Author Archives: Ralph Hanson

A Hollowed-Out Washington Post

Posted on February 15, 2026 by Ralph Hanson

Approximately 13 years ago, Jeff Bezos was recruited by the Graham family to purchase The Washington Post for $250 million. Bezos, the founder of Amazon and one of the world’s wealthiest men, bought the paper as an individual, not as … Continue reading →

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Getting a taste of Hannah Goldfield’s food writing

Posted on January 31, 2026 by Ralph Hanson

Although I haven’t talked about it enough here over the years, I’m enthralled by thoughtful food writing – whether it’s the reviews of street food by Los Angeles’ Jonathan Gold, the profane visits round the world by Anthony Bourdain, the … Continue reading →

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TikTok is finally legal again in the US

Posted on January 26, 2026 by Ralph Hanson

TikTok has finalized a joint venture to have cloud-computing giant Oracle (along with a range of international partners) run its US operations. This finally brings the company into compliance with a law passed and signed into law in 2024 that … Continue reading →

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“Will We Be Extremists for Hate or Love?”

Posted on January 19, 2026 by Ralph Hanson

One of the greatest honors of my life was being invited to speak at the Martin Luther King, Jr. candlelight vigil several years ago at the UNK student union, along with Kevin Chaney, who was then UNK’s women’s basketball coach.  On today … Continue reading →

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Ralph’s Annual Favorite Movies – 2025 Edition

Posted on January 16, 2026 by Ralph Hanson

UPDATE 1/30/26: Please note that I have not seen a number of the big 2025 movies yet which explains some otherwise inexplicable omissions. These include: Marty Supreme – Which I saw last week and loved. It will be somewhere on … Continue reading →

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Taking a Look at a Stranger Christmas Carol

Posted on December 26, 2025 by Ralph Hanson

This time of year my Dear Wife and I do our annual read aloud of Dicken’s A Christmas Carol, and we usually watch one or two movie versions of it as well. Some of the takes on it we’ve seen … Continue reading →

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A Few More Christmas Movies

Posted on November 25, 2025 by Ralph Hanson

We are at the time of year when popular Christmas/holiday movies start their omnipresence. My community-run World Theatre, where I volunteer at frequently, will have their usual lineup of Planes, Trains & Automobiles, Home Alone, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, A Christmas Story … Continue reading →

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I’m back – Frankenstein, Meta & A-ha!

Posted on November 19, 2025 by Ralph Hanson

Editor’s Note: Sorry to have gone dark for the last couple of months. It’s been a difficult time. But I have not forgotten my blog, which I’ve had going since 2004. Going to get started back today with some simple media … Continue reading →

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How can it have been 24 years? Remembering 9/11

Posted on September 11, 2025 by Ralph Hanson

9/11/25 Editor’s note: Today is the 24th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. I know better now than to try to show the “Welcome to the Rock” clip from the 9/11-themed musical Come From Away as my pre-class video in JMC … Continue reading →

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Follow my 2025 JMC 406 Blogging Students

Posted on September 8, 2025 by Ralph Hanson

This fall I’m teaching my Blogging & Commentary writing class, a course I’ve taught in one form or another since the winter of 1988 (Hint: Blogging wasn’t part of the title then…)  Here are links to my students’ blogs and … Continue reading →

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