Stop, now, what’s that sound? — Nature is said to abhor a vacuum. The human ear and brain abhor silence. If auditory stimulation from the outside world is diminished, the brain and the ear will make up for it, creating phantom sounds that are usually labeled tinnitus. Though it’s often used interchangeably with “ringing in the…

A playful ditty about getting back down to the real nitty gritty First, a big shout out to fellow Medium contributor Scott Vatour. His recent post, “A sustainable future may bankrupt Elon Musk/Electric cars are no magical solution to the future’s pollution problems,” is a great read, and it reminded…

Someone, please explain this Medium . . . to me — The more I read and explore on Medium, the more I feel as though, like Alice, I’ve fallen down a rabbit hole or stepped through the looking glass. And not just because I’ve already encountered the equivalents of the Mad Hatter, the Tweedles, the Cheshire Cat, and the Red Queen. …

A poem about life, death, tomatoes, product placement, and rebirth — Sacrament I want to be a sacrament When I die Mix my ashes with garden soil, Miracle Gro Put us in the plot I tilled and tended every spring Plant tomatoes — Beefsteaks, Better Boys and Brandywines Water well And when we ripen Slice us thick and lay us out…

Farewell to the writer/producer who showed us ourselves in a fun house mirror I was saddened to hear of the passing of writer/producer Norman Lear, but how many of us make it to 101? And what a life he had. Here’s the “citation” that I wrote about him when I…

Walking is really good for you, so here are some songs to do it to Our popular culture gets more disposable by the day. Wonderful music from last century — that would be the 20th — is fading into obscurity. I envision a themed oldies podcast or weekly hour on…

My Mama done told me, when I was in knee pants — I had my first encounter with a Christian nationalist when I was 10 or 11 years old. I didn’t know the man was a Christian nationalist. I doubt he knew he was a Christian nationalist. The term hadn’t been coined. But he was one or would be if he were…

Get down, get thankful with these songs of gratitude — Much too much of the delightful pop music from last century is slipping into obscurity. Our popular culture gets more disposable by the day. I have this vision of a themed oldies podcast or weekly hour on public radio — Pop Stand? — that would introduce vintage hits and oddities…

Some songs about prevaricating, fibbing and outright lying — Too much of the delightful pop music from last century is slipping into obscurity. Our popular culture gets more disposable by the day. I have this vision of a themed oldies podcast or weekly hour on public radio that would introduce vintage hits and oddities to a new audience. I…