Don Hall 4/15/19 Don Hall 4/15/19

Untwisting the Jounced About Bottle

You grab a bottle of soda and shake it up. You sit it on the counter. You know what’s going to happen when you untwist that cap.

Now imagine a truckload of bottles of soda, all shaken up at the same time, just ready to blow.

Don Hall 4/12/19 Don Hall 4/12/19

I Like to Watch | Pet Sematary (2019)

An evil cat is kind of an oxymoron but you get the drift.

Don Hall 4/11/19 Don Hall 4/11/19

Circular Firing Squad | Like Dogs Howling at Sirens

Yes, we ignored Michelle Obama when she intoned “When they go low, we go high” because that wise advise didn’t suit our Neo-Left Progressive need to express our outrage and childish inability to reign in our self righteous anger.

Don Hall 4/10/19 Don Hall 4/10/19

The Old Lady Who Hated Halloween Put A Sign Up Letting Us Know

She felt that she shouldn’t have to be singled out, that the children shouldn’t be bothering people anyway and why not just do away with the practice on the block altogether instead of forcing her to put up some sign.

Don Hall 4/8/19 Don Hall 4/8/19

I Believe… [Be An Ally Who Doesn't Self Loathe]

…that one can be a cis, heterosexual, white male in America and advocate for anti-racism and anti-sexism and LGTBQ rights without feeling guilty for being a cis, heterosexual, white male or campaigning against masculinity or whiteness.

Don Hall 4/8/19 Don Hall 4/8/19

All Lessons Matter Because the Children are Watching

As a former teacher, I think our ideas of teaching others has become somewhat skewed. It seems that teaching is somehow congruent with lecturing, admonishing, grading. While those are definitely methods used in the modern school system, it is not the most effective way to teach children. The most effective method to teach children is by example.

Don Hall 4/7/19 Don Hall 4/7/19

I Like to Watch | Serenity (2019)

It’s sexy. It’s as shallow as you’d expect from a noir plot. It’s atmospheric. It’s lyrical. And then it gets pretty fucked up.

I loved it.

Don Hall 4/5/19 Don Hall 4/5/19

Problematic Movies of the ‘80s | National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983)

I vaguely remember Clark being both a family man and a guy who’d fuck a supermodel in an instant, making him basically a middle-aged dude but still. Kind of a creep, right?

Don Hall 4/1/19 Don Hall 4/1/19

I Believe… [Dressing Up Opinion as Gospel]

…that, if your demand is to confront and challenge but to avoid being confronted or challenged, “speaking your truth” is nothing more than hypocrisy. Your truth is not THE truth merely another aggrandizement of your opinion.

Don Hall 3/29/19 Don Hall 3/29/19

The Online Rush to Judgment in the Court of Public Opinion is a Sword We Will All Die Upon

So many narratives that clearly demonstrate that the court of public opinion is bereft of integrity, yet we can’t help ourselves. We fall for it every time.

Don Hall 3/27/19 Don Hall 3/27/19

Problematic Movies of the '80s | Revenge of the Nerds (1984)

Oh, Nelly — there are almost a catalogue list of jokes, images, and plot points of things 2019 would consider problematic.

Don Hall 3/25/19 Don Hall 3/25/19

I Believe… [The Search for Brilliance in a Dismal Time]

…that, in the Age of Hyperbole, perhaps it is a salve to give us some hope in the world, but the words masterpiece, brilliant, and cinematic genius are being thrown around for really good but hardly extraordinary films.

Don Hall 3/22/19 Don Hall 3/22/19

A Job Interview as Full Contact Combat

“Don,” the focus shifts to me. “What do you think of her answer?”

What? Do they want me to criticize her strategy? In front of her? Is this how this is going to go?

Don Hall 3/20/19 Don Hall 3/20/19

White Privilege: Still Struggling over What to Do with It

My issue is not nor has it ever been questioning the existence of white privilege but what to do about it. So far, no one seems to be able to give me a path toward sharing the privilege or shedding it aside from the Catholic admission of sin and continued confession.

Don Hall 3/18/19 Don Hall 3/18/19

I Believe… [We're Only Human]

…that there is nothing wrong with capitalism and the only thing wrong with any system of economic structure (communism, socialism, etc.) is that people in power always want more. Even (most) wonderful people with grand altruistic hopes become greedy monsters when afforded power.

Don Hall 3/15/19 Don Hall 3/15/19

My Mom Told Me Not to Get Naked on Television

I've been arrested twice in my life. Both times were for public nudity.

So, when one of the pieces of advice my mother gave me as I packed up my truck to move to...somewhere...after college was "Don't get naked on television. Keep your clothes on!" it made perfect sense.

Don Hall 3/12/19 Don Hall 3/12/19

The Best Goddamn Salad You’ve Ever Eaten or Go Hungry

Gang, while a cliché, it is so true that life is relatively short. When, at fifty-three, I can see how fragile things are, how quickly the wakening up to the world is snuffed out on a continual basis, I comprehend a simple truth: if you can’t muster a white hot passion for the people and the world around you, that short life is a prison. I’m not a big fan of prison, so I prefer to Carpé that fucking Diem and eat the ass out of life.

Don Hall 3/11/19 Don Hall 3/11/19

I Believe… [90% of Republicans Approve of The Trump, We Might Want to Re-strategize This Deal]

…that if 90 percent of Republicans approve of Donald’s “work” as president in February 2019, we’re doing a piss-poor job persuading them otherwise.

Don Hall 3/10/19 Don Hall 3/10/19

Skip Taylor and The Devil Dog

Sometimes it was downright eerie looking at that dog. He was still Cyrus - all muscle and grin - but he was MORE than.

Don Hall 3/7/19 Don Hall 3/7/19

The Faux Power That Comes With a Video Camera in Your Pocket

If there is a Murphy’s Law sort of thing for new technologies, it probably goes something like “For every good a new technology can do, there will be five assholes who use it badly.”