The Personal Website for Al Morel

Category: Culture

  • The Carnage of War on a Paper Route

    The Carnage of War on a Paper Route

    I never served in Vietnam, but I saw the carnage of that war firsthand on my paper route. It was not on the pages of the paper, where most of my generation saw it, but in the wards of the Yokosuka Naval Hospital in Yokosuka Japan where the Navy and Marine wounded from that war,…

  • The AMAZING Story of the Making of Rocky

    The AMAZING Story of the Making of Rocky

    Perhaps you’ve head some of the backstory of the making of the motion picture Rocky, written and starring Sylvester Stallone. I had heard whiffs of this but I stumbled on a series of videos that interviewed Stallone and when I dug down a little more, found an incredible story of perseverance and determination. The videos…

  • Still, THE Most Incredible July 4 Story…EVAH

    Still, THE Most Incredible July 4 Story…EVAH

    Perhaps you’ve heard the tale: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson died on the same day,  July 4th. It was also on the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1826.  But did you know that James Monroe also died on July 4th and Calvin Coolidge was born on July 4th? The…

  • Ferris Bueller’s Day Off: 25 Years Later

    Ferris Bueller’s Day Off: 25 Years Later

    It’s possible that you have only bits and pieces of the theme song from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. This song was also use on Michael J. Fox’s movie: The Secret of My Success.  Here’s the entire song: Oh Yeah! This month, 25 years ago, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off was released.  There was some wonderful and…

  • Al Morel ran the Boston Marathon 1921!

    Al Morel ran the Boston Marathon 1921!

    Yes, I am officially as old as dirt, but not quite that old. My grandfather, and namesake, ran the Boston Marathon in 1921 on a bet. I think we only spoke of it one time, and he sort of brushed it off as there weren’t that many people running and he lost a few toenails…

  • Lincoln’s Inauguration: 150 Years Later

    Lincoln’s Inauguration: 150 Years Later

    Sam and I were driving over to school, a week from yesterday, and he informed me that it was the 150th anniversary of Lincoln’s first inauguration. When I got back, I looked it up, and sure enough, 150 years to the day. It got me thinking that the American experiment in democracy was not as…