Wobble Talk And Fighting Words In English

by Kevin Burton    Here’s one subject that never came up when I was teaching English in Mexico – thank God!    In English, when you see the vowel combination “ae” how do you pronounce it?    This was brought to my attention on an otherwise glorious Saturday morning by our friends at the Merriam-Webster …

Do The Math, Trust God In Troubled Times

by Kevin Burton    A Little theological math today on Page 7. It’s faith and fun with fractions actually.    One of my Sunday School teachers liked to put the fraction one over infinity on the chalkboard to illustrate where the bulk of our focus should be going.    The denominator infinity of course illustrates …

Why Do We Love March Madness So Much?

by Kevin Burton   In the bad old days, being without a girlfriend, or a date, or even a prayer, on Valentine’s Day was a sharp searing pain to the psyche.    Now by comparison, being without a basketball team for the big dance, or even the little dance, is a dull ache. March Madness is …

Spoonful’s John Sebastian Turns 79

by Kevin Burton     Happy 79th birthday to the personable multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter John Sebastian.    Both his music and his personality seem accessible, based on how he comes off in interviews on You Tube. I mean, here’s a rock and roller who plays the auto harp of all things. He said he learned the instrument …

SI: North Carolina’s NIT Decision Was Lame

by Kevin Burton    North Carolina head basketball coach Hubert Davis, hurting after his team coughed up a 16-point lead and the NCAA tournament final to Kansas last April, nevertheless had gracious words for his players.    “I can’t be more proud of the group that I just coached this year,” Davis said in a …

Chip, Chip Hooray! It’s Potato Chip Day

by Kevin Burton    Today is National Potato Chip Day, but I didn’t study for the quiz.    My excuse, (there is always an excuse) Consumer Reports let me down.  In the past the magazine has published consumer preference stories about chips of all kinds.  But I found nothing on their website and by googling …

Old Times, Springtime And Baseball Cards

by Kevin Burton     Mid-March, this time of year. In the old days, when it wasn’t quite time for baseball, it was time for baseball cards.     Growing up at the school for the blind in Ohio in the 70s, with the gloom and chill of February fading, with temperatures perhaps in the high 40s …

Church Attendance Declining In United States

by Kevin Burton    Church attendance is down, way down, in the USA, reports the British newspaper The Guardian, citing two main reasons.    The worldwide Covid pandemic is the first, understandable reason. For a while there, few people were going anywhere. The second reason is more troubling: Americans are giving up on Christianity.     …

Hey Baseball, Get Off My Lawn!

by Kevin Burton    The seasons are changing, calendar and sports calendar; the time is changing (spring forward Saturday night, kids), too much is changing.    Any number of poets have rhapsodized about the beginning of spring and all it symbolizes. OK, I’m good with that. But as a sports guy in the man cave, …

A New Take On Taxis And Guide Dogs

   If you are blind and use a guide dog for travel, this story is all too familiar to you.   This comes from Calgary, Alberta, courtesy CBC News.        “A Calgary cab company has fined and temporarily suspended one of its drivers for refusing to give a ride this week to a blind woman …