Ulan Bator

Ulan Bator, or Ulaanbaator, is the capital of the Republic of Mongolia. Founded in 1649 as a monastery town, today it is the junction point of the country’s major roads and caravan routes; it lies on the Trans-Siberian RR, linking Russia with Beijing. The city is home to a library of ancient Mongolian, Chinese, and Tibetan manuscripts. The 1904 British expedition to Tibet prompted the Dalai Lama to leave Lhasa for Ulan Bator, where he remained for 4 years. In whose honor was Ulaanbaator named? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

The Seventh-Day Adventist Church

The Seventh-Day Adventist Church, a Christian denomination, is best known for its teaching that Saturday, the seventh day of the week, is the Sabbath and that the second advent of Jesus is imminent. Born out of the Millerite Movement of the 1840s, the church was part of the wave of revivalism known as the Second Great Awakening. The core set of theological beliefs held by the church are expressed in its 28 Fundamentals, which states what about death? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

The CIA

Established in 1947, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is an independent executive bureau of the US government. Its primary function is obtaining and analyzing information about foreign governments, corporations, and persons, and reporting such information to the various branches of government. Congress placed restraints on its activities in the early 1970s, when reports that it had engaged in assassinations and domestic spying surfaced. How was CIA involved in the Watergate scandal? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires is the capital of Argentina and its largest city and port. Located on the southern shore of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of South America, it is the most heavily industrialized city of Argentina. It is a major food-processing center with huge meatpacking plants. It was first settled in the 16th century and was subordinate to the Spanish Viceroy of Peru. The criollo citizens of Buenos Aires successfully ousted the Spanish Viceroy in what year? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Alternative Medicine

Alternative medicine is the treatment and prevention of disease using practices that do not follow generally accepted medical methods and may not have a scientific explanation for their effectiveness; acupuncture, herbal medicine, meditation, biofeedback, massage, and chiropractic therapies are just a few examples. The scientifically oriented, modern medical establishment has typically been skeptical about, and often opposed to, these treatments. What is the appeal to nature fallacy? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Bobby Hull

Bobby Hull, a retired Canadian ice hockey player, is considered the best left wing in the sport’s history. He began skating at the age of 3 and began playing with the National Hockey League’s Chicago Black Hawks in the 1957–58 season. Dissatisfied with his NHL salary, Hull responded to overtures from the upstart World Hockey Association’s Winnipeg Jets in 1972 by joking that he would sign with them for a million dollar contract; how did the Jets respond? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Ethel Merman

Merman was a Tony Award winning star of film and stage. Her precise enunciation, wide vocal range, and accurate pitch garnered her much acclaim. She began singing while working as a secretary and eventually became a full time vaudeville performer. Her powerful alto voice afforded her great advantages at a time when stage singers performed without microphones. She made her theater debut in Girl Crazy (1930). According to Broadway lore, what did George Gershwin advise her never to do? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Hells Angels

The Hells Angels outlaw motorcycle club was formed in Fontana, CA, in 1948; the local chapter remains active, but the club’s popularity and membership has since expanded worldwide. The name, taken from the movie Hell’s Angels, has come to represent the epitome of 1960s biker counterculture. Members have been known to engage in illegal activities, but the club rejects any criminal responsibility. What unlikely company was recently sued by the club for copyright infringement? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

The Edo Period

Edo, now named Tokyo, was the seat of power during the reign of the Tokugawa shogunate (1603-1867). This period brought much needed stability to Japan. The shogun’s national authority, combined with the daimyo’s regional authority, permitted the administration of both centralized and decentralized authorities. Literacy spread, farming techniques improved, and interregional trade expanded during this period; nevertheless, the last Tokugawa shogun resigned in 1867 because of what pressures? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Fenugreek

Fenugreek, known also as Methi, is a crop plant grown as a potherb and for the spice made from its seeds. It grows wild from the eastern Mediterranean area to China and is used in a wide variety of foods there. Fenugreek seeds are widely used as a milk producing agent by nursing mothers and recent experiments indicate it may be a useful tool in the fight against cancer and diabetes. In 2009, fenugreek was discovered to be the source of what kind of smell wafting over New York City? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary