Month: May 2022

Chopsticks

Chopsticks, developed about 3,000 to 5,000 years ago in China, are the traditional eating utensils of East Asia. Various materials, including wood, ivory, bamboo, and metal, have been used to produce the tapered sticks, which range from the plain to the ornately decorated. The etiquette surrounding chopstick use, and in fact the style of the sticks themselves, varies from culture to culture. To avoid unintentional insult at the table, one should keep in mind what rules when dining in China? Discuss

Johnny Carson Hosts The Tonight Show for Last Time (1992)

Carson hosted NBC’s The Tonight Show from 1962 to 1992. His personable demeanor and wry sense of humor appealed to viewers, and during his tenure, the show became America’s most popular late-night program. The show’s familiar formula included sidekick Ed McMahon introducing Carson by announcing, “Heeere’s Johnny!,” followed by Carson’s monologue, and then guest interviews and occasional comedy sketches. How many people tuned in to watch his last show? Discuss

Fiesta of Santa Rita

Villagers in Apastepeque, San Vicente Department, El Salvador, celebrate Santa Rita‘s feast day with a dance-drama called the Dance of the Tunco de Monte, or Wild Pig, an Indian dance going back to pre-Christian times. One person dresses in pig skins and pretends to be a pig, while other dancers portray various other stock characters. They enact the chasing and, finally, killing of the pig. At the concluding “feast,” the hunter who has caught the pig alternates between praying to Santa Rita for the welfare of the village and cracking jokes. Discuss

Giacomo Matteotti (1885)

Matteotti was an Italian Socialist leader, member of parliament, and outspoken opponent of the Fascist regime during its early days. His death at the hands of Fascist hirelings precipitated a parliamentary crisis that Mussolini overcame by disavowing the murder and tightening police control. It could be said that Mussolini’s dictatorship began when he crushed the opposition aroused by this assassination. Mussolini’s role in Matteotti’s death remains a subject of debate. How was Matteotti killed? Discuss

Ascot Racecourse

Ascot Racecourse, located southwest of London, England, in the small village of Ascot, is used for thoroughbred horse racing. Founded in 1711 by Queen Anne, it is still closely associated with the British Royal family. Ascot is perhaps most famous for the annual Royal Ascot, which takes place in June and is one of the world’s most renowned race meetings. It is also a major event on the British social calendar. What tends to overshadow the actual racing in press coverage of the Royal Ascot? Discuss