Is Communication Better Today?

In 1955 when researchers counted the punctuation in period texts they found a change in our way of communicating. They discovered there had been a surprising drop in semicolon usage between the 18th and 19th centuries. The drop from 68.1 semicolons per one thousand words to 17.7 was attributed to technology. What was the new technology in the 1850’s? It was the telegraph - or what science writer Tom Standage called the “Victorian internet″. The first telegraph that could... Read more »

Are You In Step With Your Feet?

I admit it. I’ve taken my feet for granted. I’ve forced them into shoes because the shoes looked good - not because they felt good. After years of this abuse I’m feeling “defeeted”. After a bit of sole searching - of my shoes - I discovered that the majority of shoe designers are men. I wonder if women’s shoes would fit better if those men tried to put the shoe on the other foot. Kenny George, a 7′7″, 360 lb basketball player for the University of North Carolina at Asheville, wears a size 25 shoe. Although that’s three... Read more »

Clown College Was Serious Business

It’s been said that a person has a better chance of getting into Harvard than the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Clown College. This fact highlights the extensive admission process and the seriousness of learning to be a clown. The clown college only accepts about 50 applicants per year from a field of thousands of would-be students. Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Clown College was opened in 1968. It was originally located in Venice, Florida and later moved to Sarasota, Florida. Irvin Feld had the idea to start this college. He was the owner of the circus and understood the importance of having a ready supply of performers. He saw the need to train people in the ancient art of clowning. In... Read more »

Did I Miss That Day In School?

Until a recent trip to Vermont I thought Vermont was one of the original thirteen states. Wrong. Vermont had wanted to be its own country. It changed its mind in time to become the fourteenth state in the union. I also learned that Vermont is the most rural of the fifty states. One-third of its roads are unpaved and one hundred twenty covered bridges dot its countryside. In Vermont roofs are covered with tin so the winter sun will warm them and cause accumulated snow to slide off. If I didn’t think snow was a four-letter word, I’d live in Vermont. Living in a state that’s outlawed... Read more »

What Are Everyday Mysteries?

Everyday mysteries are things that you unsuccessfully try to understand. Somnambulism is as mysterious to me as the condition it describes - sleepwalking. Only 1.2% of the population sleepwalks, which explains why I’ve never known anyone with the condition. Sleepwalkers are supposedly in a non-dream state of sleep, which allows the process going on in the brain to manifest in actions. Although some drugs have been thought to cause sleepwalking, somnambulism experts say drugs only exacerbate the condition, as do anxiety, sleep deprivation and high fever. Although scientists haven’t determined a specific cause for sleepwalking, they have discovered a genetic predisposition. Sleepwalking,... Read more »

Are We Getting Older Or Younger?

By 2030 the number of older Americans will have doubled to 70 million. That’s 1 in every 5 Americans. That’s why anti-aging information is often on the evening news. What isn’t there are aging women. There are no female counterparts for Walter Cronkite, Dan Rather or Charles Gibson. Is it just me or is this sexist ageism? Is it just me or is there a one-word explanation - man-age-ment? Yes, we’re flattered when people tell us we don’t look our age; but what does forty or fifty look like these days? I’d like to see a skin care model that looked older than twenty-five. In fact, I’d like to see pictures of models before they’ve been air brushed. Although my grandmother always said to just look yourself, it helps if you like what you are looking at. I like looking... Read more »

Evolution Of The Clown

Send in the clowns! Perhaps the first time that command was voiced was in China in 1818 B.C. Or maybe it was said during Egypt’s Fifth Dynasty around 2500 B.C. Although the history of clowns may not have an exact date, their influence and joy have been felt for thousands of years. Clowns were originally court jesters and served an important function in society. Besides providing comic relief, clown jesters were allowed great freedom of speech. This translated into them having a real role in the shaping of some government policies. An example of this happened in China during the building of the Great Wall. Court jester, Yu Sze used satire and a large dose of honesty to speak out against the emperor’s plans that would have killed thousands of his workers.... Read more »

Texas Humor and the Things it Can Do

Texas humor is something that can make you look at the brighter side, more than anything else. The sense of humor Texas have is entirely its own. While it amuses everybody, it is something that can be used to one’s advantage rather than just laughing about it. American sarcasm is the other name of humor in Texas. It can be considered as sarcasm, but if people just try to see the things the way Texans see them, then coping with life’s most difficult moments becomes a little easier. Humor is a manifestation of Texan’s big optimism. This is the main thing that very evident in the stories and anecdotes everyone laughs about. You can tell a Texan apart... Read more »

The Way To Understand Texas Humor

Texas is popular for a lot of things. But of the many things that are famous there, humor tops the pack. Texas is a very big state. And the people from there pride themselves with all things big. Big myths, tales, and natural phenomenon distinct to Texas are revered, including hails and armadillos. Texans are big in their pride too. They might seem a little different from the people hailing from other states. But they have the same American dream like the rest. Many say that visiting Texas is much like visiting a different country. Texas humor makes people think that way. Social consciousness... Read more »

What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up?

There are times I’ve wanted to be a bartender. A people-person with good listening skills who can mix drinks - how hard could that be? Well … it seems to have gotten harder. Recently there has been an influx of new drinks and flavored martinis. I have nothing against blue drinks topped with a parasol, but a martini should be vodka or gin with a touch of vermouth and an olive - no chocolate, no coffee, no banana liqueur. Okay, maybe I wouldn’t measure up as a bartender because I can’t think outside the glass. There are other times I’ve wanted to be a race... Read more »