To many, Marlon Brando was The Godfather. An older generation thinks of him as Stanley Kowalski. But to those of us closer to 70, he was The Wild One. My best friend, Carol, and I attended movies together from the time we were seven years old. The movie theater in our North Dakota hometown, population […]
Remembering Marlon Brando Read More »
Christopher Parent, my friend Jerome’s son, died on February 28, 2018. He was just 32 years old, the victim of physical and life problems that would have pushed anyone to the limit. The moment I learned of his death, I felt relief for him and sorrow for his family, who will be suffering for the
How to Star in Your Own Memorial Service Read More »
“What’s on your mind, Gary?” Facebook has been asking me this question a lot lately. Maybe you’ve been getting it too. I’ve been delaying my answer, partly because I’m not sure Facebook really cares. I’m also pretty sure it already knows the answer. In case you missed it, Facebook recently pulled another no-no in the
Privacy, or Something Like It Read More »
Exhibit A: For the past few months, I’ve been re-watching one of my favorite television series, Monk. Maybe you know it. Tony Shalhoub plays Adrian Monk, a brilliant detective who works through endless phobias and social anxieties to solve crimes on a weekly basis. It’s hilarious, well-written, and brilliantly acted. Lately, I’ve noticed something else about
. . . and the Right to Eat Dinner Whenever I Want Read More »
Tomorrow, yours truly, the Academic Redneck, embarks on a once-in-a-lifetime historical study adventure, “Iwo Jima and the War in the Pacific,” through Stephen Ambrose Historical Tours. My trip will begin in Honolulu, Hawaii, where I’ll tour the USS Arizona and other relevant Pearl Harbor landmarks. Then it’s on to Guam, Saipan, and Tinian before climbing Mt.
A Fourteen-Day Tour: The Academic Redneck Heads to the Pacific Read More »
A few summers ago, I wrote about the Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games. In case you haven’t noticed, despite the best efforts of good people everywhere, they’re happening again. Rest assured, though, that things are different this time around, just as they are every time a new marketing campaign launches. If you doubt the differences between
The Olympics: The Full-Blown Spectacle of It All Read More »