The 146th Anniversary of the Gettysburg Address


Abe Lincoln kicks ass. Here is Abe’s written version of that short but powerful speech. The speech was not given shortly before or shortly after the Battle of Gettysburg. It was actually given at a ceremony for a new graveyard for the Union soldiers. Previous to Lincoln’s speech, the Oration was given by Edward Everett. It lasted over 2 hours and was well received. Lincoln’s speech lasted just over two minutes. Some scholars have said that Lincoln’s speech was inspired by Pericles funeral oration. To see a video history of the battle, click here.

Jim Jones’s Son Talks about the Jonestown Massacre


It was on this date 31 years ago that Jim Jones ordered his followers to “drink the Kool-Aid”, and over 900 people died. Above is an interview with one of Jim’s sons, Stephan, who was on the Temple’s basketball team and thus out of town when the massacre occurred. He talks about his father’s madness, how he and his brother once conspired to kill their father, and how he has come to grips with his father’s legacy. Here is an interview with Stephan back in 1978, almost immediately after the tragedy.

Toughest Questions from Last Week

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  1. What is the only planet whose day (one planetary rotation) lasts longer than it’s year (one orbit around the sun)?
  2. What NFL record does Flipper Anderson hold?
  3. Who wrote the Martian Chronicles in 1950?
  4. What four musicals won an Oscar in the 1960s for Best Picture?
  5. This artists shocking last work, “etant donnes” (NSFW), or The Waterfall, was completed in 1966 and can be seen at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
  6. The 2nd largest city in Washington is on the eastern side of the state. What is it?
  7. Henry Wirz was the Civil War soldier executed for War Crimes. What war crime was he associated with?
  8. What controversial poet authored the short poem She Walks in Beauty and the narrative poems Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage and Don Juan?
  9. What is a lion-goat-serpent called?
  10. What is a eukaryotic cell?

Answers after the jump.

Continue reading “Toughest Questions from Last Week”

Hire JGT For your Holiday Party!

jgtlogo4Now that the recession is over and your company is loaded to the gills with money, why not hire JGT to host your company party? It’s guaranteed fun, rates are perfectly reasonable, and JGT promises to wear one of his flashiest sport coats for the event. In the past, I’ve hosted everything, from parties for FOX29, UPenn, the Franklin Institute to small private parties at people’s homes. To learn more about hiring me for parties, please click here. If you’re interested, please shoot me an email.