It is hard not to notice that this is the 50th anniversary of one of the most turbulent years in America’s history. Every day we are reminded of the events which contributed to that assessment. The surprise announcement by Lyndon Johnson on March 31 that he would not seek re-election. Yesterday’s recognition of the … Read more
If you really want to understand the culture war currently being fought out in America, all you need to do is observe the reaction of Donald Trump’s surrogates to artistic efforts designed to update classical theater. The latest example was Bill O’Reilly’s tweet during the NBC presentation of “Jesus Christ Superstar.” In the latest … Read more
How do you know you’ve made it to the big time as a blogger? One metric is whether you have become a the target of Russian trolls. Understanding the process how trolls work to first gain your trust and then use their access to your site for nefarious purposes is important. As a public service, … Read more
One of the most infamous politically incorrect jokes of all time, more so in the light of the #metoo and #timesup movement, is the late Sam Kinison’s reflection on domestic violence. “I don’t condone wife beating, but I understand it.” I think of Kinison often, especially when I catch myself making a similar observation … Read more
In Miller v. California, a 1973 landmark decision by the U.S. Supreme court, the justices redefined obscenity. Previously, content was deemed to be obscene if characterized as “utterly without socially redeeming value.” The new standard, sometimes referred to as the Miller Test, is based on whether the content “lacks serious literary, artistic, political or … Read more