Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, October 11, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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disengage
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| Article of the Day | |
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 SmokeasiesJust as prohibition in the US led to speakeasies—establishments where alcohol was sold in contravention of the law—so too have smoking bans led to smokeasies—businesses, especially bars, that allow smoking despite a legal prohibition. To combat an expected loss of patrons, many bar owners have chosen to openly allow customers to smoke and regard the fines they incur as a cost of doing business. Others, however, employ stealth tactics to avoid penalties. What are some of their covert methods? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Second Vatican Council Convenes (1962)Held in four sessions over the course of three years, the Second Vatican Council was a meeting of Catholic Church leaders with the announced purpose of reconsidering the position of the church in the modern world. Among many other changes, the council reformed the liturgy, permitting the use of the vernacular language, rather than Latin. Representatives from non-Catholic churches were invited to observe the sessions. What unexpected event nearly ended the council prematurely? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Jerome Robbins (1918)Robbins was an influential American dancer and director and the choreographer of Broadway musicals such as The King and I, Peter Pan, and Fiddler on the Roof. He choreographed and directed both the stage and film versions of the immensely popular West Side Story, for which he shared an Academy Award for Best Director. He was reportedly so unpopular on the set of 1945's Billion Dollar Baby that the company watched silently as he accidently walked into what? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 I believe that Virtue shows quite as well in rags and patches as she does in purple and fine linen.Charles Dickens (1812-1870) | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Italian Heritage Parade (2020)Since 1869, the city of San Francisco has hosted the annual Italian Heritage Parade in the heavily Italian North Beach area. After services at the Church of Saints Peter and Paul, the parade wends its way from Fisherman's Wharf down Columbus Avenue to Washington Square Park. Floats and marching bands from local organizations make up the procession. Every year, young girls are chosen from the community to serve as Queen Isabella and her court, named after the Spanish queen who financed Columbus's historic expedition. More... | |