The Eloquent Listener
We have a lot of fast talkers, sweet talkers and trash talkers. We have few eloquent listeners. “Eloquent” isn’t a word often used to modify “listener.” However, it is what … Continue reading
See the Movie Before Asking for a Refund
There is an eerie similarity of unreality in the lawsuit House Speaker John Boehner will lodge against President Obama over his “executive actions” and North Korea’s threats emanating from the … Continue reading
Just Don’t Bother Me with the Facts, Ma’am
We’ve come a long ways from the days of Dragnet’s Sergeant Joe Friday calmly explaining, “All we want are the facts, ma’am.” Now people don’t believe facts when they see … Continue reading
Putting F-U-N in Funerals
Few people are able to reprise Tom Sawyer’s appearance at his own funeral. But a few people at least want to show their face. Miriam Burbank made plans through a … Continue reading
The Old Boys of Summer
Warm, sunny afternoons bring back sweet memories of my second childhood, playing men’s adult baseball. As Ernie Banks would say, good weather meant it was a great day to play … Continue reading
Concert on Your Couch
I would go to a lot more concerts if they occurred on my lap. That may now be possible as online platforms such as Stageit and Concert Window are bringing musicians … Continue reading
Just Glad It Wasn’t an Angry, Parachuting Meatball
There is a current TV ad featuring a spicy parachuting meatball that splats marinara sauce on a guy’s shoulder. I can relate. At an outside dinner with colleagues several years ago, … Continue reading
Picassos with a Dent Lifter
Some people chase rainbows, others chase hail storms. They are the hail-chasing paintless dent removers. Ice balls from heaven dent cars. Auto body shops can pound them out, but that … Continue reading
Disagreeable Agreement and Greed
The Pew Research findings last week show a nation deeply divided. Its report makes it sound like Americans can’t agree on anything. I disagree. We overwhemlingly agree that we strongly … Continue reading
Baboons, Foxes and Stu of Silverton
RadioLab explored the murky realm of change, examining the pacification of male baboons, domestication of Russian foxes and the transgender migration of Stu Rasmussen. You don’t have to be a … Continue reading
The Battle of the Bookworms
Voters in Virginia’s 7th Congressional District will be witness to an old-fashioned debate between two college professors who may know more about the past than the present. This improbable contest … Continue reading
He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother
When the Hollies recorded their song several decades ago, they may have foreseen Hunter Gandee, the 14-year-old Michigan boy who strapped his younger brother on his back and walked 40 … Continue reading
Gary Conkling Life Notes 