Blogging And Trying To Cure A 7-Year Ache

by Kevin Burton    So I missed my window.  Again.  As Stockard Channing’s character Betty Rizzo sang in “Grease,” “there are worse things I could do….”    This here blog, Page 7, turned seven years old July 20 and I didn’t usher it into year eight properly, with a birthday post.    One reason was …

“Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” Turns 50

by Kevin Burton    The song that topped the pop chart 50 years ago today was for me, a guilty pleasure.    “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” by Elton John and Kiki Dee was an international smash.  In addition to the US, it was number 1 in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Rhodesia, South Africa, …

Note To Self: Make It Happen Already

by Kevin Burton    Sometime in the 90s when I worked at a photo lab, a co-worker asked me a question;.    “If you could do anything you wanted to do, what would it be?”    My answerer was something about spreading the gospel.    “What’s stopping you?” He asked.    His point was nothing …

Hail English, That Wonderful Weirdo Language

by Dictionary Scoop    English is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world, but that doesn’t mean it is easy to explain. In fact, some of its strangest features might surprise even native speakers.    Here are 10 fascinating things that make English unique. 1-The “-ough”    If you’ve ever talked with someone …

Long Live The Frontiersman And Print News

by Kevin Burton    On the morning of my first day as a full-time honest-to-God newspaper reporter, a game of musical chairs broke out.    Musical desks too.    I had been hired by The Frontiersman in Wasilla, Alaska, to replace a local government reporter. I was a second choice. The person they hired first …

Characters So Real, We Wanted Them To Exist

by Dictionary Scoop    Literature has given us characters that transcend the page, capturing imaginations and defining genres.    From heroic adventurers to beloved childhood icons and cunning antiheroes, these ten figures have left an indelible mark on readers worldwide. Each has a unique story and a lasting legacy that continues to shape culture and …

Is Ringo’s New Record Better Than Paul’s

by Kevin Burton    I’ve had a ton of fun writing about pop music on Page 7. But I have juuuuust about talked myself out of the notion that I am any kind of knowledgeable, creditable music critic.    And I’m getting close to swearing off all music critics. I mean, we like what we …

Will You Use These Ten Weird Words?

by Kevin Burton    The cautionary note from Dictionary Scoop regarding today’s content is “Warning: once you learn these strange words, you’ll start using them!”    Well I don’t think so, other than one I already use and another I might use, sparingly. Thinking of words as tools, I would decline to jam most of …

Ten English Words Borrowed From Dutch

by Merriam-Webster Dictionary Caboodle: all of a group of things    So, you’ve gone and got yourself a kit. Very nice, very nice. Looks like a sewing kit, or maybe a first aid kit. Okay, now we see it’s a model airplane kit. Congratulations. But do you have the caboodle that, we presume from the phrase …

Dave Mason And A Place That’s Far Away

by Kevin Burton    There was just one song that brought Dave Mason into my top-40-based musical awareness in the 70s, but that was enough to keep him there.    Mason died April 19, and tributes began to pour in from people who knew him as I didn’t,  as a co-founder of the British rock …