Bet You Didn’t Eat These Things Yesterday

by Kevin Burton    You’re not even tired of turkey yet, as Thanksgiving was just yesterday.    Unfortunately for most of us the holiday is more of an annual “couldn’t eat another bite” day than a day of Thanksgiving to God.    Well here’s a list from Dictionary Scoop that may inspire you to wake …

Do You Know These 12 Types Of Poetry?

by Dictionary Scoop    Poetry is as diverse as the individuals who write it—from short, playful rhymes to long, heartfelt verses, with some forms following strict rules and others allowing complete freedom.    This wide variety enables poets from all walks of life to express themselves in unique ways. Take a look at the following …

Good News For The Very Old And Very Young

by Kevin Burton    Today’s smiles from the Good News Network take us from Japan to Iowa, from senior years to the cradle, from life to give to life to live.    First, a story by Andy Corbley about older Japanese women, making a joyful contribution to society as a whole and to real people …

Foreign Words With No English Equivalent

by Interesting Facts    With the right combination of words and expressions, we can communicate anything our hearts desire. That’s the power of language.    But what about those times when you’re looking for a single word rather than an entire sentence to sum up a thought or feeling? For that, we can look to …

Web MD: Slow Down, You Eat Too Fast

by Kevin Burton     Our cat Ronnie is “food-motivated.”  The manager of Save The Kitties in Derby said so and she wasn’t lying.    Ronnie was obviously supplied with people food in large quantity by her previous owners because she clung to our feet when we opened the refrigerator. She knew exactly what the apparatus …

Countries That Will Pay You To Move There

by Meghan Shouse housebeautiful.com    Moving out of the United States may sound appealing for cultural, political or personal reasons, but the process can be challenging. Securing the right visa for you and your family is often a difficult task, especially without easy entry options like schooling or family ties.    Still, if your desire …

Blind Hong Kong Men Pulled Off Airplane

by Emily Hung South China Morning Post    Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific Airways’ budget wing, HK Express, became embroiled in controversy after two visually impaired passengers said they were forced off a flight, triggering outrage from a campaign group for the blind.    But HK Express denied that the men had been forcibly removed and insisted …

More English Words From Japanese

by Kevin Burton    Some of my totally blind friends used to fold dollar bills in certain ways so they would know what denomination they were.    That was before the days of bill reader devices, so I’m not sure anybody does that folding any more. Anyway I used to call that folding that people …

English Words That Come From Japanese

by Kevin Burton    Words do not respect borders, nor do they need passports to move from country to country.    We don’t think of Japan so much as an origin for English words, but plenty of words are borrowed from Japanese. Merriam-Webster dictionary has served up a basketful, some of which I bring today. …

Karaoke Machine Inventor Dies At Age 100

by Kevin Burton    Shigeichi Negishi, the inventor of the world’s first commercially-available karaoke machine, has died in Japan at age 100, according to National Public Radio.    Never knew the man, but boy has he filled up my Saturday nights.    You take a character from Billy Joel’s Piano Man who is“sure that I …