Old-school news, just in time
by Kevin Burton I’m supposed to be good with words, but sometimes there just aren’t any. I’m having trouble expressing my distress at the violent death of Actor/Director Rob Reiner. Reiner and his wife Michele were found dead Sunday and their son Nick is now facing two counts of murder. Sadness, disbelief, anger, …
Continue reading “Farewell To The Meathead, Closing Credits”
by Dictionary Scoop Just as a river constantly flows yet maintains its continuity, languages change and evolve over time. Words can shift in spelling, alter their meanings, or branch into entirely new concepts while retaining the essence that once defined them. Even in modern times, with dictionaries and education standardizing pronunciations and definitions, notable differences …
Continue reading “Words Whose Standard Spelling Has Changed”
by Kevin Burton Here’s the story of a woman I had never heard of before, who could and should be put on a US postage stamp. As a woman and a disabled person, she was way ahead of her time in effectively fighting the good fight for marginalized people. May God bless any …
Continue reading “Blind Lawyer Pioneer Fought For The Disabled”
by Kevin Burton The Dictionary Scoop website illustrated its list of old technologies with a picture of a cassette tape, but then didn’t see fit to include cassettes in its discussion. There’s an oldie but a goodie, right? Well I just bought some cassettes! I have a lot of music on cassette …
Continue reading “Old Tech: Not Forgotten And Not Even Gone”
by Kevin Burton OK, so this is what I get for digging into my favorite songs. First, Happy birthday to singer-songwriter Art Garfunkel, born on this day in 1941. I do not have a present for him today, but I have been pondering within his great gift to us. It was the …
Continue reading “Happy Birthday To The Great Art Garfunkel”
by Dictionary Scoop The beautiful Italian language includes terms that perfectly encapsulate the meaning of things other languages need more than one word to define. Since food and classical music are two very successful Italian exports, it should come as no surprise that many words we use in English-speaking countries relating to these …
Continue reading “Italian Words That We Use (Most) Every Day”
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 I love Bonnie Raitt more this week than I did before, and that’s saying something. Raitt announced Monday that proceeds from her Sept. 23 concert in Carmel By The Sea, California, will go to support investigative journalism and protect a free press. “Special guest Roy Rogers will support the …
Continue reading “Bonnie Raitt Supports A Free Press, Journalism”
by Dictionary Scoop Are you a cool cat? Or a groovy alligator? The Age of Jazz had a vast cultural influence on both American music and culture, but one of its most curious aspects was “jive talk”” the quirky jargon it birthed. Largely influenced by jazz singer Cab Calloway – who authored at least two dictionaries …
by Kevin Burton My father wanted me to study computer programming in college. He had that charming way of pushing his desires for himself onto other people. I wanted to be a journalist – an unblinking champion of the truth and a painter with words. I had that charming way of evaluating ideas …
Continue reading “Studies Say Music Is The Way To Brainpower”
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