A situation that has gone wrong and is very problematic. The term is an instance of irony or sarcasm. Watch the video
Month: January 2023
Film Noir
Film noir is a style of film characterized by low-key lighting, bleak urban settings, and corrupt, cynical characters who find themselves entangled in the criminal underworld. This dark genre, which gave rise to the film archetypes of the hardboiled private detective and the femme fatale, was especially popular in Hollywood in the 1940s. Classic examples of film noir include The Maltese Falcon and The Big Sleep. Who first coined the term film noir, and what does it mean? Discuss
samizdat
Definition: (noun) A system of clandestine printing and distribution of dissident or banned literature.
Synonyms: underground press.
Usage: The samizdat was successful in disseminating the banned literature until an informant turned in its chief operator.
Discuss
Nellie Bly Goes Around the World (1890)
Elizabeth Jane Cochran—better known by her pen name, Nellie Bly—was a pioneering investigative reporter. She feigned insanity in order to be committed to the Women’s Lunatic Asylum on New York City’s Blackwell’s Island and expose the institution’s horrific and abusive treatment methods. In 1889, she embarked on a 24,899-mile (40,071-km) journey around the world inspired by the Jules Verne novel Around the World in Eighty Days. Her trip, however, was somewhat shorter. How long did it take? Discuss
Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul
Saul of Tarsus, a highly educated, devout Jew, was converted to Christianity on the road to Damascus not long after the death of Jesus Christ. Later, he was known as Paul and became the most influential leader in the history of the church. At St. Paul’s Chapel in New York City, the path through the graveyard is closed for 48 hours, beginning on the eve of the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul. At one time, the weather on this day was linked to predictions about the coming year. Fair weather on St. Paul’s Day was said to presage a prosperous year; snow or rain an unproductive one. Discuss
Virginia Woolf (1882)
A successful innovator in the form of the novel, Woolf was a significant force in 20th-century fiction. As a novelist, her chief concern was to represent the flow of ordinary experience, and she accomplished this by placing greatest emphasis not on plot or characterization but on her characters’ consciousness. Her books include Mrs. Dalloway, Jacob’s Room, and To the Lighthouse. Woolf struggled with bouts of depression and, fearing the onset of a breakdown, did what in 1941? Discuss
a cut below
Of lower quality than or inferior to someone or something else, especially that of the expected norm. Watch the video
The Black Watch
The Black Watch—or Royal Highland Regiment—is a Scottish infantry regiment of the British Army. Its first companies were originally raised in 1725 to occupy and watch the rebellious Scottish highlands, in order to keep the peace. The regiment was formed about 15 years later and became known as the Black Watch, after the dark colors of the regimental tartan. In 2006, a military reorganization made the Black Watch the 3d Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. What is the regiment’s motto? Discuss
artistry
Original Apple Macintosh Computer Released (1984)
Named after the McIntosh variety of apple, the original Macintosh computer was released by Apple Inc. in 1984. Using a graphical user interface and mouse instead of the then-standard command line interface, the “Mac” garnered an immediate, enthusiastic following, especially among tech neophytes. One of the Mac’s major breakthroughs was the ability to delete a file by dragging it to an on-screen trashcan, rather than by typing in a command. How did Apple officially announce the Mac’s launch? Discuss