For those not familiar with Little Johnny, he cleverly exemplifies some of the more sarcastic qualities of Calvin from Calvin and Hobbes, Bart from The Simpsons, or any one of the South Park characters. While a casual observer might mistake his sarcasm as youthful ignorance, a closer look reveals just how calculated his wit can be. And it's this wit that has yet to be made collectively available to humor enthusiasts...until now. Little Johnny Sarcasm and Wit is the result of an exhaustive search around the world (wide web, mostly), countless hours sifting through archives (unsolicited email, mostly), and documenting renowned comedians (wannabes, mostly). The immediate fallout of this undertaking was quite rough around the edges, but through shrewd editing emerged a hearty collection of the most whimsical Little Johnny anecdotes available each having a unique ebb and flow.

Drawing on methodologies and approaches from media and cultural studies, sociology, social history and the study of popular music, this book outlines the development of the study of men and masculinities, and explores the role of cultural texts in bringing about social change. It is against this backdrop that The Beatles, as a cultural phenomenon, are set, and their four live action films, spanning the years 1964-1970, are examined as texts through which to read changing representations of men and masculinity in 'the Sixties'. Dr Martin King considers ideas about a male revolt predating second-wave feminism, The Beatles as inheritors of the possibilities of the 1950s and The Beatles' emergence as men of ideas: a global cultural phenomenon that transgressed boundaries and changed expectations about the role of popular artists in society. King further explores the chosen Beatle texts to examine discourses of masculinity at work within them. What emerges is the discovery of discourses around resistance, non-conformity, feminized appearance, pre-metrosexuality, the male star as object of desire, and the emergence of The Beatles themselves as a text that reflected the radical diversity of a period of rapid social change. King draws valuable conclusions about the legacy of these discourses and their impact in subsequent decades.

Whenever you need an amusing story to hold attention, drive home a point in speech making to enliven conversation, or to read just for fun, the more than 4,100 peppery, bubbling stories in this volume will satisfy every demand. All are arranged alphabetically under subject. The index and cross-index makes it possible to locate the right story quickly. The range of this volume is far and wide. The stories are about people in all walks of life. All of them are wholesome and clean. And what is more, you will want to remember and retell these stories. Drawn from the vagaries, the foibles, and the peculiarities of human nature, they provide countless chuckles from many different locales. The ENCYCLOPEDIA of WIT, HUMOR and WISDOM is indispensable for public speakers, toastmasters, lawyers, ministers, educators, writers, salesmen, and those who love a good laugh.