Attribution: DonkeyHotey, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Geoff Carter Linguists and educational theorists have argued for centuries over the question of whether thought gives rise to language or whether the reverse, that language affects and determines thought, is true. The once widely-accepted Sapir-Whorf hypothesis postulates that language determines thought, while Fodor’s theory maintains the …
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Category:Culture
Kickass and Jesse Jackson
Attribution: Leffler, Warren K., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports the keeper’s getting-acquainted-with-Chicago days with his old Army friend Bob Shepherd, a Black Southsider who was the keeper’s personal MLK and then some. As an essential experience the keeper and Bob were in the back row of a …
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The Possibilities Book
Photo by Geoff Carter By Geoff Carter Christmas is a time that, for most of us, evokes fond childhood memories. Who doesn’t sit around the tree on Christmas morning, watching their adorable children tear violent swaths through reams of wrapping paper, and remember their own visions of sugarplums, bikes, road race sets, Barbie dolls, board …
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Kickass and Women Winners
Attribution: Illustration by Phyllis Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, joins the keeper and Phyllis in celebrating the recent election results, particularly those in which women emerged victorious. As the keeper has written in his ready-to-be-published novel, the only hope for the planet’s survival is for women to totally take over from the …
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Kickass and DST Poem
Attribution: USMC Archives from Quantico, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, joins the keeper and Phyllis in offering the following: THE MISSING HOUR Goodbye, Hour, So sour, so dour. Take your lies and git! We’re tired of your —t! You promised wealth And great good health. You gave …
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Kickass and Depression Baby
Attribution: Franklin D Roosevelt Library Website, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports the keeper suffering a serious case of sticker shock when he carelessly checked out of a big store with a new pair of jeans which were priced at close to what his father once paid for …
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Whistling In the Graveyard
Photo by Geoff Carter Por Dia de Los Muertos and Halloween (Originally posted on October 31, 2019) Photos by Geoff Carter By Geoff Carter While driving around running errands this last Sunday, my wife and I found ourselves in the somewhat unusual position of having some time to kill, a strange situation for us. It …
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Kickass and Collecting
Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, is little help to the keeper as he tries to figure out why he is prone to “collecting” while Phyllis prefers a more clutter-free life. In a recent visit with Carol who is among the Vista West premiere collectors, the point was made with …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Review of “Josie and the Pussycats”
Illustration by Michael DiMilo ★★★★★ What’s New, Pussycat?: Review of Josie and the Pussycats By Geoff Carter Our favorite theater, The Oriental, is part of Milwaukee Film, a non-profit institution dedicated to (according to their mission statement) “entertaining, educating, and engaging our community through cinematic experiences… where we are committed to high-quality and accessible film programming.” (MKE …
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Kickass and Super Bore Fans
Attribution: Keith Allison from Hanover, MD, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports the keeper staying in contrary character on this Super Bore Sunday by passing along a portion of the lead from a cover story he did for the Chicago Tribune Sunday Magazine issue of Apr. 4, …
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The Possibilities Book
Photo by Geoff Carter By Geoff Carter Christmas is a time that, for most of us, evokes fond childhood memories. Who doesn’t sit around the tree on Christmas morning, watching their adorable children tear violent swaths through reams of wrapping paper, and remember their own visions of sugarplums, bikes, road race sets, Barbie dolls, board …
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Kickass and 4th of July, 2024
Attribution: CindyAbout/T/P/C/, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, is with the keeper and Phyllis on this 2024 Fourth-of-July as they embrace the day’s fireworks vocabulary and invite everyone to join them in wondering where they might self-identify among the various terms: Here’s a partial list for you to choose …
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