Daily Blues & Views

     I recently discovered the newsletter of Kareem Abdul Jabbar, the famous basketball player, now retired.  I subscribed and found his take on various events in the news both well-written and most enjoyable.   I'm not surprised, as I've read some of his books and followed his on and off-the-court career for years.     We go way back, Kareem and I.  I'm about 6 months older than he, and we shared some of the same classes in college at UCLA.     Most noteworthy were the two African-American history classes taught by Dr. Ron Yakaki in 1967 and 1968.  These were among the first Black history courses in the University of California system.  As history majors at UCLA, it was probably inevitable that our paths would cross in a classroom or two.       Occasionally I'd see Kareem on campus walking to class like any other student.  He was hard to miss.  I recall he often walked with a woman who may ha...

      Psychologists have long studied the nature of play in and for children.  Often, the bottom line here is imagination.  The essence of play for many children is the ability to imagine and then model the people and things we see.     But Play, like most social institutions is changing...rapidly.  Kids don't play the way they used to, quite simply.  Something is lost and gained because of that.  Take three generations and sit them down and discuss the nature of play.  What and how did you play as a child and how does that differ from kids today and how did it differ from your parent's generation?     The technology developed in the last few decades seems to be the driving factor in describing these differences.  Today everything is virtual as opposed to real.  Sure kids still play Monopoly and maybe even Clue but they rarely invent their own games.       I think my childhood, growing up...

      With the release of the long-awaited work of the late blues scholar Mack McCormick, I decided to read what blues enthusiasts and ethnomusicologists were crowing about.  McCormick was reputed to be the best source on the subject of Robert Johnson, the Mississippi Delta bluesman that is generally regarded as the force for much of what later became Rhythm and Blues and Rock and Roll.      His archive was enormous if organized.  Filled with notes, photos, records, and clippings, and Mack was always going to write a book.  After his death, the entire bundle went to the Smithsonian. Fortunately, the book that was always promised came to light posthumously.  It did not disappoint. However, it is not the last word on Johnson, whose short life, (he died at 27) was always shrouded in myth and legend.       Slowly, the veil is lifting and the real Johnson is beginning to emerge after decades of misinformation and just plai...