Fred Allen (1894-1956) was one of the most brilliant comedians of all time. The fact that he is not better known today is one of the great travesties of the ages. After […]
The Wit and Wisdom of Fred Allen
Meet Diogenes: the Man Plato Described as “Socrates Gone Mad”
Diogenes (c. 412 BC – 323 BC) was a Greek philosopher and one of the founders of Cynic philosophy. He urged his followers to live as simply as possible. He may also […]
Some Ticklish-Yet-Taxing Talk About Taxes
Death and taxes are the two certainties of life. In honor of the rapidly-approaching deadline for filing federal income taxes in the United States, we offer the following observations from some notable […]
A Cynic’s Guide to Congress
Readers of this site know that congress is the word used to describe a large group of salamanders. Most people, however, think of something completely different when that word is mentioned. Take […]
A Fool and His Chains
Voltaire did not suffer fools gladly, nor did he hold out much hope of freeing them from their foolish condition. The 18th century French writer and philosopher once famously observed, “It is […]
Commonplace Fun Facts 