Categories
history

The Hinge of History

Stalingrad.   A name and place forever linked with the Red Army’s defeat of Adolf Hitler’s Wehrmacht, which marked the end of the German advance into Russia. Winston Churchill deemed the denouement of World War II’s epic battle as the ‘hinge of history’.  Indeed, the front line of the war that swung east into Russia would […]

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Current Events history

HISTORIC CHURCHES PARALLEL ST. LOUIS’ PAST AND PRESENT

Church steeples cast evening shadows across St. Louis highways as retreating commuters sail home to safe suburban harbors. These spires stand as testaments to our historic City’s remarkable growth while their church bells resonate with tales of urban decline. Many city churches have already closed while still more stand on the precipice as the St. […]

Categories
Current Events

Extinguish the Death Penalty

The recent execution of Kevin Johnson by lethal injection conjures Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s novel, The Idiot where the story’s protagonist describes how he would paint a picture of a guillotine execution that he witnessed in France, which still proves apt today: “……the convict’s face as white as paper; the priest holding up the cross, the man […]

Categories
travel

A Road Less Traveled on the Great Plains of Kansas

All things must pass, and so it is with western road trips.  The road points east on Colorado’s Interstate 70 run through the mountains, one of the few stretches that avoids an Interstate’s dash-lined trance.  Glenwood Canyon remains a marvel, a place of awe both for the snow-capped highlands, and the engineering that shoehorned the […]

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People

The Joy of Being Grandparents

Parents’ responsibilities for their children persist like the ocean’s surf that repeatedly laps upon their shore. Grandparents sit on higher ground.   We find relief from the physical demands of our grandchildren—and they do wear us out—when we return them to their parents.  Our time with them has limits, which generally arrives when enjoyment turns to […]

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sports

Harry & Jack with Mr. Cub

Hell-o again, everybody.  Harry Caray here along with Jack Buck before the start of the Cardinal/Cub doubleheader.  Jack, I hardly recognized Wrigley Field last night, what with Rizzo, Baez and Bryant run out of town and ex-Red Bird Heyward taking a powder in the Cub house.   The only thing that seemed like normal was still […]

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People

The Trainee

Frank Wainwright served as McDonalds’ night manager, having attained his status after nearly two years in the fry pit where he earned the reputation as an unflappable flipper who unceasingly delivered product during the lunch and dinner rush.    As a manager, he wore a white shirt and tie along with a cheerful countenance when […]

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music People

Paul McCartney: A man for the ages turns 80 years of age.

“I’m in awe of Paul McCartney…..He can do it all and he’s never let up…. He’s got the gift for melody (and) rhythm. He can play any instrument. He can scream and shout as good as anybody and he can sing the ballad as good as anybody…And his melodies are…. effortless.… I’m in awe of […]

Categories
sports

Hockey Broadcasting 101

Hockey ices the fastest game in Sports, combining speed with physicality and finesse.  As such, hockey provides sportscasters the most challenging assignment—keeping pace with game itself.  But all too often, those who call the action miss the mark as they lack an understanding of the basics of a good broadcast: A play-by-play man with good […]

Categories
travel

Western Road Trip

The Road West: Can there be any other direction out of Missouri?   The East has the history, the farms, the hardwood forests, the figurative and literal green.   But the American West captures the nation’s imagination and momentum, its majesty and myth.  More than a geographic place, the American West means the Great Wide Open.  And […]