The Pen in Hand’s Guide to the Movies: Ringing in the New Year

Photo by Artem Kniaz on Unsplash (Originally posted in December, 2020) By Geoff Carter We’re almost there. We only have one more day of 2023 to endure. It’s been a year of firsts. Some we would like to celebrate, others not so much. But New Year’s Eve is a time to look forward to fresh starts and renewed …
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Kickass and Coughing Again

Attribution: Photo by Elisha Terada on Unsplash By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog joins the keeper and Phyllis in barking/coughing nonstop as if they were chasing cars down on Mineral Point Road. They have been so dedicated to their barking/coughing that they have not had time to come up with any New Year’s resolutions, which is not …
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Dialogues on Blood Money: Selling Short and Selling Out

Attribution: SensexTodays, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Featuring the Fabulous Dadbots: Mark M., Mark O., Dave S., Dennis C., Paul C., and Geoff Carter Below is speculation, but there are some facts in the attached chart. It says Hamas made $1-2M off of the attack by selling short in an Israeli ETF fund. (Chart is …
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Kickass and Coughing

Attribution: Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, joins the keeper in noting that under the heading of “gifts-that-keep-on-giving” is the chest cold that Phyllis gave the keeper about three weeks ago and which has settled in as a cough that promises to stay with him on into his next life when …
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Kickass Endorses Dumbness

Attribution: Shakib khan, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, joins the keeper in suggesting that those days between Christmas and New Years take on the official designation of “Dumb days” when dumbness is celebrated collectively and personally as befits its global prominence. An exchange of dumbness as in the …
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Dialogues on Mr Jingles: The Highs and the Manilows

Attribution: PhilipRomanoPhoto, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Featuring the Fabulous Dadbots: Dave S., Mark M., Mark O., Dennis C., Paul C., and Geoff Carter Listening to Fresh Air again—the dark days of December have arrived. I’ve always cringed, punched the buttons to escape, (back when there were buttons on the car radio), whenever Barry came …
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Kickass Goes North

Attribution: Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper and Phyllis have returned from their attempt to travel to the North Pole, after getting only as far as Wisconsin Rapids and Marshfield where they were hosted by Phyllis’s family members, four dogs and several cats. Two small boys—Maverick …
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Dialogues on Crossing Decency’s Border: Refusing the Wretched Refuse

Attribution: U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Featuring the Fabulous Dadbots: Dave S., Mark O., Mark M., Dennis C., Paul C., and Geoff Carter The Biden Administration is trying to shepherd through a Ukraine military aid package. By most accounts, this aid is critical in order to give Ukraine a fighting …
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