April 30, 2007
camarilla
DEFINITION: (noun) A group of confidential, often scheming advisers.
SYNONYMS: cabal, faction, junto.
USAGE: The people thought the war was for a righteous cause, but in truth, it was the brainchild of a greedy camarilla that hoped to profit from it.
Joachim von Ribbentrop
Joachim von Ribbentrop was the foreign minister of Nazi Germany from 1938-1945 who helped negotiate the German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact of 1939. Ribbentrop was found to have had culpability in the Holocaust on the grounds that he persuaded the leaders of satellite countries of the Third Reich to deport Jews to Nazi extermination camps. He was convicted of war crimes at Nuremberg and hanged in 1946. What were his last words?Washington Becomes First Elected US President
Washington, who served as commander-in-chief of the Continental army in the American Revolution, was elected the first President of the US after the adoption of the Constitution. His two-term administration was marked by the establishment of a number of key American institutions that continue to operate today. Because of his central role in the founding of the US, Washington is often called the "Father of his Country." Can you think of 10 places or institutions that are named for him?Laura Ingalls Wilder
Ingalls Wilder was the American author of the classic Little House series, a collection of children's books based on her childhood. She and her pioneer family traveled throughout the Midwest by covered wagon, settling in the Dakota Territory in 1880. She became a schoolteacher at 15, married Almanzo Wilder, moved to a farm in the Missouri Ozarks, and began writing in her forties. Her lively accounts of pioneer life became very popular and have been translated into how many languages?April 29, 2007
threnody
DEFINITION: (noun) A poem or song of mourning or lamentation.
SYNONYMS: coronach, dirge, requiem, lament.
USAGE: He had made all the plans for his funeral, choosing and purchasing a casket and even selecting the threnody he wanted played.
Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington was an American jazz musician and composer. Among his best-known short works are "Mood Indigo," "Solitude," and "Sophisticated Lady." He also wrote jazz works of complex orchestration for concert presentation and composed religious music, including three sacred concerts. Ellington toured Europe extensively, appeared in numerous jazz festivals and several films, and made hundreds of recordings. In 1969, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. What was his real name?Dachau Concentration Camp Liberated by US Troops
Dachau was the first Nazi concentration camp and served as a model for others that followed. Over 200,000 prisoners from more than 30 countries were housed there, and records indicate that at least 32,000 inmates died there, many from a typhus epidemic in 1945. Dachau was liberated by the 42nd Infantry Division of the US Seventh Army. What did the troops find when they entered the camp?Mount Carmel
Mt. Carmel is a mountain ridge in Israel overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. Long an object of veneration, it was associated in biblical times with the lives of the prophets Elijah and Elisha. From the mountainside vineyards comes the renowned Mt. Carmel wine, and at the foot of Mt. Carmel is the port of Haifa. On its slopes are a Baha'ist garden shrine, with the tombs of Bab-ed-din and of Abdul Baha, and a 19th-century Carmelite monastery. What strategic role did Mt. Carmel play during WWI?April 28, 2007
ennui
DEFINITION: (noun) Listlessness and dissatisfaction resulting from lack of interest; boredom.
SYNONYMS: boredom, tedium.
USAGE: On rainy days, of which we have had a good many of late, it is quite painful to witness his ennui.
Ferruccio Lamborghini
Lamborghini was a wealthy manufacturer of tractors and an enthusiastic owner of sports cars. Noticing a problem with the clutch systems of the Ferraris he owned, he approached Enzo Ferrari to complain about the issue. Ferrari insulted Lamborghini, stating that a tractor manufacturer was not qualified to criticize Ferraris. A furious Lamborghini then decided to "build better Ferraris than Ferrari." Why did Lamborghini choose the image of a bull for his company's logo?- » About
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