Photo Credit: Michael Kriskovic
Location: Prescott, AZ
The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.
-- Alan Watts
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Prescott, AZ
Photo Credit: Michael Kriskovic
Location: Prescott, AZ
The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.
-- Alan Watts
Eggs
Eggs are among the most versatile ingredients used in cooking - a part of pasta, cookies, cakes, pastries, sauces, etc. - and can be cooked in a great variety of ways. They can be served plain or with an array of garnishing ingredients, sauces, or other accompaniments. The nutritive value of eggs ensured they would become part of the human diet all over the world from the earliest times; they are also associated with rites and traditions such as Lent and Easter. Egg sizes are Jumbo, Extra Large, Large, Medium, Small and Peewee. Several factors influence the size of an egg, the major factor being the age of the hen: as the hen ages, her eggs increase in size. The breed of hen from which the egg comes is a second factor, and weight of the bird is another. Pullets significantly underweight at sexual maturity will produce small eggs.
refulgent \rih-FUL-juhnt\, adjective:
refulgent \rih-FUL-juhnt\, adjective:
Shining brightly; radiant; brilliant; resplendent.
If Moore was not quite a burned-out case, his once refulgent light flickered only dimly in his sad last years.
-- Martin Filler, "The Spirit of '76", New Republic, July 9, 2001
With its improbable towers tilting against themselves and its titanium sheathing in full refulgent glow, it brings on a question that the world has not enjoyed asking itself since the first moon landings: If this is possible, what isn't?
-- Richard Lacayo, "The Frank Gehry Experience", Time, June 26, 2000
To the Renaissance, they [the Middle Ages] were nothing but a dank patch of history, a barren stretch of time between luminous antiquity and an equally refulgent present.
-- Justin Davidson, "On the Record", Newsday, January 19, 1997
Refulgent comes from the present participle of Latin refulgere, "to flash back, to shine brightly," from re-, "back" + fulgere, "to shine."
Shining brightly; radiant; brilliant; resplendent.
If Moore was not quite a burned-out case, his once refulgent light flickered only dimly in his sad last years.
-- Martin Filler, "The Spirit of '76", New Republic, July 9, 2001
With its improbable towers tilting against themselves and its titanium sheathing in full refulgent glow, it brings on a question that the world has not enjoyed asking itself since the first moon landings: If this is possible, what isn't?
-- Richard Lacayo, "The Frank Gehry Experience", Time, June 26, 2000
To the Renaissance, they [the Middle Ages] were nothing but a dank patch of history, a barren stretch of time between luminous antiquity and an equally refulgent present.
-- Justin Davidson, "On the Record", Newsday, January 19, 1997
Refulgent comes from the present participle of Latin refulgere, "to flash back, to shine brightly," from re-, "back" + fulgere, "to shine."
Monday, September 7, 2009
Earth's Crust
earth's crust
Although more than 80 elements occur naturally on the earth, the bulk of it is made of iron (35%), oxygen (28%), magnesium (17%), and silicon (13%). By taking rock samples from the earth's interior, geologists have been able to understand the earth's chemical makeup. The earth's outer layer of rock (crust) varies in thickness. Beneath the oceans, it is 4-7 miles thick, but it stretches up to 43 miles under mountain ranges.
Although more than 80 elements occur naturally on the earth, the bulk of it is made of iron (35%), oxygen (28%), magnesium (17%), and silicon (13%). By taking rock samples from the earth's interior, geologists have been able to understand the earth's chemical makeup. The earth's outer layer of rock (crust) varies in thickness. Beneath the oceans, it is 4-7 miles thick, but it stretches up to 43 miles under mountain ranges.
acquiesce \ak-wee-ES\, intransitive verb:
acquiesce \ak-wee-ES\, intransitive verb:
To accept or consent passively or without objection -- usually used with 'in' or 'to'.
At the same time, sellers might acquiesce to mafia involvement in their business as a way of ensuring payment for goods: if the buyer defaults, the mafioso will collect.
-- Louis S. Warren, The Hunter's Game
The British were not prepared to acquiesce to the return of the Chinese to Tibet, and determined to counter the reassertion of Chinese influence.
-- Tsering Shakya, The Dragon in the Land of Snows
France would probably express regret that a military strike had become necessary, but would acquiesce in it.
-- Craig R. Whitney, "France Pushes for Last-Ditch Diplomatic Solution.", New York Times, February 20, 1998
Acquiesce comes from Latin acquiescere, "to give oneself to rest, hence to find one's rest or peace (in something)," from ad, "to" + quiescere, "to rest, to be or keep quiet."
To accept or consent passively or without objection -- usually used with 'in' or 'to'.
At the same time, sellers might acquiesce to mafia involvement in their business as a way of ensuring payment for goods: if the buyer defaults, the mafioso will collect.
-- Louis S. Warren, The Hunter's Game
The British were not prepared to acquiesce to the return of the Chinese to Tibet, and determined to counter the reassertion of Chinese influence.
-- Tsering Shakya, The Dragon in the Land of Snows
France would probably express regret that a military strike had become necessary, but would acquiesce in it.
-- Craig R. Whitney, "France Pushes for Last-Ditch Diplomatic Solution.", New York Times, February 20, 1998
Acquiesce comes from Latin acquiescere, "to give oneself to rest, hence to find one's rest or peace (in something)," from ad, "to" + quiescere, "to rest, to be or keep quiet."
Post Office
post office
The inscription on the New York Post Office Building at Eighth Avenue, "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds," is not the motto of the U.S. Postal Service. In fact, the U.S. Postal Service has no official motto. The sentence appears in the works of Herodotus, a fifth century BC Greek historian and writer, and describes the expedition of the Greeks against the Persians under Cyrus, which took place about 500 BC. The inscription was supplied by the architectural firm that designed the New York General Post Office.
The inscription on the New York Post Office Building at Eighth Avenue, "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds," is not the motto of the U.S. Postal Service. In fact, the U.S. Postal Service has no official motto. The sentence appears in the works of Herodotus, a fifth century BC Greek historian and writer, and describes the expedition of the Greeks against the Persians under Cyrus, which took place about 500 BC. The inscription was supplied by the architectural firm that designed the New York General Post Office.
sacrosanct \SAK-roh-sankt\, adjective:
sacrosanct \SAK-roh-sankt\, adjective:
1. Extremely sacred or inviolable.
2. Not to be entered or trespassed upon.
3. Above or beyond criticism, change, or interference.
The family was viewed as sacrosanct: divorce was highly unusual and children were expected to be grateful for the sacrifices that parents, who postponed their own gratifications in forming a family, made on their behalf.
-- Alan Wolfe, One Nation, After All
Espionage is about redefining Good and Evil, the violable and the sacrosanct.
-- Edward Shirley, Know Thine Enemy
In the good old days, things seemed simpler -- film was smart, television was dumb. Television would rot your brains, make your children fat, ruin your family by filling the sacrosanct dinner hour with "Happy Days" reruns.
-- Mary McNamara, "TV: It's good for you", The Prelude, Book VI, "Cambridge and the Alps", August 16, 2009
Sacrosanct comes from Latin sacrosanctus, "consecrated with religious ceremonies, hence holy, sacred," from sacrum, "religious rite" (from sacer, "holy") + sanctus, "consecrated," from sancire, "to make sacred by a religious act."
1. Extremely sacred or inviolable.
2. Not to be entered or trespassed upon.
3. Above or beyond criticism, change, or interference.
The family was viewed as sacrosanct: divorce was highly unusual and children were expected to be grateful for the sacrifices that parents, who postponed their own gratifications in forming a family, made on their behalf.
-- Alan Wolfe, One Nation, After All
Espionage is about redefining Good and Evil, the violable and the sacrosanct.
-- Edward Shirley, Know Thine Enemy
In the good old days, things seemed simpler -- film was smart, television was dumb. Television would rot your brains, make your children fat, ruin your family by filling the sacrosanct dinner hour with "Happy Days" reruns.
-- Mary McNamara, "TV: It's good for you", The Prelude, Book VI, "Cambridge and the Alps", August 16, 2009
Sacrosanct comes from Latin sacrosanctus, "consecrated with religious ceremonies, hence holy, sacred," from sacrum, "religious rite" (from sacer, "holy") + sanctus, "consecrated," from sancire, "to make sacred by a religious act."
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Yellowstone National Park
Photo Credit: Windy Torgerud
Location: Yellowstone National Park
Let life happen to you. Believe me: life is in the right, always.
-- Rainer Maria Rilke
diktat \dik-TAHT\, noun:
diktat \dik-TAHT\, noun:
1. A harsh settlement unilaterally imposed on a defeated party.
2. An authoritative decree or order.
Whether with the rapid reaction force or with the Bosnian government, the United States should vigorously support efforts to lift the siege of Sarajevo and help to piece back together a contiguous territory so that the Bosnian government can come to the bargaining table free of a Serbian diktat.
-- "Why Bosnia matters", Commonweal, July 14, 1995
And it would begin to encroach on another, more treasured, freedom: the right of the networks to broadcast what they choose independent of government diktat.
-- "Back to the smoke-filled room?", The Economist, February 25, 1995
Other important figures in the game said the problems would be better dealt with voluntarily than by diktat.
-- Denis Campbell, "Fifa back Vieira", The Guardian, September 22, 2002
Diktat comes from German, from Latin dictatum, neuter past participle of dictare, "to dictate." It is related to dictator.
1. A harsh settlement unilaterally imposed on a defeated party.
2. An authoritative decree or order.
Whether with the rapid reaction force or with the Bosnian government, the United States should vigorously support efforts to lift the siege of Sarajevo and help to piece back together a contiguous territory so that the Bosnian government can come to the bargaining table free of a Serbian diktat.
-- "Why Bosnia matters", Commonweal, July 14, 1995
And it would begin to encroach on another, more treasured, freedom: the right of the networks to broadcast what they choose independent of government diktat.
-- "Back to the smoke-filled room?", The Economist, February 25, 1995
Other important figures in the game said the problems would be better dealt with voluntarily than by diktat.
-- Denis Campbell, "Fifa back Vieira", The Guardian, September 22, 2002
Diktat comes from German, from Latin dictatum, neuter past participle of dictare, "to dictate." It is related to dictator.
Dice
Dice, the oldest gaming implements known to man, are small cubes whose sides are each marked with a different number of dots (spots) from one to six. Archaeological finds show that dice were used in ancient times and were originally magical devices used to divine the future. Cubical dice with markings practically equivalent to those of modern dice have been found in Chinese excavations from 600 BC and in Egyptian tombs dating from 2000 BC.
Zion National Park, Utah
Photo Credit: Matthew Wentz
Location: Zion National Park, Utah
Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul alike.
-- John Muir
Chess pieces
In chess, the king moves one square at a time in any direction. The bishop moves diagonally across the board, while the rook travels in straight lines but not diagonally. The pawn moves forward one square at a time, and the knight can jump over other pieces to a new position. The queen can move in any direction but cannot jump. The oldest recovered chess piece, found in Persia, is dated to 790 AD.
fecund \FEE-kuhnd; FEK-uhnd\, adjective:
fecund \FEE-kuhnd; FEK-uhnd\, adjective:
1. Capable of producing offspring or vegetation; fruitful; prolific.
2. Intellectually productive or inventive.
Wainscott's book is . . . focused squarely and surely on probably the most astonishingly fecund period in American theater history, 1914-1929.
-- James Coakley, Comparative Drama
In her first novel she portrays a lush, fecund landscape palpable in its sultriness and excess.
-- Barbara Crossette, "Seeking Nirvana", New York Times, April 29, 2001
Miss Ozick can convert any skeptic to the cult of her shrewd and fecund imagination.
-- Edmund White, "Images of a Mind Thinking", New York Times, September 11, 1983
Fecund comes from Latin fecundus, "fruitful, prolific." The noun form is fecundity.
1. Capable of producing offspring or vegetation; fruitful; prolific.
2. Intellectually productive or inventive.
Wainscott's book is . . . focused squarely and surely on probably the most astonishingly fecund period in American theater history, 1914-1929.
-- James Coakley, Comparative Drama
In her first novel she portrays a lush, fecund landscape palpable in its sultriness and excess.
-- Barbara Crossette, "Seeking Nirvana", New York Times, April 29, 2001
Miss Ozick can convert any skeptic to the cult of her shrewd and fecund imagination.
-- Edmund White, "Images of a Mind Thinking", New York Times, September 11, 1983
Fecund comes from Latin fecundus, "fruitful, prolific." The noun form is fecundity.
Yosemite National Park
Photo Credit: Steven Crum
Location: Yosemite National Park
National parks are the best idea we ever had. Absolutely American, absolutely democratic, they reflect us at our best rather than our worst.
-- Wallace Stegner
Marathon
marathon
The first modern marathon race was held at the Olympic Games in Athens, Greece in 1896 and covered a distance of 24.85 miles. The winner of this race was a Greek, Spiridon Louis, who ran the race in 2:58:50. The marathon honors the feat of a Greek soldier, Pheidippides, who, in 490 BC, ran approximately 25 miles from Marathon to Athens to deliver the news of the Athenian victory over the Persians - and then died. At the 1908 Olympic Games in London, the marathon distance was changed to 26 miles to cover the ground from Windsor Castle to White City stadium, with 385 yards added on so the race could finish in front of the royal family's viewing box. However, the official distance of the modern Olympic marathon race, 26 miles 385 yards, was not established until 1924. The Boston Marathon, one of the more famous marathon races, began in 1897.
The first modern marathon race was held at the Olympic Games in Athens, Greece in 1896 and covered a distance of 24.85 miles. The winner of this race was a Greek, Spiridon Louis, who ran the race in 2:58:50. The marathon honors the feat of a Greek soldier, Pheidippides, who, in 490 BC, ran approximately 25 miles from Marathon to Athens to deliver the news of the Athenian victory over the Persians - and then died. At the 1908 Olympic Games in London, the marathon distance was changed to 26 miles to cover the ground from Windsor Castle to White City stadium, with 385 yards added on so the race could finish in front of the royal family's viewing box. However, the official distance of the modern Olympic marathon race, 26 miles 385 yards, was not established until 1924. The Boston Marathon, one of the more famous marathon races, began in 1897.
abecedarian \ay-bee-see-DAIR-ee-uhn\, noun:
abecedarian \ay-bee-see-DAIR-ee-uhn\, noun:
1. One who is learning the alphabet; hence, a beginner.
2. One engaged in teaching the alphabet.
3. Pertaining to the letters of the alphabet.
4. Arranged alphabetically.
5. Rudimentary; elementary.
Columba's poem is fittingly 'abecedarian', each stanza starts with a subsequent letter of the alphabet -- a harbinger of the Scottish appetite for cataloguing, and delight in craft.
-- WN Herbert, "A rhyme and a prayer", Scotland on Sunday, December 10, 2000
While much of the work resembled abecedarian attempts of a novice choreographer, "Duet," sensitively danced by Jennifer A. Cooper and William Petroni, is surprisingly sophisticated in its careful deployment of formal thematic manipulations in the service of emotional expression.
-- Lisa Jo Sagolla, "Open 24 Hours Dance Company", Back Stage, September 1, 1998
The approach may seem abecedarian today, but his was among the first endeavors of the sort.
-- Jennifer Liese, "May 1973", ArtForum, May 2003
Abecedarian derives from Latin abecedarius, from the first four letters of the alphabet.
1. One who is learning the alphabet; hence, a beginner.
2. One engaged in teaching the alphabet.
3. Pertaining to the letters of the alphabet.
4. Arranged alphabetically.
5. Rudimentary; elementary.
Columba's poem is fittingly 'abecedarian', each stanza starts with a subsequent letter of the alphabet -- a harbinger of the Scottish appetite for cataloguing, and delight in craft.
-- WN Herbert, "A rhyme and a prayer", Scotland on Sunday, December 10, 2000
While much of the work resembled abecedarian attempts of a novice choreographer, "Duet," sensitively danced by Jennifer A. Cooper and William Petroni, is surprisingly sophisticated in its careful deployment of formal thematic manipulations in the service of emotional expression.
-- Lisa Jo Sagolla, "Open 24 Hours Dance Company", Back Stage, September 1, 1998
The approach may seem abecedarian today, but his was among the first endeavors of the sort.
-- Jennifer Liese, "May 1973", ArtForum, May 2003
Abecedarian derives from Latin abecedarius, from the first four letters of the alphabet.
Yellowstone National Park
Location: Yellowstone National Park
I can enjoy society in a room; but out of doors, nature is company enough for me.
-- William Hazlitt
carom \KAIR-uhm\, noun:
carom \KAIR-uhm\, noun:
1. A rebound following a collision; a glancing off.
2. A shot in billiards in which the cue ball successively strikes two other balls on the table.
3. To strike and rebound; to glance.
4. To make a carom.
5. To make (an object) bounce off something; to cause to carom.
The cart smashed into the steep hillside in explosive caroms and bounces, sending billows of dust and rock into the air.
-- Ev Ehrlich, Grant Speaks
Three blocks away, in the Rue des Jardiniers, four Moroccan children were kicking a filthy soccer ball up and down the street. It caromed off the parked cars, rolled into the gutter, was kicked again, leaving dirty blotches where it had smacked against the vehicles' fenders.
-- Philip Shelby, Gatekeeper
The anger caroms around in our psyches like jagged stones.
-- Randall Robinson, Defending the Spirit
Carom derives from obsolete carambole, from Spanish carambola, "a stroke at billiards."
1. A rebound following a collision; a glancing off.
2. A shot in billiards in which the cue ball successively strikes two other balls on the table.
3. To strike and rebound; to glance.
4. To make a carom.
5. To make (an object) bounce off something; to cause to carom.
The cart smashed into the steep hillside in explosive caroms and bounces, sending billows of dust and rock into the air.
-- Ev Ehrlich, Grant Speaks
Three blocks away, in the Rue des Jardiniers, four Moroccan children were kicking a filthy soccer ball up and down the street. It caromed off the parked cars, rolled into the gutter, was kicked again, leaving dirty blotches where it had smacked against the vehicles' fenders.
-- Philip Shelby, Gatekeeper
The anger caroms around in our psyches like jagged stones.
-- Randall Robinson, Defending the Spirit
Carom derives from obsolete carambole, from Spanish carambola, "a stroke at billiards."
U.S. Secret Service
The United States Secret Service was founded in 1865, as a branch of the United States Treasury Department, to prevent counterfeiting of U.S. currency. The permanent duty of protecting the President of the United States of America was established in 1901 following the assassination of President William McKinley in Buffalo, New York. In 1962, Congress expanded the protective duties of the Secret Service to include the Vice President. In 2003, the Secret Service became part of the United States Department of Homeland Security.
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