On this date fifty-one years ago, Allen Ginsberg’s "Howl" was ruled not obscene after obscenity charges were brought up against Lawrence Ferlinghetti, poet and owner of the City Lights Bookstore in San Francisco, for importing copies of the poem from London. The judge in the case, Clayton Horn, ruled that the poem was of "redeeming social importance," and if you’ve ever read "Howl" then you know why I say amen to that. Time for the friday5.org Friday Five. 1. Under what conditions are you most…

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Although this September seems to be coming in a very close second for most of us right now. T.S. Eliot was born on this day in 1888, and although I tend to agree with Adrian C. Louis’ opinion of "The Waste Land," "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" is one of my favourite poems of all time, and Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats was, of course, the inspiration behind the musical Cats, which was in turn a huge obsession of my childhood crush.…

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My apologies for blog silence the past week; events from this past weekend have put me into an uncomfortable place emotionally. In the past I probably would have posted my raw emotions here, but those posts were never well-received and I don’t think that they’d serve me well given that I’m now using the .org as an arm of my professional life. I can’t make any guarantees as to when I’ll be able to resume a regular posting schedule, but that will probably come as…

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Put on your copy of the Backdraft soundtrack and remember back when Iron Chef wasn’t Americanized into banality. Time for the friday5.org Friday Five. 1. Who lets you have your way more than you should?Mom has always been far too subservient to pretty much everyone in her life, but especially me. I’ve tried to be more conscious of this since Dad’s death, but I still don’t feel like I’m as good at this as I should be. 2. According to the cliché, the way to…

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On this date in 1836, Sam Houston was elected as the first president of the Republic of Texas. Eleven years later on this day, Jesse James was born. If you thought of other people when I mentioned those names, well, I don’t know why you’re reading this. Time for the friday5.org Friday Five. 1. What’s your favorite orange-colored food?Oranges. Yes, I know how boring I am. 2. What’s the best way to drink orange juice?Out of a glass? Seriously, do they want me to say…

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