A sum of money, typically a bribe, paid to a government official or business person so as to facilitate or expedite some decision or transaction. Watch the video
Month: July 2023
The Tooth Fairy
The tooth fairy is a character in modern Western culture that attends a child’s loss of a deciduous tooth. In Spanish and Italian culture, the tooth fairy takes the form of a little mouse. Typically, a child who has just lost a tooth places it under their pillow before going to sleep; in the morning, the child finds that the tooth has been replaced by a coin, a dollar bill, or a present. What is the origin of the tooth fairy character? Discuss
engram
Definition: (noun) A physical alteration thought to occur in living neural tissue in response to stimuli, posited as an explanation for memory.
Synonyms: memory trace.
Usage: The neuroscientist likened engrams in neural tissue to data on the hard drive of a computer.
Discuss
Last Pair of Great Auks Killed (1844)
Extinct since 1844, the great auk was a flightless seabird once found in great numbers on rocky islands off eastern Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Ireland, and Britain. The bird was hunted on a significant scale by humans for food, eggs, and down since at least the 8th century, but massive exploitation for its down and the collecting of its eggs eventually contributed to the demise of the species. Specimens are now exhibited in many museums. Where was the last pair of great auks killed? Discuss
Kutztown Dutch Folk Festival
The Pennsylvania Dutch Folk Festival in Kutztown, Pennsylvania, is an annual celebration of Pennsylvania Dutch foods, crafts, and customs. There are special foods, such as apple butter, rivvel soup (rivvels are like dumplings), and the fruit pies that the Pennsylvania Dutch claim to have originated. Traditional artisans featured at the fair include tinsmiths, weavers, pretzel-makers, candlemakers, potters, and quilters. There are reenactments of a Pennsylvania Dutch funeral feast and demonstrations of nipsi—a complicated game that involves batting a piece of wood. Discuss
Robert Adam (1728)
One of the greatest architects of the late 18th century, Adam was a Scottish architect and designer whose work influenced the development of Western architecture both in Europe and North America. Along with his brother James, he developed the Adam style, an essentially decorative style of architecture that is most remembered for its application in interiors and is characterized by contrasting room shapes and delicate Classical ornaments. What are some of Adam’s most famous projects? Discuss
grand total
The final amount after adding several different numbers or sums. Watch the video
Midwifery
Midwifery is the art of assisting at childbirth. In ancient Greece and Rome, midwives had some formal training, but as the medical arts declined during medieval times, the skills a midwife possessed were gained solely from experience and lore. With the upsurge in medical science in Europe in the 16th c., formal medical training became more prevalent and professional schools of midwifery were established. How are the criteria for becoming a midwife in the US different from those in the UK? Discuss
inebriety
Definition: (noun) A temporary state resulting from excessive consumption of alcohol.
Synonyms: drunkenness, tipsiness, intoxication.
Usage: He was a man who would have made a success of life a century and a half ago when conversation was a passport to good company and inebriety no bar.
Discuss
Incident at Xuanwu Gate (626 CE)
After Tang Dynasty founder Emperor Gaozu named his son Li Jiancheng the crown prince, an intense rivalry developed between him and his younger brother, Li Shimin. Each prince was advised by his staff members to act first against the other, and, in 626, believing that Li Jiancheng was plotting to kill him, Li Shimin ambushed and killed the crown prince and another brother of theirs at Xuanwu Gate, which led to Emperor Gaozu’s palace. What did the emperor do when he learned of his sons’ deaths? Discuss