Photo by Justin Campbell on Unsplash Symphony For One: Review of Tar The opening of Todd Field’s psychological opus Tar is rather odd. The film’s credits fade in over a black background while a Shipibo Conibo Icaro (an indigenous Amazon people’s healing song) plays in the background. The oddly hypnotic music sung in a strange language over (what are usually) …
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Kickass and Photo Game
Photo by Phyllis Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, joins the keeper in playing games this morning, the game being “Guess where the keeper is in the photo taken by Phyllis, and what is he doing?” See more at… The Bill Stokes Author Page
Kickass and Chinese Balloon
Attribution: Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest, US Forest Service, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, is often unable to do anything about the keeper’s excesses. This is one of those mornings: Oh, big Chinese balloon up in the sky Please come to earth before I die. I want to see what …
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Kickass and Bear Hounding
Attribution: Wenzel Ignaz Brasch (1708-1761), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, goes along with the keeper on this coldest Wisconsin morning of the year to point out the dumbest circumstance prevailing in a state that was once a respected leader in conservation issues: narcissistic bear hunters, many from other …
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Kickass and the Tech World
Attribution: maido155, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, joins the keeper in lamenting the cultural trend that has many in the keeper’s age group disdained, ridiculed and ignored for not having kept up to speed in the tech world. There is the clear signal that those vintage citizens who …
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The Little Things
Artwork by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter Last week was bad. Really bad. Three mass shootings in California shocked the nation. Over the course of forty-four hours nineteen people were killed and dozens of others wounded. In all, over forty mass shootings have taken place in our country this January—a new monthly record. Of course, …
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Kickass Does a Book Signing
Photo by Phyllis Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, will be staying home today as the keeper and Phyllis hit the road with their initial dog and pony show for the keeper’s latest book–“Treeson: an APOLOGIA to the trees”– used to make the paper for printing his 35 years of newspaper drivel. The …
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Kickass and AMD Eye Disease
Petr Novák, Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, joins the keeper in many areas of “age-related” health issues, and today is the day when the keeper’s treatment of AMD–Age-related Macular Degeneration, is scheduled. This translates to a trip to the VA eye clinic for a routine shot in the …
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Kickass and Repub January
Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, joins the keeper on a frigid morning with the inside info that the Repubs are claiming credit for January and will attempt to have the month extended to eliminate Ground Hogs Day. Under the Repub plan, February …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Film Review of “Women Talking”
Photo by Justin Campbell on Unsplash Strong Words: Film Review of Women Talking By Geoff Carter Language not only defines reality; it constructs reality, forming the narratives that are the lanes through which we navigate our world. Finding names for subtleties of emotions, relationships, and belief helps in the understanding of the concepts underlying the words. Language also …
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Kickass and Loving White Pine
Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper’s life-long affair with white pine was most recently exercised in his construction of desk shelves from white pine left over from his house building back in 2000. Other than being caught foolishly standing on a folding chair with a can of …
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Kickass Goes Political
Photo by Elliott Stallion on Unsplash By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, failing in his efforts to keep the keeper out of politics, turns it over to the Jan. 26, NYT and the front-page story under the headline: “Judicial Race May Alter Tilt Of Wisconsin,” and the subhead: “Abortion Rights and Voter Maps at Stake.” The article’s …
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