by ABC World News (LVIV, Ukraine) — Col. Oleh Avtomeenko was wounded while performing a combat mission in Donetsk region, in the first days of the Russian full-scale invasion in late Feb. 2022, and lost his eyesight. And now, after 20 years in the Ukrainian Army, he has to say goodbye to it and …
Category Archives: Europe
A Female Version Of The Beatles? Who Knew?
by Kevin Burton I have read maybe two dozen books about the Beatles on talking book. But I didn’t know this. In books by and about other contemporary artists, the Beatles emerge, as a yardstick, a cultural happening, a turning point. But not so much as a syllable about this. Until very …
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Five More Unbelievable But True Stories
by Kevin Burton The best fiction writers will have to go some to match these strange-but-true tales, compiled by Dictionary Scoop. We told five of their stories yesterday. Today we mostly have tales of war, but not always the customary kind. We briefly dip into the cola wars, sort of: 6 The year …
Truth Proved Much Stranger Than Fiction
by Dictionary Scoop They say truth is stranger than fiction, and some of these historical events are living proof. Brace yourself for a rollercoaster ride through history, where the strange and unexpected take center stage in the theater of reality. 1 The Great Emu War Wars are typically waged between nations, but in 1932, …
Gerry Rafferty Was Born 77 Years Ago Today
by Kevin Burton The headline to an article in The Independent called Gerry Rafferty a “bipolar alcoholic industry misfit.” His biographers including his daughter Martha dispute none of that. The article was printed on the occasion of the 2021 release of “Rest In Blue” an album of Rafferty demos polished and completed by …
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What’s Going On? New Marvin Gaye Music?
by Kevin Burton There might be some court wrangling first, but there is a chance the world will get to hear some new Marvin Gaye music. According to multiple reports, a collection of tapes of previously unheard Gaye songs has been discovered in Belgium. The troubled genius moved there in 1981 to get …
More Bilingual Americans Than You Think
by Kevin Burton There was a time when I had multiple dozens of penpals from around the world. More than once I heard this joke: What do you call a person who speaks three languages? Trilingual. What do you call a person who speaks two languages? Bilingual. What do you call a …
The Colorful Military History Of M&Ms
by Kevin Burton Let’s all salute innovation and progress today and tomorrow by knocking down a couple of packs of M&Ms. Let’s do so under the heading, “Melts in your mouth, not in your hand, stays on your waistline.” M&Ms are 83 years old as of tomorrow. Forrest Mars secured a patent …
Ferris Wheels Also Make The World Go Round
by Kevin Burton In response to one of my Valentine’s Day posts, a reader let me know that Feb. 14 is also National Ferris Wheel Day in the United States. Now that’s news I can use! What an apt metaphor for the “love” of love songs that is wrapped in feelings, or perhaps …
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Wife Carrying: A New Sport For The Burtons?
by Kevin Burton Now this one has potential. On the Dictionary Scoop website I stumbled upon an inspired idea for a new sport my wife Jeannette and I can get involved in. The website called it “weird” and “unique” and it is both. Wife carrying. I am psyched! So fortunate …
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