Justin Cecil's Blog

            There’s a lot going on in the world right now. The coronavirus is ravaging the health of multitudes throughout the world. The economies of several countries are going crazy. We’re truly living in a chaotic and dangerous time that will live on in infamy in the history books.             But none of that has stopped people from talking about Daryl Hannah’s butt.             Daryl Hannah is an actress known for many roles in films ranging from “Blade Runner,” “Wall Street,” and the two “Kill Bill” movies. She’s also married to the legendary singer and model train enthusiast Neil Young. One of her most famous roles was as the mermaid Madison in the 1984 romantic comedy “Splash,” which is one of the countless movies on the new streaming service Disney+.             Now here is where the controversy sets in. In the movie “Splash,” there are a couple of brief scenes where Daryl Hannah is nude. Her character is a mermaid and has never needed to wear clothes before; thus wh

            I went to community college for a couple of years before eventually transferring to the University of Central Florida (save some money that way!). One of the many classes that I took there was on Renaissance Era Europe; I’ve always found the Renaissance period absolutely fascinating and this class satisfied one of my social studies requirements. Interestingly enough, the thing that most sticks with me from that class isn’t what I learned about the Renaissance, the actual subject of the course. What most sticks with me is a story the professor told us.             The professor of this class looked very much like an academic. While I was sitting there wearing one of my many colorful Hawaiian T-shirts, and while several of the other students in my class were also dressed very casually (some showing up with pajama bottoms and hoodies), the professor was always dressed in a suit. Not like James Bond, to be clear, but usually in a tweed jacket with a tie. He also wore glasses

"A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects." - Robert A. Heinlein, from his novel "Time Enough for Love" When I first began this blog, one of my first articles was titled, "Modern Day Renaissance People." One of the people that I find most fascinating in history is Leonardo da Vinci, and I've always liked the idea of the Renaissance person. So one of my first blog articles was on people that could perhaps be considered Renaissance people in the modern era. The people I originally included were Story Musgrave, Brian May, Tavi Gevinson, and James Franco. Here's a list of a few more. 1. Rosco Lee

            Cambridge University has a position known as the Lucasian Professorship, held by multiple physicists throughout the years, not least of which is Sir Isaac Newton. The late Stephen Hawking held the same position, and in an interview was asked if he would have liked to meet Newton if given the chance. His response was the he would have liked to have instead meet, “Marilyn. Newton seems to have been an unpleasant character.”             The physicist and author Hawking had a great love and admiration for Marilyn Monroe, having a picture of her in his office. Marilyn Monroe is legendary for her work as an actress, having become a symbol for beauty (and quite frankly sex) that’s transcended her death. She’s one of those people who, even for those who have never seen any of her movies, instantly know the name. In additional to being beautiful and not the least bit camera shy, Marilyn Monroe was a very smart person and would have probably also gotten along with Hawking in