by Kevin Burton I say “Jane you ignorant slut,” and you of a certain age know exactly what I am talking about. It’s an old Saturday Night Live bit from the 70s, Point/Counterpoint, a sendup of the political opinion shows and a similar segment on 60 Minutes. Jane Curtin spoke in favor of …
Category Archives: memories
A River Of Words, Words About Rivers
by Kevin Burton Residents of one Alaska neighborhood in my newspaper’s coverage area sought to correct a flooding problem by putting rocks in a river. Riprap, they called it, which is, as I would learn, “a foundation or sustaining wall of stones or chunks of concrete thrown together without order.” From that …
“Jive Talkin’” Saved The Bee Gees In 1975
by Kevin Burton Looking back, The Bee Gees’ “Jive Talkin’” seems like an obvious, inevitable number one smash. In its day, it was anything but. Fifty years ago today the song was in a two-week run at the top of the Hot 100. It pretty much saved the Bee Gees. There was …
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Some Nursery Rhymes Not Exactly Kid Stuff
by Dictionary Scoop We all have nursery rhymes etched in our memory, verses that take us straight back to our childhood. But behind some of those catchy, cheerful tunes lie surprisingly dark and mysterious origins rooted in real-life history. Join us to discover the hidden stories behind the most popular nursery rhymes. 1-The …
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In Praise Of Mexico, Lettuce And Billy Joel
by Kevin Burton On a tip from a new friend, I knocked on the door of Interlingua language school one day, and asked the good people there to employ me. Shockingly, they took me up on it. This was in the Reagan 80s. I was in somebody else’s country, Mexico, and somebody …
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“Love Will Keep Us Together” Is Pop Perfection
by Kevin Burton Did you know the 1975 smash “Love Will Keep Us Together” by Captain and Tennile is actually a breakup song? Hey, I was there. Yes it is, a breakup song! Well, sort of. Fifty years ago today it was in the beginning of a four-week run at the …
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How I Rode Cold Notes Straight To The Top
by Kevin Burton Today we finish up the Dictionary Scoop website’s list of jargon phrases used in journalism. As I did yesterday, I will add to the list. “Above The Fold” is a term that refers to stories and pictures that appear in the top half of the front page. It’s the part …
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Deflated Wichita State Program Limps Offstage
by Kevin Burton Well, at least it’s over. The 2024-25 version of Wichita State basketball bowed out yesterday, when the Shockers lost an American Athletic Conference tournament quarterfinal game to Memphis 83-80. The team went 19-14 this year and will not go to a post-season tournament. They were far from sublime, not …
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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 …
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Catsongs: Music And Cats, Memories And Love
by Kevin Burton Had I had the mind to write this while she was still alive, my late sister Pat would have loved this series. It has been more than five months since she died, and reading that “late sister Pat” line above is still jarring and surreal. This is visceral. Nothing …
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