On March 11, 2019, the Democratic Party announced that its 2020 national convention will be held at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, WI. This is a reasonable choice, given that Wisconsin—which 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton lost by 0.8 percentage points—is one of the true swing states in presidential elections. It also means the … Continue reading A wicked early look at the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination
Essays
An (Electoral) College education
Imagine it is late on the evening of Tuesday, November 2, 2004. Actually, it is closer to 5 am EST on the morning of Wednesday, November 3, 2004. Since 7 pm EST the previous night, CNN has been presenting the results of the 2004 presidential election between incumbent President George W. Bush, a Republican, and … Continue reading An (Electoral) College education
A Skeptic is Born
If this blog has anything like a unifying theme, it is evidence-based investigation. In fact, my original stated purpose was to use a careful presentation of data to answer what I felt were interesting—if not always momentous—questions. Sometimes that took the form of challenging conventional wisdom, and at other times it took the form of … Continue reading A Skeptic is Born
When memories defy interrogation
I first used the term “interrogating memory” in August 2017. One month earlier, I simultaneously began to write a book about the roots of my deep love of film noir, underwent genetic testing and initiated a formal request for information about my in utero adoption, backed up by my own independent research An unanticipated side … Continue reading When memories defy interrogation
NOIR CITY 17: New heights of noir!
The streak ended at five. For a number of reasons (including having already seen 20 of the 24 films to be screened[1]), I did not attend the NOIR CITY film festival in San Francisco this year[2]. I had attended—and enjoyed immensely—each of the previous five years after attending the 2014 festival (NOIR CITY 12) on … Continue reading NOIR CITY 17: New heights of noir!
My great-grandfather, his brother-in-law…and The Three Stooges?
This coming October 15 would have been my great-grandfather David Louis Berger’s 150th birthday. Eight days later, I will mourn the 100th anniversary of his passing, under bizarre circumstances, but that is a tale I reserve for my book. “Louis,” as he preferred to be called (like my own father David Louis Berger liked to … Continue reading My great-grandfather, his brother-in-law…and The Three Stooges?
Choosing the funny and the absurd…
There are very few persons, places or things I outright despise. One of those rare things is St. Valentine’s Day (despite my fascination with what happened that day in Chicago, IL in 1929). I generally believe that cynicism is toxic—but I am irredeemably cynical about this “Hallmark holiday.” My objection to the holiday was originally … Continue reading Choosing the funny and the absurd…
When is a pleasure “guilty?”
I first watched The Cotton Club (Francis Ford Coppola, 1984) as a sophomore in college, under curious circumstances. That year, I lived with two other men in a converted basement seminar room in Ezra Stiles College. The year before, that room had been occupied by a student we generally referred to as the “Saudi prince” … Continue reading When is a pleasure “guilty?”
Organizing by themes IX: The random bits
This site benefits/suffers/both from consisting of posts about a wide range of topics, all linked under the amorphous heading "data-driven storytelling." In an attempt to impose some coherent structure, I am organizing related posts both chronologically and thematically. Having run through the primary themes of this blog… American politics film noir/NOIR CITY interrogating memory and … Continue reading Organizing by themes IX: The random bits
Organizing by themes VIII: True crime
This site benefits/suffers/both from consisting of posts about a wide range of topics, all linked under the amorphous heading "data-driven storytelling." In an attempt to impose some coherent structure, I am organizing related posts both chronologically and thematically. Having written extensively about film noir and Charlie Chan films and detective fiction—and my maternal grandfather who … Continue reading Organizing by themes VIII: True crime
