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Exhaustion From Hypermasculinity In (Ted Bell) Books
I was reading a book in the parking area at the Middleton Post Office this afternoon as James ran some boxes in for mailing. I was 300 pages into Ted Bell’s second Alex Hawke book, Assassin, and abruptly closed it and threw it in the back seat. I had come close to calling it a… Continue reading
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When Critical Thinking Breaks Down, Democracy Feels the Strain
I overheard a conversation that made me aware (again) that we should not make an effort to overhear what others are saying. One person was trying to make the argument that the war Donald Trump started in Iran had to take place as it was brewing for 47 years. It was expressed that Trump had… Continue reading
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Wisconsin-Born Legendary “Voice Of Agriculture”, Orion Samuelson, Dies At 91
Legendary WGN Radio farm broadcaster Orion Samuelson passed away Monday at the age of 91. Known as the “Voice of Agriculture,” his life is most worthy of recalling. Samuelson was born on a dairy farm in Ontario, Wisconsin, where a leg disease left him for a time nearly crippled as a teenager. He would take classes for six… Continue reading
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The Night Snow Took Over Sturgeon Bay, Stranding Radio Announcer At WDOR
I woke up today with news reports that Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, received 33 inches of snow from this weekend’s blizzard. That is not a typo. One’s mental jaw drops. All of a sudden, the snowblower work at our home in Madison did not seem daunting at all. I thought, after hearing the news of the… Continue reading
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Laughter In The Midst Of Trump’s Iran War, ‘Can You Help Me Lift The Couch?’
Donald Trump spent the weekend pleading with other countries, including China, to help him out of the mess he created in the Strait of Hormuz with his erratic and needless war with Iran. Perhaps my upbeat mood today is because of the blizzard that socked in much of our state and brought calm to many… Continue reading
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Academy Awards! Oscar Night!
I love films like I love books. When I was a teenager in rural Wisconsin, movies were a therapy of sorts. I watched them on television and knew when I was an adult, I would see them on the big screen. Hollywood was magical. I was aware that movies had a remarkable impact on my… Continue reading
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Islamophobia Embraced By Republican Party
When it comes to racism, bigotry, and prejudice in modern-day politics, the Republican Party holds the disdainful distinction of being the prime user of such slurs and actions. The 2024 GOP presidential campaign was riddled with derogatory remarks about Brown people, and the stoking of hatred for transgender Americans. It was stunning to witness. What… Continue reading
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Letter From Home: “Just Like That!” 3/12/26
There’s a certain morning each year when, no matter what is occurring or what the radio newscaster is saying, I simply stop and smile upon opening the window blinds. It always happens overnight on Lake Monona. The deep winter‑long silence of ice is just gone. Granted, it does not just (snap my fingers) disappear. The… Continue reading
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The Curious Cultish Case Of The Great Big Marco Rubio Shoes
I could be a willful child when growing up. Probably even difficult for stretches of time. As an adult, when talking with a therapist, my willfulness at home was presented back to me as a coping mechanism I employed. The problem was that I used it on the wrong people; after all, the school bullies… Continue reading
Caffeinated Politics 