The ninth, fiery sign of the zodiac, Sagittarius, begins November 22 and lasts until December 21. Sagittarius is ruled by the planet Jupiter and is also a mutable fire sign, meaning it is one “of the three astrological signs, Aries, Leo, or Sagittarius, that are grouped together because of the shared attributes of enthusiasm, vitality, and interest in spiritual things.” The mutable part signals that Sagittarians can …
November is Native American Heritage Month, a monthlong observance dedicated to celebrating, honoring, and learning about Native American heritage and culture and its diversity. Recognition and preservation of such heritage is particularly important given the history of Indigenous Peoples in North America and their continued efforts to preserve their rich cultures—despite the many acts of genocide, systemic oppression, and erasure they have been targeted with …
By Ashley Austrew If you’re dating in 2022, the first step is learning how to speak the language. Thanks to the proliferation of dating apps and social media messaging services, dating now has a solid online component. And just like all the other aspects of our online life (text speak, memes, and emojis), it has its own set of rules and vocabulary. When you’re looking …
Just about every culture in the world has a preferred regional bread style. And while the flavors, shapes, and exact ingredient lists may vary, there’s no denying that bread is near universally loved—especially when it’s homemade and fresh out of the oven. Home bakers may get a rise out of knowing that homemade loaves even have their own unofficial holiday: Homemade Bread Day on November …
The pronunciation of words in English is not always straightforward. Unlike some languages, such as French or Spanish, there is not always a direct relationship between the spelling of words and how they are said aloud. In technical terms, there is not always a consistent relationship between graphemes (basically, writing units) and their phonemes (sounds) in English. There are a couple of reasons for this. The English …
Inductive and deductive are commonly used in the context of logic, reasoning, and science. Scientists use both inductive and deductive reasoning as part of the scientific method. Fictional detectives like Sherlock Holmes are famously associated with methods of deduction (though that’s often not what Holmes actually uses—more on that later). Some writing courses involve inductive and deductive essays. But what’s the difference between inductive and …
November 11 is Veterans Day, a federal holiday honoring all military veterans and originally commemorating the end of World War I. It’s marked on 11/11, an interesting date with a bit of history associated with its numbers. World War I was a massive military conflict in Europe between 1914–18. Joining France and Great Britain, the US fought on the Allied side against the German and Austria–Hungary …
The flu is so well-known that the term “flu-like symptoms” is commonly used as a way to describe the effects of other diseases—including COVID-19. Because its symptoms can be similar to those of the flu, COVID is sometimes compared to the flu. But medical professionals stress that the two are different in important ways. And knowing the difference is crucial to understanding the risks of …
Every fall, cities and towns throughout India are illuminated with string lights and oil lamps as people give gifts and share sweets. This is Diwali, or as it’s also commonly known, the Festival of Lights. Diwali, pronounced either [ dih-wah-lee ] or [ dih-vah-lee] has a few variant spellings. There’s Divali and Dewali, as well as Deepavali and Deepawali. At its core, the name Diwali …
If you take a cursory glance at almost any sheet music, particularly for classical music, you will see a hodgepodge of Italian terms such as piano, staccato, crescendo, just to name a few. How did the Italian language come to dominate musical notation? To answer this question, we need to know a little bit about the history of music. The music staff (a set of …
More and more people are following vegan or vegetarian diets. And you’ve probably noticed a lot of restaurant menus marking whether a dish is vegan or vegetarian. But what exactly is the difference? The difference involves more than just whether a person eats cheese. We’ll break down what each word means, what vegans and vegetarians do and don’t eat, and what the word vegan means …
Every November, it’s time to begin preparation for the winter months, whether that means pulling out your winter coat, adding another blanket to your bed, or searching for the perfect pumpkin pie recipe. November also holds some of the most important times of the year: elections in the US, Thanksgiving, Daylight Saving Time … Black Friday. OK, some of those aren’t that important, but there …