“Thanksgiving Day originated in New England when the Puritans realized they had succeeded in exterminating their neighbors, the Indians, instead of getting exterminated by their neighbors, the Indians.” Mark Twain “Gratitude is a fruit of great cultivation; you do not find it among gross people.” Samuel Johnson “Beggar that I

Black Wednesday Ah, Black Wednesday. I've been black on this Wednesday before there was Black Wednesday. I remember speculating with friends back in the 1980s that it might be the biggest bar night of the year. It was like, nobody had become fully cognizant that this evening had

In 1927, G.K. Chesterton spoke in the Great Hall of University College, London. The topic: “Culture and the Coming Peril.” People probably thought he was going to talk about Bolshevism, but he didn't. The peril isn't Communism, Chesterton said, it's vulgarity: “To put

Many writers talk about religious “currents,” but I think that term is too generous. The term “current” implies something sustaining and capable of moving things forward in a meaningful way. It implies the existence of a stream or river–something steady, often deep–where it can run. That type of

BYCU Blogging has been light. Okay, non-existent. Lots of life changes, shifting priorities, moving parts . . . whatever. I'm in a transition area, with a pretty firm idea of projects I hope to launch next year, but I need to finish this year's priorities first. But regardless, I

The Border [https://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/how-the-sinaloa-drug-cartel-clobbered-the-mexican-army/] Let's hope the war not spilleth over. While American media outlets have been trashing the Trump administration over its abandonment of America's “noble Kurdish allies” in Syria, they have paid little attention to an extraordinary and alarming development

Nothing scarier than this: > “Guys, I got a great idea. Let's go out, get a couple beers... “ > “No. I got got a better idea! Are you wearing loose clothing? > “Oh. I know what you're thinking. This will be so fun!” https://t.co/

Great book for Halloween: Monsters from the Id [https://amzn.to/2JGiBz1].

Brew Rambling Auto-Drunk [https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2019/10/24/he-was-acting-drunk-swore-he-was-sober-turns-out-his-stomach-was-brewing-its-own-beer/] Thing is, I can't figure out if this is a bad thing or a good. Then researchers discovered the unusual truth: Fungi in the man's digestive system were turning carbohydrates into alcohol – a rarely