Lieber & Stoller’s “Kansas City” A Classic

by Kevin Burton The musical catalog of lyricist Jerry Lieber and pianist Mike Stoller has been described as “some of the most authentic rhythm and blues that white Jewish guys ever wrote.”     Eight years before Norman Mailer published “The White Negro,” these two transplanted easterners submerged themselves in the LA black culture and began …

Long Live Caffeine, Death To Bugs

by Kevin Burton    I am late to the great caffeine-vs-decaf debate. But if we take caffeine from our coffee, let’s certainly not throw it out altogether.    Why not?  Because caffeine is a natural insecticide, according to the New York Times and others.    Yesterday I mentioned that I am considering switching to decaf …

Something New Brewing In The Coffee Pot?

by Kevin Burton    Johann Sebastian Bach wrote an ode to coffee, which means I wouldn’t have to. His would surely suffice.    By all rights though, I should.    Most of us wanted to sample coffee as young teens, exploring the world of grownups. That desire was heightened by the fact that adults tried …

Mom’s Birthday ‘Celebration’ In The Hospital

by Kevin Burton    My mother spent her 89th birthday last month in a hospital ER room.  Yeah, she really knows how to celebrate.    I had a post about her 89th birthday 89 percent finished. That was about a month ago.  Had to scrap it.    On her birthday she fell. It was her …

Why Are Highway Signs Always Green?

by Kevin Burton   They guide, they inform, they update and welcome. They ease the monotony.    At once neutral and friendly, they are ubiquitous comforting company on the road.    And they are green, always green, always the same shade of green.    I’m talking about the signs along American highways.  I love the …

Let’s Rock Coast To Coast This Summer

by Kevin Burton    We are well into summer now; what do you say we go on a road trip?  How about a rock and roll road trip?    My wife and I had two mini vacations in late May and into June.  The time on the road got my blood pumping. Could be another …

Five Lessons On How To Read The Bible

by Kevin Burton     It was refreshing and helpful to receive in the mail recently, the booklet “What Every Christian Needs To Know About Reading The Bible” from Our Daily Bread Ministries.    There is no other book like the Bible. It can certainly be confusing and intimidating to read. Author Kevin J. Vanhoozer has given …

A Funny Thing About Technology

by Kevin Burton    Technology is a problem solver. Technology is a problem.    Am I right or wrong?    “Tech-savvy” is a hyphenated adjective that shouldn’t be used to modify certain nouns, such as, for example, “Kevin Burton”    Like it or not we all live in a sea of technology. It’s sink or …

Blind People Struggling in War-Torn Ukraine

by Hanna Arhirova Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) Sunlight filters through shattered windows, casting a glow upon the dusty furniture and fragments of glass strewn across the floor of the office belonging to Oleksandr Vinkovskyi, director of a Kyiv business where visually impaired people worked.    Vinkovskyi is blind, and can’t see the scale of …

Does Merriam-Webster Hate Spunk?

by Kevin Burton    I was sure I would see it. Lead-pipe sinch said I. Metaphysical certitude, as John McLaughlin used to say on The McLaughlin Group.    Merriam -Webster put together a list of words about energy and enthusiasm and I happily scrolled to see what they had to say about the word  “spunk.” …