Category Archives: History

Wham! “Freedom” in China

Posted on July 25, 2018 by

I heard Wham!’s “Freedom” on the radio while driving yesterday. I’ve always liked this song, but what I’ve especially always remembered about it was its official video, which details the 1980s duo’s groundbreaking trip to China. Wham! was the first Western … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Creativity, History, Life, Movies and film, Music, Photography, Political Analysis, Popular culture | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Milwaukee (Library) Lion

Posted on July 23, 2018 by

In talking about my “Carnage at the old Washington Park Zoo” post over dinner last week with my friend and fellow blogger Karen Spivey, we started to reminisce about Milwaukee and its close relationships with favorite animals. For example, consider Samson … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Life, Milwaukee, Nature, Science | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Carnage at the old Washington Park Zoo

Posted on July 17, 2018 by

I was doing research on something else today when I came across a Milwaukee Public Library blog post from October 2015 about a whole slew of bear deaths/killings in a mixed species/order exhibit at the old Washington Park Zoo from … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Life, Milwaukee, Nature, Popular culture | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Hemmed in, but still a beacon

Posted on May 2, 2018 by

For decades Milwaukee’s favorite weather forecast has been the flame atop the Wisconsin Gas Building. It changes color and flashes to announce rising/falling temperatures, snow/rain, or a steady state (no change from current conditions). There’s even a little poem to … Continue reading →

Posted in architecture, History, Life, Milwaukee, Photography | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

YouTube: In the Beginning

Posted on April 12, 2018 by

I’m teaching a mass media course this quarter, and while doing class prep recently, I needed to look at something in the internet archive, aka the “Wayback Machine.” (Wikipedia article here) Have you used this super cool  site before? You … Continue reading →

Posted in Creativity, History, Learning, Life, Popular culture, Television | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Birth of a Nation: Lighting and (mostly “non”) camera movement, racism, and Abraham Lincoln’s assassination reenacted a mere 50 years after

Posted on March 27, 2018 by

I’m teaching my film studies course this quarter, and this post was actually prompted by the utilitarian need to have a couple of neatly-cut film clips for efficient class use. But because it might also be interesting for people outside … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Life, Movies and film, Political Analysis, Popular culture, Teaching | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Sergei Eisenstein’s Google Doodle (and cinema tropes)

Posted on January 24, 2018 by

Monday’s Google Doodle honored revolutionary Russian filmmaker Sergei Eisenstein. Here is a cool video I found that provides a little biographical info along with the actual Google Doodle. Sergei Eisenstein was the first “modern” filmmaker. He basically invented modern film … Continue reading →

Posted in Creativity, History, Milwaukee, Movies and film, Music, Popular culture, Television | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments