Utilizing all of one’s power and strength to do something. Watch the video
Month: August 2022
Giotto
Giotto was an Italian painter and architect. Considered the father of European art, he turned from the formulaic, impersonal Byzantine style to a more natural representation of human expression and movement. Compared with the gracefulness of Byzantine forms, Giotto’s figures are monumental, even bulky, but imbued with a new compassion for the human being. His innovative style likely influenced Renaissance artists. His main works are cycles of frescoes inside churches in what Italian cities? Discuss
paronomasia
New London Bridge Opens (1831)
The London Bridge of nursery-rhyme fame was built around 1200. Damaged by many fires over the years, it was replaced with a new, five-arched, granite bridge in 1831. The New London Bridge spanned the city’s River Thames for over a century. In 1968, American entrepreneur Robert P. McCulloch purchased and reconstructed the bridge in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, where it has since become Arizona’s second biggest tourist attraction after the Grand Canyon. How much did McCulloch pay for the bridge? Discuss
Trinidad and Tobago Emancipation Day
Since 1985, August 1 has been celebrated in Trinidad and Tobago as Emancipation Day, rather than Columbus Discovery Day, as in former years. Slavery was abolished in 1833 throughout the British Empire, and eventually slaves in the colony of Trinidad and Tobago were freed. The day begins with an all-night vigil and includes religious services, cultural events, processions past historic landmarks, addresses by dignitaries, and an evening of shows with a torchlight procession to the National Stadium. Discuss
Jerry Garcia (1942)
Garcia was the lead guitarist and vocalist of the psychedelic rock band the Grateful Dead. His inimitable improvisational playing style helped make the Grateful Dead one of the most popular touring bands in the country. Closely involved with the San Francisco hippie movement, Garcia became heavily addicted to drugs but decided to turn his life around after emerging from a diabetic coma in 1986. He was at a drug rehabilitation center when he died suddenly in 1995. What caused his death? Discuss
wit's end
A state of distress that is reached when someone has no more patience. Often used in the phrase “at wit’s end” or “at (one’s) wit’s end.” Watch the video
Isadora Duncan
Duncan was a pioneer of modern dance. Though born in the US, she was never very popular there. It was in Europe where she achieved great acclaim. An innovator and liberator of expressive movement, Duncan rejected the conventions of classical ballet and gave lecture-demonstrations of what she called “the dance of the future.” Inspired by the drama of ancient Greece, she danced barefoot while wearing revealing Greek tunics and flowing scarves. How did her fondness for scarves lead to her death? Discuss
legate
Definition: (noun) An official emissary, especially an official representative of the pope.
Synonyms: official emissary.
Usage: Cardinal Giovanni Battista Caprara was the legate of Pope Pius VII in France.
Discuss