The site for ranting and reporting by John Masters
I would classify things in this category that were related to arts, literature, cinema, performance. Things that make us and the world better.
The origin of the “bless you” tradition is not entirely clear. The urban legend experts at Snopes.com list an impressive number of possibilities. One involves the (hopefully) mistaken belief that a human’s soul might escape through a sneeze. Saying “God bless you” wards off Satan while the soul is temporarily vulnerable. I’ve also heard that it was thought, in Biblical times, that a sneeze was an attempt to rid the body of a demon.
Read moreGeorge Bernard Shaw was a freethinker, defender of women’s rights, and advocate of equality of income. In 1925 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. He most certainly knew his share of failures, but continued on to become one of the leading literary figures of his time.
Read moreAccording to anecdotage.com, the aptly titled “Cure for Insomnia” is the longest film ever. It runs about 87 hours and features L.D. Groban reading a really looooong poem. Just in case you find that kind of boring, according to IMDb, the film slices in pornography and music video footage. Probably not the best “date movie.”
Read moreToday’s Smart Thought is by an anonymous author. It speaks of the power of ideas. The ability of an idea to change the world is well known. Most recently, think of the internet. It was designed for the government to be able to communicate in the event of nuclear war, but it has managed to change society and business forever.
Read moreSome good southern humor from a friendly New Orleans native.
Read moreThe past year, a “War on Christianity” has been suggested by those imbedded in the rear guard. Just two weeks ago, a conference titled, “War on Christians” was held in Washington, D.C., of course only 300 participants showed up. (Just like Washington…to hold a war without enough troops.) Obviously, there’s a possible difference of opinion on whether or not such a war really exists. But a little focus is never a bad thing when it comes to understanding.
Read moreThis is the summary of my weekend, the first weekend of April, 2006. Not much to report, but I did try a couple of new restaurants.
Read moreThanks to the basketball team’s success, many are eager to know more about the school — specifically, who was George Mason and why does he have a university named after him?
Read moreSo, who orginated the phrase, “the birds and the bees”?
Read moreMovie theater owners faced with falling attendance are considering asking federal authorities for permission to jam cell phone reception in an attempt to stop annoying conversations during films.
Read moreUniversity of California at Berkley professor Jack Block and his late wife, Jeanne Bock, tracked almost one hundred children for two decades. From nursery school on, the kids were studied and interviewed–without any sense of political bias. The whiniest, least confident kids were those who grew up to be uncomfortable with ambiguity, who toed a rigid line on social issues, and who were, for the most part, right wingers. The kids who were loose, interesting, and willing to challenge authority ended up being liberals.
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