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Today, for many of us, King has become less a human being than a source of quotes and a saint.  This will not do.   A pedestal is no place to put a great man’s legacy.  So this tribute is intended to not be as sanctimonious as most of those for King have become. 10. King [...]

In the last century, entertainment has taken huge leaps forward with the advent of first radio, then television, movies and the Internet. However, one form of entertainment has evolved – writing, specifically novels and the long form of fiction. Funny thing about that evolution is that the fiction genre of fantasy has only just started [...]

In the world of comics, iconic figures such as Superman, Spider-man, Batman and the like; have made their indelible impression on both the mythos of heroes in general and the comic book genre specifically. Yet, there are other characters, perhaps not as well known, who nevertheless contributed to the love and appreciation we share for [...]

Hide your wife and hide your kids because the gold bug has bitten—and it’s a worldwide pandemic. People in the preliminary stage are known to ice their necks, wrists, and teeth with the shimmery metal. An insatiable hunger for all things made of gold marks a person in the most advanced stage of the bug. [...]

Eighteen is a special time in a person’s life.  In most countries, 18-years-old is when an individual is legally considered an adult and can assume control over their actions and decisions.  As we move into the 21st century, the age of maturity has risen.  A 15-year-old boy living in the Middle Ages had greater responsibilities [...]

Isn’t it scary how many people don’t know if Europe is a country or a continent? Wow… What kind of expectations should we have from the poor, ignorant people if even the president called Europe a country?! Now, let’s give the man the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he wanted to say “countries like in [...]

We all love a good list; it’s a quick, easy, and convenient way to organize information without starting every other paragraph with “Oh, and ALSO…” But they need to be interesting, especially in this age of endless information bombarding you from all directions, plus a few more that haven’t been discovered yet.  With thousands of [...]

While unfortunate, it cannot be denied that warfare has had a major role in shaping our world. It has defined our history, created and destroyed entire nations, and repeatedly altered society in both major and subtle ways for thousands of years. While history is replete with battles both large and small, there are a few [...]

The practice of binding books in human skin, also known as anthropodermic bibliopegy, is not just the stuff of dark legends and horror fiction.  It was a real technique which, although frowned upon and considered ghastly by today’s standards, was officially practiced since the 17th century.  The technique gained considerable popularity during the French Revolution and among [...]

While literally millions of ships of all shapes and sizes have been built over the centuries, only a handful have achieved anything approaching fame. Most of those that have done so, however, were warships or vessels that displayed such a degree of innovation that they were considered prototypes in the evolution of ships. Other ships, [...]