It started out with Bob Dylan, I think, the grand concept of the sensitive and confessional singer/songwriter. And he was very good at it, as were Joni Mitchell, Paul Simon, Randy Newman, Phil Ochs, even Carole King. Some of these folks were VERY good singers and others made do with the voices they had. But it […]
The High Art of Vocal Interpretation Read More »
My dad grew up on a farm in Indiana. His parents stocked the property with different breeds of animals, all consigned to death for food because the family wasn’t rich and was doing what it needed to do to survive. From early on, my dad studied the relationships between animal intelligence, behavior, and appearance. For
A tragic bullfight in Spain a few years ago that left Matador Victor Barrio gored to death marked the first time in decades that any bullfighter had been killed by a bull. This sad event made me recall the only authentic Spanish bullfight ever held in the United States. And it happened right in our back yard. It
A Spanish Bullfight in America Read More »
My daughter Ziva was about eight months old at the time. She was in her carrier in the shopping cart at a local store. Upon leaving, my daughter started crying. As the minutes passed, her crying started to get louder, to a near scream. I had learned in the past to just allow the child
Spanking and the Right to Raise Children Responsibly Read More »
My head was hurting. A lot. Not quite to the point of wanting to throw up, but close. Not a migraine which I do not get. It was a sinus headache, which I do get thanks to some unpleasant encounters with a baseball during my childhood. I have Tylenol for such occasions, but it was
This continues a series of columns that feature a much-loved poem and poems that speak to, or resonate with, that poem. This week’s poem is “Wild Geese,” written by Mary Oliver. The second poem, “Mindfulness” by Wang Wei, fits well with the spiritual message of the Oliver poem. The third poem, “October Dusk” by Diane
Kevin’s Much-Loved Poems—“Wild Geese,” “Mindfulness,” and “October Dusk” Read More »