(Encyclopedia) Burroughs, John, 1837–1921, American naturalist and author, b. Roxbury, N.Y.; son of a farmer. He was a journalist, a treasury clerk in Washington, and a bank examiner, before settling…
(Encyclopedia) state flowers. Each state of the United States has designated, usually by legislative action, one flower as its floral emblem; the rose has been designated by Congress as the national…
(Encyclopedia) spikenardspikenardspīkˈnärd [key], name for several plants. The biblical spikenard, or nard, was a costly aromatic ointment, preserved in alabaster boxes, whose chief ingredient is…
(Encyclopedia) Casement, Sir Roger David, 1864–1916, Irish revolutionary. While in British consular service, he exposed (1904) the atrocious exploitation of wild-rubber gatherers in the Congo (thus…
(Encyclopedia) quebrachoquebrachokābräˈchō [key], name for a tanning substance and for the trees from which it comes, chiefly the red quebracho, or quebracho colorado (Schinopsis lorentzii), of the…
Those Quotable Irish
John Millington Synge, W.B. Yeats, and others
Compiled by David Johnson, Ann Marie Imbornoni, and Borgna Brunner
The Irish have always been…
Fascinating but Deadly Elephants, big cats, and Cape buffaloes by David Johnson An elephant can charge at up to 30 miles per hour.ElephantsThe largest land mammal, a male African elephant…
Adjectives: Happy Little CloudsParts of SpeechGrammarNouns: Prime-Time PlayersVerbs: All the Right MovesConjunctions: The Ties That BindPrepositions: Good Things Come in Small PackagesAdjectives:…
Sex, Drugs, and Rock 'n' Roll: Dionysus on TourClassical MythologyEat, Drink, and Be Merry: DionysusSex, Drugs, and Rock 'n' Roll: Dionysus on TourYo Ho Ho and a Bottle of Wine!The Kindness of…