Among the notable inmates of Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was Dr. Morris “Louie the Rabbi” Bolber who’d started his life sentence in 1942.  Shortly after his arrival, Bolber, a Russian immigrant, began interacting within the prison synagogue where, apparently, he made friends like Joseph Paull, a volunteer especially interested in Bolber.  Before Bolber […]

Every few months, certain images cluster on my Facebook newsfeed. You’ve seen them, of course: memes featuring Captain America, Wonder Woman, and other red-white-and-blue clad figures modeling for us the proper way to punch Nazis. I can imagine the accompanying audio commentary. Lean into it! Aim beyond the jaw to maintain your motion! You’re representing […]

My process for virtually exploring new cities begins subjectively.  Literature, memoirs, poetry, and popular histories help me to understand a locale emotionally, enhancing my chances for bonding with any given place.  For example, James Joyce brought me to Dublin while Victor Hugo introduced me to Paris, albeit to specific periods within each city. I need […]

After January 6, 2021, public rhetoric about Donald Trump as cult leader has escalated, but such discussions aren’t new.  Trump’s obvious narcissism, his penchant for repetitive and slogan-ridden language, and his political rallies that play more like tent revival meetings certainly meet criteria for defining a charismatic leader. I’m using the term “charismatic leader” in […]

Writers across ages and places have created versions of Arthur that either retell his legend or depict what could happen whenever his prophesized return occurs, when and how he’ll address whichever crisis is at hand.  T.H. White’s Once and Future King, for example, includes a Merlyn who lives backwards so that when he reaches the […]

Recently, I came across two anthologies, A Hell of a Woman: An Anthology of Female Noir edited by Megan Abbott (2007) and Troubled Wives, Twisted Daughters: Stories from the Trailblazers of Domestic Suspense edited by Sarah Weinman (2013).  I’ve been a fan of Abbott’s since reading Die a Little (2005), a harkening back to crime […]

In the 1970s, the Moreland School District owned copies of two Hollywood films.  The first was American Graffiti, a version unprofessionally edited to the point of unwatchability.  Our principal at Castro Junior High School, now Moreland Middle School, trotted this out each semester to reward students with acceptable grade-point averages.  I sat through it once […]

In Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism: A Study of Brainwashing in China (1961), Robert Jay Lifton identifies techniques related to thought reform, once called “brainwashing,” that apply to how destructive cults inculcate their members and keep them indoctrinated: Milieu Control: the control of communication, of everything a person sees, hears, or reads. This […]

When he wasn’t chained and hanging from skyscrapers, or entombed underwater, Harry Houdini spent much time debunking criminals and fraudulent spiritualists. By the 1920s, Spiritualism had taken on religious weight both in Europe and the United States, and as with such phenomena, unscrupulous types stepped in to gain profit or to exploit hopeful séance attendees […]

No superhero has received more ridicule than Ultra the Multi-Alien. Even Aquaman garnered more respect during the years when fans denigrated him as the useless Justice League member who swims and talks to fish.  Jon Morris includes Ultra in his The League of Regrettable Superheroes, stating “Ultra resembles a mixed-up box of puzzle pieces.”  Blogger […]