Dawn Potter: Dear Presidential Candidates — A Modest Proposal
Dear presidential candidates: Yesterday morning, my 18-year-old son came up with a brilliant proposal for campaign reform. He and I spent much of our day together elaborating its details; and … Continue reading
Why Teachers Drink
The following questions appeared in last year’s GED examination. These are genuine answers from 18 year olds. . Q. Name the four seasons A.. Salt, pepper, mustard and vinegar . Q. How … Continue reading
Video: Stephen Fry gets animated about language
— In this short video, produced by Matthew Rogers, Stephen Fry meditates on the use of language, touching on the work of Barthes, Chomsky, Pinker and… Eddie Izzard.
Video: Stephen Fry on the Joys of Swearing
— To those who say that swearing is unnecessary, Stephen Fry responds, “It’s not necessary to have colored socks. It’s not necessary for this cushion to be here. But is … Continue reading
Video: Stephen Colbert — Hey, Russia, keep your crab claws off our internet
Undersea cables that carry 95% of our internet communications are in danger of being attacked by Russia. Finally, an armageddon that will affect all of us. Aired November 3, 2015
Jose Padua: The Idea of Order Near the Exit to the Interstate
This morning when I got to my local big chain coffee house I ordered a breakfast sandwich and the woman behind the counter asked me my name and I said … Continue reading
Video: Julia Lee sings “Don’t Come Too Soon”
— In this song, the Queen of the Dirty Blues warns us, “You gotta let your sweet meat cook a long long time.” Julia Lee (October 31, 1902 – December … Continue reading
Video: Yoko Ono — Cut Piece (1965)
An excerpt from Yoko Ono’s ‘Cut Piece’ (1965) in which audience members were invited to cut a piece off the performer’s clothing. — Yoko Ono, born in 1933, grew up … Continue reading
Video: The Power of Empathy — a quick animated clip that can make you a better person
This animated clip features Dr. Brené Brown, a research professor at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work, providing some quick insights into the difference between sympathy and … Continue reading
Jose Padua: American Sadness
Of all the sadness in the world there is nothing that can compare with American sadness. When America is sad the whole world weeps. Whenever one American is sad, at … Continue reading
Audio: Flannery O’Connor reads “A Good Man is Hard to Find” (rare recording)
Mary Flannery O’Connor (March 25, 1925 – August 3, 1964). Author of two novels and 32 short stories, as well as a number of reviews and commentaries, O’Connor lived most … Continue reading
Audio: Woody Allen tells a joke about the Lost Generation (rare recording — 1965)
Riffing on The Lost Generation, Woody Allen imagines himself back in time, carousing with Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, Picasso, F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, and famed Spanish bullfighter Manolete. It’s interesting … Continue reading
Michael Simms: A Parable about Publishing
A man in a hot air balloon realized he was lost. He reduced altitude and spotted a woman below. He yelled: “Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a … Continue reading
Video: Head Over Heels
It’s not often that a student film gets nominated for an Oscar, but such was the case with Head Over Heels, the graduate film of animator Timothy Reckart that went … Continue reading
