When someone mentions The Wizard of Oz many no doubt imagine families gathered around the television to share in the full-color glory of this timeless classic; but did you know that the book that the beloved movie is adapted from has been in the sights of censors since it...
What happens when a haunted house moves? No, not just the people or objects- but the whole house! A rigging crew in Monroe, Iowa spent February 19, 2013 slowly moving a 100-ton house; and that has local ghost hunters anxiously waiting to see if any paranormal activity follows the...
Americans tend to arrogantly think that censorship is something that only happened in Stalinist Russia or, currently, the Middle East; America, of course, is proclaimed to be the land of the free. That stuff doesn’t happen here. Many other countries think that censorship only happens within the borders of...
On February 14 in many countries around the world candy, flowers, and gifts are exchanged between loved ones in the name of St. Valentine. Couples will dine and many a flower shop will be visited today while some people- as a good friend once put it- will sit back...
Literature marks the times. Whether an epic historical fiction or a dime store yarn, a novel reflects the time in which it is published as much as it does the period it is set in. The intricacy and subject matter of the literature we enjoy also evolves with us...
Last month we discussed some interesting points about science and the unanswered questions raised by parapsychology; a noted professor even attempted to explain some of the principles studied by researchers through the application of mathematical reasoning. However, the underlying question remains: just why, more than 100 years later, does...
A phobia is a deeply-rooted psychological condition in which you are so afraid of something on a subconscious level- due to some traumatic event or trigger- that it impacts your ability to function in daily life. Our society tries to excuse the conscious choice for being intolerant of others...
“For all the talk about inalienable human rights and guaranteed freedoms, the only true freedom is the freedom of thought. The moment you are able to read an entire universe of wonder and possibility opens up to you. No longer will you be confined to the dark, subjugated to...
Here’s a list of books that were banned before they even had a chance to be published; the censorship was based solely on the title of the book and not the content. …okay, not really. I just thought I’d end the day with some lighthearted humor. It’s a bit...
I’m sometimes amused by the path that my chaotic and random thoughts take in reaching a particular destination; that journey of intellectual clarity and discovery that so often results from seemingly innocent origins which eventually leads to some profound personal endpoint. I was trolling the internet today, neither looking...