Courtship
May 30, 2008
Observed throughout the animal kingdom, courtship is the practice of wooing a member of the opposite sex with the ultimate goal of mating. Animal courtship may involve complicated dances or touching; …
Here is the original post:
Courtship
baleful
May 30, 2008
DEFINITION: (adjective) Threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments.
SYNONYMS: menacing, minacious, minatory, ominous, sinister, threatening, forbidding.
USAGE: He sprang on the horse of a Blackfoot warrior whom he had slain, and escaping at full speed, brought home the baleful tidings to his village.
More here:
baleful
US Childhood Obesity Levels Off
May 29, 2008
Childhood obesity is a growing problem in the US, but data from a recent study indicate that the rate of obesity among America’s youth may have finally hit a plateau. The finding, based on survey data gathered between 1999 and 2006, does not indicate why the obesity rate has leveled off after more than two decades of growth, but recent health awareness and fitness campaigns in schools and at home may be working to combat the trend toward obesity. Despite these encouraging results, medical professionals remain concerned for the health of a generation of children who will face a host of weight-related health problems as they age.
More:
US Childhood Obesity Levels Off
Emily Bronte
May 29, 2008
Honest people don’t hide their deeds.
See original here:
Emily Bronte
Charles II of England Restored to Throne
May 29, 2008
After Oliver Cromwell’s death in 1658, the English republican experiment soon faltered. A strong reaction set in against Puritan supremacy and military control, and opinion favored recalling the exiled king. Charles II was persuaded to issue the Declaration of Breda, granting amnesty to former enemies of the house of Stuart, and return to England. As king, Charles reopened the country’s theaters, which Cromwell’s Puritanical government had closed, and encouraged what bawdy theatrical genre?
More here:
Charles II of England Restored to Throne
The Ancient Art of Mosaic Design
May 29, 2008
Mosaic is the art of arranging colored pieces of marble, glass, or other materials to produce a design or picture. In ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, furniture and jewelry were occasionally adorned with inset bits of enamel, glass, and colored stone. Later, mosaic techniques were used to decorate Roman baths and villas. By the 4th century, the craft was largely adapted to Christian uses. The Cathedral of Monreale contains the largest mosaic work in Italy; how many tiles were used to create it?
Source:
The Ancient Art of Mosaic Design
ineffable
May 29, 2008
DEFINITION: (adjective) Incapable of being expressed.
SYNONYMS: indescribable, unspeakable, untellable, unutterable, indefinable.
USAGE: There was an expression of ineffable sadness on her face as she spoke, and I could not but feel that she knew that I knew her secret.
Credit:
ineffable
Skydiver Goes for Record, Fails to Get off Ground
May 28, 2008
In a scene reminiscent of The Wizard of Oz—when the Wizard and his hot-air balloon take to the sky before Dorothy has climbed aboard—Michel Fournier, a 64-year-old French parachutist, watched his dreams (and his $200,000 balloon) fly away while he stood on the ground, …
Go here to see the original:
Skydiver Goes for Record, Fails to Get off Ground
Neville Chamberlain Becomes Prime Minister of England
May 28, 2008
Chamberlain served as prime minister of the UK from 1937 to 1940. His political legacy is defined by his controversial policy of “appeasement” toward Hitler, which culminated in the Munich Pact in 1938. When Germany invaded Czechoslovakia in 1939, he pledged military support to Poland and led Britain to war. He was forced to resign in 1940, after the British debacle in Norway. Some recent scholarship suggests that Chamberlain’s appeasement policy was developed to help Britain do what?
Neville Chamberlain Becomes Prime Minister of England
Jim Thorpe
May 28, 2008
Thorpe was one of the most versatile athletes in modern sports. He won Olympic gold medals in the pentathlon and decathlon, starred in college and professional football, and played basketball and Major League baseball. He lost his Olympic titles, however, when it was discovered that he had played minor league baseball prior to competing, thus violating the amateur status rules. His medals were later restored to him. Legend has it that Thorpe began his athletic career in what casual way?
Read more from the original source:
Jim Thorpe
