Questions and Answers about
Culture
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in CultureWhat’s Unique About the 2024 French Baguette Postage Stamp?
Answer: On May 17, 2024, the French Post Office released a unique scratch-and-sniff postage stamp to celebrate the baguette. Unveiled a day earlier on the feast day of Saint Honoré, this unique stamp features a cartoon image of a baguette wrapped in a tricolor ribbon. The stamp also honors the baguette’s inclusion on the UNESCO…
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in CultureWhat is the new Boy Scouts of America name?
Answer: During their annual meeting on May 7, 2024, the Boy Scouts of America announced its official rebranding to Scouting America. This change, set to take effect on Feb. 8, 2025, symbolizes a shift towards inclusivity. The rebranding aims to welcome every youth and family in America to experience the benefits of scouting, regardless of…
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in CultureWhat’s missing from the revised version of Victorinox’s Swiss Army Knife?
Answer: Victorinox, the Swiss Army Knife maker, is developing an updated version of this iconic multi-tool that notably lacks a blade. This development is in response to increasing regulations and restrictions on carrying knives in various countries, driven by concerns about knife crime. The new bladeless Swiss Army Knives are designed to offer the same…
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in CultureWhat is Blue Monday known for?
Answer: Blue Monday, falling on the third Monday of January, is considered the most depressing day of the year, a concept originating from a Sky Travel marketing campaign in 2004.
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in CultureWhat does the R stand for in Elizabeth R?
Answer: In her annual Commonwealth Day message on March 14, 2022, Queen Elizabeth II restated that she will be forever “devoted” to her public work, signing her letter “Elizabeth R.” The royal signature (sign-manual) consists of the sovereign’s regnal name (without number), followed by the letter R for Rex (king) or Regina (queen). Accordingly, the sign-manual…
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in CultureWhat is allyship?
Answer: Dictionary.com defines allyship as the role of a person who actively includes a marginalized group in all areas of society, not as a group member but in solidarity. More answers inside!
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in CultureIn the Greek alphabet, which letter precedes Omicron?
Answer: Omicron is the 15th letter of the Greek alphabet. It comes after Xi and before Pi. It means little O (as opposed to Omega, which means big O) and is written and pronounced like the English “O.” Omicron is also the coronavirus variant threatening to shut down world travel in Dec. 2021. The World…
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in CultureWhat has Superman been fighting for all these years?
For 80 years, Superman has been fighting for ‘truth, justice, and the American way.’ In 2021 DC Comics decided to give the old motto a new ending.
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in CultureWho is Terence Blanchard?
Terence Blanchard became the first Black composer whose work was performed by the New York Metropolitan Opera’ on Monday, Sept. 27, 2021, when the Met Opera returned from its 566 days covid-19 time-out. An audience of about 4,000 watched the performance of “Fire Shut Up in My Bones,”‘ the first staged work in the house…
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in CultureWhat’s Banksy’s famous half shredded painting?
“Love is in the Bin” is the shredded 2018 copy of Banksy’s 2006 painting of what was then known as “Girl with Balloon.” Get the facts!
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in CultureWhat was the occasion for which Lift Every Voice and Sing was set to its familiar tune?
James Weldon Johnson wrote the lyrics for “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sang” – the song known as the Black National Anthem in the United States – in 1900. His brother, J. Rosamond Johnson, set those lyrics to music for the anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birthday in 1905._x000D_
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in CultureMaki Kaji was the “godfather” of which famous game?
Modern Sudoku was introduced in Japan by Maki Kaji, president of the Nikoli puzzle company, in April 1984 as Sūji wa dokushin ni kagiru – Japanese for “Unmarried (or single) Numbers” – and in short, Sudoku. “Sudoku” is a registered trademark in Japan._x000D_
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in CultureWhat is Blackfishing?
While according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, blackfishing is Scottish for the illegal catching of blackfish, the term gained a very different meaning in recent years. It describes the behavior of people pretending to have darker skin on social media – through hair, makeup, and accessories, to blur their actual racial background._x000D_
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in CultureWhat’s the meaning of Arigato in Japanese?
Arigato, in Japanese, means “thank you.”_x000D_
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in CultureWhat is Banksy’s “A Great British Spraycation”?
Ten new works by Banksy appeared in the coastal towns of Norfolk and Suffolk in eastern England over the week ending Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021. The artist’s website has depicted images of the works under the title “A Great British Spraycation,” a play on the word staycation.
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in CultureHow many colors are there in the Rainbow Flag?
“The first versions of the rainbow flag were flown on June 25, 1978, for the San Francisco Gay Freedom Day parade. Artist Gilbert Baker originally designed the first rainbow flag with eight colors for the stripes, each color with its meaning (hot pink for sex, red for life, orange for healing, yellow for sunlight, green…
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in CultureWhat does the star in the Juneteenth flag represent?
The star in the middle of the Juneteenth flag represents the ‘”Lone Star State'” of Texas, where freed slaves first celebrated Juneteenth. The outline surrounding the star represents a new beginning for all. The colors on the flag are the same as the U.S. flag to show that former slaves and their descendants are free…
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in CultureWhat is the US state where Juneteenth originated?
Juneteenth originated in Texas. On June 19, 1865, Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger informed a reluctant community in Galveston, Texas, that President Abraham Lincoln had freed enslaved people in rebel states two and a half years earlier. He pressed locals to comply with the directive. Texas was the last Confederate state to have the emancipation proclamation…
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in CultureWhat is the traditional menu for Juneteenth?
Traditional Juneteenth foods and drinks are red and include the Red Velvet cake, red strawberry soda or lemonade, and red hibiscus-tinged punch._x000D_
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in CultureWhat is a keffiyeh?
The keffiyeh is a traditional Arabian headdress, which originated in Yemen and is worn throughout the Middle East region. The black and white chequered Palestinian keffiyeh became a symbol of Palestinian nationalism during the Arab Revolt of the 1930s._x000D_
