Free Republic

NATIONAL SANDWICH DAY Whether you stack it high or thin, National Sandwich Day on November 3rd recognizes one of America's favorite lunch items. #NationalSandwichDay The sandwich is believed to be the namesake of John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, following the claim that he was the inventor of the sandwich. No matter who invented it, we celebrate every kind of sandwich. While the modern sandwich is believed to be named after John Montagu, the exact circumstances of its invention and original use are the subject of debate. There is a rumor in a contemporary travel book titled Tour to London,...

The restaurant spreads before you, six steps below ground: sawdust floors, lines of people, painted menus and neon beer signs on the walls. The lines--at peak hours there are 10 of them, each up to 20 people long--weave between the tables where scores of others are eating, oblivious to the crush. Pick a line and wait your turn. When you reach the counter, you don't need to consult the menu on the wall, of course. You've been here before. You make it short and snappy--"Beef, double dip. Coleslaw, blueberry pie, coffee." This is Philippe the Original, an L.A. institution that...

<p>Exile Mohammad Vakilifar runs down a Paris street yesterday after setting himself afire to protest the roundup by French authorities of Iranian dissidents opposed to the Islamic regime. He survived.</p>