German Engineering Applied To Language

by Dictionary Scoop    Languages are a curious thing: No matter how different they are, we always find a way to understand each other. Translation has come a long way in making sure of that.    These nine German words however, are tough to wrestle down into English with their meaning intact, but are worth …

Rocket Science Like You’ve Never Seen It

by Dictionary Scoop    NASA may be all about exploring space, but they have also improved life on Earth, did you know that?    For example, the sneakers you use to go for a run every week, that’s NASA’s work. The agency’s innovations have made their way into our everyday routines in surprising ways. Let’s …

“Killing Me Softly” Singer Roberta Flack Dies

by Kevin Burton    Roberta Flack had an ear for music as good as her legendary voice, and she knew she was on to something.    The vocalist-composer-arranger was on a cross-country flight when she first heard “Killing Me Softly With His Song” over headphones on the plane’s sound system. Flack would re-shape the song …

What To Think Of A “Check Please” Christian

by Kevin Burton    God knows this, so you might as well know it too.     Right now, you could call me a “check please” Christian.    You get the reference, right?  In American situation comedies there is this line that writers use. I’ve seen the line delivered over and over in any number of …

I’m So Glad We Had This Time Together

by Kevin Burton    On the night of the first full day of the return of the American Nazi Party to power in the United States, I watched the first ever episode of the Carol Burnett Show and of Laugh-In.    I needed a laugh.  Badly    I did this via Amazon.  Before that time …

Long-Lasting Innovations From Ancient Rome

by Kevin Burton    The Wednesday before Valentine’s Day I posted a story about a cruel and unusual dating ritual that came from ancient Rome.    The cruel part was men beating women with animal skins as part of a Valentine’s Day tradition. The unusual part was the women were eager for this! It was …

Cat Earns His Keep By Doing Nightly Chore

by Kevin Burton    Ronnie, Lakin, call your office.    A very on-task and talented cat has gone viral on TikTok, brought to my attention by Melissa Fleur-Afshar, writing for Newsweek.    “A woman’s surprise at discovering that her cat had been routinely pulling down her kitchen window blind every evening, despite thinking her boyfriend …

Of Sir Elton John And Seeing Things Clearly

by Kevin Burton    What would you say to Sir Elton John if you could have a moment’s conversation with him today?    Now that question may be absurd, or at least rhetorical. If you’re like me and grew up with Elton John in his prime all over the radio, as part of the fabric …

This Super Bowl Was Truly A Super Bore

by Kevin Burton    How fitting that my story about Super Bowl LIX (59) begins with a tale of excessive sleeping.    On the Saturday before Super Sunday I was supposed to go to a local butcher shop and get some ribs that would serve as the centerpiece of a super feast. Incredibly, I slept …

The Latest Ripoff: Surveillance Pricing

by Charlotte Cowles thecut.com    It’s 5 a.m. and your toddler is crying. His forehead is hot. You remember, cursing yourself, that you are out of Tylenol.    You squint at your phone and order more, selecting the quickest delivery option. Actually, that’s not soon enough. You pay the $2 fee so that it will …