Curations from the Human Jungle
[My wife and I and our 3 month old son, Jacob, relocated from the suburbs of Boston to West Brookfield, Vermont in the spring of 1979. West Brookfield was our Brigadoon, a Vermont hamlet on a dirt crossroads with a church and a one-room schoolhouse. It was the village of my dreams. The village of... Continue Reading →
[I can't keep reprinting Dave Barry's stuff and counting it as Silverback Digest. This review of The Odyssey, however, is not to be missed: https://davebarry.substack.com/p/the-odyssey?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=3774851&post_id=209181481&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=296zu&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email Meanwhile, back to Silverback Digest ... [As part of my college class's 55th Reunion, we sent a survey asking what they found funny. Here's an uncurated list, randomly juxtaposed with... Continue Reading →
Silverbacks ... here's a fantasy ... a dream Beatles excursions with a couple of hot mojigangas!! Silverbelle Mary Bernadette suggests we go on a Beatles Pilgrimage: " I did a bit of a pilgrimage like this back in ‘08 on my own in the UK - The Hard Days Night Hotel was just being built then.... Continue Reading →
[I've written several opening to this. They all sound snarky and defensive ... exactly what you would expect from a non-New Yorker. SB SM] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ae_LySA8zFk Nathan Cohen6d America and America 5d Troy, PA to Ithaca, NY takes even less time! Dave2h From the movie “Breaking Away”: Cyril: My dad said Jesus never went more than 30... Continue Reading →
[What I always like about lists like this is that someone usually gets seriously offended. I don't really expect anyone to listen to all six minutes of "Like a Rolling Stone." SB SM] Credit: Far Out / Album Covers / Alamy 10 albums from the 1960s that we would rate an 11/10 Dale Maplethorpe Sat... Continue Reading →
[I'm convinced that a willingness to fail is an essential component of success. If failure is the standard against which greatness is measured, then Orson Welles ranks right at the top of the list. Ted Gioia takes a look at some of the man's greatest shortcomings. The clips are pretty interesting, especially the trailer for... Continue Reading →
[Thanks to SB Dave for this (Arid Zone SBs). Yean, it's Harvard, but it's still pretty good. But let's not forget how good the original is, too. SB SM] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHUclX7Qn1s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBSu_ltDu1w&list=RDGBSu_ltDu1w&start_radio=1 this guy ain't too shabby, either ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H46yXW4qR_M
[Another of Nature's odd and wondrous creatures that we take for granted. SB SM] The Outside Story Dangerous Dragonflies By Rachel Sargent Mirus Imagine you’re a fruit fly by the pond on a sunny day, whirring along in search of food or other flies. Suddenly, you’re scooped up, whisked to a perch, and efficiently devoured... Continue Reading →
[I find something appealing about the confirmed wandering troubadour. they always seem to have a decent perspective on the world. I'd rather be a CWT than a rock star any day (says he, never having been either). Actually, one of my fantasies, lame as it sounds is to be a street musician in a retirement... Continue Reading →
https://www.upworthy.com/aging-millennials-proudly-admit-their-boomer-parents-were-right-about-15-things-ex1-2/ By Tod Perry By Upworthy Staff Jun 28, 2026 A few years back, a lot of ink was spilled on the generational fights between idealistic, sensitive, and possibly a bit entitled young people and their Baby Boomer parents, who, as stereotypes go, went from being idealistic flower children to selfish, grumpy conservatives in the 2000s. The... Continue Reading →