Pearl DeVere, the most famous madam of the Colorado gold rush era, was a bit of a mystery. She is said to have had red hair and milky white skin, but no picture of her exists. Born near Chicago, Illinois in a small town called Evansville, Pearl (not her real name) was raised by wealthy […]
Pioneer Profiles: Pearl DeVere Read More »
Starting with my dad, people have been telling me to Stand Up Straight all my life. He told me. The Army told me. My friends told me, and probably a few enemies. No one ever told me how, until last year, when my chiropractor was moved to show me a little exercise in which I
Three Little Words Read More »
Much jazz writing has proceeded from the Great Man theory of history. If you’re trying to fashion a narrative, it’s a convenient theory. Buddy Bolden begat King Oliver begat Louis Armstrong begat Roy Eldridge begat Dizzy Gillespie; Bix Beiderbecke begat Bobby Hackett begat Chet Baker. And so on. These trains of influence are supportable to
The Democracy of Jazz Read More »
In the spring of 1917, the American Expeditionary Forces entered World War I under the command of General John J. “Black Jack” Pershing, who had also led the famous 10th Cavalry Regiment of African-American “Buffalo Soldiers” during the Indian wars and the Spanish-American conflict. In fact, “Black Jack,” his nickname, was initially an insult leveled
A General’s Family Tragedy Read More »
Montezuma Well is an ecosystem unlike any other. It’s a collapsed limestone sinkhole located in the juniper-mesquite shrublands of Verde Valley, Arizona. It holds a 55-foot-deep body of water rich in CO2 and thin in oxygen. The heavy ambient air makes a trek through the area feel like a tranquil dream. This sensation alone is a worthwhile experience. Two hot
Despite the prevalence of digital information exchange, paper is still widely used in North America, for anything from wedding invitations to ballot mail-ins to arts & crafts. According to the Forest Ethics organization, paper consumption in North America has declined, but global paper consumption has increased. However, despite the decrease in consumption, North America still
Hemp Is the Future of Paper Read More »