Old-school news, just in time
by Dictionary Scoop They say that bad artists imitate, but it takes a great artist to make something new out of the work of others. In the world of music, the thin line between inspiration and plagiarism is often full of controversy, even when the similarities were not intended. Whether it’s a …
Continue reading “Stealing Grooves? Plagiarism or Coincidence?”
by Kevin Burton You may not have heard of some of the words on today’s list from Merriam-Webster, especially the first one. The dictionary is serving up words about insignificance. But the first offering is from my childhood days at the Ohio State School for the Blind. I may have heard this …
by interestingfacts.com From clandestine codes understood only by women to local argots developed in geographically isolated communities, the world is filled with enigmatic languages and jargons. Join us on a linguistic journey as we shed light on some of the cryptic methods people have used to converse throughout history: 1-Boontling (Boonville, California, USA) …
by Kevin Burton Turning on the radio is like opening a musical fire hydrant. The product comes at you fast and furious. When I was young I lacked the discernment to understand that some of the musical water being spewed out by that hydrant was more nourishing than some of the other. …
Continue reading “Joni Mitchell’s Masterpiece, “Both Sides Now””
by Kevin Burton “At the time of Charles Schulz’s death he had produced 17,897 strips, and Peanuts had run in more than 2,600 newspapers worldwide and been translated into 21 languages,” reports http://www.interestingfacts.com. Today we continue yesterday’s post, presenting more facts from that website. I know for a fact that the Peanuts gang speaks …
Continue reading ““Peanuts” First To Introduce Minority Character”
by interestingfacts.com Charlie Brown and his gang of lovable young’uns are bonafide stars when it comes to classic American comic strip characters. Peanuts, the brainchild of cartoonist Charles Schulz, is so well-known that many of its quotes and common catchphrases are now a part of our cultural lexicon. (Think: “Good grief,” “AAUGH,” and …
by Tracy Conly (Tracy Conly is a longtime friend from our days at the Ohio State School for the Blind, a great Braille reader and advocate for the blind. This is her reaction to our March 15 story “A New Tool In The Fight For Braille Literacy.”) “Braille changes lives. It gives thousands …
Continue reading “Far From Being Obsolete, Braille Is Essential”
by Dictionary Scoop In every language, there is a type of gem known as idioms that add spice to our conversations, relying on context and shared understanding to convey messages in a not-so-direct way. Today, we’ll explore ten idioms in English that play with numbers. 1 One-horse town Many idioms begin as a literal phrase that …
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 …
Continue reading “Gerry Rafferty Was Born 77 Years Ago Today”
by Kevin Burton International Songwriters Day was observed yesterday and I’m staying on that theme. This post is a service to all you songwriters, or really any kind of writers, out there. But who am I kidding, it’s also to keep my head in the game and stoke those musical fires again. …
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