For centuries, those attempting to manipulate the public conscience have understood that appealing to emotions or instincts is far more effective than appealing to intellect. The advertising industry makes a fortune each year manipulating the audience's emotions to sell everything from coffee and toothpaste, to candidates for all levels of public office. In his review … Continue reading War of WordsÂ
Category: History
Like a Rolling Stone: Pharris Matthew Stribling, 1901-1950
Pharris Matthew Stribling, possibly his graduation photo from around 1918. My grandfather, Pharris Matthew Stribling, could have been the inspiration behind the song, Papa was a Rolling Stone. According to World War II draft records, he was born 27 February 1901, in Lincolnton, Lincoln County, Georgia, the second child and oldest son of Charles and … Continue reading Like a Rolling Stone: Pharris Matthew Stribling, 1901-1950
Foot Soldiers in the War on Xmas
Every Christmas season, alongside numerous productions of A Christmas Carol, someone in the media will raise the specter of a "War on Christmas!" One pundit has made it his stock in trade to lament how every year more Christmas traditions are under fire, driving Christians underground in their observance of the season, lest the politically … Continue reading Foot Soldiers in the War on Xmas
The Cheese Toast Project Now Available!
My collection of essays, The Cheese Toast Project (ISBN: 978-0-9848913-4-4), is now available in print at online booksellers, and in print and Kindle versions at Amazon.com. The essays are about family, writing, music, drama, religion, politics, and history. Early drafts appeared on my blog, Raised by Wolves and have since been revised and expanded.
President Trump
Back in the 1990s, on his show TV Nation, Michael Moore urged voters to nominate a ficus tree as a candidate in local elections. His point was that a tree would be as responsive to voters' needs as many of the candidates. The sad part is people took him up on the offer and actually … Continue reading President Trump
Creation Myths
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." So begins the first creation narrative in Genesis, chapter one. This narrative, which among other things states that water existed on earth before there was light, encompasses the creation of all living things, including humans. The story is directly contradicted by the following chapter of … Continue reading Creation Myths
Free Will
A central tenet at the heart of many philosophies and religions is the notion of free will and how much it guides our daily existence. Are we free to choose our own course in life, or have our lives been written ahead of time by some unseen heavenly entity and we are merely following … Continue reading Free Will
Rise of the Know Nothings
Americans frequently exhibit a dangerous bias toward experts. The more educated and informed one is, the less likely one is to be trusted in this country. We see evidence of this in schools, in business, and most particularly in politics. The newcomer, uncompromising and untainted by years of corruption or back room deal making, always … Continue reading Rise of the Know Nothings
The First Lupos in America 1610-1670
The story of the Lupo family in North America began with the earliest settlers in Virginia and was led by two sons of royal musician Peter Lupo. His marriage to Katherine Wicker is recorded in the parish of St. Botolph's without Aldgate 27 October 1575. It was preceded within a month by the christening of … Continue reading The First Lupos in America 1610-1670
Emily Mae Lupo, 1929 – 2006
Remembering my mother, Emily Mae (Stribling) Lupo (16 September 1929 - 9 December 2006) on what would have been her 86th birthday. She was born in Sutton, West Virginia, an only child raised by a single mother, after her parents divorced when she was a small child. She graduated from Sutton High School in 1947 … Continue reading Emily Mae Lupo, 1929 – 2006