Chris Sellars Once upon a time in the back of beyond past the never-never land just this side of the black stump, there was a meagre village where dwelt a few hardy souls. The land could support no more. The soil was rich, the farmers industrious, but water was always
It was an unusually warm winter’s day and in the early hours of the afternoon, with the sun streaming through the windows, I abandoned the computer and my usual raft of research and the quest for knowledge and understanding of the confusing world around us. I made a fresh
The word for today is… conciliatory (adjective) – : tending to win over from a state of hostility or distrust Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : If you are conciliatory towards someone, you’re trying to win that person over to your side. The verb conciliate was borrowed into English in the mid-16th century
The word for today is… Rubicon (noun, geographical name) – noun : a bounding or limiting line – especially : one that when crossed commits a person irrevocably geographical name : river 15 miles long in north central Italy flowing east into the Adriatic Sea Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : In 49 B.C., Julius Caesar
Elie Dolgin knowablemagazine.org Out for Blood in the Search to Stall Aging A gaggle of biotech start-ups are trying vastly different approaches to spin animal studies into the next big anti-aging therapy. It’s too early to know which, if any, will succeed. By Elie Dolgin 5.6.2021
Fishermen’s tales are legendary for the ones that got away. In this case, though, it’s the fisherman who got away. Not from a fish, though: from something even bigger. Lobster fisherman Michael Packard was swallowed whole and spat out by a humpback whale. Last week, Packard was diving
Right To Life News righttolife.org.uk An Australian father-to-be who tragically died of brain cancer before having the chance to meet his unborn daughter left a series of powerful videos and notes for her. Scott Ferguson, from Central Coast, New South Wales, Australia, was diagnosed with stage 4 glioblastoma
The word for today is… ignorant (adjective) – 1a : destitute of knowledge or education – an ignorant society also : lacking knowledge or comprehension of the thing specified – parents ignorant of modern mathematics b : resulting from or showing lack of knowledge or intelligence – ignorant errors 2 : unaware, uninformed Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : First
Michael Cook mercatornet.com Michael Cook is the editor of MercatorNet In the wake of the announcement of Bill and Melinda Gates’s divorce, rumours have been seeping out about Bill’s private life which do him no credit. However, it’s not reports of infidelity which bother me – there,
The word for today is… abjure (verb) – 1 formal a : to renounce upon oath b : to reject solemnly 2 formal : to abstain from Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Just as a jury swears to produce an unbiased verdict, and a witness swears to tell the truth on pain of perjury, those
The word for today is… fustian (noun) – 1a : a strong cotton and linen fabric b : a class of cotton fabrics usually having a pile face and twill weave 2 : high-flown or affected writing or speech Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Fustian has been used in English for a kind of cloth
milliner (noun) – a person who designs, makes, trims, or sells women’s hats Source : Online Etymology Dictionary Etymology : 1520s, “vendor of fancy wares, man who deals in articles for women’s wear,” probably originally Milaner “native or resident of Milan” (in Middle English Milain, Milein, Millein, etc.), the northern Italian
The word for today is… irony (noun) – 1a : the use of words to express something other than and especially the opposite of the literal meaning b : a usually humorous or sardonic literary style or form characterized by irony c : an ironic expression or utterance 2a (1) : incongruity between the actual
Chynthia Wijaya Noor Gillani The Conversation Before joining The Conversation, Chynthia worked in video production and editing, freelancing for Vice Australia and the Museum of Chinese Australian History. Before joining The Conversation, Noor worked as a regional reporter with Seven West Media and News Corp. Prior to that, she freelanced
The word for today is… dross (noun) – 1 metallurgy : the scum or unwanted material that forms on the surface of molten metal 2 : waste or foreign matter : impurity 3 : something that is base, trivial, or inferior Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Dross has been a part of the English language since
Calum MacKellar mercatornet.com Dr Calum MacKellar is Director of Research of the Scottish Council on Human Bioethics At the beginning of this year, I was invited to take part in an online debate on the topic of assisted suicide organised by a Scottish university in front of a large
