Great cities don't happen along by chance or mere good fortune. They rise to their destiny on intended currents of innovation, diplomacy, fiscal responsibility and careful planning. For the past 24 years my great city of Appleton Wisconsin has enjoyed the steady leadership of just one mayor, Tim Hanna. I voted for Mayor Hanna in [...]
You can’t make a bed in 32 seconds. Or brush your teeth properly. Or French braid a ponytail. Or boil an egg. Or brew a cup of coffee. But, you can shoot 23 people and kill nine in that short time frame if you're armed with a fully loaded semi-automatic weapon. You can hold your [...]
A highlight of our recent trip to Los Angeles was the morning we spent working crew for a Pure & Weary production. With Vince operating the boom and me monitoring the camera, we spent a pleasant, though somewhat exhausting, morning watching them work. We still don't know what a "best boy" or "key grip" is, [...]
I have a Jiminy Cricket judgment coach who sits on my shoulder and wags his finger at me with annoying consistency. “Lucky for you,” he says (I’d like to say smugly, but I’d definitely get a reprimand for that). “Lucky for you, you don’t have to have an opinion on that.” Most times, I agree. [...]
On a 21-hour travel day that saw me roll through five busy airports, I wore my "You are Beautiful" T-shirt and observed. I left yesterday from Fort Lauderdale airport where I saluted the resiliency of this great country. I flew to O'Hare, drove to General Mitchell to catch a flight west, enjoyed a quick layover [...]