Artwork by Michael DiMilo By Geoffrey Carter A polar vortex descended upon the lower United States last week, bringing freezing temperatures across the South. While the entire region had to deal with shoveling snow, cold temperatures, and relearning how to drive, the great state of Texas found itself in a full-blown crisis. The extreme cold …
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Category:Social Commentary
The Politics of Paranoia
Artwork by Michael DiMilo By Geoffrey Carter We’ve reached a strange crossroads in the American experience. Homegrown terrorists threatened to violently disrupt a presidential inauguration. As a result, over 25,000 National Guardsmen were stationed at the Capitol Building. The FBI is investigating possible collaboration between members of Congress and violent factions of the far-right, allegations …
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Falling Star
Artwork by Michael DiMilo By Geoffrey Carter During the past few weeks, I’ve heard more than a few people say that Christmas just doesn’t feel right this year. I think I know what they mean. My family and I have followed all our usual traditions—hanging the lights, trimming the tree, baking the cookies, and wrapping …
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Conditional Love
By Geoffrey Carter Artwork by Michael DiMilo It’s almost over. We’re just waiting for Donald Trump to be done with his tantrum. I’m sure he’ll file a couple more lawsuits, but that’s just posturing. He lost the election. Despite his promise that “you’ll have to drag me kicking and screaming” from the White House which—hopefully—won’t …
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Thicker Than Water Virtual Launch Party Video with Geoff Carter
Photo by Geoff Carter Virtual Launch Party with Paul Carter on Guitar
Make America Spock Again
Artwork by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter During my college years, after class, my friends and I would get together afternoons to watch daily reruns of the original Star Trek. Of course, before the innumerable spin-offs and marketing re-imaginings, it was the only Star Trek. It soon became apparent that while we appreciated Captain Kirk’s boldness, Dr. …
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The Cost of Freedom
By Mark Mamerow Artwork by Micheal DiMilo “Freedom Isn’t Free!” It’s a potent bumper sticker, conjuring up images of GIs slogging ashore through heavy machine gun fire at Normandy, saving our American freedoms from the fascists. Freedom sets America apart from other nations: freedom of thought and expression, freedom to assemble, freedom to worship, freedom to petition …
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The Couch Potato’s Guide to Early Retirement
By Geoff Carter Artwork by Michael DiMilo Movie Review: The Old Man and the Gun There really is no typical caper movie. You can find everything from gritty Hollywood dramas like The Killers, Dog Day Afternoon, and Asphalt Jungle to tongue-in-cheek romps like Oceans 11, Snatch, and The Sting to terse dramas like Heist, Bonnie and Clyde, and Reservoir Dogs. The only elements all …
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Priceless
By Geoff Carter Artwork by Michael DiMilo How much is a human life worth? Depending on your sources, you might hear numbers ranging from ninety dollars to nine million to absolutely priceless. That’s quite a range. Ask a parent what their child’s life is worth, and they’ll say priceless. Ask Donald Trump, and he’ll say …
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The Couch Potato’s Guide to Northern New Jersey
Artwork by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter The Irishman The stated mission of The Couch Potato’s Guide to Home Viewing has been to inform my readers about some of the outstanding programs available for your home viewing pleasure. I’ve done a couple movie reviews, put together a couple of lists classifying films by theme and …
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Colorblind
I’m a native of the greater Milwaukee area, infamous for being one of the most segregated areas in the country. According to a January 8, 2019 Brookings Institute study, “three out of four black residents in Chicago, Milwaukee, or New York would have to move in order to live in fully integrated neighborhoods with whites.” …
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Blue Christmas
Artwork by Michael DiMilo As we were trimming the tree last weekend, my wife asked me to bring in the laptop so we could listen to Christmas music. I complied—as any trained husband will—and set up the sound system in our dining room. And so we trimmed the tree and drank some wine and listened …
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