CNN Student News 11/7

The Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is one of the largest pilgrimage in the world, and is the fifth pillar of Islam, a religious duty that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so. The Hajj is a demonstration of the solidarity of the Muslim people, and their submission to God The pilgrimage occurs from the 8th to 12th day of Dhu al-Hijjah, the 12th and last month of the Islamic calendar. Because the Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar, eleven days shorter than the Gregorian calendar used in the Western world, the Gregorian date of the Hajj changes from year to year. Ihram is the name given to the special spiritual state in which Muslims live while on the pilgrimage.

CNN Student News 11/4

Daylight savings time has been practiced for years. Eventhough some countries no longer use DST other countries like the US still does.
The practice has been both praised and criticized. Adding daylight to afternoons benefits retailing, sports, and other activities that exploit sunlight after working hours, but causes problems for farming, evening entertainment and other occupations tied to the sun. Its effect on health and crime is less clear. Although an early goal of DST was to reduce evening usage of incandescent lighting, formerly a primary use of electricity, modern heating and cooling usage patterns differ greatly, and research about how DST currently affects energy use is limited or contradictory.

CNN Student News 11/2

The tsunami in Japan that caused the nuclear reactors to explode has also caused a major cleanup project. Temperatures in the plant were too high to do any work to clean up. it could take up to 10 years to get all of the nuclear fel out of the reactors to fully decommision them. The fuel takes almost a million years to half break down. and almost never fully breaks down.

CNN Student News 10/31

A deadly attack in Kabul, Afghanistan killed 12 people including nine americans, for of which were US troops. it all started when a suicide bomber drove his car into an armored bus, which was part of a convoy transporting supplies and troops. Snow covered almost four US states with almost nine inches of snow in a day, more snow that each state has ever gotten in that short time period. power was out flights were cancelled and trees blocked roads for travelers trying to flee the storm.  The NBA has already cancelled two weeks of the 2011 season. Agreements have yet to be made between players and the owners to split up the money that the league makes.

CNN 10/28

The 13th Ammendment does not oly apply to humans. PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) feels that the 13th ammendment which states that there is no slavery in the United States argues that it doesnt apply only to humans. They are suing SeaWorld for the unethical treatment of their Orcas. They were captured from the wild and FORCED to work at SeaWorld as involuntary slaves. PETA is suuing SeaWorld not for themselves......,but on behalf of the Whales!!

WOD 10/31/11

1. nyctophobia- Abnormal fear of the night or darkness

Nyctophobia stems from the Greek nyktos- meaning night and phobia meaning fear.

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2.  Aioli- A sauce made of oil and eggs, usually flavored with garlic, from the Provence region of France.

Aioli comes from the Provençal word for garlic, ai and the Latin word for oil, oli.

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3. Metemperical- Beyond or outside the field of experience

Metempircal derives from the Greek words met- meaning “beyond or before” and empirical meaning “experience.”

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4. Obscurcantism- Opposition to the increase and spread of knowledge.

Obscurantism originally comes from the Latin root obscur meaning “dark” and the suffix -ant which turned a verb into a noun (as in the word servant), so the word literally meant “one that makes dark.”
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5. prehensible: able to be seized or grasped.

Prehensible comes from the Latin word prehension meaning “a taking hold.”

WOD 11/24/11

To spellbind; fascinate

mesmerize-to spellbind; fascinate.

Mesmerize is an eponym from Franz Anton Mesmer (1734-1815), an Austrian physician who developed a theory of animal magnetism and a mysterious body fluid which allows one person to hypnotize another.

To comment unfavorably or critically

animadvert-to comment unfavorably or critically.

Animadvert comes from the Latin animadvertere meaning to heed or censure.

A state of final spiritual ruin; loss of the soul; damnation

perdition- a state of final spiritual ruin; loss of the soul; damnation.

Perdition stems from the Latin perditiōn- meaning destruction. It was the equivalent of perdit, the past participle of perdere meaning to do in, ruin or lose.

Violently or destructively frenzied; wild; crazed; deranged.

berserk-violently or destructively frenzied; wild; crazed; deranged.

The English usage of berserk lies in an Old Norse story introduced by Sir Walter Scott in 1822. It is from the Old Norse word berserkr (n.) meaning a raging warrior of superhuman strength. Linguistically, it probably from stems from ber- meaning bear and serkr meaning shirt, thus literally "a warrior clothed in bearskin."

Proper to or suggestive of a tomb; funereal or dismal.

sepulchral-proper to or suggestive of a tomb; funereal or dismal.

Sepulchural is derived from the Latin sepulcrum, from sepul- meaning to bury and -crum which was the suffix denoting place, so it literally meant “place to bury