|
|
|
Posts Archived Under Religion
| Ladies' Day | By Dave Sikula
Wed, December 1, 2010, 12:01 am PST |
Rosa Parks. They wouldn't even
let her sit while booking her. |
Yesterday, we called attention to three historical wits (Swift, Twain, and Wilde), and today is the turn of more contemporary comics. Wednesday is the 75th birthday of filmmaker Woody Allen, and would have been the 70th birthday of comedian Richard Pryor. Allen is the Academy Award-winning director of such movies as "Annie Hall," "Bullets Over Broadway," "Radio Days," and "Hannah and Her Sisters." He'a been nominated for 16 Oscars (winning three), and has directed actors (Penelope Cruz, Michael Caine, Diane Keaton, Mira Sorvino, and Dianne Wiest – twice) to six. Pryor was the pioneering stand-up whose earthy and vulgar routines brought new life to live comedy in the 70s. He was loved and emulated by his peers (Jerry Seinfeld called him "The Picasso of our profession," and Bob Newhart described him as "the seminal comedian of the last 50 years"). As loved as he was by comedians and audiences, Hollywood didn't seem to know what to do with him, and, with only a few exceptions, his films were not always good. Plagued by addictions during his later life, he succumbed to multiple sclerosis at the age of 65.
Pryor and Allen aren't the only ones celebrating birthdays today. In 1891, James Naismith was trying to control a group of rowdy kids who were stuck indoors at the YMCA in Springfield, Massachusetts. Naismith nailed a couple of peach baskets to the walls, and invented "basket ball," thus giving birth to the hoops we know today. The game has changed slightly in the ensuing century, and will see a notable event Thursday when LeBron James makes his return to Cleveland, as the Heat take on the Cavs. We expect chaos to ensue, which is an odd way to begin National Stress-Free Family Holiday Month. Perhaps a round of Bingo would help everyone get along. Conveniently, December is "Bingo's Birthday Month," which aims to call attention one of America's other favorite pastimes.
If even more stress reduction is needed, fans can concentrate on soccer, as there are few diversions that are more sleep-inducing. Fortunately, FIFA will be on hand to remind us of the "beautiful game," as they'll be announcing on Thursday the unfortunate cities chosen to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
We were surprised to see that France isn't in the running to host either of those competitions, but the French will be busy Thursday commemorating both Napoleon Bonaparte's 1804 self-coronation as Emperor of France, and the anniversary of the death of the Marquis de Sade, the aristocratic writer who lived a, shall we say, interesting lifestyle, that 200 years later, is still too hot for prime time - and for The Spark.
Let's move on to something a little more wholesome - holiday shopping, for example. And what would the holidays be without toys and ties? December is both Safe Toys and Gifts Month and National Tie Month. While we all want kids to be healthy and safe, we kind of long for the days of our youth when toys were made of metal with sharp edges, or loaded with cannonballs. Oh, well, better to stick with a nice cravat for Dad. It's dull, but won't put his eye out.
We tip our hats to three notable women over the next couple of days. Thursday would have been the birthday of the ultimate opera diva Maria Callas. Callas was born in New York in 1923 and by her 30s, had become one of the biggest names in opera history. Unfortunately, her singing and acting style - not to mention her fiery temperament and life off-stage - made her highly controversial.
On December 1, 1952, the New York Daily News reported that former Army GI George Jorgensen had returned from Denmark as Christine Jorgenson, becoming the first person to undergo a widely-publicized sexual reassignment surgery. Jorgensen spent the remaining 37 years of her life lecturing and performing as a cabaret singer, delivering such tongue-in-cheek numbers as "I Enjoy Being a Girl."
Three years later, African-American civil rights worker Rosa Parks was arrested in Montgomery, Alabama, for refusing to give her seat to a white passenger. Her arrest sparked a boycott of the entire Montgomery bus system that ended only when a Supreme Court order ruled that Montgomery's segregated bus system unconstitutional.
A iconic fictional woman made her debut on December 2, 1947, when Tennessee Williams' masterpiece, "A Streetcar Named Desire" opened on Broadway. While Marlon Brando's brutish Stanley Kowalski got a lot of attention, the play actually focuses on the travails of the DuBois sisters, Stella and Blanche. Blanche DuBois came to represent the epitome of the cracked Southern belle, whose genteel ways cwere no match for the modern world. The role spans a wide emotional range, and has always been catnip for actresses wanting to test their mettle, including Jessica Tandy (the original), Vivien Leigh, Jessica Lange, Ann-Margret, Rachel Weisz, and Cate Blanchett.
In what may - or may not - be a notable event for women, we note in passing that December 1, 1953, saw the publication of the first issue of "Playboy" magazine.
At sundown on Wednesday, Hanukkah begins. This eight day celebration commemorates the rededication of Jerusalem's Second Temple in the 2nd century BCE.
Lastly, we note that December 1 is both World AIDS Day and the Day (With)Out Art. The former is dedicated to raising awareness of AIDS and HIV, while the latter is devoted to the artists who were lost to AIDS and the works of art they never produced.
Suggested Sites...
|
|
Directory categories:
Film Directors, Comedians, Games, French History, Civil Rights Movement |
|
Archived under: 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 19th Century, AIDS, Actors, Adventure, American History, Ancient History, Anniversaries, Apparel, Athletes, Authors, Baseball Players, Basketball, Biographies, Birthdays, Black History, Board Games, Broadway, Celebrations, Celebrities, Civil Rights, Cleveland, Clothing and Accessories, Comedians, Dead Celebrities, Dictators, Directors, Disease, Entertainment, Europe, European History, Events, Fiction, Filmmaking, France, Games, Hanukkah, Health, History, Holidays, Human Rights, Humor, In Character, Issues and Causes, Legal Cases, Literature, Mark Twain, Men, Movies, NBA, Napoleon Bonaparte, Newspapers, Nostalgia, Opera, Performing Arts, Playboy, Profanity, Religion, Sex and Sexuality, Singers, Soccer, Sports, Toys, Women, World Cup, Writers, Writing |
| Post a comment (1) | Email this posting |
John T. Scopes, the man
who caused all the fuss |
It started out as a publicity stunt designed to bring tourists to the small town of Dayton, Tennessee. By the time it was over, it had brought together three of the most famous men in the world, killed one of them, and left ripples that we still feel today.
While the event we note today is the 85th anniversary of schoolteacher John T. Scopes being arrested for teaching evolution, the events that prompted that arrest go back to 1922, when the Tennessee legislature passed the Butler Act, which prohibited any teacher in a public school from teaching "any theory that denies the Story of the Divine Creation of man as taught in the Bible, and to teach instead that man has descended from a lower order of animals." The law had been written by a Tennessee farmer, who had "read in the papers that boys and girls were coming home from school and telling their fathers and mothers that the Bible was all nonsense."
The law, which had a fatal flaw (the state's required biology text had a chapter about evolution) sat unchallenged for three years, while the American Civil Liberties Union hunted for a teacher willing to challenge the law, even announcing its willingness to pay for the trial and any fines (the penalty was $100). There were no takers.
Finally, in 1925, a group of Dayton businessmen were sitting around Robinson's Drugstore, trying to come up with a scheme to draw tourists to their town of 1,800. Someone mentioned the Butler Act, and before Scopes knew it, he had agreed to become the sacrificial lamb (or perhaps, "ape"). On May 5th, Scopes was "arrested" and all hell broke loose.
The local fathers, hoping to secure maximum publicity for the trial, contacted such notables as novelist H.G. Wells (who declined, stating that he wasn't a lawyer). The prosecution countered with William Jennings Bryan, the three-time presidential candidate who was America's most respected public figure. Spurred by Bryan's presence, Clarence Darrow, the country's most famous defense attorney and defender of civil liberties, agreed to head Scopes' defense. Drawn by not only the spectacle of those two giants going head-to-head in the courtroom, but by the circus that developed around the trial, H.L. Mencken, the reporter who was one of the country's sharpest social commentators, came to report on the doings -- along with hundred of other reporters, an unprecedented national radio hookup, newsreel photographers, trained chimpanzees, and tens of thousands of spectators.
The trial finally began on July 10 and things went badly for the defense. Witnesses were not allowed to testify and Darrow fought with the judge -- dodging more than one contempt citation. Finally, in a desperate stroke of genius, Darrow put Bryan himself on the stand -- or, rather, under the tree, since the judge moved matters outside to accommodate both the huge crowds and in an attempt to beat the stifling heat. Darrow cut him to ribbons, challenging his opponent's literal belief in the Good Book, and generally making a monkey of him. Bryan died five days after the trial, possibly the victim of his exertions.
It was all for naught, though. The jury, deliberating only nine minutes, found Scopes guilty, and the judge fined him $100. That verdict was overturned on a technicality, but the law remained (unenforced) on the books until 1967.
Even though no one else was every prosecuted under the Butler Act, its effects are felt today in controversies over Creationism, and the curricula proposed by the Kansas and Texas Boards of Education. And, for all the spectacle the trial provided, that kind of carnival atmosphere could never happen today... right?
Suggested Sites...
|
|
Directory categories:
Scopes Monkey Trial, Clarence Darrow, William Jennings Bryan, Evolution, Creation vs. Evolution |
|
Archived under: 1920s, American History, Anniversaries, Apes, Biology, Clarence Darrow, Creationism, Education, Evolution, Law, Legal Cases, Primates, Religion, Science, Society and Culture, William Jennings Bryan |
| Post a comment (0) | Email this posting |
Grigori Rasputin |
The Russian Imperial Court of the early 20th century was a swamp of intrigue. There were numerous factions -- royalists, democrats, reformers -- but one of the most powerful people in Russia was someone with no official position: Grigori Rasputin, an Orthodox priest sometimes known "the Mad Monk."
Rasputin came into contact with the Romanov Family in 1905. Tsarevich Aleksei had been suffering from internal bleeding (thanks to the hemophilia that ran through Europe’s royals, due to decades of inbreeding), which the medical technology of the time was unable to cure. Tsaritsa Alexandra, desperate for help, contacted Rasputin, who was reputed all of his life to have mystical powers, and succeeded where the doctors had failed (whether through prayer or hypnosis depends on which account one believes).
From that time, Rasputin had the ear of the Romanovs, advising them on matters spiritual and political. Many feared that Rasputin was a wild card who had too much power, and were troubled by his bribe-taking and sexual promiscuity (which included sessions of self-flagellation).
In 1914, a group attempted to assassinate him. Rasputin was stabbed to the point where his entrails were hanging out of his abdomen, but he survived, which only added to his mystical aura.
Finally in 1916, his enemies had had enough. On December 29, he was lured to the palace of Prince Feliks Yusupov. Yusupov had prepared a fatal last meal for Rasputin, comprised of cookies and wine laced with enough cyanide to kill five men. Rasputin ate the meal with no apparent ill effects, so Yusupov shot him in the back. Rasputin fell, but when the prince came to examine the body, Rasputin grabbed him, whispered "you bad boy," and attempted to strangle him. Yusupov's confederates came to his rescue, shooting Rasputin three more times. He fell again, only to attempt to rise. The conspirators then beat him with clubs, wrapped him in a sheet, and threw him into an icy river.
Three days later, the body was found on the river’s banks, its arms raised, as though Rasputin had attempted to break through the ice. The coroner’s official verdict was that, after every other murder attempt had failed, Rasputin had drowned. The grief-stricken Alexandra had the body buried at one of the Imperial Palaces.
That would seem to end the story, but after the February Revolution of 1917, workers unearthed the body and cremated it -- and in a final eerie stroke, as it burned, Rasputin’s corpse sat up.
Suggested Sites...
|
|
Directory categories:
Grigori Rasputin, Romanov Dynasty, Russian History, Mysticism, St. Petersburg, Russia |
|
Archived under: 1910s, Anniversaries, Assassinations, Biographies, Crime, Dead Celebrities, Death, Grigori Rasputin, History, Men, Murder, Mysticism, Religion, Russia, Weird Stuff |
| Post a comment (0) | Email this posting |
Long count date of "June 23,
152 CE" as carved into stone
by the Mayans |
Long ago, the Maya began carving what is now known as the Mesoamerican Long Count Calendar onto stone monuments. Unlike our repeating calendar, this Mayan calendar covered more than 5,000 years, with a beginning: August 11, 3114 BCE, and an end: December 21, 2012.
So, what happens then? Because 12-21-12 may coincide with a possible alignment of the Earth and the Milky Way's center, some predict a catastrophic reversal of the planet's polarity. Maya researcher John Major Jenkins argues that this pole reversal will actually result in a shifting of the collective psyche, or "a moment in which the human spirit can emerge from unconscious patterns and blossom." In "The Bible Code," Michael Drosnin predicted an apocalypse in 2012 -- but Drosnin's calamitous predictions for 2000 and 2006 didn't exactly go according to plan.
One thing that is certain is humanity's capacity for mass paranoia and hysteria -- and we're not saying that's always a bad thing. We listened to Art Bell back in the day, we love Graham Hancock, and we can't wait for Michael Bay to CG our brains out in "2012: The War for Souls" the way Roland Emmerich did in "2012." A good dose of the-end-is-nigh paranoia can inspire great drama and creativity.
And if 2012 doesn't work out as planned, we can still get excited about Asteroid Aphosis in 2036.
Suggested Sites...
- The Maya Calendar - information on the Maya Calendar from the Maya World Studies Center in Yucatan, Mexico.
- Meta-Religion: Popol Vuh - translation of "Popol Vuh," the Mayan creation myth.
- 13-Moon Natural Time Calendar - a new take on the Mayan calendar from major new-age player, Dr. Jose Arguelles.
- December 21, 2012 - the "official" 2012 website. Includes news, merchandise for sale, and a 2012 Believers list.
- Survive 2012 Forum - discussion board with survival tips, 2012 news, various theories, gatherings, events, new age transformations, and more.
|
|
Directory categories:
Doomsday 2012, Mayan Calendars, Pole Shift, Biblical End Times, Mayan Archaeology |
|
Archived under: Calendars, Mayan Civilization, Mexico, Mythology and Folklore, Predictions, Prophecy, Religion, Time |
| Post a comment (2) | Email this posting |
Easter is one of those holidays that brings out the creativity in people. Maybe it's just the fresh spring air that inspires us to conduct science experiments with marshmallow chicks and bunnies, or maybe Easter just naturally supplies us with the raw materials to make artistic masterpieces in the form of baskets and colored eggs. Even for the craftily-challenged, there are step-by-step instructions online for making just about anything these days.
So if you're planning an extravagant egg hunt, a brunch, or a classroom activity, start looking through our many Easter-related Directory categories for crafts, games, coloring pages, eCards, graphics, poetry, recipes, prayers, egg ideas, history, and more. You’re sure to find some inspiration.
Suggested Sites...
|
|
Directory categories:
Easter Activities & Crafts , Easter eCards, Easter Recipes, Christian Observance of Easter, Easter Around the World |
|
Archived under: Arts, Celebrations, Crafts, Decorating, Easter, Eggs, Holidays, Homemade, How-To, Parties, Religion, Spring, Yahoo! Directory |
| Post a comment (0) | Email this posting |
|
|
