A situation in which one party is constantly evading or avoiding another. (A reference to the children’s game “hide and go seek.”) Often used with the verb “play.” Watch the video
Month: December 2023
Wave Power
Wave power is a form of renewable energy that may be harnessed for use in electricity generation. Capturing the energy of ocean surface waves and converting it into a useable form of electrical energy is a difficult task, and a major technological breakthrough is necessary for it to contribute significantly to the world’s energy needs. Salter’s Duck, invented in 1974, remains the device against which all other wave energy systems are measured. Why did wave power funding dry up in the 1980s? Discuss
effervescent
Definition: (adjective) Marked by high spirits or excitement.
Synonyms: sparkly, bubbling, scintillating, sparkling.
Usage: She exhibited none of that effervescent joy at his appearance which we like to see in our mothers-in-law elect.
Discuss
The Halifax Explosion (1917)
In 1917, a French munitions vessel carrying thousands of pounds of explosives collided with a Norwegian relief vessel in the port city of Halifax—capital of Nova Scotia, Canada, and a major wartime shipping point. The munitions ship caught fire and exploded a short time later with greater force than any man-made explosion before it, destroying the northern part of the city, killing some 1,800 people, and injuring about 9,000 more. What happened the next day that compounded the loss of life? Discuss
Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac (1778)
Gay-Lussac was a French chemist and physicist who showed that all gases expand by the same fraction of their volume for a given temperature increase—which led to the devising of a new temperature scale whose thermodynamic significance was later established by Lord Kelvin. By taking measurements from a balloon above 20,000 feet (6,000 m), he concluded that Earth’s magnetic intensity and atmospheric composition were constant to that altitude. Gay-Lussac also helped to discover what element? Discuss
here you are
Here is what you needed or asked for; I present this to you. Watch the video
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu, a state at the southern tip of India, has been inhabited since prehistoric times. Its history and culture are among the oldest in the world, and the region is known for its rich tradition of literature, music, and dance. Created as a state in 1969, Tamil Nadu has since become the sixth most populous state in the Indian Union and has the fifth largest economy of all the Indian states. Why do Tamils throw away and burn old clothes during the annual Pongal festival? Discuss
boding
Definition: (noun) An omen or foreboding, especially of evil.
Synonyms: premonition, presentiment, foreboding.
Usage: Sara was filled with an evil sense of boding as she approached the decrepit house to sell her Girl Scout Cookies.
Discuss
Papal Bull Bestows Authority to Prosecute Witchcraft in Germany (1484)
In 1484, Pope Innocent VIII issued the papal bull Summis desiderantes affectibus—Desiring with supreme ardor. Sometimes blamed for inspiring the witch-hunts that became increasingly common in the coming centuries, the bull recognizes the existence of witches, gives Dominican Inquisitor Heinrich Kramer authority to prosecute witchcraft in Germany, and urges local ecclesiastical authorities to cooperate with inquisitors. Kramer later retired and co-wrote what treatise on witchcraft? Discuss
George Armstrong Custer (1839)
In the American Civil War, Custer was a cavalry officer whose pursuit of Confederate troops under General Robert E. Lee hastened the South’s surrender. After the war, Custer participated in the government’s campaign to force the Cheyenne and Sioux onto reservations. In 1876, after dividing his force, he rashly commanded an attack against Native Americans in Little Bighorn, Montana. He and all of his more than 200 troops were killed in the battle against how many Indian warriors? Discuss