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The Graveyard of Dead Gods
H. L. Mencken’s meditation on the “graveyard of dead gods” is characteristically provocative. Written in 1922 as “Memorial Service” and later included in A Mencken Chrestomathy, the piece begins with what appears to be a simple historical curiosity: Where are the gods who were once worshipped by the great civilizations of the past? Where are…
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The Most Famous Address in London
A “practical joke” is called practical because it is a joke carried out in the real world rather than merely told. The word practical here means something like “put into practice” or “involving action.” A practical joke therefore involves manipulating a situation so that another person experiences something unexpected, usually for comic effect. “What do…
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The Acme Corporation
It’s one of the most anticipated film releases of recent memory. At least for me. And no, I’m not talking about Michael, the Michael Jackson biopic that launched this weekend with a $97 million dollar opening in North American theaters and an unprecedented $217 million dollar worldwide box office – shattering the record for the…
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Remember The Captain and Tennille?
I have always said I “grew up” in the 80s. But chronologically that’s not entirely true. I “came of age” in the 80s, but the boy to teenager progression – what we typically mean by “growing up” – took place in the 70s; in fact, I became a teenager just as the decade was changing:…
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An atheist’s appreciation for religion
Today, the calendar turns our attention to St. Patrick, who was not himself Irish but is credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland in the 5th century. “St. Patrick’s Day” comes around once a year and celebrates Irish culture, heritage, and traditions with wearing green (symbolizing Ireland, the “Emerald Isle”), symbols like shamrocks (which Saint Patrick…
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What you say and how you say it matters
Language shapes perception. The words we choose do more than describe reality – they construct it. When speaking about disabled people, language can either reinforce stigma and exclusion or foster dignity, accuracy, and respect. Sensitivity in language usage is not about policing speech for its own sake; it is not an unthinking, cynical, and rote…
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Thirteen
This post has thirteen paragraphs; the thirteenth word of every paragraph is 13. I undertook this task partly because today is Friday the 13th, and partly because for all my education (in Philosophy, logic, and rhetoric no less) I am still afraid of the number 13. I have written about this before (here), and triumphantly…
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There’s a Seinfeld for that
Philosophy, my field of study as an undergraduate, has fallen on hard times of late, and I don’t understand why, given that it is the foundation of every academic discipline; it is the ‘Ph’ in PhD (which stands for “doctor of philosophy”). So your professor with a doctorate in Chemistry actually is a “doctor of…
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Leave the trumpet-blowing to the musicians
I am actually a very shy person. If you find that easy to believe, good; I’ve done what I’m supposed to do. I may be outwardly shy and non-confrontational but sometimes, inside, I well up with megalomaniacal self-belief. In my head I act out little vignettes where I not only get my point across but…
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I outwitted AI using Phil Collins!
Okay, let’s just get this out of the way right at the start. I am a Phil Collins fan. And I’m not going to justify it by claiming it’s because he’s such a talented drummer and invented the technique of gated reverb which revolutionized how drums are recorded and defined the sound of rock and…
Your mileage may vary.