Miracle Liniments Yes, liniment is an old-fashioned word. But these miracle liquids have survived over the past hundreds of years and are just as useful today. But what are they made of? Vinegar Ammonia Witch Hazel Hydrogen Peroxide Bleach Mineral Spirits Turpentine Rubbing Alcohol Soda Water Tonic Water
Men’s Nudie Magazines Hugh Hefner’s Playboy magazine was certainly a game-changer when it debuted in 1952. It was the first over-the-counter magazine to feature scantily-clad and eventually naked women. Playboy’s popularity led to a variety of copy-cat publications, most of which didn’t survive the 1950’s. And then in the 1970’s a harder assortment emerged, led […]
Looney Tunes Cartoon Stars Warner Brothers’ Looney Tunes series of movie cartoons introduced a great number of beloved characters, all of whom became cartoon stars. Here are some of my favorites. Bugs Bunny Sylvester and Tweety Bird Daffy Duck Porky Pig Road Runner and Wylie E. Coyote Elmer Fudd Speedy Gonzales Foghorn Leghorn Yosemite Sam […]
London Train Stations Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, via Dr. John Watson, described these stations as “cathedrals of transportation” and that seems a fitting label. Victoria Charing Cross Paddington St. Pancras Waterloo King’s Cross London Bridge
Jewish Funny Men Everyone knows that Hollywood was largely founded by Jewish moguls. Naturally a lot of Jewish performers followed them west. An inordinate number were comics. Jack Benny Don Rickles The Marrx Brothers (Groucho, Chico, Harpo and Zeppo) George Burns Henny Youngman Buddy Hackett Jonathon Winters Jerry Lewis Phil Silvers Sid Caesar Danny Kaye […]
Popular Hispanic Surnames You can’t watch major league baseball nowadays without noticing that about half the Hispanic players share a dozen common surnames, even though they may hail from any number of Latin American nations. And they all end in “z.” Here are the ten most popular ones. Fernandez Hernandez Lopez Gonzalez Rivera Diaz Martinez […]
Gay Professions It is impossible not to discern the fact that gay men seem to gravitate toward the same handful of career professions. I’ve never heard a plausible explanation why this is so. Hairstylist Interior Designer Musical Theatre director/choreographer Florist Nurse Clothing Designer Actor Classical musician Fine Artist/Painter Not surprisingly, lesbians also appear to gravitate […]
National Fraternal Organizations They are not as popular as they used to be but these national fraternal organizations still survive and still do good works. Lions Club The Shriners Knights of Columbus Order of Moose Oddfellows Kiwanis Elks Ancient Order of Freemasonry Jaycees Optimists Club Toastmasters Rotary Club
Foreign Language Toasts I thought it was a good idea to collect toasting traditions in foreign lands. Here area few I came across while traveling, reading or watching old movies. For a list of common domestic toasting expressions, and an explanation of the origin of the expression “toast” please visit the List “Vernacular Toasting Expressions” […]
Forces of Nature There are an awful lot of ways Mother Nature makes her wrath evident and visible on earth. And destruction lies in their wake. Here are most of them. Tornadoes Volcanoes Earthquakes Hurricanes/Typhoons/Monsoons/Cyclones Tsunamis (Tidal Waves) Meteors Forest Fires Thunder Storms Dust Storms Wind Storms Lightning Droughts Heatwaves Avalanches Floods Cold Snaps […]