The Honeymooners was a short-lived American sitcom based on sketches by comedian Jackie Gleason. It starred Gleason and Audrey Meadows as a struggling working class couple in New York—a drastic departure from other popular comedies of the era that depicted their characters in comfortable, middle-class, suburban environments. Though The Honeymooners was cancelled after just 39 episodes, it has been aired for decades in syndication. What animated TV series did Gleason’s show inspire? Discuss
Month: October 2022
Mountain State Forest Festival
This festival is an eight-day celebration of the timber industry in the small town of Elkins, West Virginia. A highlight of the festival is the crowning of Queen Silvia, who wears an elaborate embroidered velvet gown. Events today salute the timber industry but also include non-timber events. Hence, there are forestry and wood-products exhibits and lumberjack contests along with a horseshoe tournament, live musical entertainment, a motorcycle race, arts and crafts exhibits, and a mammoth buckwheat cake and sausage feed. Discuss
Jimmy Carter (1924)
Carter served as US President from 1977 to 1981. His foreign policy had some success—he mediated the Camp David Accords between Israel and Egypt and signed a treaty with Panama regarding control of the Panama Canal—but his domestic policy was less effective, and oil-related inflation and unemployment hurt his bid for re-election. He has since been active in human-rights causes and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. In 2007, Carter earned a Grammy Award for best album in what category? Discuss
catch heat
To be the target of someone’s anger. Watch the video
Opus Dei
Opus Dei is a Roman Catholic lay order founded in 1928 in Spain, where it gained support from the government of Francisco Franco after the Spanish Civil War. Roughly one-third of its more than 85,000 members are celibate and live communally. Opus Dei seeks to promote traditional Catholic values and teachings and opposes liberalism and immorality. It also emphasizes preaching to government officials, intellectuals, and business executives. Why has Opus Dei been controversial among some Catholics? Discuss