(no subject)

Tonight a friend came over and we watched Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth. It was an interview done by Bill Moyers with Campbell a few years before he died. We watched the first interview about Heroes. In this episode, the Star Wars mythology is discussed, as Campbell was a friend and influence to George Lucas.

I had seen these episodes a long time ago, when I was in high school. I was very impressed by him, but not nearly enough as I should have been. He is full of jewels of wisdom that just roll out of his mouth with seemingly little effort, though it was backed by years of research and study. Furthermore, I couldn't help wishing I had a grandfather like him. Boy, he could tell a great story.

If you haven't studied his works, or seen these interviews, I heartily recommend them. They are available on Netflix.

Yesterday's Word of the Day

Gee, it sounds so cute! Keep this word in mind when y'all write your poetry about furbees or folks named "Murphy".

furphy (FUR-fee) noun

A rumor; false story.

[From John Furphy, an Australian blacksmith and engineer, who designed a galvanised iron water-cart on wheels, displaying the name FURPHY in large letters. In World War I the Army bought many Furphy water and sanitation carts for camps in Palestine, Egypt. and Australia. When soldiers gathered around them, the carts became centers of gossip. The word scuttlebutt originated in a similar way.]

"Bookmakers are confident in the integrity of the AFL and the security used
to guard the Brownlow Medal votes, believing any leaks are mere gossip and
unfounded. Centrebet spokesman Gerard Daffy said last week's leak tipping
St Kilda midfielder Robert Harvey winning a third Brownlow was a furphy."
Darren Cartwright; Voss Still Brownlow Favourite; Fox Sports;
Sep 18, 2003.

"If it is proved that the bugs originated from space, then the damage
to the ozone layer may also have originated from space. This will render
the ozone theory a furphy."
Rob Horne; Bugs in Space?; The Advertiser (Adelaide, Australia);
Aug 3, 2001.