To join the elite group known as American Mensa a person must score among the top 2% of an “accepted standardized intelligence test”. To put it mildly, the members of Mensa are some of the smartest humans alive; so when it comes to all things academic they know what...
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Across the Great Divide: “Who Left the Gate Open? The Idiots Got Out Again”
I hope everyone had a fun Halloween. Well, with November comes another edition of my paranormal column, Across the Great Divide and this month I ask – “Who Left the Gate Open? The Idiots Got Out Again.” For all the many topics and issues within the realm of parapsychology...
Hash tags
For a while now I’ve read rants, seen graphics on Facebook, and shared personal conversations with people complaining about the use of the hash symbol (#) on the internet. To be honest, I think some of the complaints are well warranted- the use of it, like everything else in...
Columbus: Explorer, murderer, thief, and slavetrader
I’ve been asked before why I, being of Italian descent, don’t celebrate Columbus Day. The answer to why the very idea of this day disgusts me is very simple and explained perfectly in the masterful words of Kurt Vonnegut: “As children we were taught to memorize this year ...
Banned Books Awareness: “Neverwhere”
English author Neil Gaiman’s fan base spread worldwide with his critically acclaimed Sandman graphic novel series in the 1990s. Since then he has solidified his literary mark with equally-impressive and award-winning novels. Last week, however, his novel, Neverwhere, became the target of contention that has engulfed a New Mexico...
Movember 2013
“If all it takes is growing a little facial fuzz in a fun and interactive way for a month to help raise awareness for such an important issue, then why isn’t everyone doing it? What’s your excuse? Cancer knows no boundaries- not sex, not race, not age, not social...
Banned Books Awareness: “The Invisible Man”
Another Banned Books Week has come and gone here in the “Land of the Free”. It comes with a mix of emotions for those at the center of the stand against censorship because this is an issue that exists 365 days a year, not just 7. While it is...
Across the Great Divide: “When Ghost Hunters Go Shopping”
There’s a famous quote saying that “a fool and his money are soon parted.” This month I tackle the pros and cons of the big cash machine that ghost hunting has become. Hold on to your wallets and walk with me Across the Great Divide as we explore “When...
Banned books week: How the blacklist can goose a book’s sales
News Flash: It’s Banned Books Week here in the United States, you know: the land of the free- at least on paper. As usual, there is plenty of media attention on the American Library Association’s annual event to highlight censorship efforts and I take bittersweet pride in reporting on...
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Okay, I watched the series premier of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. My take is…was it okay? Yes. Could it have been better? Yes. It was the first episode of the series and while it didn’t exactly pull me in and keep me on the edge of my seat, I...