Today, Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI), declared his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination. Walker is hardened like few other candidates, surviving two gubernatorial contests, a recall election, and bruising fights over public employee unions in his home state.* This record puts Walker in the top-tier regardless of other factors. Polling results in Iowa put him […]
Archives
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Gay Marriage: When We Lose, We Can Still Win
30 Jun 2015
There is much to say about the Supreme Court’s ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges. For those interested in the text, go here. Just like the march toward gay marriage, the reactions to it have been swift and unrelenting.* Though I am sorely tempted to write more about the actual decision, I would rather focus on our […]
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Charleston, the Flag, and History
26 Jun 2015
The Confederate Flag has become, somewhat surprisingly, the focal point of the Charleston, SC shooting tragedy. Though I agree the flag should be removed from public buildings and from any representation on state flags, I am concerned by how it has happened. History is a weapon in the culture war and things will only progress […]
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Inside Out: Pixar Rediscovers Originality
22 Jun 2015
Inside Out is an anomaly. Think of all the qualities that comprise your typical animated film and here, and not for the first time, Pixar ignores most of them. Not only does it strain convention by taking place inside the main character’s head, but Inside Out also has a dearth of singing, slapstick, and cultural references. […]
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Several years ago, before he fled the great North for the sunny climes of South Beach, Nike ran an advertising campaign that featured simple, black and white clips of LeBron James doing LeBron James sorts of things. The tagline was inspired heresy, “We are All Witnesses.” Hewn by God to play the best game ever […]
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Graham Declares GOP Candidacy: Party Rolls Eyes
01 Jun 2015
U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (SC) declared his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination this morning. This brings the number of “declared” candidates to nine and we are still awaiting official announcements from Jeb Bush, Scott Walker, Bobby Jindal, John Kasich, Chris Christie, and Ronald Reagan’s re-animated corpse (campaign slogan–“Dead Right” or “Still More Charismatic Than […]
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Republican Plague Unabated
28 May 2015
The Republicans, like locusts, descend onto the land, in search of the syrupy nectar that might sustain them–two parts money and one part polling numbers. Still months away from Iowa, both Rick Santorum (PA) and George Pataki (NY) have announced their candidacies for the GOP nomination. More (Walker, Christie, Kasich, Bush, Jindal, Carson) are poised […]
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Duke: A Life of Duke Ellington
22 May 2015
https://youtu.be/rW6A6u0EgLc “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)” spills from the speakers and dribbles into your soul, at least if you have one. The jazz classic, from 1931, was the first to use “swing” in the title and predated the “swing” era of music by a solid three years. The song […]
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GOP Field Expands, Outnumbers Those Who Care
06 May 2015
I recall a time when I delivered an academic paper in San Diego.* There were three of us on the panel, joined by a moderator. As I looked side-to-side at my colleagues, I noticed, quickly, that we outnumbered the audience by one. It was a riveting topic, eclipsed only by the aplomb with which we […]
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Avengers: Age of Ultron
05 May 2015
The history of blockbusters is littered with poor sequels that were only sharp enough to pierce our expectations. These movies deflate. Like a beach ball that pops as soon as it touches the hot sand, we, the movie faithful, suckers that we are, are always in search of good times that are too rarely had. […]
Bert Wheeler
Jeff Haymond
Marc Clauson
Mark Caleb Smith
Tom Mach