Monthly Archives: October 2016

Two weeks ago I called this the Ceiling-Feeling Election. Without taking anything away from that pungent analysis, this election also represents a triumph of late capitalism beyond anything we’ve seen before. For decades, people argued over the idea that a businessperson could run the country better than a “professional politician.” Ross Perot attracted 20% of 1992’s voters with that pitch. Michael Bloomberg became mayor of New York in 2001 with a related rationale. Carly Fiorina gave it a go this […]

Next two weeks will be full of many words here. So, for now, a little song. No big whoop. He’s got a smile it seems to me Reminds me of nursery memories When we didn’t know that he’d be an autistic non-verbal guy   Every time now I see his face I wonder what thoughts lurk behind that space And if I think too long I’ll probably break down and cry   Oh, oh, oh sweet child of mine Oh, […]

Last night I started my film class at Sacramento State by saying, “we’ve seen how new films can shed light on the past. Tonight we’ll see how old films can shed light on the present.” The class’s scheduled movie was Citizen Kane (1941). It’s a picture I often teach. My students watched it last semester. At the time, I noticed some parallels to our current events, but I didn’t make them part of the lesson plan. At the time, it […]

Got big happenings happening. But both my Palgrave book and a film I wrote and directed have major deadlines right this minute. Here’s the thing: I’ve already fulfilled my self-imposed word count. And what I wrote already just gets more relevant every day. So: Once more, with feeling