Regarded as one of the most extraordinary public servants in American history, Franklin was also a printer, publisher, author, scientist, and inventor. After gaining popularity as the publisher of Poor Richard’s Almanack, he promoted public services in Philadelphia, including a library and a fire department. In 1776, he went to France to seek aid for the American Revolution, and in 1787 he was instrumental in the adoption of the US Constitution. What musical instrument did he invent? Discuss
Month: January 2024
hunt where the ducks are
To pursue or look for one’s objectives, results, or goals in the place where one is most likely to find them. Watch the video
When Mastodons Roamed the Earth
Scientists believe that mastodons, elephant-like mammals that flourished worldwide from Miocene through Pleistocene times, first appeared nearly 4 million years ago. Though the large, furry, prehistoric mammals resembled wooly mammoths, the two had distinctly different dental and skeletal structures. Hunting may have played a role in the extinction of the mastodon 10,000 years ago. In what US states have mastodon remains been found? Discuss
impute
The Council of Nablus (1120)
The Council of Nablus was convened to establish the first written laws for the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the Christian kingdom established in 1099 by the First Crusade. The council included both ecclesiastic and secular lords who established 25 canons that addressed both religious and secular issues like tithing, adultery, bigamy, false accusations, legal attire for Muslim residents, and theft. Why, according to the canons, was it necessary for the Christian leadership to organize this council? Discuss
Humpty Dumptyism
The act or practice of misusing or misinterpreting a word, phrase, or article of text to suit one’s own meaning or purpose. Taken from the character Humpty Dumpty in Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking-Glass, who states, “When I use a word it means just what I choose it to mean.” Watch the video
The Snowball Earth Hypothesis
Snowball Earth is a strongly disputed hypothesis developed to explain sedimentary glacial deposits at tropical latitudes from the Cryogenian period. The hypothesis proposes that, about 800 million years ago, the Earth was entirely covered with ice and that multicellular evolution accelerated when the climate began to warm up. Some dispute the feasibility of an entirely frozen ocean and prefer a “slushball” scenario to explain the ice’s rapid movement. How could life survive in such a climate? Discuss
periphrasis
Definition: (noun) A style that involves indirect ways of expressing things.
Synonyms: ambage, circumlocution.
Usage: Parents often engage in periphrasis when discussing adult matters in the presence of their children.
Discuss
Body of Elizabeth Short—the "Black Dahlia"—Found (1947)
Elizabeth Short was the victim of a gruesome and much-publicized murder that is still unsolved. Nicknamed the “Black Dahlia” by newspapers after her body was recovered in Leimert Park, Los Angeles, Short was found mutilated, her body severed at the waist. The unsolved murder has been the source of widespread speculation, leading to several books and film adaptations, as well as many false confessions and leads in the years since she was killed. From what was the “Black Dahlia” nickname derived? Discuss
Day of the Black Christ of Esquipulas
For many people in Central and South America, the pilgrimage to the Black Christ of Esquipulas begins well in advance of the January 15 festival. Quite a number make the journey to Esquipulas entirely on foot. Many don wide-brimmed straw hats, to which they attach gray Spanish moss and chiches (breasts), a yellow fruit that resembles a gourd; those making the journey from Quetzaltenango blacken their hands with the juice from a special fruit. Ceremonial sites resembling altars, built from rocks brought by pilgrims, are scattered through the hills surrounding Esquipulas. Discuss