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That's interesting, you don't often see this kind of word in english; more so in other languages. In a way you could say the word is adscititious to the language in and of itself

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Fall Anime 2024 AniChart | MAL Chart | AniDB Chart Finally narrowed down my listing somewhat after taking a more in-depth look into PVs, source material, the people behind the series, etc. This season is truly the season of sequels. Oh my. Sequels: Arifureta: From Commonplace to World's Strongest Season 3 Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War - The Conflict Blue Exorcist: Beyond the Snow Saga Dragon Ball Daima Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? V KamiErabi GOD.app Season 2 Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- Season 3 Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Disturbance Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles Season 2 Shangri-La Frontier Season 2 Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online II The Seven Deadly Sins: Four Knights of the Apocalypse Season 2 Continuing: Fairy Tail: 100 Years Quest New Series Potentially Watching: Dandadan Orb: On the Movements of the Earth The Do-Over Damsel Conquers The Dragon Emperor Uzumaki: Spiral into Horror Some of the returning shows I'm a little iffy on because past seasons were kind of on the fence as to whether I should continue them or drop, but I guess I'm willing to give them a shot again. This includes Arifureta, KamiErabi, Shangri-La, and Gun Gale Online. Seirei Gensouki is listed under sequels but I've yet to watch the first season despite it being on my list since it originally aired. So perhaps I'll try to make some time to watch that soon and then we'll see if it's something I want to continue with or not. Seven Deadly Sins I'm multiple seasons behind on now and it remains to be seen if I'll continue watching it after the point where the original story ends and the new cast of characters take over. That may end up being my stopping point, but we'll see how I feel about things at that point and I'll try giving the new cast a shot... It's just history showcases that changes like this rarely turn out good. And while ReZero Season 2 was a huge let down after the first seasons highs... I'm going into season 3 hopeful that it may improve things. It's suspected to be at least 3 cours long so we'll see. Meanwhile I've yet to watch Season 4 of DanMachi so I've got some catching up to do on that front as well. It's clear to me that there is no way I'm going to be able to watch all of these during the season so plenty will end up on my backlog... but it is what it is.

Final Fantasy IX is a 2000 role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the PlayStation. It is the ninth game in the main Final Fantasy series. The plot focuses on a war between nations in a medieval fantasy world called Gaia. Players follow a thief named Zidane Tribal who kidnaps princess Garnet Til Alexandros XVII as part of a ploy by the neighboring nation of Lindblum. He joins Garnet and a growing cast of characters on a quest to take down her mother, Queen Brahne of Alexandria, who started the war. Game development occurred in parallel with Final Fantasy VIII. Envisioned by developers as a retrospective for the series, it departed from the futuristic settings of Final Fantasy VI, VII, and VIII by returning to the medieval style of the earlier games. Consequently, it draws heavy influence from the original Final Fantasy and features allusions to the rest of the series. The game introduced new features to the series despite this approach, such as "Active Time Event" cutscenes, "Mognet", and skill systems. Final Fantasy IX was the last game in the main series whose music was composed solely by Nobuo Uematsu. Final Fantasy IX was released to critical acclaim and commercial success, selling more than 5.5 million copies on PlayStation by March 2016. It was re-released in 2010 as a PS1 Classic on the PlayStation Store—this version was compatible with PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable; PlayStation Vita support arrived in 2012. In 2016 Square Enix released an enhanced port featuring minor gameplay and graphical enhancements, which would be released on several platforms. An animated series adaptation by Square Enix and Cyber Group Studios was announced in 2021. We've had many discussions surrounding this game through the years but imagine my surprise when I tried searching for a general discussion thread of the game as a whole and came up empty. Guess back in the day we more focused on specific topics of the games and not one all-encompassing thread. Honestly these days the best way to play this game is most definitely on PC with all the modding capabilities. Things like Memoria and Moguri really do a number on improving the visuals, fixing bugs, and adding quality of life features. There is also the upcoming Echo-S voice mod that is working to voice all dialogue in the game (as of this posting only the first 4 hours or so is available via a "demo". Below I'll detail a bit of modding for the PC version to get you started.

What's the Word: ADSCITITIOUS pronunciation: [ad-sih-TISH-əs] Part of speech: adjective Origin: Latin, 17th century Meaning: 1. Forming an addition or supplement; not integral or intrinsic. Examples: "When the dense fog stranded hundreds of travelers, the resort struggled to feed the adscititious crowd." "The Sunday papers used to come with more than a half-dozen adscititious magazines and promotional flyers." About Adscititious “Adscititious” is based on the Latin “adscitus,” meaning “admitted.” Did you Know? The word “adscititious” has a two-part definition: “forming an addition or supplement” and also “not integral.” While both parts make up the definition, they can be at odds with each other — something that is not integral can be seen as unneeded. However, supplements are usually helpful additions, and sometimes even necessary. Consider the nutritional supplement folic acid. This might fit both sides of the definition of adscititious; it’s not integral to most adult diets, but it’s extremely important to supplement as a prenatal vitamin.

The last episode of season one of HoriMiya. It was such a a sweet episode. The whole series was wonderful, but I love how it came to a beautiful ending of Izumi proposing to Kyoko. It was in a tasteful innocent way, and not some cheesy over the top way.

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HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!! What's the Word: EPHEMERA pronunciation: [ih-FEM-ər-ə] Part of speech: noun Origin: Latin, 14th century Meaning: 1. Things that exist or are used or enjoyed for only a short time. 2. Items of collectible memorabilia, typically written or printed ones, that were originally expected to have only short-term usefulness or popularity. Examples: "Realizing many of his belongings were basically ephemera, Greg donated them to charity before he moved." "When Sara is at the fair, she’d rather eat decadent foods than win ephemera on the midway." About Ephemera “Ephemera” is taken directly from the Latin, where it was borrowed from the ancient Greek “ἐφήμερᾰ” (“ephḗmera”), meaning “short lived” or “living for a day.” Did you Know? In the world of collectibles, “ephemera” refers to a broad category of items that were never intended to last a long time or have any particular value. This category includes things such as old periodicals, receipts, tickets, and product packaging, as well as outdated maps and documents that are now obsolete. All of these items were intended to exist for a very short period of time, but to modern collectors, ephemera from years ago provides a clear picture of life in the past.

Kondo shared more info about the Trails in the Sky Remake. Saying the voice cast for Sky Remake is still undecided. So remains to be seen if we'll get the same cast from the recent games or brand new casting. Also confirmed that the game will feature new details that debuted in later entries of the series post-Sky that'll help cohesion and worldbuilding. So it's not a 1 for 1 remake. They're going to be adding stuff to make it better fit with later entries by including various additional details. Physical editions of Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter in the West were confirmed. Limited Run Games will handle the collector’s launch with a standard release made available via Amazon.

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Batman Arkham Asylum and Sonic x Shadow Generations. I'm not a gamer so these are officicially my first ever games I've spent money on.

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Will continue the season 02 ongoing breakdown of skipped, altered, and original content for the new anime below. Season 02 Episode 01 : Chapters 58-60, few pages of 62. Episode 02 : Chapters 60 (three pages), 61-63, a page of 64. Episode 03 : Chapters 64-66. Episode 04 : Chapters 67-69, half a page of 70. Episode 05 : Chapters 70-71. Episode 06 : Chapters 72-73. Episode 07 : Chapters 74-75, a few pages of 76. Episode 08 : Chapters 76-78. Episode 09 : Chapters 79-80, 81 (all but 2 pages). Episode 10 : 25th Anniversary's Extra Chapter, Chapter 81 (2 pages). Episode 11 : Chapters 82-84. Episode 12 : Chapters 85-87.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/585690/Minimalism/ Minimalism is currently free on Steam.

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Been watching a buddy's "lets play" on his youtube channel where he's playing through this game for his first time and it got me itching to replay the game. I've played through it probably 4 or 5 times but it's been ages since I last did so and that was all on the PS1, so it's my first time going through it with all the mods and such so figured I'd share the method of modding and the options and such and make a thread talking about it while I play through the game again. Didn't intend to play the game now, lmao... that means I'm putting some games I was playing on hold or on the backburner longer than intended but y'know when you got an itch you got an itch... and FF9 is one of the greatest titles in the series.

For starters let me show you the difference between vanilla and an older version of Moguri: Moguri Mod is a faithful revamp of the PC version of Final Fantasy IX helped by deep learning techniques (ESRGAN). The most important changes are in the background arts, that are now cleaner, more detailed and higher resolution. Featuring HD backgrounds (aided by AI and polished by hand), Manual redraw of all 11k layer edges and area names, HD textures (worldmap, NPC, battles), 30fps FMVs, and some various bug fixes. While Memoria, dubbed "Final Fantasy IX Engine", is a complete rewrite of the game's engine in C#. It maintains binary compatibility with the native parts of the game and the serialized data within the game archives, allowing the compiled version to be used in place of the original DLLs. The primary goal of this project is to provide mod makers with a convenient framework for developing gameplay mods, replacing game assets, expand original content, localizing the game into native languages, and fixing bugs of the original. Memoria addresses numerous bugs in the existing game port across various aspects like rendering, audio, and abilities. It includes built-in mods (turn-based battles, gameplay mechanics changes, a new card game system, cheat disablers, etc.) and provides a framework for integrating third-party mods, supporting import/export and modification of game resources. The engine integrates seamlessly with Unity, allowing the use of features ranging from loading external AssetBundles to manual manipulation of GameObjects and Components. However, many game elements like the event interpreter or animation pipelines emulate the PSX assembler, meaning significant modifications such as importing custom models, shaders, sounds, etc., require creating workarounds to either transform external data into the game's native format or completely alter the approach by transforming game resources into compatible formats and implementing custom rendering mechanisms. The engine introduces a new audio API, extending the native engine with the dynamic library soloud.dll, enhancing audio capabilities. To get started with modding, first install the game and run it at least once to ensure everything is good. Then download the latest Memoria.Patcher.exe from this link. Run the .exe program, and it should automatically detect your installation location. Once it's complete, launch the game through steam. These are just a handful of the settings you can modify with Moguri Mod. But you can enable or disable whatever you want on this window. The manual trance option is a godsend imo. In the vanilla game you waste trance on random enemies cause it just pops off whenever the bar hits max. Manual trance lets you hit the left d-pad to go into trance when you choose to. Similar to FFX's Overdrive system. So you can save it for the boss fights or whenever you like. Of course widescreen options are nice too, but some scenes will still be 4:3 due to limitations with the backgrounds and such. The No Random Battles toggle with F4 is also nice for when you're tired of running into enemies every few steps and feel like you're overleveled or already got all the AP you want. While the font options is great for getting rid of the terrible vanilla font they changed the PC version to and allowing you to bring back the original font the game used on PS1. ATB Mode lets you change the game to true turn-based if you want but that's also just a completely optional thing. Increasing UI lines to be less mobile-ish and more PS1-ish is good. Same with the Battle HUD option. Click Check for Updates (might have to check and uncheck a time or two) and install any updates if one pops up. Then Click ‘Play’ to run the game at least once to ensure the game will start. Exit the game and re-open the Launcher. Now click Mod Manager in the top right below the Play button and the following window will open: You can click the Browse Catalog tab and install the mods you want. I'd recommend at least getting Moguri - BETA 1, Moguri - 3D textures, and Moguri - 30fps videos. This is what is going to be the bulk of the visual enhancements. Though I'd also recommend High-Res Chocographs for better visuals of the Chocograph maps you get from the Hot & Cold mini-game... This will definitely help locate things on the world map. I'd also recommend Mog Addons for things like different button prompts depending on your controller, different avatars based on your preference (or just improved vanilla avatars), and darker ui options. Mog Addons also features some options for improving a few character related traits and some tweaks but these can alter the vanilla experience so it's up to you if you want to utilize them or not... they can easily be activated and deactivated separately. The other mods on the screenshot above that you see I have are just optional things. Like the Beatrice mod allows her to eventually become a permanent party member at a certain story point. The BetterCarpDrop improves the drop rate of cards and makes it so enemies will drop their specific card instead of whatever random card they might've been programmed for initially. As you probably already know, the actual card doesn't matter in the card game because stats of each card is random anyways. While the Black Cat - Endgame Shop literally just allows almost every item in the game to be purchaseable at the shop near End Game, which is neat if you missed specific stuff and wanted it but otherwise it's completely unneeded. So yeah just a bunch of optional stuff. There's a bunch of other stuff in the catalog but your mileage may vary on whether you see a use in them. Stuff like making Garnet the character you roam around as on the world map instead of Zidane. Improving and making Blank, Cinna, and Marcus actually useful and playable. Making Kuja, Fratley, and Lani playable characters. Increasing difficulty with Trance Seek mod, etc. Alternate Fantasy changing a lot of the game to give you a fresh take on the game. Etc... As for settings for the mods, you can click on them on the Installed mods tab and there should be a drop down box for the mods with options. Just go through each mod and each setting in the dropdown box and activate or deactivate what you want. Now lets get onto modifying other Memoria settings. Open the Memoria.ini file from the game root folder using any text editor, such as Notepad++ . I should note that the rule of thumb in configuring the settings FPS of the game is to understand that the Setting FPS should always be higher than Setting TPS, except for the menus. BattleFPS = 60 BattleTPS = 20 FieldFPS = 60 FieldTPS = 30 WorldFPS = 60 WorldTPS = 30 MenuFPS = 60 MenuTPS = 60 BattleSwirlFrames = 13 The BattleSwirlFrames is a new setting in the launcher to turn off the battle swirl animation, but I prefer it to be on and fast instead. 13 is about as fast as when the animation is turned off, but it doesn't just go black and start the battle. If you wish to skip the battle intro camera, you can disable that in the game config menu. RopeJumpingIncrement = 1, this is essentially cheating but if you don't want to sit there jumping rope for a 1,000 times in succession without a mistake, you can edit this so that each successful jump = whatever number you want. There is an achievement for hitting 100 and 1,000 and you need 1,000 to obtain the item from it. So something like 50 makes it possible to get everything to pop and that leaves you only having to successfully jump 20 times. ExcaliburIINoTimeLimit = 0, set this to 1 so that the Excalibur II isn't locked from being obtainable. As you're probably aware in the vanilla game you have to bumrush the game in 12 hours to obtain this sword. This setting simply disables the time limit so regardless of time the sword will be available when you reach it. To me this is a highly valued quality of life improvement, but for others they may see it as cheating, but whatever. I want to enjoy my time with the game not rush it for a sword. MaxCardCount = 100, this is how many cards you can have. By default its 100 and it discards any more cards you get. You can set this higher so you don't have to keep tossing cards. 100 only allows you to have one of each card if you're trying to collect them all. There's some other settings around there that have to do with the card game you can read the notes about them in the file.

Parmesan Cheese on the brain I think, lmao. Might not be the best, but it got me through the game. You probably won't have access to a lot of these quartz just yet though either. I'd show Altina, but this was before I started keeping more than one save slot for my games and the point I had saved at she's not on my party. Hard to believe CS3 was 4 years ago now.

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Told you, lol. Glad you got through it.

Fact of the Day - HORSEPOWERED HORSE Did you know.... Horsepower, a common unit of power typically referring to the sustained output of an engine, was developed in the late 18th century by Scottish engineer James Watt (after whom the watt is named) as a way to demonstrate the power of steam engines. Watt calculated that in an average day’s work, a horse could turn a 24-foot mill wheel roughly 2.5 times per minute. This amount of energy worked out to 33,000 foot-pounds (approximately 746 watts) per minute, which Watt deemed a new unit of measurement called horsepower. Logic would suggest the power of a solitary horse should equal one horsepower, but the measurement is meant to represent a horse’s continuous output over a full workday, not what horses are capable of in short bursts of extreme effort. In 1993, biologists R.D. Stevenson and R.J. Wassersug used data from the 1925 Iowa State Fair horse-pulling contest to calculate the maximum output of a horse over a short period of time, ultimately finding that one horse can exert up to 14.9 horsepower. Humans, by comparison, have a maximum output of slightly more than a single horsepower. The earliest ancestor of the horse is estimated to have lived 55 million years ago. Around 55 million years ago, the first members of the horse family were scurrying through the forests that covered much of North America. These hoofed mammals were called Hyracotherium, one of which was about as big as a medium-sized dog. With its arched back, raised hindquarters, four functional hooves on each front foot, and three on each hind foot — unlike the unpadded, single-hoofed feet of modern equines — this early ancestor was quite unlike modern horses as we know them. Paleontologists initially thought the species entirely unrelated to equines, until fossils were found that showed a link between Hyracotherium and later extinct horses. For more than half their history, the majority of horse species were small, forest browsers, eating leaves and twigs from trees and shrubs. Then, about 20 million years ago, new horse species began rapidly evolving when changing climate conditions allowed grasslands to expand. Some of these new grazers grew to much larger sizes, becoming more like the horses we’re familiar with today. Source: One horse can have up to 15 horsepower.

What's the Word: HIPPODROME pronunciation: [HIP-ə-drohm] Part of speech: noun Origin: French, 16th century Meaning: 1. A theater or other performance venue. 2. (In ancient Greece or Rome) A course for chariot or horse races. Examples: "When we heard who was playing at the hippodrome this weekend, we got tickets for the whole family." "The historic Hippodrome Theater is used more for conventions than stage shows now, but it still welcomes thousands of people a year." About Hippodrome “Hippodrome” is a French loanword related to the ancient Greek “ἱππόδρομος” (“hippódromos”), formed by combining “ἵππος” (“híppos,” or “horse”) with “δρόμος” (“drómos,” or “course”). Did you Know? In ancient Greece and Rome, “hippodrome” was originally a term for a horse or chariot race. In French-speaking countries, the term is still in use to describe racetracks for horses, as well as for bicycle racing. The French-speaking world has not given up on the prefix “hippos-,” meaning “horse.” However, in English-speaking countries, “hippodromes” are theaters. Most of the time, these venues have no connection to horse or bicycle racing.

Fact of the Day - EASTER DATE Did you know... It involves some complicated moon math. Easter—with its pastel colors and imagery of flowers, bunnies, and hatching chicks—is a sign that spring is here. For those who celebrate it for religious reasons, the holiday marks the resurrection of Jesus from the tomb in Christianity; those who enjoy it for secular reasons embrace the joy of eating rabbit-shaped chocolate and dyeing eggs. But when exactly Easter Sunday occurs during the season changes each year. In 2025, the holiday is April 20, which is one of the latest dates it can fall on. Why isn’t the date for Easter fixed in the same way as other Christian holidays? Christmas, for example, is always December 25, whereas the date of Easter can vary within a wide range of days in March and April under the standard calendar. The earliest it can be is March 22; its latest date possible is April 25. The holiday is what is known in religious terms as a moveable feast, meaning it can shift around the calendar, as opposed to a fixed feast like Christmas Day. Easter’s changing date is an issue that began long before the Gregorian calendar (named after Pope Gregory XIII) was instituted in 1582. (The Julian calendar—named for Julius Caesar—was the standard format for centuries before then.) Official formulations for working out Easter’s date were first established in 325 CE at what was known as the First Council of Nicaea in Ancient Rome; the council was held to try and reach agreement on a number of issues in the Christian church. The council determined that Easter should always be celebrated on the first Sunday following the full moon that occurs on or after the spring equinox. (The same council meeting also decided on December 25 as the date for Christmas.) The vernal equinox happens between March 19–21, depending on the year. To make things more complicated, the full moon and spring equinox in question do not refer to the astrological ones. They instead follow ecclesiastical rules. According to these rules, an ecclesiastical full moon is always the 14th day of the ecclesiastical lunar month and the ecclesiastical equinox always falls on March 21. A complex formula that has evolved over the years is used to determine the date of future Easters (and someone even devised an algorithm that can help you find Easter dates for the years 1900–2099). The calendar someone uses can change the date of Easter even more. Different branches of Christianity use different ones: Western churches use the Gregorian calendar, while the Eastern Orthodox Church continues to use the Julian calendar. Those within Catholic and Anglican churches, for example, may wind up celebrating the holiday on a different date than those in the Eastern Orthodox Church. But there are some years when the date of Easter in both the Gregorian and Julian calendars happens to fall on the same day—and such will be the case for 2025. Source: Why Does Easter’s Date Change Every Year?

What's the Word: FACTITIOUS pronunciation: [fak-TIH-shəs] Part of speech: adjective Origin: Latin, 17th century Meaning: 1. Artificially created or developed. Examples: "Outside the fun house, a factitious talking horse gave instructions to those about to enter." "The restaurant’s dim lighting is factitious and helped by enormous shades that block out the sun." About Factitious “Factitious” is based on the Latin “facticius,” meaning “made by art.” Did you Know? The Latin root of “factitious” means “made by art” (or “artificial”). In this way, it differs from the near-homonym “fictitious,” which is based on the Latin verb “fingō,” meaning “to deceive.” In the early days of modern chemistry, between the 17th and 19th centuries, the term “factitious air” was used to describe gases generated by human intervention. For example, the bubbles in fermenting beer occur as a result of mixing water, barley, and yeast. Even though such gas is naturally occurring, an early scientist might have believed each carbon-dioxide bubble contained factitious air created by human endeavor.

Fact of the Day - ONE-TRICK PONY Did you know.... Ponies have come to represent a very low bar for performance. In the 2021 film Wrath of Man, Jason Statham portrays a highly-skilled executor of violence who speaks sparingly and is bent on revenge. These traits also apply to roles in Parker, Wild Card, The Beekeeper, A Working Man, and likely another dozen films in the actor’s filmography. In the realm of action movies, Statham is a one-trick pony, or a performer with a very narrow area of specialty. But why do we use one-trick pony to describe someone with a single point of expertise? And is it always disparaging? The Origins of One-Trick Pony According to The Oxford English Dictionary, the phrase one-trick pony was initially literal. It referred to a performing show pony seen in traveling circuses displaying a minimal skillset. The OED cites this 1905 passage from the Oregon Pioneer Association 32nd Annual Reunion as the first to use the phrase in print: “Among the earliest of mundane things remembered are the resplendent red shirts of the volunteer firemen, conspicuous in every Fourth of July parade; the marvels that were seen at the first one-tent, one-clown, one-trick-pony, pioneer Oregon circus.” (There are earlier uses of the phrase, notably in an 1869 advertisement for a Nottingham traveling show that featured “two ring horses and one trick pony.” However, this likely meant a single pony that knew tricks, rather than a pony that knew just one trick.) Horses had been a part of the modern circus since the 18th century, having entered with ex-military members who had learned how to demonstrate certain tricks. But there was often more than one trick: Horses could pull off a trainer’s clothing, walk on their hind legs, or remove their own saddle. A one-trick pony, in contrast, would be a smaller breed that might have more limited range and indicated the circus in town was not sprawling. As the Oregon Pioneer Association noted, you might get just one clown, not a whole car’s worth. But as circuses of such limited means fell by the wayside, so did the literal use of the term. The OED dates the first use of one-trick pony as an colloquial saying to 1950, meaning “a person or thing specializing in only one area, having only one talent, or of limited ability.” Curiously, print use of the idiom was scarce until 1980, when musician Paul Simon wrote and starred in the film One-Trick Pony, about a once-famous singer (Simon) who grapples with personal and professional break-ups. Simon also recorded a soundtrack and a song with the name, which included the following lyrics: He's a one-trick pony One trick is all that horse can do He does one trick only It's the principal source of his revenue Did Simon help popularize the term? Perhaps. While newspaper mentions of the phrase picked up in the 1980s, the OED denotes the sharpest uptick in usage from 2000 to 2010. Dog and Pony Show A close cousin to one-trick pony is dog and pony show, which often refers to a pandering or simplistic attraction or attempt. This, too, has origins in the circus, when traveling show might offer only a modest animal attraction consisting of dogs and ponies. It took on a different and more disparaging meaning around 1949. The New York Times is cited: “Dr. W. Y. Elliot of Harvard University told the bankers that ‘the present Russian peace offensive, which has been launched through the sponsorship of many misguided intellectuals, by what looked like trained dog and pony shows ... is dangerous if it misleads American opinion.’” These various idioms don’t do much for the reputation of the pony, which has now become synonymous with a person or situation of limited ability. Of course, equine intelligence is well-documented and impressive. One 2017 study found that horses could use physical cues to alert a caretaker to the location of carrots. Even a metaphorical one-trick pony is still nothing to be ashamed of. According to Forbes, Jason Statham earned $41 million in 2023. That’s a pretty good trick. Source: Why Do We Call Someone a “One-Trick Pony”?

What's the Word: FUNMBULISM pronunciation: [fyoo-NAM-byə-lizm] Part of speech: noun Origin: English, 19th century Meaning: 1. The art of walking on a tightrope or a slack-rope. Examples: "While at school in Paris, my nephew got involved in funambulism and joined a circus." "Slack lines have proved funambulism is a fun and engaging physical exercise." About Funambulism “Funambulism” is based on the English word “funambule,” a synonym for “tightrope walker.” This is based on the Latin word “fūnambulus,” meaning the same thing. Did you Know? The contemporary master of funambulism is Nik Wallenda. As a seventh-generation member of the family of high-wire performers known as the Flying Wallendas, Nik Wallenda first walked a tightrope when he was 13 years old in 1992. Since that time, he has amassed 11 Guinness World Records, most notably for being the first person to walk a tightrope across Niagara Falls, live on television in 2012. Wallenda has stretched the limits of funambulism by performing increasingly elaborate stunts on tightropes, such as creating the first-ever eight-person pyramid on a high wire.

Fact of the Day - SAND, ROCK SALT OR KITTY LITTER Did you know... Which one is best for dealing with snowy sidewalks and roads? It all depends. Driving your car is great for getting from point A to point B, but it can get a little dangerous—especially during the winter season. When temperatures drop below freezing, the moisture on roads turns into ice, and it can start to snow from above. These conditions can increase the risk of accidents—or just getting stuck on the side of the road or in the driveway. (It happens to the best of us.) If you keep winter driving supplies—like flares, blankets, flashlights, jumper cables, and other cold weather gear—in your car’s trunk, you should be able to navigate an icy situation easily. Whether you want to gain some extra traction on snow and ice or just melt it, having rock salt, sand, or just basic cat litter can help immensely. But is there actually a difference? And more specifically, is one better than the alternatives if you’re stuck in a snowbank? Let’s take a closer look at all three below. ROCK SALT If you’re looking for a quick way to melt ice—especially over large areas like a driveway—then rock salt is probably the best option. It’s chemically formulated, usually with either sodium chloride or calcium chloride, to help deice roadways in low temperatures by lowering the freezing point of water, which can keep ice from forming. Because sodium chloride is often the active ingredient, it’s similar to table salt in a sense, though rock salt crystals are usually much bigger. The substance can work wonders during a blizzard, but there are some big caveats. Rock salt usually adds to environmental pollution and can be corrosive on cars over time, as well as damaging to plants and grass. Not only that, but it can be toxic to animals, so it’s not ideal for all folks, especially those with pets at home. SAND Sand is a popular alternative to using rock salt on snowy roadways because it doesn’t typically cause the same kind of damage to cars, plants, or the environment overall (though it isn’t entirely eco-friendly, either). Sand also tends to stick around, so it’s great if you need your tires to have extra grip on snowy roads. You can also sprinkle it on paths or sidewalks that are already frozen over, and it should provide some much-needed extra traction. But, on the downside, sand doesn’t melt snow or ice, so if you’re looking for a deicing agent, it won’t be of much assistance during any snowstorms. It’s also very messy and can be a hassle to clean, especially seeing as most experts recommend pre-wetting it before use, which can increase the chances that it’ll stick to your shoes and boots. KITTY LITTER All out of sand but still need your tires to get a grip? Don’t worry—just go for some kitty litter. Though it might seem odd at first glance, kitty litter can come in handy if you’re trying to navigate paths that have been iced over. Similar to sand, litter won’t melt ice. But because it’s made up of such granular bits—some cat litter types may be made of natural materials like corn, wheat, or pine, while others are made up of clays and/or silica gel—it can provide some much-needed traction for tires. Unlike rock salt, it’s also safe to use around pets. That said, kitty litter can be just as annoying as sand to clean up. It absorbs moisture, turning snowy paths into sludge-like messes before long. If the winter weather falls below freezing, it also becomes less effective at soaking up moisture. But if all you need it for is some extra grip on your car tires, kitty litter can be a very worthwhile alternative. Source: Sand vs. Rock Salt vs. Kitty Litter: Which One Is Better on Icy Roads?

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What's the Word: PREPONE pronunciation: [pree-POHN] Part of speech: verb Origin: Indian English, 20th century Meaning: 1. To reschedule to a time earlier than the current scheduled time. Examples: "I’m going to call the dentist to see if I can prepone my appointment to this afternoon." "The head office preponed our annual meeting, leaving my team scrambling to get our reports finished in time." About Prepone “Prepone” is a reworking of the word “postpone” to include the suffix “pre-.” It is also related to the Latin “praepōno,” meaning “to place before.” Did you Know? As far back as the 16th century, “prepone” meant “to place something in front of another thing,” but in the 20th century, the word was adopted as an opposite term for “postpone,” which has always meant “to put off until the future.” Accordingly, “prepone” is now used to describe moving a date forward in time. While “postpone” was originally a Scottish term, “prepone” is only in wide usage in Indian English (or “Hinglish,” as it is sometimes called, a code-switched merger of “Hindi” and “English”). Though it is an English word, “prepone” is among the cluster of English expressions — such as “passing out of college,” or “being out of station” — that are today considered exclusively Indian English.

What's the Word: EPITHALAMIUM pronunciation: [ep-ə-thə-LEY-mee-əm] Part of speech: noun Origin: Latin, 16th century Meaning: 1. A song or poem celebrating a marriage. Examples: "In place of a traditional epithalamium, the groom sang a Beatles love song to his spouse on the day of their wedding." "In classical theater comedies, which often end in a wedding, an epithalamium is sometimes used to close the performance." About Epithalamium “Epithalamium” is borrowed directly from Latin, where the word is based on the ancient Greek “ἐπιθαλάμιον” (“epithalamion”), meaning “bridal song.” Did you Know? In ancient Greece, an epithalamium was a song sung at the door to the marriage chamber in celebration of the bride and groom, to bless the union and bring the wedded couple happiness. Over time, the word came to describe both a marriage song and a poem celebrating a marriage. Some of the most famous poets of ancient Greece, including Sappho and Pindar, are remembered for their epithalamiums. In the Italian Renaissance, it was a wedding tradition for celebrants to be honored with an epithalamium printed and delivered to them. Many of Shakespeare’s comedic dramas also end in an epithalamium to honor a happy wedding.

Fact of the Day - THE WORD OF 2024 Did you know.... Each year, Oxford University Press—the publisher behind the esteemed Oxford English Dictionary—chooses a word or phrase from the national discourse to be its Word of the Year. For 2024, their selection is a popular condemnation for consuming low-quality information. The unofficial mental health diagnosis is dubbed brain rot. The OED defines brain rot (sometimes collapsed to brainrot) as “the supposed deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as the result of overconsumption of material (now particularly online content) considered to be trivial or unchallenging. Also: something characterized as likely to lead to such deterioration.” In other words, one can suffer from brain rot by marathoning endless conspiracy theory videos, and the videos themselves can be labeled brain rot. Per The New York Times, signs of brain rot can include the increased insertion of internet slang or meme references into everyday conversation. Those who take pride in their knowledge of online culture may interpret it as a compliment. Still, it’s mostly meant to indicate someone is losing touch with reality. In some cases, it’s labeled as a genuine mental health struggle: Connecticut’s Newport Institute, which offers inpatient counseling, regards brain rot as synonymous with digital or screen dependency. Oxford’s methodology for plucking brain rot from a pile of buzzwords starts with editors selecting six words that saw increased usage and relevance over the past year. The online use of brain rot jumped 230 percent between 2023 and 2024. Public voting was also taken into account. Here are the other candidates for Word of the Year: Demure: A reserved and restrained appearance Dynamic Pricing: The act of altering costs based on real-time demand Lore: A body of knowledge surrounding a person or subject Romantasy: A genre blending romance and fantasy Slop: Pig feed, yes, but in this context low-grade content often generated by language models Brain rot may have surged in the past year, but its use dates back to 1854, when Henry David Thoreau referenced it in his book Walden. He, too, wielded it to describe a diminished mental acuity. “While England endeavours to cure the potato rot, will not any endeavour to cure the brain-rot—which prevails so much more widely and fatally?” In a statement acknowledging the rise of brain rot, Oxford Languages president Casper Grathwohl related the following: “Looking back at the Oxford Word of the Year over the past two decades, you can see society’s growing preoccupation with how our virtual lives are evolving, the way internet culture is permeating so much of who we are and what we talk about. Last year’s winning word, ‘rizz,’ was an interesting example of how language is increasingly formed, shaped, and shared within online communities. ‘Brain rot’ speaks to one of the perceived dangers of virtual life, and how we are using our free time. It feels like a rightful next chapter in the cultural conversation about humanity and technology. It’s not surprising that so many voters embraced the term, endorsing it as our choice this year.” In some cases, being Word of the Year can affect a term’s usage. When Oxford announced rizz as its 2023 selection, the popularity of the term—slang for charisma, or an abundance of confidence—spiked. Source: ‘Brain Rot’ Is the Word of 2024, According to Oxford

What's the Word: HABITUATE pronunciation: [hə-biCH-ə-weyt] Part of speech: verb Origin: Latin, late 15th century Meaning: 1. Make or become accustomed or used to something. Examples: "At the beginning of every winter, it takes me a few weeks to habituate myself to the cold." "Paul thought having to habituate himself to nighttime noise was the hardest part of moving to the city." About Habituate “Habituate” is from the late Latin “habituat-” (“accustomed”), from the verb “habituare.” The Latin “habitus” describes a condition. Did you Know? While it’s impossible to turn off the body’s awareness of cold, it’s perfectly possible for people to habituate themselves to different temperature extremes. Why endure such discomfort? Some researchers believe human metabolisms have been short-circuited by modern climate control and propose exposure to cold as a means to jolt the system. Such exposure can remind the body of the winters we no longer experience as acutely as our ancestors. This can be done with daily cold showers, or by deliberately dressing lightly in cold weather.

Fact of the day - TONGUE AND METAL POLE Did you know... Do not lick any cold metal objects, no matter who triple dog dares you. It’s a scene that will play on countless televisions this holiday season. Nine-year-olds Ralphie, Schwartz, and Flick are gathered outside school on a cold winter day. Flick cries out, “Are you kidding? Stick my tongue to that stupid pole? That’s dumb!” Schwartz responds, “That's ‘cause you know it’ll stick!” Eventually, Schwartz wields the triple dog dare. Flick has no choice but to press his tongue to the metal pole. It sticks, and he can’t pull himself away. The police and fire department are called in to save the poor boy’s tongue. But is this classic scene from 1983’s A Christmas Story just a fictionalized way for Hollywood to prove a point about the power of playground peer pressure? (Or, just how “dumb” Harry really is in Dumb and Dumber?) Unfortunately not. As many kids have learned over the years, you actually can get your tongue stuck to a cold metal object. When two objects touch—like a tongue and a metal pole—they work toward “thermal equilibrium,” or being the same temperature. To get there, heat must be transferred from object to object. Metal can conduct heat very quickly. When a warm tongue hits cold metal, the metal immediately starts taking heat from the appendage. The saliva from the tongue will freeze, and very quickly, leaving that tongue—and the person it belongs to—essentially glued to the metal pole. This can happen with any frozen metal and any wet body part, like a lip or a hand. You may have experienced a version of this phenomenon when licking ice or a popsicle that feels kind of sticky. Ice is also pretty good at conducting heat, though not as good as metal, so the end result is not as gnarly. Other materials don’t conduct heat that well. If Schwartz had dared Flick to lick an object made of wood or plastic, the kid would have made it back to class with the rest of his friends, his tongue still intact. Hopefully, that’s enough to convince you not to accept this triple dog dare anytime soon. But, if you do happen upon someone who has made this mistake, the New York-Presbyterian Hospital’s website has guidance for handling the situation. The stuck individual should not just yank their tongue off the surface. Instead, you can help them by applying warm (not hot) water or air. If that doesn’t work, it’s time to call emergency services. Any resulting injuries should be examined by a doctor. Thankfully, the crew of A Christmas Story knew not to mess around. The flagpole in the scene was covered in plastic and painted to look like rusty metal. The crew put a tiny hole in the plastic and used a vacuum cleaner to apply suction to the young actor’s tongue, which made it look stuck. It probably was not pleasant to film—but it was easy to pull the tongue away with no medical professionals required. Source: Can You Really Get Your Tongue Stuck to a Metal Pole?

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What's the Word: ACME pronunciation: [AK-mee] Part of speech: noun Origin: Greek, 16th century Meaning: 1. The point at which someone or something is best, perfect, or most successful. Examples: "The magazine critic claimed the Rolling Stones reached their creative acme in the 1970s." "Many Houston Astros fans think pitcher Justin Verlander is at the acme of a long and successful career." About Acme “Acme” is borrowed directly from the Greek “ἀκμή,” meaning “the highest point” or “the culminating point.” Did you Know? In classic Looney Tunes cartoons, “Acme” was the brand name for almost every product, from anvils to mouse traps. This satirized the trend of mid-century companies using the name “Acme” as a marketing tactic to advertise high-quality goods. In many cases, the name and the quality of the product fail to match up — as Wile E. Coyote often learned. Looney Tunes played up for laughs the disappointment of buying an “acme” product, only to discover its quality was abysmal, if not dangerously explosive.

What's the Word: SCHEMA pronunciation: [SKEE-mə] Part of speech: noun Origin: Greek, late 18th century Meaning: 1. A representation of a plan or theory in the form of an outline or model. 2. (In Kantian philosophy) A conception of what is common to all members of a class; a general or essential type or form. Examples: "The business plan for the next five years was clearly laid out in the one-page schema." "The football coach used the halftime break to draw a schema of some new plays for the team." About Schema “Schema” is adapted from the Greek “σχῆμα” or “skhēma,” meaning “form” or “figure.” Did you Know? In the education field, “schema” and the plural “schemata” refer to the basic ideas of how things are and how they might be organized. For example, a child who lives in a row house with a flat roof might initially believe a home is any other row house with a flat roof. As the child learns about the world, they might encounter detached homes, houses with angled roofs, mobile homes, and apartments. The child’s schema, or understanding, of what a home represents, grows wider and more detailed. The schema of what “home” means does not go away, but gathers nuance as the child learns.

Fact of the Day - LINGUINE VS. GETTUCCINE VS. SPAGHETTI Did you know.... The type of long noodle you use actually does make a difference. Standing in the pasta aisle can be a surefire way to experience a decision-paralysis episode. There are hundreds of varieties, and to the untrained eye, it can feel a bit like choosing between “dusty rose” and “rose gold” paint swatches. It can even be tough to distinguish the difference between three of the classics: linguine, fettuccine, and spaghetti. Below, we break down what sets these noodles apart, and why the distinction can make a big difference in your dish. Linguine Linguine, which means “little tongues” in Italian, is a long, flat noodle. Wider than spaghetti but narrower than fettuccine, it has a smooth, flat surface that pairs well with light, delicate sauces like pesto. It doesn’t overpower the ingredients it’s often paired with, which makes it a solid choice for dishes where you want your sauce to shine. Fettuccine Fettuccine’s name—which translates to “little ribbons”—tells us a lot about its shape. The pasta is broad and generally 1/4-inch thick; it’s about twice as wide as linguine. The wide, flat shape makes fettuccine a great vessel for heavier sauces, especially creamy ones like Alfredo or a meaty bolognese. Spaghetti Even if you aren’t familiar with linguine or fettuccine, spaghetti is a noodle you’ve certainly seen before. Spaghetti is the most popular pasta shape (and it’s also one of the easiest to industrially manufacture). Unlike fettuccine and linguine, this pasta is not flat, and is instead cylindrical. Its long, thin shape is perfect for twirling around on your fork. Because it lacks the thickness of broader shapes like fettuccine, spaghetti is best paired with lighter sauces like marinara, carbonara, or even a simple combination of garlic and olive oil. How to Choose the Right Pasta Shape Choosing between the three above pasta types boils down to the kind of dish you want to create, as the shape will affect the desired outcome. If you’re making a lighter sauce or looking for something to pair with veggies or seafood, consider linguine. But if you want a heavy, hearty sauce, then fettuccine will be a better choice. And if you’re looking for some classic Italian American comfort food, then you can’t go wrong with spaghetti and meatballs. Source: Linguine vs. Fettuccine vs. Spaghetti: What’s the Difference?

What's the Word: PARAPRAXIS pronunciation: [par-ə-PRAK-sis] Part of speech: noun Origin: English, early 20th century Meaning: 1. A minor error in speech or action, (supposedly) representing the fulfilment of an unconscious wish; a Freudian slip. Examples: "In one of TV’s most famous bits of parapraxis, Ross called Emily by his ex’s name ‘Rachel’ during a ‘Friends’ wedding episode." "In a moment of parapraxis, I told my co-worker 'I love you' instead of 'See you tomorrow.'" About Parapraxis James Strachey coined the term “parapraxis” in the 1910s as he translated the work of Sigmund Freud into English. He joined the ancient Greek prefix “para-,” meaning “by the side of,” with the suffix “-praxis,” which is the Greek word for “doing.” Did you Know? The notion of a “Freudian slip” — the common expression for “parapraxis” — is based on the idea that the unconscious mind wishes to make its true feelings known in the form of unintentional acts and statements. Parapraxis can be a slip of the tongue in speaking, but it can also occur in action. For example, forgetting to bring a Christmas gift for a quarrelsome sibling may be a form of parapraxis in which the unconscious wish to poke at one’s rival sibling is carried out in a physical act of forgetting.

What's the Word: PALEOGRAPHY pronunciation: [pey-lee-AH-graf-ee] Part of speech: noun Origin: English, 18th century Meaning: 1. The study of ancient writing systems and the deciphering and dating of historical manuscripts. Examples: "The professor taught paleography, with an expertise in Egyptian hieroglyphics." "The archivist took a course in paleography so she could do more work with ancient manuscripts." About Paleography “Paleography” was formed in English as a combination of two Latin terms: “paleo-,” meaning “ancient,” and “-graphy,” which relates both to writing and to descriptive sciences such as “geography” and “photography.” Did you Know? Paleography isn’t about understanding ancient writing and is not a study of the contents of such writing. Rather, paleography is limited to studying the structures of ancient writing systems and styles, and sometimes involves dating ancient writings.

What's the Word: APRICATE pronunciation: [AP-rə-keit] Part of speech: verb Origin: Latin, 17th century Meaning: 1. To bask in the sun. Examples: "I planned my vacation so I could apricate on the beach all day." "My neighbor finds it relaxing to apricate on his porch roof." About Apricate “Apricate” is drawn directly from the Latin “aprīcāt,” meaning “to bask in the sun.” Did you Know? Cats like to apricate more than nearly any other animal, and with good reason: Modern cats’ ancestors lived in the desert and were exposed to ample sun. Another reason cats are happy to apricate in all seasons is that basking in the sun makes it easier for them to sleep. Cats’ body temperatures fluctuate when they’re asleep, but lying in the sun helps keep their temperatures stable.

What's the Word: REMONTANT pronunciation: [rə-MAHN-tənt] Part of speech: adjective Origin: French, mid-19th century Meaning: 1. (Of a plant) Blooming or producing a crop more than once a season. Examples: "The bush had lush, remontant flowers." "Sharon wanted to plant remontant bushes in hopes of winning Yard of the Month." About Remontant This word stems from the French verb “remonter,” which translates to “coming up again.” Did you Know? Remontant hydrangeas have two distinct periods of growth that produce flowers. The first flush of growth occurs on “old wood,” or last year’s stems. The second flush begins in late summer or early autumn on “new wood,” the newest stems. In the southeastern United States, these hydrangeas experience their first flush in late May or early June and their second sometime in September.

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