archiveBig Question

As many of my longtime readers know, shortly after this blog began in early 2004, I created a regular feature called the Saturday Six.

If you enjoy social media, you certainly have plenty of options to choose from. I'm pretty sure Facebook was the first social media platform I joined (if you don't count a blog as social media, and I go back and forth on whether I count blogging as being a part...

Once in a while I ask a question that I'd have a very difficult time answering myself. This week's edition is one of those instances. For some people, naming a single favorite movie is easy. The title rolls right off their tongue as soon as the question hits their ears....

Some editions of The Big Question are certainly more serious than others. Last week's edition, on the question of whether mandatory voting would be a good idea, would qualify as the more serious variety. This week's would not. Two years ago, Complex.com produced a list of the 12 best Easter...

Recently, President Obama, during an appearance, mentioned that Australia's system of compulsory voting. In Australia, citizens must vote or face a $20 fine. If they ignore the fine, their case may be referred to court, where, if they are unable to provide a satisfactory explanation, they may face a $170...

I've often said that if you want to see impatience in full operation in one single place, the typical supermarket is a perfect place to explore. Not only will you find people hustling down aisles and swinging shopping carts around like they're the only ones in the store, you'll find...

Every March 14th is known as Pi Day. The sixteenth letter of the Greek alphabet is Pi, as most of us should recall from our high school geometry classes. Pi, or π, is commonly defined as the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter. The ratio is constant, regardless...

I have two favorite colors. Sort of. I've always liked the color orange. But orange can be a problem, especially since it's the main color for Clemson University, the chief rival of my own alma mater, the University of South Carolina. When I started this blog way back in 2004,...

I hated to hear that Leonard Nimoy died on Friday. He was one of two original Star Trek cast members I wanted to meet in person some day but never got the chance to. I've met a total of four of the show's original cast members over the years, and...

Yesterday, I wrote about Lent, a traditional period of fasting or giving up something as a symbol of Christ's 40-day fast in the desert before beginning his public ministry. Over the years, I've tried giving up various things to commemorate Lent. Those things have included soda, which at the time...

Many people seem to have a love/hate — pardon the expression — relationship with Valentine's Day. Those who are in love have a nice excuse to get out and celebrate their relationship, but the stress of gifts and a big night out on the town can be difficult to get past. Some...

It's one of those age-old questions that never seems to get settled once and for all: which is better, Coke or Pepsi? I think all of us have our preferred carbonated beverage, no matter what anyone else may prefer. Coca-Cola came first, introduced in 1886 in an Atlanta drug store...

I'll be honest...I'm just not that into football. That said, in the past few years, I would go to my church's Super Bowl party each year and spend some time eating the snacks various people brought in and pretending to care about who was playing and which “bad call” would be...

Back in 1971, The Brady Bunch aired an episode titled “And Now a Word From Our Sponsor.”  The episode had a rather creepy beginning: as the Brady family were packing newly-purchased groceries into their trusty station wagon, they suddenly notice a strange-looking man is stalking them in the parking lot....