For now, it was on this day in 1967 that President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967, creating the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Additional funding for this post was provided by a grant from the Chubb Foundation and the support of Viewers Like You. Thank you. Okay, now for the friday5.org Friday Five. 1. What usually marks the middle of your day?My days are so irregular there’s no real marked "middle" to them. The middle of my teaching days…

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Long story short, a second bug just socked the life out of me this past weekend; unlike my usual respiratory infections, this one hit deep inside of me, causing enough head pain to make me nauseous and cause vertigo. I had to cancel all of my classes for this week, and I’ve just barely been able to do anything more than sit in bed and wait out whatever this is. Anyway, it’s Halloween, and for me, of course, this means the anniversary of Harry Houdini’s…

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It was on this day in 1260 that the cathedral in Chartres, France was dedicated in the presence of King Louis IX. If I ever go to France, that’s the one place I want to go to more than any other, just to see if I can get out of the cathedral the same things Joseph Campbell did. Now for the friday5.org Friday Five. 1. Where’s your favorite beach?I am not a beach person. I don’t like to tan, and swimming seemed to lose its…

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Happy 39th birthday to him today. Also, to him and all other Canadians, congratulations on preserving your national igloo. (Seriously Rick, it’s been over seven years now since 09.11. We need you back across the border highlighting our ignorance.) Time for the friday5.org Friday Five. 1. Who frightens you?I can’t go with people I personally know here for obvious reasons, so I’ll go with Alaska Senator Ted Stevens for an answer here. 2. Who regularly surprises you?I can’t really think of an answer for this…

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The former probably caused the latter to a great extent; this has not been a good week for me. Anyway, on this day in 1969 King Crimson released In the Court of the Crimson King, which I’m sure makes Don and I feel really old even though it was before either of us were born. Now for the friday5.org Friday Five. 1. "My hands are tied" is an English-language cliché that means "I’d like to do something about this unfortunate situation, but I don’t have…

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