Artwork by Michael DiMilo This last week, my family and I took a mini-vacation to the family cabin in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. The cottage has been in our family for a little over fifty years and sits on a beautiful spring-fed lake. After my father passed away, my mom—as she’s fond of telling—used to …
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Category:Social Commentary
The Part You Won’t Recognize
Artwork by Michael DiMilo The controversy over the freshmen Congressional members of the “Squad”, ginned up by President Trump in inflammatory tweets last week, reminds me of how prominent black athletes who spoke out for black rights in the ‘60s and ‘70s were condemned by mainstream American culture. Muhammad Ali is the archetype for this …
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Deja Vu
Artwork by Michael DiMilo Since 2002, including sequels, remakes, and reboots, there have been a total of seven Spiderman movies featuring three different actors in the titular role: Toby McGuire, Andrew Garfield, and Tom Holland. Since 1989, there have also been a total of seven Batman movies featuring Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, George Clooney, and Christian …
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Brooding Parasite
Artwork by Michael DiMilo The brown-headed cowbird has a notorious reputation as a brood parasite, a bird that relies on other species to raise its own young. A cowbird will find a host nest, destroy or evict one of the original resident’s eggs, and replace it with one of her own. The host bird will …
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Ticktock, Ticktock
Artwork by Michael DiMilo In the 2016 movie Arrival, linguist Louise Banks, played by Amy Adams, is called upon by the military to help communicate with enigmatic alien visitors who have mysteriously arrived on Earth. During the translation process, Banks slowly pieces together meaning from a language that is almost entirely alien to any type of …
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King of the Road
Artwork by Michael DiMilo I’m an excellent driver. After all, I have been doing it for almost fifty years. I’ve owned a variety of vehicles, including everything from a 1964 Volkswagen Microbus (fondly nicknamed the Microdot bus) to a 1962 pink Cadillac, to SUVs, convertibles, sticks, automatics, and even a vintage 1967 VW Karmann Ghia. …
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Full Measure
Artwork by Michael DiMilo Ah, Memorial Day: the harbinger of summer, the first family picnic, and the grill master’s opening day. Memorial Day also happens to be the holiday recognizing and honoring those who have made the ultimate sacrifice defending our nation and Constitution. It is a national salute to all the soldiers who have …
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Our Pre-existing Condition
Artwork by Michael DiMilo The release of the long-anticipated Mueller Report this past weekend was anticlimactic to say the least: a disappointment for some and a vindication for others. The report contained no smoking guns or bombshells, but also no acquittals—a fact that seemed to be lost upon our esteemed leader. In yet another presidential …
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The Cost of Doing Business
–Artwork By Michael DiMilo Last summer, my wife and I had to pay a visit the local emergency room—nothing serious—and even though the treating physician was exceedingly efficient and confident, I couldn’t get over the fact that he looked like one of my high school students. During our visit, I asked him if he could …
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Schadenfreude
–artwork by Michael DiMilo– It is not enough to succeed. Others must fail. –Gore Vidal: I had a next-door neighbor a few years back who had to move out of his place unexpectedly. He broke no laws, he did nothing wrong, but still had to be physically removed from the building. He was a very …
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