Author Archives: awtraughber

Everything and Nothing to Prove

Posted on April 16, 2026 by awtraughber

Let’s face it: The Mandalorian and Grogu is the kind of movie that has everything and nothing to prove.  Everything because the Star Wars franchise has seen better days (lots has been written about this); nothing because the team behind … Continue reading →

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-50-

Posted on April 15, 2026 by awtraughber

Another standout song from U2’s most recent “surprise” ep is “Scars.”  It kind of begins the more “Easter-y” heart of the collection.  Listen to it (and watch the lyric video) and you’ll hear and see why. In other news, I … Continue reading →

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Catching a Glimpse

Posted on April 14, 2026 by awtraughber

U2 has released two eps over the last few weeks, with the first dropping on Ash Wednesday (titled Songs of Ash) and the second on Good Friday (titled Easter Lily). The albums are quite different from one another, with the … Continue reading →

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Hope in the Midst of Death and Dying

Posted on April 13, 2026 by awtraughber

Much has already been said online about Ross Douthat’s recent conversation with for senator Ben Sasse, who was recently diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer.  And rightly so: the interview is something to sit with.  I watched the whole thing … Continue reading →

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Sunday’s Best: Obsession Substitution

Posted on April 12, 2026 by awtraughber

Lots of fun moments in today’s funny pages.  First you’ve got Roger having last-minute issues with income tax returns in FoxTrot.  Then you’ve got Peppermint Patty having issues with her history theme (always the D-minus!).  And Calvin gets a great … Continue reading →

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Spring Breaking

Posted on March 26, 2026 by awtraughber

This has been something of an odd spring break. It started a bit early, right at two weeks ago, with the arrival of a few-days-late, multi-wave storm. And so most of the first week of break involved lots of overcast … Continue reading →

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Sunday’s Best: Salad Humor

Posted on March 15, 2026 by awtraughber

Today’s a solid day in the Sunday funnies. First there’s Peppermint Patty asking Chuck a slightly-loaded question beneath the tree. Then there’s some AI humor with Caulfield and Frazz. But it’s this week’s FoxTrot by Bill Amend that finds an … Continue reading →

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AI on My Mind

Posted on March 4, 2026 by awtraughber

I’ve been thinking a lot about AI for a while now, more out of necessity than anything else. And it’s mostly professional: both as a teacher amongst teachers and as a teacher amongst students. AI is, of course, the hottest … Continue reading →

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A Brief Word on Fantasy Literature

Posted on March 2, 2026 by awtraughber

I’m looking forward to reading Francis Spufford’s upcoming novel, Nonesuch. In connection with the book release, Spufford has written a little piece about the enduring popularity of fantasy literature (and the many reasons we engage it). Here’s how the piece … Continue reading →

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Sunday’s Best: Unequivocally March?

Posted on March 1, 2026 by awtraughber

First day (and Sunday) of March, and there’s some nice humor in the Sunday funnies. First there’s Calvin (no Hobbes present) with a great opening gag followed by a great example of Calvin going the long way around to get … Continue reading →

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