June 30, 2007

effigy

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DEFINITION: (noun) A likeness or image, especially of a person. SYNONYMS: simulacrum, image. USAGE: The guard went home and dreamed that his effigy had been added to the collection of Madame Tussaud.
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YMCA

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The Young Men's Christian Organization (YMCA) was founded in London in 1844 and has as its objective the development of values and behaviors that are consistent with Christian principles; membership is not limited to Christians, however, and women and girls have been accepted as members since World War II. In North America, the YMCA is usually perceived to be primarily a community sports facility, but in practice it utilizes a broad range of other programs, such as what?
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Omega-3 Can Protect Against Retinopathy

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A recent study of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids found that a diet rich in omega-3s protected against retinopathy in mice. Retinopathy in premature babies, diabetic retinopathy, and "wet" age-related macular degeneration are the 3 leading causes of blindness. While Western diets tend to have a 10:1 ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids, the ideal ratio range is 2:1 to 5:1. A Japanese style diet more closely matches the ideal ratio of fatty acids.
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June 29, 2007

husbandman

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DEFINITION: (noun) A person who operates a farm. SYNONYMS: farmer, granger, sodbuster. USAGE: The husbandman will not make his own plough or mattock, or other implements of agriculture, if they are to be good for anything.
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Ivy League

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The Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising 8 private institutions of higher education located in the Northeastern US. The term became ubiquitous with the formation of the NCAA Division I athletic conference in 1954, and it is now also commonly used to refer to those schools considered as a group. The Ivy League universities are also referred to as the Ancient Eight, and all but one of them are older than the American Revolution; which one was founded after the Civil War?
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Pope Benedict Changes Papal Election Procedure

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In 1996, Pope John Paul II changed Vatican procedure to allow an absolute majority of cardinals to elect the next pope if, after 33 rounds of balloting, they remain deadlocked. Pope Benedict XVI has now issued an executive order, called a motu proprio, which restores the Vatican tradition requiring 2/3 of the cardinals in a conclave to agree on the new pontiff. In the 13th c, a deadlocked papal election lasted 3 years, though no conclave has lasted more than 5 days in the past 100 years.
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June 28, 2007

passementerie

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DEFINITION: (noun) Ornamental trimming for a garment, as braid, lace, or metallic beads. SYNONYMS: trim, trimming. USAGE: The passementerie on her hat was so elaborate that it made the brim droop.
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Ned Kelley Is Captured

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Ned Kelley is Australia's most famous bushranger and, to many, a folk hero for his defiance of the colonial authorities. From the age of fourteen, Ned began committing a series of minor crimes that escalated into more serious crimes and eventually led to his execution. Many believe, however, that Ned's family was unfairly targeted by police because of Ned's mother's bad family name. In its last stand, the Kelley gang utilized "body armor" made out of what?
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Brownstone

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Brownstone is a red to brown variety of sandstone, whose unusual color is caused in some instances by the presence of red iron oxide which acts as a cement, binding the sand grains together. During the Triassic period, vast thicknesses of brownstone were deposited in the Connecticut River Valley of the northeast, and they were used to build the many brownstone houses and buildings in the area between Baltimore and Boston. Is sandstone a durable building material?
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June 27, 2007

compeer

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DEFINITION: (noun) A person who is of equal standing with another in a group. SYNONYMS: equal, peer, match. USAGE: He was a motivated and slightly competitive student who worked hard to distinguish himself from his compeers.
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