Artwork by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter Once upon a time, Wisconsin used to a state known for its practicality, progressive politics, and good economic sense. It boasted one of the nation’s best public-school systems, one of the finest state university systems, and was known for its shrewd management of its abundant woodlands and waterways. …
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Category:Michael DiMilo
The Lost Generations
Artwork by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter Traditional wisdom used to have it that every generation should be better off than that of their parents. On the surface, that idea seems to make perfect sense. Historically, advances in technology, medicine, communication, and transportation have translated into healthier and more prosperous lifestyles for subsequent generations. This …
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UnMother’s Day
Artwork by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter We celebrated Mother’s Day just this past Sunday. As described in Heather Cox Richardson’s piece (Letters From An American: May 7, 2022), Mothers’ Day was originally intended as a day for war-weary American mothers to voice their disapproval of the politicians that had sent their sons off to …
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Solitude
Art by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter I was thinking about my grandma the other day, about how she used to leave her TV on all the time, whether she was in the room or not. When I was in college, I had a standing invitation to come to her house for dinner. I’d arrive …
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The Good Fight
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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A Dog Eat Dog World
FLC001, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons Film Review of The Power of the Dog By Geoff Carter Chronicling the inner world of fictional characters is part and parcel of literature. Since the days of Charles Dickens, Jane Austen and the modernistic stylings of Vladimir Nabokov and James Joyce, novelists have sought to explain the foibles of …
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You Can’t Go Home Again
Kenneth BranaghGiorgia Meschini, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons Film Review of Belfast By Geoff Carter As a medium, narrative film is a palimpsest that draws the best from other art forms; like literature, it can convey the impression of a time and place through dialogue, characterization, and setting. Like two-dimensional art, it can frame an …
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Peace Corps 2.0
Artwork by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter As the world watched horrified—once again—one sovereign nation invaded another without provocation, slaughtering thousands, and perhaps tens of thousands of innocent civilians, as we stood by helplessly, unable to stop the bloodshed without getting enmeshed in the carnage ourselves. No one—except maybe Russia—wants World War III. Civilized nations …
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The Couch Potato’s Guide to Hollywood: The Legacy of Matt Damon
nicolas genin from Paris, France, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Geoff Carter He is a brilliant actor, writer, and producer whose charming manner and boyish good looks have cemented him as one of the most likable actors working in the cinema today, but that engaging smile and affable manner are often the tools this …
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My Fellow Travelers
Artwork by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter As I was driving to work the other day, I stopped for a red light at a fairly busy intersection. As I waited for it to change, a blue Mustang pulled up next to me in the right turn lane. The driver paused, looked both ways, and then …
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The Couch Potato’s Guide to Old Hollywood: The Legacy of Burt Lancaster
Hal Wallis Productions, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Geoff Carter Burt Lancaster started his show business career as a young circus performer in the acrobatic duo of Lang and Cravat, but soon graduated to theater and, finally, the movies. His dominating screen presence landed him in tough-guy roles in films like The Killers and Brute Force where his …
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Penny Dumb, Dollar Stupid
Artwork by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter In 1975, Senator William Proxmire of Wisconsin presented his first Golden Fleece Award, a trophy recognizing individuals and government agencies for outstanding achievements in squandering taxpayer money. The award was, of course, tongue-in-cheek, but if the senator were around today (and not spinning in his grave) he would …
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