Month: September 2022

Popcorn

Popcorn is a type of corn that bursts into irregularly shaped puffs when heated. When heat is applied to a popcorn kernel, pressure builds inside it until the outer hull finally explodes and the gelatinized, starchy interior comes spilling out. This rapidly hardens, becoming the familiar puff. This tasty treat, today a fixture at theater concession stands, is not a modern invention. Evidence suggests humans have been eating it for thousands of years. What are kernels that fail to pop called? Discuss

Two Plus Four Agreement Signed in Moscow (1990)

The Two Plus Four Agreement, also known as the Treaty on the Final Settlement With Respect to Germany, was the final peace treaty negotiated between West Germany and East Germany—the “Two”—and the four powers that occupied Germany at the end of World War II: France, the UK, the US, and the Soviet Union. The treaty paved the way for the German reunification, which took place less than a month later, on October 3. What rights did the four powers renounce under the treaty’s terms? Discuss

Festival of St. Nichiren's Pardon

At the Botamochi Temple in Kamakura, Japan, this festival honors St. Nichiren (1222-1282), considered to be Japan’s most fervent Buddhist priest. He was exiled to the island of Sado in the Sea of Japan in 1271. After four years there, he returned and spent the rest of his life on Mount Minobu. The Festival of Nichiren’s Pardon is observed by members of the Nichiren sect with massive demonstrations and the loud chanting of prayers attributed to Nichiren, accompanied by the beating of drums. People make offerings of botamochi, rice balls covered with sweet bean paste, in his honor. Discuss

Jesse Owens (1913)

Owens was an African-American track-and-field star famous for his performance at the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games, where he claimed four gold medals in the presence of Adolf Hitler and Nazi leaders, who had hoped the games would promote their idea of racial superiority. Though hailed as a hero, Owens faced segregation upon his return to the US, even suffering the humiliation of having to use a freight elevator to attend a reception in his honor. How did he earn a living after the Olympics? Discuss

Filigree

Filigree is an ornamental work of fine gold or silver wire, often wrought into an openwork design and joined with matching solder under the flame of a blowpipe. It was made in ancient Egypt, China, and India. Saxons, Britons, and especially the Celts in Ireland were skilled at devising intricate and ingenious designs in the Middle Ages. Today, it is employed in Mediterranean areas, as well as in Mexico, India, and Scandinavian countries. What is the origin of the word “filigree”? Discuss

Enkutatash

The Ethiopian New Year falls on the first day of the Ethiopian month of Maskarem, which is September 11 on the Gregorian calendar. It comes at the end of the rainy season, so the wildflowers that the children gather and the tall grass that people use to cover their floors on this day are plentiful. Small groups of children go from house to house, singing songs, leaving bouquets of flowers, and hoping for a handful of dabo, or roasted grain, in return. In some parts of Ethiopia it is customary to slaughter either a white-headed lamb or a red chicken on this day. Discuss

Paul Bryant (1913)

Paul “Bear” Bryant was an American college football coach. Best known as the longtime head coach of the University of Alabama football team, he achieved an unparalleled legendary status in the sport, winning the national championship six times. Bryant retired with a whopping 323 career wins, then a college coaching record. Just weeks after his retirement, he suffered a fatal heart attack. Bryant earned the nickname “Bear” at age 13, after he agreed to do what during a theater promotion? Discuss