Artwork by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter As awful and unfortunate as the last two years have been—a time that included the Covid epidemic and its economic fallout, the 2020 presidential election and the subsequent January 6th insurrection, and the George Floyd murder and BLM activism—the war in Ukraine is beyond horrible. In some ways, the …
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Month:April 2022
Kickass and Evolution of Putin
DonkeyHotey, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper, fresh from having a needle poked into his eye as a sight preservation measure, marvels at the medical world’s discovery of such treatment; but his astonishment takes a back seat to the euphoria produced by the likes of …
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Kickass and Caddy Image
Greg Gjerdingen from Willmar, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, notes that the keeper and his ilk are inclined to date themselves by referring to items and events that correlate to their early years, such as the keeper’s frequently used comment that he is as old as a …
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Kickass and A Walk in the Woods
Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper, fresh from reading The Overstory, where Richard Powers relates trees to humans, walked in the woods with son Larry to assess the kill of ash trees by the invasive emerald ash borer. The walk included pauses at many of the …
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Old School Cinema: The Way We Were
Siebbi, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Geoff Carter In his recent Harper’s article “Il Maestro”, Martin Scorsese laments that today’s film industry has become so centered on profiteering that—in the world of marketing algorhythms and streaming platforms—cinematic art has been relegated to the same level as any type of streaming content, be it a commercial, …
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Kickass and Old Newlyweds
Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that Phyllis is off to Ohio to visit her daughter Gina and family, while the keeper heads for Minnesota to spend time with son Larry and offspring at his “driftless” trout/deer cabin. Phyllis flies, the keeper drives, which may exemplify the respective circumstances …
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Kickass and Moral Procrastination
President Biden, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, hears the keeper comment that 157 years after the end of the Civil War there is great rejoicing that a Black women will become a member of the Supreme Court. At this rate of moral procrastination, the War …
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Land of the Lost
formulanone from Huntsville, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Geoff Carter As I mentioned in last week’s post, my wife and I recently took a long cross-country road trip from the mean streets of Milwaukee to the enthralling natural beauty of New Mexico. Part—most of—the trip was spent on Interstate Highway 80 and …
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Kickass and Price of Gas
Daniel Christensen, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, failed in his attempt to prevent the keeper from participating in April-as-poetry-month, and he apologizes for that. THE PRICE OF GAS On stopping at the gas pumps In the company of grumps, Carrying a bucket of money, For …
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Kickass and the Poll Workers
Terri Sewell , Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper, having screwed up an absentee ballot, was rescued by the patient ladies at his polling place as they provided the kind of hand-holding the keeper’s ineptness requires. The simple routine of voting was the highlight of …
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Kickass Votes for Phyllis
Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, has no plans to accompany the keeper to the polls today to vote in the municipal election, but he will be watching to make sure the keeper votes for those candidates who have proven that they are decent human beings and not egocentric jerks: …
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Kickass and Moral Posting
BakeNecko, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, informs the keeper that his—the keeper’s seeming ability to ignore the slaughter and suffering of millions of his planetary partners while producing lighthearted commentary about his personal ride on the big ball, does not speak to indifference, but to a coping …
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