Word: functions
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...sexual revolution of the 1960s, women had launched their own version of the prewedding festivities: the bachelorette party. Prior to the late 19th century, women were limited to bridal showers, the main function of which was to acquire a dowry and gifts to prepare them for marriage. Bachelorette parties allowed women the opportunity to express their own sexual freedom with drinking games and (male) strippers. Other couples, uncomfortable with the expectations of debauchery, celebrate their last night together in combined stag and doe parties - an idea that's grown popular as more couples live together and marry later in life...
...Ayatullah Khomeini in the 1980s to recruit young men to fight against Iraq. But a decade later, they took on the role of an official morality police, becoming better known for raiding parties than for raiding the Iraqi front line." In 2005, she says, they took on an unprecedented function when they got out the vote that propelled Ahmadinejad into the presidency by a landslide. Now, it appears, they're being deployed to ensure he remains in office...
...sleep appears to not only improve our ability to identify positive emotions in others; it may also round out the sharp angles of our own emotional experiences. Walker suggests that one function of REM sleep - dreaming, in particular - is to allow the brain to sift through that day's events, process any negative emotion attached to them, then strip it away from the memories. He likens the process to applying a "nocturnal soothing balm." REM sleep, he says, "tries to ameliorate the sharp emotional chips and dents that life gives you along the way." (See the top 10 medical breakthroughs...
...Mexicans and French soil." I also gave him a spelling-bee riff. "I assume that in India, nothing is misspelled. And have you noticed that none of these seemingly genius kids go on to do anything? When will parents figure out that turning your kid into a Microsoft Word function is not great training for the modern world? Learning to scream and cry into a camera is the ticket...
...sleek, modern design of the Hotel Rival's lobby gives way upstairs to vibrant carpeting and dramatic lighting celebrating the building's cinematic origins and its continuing function, the 700-seater auditorium having been beautifully restored as a venue for film festivals and conferences. The thickly carpeted guest rooms are meanwhile individually designed with impeccable Swedish taste. Comfort, rather than any showbiz excess, is the keynote - an approach exemplified by the choice of eight different pillow types, and the noticeably informal dining options (a café and a bakery). It isn't all money, money, money, either. Rates start from...