For years, the best man at my wedding said he hated "The Birthday Song" and never wanted people to sing it to him. So one year we were challenged to write a new song that he couldn't complain about. Music maestro Aaron Gee-Clough composed some music, and I bashed out the lyrics.
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An appreciation of Russian sociologist Boris Grushin, written by Steve Grant.
View To Boris Grushin on His 75th Birthday »
To copy editors, the “serial comma” refers to separation of listed elements (in a series, get it?). Specifically, the final comma in the construction “I like apples, pears, and oranges.” Somewhere along the line, newspaper editors who were obsessed with saving space decided the final comma was redundant. Today, the serial comma is omitted more…
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My friend Andrei, from Moscow School No. 45, got married in September 2007. Since his American wife’s family was mostly from Massachusetts, the wedding was held in Salem. Large bride’s party; smaller groom’s party able to make the trip from Russia. I wanted to bring a little balance to the reception, so I toted along…
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I’m not fluent in French, but when I heard the original Jacques Brel song on which the 1973 pop hit “Seasons in the Sun” was based, I could tell it was a very different song. I was surprised to discover that the lyrics translation had been done by famous poet Rod McKuen. How could he have gone so far astray in his translation?
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I've often been asked about my favorite books, a question that defies a succint answer. But I certainly have many best-loved books, so I thought I'd share them here. I'll post them in three lists: favorite books for children, favorite fantasy & science fiction books, and other fiction and nonfiction favorites. This first list covers children's literature.
View My Favorite Books for Children »
Part 2 of my favorite book lists—the fantasy and science fiction edition.
View My Favorite Fantasy and Science Fiction Books »
Third and final list of books, this time covering general fiction and nonfiction.
View My Other Favorite Books »
The first installment of a project I've been kicking around for (mumble, mumble). Ok, yes, I said decades.
View The Great Secrets »Sadly, Web layout and typography doesn’t quite live up to my standards for print. And maybe you prefer to read everything in one place, instead of scattered across multiple pages. So I’ll be updating this PDF alongside the Web version of The Great Secrets.
View The Great Secrets (PDF) »