| Thursday, January 8, 2009 |
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| So Many Books, So Little Time |
SpotlightHow quickly can you read this spotlight? If you are an average reader, it probably will take you a little less than a minute. Evelyn Wood, a teacher born 100 years ago today, saw that there were those who could read many times faster than that, and, after investigating their methods, she developed a form of speed reading that she believed would assist readers to cover more material in less time and increase their reading comprehension; she called the course
Quote"I took a speed-reading course and read War and Peace in twenty minutes. It involves Russia."
Question of the DayBriefly distinguish between the different types of reading Which are the types of reading that you would be required to do most often as a student of management?
We read in different ways, depending on the purpose for which we are reading a text. Let us a look at few types of reading.
- Skimming: let us say that you are a student of management; and as suggested by your professor, you need to buy a reference text book on Investment Management, or to write a paper on Computer Graphics. You go to a book store and see a rack full of books, with the same title, but different authors... more
Word of the dayPyrrhic victory
A victory that is offset by staggering losses, as in The campaign was so divisive that even though he won the election it was a Pyrrhic victory. This expression alludes to King Pyrrhus of Epirus, who defeated the Romans at Asculum in 279 BC, but lost his best officers and many of his troops. Pyrrhus then said: "Another such victory and we are lost." In English the term was first recorded (used figuratively) in 1879.
Alliteration and its relatives, consonance and assonance, go back to Old English and earlier. It seems we love to play with the sounds of our phrases. This week we'll look at some phrases that we just like the sound of.
Today's History
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| Woodrow Wilson |
- Battle of New Orleans: the US defeated the British in the final battle of the War of 1812; a peace treaty had already been signed, but the news hadn't yet reached New Orleans (1815)
- 14 Points: US President Woodrow Wilson presented his plan for post-WWI peace in Europe; it held the Allies together for the remainder of the war and established him as their moral leader (1918)
- Music City Miracle: controversial pass won an NFL post-season game for the Tennessee Titans; the team subsequently made it to the Super Bowl (2000)
Today's Birthdays
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| David Bowie |
- John Curtin (1885-1945): Australian prime minister
- Sander Vanocur (81): veteran broadcast journalist; journalist Charles Osgood (76) shares this birthday
- Stephen Hawking (67): theoretical physicist who specializes in the physics of black holes
- Wilkie Collins (1824-1889) father of the detective novel, The Moonstone
- David Bowie (62): rock star and actor also known as Ziggy Stardust; other rockers born on this date include Elvis Presley (1935-1977), Shirley Bassey (72) and Robby Krieger (63)
