Month: February 2022

staff

baguette – Means “little rod” and is derived from Latin baculum, “staff, stick.” More…

dough – As in money, it almost certainly came from bread (another slang term for it), because bread is the staff of life. More…

staff – From Germanic stabaz, “stick”; its sense as “employees” is probably an allusion to the carrying of a staff of office by a person in charge. More…

miter, mitre, crosier – The tall, pointy hat of a bishop or abbot is the miter/mitre—from Greek mitra, “headdress”; a crosier is a bishop’s staff. More…

Roger Williams Immigrates to Colonial America (1631)

An English clergyman and early espouser of Puritanism, Williams immigrated to the Massachusetts Bay colony in 1631, but it was not long before his then-unorthodox views on religious toleration, Indian rights, and the separation of church and state brought about his banishment. He headed south and in 1636 founded Providence, the first settlement of the Rhode Island colony. Under his leadership, the colony became a haven for religious dissenters. What other practice was he an early opponent of? Discuss

San Marino Liberation Day

In 1739, Cardinal Giulio Alberoni invaded the Republic of San Marino and occupied the country. The people of San Marino protested the occupation and appealed to the Vatican; the Pope recognized the rights of San Marino and, on February 5, 1740, he restored the country’s independence. Today, San Marino celebrates Liberation Day on February 5 to mark the anniversary of their independence. As part of the celebration, there is a public procession from the city of Borgo Maggiore to the capital city of San Marino proper. In addition, various civic celebrations take place throughout the day. Discuss

Andreas Papandreou (1919)

Andreas was the second of three generations of Papandreou men to serve as Greece’s head of state. While in exile after a 1967 military coup, he formed what would become the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (Pasok). He returned to Greece after the fall of the junta and in 1981 became the country’s first socialist premier. He resigned in 1989 amid financial scandals and mounting budget deficits, but this did not keep him from becoming prime minister again in 1993. When did his son take the reins? Discuss

Ideology

Though commonly used today, the word “ideology” was born in the highly controversial philosophical and political debates and fights of the French Revolution. French philosopher Antoine Louis Claude, Comte Destutt de Tracy, coined the term in 1796 after having been inspired by John Locke and Etienne de Condillac while imprisoned during the Reign of Terror. He used the word as a label for his “science of ideas.” Who gave it its modern meaning when he used it to rail against political opponents? Discuss

Facebook Is Launched (2004)

With over a billion active users, Facebook is the most popular social networking site on the Web. Founded by Mark Zuckerberg in 2004 as a way to facilitate online communication between Harvard University students, the platform was a great success and was soon opened up to students at other colleges, then to high school students, and eventually to anyone in the world over the age of 13 with access to the Internet. What new words and word meanings have been added to the lexicon thanks to Facebook? Discuss

Sri Lanka National Day

The former British colony of Ceylon changed its name in 1972 to Sri Lanka, which means “Blessed Isle.” Sri Lankans commemorate the granting of their independence from Great Britain on February 4, 1948, with public gatherings throughout the island and special services in the temples, churches, and mosques. There are also parades, folk dances, processions, and national games. Discuss