April 26, 2009
HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED HOW A WORD, IDIOM OR PHRASE ORIGINATED IN THE AMERICAN LANGUAGE?
The focus for 2009 will be on terms related to health.
As always, I would appreciate your feedback.
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2) How would you improve this posting?
3) Can you provide a better Moment of Zen?
April 19, 2009
HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED HOW A WORD, IDIOM OR PHRASE ORIGINATED IN THE AMERICAN LANGUAGE?
The focus for 2009 will be on terms related to health.
As always, I would appreciate your feedback.
1) Did you find the posting informative?
2) How would you improve this posting?
3) Can you provide a better Moment of Zen?
April 12, 2009
HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED HOW A WORD, IDIOM OR PHRASE ORIGINATED IN THE AMERICAN LANGUAGE?
The focus for 2009 will be on terms related to health.
As always, I would appreciate your feedback.
1) Did you find the posting informative?
2) How would you improve this posting?
3) Can you provide a better Moment of Zen?
April 5, 2009
HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED HOW A WORD, IDIOM OR PHRASE ORIGINATED IN THE AMERICAN LANGUAGE?
The focus for 2009 will be on terms related to health.
As always, I would appreciate your feedback.
1) Did you find the posting informative?
2) How would you improve this posting?
3) Can you provide a better Moment of Zen?
April 27, 2008
HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED HOW A WORD, IDIOM OR PHRASE ORIGINATED IN THE AMERICAN LANGUAGE?
All of the terms examined in 2008 will be in the realm of politics.
Please read the attached pdf posting on the origin of “The Fourth Estate” to see the results of my research. jim-c-quiz-the-fourth-estate
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3) Can you provide a better Moment of Zen?
April 20, 2008
HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED HOW A WORD, IDIOM OR PHRASE ORIGINATED IN THE AMERICAN LANGUAGE?
All of the terms examined in 2008 will be in the realm of politics.
Please read the attached pdf posting on the origin of “Separation of Powers” to see the results of my research. jim-c-quiz-separation-of-powers
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3) Can you provide a better Moment of Zen?
April 13, 2008
HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED HOW A WORD, IDIOM OR PHRASE ORIGINATED IN THE AMERICAN LANGUAGE?
All of the terms examined in 2008 will be in the realm of politics.
Please read the attached pdf posting on the origin of “Politics” to see the results of my research. jim-c-quiz-politics
As always, I would appreciate your feedback.
1) Did you find the posting informative?
3) Can you provide a better Moment of Zen?
April 6, 2008
HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED HOW A WORD, IDIOM OR PHRASE ORIGINATED IN THE AMERICAN LANGUAGE?
All of the terms examined in 2008 will be in the realm of politics.
Please read the attached pdf posting on the origin of “Grass Roots” to see the results of my research. jim-c-quiz-grass-roots
As always, I would appreciate your feedback.
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2) How would you improve this posting?
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April 23, 2007
HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED HOW A WORD, IDIOM OR PHRASE ORIGINATED IN THE AMERICAN LANGUAGE?
Some of the more interesting aspects of Earth Day (first held in 1970) are that two people claim to have originated the term in 1969 and that the event is celebrated on two different days – one on March 21 (first day of spring) and one on April 22. This split still exists today.
Regardless of the timing, Earth Day was the result of a very strong grassroot effort on the part of both originators. This effort culminated in the day of celebration in 1970, when literally millions of Americans took to the streets and parks to demonstrate for a healthy, sustainable global environment.
Earth Day represented a forum for concerned citizens to tap into the environmental concerns of the general public and infuse the student anti-war energy into the environmental cause. The leaders effectively generated a demonstration that forced this issue onto the political agenda. It was a big gamble, but it worked.
The twin effort produced sufficient political pressure to force the U.S. Congress to legislate meaningful new and continuing environmental laws for cleaner water, better protection of federal lands, expansion of federal parks, and better conservation of our oceans.
For more detail, please read the attached pdf posting.
As always, I hope this stimulates your own research, and I would appreciate your feedback.
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April 16, 2007
HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED HOW A WORD, IDIOM OR PHRASE ORIGINATED IN THE AMERICAN LANGUAGE?
When I started researching the April calendar of events, I was surprised to learn that April was also National Chocolate Eater’s Month and National Smile Month – what a wonderful and natural combination.
Naturally, having a sweet tooth for chocolate, I immediately gorged on every tidbit of information on the topic of chocolate, which was found in 1520 by Cortez, who took the cocoa bean back to Spain for introduction to European society. Just like the Americas, chocolate was actually existed way before the “discovery” by Cortez.
Chocolate is derived from the Theobroma (‘food of the gods’) cocoa tree, which originated in the Amazon or Orinoco basins of South America. Cocoa beans were a domestic crop grown by the Olmec Indians as early as 1500 BC.
The Aztec Nahuatl word xocolatl (xococ “bitter” + atl “water”) was first published in the 1604 English translation of the Spanish History of the Indies. However, chocolatl does not appear in Nahuatl until the mid-18th century, which means that the term may have been derived from another language such as Mayan.
One of the other key research aspects turned out to discovering the vast number of evolutionary steps required to turn the bitter cocoa bean into the confectionary delights that we have today. The basic process consists of harvesting, blending, conching, tempering, and storing; however, the texture and taste produced took centuries to perfect.
For more detail, please read the attached pdf posting. As always, I hope this stimulates your own research, and I would appreciate your feedback.
1) Did you find the posting informative?
2) How would you improve this posting?
3) Can you provide a better “Moment of Zen?”
