"Man in Purple" tells the true story of the one and only Norman G. Baker. Baker was born in Muscatine in 1892 and raised to be an entrepreneur from an early age. Norman was known for the fantastic nature of his plans and inventions, including calliaphones, radio stations, and finding a cure for cancer. His “cure” for cancer was an attack on the standard medical practices of his era and an early pre-cursor to holistic wellness practices and alternative illness treatments. The man was a fascinating piece of history, who made waves on the radio that were a precursor to modern-day personalities, such as Howard Stern. You couldn’t make up this story if you tried…
We, the Jane Austen aficionados, are suckers for everything and anything under the sun that’s remotely related to her and her world. That’s because we are so drawn to her unique style of fiction, romance, and social commentary, we take any allusion to her influence as a hint to what to expect when we start watching a movie or reading a book.
Omaha reminds us of what it can feel like to look at old family photographs. You sit with the bittersweetness, allowing it to wash over you; not drowning in it, but certainly affected by it.
Season 1 of Love, Victor ended on a major cliffhanger: Victor came out to his parents. He said the words “I’m gay” for the first time. Now what? Season 2 answers the question: “What happens after coming out?”
“Reboot” can be crass and has much room to improve, but with investments of time and care, could flower out of the seed of a vision.
The Mandolorian has a more nuanced and commentative take on masculinity that refrains from praising the toxic traits associated with the social category, while also showing a more positive and transformative representation of masculine characters.
“And I think to myself….what a wonderful world”. Louis Armstrong sang about this notion via his classic 1967 song, an ode to witnessing elements of our life that should be but some reminders of exactly what that concluding line of each verse indicates. Now we see our contemporary realities and, just being honest, it makes a sentiment like this seem SO overtly far away….perhaps even impossible….to accept or believe could be. It sounds harsh, but again, so much of what is occurring speaks not to beauty, but bedlam.
