St. Vitalis of Gaza April 22, 2016
His unusual & beautiful ministry made him the parton saint of prostitutes.
Today, April 22nd, is his feast day in the Eastern Church.
Ten of My Favorite TV Episodes February 23, 2016
Available on Netflix:
- Black Mirror – “White Christmas”
- Person of Interest – Season 3, Episode 17, “/”
- Sherlock – Season 1, Episode 1, “A Study in Pink”
- Firefly – Season 1, Episode 14, “Objects in Space”
- Simpsons – Season 2, Episode 1, “Bart Gets an F”
- Ken Burns: The Civil War – Episode 5, “The Universe of Battle (1863)”
- The Twilight Zone (The Original Series) – Season 2, Episode 21, “The Obsolete Man”
Not on Netflix:
- Doctor Who – Season 3, Episode 10, “Blink”
- Rick & Morty – Season 2, Episode 4, “Total Rickall”
- Community – Season 2, Episode 14, “Advanced Dungeons & Dragons”
If you watch any of these, let me know what you think.
Persistent Cam Spurs Kiss December 31, 2015
The Antonio Spurs’ graphics guy creates a memorable moment.
Darth Trump December 17, 2015
I am going to see the local premiere of Star Wars tonight. I confidently predict that it will be better (or worse) than this:
Verses from the Trump Bible December 14, 2015
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was TERRIFIC. And also HUUUUGE. #TrumpBible
And other tweets by Eric Metaxas.
The Iowa Caucus (February 1st, 2016) is seven weeks from today.
Political Ad December 13, 2015
When you don’t own a TV, you get to avoid political ads. However, I very much enjoyed watching this one from Portlandia:
“The Chess Game of the Century” December 12, 2015
If you like chess, you’ll like this:
If you only have two minutes, watch what the 13-year-old Bobby Fisher does as Black at 15:43.
Birds in Tree December 9, 2015
And the tree went, “Ahhh.”
If you find this clip a little unnerving, just imagine that they’re bats.
#LegoBible December 8, 2015
Jesus said, “Which of you, having 100 white pieces, would not spend several minutes to retrieve the one lost under the couch?”
Jesus said, “The wicked shall go off to eternal torment, where the Legos on the carpet are never picked-up.”
Jesus asked the greedy Pharisees, “What do you read on this piece?” They replied, “Lego.” Jesus said, “Go, and do likewise.”
Prophesies & typologies are the 12 by 1 connectors between the Old & New Testaments.
Mary asked, “How can this be, rectangles connected with circles?” The angel replied, “Nothing shall be impossible for God.”
Jesus, Lord of Piece, have mercy on me. Mary, Queen of Piece, pray for me.
#PopeBars December 1, 2015
This image inspired yesterday’s top and best trend on twitter:
https://twitter.com/brntrydn/status/671333018469036033?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Katniss Everdeen’s Greatest Loves November 30, 2015
Her fickle love for Peeta:
And her enduring love of Pita:
Free Speech: Progressivism vs. Liberalism November 29, 2015
From The Yale Problem Begins in High School:
Me: What kind of intellectual climate do you want here at Centerville? Would you rather have option A: a school where people with views you find offensive keep their mouths shut, or B: a school where everyone feels that they can speak up in class discussions?
Audience: All hands go up for B.
Me: OK, let’s see if you have that. When there is a class discussion about gender issues, do you feel free to speak up and say what you are thinking? Or do you feel that you are walking on eggshells and you must heavily censor yourself? Just the girls in the class, raise your hand if you feel you can speak up? [About 70% said they feel free, vs. about 10% who said eggshells.] Now just the boys? [About 80% said eggshells, nobody said they feel free.]
Me: Now let’s try it for race. When a topic related to race comes up in class, do you feel free to speak up and say what you are thinking, or do you feel that you are walking on eggshells and you must heavily censor yourself? Just the non-white students? [The group was around 30% non-white, mostly South and East Asians, and some African-Americans. A majority said they felt free to speak, although a large minority said eggshells.] Now just the white students? [A large majority said eggshells.]
Me: Now let’s try it for politics. How many of you would say you are on the right politically, or that you are conservative or Republican? [6 hands went up, out of 60 students.] Just you folks, when politically charged topics come up, can you speak freely? [Only one hand went up, but that student clarified that everyone gets mad at him when he speaks up, but he does it anyway. The other 5 said eggshells.] How many of you are on the left, liberal, or democrat? [Most hands go up.] Can you speak freely, or is it eggshells? [Almost all said they can speak freely.]
Me: So let me get this straight. You were unanimous in saying that you want your school to be a place where people feel free to speak up, even if you strongly dislike their views. But you don’t have such a school. In fact, you have exactly the sort of “tolerance” that Herbert Marcuse advocated [i.e., “Liberating tolerance, then, would mean intolerance against movements from the Right and toleration of movements from the Left.”] You have a school in which only people in the preferred groups get to speak, and everyone else is afraid. What are you going to do about this? Let’s talk.
TV Turning Points? November 27, 2015
The Fonz jumped the shark in season 5, episode 3 of Happy Days. The show ran for six more seasons.
Cmdr. Riker grew a beard for the first episode in season 2 of Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Easter Eggs in Modern Warfare November 26, 2015
My personal favorites are 13, 10, (and especially) 2 & 1.
#OriginalBritishSeries November 25, 2015
- Not many Americans have seen the original British series of Cheers: “Drink, Drink, Drink!“
- But few Brits could forget the original British series which inspired Quantum Leap: “Millimeter Hop.“
- “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air” is not as good as the original British series it’s based on, “The Filthy Commoner in Windsor Palace.“
- Four scholarly, Shakespeare-quoting flatmates tried to woo Lady Farthing in the original British series “The Static Universe Hypothesis.“
- The plots of original British series “NCIS: London” caused alarmed protesters to chant: “Yankee Seamen-Crooks, Sail Ye Home, Sail Ye Home!“
- The original British series upon which “Survivor” is based was “The Scurvy Challenge.”
- “Sons of Anarchy” has an original British series entitled “Heirs of Shenanigans on Motorized Cycles.“
- The most groundbreaking original British series of the last century was “Stripes are the New Prison Uniform.“
- The original British series of “Psych” was called “Phrenology” on the British Empire Network.
- Ever seen the original British series “Alfred Hitchcock Prevents“? (He’d stand in doorways, interrupt couples snogging, & other tomfoolery.)
The “Ooo” Girl November 23, 2015
Zooey Deschanel was once unable to get acting jobs because she was too pretty. However, that handicap did prevent her (or her sister) from eventually succeeding in Hollywood.
The Conversion Story of Leah Libresco November 22, 2015
FiveThirtyEight news writer, religion (& other things) blogger, and former-atheist turned Catholic, Leah Libresco, tells her conversion story in this great interview. (As you may recall, I have written about Miss Libresco before.)
Meet Eric Metaxas November 21, 2015
This witty Christian is my new favorite radio personality. He has a weekday show that broadcasts out of the Empire State Building with the tag-line: “We’re trying to change the world one person at a time, but we’re willing to make an exception if you bring a friend.” His recent past shows are all available online (commercial free) as podcasts. In my favorite recent show he interviews the author of the #1 book on Amazon, “Imagine Heaven,” about near-death experiences.
Here he is charming and witnessing at the 2012 National Prayer Breakfast with the best speech since Blessed Mother Teresa:
This is his conversion story:
Here is his interview by Brian Lamb on C-Span about his books and his reflections on religion and politics.
He’s also on Twitter.
The Huggable George W. November 20, 2015
This little girl carries a Pres. George W. Bush doll everywhere she goes. The former president heard about it and recently wrote her this letter.
Bush is a thoughtful note-writer.
A Speed Painter’s Surprise November 17, 2015
From a daytime TV variety show. The “turn” and “prestige” come after 1:50.
Fount of Knowledge November 16, 2015
Have you ever noticed that the Final Jeopardy! song ends just like I’m a Little Teapot?
“…Tip me over and pour me out.”
An Impressive, Neutral Stance November 15, 2015
The best thing about this Futurama clip is the Like/Dislike ratio.
The Genre of Flash Fiction November 13, 2015
The urban legend goes that Earnest Hemingway was lunching with friends at a restaurant. He bet the table ten dollars each that he could craft an entire story in just six words. After the pot was assembled, Hemingway wrote six words on a napkin, passed it around the table, and collected his winnings. The story:
For sale: baby shoes, never worn.
I was reminded of this tale the other day when I came across @VeryShortStory on Twitter. He crafts flash fiction stories with extreme brevity of 140 characters.
Since I lack the ability to develop characters, sustain a plot, and be interesting for extended periods of time, I myself have written some super short stories. I link to them for your enjoyment:
Very Challenging Puzzles November 12, 2015
The Bridge Escape Puzzle (Hint: Delegate!)
The Prisoners’ Hats Puzzle (Hint: Odd or Even?)
The Island of Green-Eyed Prisoners Puzzle (Hint: Imagine if there were just two prisoners.)
Live Earthquake Tracker November 10, 2015
The U.S. Geological Survey has a live earthquake tracker-map. (May it long remain uninteresting.)
“Do Humankind’s Best Days Lie Ahead?” November 9, 2015
An entertaining and interesting debate on the proposition: “Be it resolved humankind’s best days lie ahead…”
If you mean over the next few years, then this is very likely so. Things have been getting quietly and incrementally better in most places around the world for a long time. However, if humankind is worse off in 100 years (like following a global thermal nuclear war) then the optimists will have been victims of normalcy bias. It’s like what they say about going bankrupt: “At first you go bankrupt slowly, then all at once.”
Click here for the results of the debate’s final voting.
Who Has Talk Radio’s Biggest Audiences? November 8, 2015
Conservatives, mostly. The best can rival the ratings of the most popular TV talk shows (namely, those on Fox News.)
Stuff My Sisters Will Like 