Tag Archives: WPLongform

Random Reflections on Malls and Department Stores

Posted on July 13, 2016 by

Monday’s Wall Street Journal ran an article (read it here) noting the waning days of the department store as anchor in the American shopping mall: “Mall Owners Push Out Department Stores: Fast-fashion chains, restaurants, specialty stores do a better job of driving mall … Continue reading →

Posted in architecture, Creativity, History, Life, Milwaukee, Popular culture, WPLongform (posts of 1000 words or longer) | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Russia, Syria, Ukraine, and Turkey: And so it begins

Posted on October 8, 2015 by

I hardly know where to start with this post; so many bits of knowledge are swimming around in my head. First, I think something really significant is happening in the Middle East right now. Lots of pieces that have been … Continue reading →

Posted in News, WPLongform (posts of 1000 words or longer) | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Watching the “Up” Documentary Series (Film #5, 35 Up)

Posted on August 12, 2013 by

This past weekend I watched 35 Up.  As I said in my last post, I’m going to try a different approach in structuring my thoughts on the film this time around by first providing a brief update on each of … Continue reading →

Posted in Life, Movies and film, WPLongform (posts of 1000 words or longer) | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Watching the “Up” Documentary Series (Film #3, 21 Up)

Posted on July 24, 2013 by

Over the weekend I watched the third film in the “Up” series.  All the original seven-year-olds are back and are now age 21. I started writing this post on Saturday; today is Wednesday.  In a couple of days I’ll be … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Life, Movies and film, WPLongform (posts of 1000 words or longer) | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

Great Books: The Devil in the White City

Posted on June 13, 2013 by

Last night was my Great Books Dinner and Discussion event at Milwaukee School of Engineering.  I usually facilitate a book discussion every June, and lately I’ve added the November discussion to my rotation, as well.  This month’s selection was The Devil … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and reading, History, WPLongform (posts of 1000 words or longer) | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

What the decline of tenure and rise of part-time faculty means for higher education

Posted on April 14, 2013 by

Thanks to my friend and colleague, Lisa Rivero, for tweeting (@Lisa_Rivero) and thus calling my attention to this story and graph in The Atlantic: “The Ever-Shrinking Role of Tenured College Professors (in 1 Chart).”  Basically what the chart shows is … Continue reading →

Posted in Higher education, WPLongform (posts of 1000 words or longer) | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The MOOCS that laid the Golden Egg

Posted on April 5, 2013 by

True fact: America once had thousands of auto manufacturers. When the horseless carriage craze swept the nation, carriage makers in cities across the country shifted gears, as it were, to become automobile makers instead.  An ad for “The American Carriage … Continue reading →

Posted in Higher education, History, Teaching, Technology, WPLongform (posts of 1000 words or longer) | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“Catch Me If You Can” – best un-Christmas movie ever

Posted on December 28, 2012 by

We have probably all watched a favorite Christmas movie this past month.  But how about an un-Christmas movie – like Die Hard, for example, which has little to do with Christmas but is set during the Christmas season?  It’s fun … Continue reading →

Posted in Life, Movies and film, WPLongform (posts of 1000 words or longer) | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

If you build it, they will come: the importance of infrastructure for creativity and innovation

Posted on October 30, 2012 by

Here’s a little factoid I’d forgotten about until my husband and I were discussing the recent Presidential debates between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney: The famous series of debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas were not held during the … Continue reading →

Posted in WPLongform (posts of 1000 words or longer), Writing, blogging | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

What’s the difference between grammar, punctuation, and mechanics?

Posted on October 18, 2012 by

The title of today’s post is actually one of my blog’s categories, shown at the lower right-hand side of the screen.  Someone was wondering about the difference, so I thought I’d explain.  What follows here is not dictionary-type definitions, but rather my own … Continue reading →

Posted in Grammar, punctuation, usage, mechanics, WPLongform (posts of 1000 words or longer), Writing, blogging | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 75 Comments