History
What is Ramadan?
August 11 is a big date for about a billion and a half people, but there’s just one problem: it doesn’t really show up on most calendars. It’s the beginning of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. For those other five billion people who don’t practice Ramadan, this post will be a small [...]
Lutheran Church Ordains Noncelibate Gay Pastors
Religion and sexuality are rarely comfortable topics at the dinner table, but they are a couple of the most common subjects brought up by families and friends who love to debate. The following statement encapsulates the latest news regarding the hot topic of religion and homosexuality: “The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, known as the E.L.C.A., [...]
Shanghai World Expo – facts, figures, and its purpose
The Shanghai World Expo is in full gear right now, about halfway through its 184-day run. Yes, you read that right – 184 days! Ticket sales will likely exceed $1 billion USD, yet few Americans are probably even aware of its existence. Here’s a quick education: China put in the bid to host the 2010 [...]
Pamplona’s bulls like Tipper this year: no “Gore” so far
The famous bull run began in Pamplona, Spain this morning, and for the first go ’round, you’ll be happy to know that no one was gored. Here are a few notes you might not know about the running of the bulls, and you can mention them when you see some idiot brave soul willingly putting [...]
America’s Independence Day – July 2nd?
We all know the story. July 4 is when the Continental Congress signed the Declaration of Independence. For Americans, Independence Day conjures up images of Thomas Jefferson writing the historic document or John Hancock’s famous signature. Many people even remember one of the opening sentences: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men [...]
June 12 – a day for “Loving” civil rights
Loving Day isn’t a federal holiday or even a state holiday, but the holiday celebrates a monumental turning point in civil rights. However, many people do not know what Loving Day is, so here are the basic facts. Mildred and Richard Loving were married in June of 1958 in Washington, D.C. However, when the couple [...]
Rerun – Flag Etiquette
In honor of Memorial Day today, Dinner Topics is posting a “rerun” of the original Flag Etiquette post from last year. You can find the original post here. It is important to know that flag wavers take their respect of the flag very seriously. Most of us know the basics, but if you don’t know [...]
Paintings Pilfered in Paris
Ok, ”pilfered” is a poor word choice when describing a heist valued at nine figures, but the alliteration in the title got you here, didn’t it? Normally, Dinner Topics likes to briefly explain the “behind the scenes” of the topics you should know about, but this one pretty much speaks for itself and I just couldn’t [...]
