To express or make known one’s views, opinions, or ideas. Watch the video
Month: November 2022
The Guillotine
Although guillotine-like apparatuses were used for executions in several European countries before France adopted it as its only legal method of execution during the French Revolution, the beheading machine is most commonly associated with this period in French history and is in fact named for the physician who was instrumental in having the National Assembly adopt it as France’s preferred method of capital punishment, Joseph-Ignace Guillotin. When was the last execution by guillotine in France? Discuss
abiogenesis
Definition: (noun) The supposed development of living organisms from nonliving matter.
Synonyms: spontaneous generation, autogenesis, autogeny.
Usage: Early notions of abiogenesis, now considered incorrect, held that living organisms generate from decaying organic substances, like maggots from meat.
Discuss
Pope Boniface VIII Issues Unam Sanctam (1302)
Historians consider the papal bull Unam sanctam—which proclaimed that there is no salvation outside of the Church—to be one of the most extreme statements of papal spiritual supremacy ever made. It stemmed from Pope Boniface VIII’s ongoing feud with Philip the Fair of France over Philip’s taxation of clerics without papal consent. Unam sanctam thus emphasized that Catholic princes are subject to the pope in temporal and religious matters. How did Philip respond to the bull? Discuss
Haiti Battle of Vertières' Day
This official public holiday memorializes the last battle for Haitian independence on November 18, 1803, in which Haitian rebels defeated the French colonialists. The victory at Vertières, near the present-day port city of Cap-Haïtien, signified the end of a long freedom struggle that stretched out over two major phases. Less than two months after the battle, Haiti became the first black independent republic. Discuss
Jacques Maritain (1882)
Maritain was a French philosopher. His thought is based on Aristotelianism and Thomism—the philosophical and theological system developed by St. Thomas Aquinas—but incorporates concepts from other classical and modern philosophers and draws upon anthropology, sociology, and psychology. Raised Protestant, Maritain became Roman Catholic in his 20s and later served as French ambassador to the Vatican and forged a friendship with Pope Paul VI. With whom did Maritain once make a suicide pact and why? Discuss
get (one's) (own) way
To get or have what one wants; to have things done according to one’s personal preference or desires. Watch the video
The Taj Mahal
The Taj Mahal in Agra, India, is considered one of the most beautiful buildings in the world and the finest example of the late style of Indian Islamic architecture. Mughal emperor Shah Jahan ordered it built as a mausoleum for his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The building’s white marble exterior is inlaid with semiprecious stones arranged in Arabic inscriptions, floral designs, and arabesques, and its gardens reflect the Islamic Paradise. When was the monument’s construction begun? Discuss
cat's-paw
Definition: (noun) A person used by another as a dupe or tool.
Synonyms: pawn, instrument.
Usage: He was humiliated to learn that he had been made a cat’s-paw in the businessman’s unscrupulous dealings.
Discuss
Struggle for Freedom and Democracy Day
In 1939, Nazi troops invaded Czechoslovakia and took over the country. On November 17, student protests were held. Nazi troops subsequently executed nine students and sent many to a concentration camp. On November 17, 1989, Czech students gathered to demonstrate against the communist regime. This marked the beginning of the Velvet Revolution. Struggle for Freedom and Democracy Day is a national holiday in the Czech Republic. People gather and light candles near a “V for Victory” memorial plaque on National Avenue in Prague, and the national flag is flown in all public places. Discuss