I launched my blog on December 19, 2016 with this introductory post. It is ironic (even premonitory), given that I am now writing a book exploring facets of my identity, that I debuted with two radically different versions of my life story. On December 17, 2017 I published this post, my 52nd in 52 weeks, … Continue reading In which the objective is to get more…personal
Category: History
Querying the impossible once again….
As readers of this blog know (and I am grateful to each of you, especially as the one-year anniversary of this blog arrives tomorrow), I am writing a book tentatively titled Interrogating Memory: Film Noir Spurs a Deep Dive Into My Family History...and My Own. The impetus for the book came from a career-related conversation … Continue reading Querying the impossible once again….
Doctor, validate thyself!
I recently wrote about my long-term fascination with American electoral geography, the way voting patterns are distributed across states, Congressional districts, counties and other areal units. Pursuing this interest as an undergraduate political science major, I began to explore state-level presidential voting data. During my junior year, I created a large chart that ranked how … Continue reading Doctor, validate thyself!
Separating the art from the artist
The director David Lynch—who I dressed as this past Halloween—gave this response to a question about the meaning of a puzzling moment toward the end of episode 15 of Twin Peaks: The Return. “What matters is what you believe happened,” he clarified. “That’s the whole thing. There are lots of things in life, and we wonder about … Continue reading Separating the art from the artist
Final thoughts from what is almost certainly my final APHA meeting
I debuted this blog 11 months ago yesterday as a place to tell what I hoped would be entertaining and informative data-driven stories. Given my proclivity for, and advanced academic training in, quantitative data analysis, the vast majority of my 47 prior posts have involved the rigorous and systematic manipulation of numbers. But not all … Continue reading Final thoughts from what is almost certainly my final APHA meeting
Phollowing the Philadelphia Phillies is phun again
I trace my love of the Philadelphia Phillies to my father. As a 15-year-old fan, he convinced members of the 1950 National League Champion “Whiz Kid” Phillies to sign his autograph book. Phillies games always seemed to be playing on the car radio when I was young, the mellifluous baritone of Harry Kalas and the … Continue reading Phollowing the Philadelphia Phillies is phun again
Unpacking Twitter arguments, both coherent and incoherent
Following ratification of the United States Constitution (Constitution) on September 17, 1787, debate ensued over whether it sufficiently safeguarded individual liberties. James Madison, then a United States House of Representatives (House) member, responded by drafting a set of Amendments, which he presented to the House as directed in Article V. Seventeen Amendments won the necessary … Continue reading Unpacking Twitter arguments, both coherent and incoherent
Wait, when were you born??
I notice with some chagrin that I have only posted once (a paean to the late, great Walter Becker of Steely Dan) since August 26, 2017, which I regret, despite my assertion when I launched this blog that I would only post when I had something to say. There are two reasons (but not, as … Continue reading Wait, when were you born??
How do I love Steely Dan? Let me count…a whole lot of stuff and such.
Sometime in the spring of 1977 (probably), my mother found herself in a suburban Philadelphia record store. Maybe it was the (now long-since-gone) Sam Goody store on Lancaster Avenue in Ardmore. We were living only a short drive away in Havertown at the time, so why not? My then-39-year-old mother rarely payed attention to music … Continue reading How do I love Steely Dan? Let me count…a whole lot of stuff and such.
Ranking every Charlie Chan film
If what I have concluded from my intrepid detective work is correct, I watched my first Charlie Chan movie, Dead Men Tell (directed by Harry Lachman, 1941), starting at 8 pm on July 25, 1976 on Philadelphia’s now-defunct Channel 48. As you can see, it was the first film in a double feature with a … Continue reading Ranking every Charlie Chan film
Just Bear With Me... 