Fathering Thoughts

Saturday, 15 June 2013, 19:26 | Category : African, Culture, Hispanic, Movies, Television
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Modern American popular traditions break Mother’s Day down to a day off for mom with breakfast in bed and the laundry folded; for Father’s Day, dad gets to play with the new gas grill, catch a live ball game, enjoy that 3′inch thick steak (when he knows he shouldn’t). Dad’s induldged and mom’s pampered. As [...]

Revolutionary Optimists and Rebels

This post has been updated (see “Rebel”) I’ve been having on-going discussions with persons who work or have lived (or were born) in countries where there’s extreme poverty, war, and other maladies. What distinguishes “their” poverty from American poverty? Is it just a matter of food, resources, and material goods? In the U.S., we’re talking [...]

“Duke” – The Real Story

Wednesday, 1 May 2013, 16:48 | Category : African American, Culture, DC, History, Music, People
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Yes, Edward Kennedy Ellington was a teenager in Washington, DC. He played music at parties. He attended Armstrong High School. He had a job at the Griffith Stadium. He was a visual artist as well as a musician. And he had friends. He had a best friend named Edgar McEntree. The two young men took [...]

42 in ’99: A Home Run with 44

This week, First Lady Michelle Obama welcomed Rachel Robinson (wife of Jackie Robinson), cast and filmmakers of the new Jackie Robinson biopic “’42” to the White House for a “Film Workshop for Students.” Personally, I wouldn’t call this a workshop when students aren’t holding and operating cameras, writing scripts, or rehearsing/reviewing scenes. So this post [...]

Making Up!

Wow, it’s been nearly a month since I last posted. So much going on, can’t pick just one, two or three. But there is something I’d like to share, it’s MAKERS. “MAKERS: Women Who Make America” (a production of Storyville Films) is just one part of the story. That’s the complete title of a new [...]