Toupee Or Not Toupee ► Throwback Thursday

While the Not Now Silly Newsroom is now a mix of digital and analog, there was a time when it was 100% analog. As a semi-hoarder, I still have most of the paper I generated during The Analog Years, a 3-decade period when I did a lot of freelance writing. It’s all in a 4-drawer, … Continue reading Toupee Or Not Toupee ► Throwback Thursday

Nineteen Eighty-Four ► Throwback Thursday

It was on this day in 1949 that George Orwell’s seminal work, Nineteen Eighty-Four, was first published. Generations of readers have looked upon 1984 as a dystopian cautionary tale. However, with the elevation of Emperor Trump it feels more like a How To manual. One doesn’t have to press too many buttons on the Googalizer … Continue reading Nineteen Eighty-Four ► Throwback Thursday

FloriDUH Becomes a TerrUHtory ► Throwback Thursday

History is complicated. The history of Florida even more so. On this day in 1822, it took the first step to statehood by becoming a territory of the United States. But the history of Florida’s long march to statehood is one of the bloodiest in this country. Originally discovered by Spaniard Juan Ponce de León … Continue reading FloriDUH Becomes a TerrUHtory ► Throwback Thursday

The Beginning of the End of McCarthyism ► Throwback Thursday

On this date in 1954 brave journalists at CBS began curing ‘Merka from the cancer of McCarthyism. Millions of words have been written about McCarthyism and I won’t even begin to sum them up. If you are unfamiliar with these shining beacons of truthful journalism [Hey! Millennials!], I’ve taken the opportunity of  quoting just a … Continue reading The Beginning of the End of McCarthyism ► Throwback Thursday

The Great Slave Auction ► Throwback Thursday

One of the largest slave auctions before the Civil War — alternately called The Great Slave Auction or The Weeping Time — took place 158 years ago today. Pierce M. Butler inherited the slaves from his grandfather and namesake, Major Pierce Butler. The elder Butler no longer spoke to his son, so he willed his … Continue reading The Great Slave Auction ► Throwback Thursday

The Blaine Act ► Throwback Thursday

The United States is still an experiment in democracy that people are still trying to get right [See: Trump, Donald], and The Blaine Act corrected one of ‘Merka’s greatest mistakes: Prohibition. The Eighteenth Amendment, aka Prohibition, was in place from 1920 to 1933 and, among its many unintended consequences, included a scofflaw society and the … Continue reading The Blaine Act ► Throwback Thursday

Fantastic Felines ► Throwback Thursday

Yesterday’s successful adoption of Marley has me reminiscing about all the fantastic felines I’ve shared my life with. Over the years I’ve had cats named Bleeko and Echo, Bert Parks, Miss Silver, Smith and Wesson, and Castor. Here are some stories: Bleeko & Echo Bleeko & Echo were brother and sister, beautiful little calico kittens … Continue reading Fantastic Felines ► Throwback Thursday