Author: Alex Diaz-Granados
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Musings & Thoughts for Saturday, February 13, 2021: Mortuus luctrus patris mei
This column was originally published in the February 13, 1986 issue of Catalyst, Miami-Dade Community College – South Campus’s student newspaper. I’m proud to have been his son Alex Diaz-Granados Opinions Editor Early in the morning of Feb. 13, 1965, a C-46 transport was cleared for takeoff from Miami International Airport. There were no passengers aboard, just…
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Book Review: ‘The World of Star Trek’
In the summer of 1985 – sometime during my freshman year at Miami-Dade Community College – I purchased a paperback copy of a reference book titled The World of Star Trek by author, screenwriter, and cultural observer David Gerrold. Originally published in 1973 – during the “lost years” after Star Trek: The Original Series’ cancellation…
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It Was 50 Years Ago Today: or, Remembering My ‘Other’ Childhood
“I do not miss childhood, but I miss the way I took pleasure in small things, even as greater things crumbled. I could not control the world I was in, could not walk away from things or people or moments that hurt, but I took joy in the things that made me happy.” ― Neil Gaiman,…
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Musings for Wednesday, February 10, 2021: or, Mo Better Blu-Rays!
Hi there, Dear Reader. It’s mid-morning here in New Hometown, Florida on Wednesday, February 10, 2021. Currently, the temperature is 68˚F (20˚C) under dense fog conditions. With the wind blowing from the east southeast at 3 MPH (5 KM/H) and humidity at 94%, the feels-like temperature is 68˚F (20˚C). Per today’s forecast, we can expect…
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Musings for Tuesday, February 9, 2021: Trump’s Second Impeachment Trial Begins; My 4K Blu-ray Collection Expands (Yet Again)
Hey, Dear Reader. It’s mid-morning here in New Hometown, Florida on Tuesday, February 9, 2021. It’s chilly outside; the temperature is 68˚F (20˚C) under foggy conditions – there’s a Dense Fog advisory that expires at 9 AM Eastern Daylight Time. With the wind blowing from the south at 3 MPH (5 KM/H) and humidity at…
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On Music: Happy 89th Birthday, John Williams!
John Williams “So much of what we do is ephemeral and quickly forgotten, even by ourselves, so it’s gratifying to have something you have done linger in people’s memories.” Hi, there, Dear Reader! It’s early afternoon here in New Hometown, Florida on Monday, February 8, 2021. Currently, the temperature is 75˚F (24˚C) under cloudy skies;…
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Book Review: ‘Arnhem: The Battle for the Bridges, 1944’ (UK Edition)
“But, sir, I think we might be going a bridge too far.” – Attributed to Lt. Gen. Frederick “Boy” Browning, commanding officer of I British Airborne Corps and overall commander for Operation Market-Garden On May 17, 2018 – September 11 in the U.S. – Viking (a subsidiary of Penguin Random House) published the British edition…
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Music Album Review: ‘Saving Private Ryan: 20th Anniversary Limited Edition’
In 2018, La-La Land Records released Saving Private Ryan: 20th Anniversary Limited Edition, a commemorative – and slightly updated – reissue of John Williams’ 1998 soundtrack featuring most of his score for Steven Spielberg’s widely-acclaimed World War II drama set amidst the backdrop of the June 6, 1944 Normandy landings and the first week of…
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Music Album Review: ‘Saving Private Ryan: Music from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack’
On July 21, 1998, Dreamworks Records – the now defunct label founded by Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and David Geffen in 1996 as a subsidiary to their film studio Dreamworks SKG – released Saving Private Ryan: Music from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, a one-hour-long soundtrack album with music composed and conducted by John Williams.…
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Old Gamers Never Die: A First Look at Killerfish Games’ New WWII Naval Warfare Game ‘War on the Sea’
Hi everyone! Yes, I’m back with another post for the day; this time around, though, the topic is going to be more fun than the previous one (COVID-19 and why we aren’t flattening the curve yet). As the headline of this post says, this will be a “first look” post about a brand-new video game…
