ALYSSA1008: Composite Materials, Fatigue and Fracture

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Word of the Day

Play spellbound discuss
Definition:	(adjective) Having your attention fixated as though by a spell.
Synonyms:	fascinated, hypnotized, mesmerized, transfixed
Usage:	Nobody thought about her appearance when the power and magic of her voice caught and held her listeners spellbound.

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Capoeira

An Afro-Brazilian dance form that incorporates self-defense maneuvers, capoeira originated among African slaves in 19th-century Brazil and is now a popular art form practiced worldwide. Capoeira is performed in a special roda, or circle, where practitioners take turns playing instruments, singing, and sparring. While capoeira focuses on skill rather than injuring opponents, the intensity of an individual game depends on the rhythm of the music. Why was capoeira outlawed in Brazil in 1890? More... Discuss

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This Day in History

Caligula Becomes Emperor of Rome (37 CE)

When Caligula became the Roman emperor in 37 CE, replacing the hated Tiberius, the public welcomed his reign, and for a time it was uneventful. Seven months later, he fell severely ill, and when he recovered, he was a changed man. Suddenly, his reign was marked by financially ruinous extravagance, unmatched cruelty, and rampant executions, even of his former supporters. He was assassinated within a few years. What may have caused the mental instability Caligula displayed after his illness? More... Discuss

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Today's Birthday

Caroline Lucretia Herschel (1750)

Caroline Herschel was a British astronomer. At the age of 10, she contracted typhus, which permanently stunted her growth—but not her ambition. Her family assumed that she would never marry because of her height and trained her to be a household servant. But when her brother, Sir William Herschel, took up astronomy and accepted the position of King's Astronomer, she joined him as his assistant and assumed the laborious task of cataloguing thousands of stars and nebulae. What did she discover? More... Discuss

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