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...

 Going to the barber shop is an entirely different experience in 2023 than it was as a kid in the 1950s and 60s.  Back then,  it was a man's world with calendars, magazines, and conversation. It was all male-centered.   There was one barber who specialized in cutting women's hair, but I only saw him do that a few times in my first 20 years.  Today, I go to what I like to call, "my hipster barber shop."  Depending on the time of day, you can sip a beer or some good whiskey while waiting.  There are a few coffee table-type books but most folks just amuse themselves on their smartphones.  Those phones are used for obtaining appointments and making payments, including tips for the work done. In my barber shop today, the haircutters are both men and women.  An equal number usually.  But what I like most is the conversation I enjoy with my favorite barber there.  He's young, 26, and loves to chat.  He's also very good at what he...

 On the eve of my 25th Wedding Anniversary  Our slow dance continues,    We walk this silver path together  into a new forest. We have received the greatest gift of all,           Time The best rest on this sojourn is the    Space we find available...always. We are only alone with ourselves when it matters,    Beyond fear and despair, The music plays ever slowly for partners     Who care, and are there.

      It was bound to happen.  A shooting at a high school graduation just seems par for the course these days.  I can't think of a worse place for panic.  As a veteran of at least 30 high school graduations, I've seen them decline in quality and substance.  For that reason, I volunteered to run the tryouts and judging of grad speakers at my high school.  I did that for about 10 years.  Of course, there were other judges that included students and parents.  A well-balanced approach.     What I noticed is that the ceremony of the graduation became increasingly less formal.  So much so that it began to feel like a mockery.  Aside from students dancing or romping, or strutting across the stage, the parents often were most out of control.  The "ceremony was so noisy on the occasion that no one could hear anything.       It got so bad that most educators I know couldn't wait for it all to end....

 Hovering out on the ragged edge of civilization right now is the phenomenon we’re suddenly hearing so much about called AI. Thinking and conceptualizing beyond the human mind. Already teachers are becoming increasingly wary of who or what is doing the writing on tests and assignments. Is the intelligence human or artificial? Think of it as Photoshop for the mind. Just as you can take a simple photo of a dog and instantly put him in a desert, a ship at sea, or in outer space, so too can essays and treatises be written by tapping into the vast database of what exists or what is possible. Like most of us, I barely understand all this myself. However, what seems to be screaming at me is the question, how on earth will we ever be able to tell what is real and what is not? Think of the consequences. Will our collective personalities become increasingly skeptical or paranoid? What a life huh?  Much like the inception of nuclear energy, human nature is truly going to be put to the te...