May 31, 2007
debunk
DEFINITION: (verb) To expose or ridicule the falseness, sham, or exaggerated claims of.
SYNONYMS: expose.
USAGE: When Rosa heard the ridiculous rumor being spread around the class, she decided to debunk the myth herself.
Horus
In Egyptian religion, Horus was the falcon-headed sky god whose eyes were the Sun and the Moon. He was the son of Osiris, ruler of the underworld, and Isis, the principal goddess. In a famous myth, Horus avenged the murder of his father by defeating Set, the god of evil and darkness. According to the myth, what injury did Horus sustain in the fight?Help for COPD Sufferers
Researchers are working on a new therapy called airway bypass that they hope will help the estimated 24 million Americans with breath-robbing COPD , or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. With airway bypass, doctors thread a tiny needle through a tube inserted in the windpipe and poke up to a dozen holes through the airway's wall and into surrounding air sacs. The idea: Spark a slow leak in lungs so overinflated that there's not enough room left to take a deep breath, and do so without open surgery.May 30, 2007
Low-Fat Milk…Straight from the Cow
New Zealand scientists are breeding a herd of cows that produce lower-fat milk after the chance discovery of a natural gene mutation in one animal. Vialactia, a subsidiary of the Fonterra Cooperative Group, one of the world's largest milk companies, bought the cow for $218 and expects the first commercial herd of cows supplying natural low-fat milk and spreadable butter for the market by 2011.swallowtail
DEFINITION: (noun) A man's full-dress jacket with two long tapering tails at the back.
SYNONYMS: morning coat, swallow-tailed coat.
USAGE: When he decided to wear a swallowtail to his wedding, he endured some playful mockery from his groomsmen.
Rostov-on-Don
Rostov-on-Don is situated along the Don River near its entrance into the Sea of Azov, which has been an area of great commercial and cultural importance since ancient times. It was in essence established in 1749, when a customs house was built on the Don, a major shipping lane connecting northern Russia to the Caucasus. As the most heavily industrialized city of South Russia during the Russian Civil War, it became a bone of contention between what groups?May 29, 2007
commodious
DEFINITION: (adjective) Spacious; roomy.
SYNONYMS: convenient.
USAGE: The accommodations were commodious, and we had plenty of room to store our belongings.
Coffee May Cut Gout Risk
Four or more cups of coffee a day appear to reduce the risk of gout, a painful joint disorder caused by a buildup of uric acid in the blood. University of British Columbia researchers found that people who drank four or more cups of coffee a day were more likely to have a much lower uric acid level in the blood compared with those who drank one or fewer cups. Tea had no measurable effect, but decaffeinated coffee did, suggesting that the active ingredient was not caffeine.Porcelain
Porcelain is a white, hard, nonporous pottery which is resonant when struck. It was first made by the Chinese to withstand the great heat generated in certain parts of their kilns. The two natural substances used were kaolin and a feldspar mineral called petuntse that forms a glassy cement. In Europe porcelain was first commercially produced in the early 1700s. Most of the European porcelain is soft paste and is not as strong as the Chinese hard-paste porcelain. What is bone china?May 28, 2007
hautboy
DEFINITION: (noun) A slender double-reed instrument; a woodwind with a conical bore and a double-reed mouthpiece.
SYNONYMS: oboe, hautbois.
USAGE: What hautboys and Zamora bagpipes we shall hear, what tabors, timbrels, and rebecks!
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