Author Archives: pfannkuchea

Discovering a Shameful Past Event in Paris

Paris is a city that clings to the past, commemorating it in the squares and streets that bear the names of famous battles (Austerlitz, Marengo, Stalingrad) and in its many well-marked historical sites. But there are sites and events that the city prefers to forget. In Montmartre where I stay, I overheard tourist guides haranguingContinue reading “Discovering a Shameful Past Event in Paris”

ALS Diary (part four): Another Day, Another Doctor

Zallek will be my last one, so it’s good that we got on well. He reserved two hours for me in order to gauge my reflexes and responsiveness. If he sees a fair number of ALS patients, I can imagine that he has to blunt the force of the diagnosis and perhaps struggle with disbeliefContinue reading “ALS Diary (part four): Another Day, Another Doctor”

ALS Diary (part three): Reading the signs of ALS; reading myself into Riker’s Guest Lecture.

Five days ago on the way to the supermarket I felt a disturbing quiver in my lower lip, then a slight numbness comparable to the sensation when the dentist swabs something on your gum before giving you a shot to deaden your mouth. The next few days it was more like the contractions from theContinue reading “ALS Diary (part three): Reading the signs of ALS; reading myself into Riker’s Guest Lecture.”

ALS Diary (part two): Surprises and Disappointments

My family needs to take things one step at a time in order to avoid a crippling anxiety. This leaves all planning and preparations to me. My strategy now is to make advance preparations for the summer. I’ll spend most of May in Paris where I still have work to finish and friends to visit.Continue reading “ALS Diary (part two): Surprises and Disappointments”

An ALS Diary (part one): On Being Overtaken by a Rare Incurable Disease

Within the interval of a year I went from a vigorous and strong 74-year-old to the stricken and failing sufferer of the rare disease of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. My benchmarks were solo journeys I undertook, first in May, 2021, to rescue my son in Hawaii, then in AugustContinue reading “An ALS Diary (part one): On Being Overtaken by a Rare Incurable Disease”

Snapshots of Childhoods in France

In Paris last year, we had the good fortune to make the acquaintance of Serge and Pierrette, activists with deep roots in the France of resistance, opposition, and humane solidarity. Not a few American activists we have known have been unimaginative political creatures, indifferent to the subtle pleasures of life and culture. Very different ourContinue reading “Snapshots of Childhoods in France”

Iraq and Afghanistan War Reporting

Twenty years ago the Iraq War started—the second Iraq War. Fought based on lies. 7,000 Americans died and at least 150,000 Iraqis. Every justification for the war exposed as a lie. Nothing learned from the experience. I recall how I followed the news. I jotted down the frequent sports metaphors. I hear that some peopleContinue reading “Iraq and Afghanistan War Reporting”

Remembering the Student-G.I. Anti-War Movement

When I came home from Europe in August 1968, the antiwar movement was not new but it was gaining momentum. Young guys my age faced the threat of induction. I was called up twice for the pre-induction physical, but I managed to stall the first draft order by extending my student deferment and the secondContinue reading “Remembering the Student-G.I. Anti-War Movement”

An Incident to End an Age: Kickapoo Creek 1970

Just over 52 years ago, between 30,000 and 60,000 people camped out on a muddy farm near Heyworth for Illinois’s own Woodstock: The Incident at Kickapoo Creek. Logan Janicki For college students across Illinois and neighboring states, L. David Lewis could hardly have chosen a better time to hold his “love affair” between “the electronicContinue reading “An Incident to End an Age: Kickapoo Creek 1970”