Sinai Peninsula. Both the Israeli and American governments issued reports concluding that the attack was a tragic mistake, but these conclusions have been challenged from several fronts, and the matter remains controversial in the public debate. How much money did Israel pay the US and the families of the victims in compensation? Discuss
Widely considered the greatest American architect, Wright championed the use of open planning as well as “organic architecture,” a design philosophy that promotes harmony between building and environment. His masterpieces include New York City’s iconic Guggenheim Museum and “Fallingwater,” a breathtaking Pennsylvania house that is cantilevered over a waterfall, with its balconies and terraces seemingly suspended in midair. How many people were murdered at Wright’s home, Taliesin, in 1914? Discuss