Articles written by John Devera - Page 5

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About me - John Devera

John DeVera is a professional writer who ascribes heartily to the dictum of Samuel Johnson that "No man but a blockhead ever wrote, except for money." As yet, his career has not allowed him to wallow in the luxury to which he would like to be accustomed,

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Arts & Humanities > Meaning of Life Is this a perfect world: 4 of 49
Perfection implies that nothing can be better. This world is not a perfect world, because, of course it could be better. For instance, this world would be much better if I were a millionaire. All kidding aside, this world is imperfect simply because it can be improved. This discussion, of course, stipulates that we are regar... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Spiritual Insights Is mind-reading real or fake?: 3 of 36
One simply cannot read another person's mind. That is to say that it is impossible to telepathically penetrate another person's thoughts. What IS quite possible is cold reading. Some people are even gifted in this skill, but it is still a skill that is learnable. BODY LANGUAGE Reading body language is a significant skill. As... More..
Society & Lifestyle > Mythology & Folklore All about vampires and vampirism: 2 of 24
A vampire is a malevolent, blood-drinking creature. At least that is what some of the folklore tells us. But that isn't the whole story by a long shot. Over the millennia, vampires and vampirism have morphed into some pretty bizarre entities. FOLKLORE Nearly every primitive culture has myths and legends about the vampire. In... More..
Arts & Humanities > Fantasy & Science Fiction The most famous science fiction authors: 2 of 22
Fame and quality, in a perfect world, should travel hand-in-hand, but that is not always the case. In this case, concerning science fiction authors, the importance of an author usually involves his impact in the genre. How much has this author made a difference to what we read, what we expect and what we write. First of all ... More..
Arts & Humanities > American Authors Interesting facts about Mark Twain: 2 of 22
Mark Twain IS America's Great American Novelist. No other author has had such a profound impact on literature in this upstart nation. And Mark Twain's life is as interesting as his stories. Now, the basic stuff everyone knows is that Mark Twain is not the author's real name, Samuel Langhorne Clemens. He used Mark Twain as hi... More..
Arts & Humanities > European History Was King Arthur real?: 1 of 11
King Arthur was certainly a real and historical figure. The difficulty is that there is so much froo-froo that has been added to the actual history, that there is hardly any realisty to the cultural image we now have implanted in our poor, weak intellects. We can trust the historicity of King Arthur because of the several hi... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Bible Study Your favorite verse in the Bible, and what it means to you: 23 of 252
I have been a Christian for over 3 decades. Now that isn't any kind of record, and I can afford to be modest because I have got a lot to be modest about. I have had the same verse running through my brain for all those years, a verse which has informed and enlightened my life. My favorite verse from the Bible is Psalms 119:1... More..
Arts & Humanities > Fantasy & Science Fiction Essential 'Fantasy' reading list: 3 of 30
Any attempt to create an essential fantasy reading list must first begin with deciding what makes such a list of works essential. And one must decide to whom such a list is essential. The essential reading list for writers should be different from the essential list for people new to the genre. Here is an annotated list of e... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Pagan & Earth-Based Religions Pagan holidays celebrated in the US: 1 of 10
Making a list of the pagan holidays celebrate in the U.S. in the new millennium is not nearly as easy as you might think. The reason is that paganism refers to a wide variety of traditions. I would hesitate to make a list and explain the major and minor holidays of even just one Amerind tribe. The Cherokee are pagans, and th... More..
Arts & Humanities > Classical Lit & Mythology Portrayal of female power in mythology: 1 of 10
A woman's power in any mythology is commensurate to the power of women in that particular culture. Since most mythologies are inherently bronze age artifacts, the myths that include women almost always reflect a bronze age mentality of women's roles. MOTHER The role of mother is critical to the survival of the race, and so p... More..