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Updike on Easter (2018 Edition)

The Deep Roots Easter tradition continues with the 2018 edition of "Updike on Easter: Seven Voices on 'Seven Stanzas," being a septet of opinions on the import of Updike's powerful poem.
by David McGee
 

 
 
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Reality Check

An ad from Malaysian Airlines that needs to be retired, if it isn't already...
by David McGee
 

 

 
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Charles Ives Home Has Date With Wrecking Ball

Efforts to save the Redding, CT, home where composer CHARLES IVES lived and work appear to have failed, and developers may now raze the house, pave paradise and put up a parking lot. The Charles Ives Society continues to fight ...
by David McGee
 

 
 
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‘Man is like a breath; his days are like a fleeting shadow’

George Morton came and went like a shadow, producing great '60s singles for the Shangri-Las and Janis Ian, and shortly thereafter, disappearing. But the Shadow left his mark. Remembering a pop great.
by David McGee
 

 

 
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Factoid: Casablanca Is 70

On November 26, 1942, Warner Bros. premiered its new Michael Curtiz-directed film Casablanca, starring Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman and Hans Conreid. In 'Casablanca is 70," we reveal some fascinating factoids and falsehoods ...
by David McGee
 

 
 
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Dancing Bears: la danse de l’ours

Dancing bears have been around since at least the Middle Ages. Sheer Folk blogger SERGIO RIBNKIKOV GUNNARSON has been studying the rather obscure history of these mammalian hoofers and herein reports on his findings.
by David McGee
 

 

 
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The Quiet Heroism of ‘Right Living’

Contributing editor MICHAEL SIGMAN reflects on the recent fall of 'self-appointed heroes' and the virtues of 'quietly going about one's business.'
by David McGee
 

 
 
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Voicemail Transcriber Gives New Meaning to Pop Lyrics

As currently constituted, voicemail transcription, a promising but troubled technology, is giving new meaning to pop lyrics. Contributing editor MICHAEL SIGMAN files a first-person report on same.
by David McGee
 

 

 
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We Review Roger Ebert

Remembering ROGER EBERT, a three-part tribute, including his Great Movies: The First 100 list & a tribute to Beneath the Valley of the Dolls
by David McGee
 

 
 
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Jesse Winchester: Talk Memphis

JESSE WINCHESTER Tribute, Part 2: a Jesse monologue, his most extensive comments on his years in and abiding love for Memphis--'It was the world to me'--from an interview with Crossroads to Freedom.
by David McGee
 

 

 
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The Enigma Variations: Living with Lawrence

December 2012 was the 50th anniversary of David Lean's epic, Academy Award winning Lawrence of Arabia. Contributing editor Christopher Hill was nine when he first saw the movie. Herein he reflects on that life altering event.
by David McGee
 

 
 
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‘The Cry of Anguished Protest, The First of Many Wrought From Me’

From The Bluegrass Special archives: an updated feature on the enigma that was the late BEVERLY KENNEY: Her voice was soft and cool, her eyes were clear and bright, but she's not there.
by David McGee