George Orwell’s death in 1950 — Author George Orwell (Eric Arthur Blair) died this day in 1950. Orwell is best known for Animal Farm and 1984. These two books not only defined George Orwell, they defined a particular view of society in general, creating the descriptive word, “Orwellian.” “of, pertaining to, characteristic of, or resembling the…

#Shark Week panders sharks, sex, and misinformation — Last time, I discussed Shark Week’s appeal and ratings: Gaping Mouths Full of Razor-Sharp Teeth Coming at You It’s a Feeding Frenzymedium.com I noticed something more horrifying than the stare of a shark’s eyeball last Thursday night while watching Maco Mania and Monster Eiko: Fresh Blood on Discovery Channel’s Shark Week. What is with the abundance of extraneous sexy chesty shots in the…

A reflection of the talents of 12.9 million authors on Medium Day — I am honored and flabbergasted by all of you on Medium. I started about 19 months ago with no followers and just three friends on Medium. I felt getting into the Partners Program wouldn’t ever happen. But one by one, I gained following friends and now I have reached 5,000…

The Tooth Fairy makes a visit, 15 years late! — About 15 years ago, my daughter was so excited to lose her first tooth. She had been working it loose for several days. She came down for breakfast and the front tooth was barely hanging by a thread. I was stuck behind the desire for keeping her from swallowing it…

Conduct Unbecoming a U.S. Congressperson — Remember when being a Representative in the United States House was a position of authority, honor and respect? Certain decorum and behavior was expected by members who had taken the oath to defend and protect our country. Today attention-seeking behavior has become normalized and perhaps encouraged by the current members…

Star Trek debuts in 1966 — It was a ritual in my house. Everyone one would be silenced. Popcorn would be popped and our seats assigned. It was time. And it began, “Space, the final frontier…these are the voyages of the star ship Enterprise…” I was 5 years old and I remember the cool stars with…

Do you Wordle? — Wordle Fans, here is a directive from the great Wordle fairies in cyberspace. I’m not officially a Wordle player, I haven’t downloaded the App or posted any of my scores. However, I have been known to discuss today’s puzzle with a friend, on the down low, of course. Once I…

Paul is not dead! — Today on this day in 1968, the Beatles released one of the most iconic songs in history, Hey Jude. It was Song of the Year and it has withstood the tests of time. It had only been four years since arriving in New York…

A visit to Mystic, CT — It’s been a while since I tasted the rich, unique cheesy melty- in-your-mouth Mystic Pizza. Actually, I’ve only had it once, but it was memorable. The movie came out in 1988. I know I saw it back in the day, but couldn’t for the life of me remember anything about…