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My Last Trump-a-Thon | Planet Ryan

The last time I wrote about the emergence of Donald Trump, I received a mixed bag of responses. Some of you agreed and some of you REALLY didn’t agree. But…

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Intentional Parenting | Mark’s Remarks

While I waited recently in a retail spot across the river, I was basically forced to become part of a conversation I really didn’t want to be in. I couldn’t…

Chicago Style | Planet Ryan

Last week, after the Chicago Police Department released long-awaited dash cam footage of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald being shot multiple times by a Chicago police officer while laying in the middle…

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Warp Speed | Mark’s Remarks

There are plenty of people who will say this is the busiest time of the year for them. For some reason, I find that this time of the year is…

MOVIE REVIEW |’The Good Dinosaur’ is Better Than Good

Starring: Frances McDormand, Jack Bright, Jack McGraw, Jeffrey Wright, Maleah Nipay-Padilla, Marcus Scribner, Peter Sohn, Raymond Ochoa, Ryan Teeple Director: Peter Sohn Genre(s): Adventure, Fantasy, Comedy, Animation, Family Rating: PG Runtime: 100 min Grade:  A- Although the folks from Disney-Pixar have always gone above and beyond in my…

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Going to the Movies | Mark’s Remarks

I recently started writing movie reviews. I go see a movie a week or so before it comes out. I judge the movie, giving it a thumbs up or thumb…

Naming the Enemy | Planet Ryan

In January, I used my column space to express my feelings about the cowardly terrorist attack on the Charlie Hebdo office in France that claimed the lives of 12 innocent…

MOVIE REVIEW: Hunger Games: Mockingjay-Part 2

Grade:  A (or newbie to the series) Director: Francis Lawerence Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jeffrey Wright, Willow Shields,…

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Addicted to the Treadmill | 11/11/2015

I read a funny little article written by a parent the other day. She was talking about how stressful and busy things were from August through October of every school…

MOVIE REVIEW: There Are a Few Things to Love about ‘Love the Coopers’

Grade: C+ Director: Jessie Nelson Starring: Diane Keaton, John Goodman, Ed Helms, Olivia Wilde, Alan Arkin, Amanda Seyfried, Anthony Mackie, Marisa Tomei, Jake Lacy, June Squibb Rated: PG-13 for thematic…