October 22nd, 2014 | Education, General, Politics, Popular Culture, Society at Large, visual arts
I was shocked when we pulled up to the Creation Museum in Petersburg, Kentucky. The place was mobbed. We had to search for a parking place. Somewhere I had read that they had upped the entertainment value by installing a zipline; apparently attendance was not reaching...
June 24th, 2014 | General, Popular Culture
Is the trouble over? Is all my wishin’ and hopin’ and thinkin’ and prayin’—to say nothing of my incessant bellowing at customer service representatives—finally paying off? Maybe. Monday’s and Tuesday’s papers arrived in a timely fashion, around six-thirty am....
April 22nd, 2014 | General, Popular Culture, Travel
It’s not quite caveat emptor but the idea is similar. Tourism is primarily—the primary?—source of income in Rome. Spontaneity, a commendable trait, is likely to exacerbate that leak in your wallet. Rome seems just as problematic as when “Bear Leaders,” those...
May 28th, 2013 | Education, General, Memory, Popular Culture, Society at Large, Time Passes, visual arts
Since the class of 2002, Beloit College has published an annual “Mindset List,” a statement of cultural milestones and realities that current college freshman may or may not know or share. Needless to say, it is a list that makes my Baby-Boomer’s heart clank...
May 19th, 2013 | Cooking, Kitchen and Table, General, Popular Culture, Travel, Women
The only available time slot for the trip fell after exams, papers and final grades and before my Young English Friend’s presumed departure on Monday. The Cubbies were in town hosting the Mets and there were games on Friday and Saturday afternoon. The best flights on...
May 14th, 2013 | General, Memory, Popular Culture, visual arts
There was an interesting piece in The New York Times this morning. Under the headline “An Artwork Turns to Mush, All According to Plan,” William Grimes described sculptor James Grashow’s desire to be the “architect” of his own work’s demise. In December 2006,...