[…] This story offers a case study of some recent history at the Exxon (now ExxonMobil) oil refinery and chemical complex at Baton Rouge, Louisiana, beginning with the 1989 Christmas Eve explosion there that killed 3 workers and left extensive damage… Several other incidents through the 1990s and up to 2020 are also covered, as well as reviews of some past litigation involving neighboring residents seeking damages, and one report from the U.S. Chemical Safety & Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) on an isobutane incident there […]

[…] This topics page offers more than a dozen football story choices, including: Joe Namath’s 1960s career and his famous Super Bowl III prediction; a famous tackle by Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Chuck Bednarik on NY Giant’s star running back, Frank Gifford; the “500-Yards Club” of single-game passing performances by a select list of NFL quarterbacks; the riveting 1958 Colts-Giants overtime championship game that set the modern, big-time pro-football business juggernaut in motion… and much more […]

[…] This story presents a detailed overview and synopsis of the 1965 Hollywood epic, “Doctor Zhivago,” an Oscar-winning David Lean film set in the time of the Russian Revolution staring Omar Sharif, Julie Christie, Rod Steiger and others… The story includes numerous screenshots from the film, samples of the award-winning soundtrack including “Lara’s Theme,” and a recap of early and later film reviews, critic quotes, director and screenwriter comment, box office standing $$, and awards received […]

[…] A 2009 TV ad featuring a memorable Moody Blues song riff is used to set up a longer story on how this British group found their grove in the late 1960s to become musical innovators with what became known as “progressive” and “orchestral” rock… A key album, Days of Future Passed, and two of its hit songs are explored – “Nights in White Satin” and “Tuesday Afternoon” – to showcase the Moody Blues lyrical and musical talents, who became fan favorites and an influence on other musicians of that era […]

[…] In the early 2020s, Bob Dylan, Tina Turner, Paul Simon, Sting, Stevie Nicks, David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, and dozens of other rock stars, made mega-million dollar music rights deals, selling their song catalogs and/or royalty rights to the big music labels, new investment players, and other entertainment interests…These artists and their deals are profiled, along with brief career re-caps, song samples, and a listing of more than 50 other artists who have also sold music rights… A major shift and consolidation in music power is occurring, and streaming in the digital age is now one of the primary drivers […]

[…]This story highlights a 1990-92 battle between Friends of The Earth and the Du Pont chemical company over a Du Pont TV ad that environmentalists charged “glossed over” the company’s pollution record, including stratospheric ozone damage … Story details some of the Du Pont record in those years (mid-1970s through early 1990s), while also covering later environmental & public health issues in current times through mid-2023 regarding Du Pont and the PFAS chemicals. Video of TV ad included, as well as photos, period newspaper clips, book covers & links […]

[…] Toxic train derailment at Mississauga, Ontario in 1979 offers a case study of how a large town of more than 250,000 people dealt with a dangerous, near-midnight derailment of toxic chemical rail cars, including exploding propane cars, giant fireballs, and a leaky chlorine tanker… A suburb of nearby Toronto – the destination city only miles away – Mississauga had extensive and well-managed evacuations during a week-long ordeal… Given the fortuitous location of the derailment at an open space area, a much more serious outcome could have occurred had the train derailed at Toronto… Officials knew they had dodged a major catastrophe […]

[…] On August 6th, 2012, a major explosion and fire occurred at the Chevron oil refinery in Richmond, CA – the off-site vapor cloud and pollution from which sent 15,000 people to seek medical treatment. It was one of 124 other “significant” oil refinery incidents that occurred that year across the U.S., which the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, commonly known as the CSB, decided to single out by listing them separately in its final Chevron report. That listing is presented here in a somewhat different format, along with commentary, photos, and links to a number of books on oil refinery dangers and pollution – which are still apparent every year across the U.S.[…]

[…] This story focuses on a satirical Randy Newman song from the 1970s, “Political Science,” in which an Archie Bunker-type narrator calls for dropping “the big one” – i.e., atomic bombs – on all those “undeserving and ungrateful nations” who disrespect America !… The song’s satire, however, has moved closer to reality over the years… Other Newman songs are also explored in this piece, along with his 12 studio albums, notable movie scores, honors & accolades, with photos, commentary & three full song samples […]

[…] This story explores the global pollution by “pre-production plastic” known as “nurdles”… The tiny plastic pellets are produced (and “lost’) in the trillions by major petrochemical firms like Dow, ExxonMobil, Shell Oil, Formosa Plastic, and others – also handled and mishandled by thousands of fabricators, packaging plants, railroads, truckers, ocean-going container vessels & others… They have become a pollution nightmare – part of the microplastics onslaught – spilling in rivers, lakes, bays, and oceans, covering beaches and riverbanks, menacing and killing wildlife, picking up toxic chems, and posing possible threats to human health… More than a dozen stories here include major spills, environmental impacts, citizen action, litigation outcomes, and more […]

[…] In the mid-1980s, the Dow Chemical Co. began an upbeat advertising campaign with the theme, “Dow Lets You Do Great Things,” featuring a catchy tune and optimistic young graduates eager to join Dow’s business. The $50 million-plus PR campaign was designed to fix some bad corporate optics — including the likes of napalm, Agent Orange, and dioxin pollution that had plagued the company from the mid-1960s through the early 1980s. This story reviews that history, the college protests & clashes with Dow recruiters over napalm & the Vietnam War, the company’s environmental troubles, battles with EPA, a Jane Fonda controversy, and more — also covering the company’s more recent advertising campaigns, its environmental record, and worker/community safety issues […]

[…] “Topics Page” with links to 10 stories at this website that focus on coal history, coal politics, coal activists, coal & Congress, strip mining, strip mining history, strip mining politics, famous books about coal and /or strip mining, environmental & community impacts of coal, and more […]

[…] Story explores famous scenes from a still-relevant 1976, Hollywood film satire about television power via news anchorman, Howard Beale, whose populist rants first get him fired… But after a ratings jump, he becomes a network darling and populist “mad-as-hell” hero, until he exposes a corporate takeover deal, prompting a famous scolding and “re-education” about “the dominion of dollars” – that there are no nations; only “one vast and ecumenical holding company, for whom all men will work… — all necessities provided, all anxieties tranquilized, all boredom amused.” Includes film clip & links to related books [,,,]

[…] This story covers the love affair of Joe DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe…. He, the famous baseball player; she, the beautiful movie star – seen in the 1950s as the perfect, all-American, love story… But alas, theirs became a star-crossed union that ended in divorce – but not completely… With the celebrity- and Hollywood-obsessed media, their story – chiefly through the twists and turns of Monroe’s career in Hollywood, with the Rat Pack, and the Kennedys (and her premature death) – stayed alive for decades… Includes a history of related books, films, photos & magazine covers […]

[…] On June 10th, 1999, a leak of 277,000 gallons of gasoline from an underground pipeline at Bellingham, Washington ignited and caused a massive explosion and fireball that roared along Whatcom Creek and park, killing three boys, terrorizing a city of 75,000, and leaving a 1.3 mile scorched-earth corridor of environmental devastation… The incident, laid to oil and pipeline company negligence and failures, would result in fines and criminal prosecutions, also revealing shortcomings in state and federal oversight. Yet, today, pipeline leaks, spills, fires, explosions, and methane emissions continue, endangering workers, public health and safety, and the environment […]

[…] On the heels of the Ken Burns four-part PBS documentary on Muhammad Ali released in September 2021, this story looks back at more than 20 other Ali films from 1970 through 2021 – documentaries, dramas, fictionalized accounts, and/or compilations… These films vary in quality and content, but they reveal something of the man and his impact on sport and culture, as well as those making the films… Still, absent all the Ali film making, there hasn’t been a good documentary that lays out Ali’s total career and post-career economic impact throughout the sports-entertainment realm, foundation world, and larger national and global economies […].

[…] In the late 1950s and early 1960s there came a series of recordings by Ben E. King with the Drifters, and Ben E. King as a solo artist – hit songs that lit up the music charts and became soulful classics that still resonate today. The best known of these is “Stand By Me.” …This story reviews King’s career with the Drifters and as a solo artist, includes four full songs, two used in film reviving their chart performance (25 years later in one case), and how “Stand By Me” was used at 2018 wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle […]

[…] This topics page offers more that two dozen story choices that include some focus on the use of music in film, whether in soundtracks or with notable songs linked to particular movie scenes, TV shows, or conveying special emotional impact or other quality… Among topics, for example, are: Samuel Barber’s “Adagio for Strings,” used in PLATOON and other films; “Philadelphia Morning” and other songs from Bill Conti’s first ROCKY film score; reggae music from THE HARDER THEY COME; the love theme from LOVE STORY; Carly Simon’s “Let the River Run” song for WORKING GIRL; DIRTY DANCING songs, “Love is Strange” and “Do You Love Me?”; two theme songs from James Bond films; a story on THE BIG CHILL soundtrack; and others. Among artists with film songs profiled are: Louis Armstrong, the Beach Boys, Fats Domino, Bill Haley, the Righteous Brothers, Link Wray, Moby, Bruce Springsteen, Rogers & Hammerstein, and others […]

[…] Story about the firebombing of more than 60 Japanese cities during World War II as featured in 2003 documentary film titled “The Fog of War,” which uses historic war film footage and an extensive interview with former WWII officer and U.S. Secretary of Defense, Robert McNamara, who offers “rules of war” guidelines and “lessons” of warfare decision-making in examining the firebombing of Japan (with American city caparisons)… Story uses video clip from the Academy award-winning “best documentary” Errol Morris film to introduce topic, and adds maps, photos, related book links, and narrative analysis to raise questions about the morality of warfare decisions like the firebombing of Japan […]

[…] In April 1995, a famous environmental protest and activist intervention began to unfold in Europe’s North Sea… A political, media, and direct-action contest erupted there between the environmental group, Greenpeace, and one of the world’s largest oil companies, Royal Dutch Shell. Greenpeace opposed Shell’s plan to dump at sea, a gigantic, decommissioned oil storage unit named the Brent Spar… A several months-long battle ensued, with Greenpeace activists occupying the structure twice in some dramatic boardings under water-cannon fire, while political and media pressure was brought to bear on Shell throughout Europe… This story, with photos, recounts that action and its outcome, as well as some current North Sea oil-rig disposal issues emerging in 2018-19 […]

[…] At the core of Elizabeth Warren’s soul and career, and now her populist politics, is what she knows about the elite economic structure that governs America – and in particular, how banks, laws, and markets fuel and protect that structure at the expense of the 99 percent… Contrary to her detractors, Warren is a “free market girl,” believing that markets can do a lot of good. Yet absent guardrails, as she has explained, markets can be oppressive, arrogant, stupid, and unfairly beneficial. As president, she might well put into play policy changes that would help democratize the economy for all Americans […]

[…] In late October 2019, the mayor of Pittsburgh, PA, Democrat Bill Peduto, shook up the nation’s energy and petrochemical establishment when he spoke out against a future of fracking-fueled petrochemical and plastics industrialization in the Western PA/Ohio Valley region… Shell Oil was then building a $6 billion plastic-producing ethane cracker north of Pittsburgh, and others were being proposed… By raising the issue regionally, Peduto was also pushing it to the top of the national agenda…This piece examines cracker/fracking/plastics pollution and climate change issues – and alternatives…]

[…] “The Ecstasy of Gold” is the title of a song composed by Ennio Morricone and used to great effect in the 1966-67 film, “The Good, The Bad & The Ugly.” This story samples that song and recounts the plot of the film, dubbed a “spaghetti Western” in the 1960s, though later becoming a classic… The film made Clint Eastwood a star, and also featured Eli Wallach in a memorable role… The Ecstasy of Gold song has become a classic, used on various occasions for its stirring, rising tempo and uplifting energy – from Metallica concerts and sporting events to mainstream TV advertising… The entire Ennio Morricone soundtrack used in this film – and others he composed for Sergio Leone films — became quite successful […]

[…] In the summer of 1963, a well known author and New York literary figure named George Plimpton – an amateur sportsman at best – set out to experience the role of quarterback on an NFL team: the Detroit Lions. He joined their summer practice under the ruse of a former Harvard QB trying out for a backup slot. His plan was to write about the experience, publishing the highly successful book, “Paper Lion,” later made into a film. Plimpton – a New Yorker with an upper crust pedigree, who edited “The Paris Review” and knew everybody from Hemingway to JFK – continued to infiltrate other professions and write about them: boxing, baseball, basketball, soccer, auto racing, trapeze acrobatics, as well as tamer ventures, including stints with the New York Philharmonic, as a stand-up comic and Playboy photographer…In any case, this piece chronicles the very interesting life of George Plimpton […]

[…] Story recounts the horrendous 1989 explosions and fires at a Phillips Petroleum plastic plant where 23 workers were killed and more than 130 injured – including a damning U.S. Dept. of Labor/OSHA report on the causes of the accident… Key contributing factors that led to the calamity came a few years earlier, when Wall Street raiders T. Boone Pickens and Carl Icahn made separate takeover attempts at Phillips, which led the company to borrow heavily to fend off the attacks… Phillips then serviced its debt, in part, by cutting jobs and hiring less-experienced contract workers, which many believe jeopardized operating safety at the company and created the circumstances for the plastic plant explosion… Phillips had additional incidents in 1999 and 2000, and after a 2002 merger with Conoco, and later 2012 split, continued to have fires, explosions and other incidents […]

[…] In the 1970s, there were few musicians more successful than Elton John, the British singer and piano player who partnered with lyricist Bernie Taupin to turn out some of the decade’s most signature and enduring popular songs… This story details Elton John’s extraordinary rise in the 1970s – his litany of albums, chart-toping singles, his concert success, his stage antics, his wealth, and his personal demons… But also his generosity on a number of fronts, his AIDS Foundation, and his support of various social causes… But in the end, it is the legacy of the Elton John / Bernie Taupin song catalog of indelible music that has enriched the world for more than 50 years […]

[…] This story samples and profiles the song “100 Years,” a popular tune from 2003-2004 by Five for Fighting (John Ondrasik)… In addition to probing the song’s lyrics and popular appeal, this story also explores some of the popular media, magazine, and book treatments of the “living-to-100″ topic in recent decades, though concluding that music is the more powerful medium for exploring the subject of long life and how people “spend” their years […]

[…] Dick Groat grew up in the Wilkinsburg-Pittsburgh area of Pennsylvania in the 1940s, and would become a talented two-sport All-American and collegiate hall-of-fame athlete at Duke University, then joining the Pittsburgh Pirates professional baseball team while also playing pro basketball briefly for the Ft. Wayne (and later, Detroit) Pistons in the NBA… With the Pirates, Groat would have an exceptional 1960 season, winning the National League batting title and MVP award while serving as team captain as the Pirates beat the NY Yankees in the 1960 World Series… Groat would also play on the championship 1964 St. Louis Cardinals team, and after 13 years in major league baseball, he returned to basketball, serving 40 years (1979-2019 ) as a color commentator radio analyst for University of Pittsburgh basketball games […]

[…] In the early morning hours of February 26th, 1972, a series of coal slurry impoundments owned by the Pittston Coal Co. in the upper reaches of the Buffalo Creek watershed in Logan County, West Virginia burst, sending a tsunami-like wall of thick, black coal wastewater crashing down the hollow, wiping out homes and lives in more than a dozen small towns over 17 miles… In the end, more than 125 people were killed, at least 1,000 injured, with some 4,000 left homeless… Pittston Coal Co. called it “an act of God,” but several investigations would conclude that “acts of man” had everything to do with what happened at Buffalo Creek… Today, nearly 50 years later, there are more than 1,400 coal waste and coal ash impoundments and landfills across America, many posing public safety hazards and environmental threats […]

[.. ] In late May of 1969, an album of music with some stunningly beautiful songs was issued by a group named Crosby, Stills and Nash… Three of those songs are reviewed, along with some history on the impact of this group on singer-songwriter, folk-rock era of the early and mid-1970s, as well as political/counterculture influences…. Listener and musician comment are also enlisted in song reviews, and story is enlivened with photos, album covers, and lyrics, as well as a listing of books and photos on David Crosby, Stephen Stills, Graham Nash, and Neil Young [….]

[…] Jane Fonda, Hollywood film star and sometimes controversial activist, became a national fitness leader in the 1980s. Her rise to this position was something of an accident, but it would bring her a new identity, a new career path, and a considerable cash flow….Although a controversial anti-Vietnam War activist in the 1970s, during the 1980s and beyond, she became a trusted fitness leader for millions, touching off an exercise boom and a home video revolution. The “Jane Fonda workout” permeated the larger culture as her best-selling books and videos swept over America… This story recounts that history as well as much of her biography in film and her various activist involvements up through the 2010s […]

[…] On May 27th, 1994, an explosion and multiple fires at a Shell Chemical plastics plant in Ohio killed three workers, caused the temporary evacuation of 1,700 residents, and polluted the adjacent Ohio River, affecting downstream users… The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) charged the company with dozens of violations and imposed a $3 million fine, though Shell blocked public release of OSHA’s report….This story recounts the Shell disaster, the company’s later sale of the plant, recent Shell incidents elsewhere, and controversy over a planned Shell “cracker” plant slated to produce plastics north of Pittsburgh […]

[…] This story offers a review of the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil rig disaster film and the real oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico…. The early part of the story provides a film review and recap, with movie trailer and photos, of the 2016 Hollywood film, “Deepwater Horizon,” staring Mark Wahlberg, Kurt Russell, and John Malkovich, along with some discussion of BP’s resistance to, and the difficulty in making, the film… The latter part of the story covers a bit of the history, politics, and corporate maneuvering over the real BP oil spill, along with some of the media coverage of that 87 days-long ordeal… There is also a “cover art” listing, with links, to more than a dozen books written about the disaster […]

[…] For a time in the 1950s-1960s era, Carole King and Gerry Goffin made beautiful music together…They became, at a young age, one of America’s most creative and productive songwriting teams, as well as husband and wife…. They rose to fame turning out pop and rock `n rolls for the fabled New York City / Brill Building song publisher, Aldon Music. Their story is one of great accomplishment, though touched by personal sorrow, love undone, and rocky travels ahead for each…. This story tracks some of that history, its music, and cultural context [….]

[…] In 1971 a secret history of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War was prepared by the Pentagon, which became an explosive document when it was leaked to the New York Times and Washington Post, revealing that the American public was misled, deceived, and lied to about the real nature of U.S. involvement in Vietnam for more than two decades. These “Pentagon Papers” became the source of one of the country’s fiercest battles over freedom of the press vs. government secrecy; a battle given dramatic form in the 2017 Steven Spielberg Hollywood film, “The Post” – which, with other popular history surrounding these papers, is also explored in this story […]

[…] Over the last 50 years or more, members of the politically prominent Kennedy family of Massachusetts have brought national attention to the plight of coal communities, coal miners, and/or coal/environment issues… This story profiles five of them: John F. Kennedy in West Virginia; Robert F. Kennedy in Kentucky; Caroline Kennedy in Tennessee; Ted Kennedy on coal mine safety; and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. on coal/environment issues… While running for political office, acting on public policy matters once in office, or in various other public service roles, these Kennedys worked to help coal miners, their communities and families, or to spotlight coal-related safety and environmental issues […]

[…] Among the “wonder products” generated by the synthetic chemical revolution of the mid-20th century are an array of plastics that today permeate all manner of products and structures throughout the world. …In the tragic June 2017 London Grenfell Tower fire, plastic insulation and plastic-filled exterior building panels are believed to have contributed to the spread and severity of that blaze… This story reviews the toxic dangers, human health consequences, and loss of life from “plastic fires” and their recent history – from the 1980 MGM Los Vegas hotel fire to the 2003 Station nightclub tragedy in Rhode Island, among others […]

[…]The “PBS News-Hour” offers a Friday evening, “worth watching” political analysis segment with moderator Judy Woodruff, New York Times columnist, David Brooks; and syndicated columnist, Mark Shields Their analysis is usually fair, insightful, and done in respectful form… As one example, this story focuses on President Trump’s June 2017 tweets about cable TV commentators Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough – with Shields and Brooks offering cogent and compelling perspectives on that incident, as well as continuing problem of nation’s declining discourse […]

[…] A topics page offering a selection of stories on Democratic politicians and Democratic history, including those involving presidential campaigns and various candidates, among them: Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Hubert Humphrey, Gene McCarthy, Bill Bradley, Jerry Brown, and others… Democratic celebrities are also featured in a few of these stories, including Frank Sinatra, Paul Newman, Bruce Springsteen, Linda Ronstadt and others […]

[…] A topics page offering a selection of stories on Republican politicians and Republican history, including those involving presidential campaigns and various candidates, among them: Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon, Bob Dole, George W. Bush, Sarah Palin, and others… Spiro Agnew appears in one story about 1960s pop music lyrics; Geo. W. Bush & Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi visit Graceland in another; and David Frost conducts his famous Nixon TV interviews in a third… Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, Tom Petty, and Bruce Springsteen also have their “Republican moments” in a few of theses stories […]

[…] The story of a horrendous explosion and fire at the British Petroleum (BP) oil refinery in Texas City, Texas that killed 15 workers and injured another 180. At the time, it was one of the worst industrial accidents to have occurred in the U.S., and it revealed (with the help of a ’60 Minutes’ TV
exposé) a company then foregoing plant improvements and cutting budgets to make profits while skimping on safety and endangering workers… Legal battle with BP of 22 year-old Eva Rowe — who lost both of her parents in the explosion – is also highlighted […]

[…] This story uses an engaging Pittsburgh, PA sculpture of a 1770 campfire meeting between George Washington and Seneca Indian leader Guyasuta as a segue into the early history of the hotly contested fight for control and development of the Western Pennsylvania region between the French, British, American colonists, and Native Americans…. It is also a parable of bucolic loss and the use and decimation of Native Americans through the French and Indian War, Pontiac’s Rebellion, and the Revolutionary War, covering episodes in the lives of Washington and Guyasuta […]

[…] In 1951, Norm Van Brocklin, quarterback of the Los Angeles Rams professional football team, did what no other quarterback (QB) had done before or since: completing passes for a record-setting single-game total of 554 yards… His record still stands. This story also covers Van Brocklin’s career with the Rams and Philadelphia Eagles, his passing accomplishments in championship games, and his statistics in the context of other 1950s QBs… Also included is a listing of the 15 other QBs who have had 500-yard games, coming close to, but not surpassing, Van Brocklin’s record […]

[…In the 1970s, CBS featured Mary Tyler Moore in a 30-minute sitcom as Mary Richards, an independent, professional woman working at a TV station in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The top-rated, half-hour show soon had a following of millions… It became, in many ways a statement of the times; a weekly story about women coming into their own, asserting their place in the male-dominated work world….This story also covers the career, real life struggles, and politics of Mary Tyler Moore, and also profiles MTM Enterprises, a highly successful TV production company co-owned by Moore…]

[…] At the peak of the psychedelic rock music era in the summer of 1967, a song named “White Rabbit” by the Jefferson Airplane (full song included) was a big part of that summer’s soundtrack. Written by Grace Slick, and based on the “Alice in Wonderland” story, the song not only became a Top 10 hit, it also became controversial and a lightning rod for Nixon-era social critics and politicians, including Vice President Spiro Agnew and TV personality Art Linkletter, both of whom would single it out publicly as among songs helping to lead young people into drugs use […]

[…] This “topics page” provides thumbnail sketches and links to 18 stories at this website that feature or include magazine-related content from the last 100 years – including selected cover art, illustrator profiles, advertising art, political stories, civil rights stories, business stories, sports stories, and more… Cover samples are typically included throughout the stories from a range of magazines – Time, Life, Vanity Fair, Esquire, Fortune, The New Yorker, Sports Illustrated, The Saturday Evening Post, New York Magazine, Wired, and others […]

[…] This story uses a July 2006 visit to Elvis Presley’s Graceland estate by U.S. President George Bush and visiting Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, as a segue into the history of Graceland, why it (and the Elvis Presley legacy) have become such a fan-based and tourist mecca, and how some big business interests have recently taken hold there, seeing an ongoing Elvis Presley payday […]

[…] In February 2003 a tanker barge of the Bouchard Transportation Co. exploded while off loading 100,000 gallons of unleaded gasoline at ExxonMobil’s oil depot at Staten Island, NY. The earthquake-scale eruption shook businesses and homes for miles around… Thousands in the region suspected a terrorist attack and were set on edge as the incident killed two workers, caused considerable damage at the scene, temporarily closed and polluted local waterways, and raised concerns about barge safety and oil transport […]

[…] This “Topics Page” offers thumbnail sketches and links to 14 stories at this website that include history about famous athletes who have lent their name and/or image in print, radio, and/or TV advertising on behalf of various products or marketing efforts. Among those included are: Olympics star and pro golfer Babe Didrikson; football stars Frank Gifford and Sammy Baugh; 1930s aviatrix Elinor Smith; baseball stars Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Babe Ruth, Christy Mathewson and others; soccer legends Pelé, Zidane and Maradona; and 1930s tennis star, Ellsworth Vines […]

[…]Canadian born Joni Mitchell is one of the most acclaimed singer-songwriters of the late 1960s-mid-1970s period who came into mainstream notice with a series of albums — “Clouds,” “Ladies of the Canyon,” “Blue,” and “Court & Spark” – each with poignant, personal and moving songs. This story samples that music, Mitchell’s writing history, her biography & the social context, including Woodstock & Laurel Canyon period, later jazz explorations, and her music industry & personal relationships with David Crosby, David Geffen, Graham Nash, James Taylor, Charles Mingus & others […]

[…] Includes movie trailer for “Love & Mercy,” the 2015 film on Brian Wilson, the singer- songwriter-composer known, most famously, for helping lead and musically inspire the Beach Boys rock ‘n roll group through their rise in the 1960s. While many regard Wilson as the genius composer, arranger, and studio whiz behind the group’s early success, he also had his personal demons, which become a focal point in this film. …This story also includes links to other Beach Boys history & music at this website […]

[…] This “topics page” provides thumbnail sketches and links to more than two dozen stories at this website, including those covering: Rachel Carson & her book “Silent Spring;” Kentucky author & activist Harry Caudill; Cuyahoga River pollution history; strip mining at Paradise, Kentucky; Union Carbide and General Electric advertising (Carbide on pesticides, GE on coal); and several stories covering oil industry mishaps in Montana, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh & the Gulf of Mexico […]

[…] In 2014-2015, a painting for a ‘Saturday Evening Post’ magazine cover illustration by artist John Falter came up on the ‘Antiques Roadshow’ TV program, valued at between $200,000 and $250,000… Falter’s work, and that of other ‘Saturday Evening Post’ illustrators, has been rising in value in recent years… This piece explores Falter’s work for the ‘Post’ and some of the sales of those paintings in recent years […]

[…] A pipeline owned by the Bridger Pipeline Co. leaked as much as much as 1,200 barrels of crude oil into the Yellowstone River near Glendive, Montana in January 2015. Benzene was initially found in Glendive’s water supply, with residents using bottled water until the danger passed… The pipeline breach, however, and a similar spill by ExxonMobil in 2011, raised questions about pipeline safety and pipeline water crossings […]

[…] The Beatles, with their 1966 album, “Revolver,” continued to push the boundaries of popular music with new studio techniques and novel songs, venturing further into what became known as psychedelic music. “Tomorrow Never Knows” was one of the songs in that genre, with a sound all its own… John Lennon consulted a Timothy Leary book and Tibetan sources for help with the lyrics… And in 2012, the song also made a cameo in a “Mad Men” TV episode […]

[…]For more than 60 years, Lucille Ball’s famous TV character “Lucy” – the red-headed star of the iconic 1950s “I Love Lucy” sitcom – helped establish and enrich one of the world’s largest selling magazines, TV Guide. She and/or her show appeared on its cover at least 44 times, more than any other star or show. Those covers, Lucy history, and the history of Triangle Publications and the Annenberg family are all presented in this piece […]

[…] In November 2014, the Taschen publishing house released its “JFK/Norman Mailer” book, a spiffy new photography/politics book featuring 300 JFK campaign photos built around Norman Mailer’s famous 1960 Esquire magazine piece – “Superman Comes to The Supermarket.” The 370-page book takes a unique historical cut on politics, campaigning, journalism, and photography… This piece provides an overview of its contents along with a few photos and a profile of Mailer […]

[…]“Legend of a Mind” is the name of a 1968 Moody Blues song about a man named Timothy Leary, a former Harvard University instructor and research psychologist who became something of a “pied piper” for LSD drug use in the 1960s… This story includes the Moody Blues song as intro and period piece, and also a detailed history on Leary & associates, as well Leary’s run-ins with Art Linkletter, Richard Nixon, his prison escape, and his global flight from the law […]

[…] This “topics page” provides thumbnail sketches and links to 36 stories at this website on female careers in music, film, sport, politics, publishing and other endeavors… Some offer in-depth biographical profiles with extensive photos, and in the case of recording artists, mp3 song files… Among those featured, are: Ali MacGraw, Anna Q Nilsson, Ava Gardner, Babe Didrikson, Barbara Lewis, Barbra Streisand, Bette Davis, Billie Holiday, Carly Simon, Cyd Charisse, Dinah Shore, Gisele Bündchen, Grizabella from “Cats,” Janis Joplin, Lady Gaga, Keira Knightley, Linda Ronstadt, Madonna, Marilyn Monroe, Martha & the Vandellas, Meryl Streep, Mia Farrow, Pearl White, Petula Clark, Princess Diana, Rachel Carson, Rosie The Riveter, Sarah Palin, Skeeter Davis, Taylor Swift, the Ronettes, The Shirelles, and Tina Turner […]

[…] In early 1963, a song by country singer Skeeter Davis with the title “The End of the World” was doing something that no other recording had done then or since then – making its way into the Top Ten of four of the nation’s music charts… This story covers the history of that song, the biography of Skeeter Davis, and the success of some of her country and pop music hits… Includes photos & music sample […]

[…] This story explores the history of several Cuyahoga River fires in the Cleveland, Ohio region, circa 1890s to 1969; their influence on national environmental history & public policy; and some related music from Randy Newman, R.E.M., and Adam Again… Includes photos, political cartoons, and some music […]

[…] In March/April 2014, a new book about high-speed computerized stock trading on Wall Street titled “Flash Boys” by Michael Lewis created a firestorm of controversy by revealing unfair electronic practices, leading to charges of a “rigged market” and subsequent inquiries by the FBI, SEC, and other agencies, as well as action in Congress… Lewis, a prolific & colorful writer is featured as something of a literary “flash boy” in this piece, which covers his 15 books, 2 films & their impact, dubbing him “one of the nation’s most engaging interpreters of business culture,”[…]

[…] In March 2014, actress Keira Knightley and the 1960s’ Zombies teamed up to do a Chanel perfume TV ad to the tune of “She’s Not There”– attention-getting music that backs the ad’s “mystery” mini-plot… The article lays out some of the ad’s screenshots & plot, and also offers an in-depth look at the history of the Zombies and other uses of their music in film, TV and advertising, along with 3 song samples […]

[…] Includes back story & biographies of two professional football players – Philadelphia Eagles’ linebacker, Chuck Bednarik, and New York Giants’ running back, Frank Gifford – leading up to a famous November 1960 game & collision between the two… Also about a transition era – football prior to Super Bowls, media glare & pop culture focus – kind of “old school” meets “new era”… Workman-like players vs. those with media appeal, public personas & second careers in media, advertising, entertainment […]

[…] Frank Gifford, a talented New York Giants football player in the 1950s & 1960s, became a popular figure in New York & nationally and a familiar face in print & TV ads. He also became one of the first professional athletes to successfully venture into TV sports broadcasting, first with CBS and later — for 25-plus years — on ABC’s “Monday Night Football” program. Gifford’s celebrity, in fact, would span nearly six decades, helped in later years by his marriage to Kathie Lee Gifford, books & magazine stories about him, his own publishing, and a controversy or two […].

[…]“Adagio for Strings” by Samuel Barber might also be called “Adagio for Tears” since it is known for evoking very powerful emotion and sadness among its listeners. Used in film scores from “Elephant Man” to “Platoon,” Barber’s Adagio has also been used at prominent state & celebrity funerals, such as those for FDR, JFK. Grace Kelly & others – also played following 9/11. Electronic dance and trance DJs have recorded versions as well… This piece looks at the history and reception of “Adagio for Strings” and its related choral version, “Angus Dei”[…]

[…This topics page provides links to ten Kennedy family stories at this website – 8 stories on John F. Kennedy and 2 on Robert F. Kennedy. The JFK stories deal with his career as a U.S. Senator and his White House run in 1960; his involvement with Frank Sinatra and his Rat Pack; his visit to Ft. Worth, Texas hours before he was assassinated, and a tribute site & statue erected there in 2012. Two RFK stories cover his work in Brooklyn, NY (and a commemorative memorial there) and his bid for the 1968 Democratic Presidential nomination…]

[…] This “topics page” lists 14 stories at this website which include civil rights-related content. Among stories listed are several related to civil rights & music; civil rights & television; civil rights & art; and civil rights & politics – stories which include performers & artists such as: Billie Holiday, Bob Dylan, Sammy Davis, Jr., Norman Rockwell, Petula Clark, Harry Belafonte, Martha & the Vandellas, U2, and others. Also listed are stories on Jackie Robinson and Barack Obama, and others with sections on Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King […]

[…] In 1984, the Irish rock group U2 included two songs in homage to Martin Luther King on their album, The Unforgettable Fire – “Pride (In the Name of Love),” a song about Martin Luther King’s non-violent activism in the U.S. civil rights movement, and “MLK,” a dreamy lullaby alluding to life struggles… This brief story explores the history of those songs, their making, and reception […]

[…] In 2012, the citizens of Fort Worth, Texas dedicated a statue and tribute site to former President John F. Kennedy commemorating his November 22, 1963 visit to their town. JFK made his final public appearances & speeches there before being assassinated only hours later that day in Dallas, Texas. This story covers JFK’s speeches and events that day with period photos, audio of one speech, and other history on that ill-fated 1963 Texas trip […]

[…] A 1973 rock music album by the British group Pink Floyd, ‘The Dark Side of the Moon,’ stayed on Billboard’s top 200 albums sales chart for 741 consecutive weeks, from March 1973 to April 1988, setting an all-time record….But the album’s Billboard chart heroics is less than half the story, as ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ – now in its 40th anniversary year – continues to be popular. This article explores the long-standing appeal of Pink Floyd ‘Dark Side’ album, how it enriched the members of its band, and how its has moved its listeners… Song samples included […]

[…] Sometimes in publishing, one good photo can go a long way… The November 2011 inaugural issue of fashion magazine Harper’s Bazaar Brazil featured a striking cover shot of internationally acclaimed supermodel Gisele Bündchen that soon made its way onto the covers of several other magazines around the world. The repeated use of the photo raised concerns for some about homogenizing culture and why countries such as Korea, Mexico, Austria and Greece couldn’t find their own models […]

[…] Dion DiMucci – better known as “Dion” from his 1950s doo-wop fame – flourished as a pop recording artist through the 1960s. This story recounts parts of his career, touching on his family life, his battle with drugs, and how he explored various musical genres in later years, from Christian music to the blues roots of rock `n roll. Dismissed by some critics as being defined by his teen idol years, a range of artists – including Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, Lou Reed and others – have cited his influence. Six songs also included […]

[…] This story covers rock musician Bruce Springsteen’s campaigning for President Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012, the singer’s politics, and use of his music at campaign events… More broadly, the story also includes celebrity involvement in political campaigns, celebrity donations to political campaigns, celebrity fundraisers, and celebrity & entertainer performances at campaign events & rallies, also focusing on how images from those events are used by the media […]

…] In 2012, Microsoft began using a song titled “Too Close” by British singer-songwriter Alex Clare to help advertise its Explorer web browser. Microsoft’s ad succeeded in turning heads with the powerful sound of the song. But the one-minute TV spot may have done more for the music than it did for the Explorer browser, sending the song to the top of the pop music charts […]

[…] “Life is Beautiful” is the name of a 2006 song by the U.K. group Vega 4… The song is filled with emotionally powerful sentiment and moving lyrics, and has been used in PBS advertising, TV episodes of “Grey’s Anatomy,” and various films…The group’s style is in the mold of Coldplay and Snow Patrol, but they have since disbanded […]

[…] Yogi Berra, the famous Hall-of-Fame, New York Yankee baseball player, in addition to becoming a sports celebrity of his day, also became something of cultural icon know for his “famous sayings” – sparking a bit of cottage industry in book publishing… Berra’s story not only captures the baseball aura of his times, but also shows how his sports popularity seeped into popular culture in a novel way, as Yogi Berra’s celebrity is now in its eighth decade […]

[…] This story covers the history of the Beatles’ first hit song, “Love Me Do,” their first recording sessions at EMI’s Abbey Road studios in London, how their manager Brian Epstein pushed to get them a recording contract in the early 1960s, and how their relationship with recording engineer George Martin developed around that song and thereafter…The story also includes mp3 versions of 4 songs and also tracks 20-year and 50-year history surrounding “Love Me Do” & the Beatles […]

[…] Advance Publications is a sprawling media empire of leading magazines, newspapers, cable TV and websites owned by the Newhouse family of Long Island, New York. In recent years the Newhouse/Advance empire has ranked among the 50 largest privately-held companies in the U.S. This article dips into the 90 years of Newhouse empire-building history, with some focus on the newspaper and magazine parts of the story, celebrity and political issues, and the Newhouse publishing and media impact on America culture…[…]

[…] Brian Lamb is the founder and creator of the C-SPAN public affairs TV network that covers Congress and a lot more… Lamb has consistently shown with his eclectic range of subjects and guests, how television can be used to inform citizens and elevate learning, doing so without bombast or celebrity fanfare. Lamb and C-SPAN have created a valuable “public learning commons” for millions. That story, and Lamb’s career, are explored in this article […]

[…] This “topics page” provides thumbnail sketches and links to 14 baseball stories at this website, including in-depth profiles and photos of Mickey Mantle, Babe Ruth, Sandy Koufax, Pee Wee Reese, Jackie Robinson, Honus Wagner, Christie Mathewson, Lou Gehrig, and others […]

[…] During the 2008 U.S. presidential election, the McCain-Palin campaign, picking up on a high school nickname of “barracuda” for Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin, decided to use the popular 1977 song “Barracuda” by rock group Heart to promote their new political star. “Barracuda” was played at the Republican National Convention in 2008, but also spawned some “music rights” controversy […]

[…] In 1962, during a time when the Cuban missile crisis was unfolding, Bob Dylan wrote a song titled, “A Hard Rain’s A Gonna Fall,” a classic protest song filled with forebodings on war, social injustice, and other dreads, but left for the ages to interpret… The story here provides some background on the Dylan song in those times, subsequent reception and interpretation of Dylan’s work, and his legacy since then […]

[…] Gordon Gekko, the fictional Wall Street character who Michael Douglas made famous with his “greed is good “speech in 1987’s Wall Street, is now working for the FBI… Gekko, or rather Douglas, is appearing in a public service announcement (PSA) for the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation […]

[…] Steve Jobs, Apple, and TBWA/Chiat/Day created a memorable advertising campaign & enduring set of cultural images with their iPod-attired silhouette dancers… These ads, used to sell digital music players & digital music, appeared in print, TV, and outdoor venues all over the world… The ads had a “pied piper” effect on consumers, transforming Apple into a digital music giant, sending it in into the superstar stratosphere of the world’s most elite and profitable companies […]

[…] There is probably no more soulful a version of “America The Beautiful” than that performed by legendary bluesman Ray Charles… A much-loved song by many Americans, the Ray Charles version has become something of a classic since Charles first recorded it in 1972… This story covers some of that history, as well as Charles’ performance of the song in an emotional closing at the 1984 Republican National Convention […]

[…] A lively and energetic Google TV ad starring pop music star Lady Gaga is featured in this story… The ad & its reception are covered in some detail, but there is also equal time given to the involvement of Google here…. Google’s latest foray into “more human” advertising is covered, as are the entertainment & business implications of the internet search giant hooking up with celebrities & other famous players… New social networking potential and “entertainment networks” seen as emerging opportunities […]

[…] A series of 1950s Saturday Evening Post magazine covers are presented by artist Stevan Dohanos, who offered several Post Office and U.S. mail-related scenes from American communities and everyday life… These serve as indications of the importance of the local post office and U.S. postal system in American culture and local communities for both mid-20th century America and beyond, offering some relevance to the current debate over the proposed closing of some 3,600 post offices across urban and rural America […]

[…] A Brooklyn, NY “baseball sculpture” of Brooklyn Dodger players Jackie Robinson and Pee Wee Reese dedicated in 2005, commemorates Reese’s “arm-around-the-shoulders” support of black player Robinson on the field during racial taunts and fan heckling at a 1947 Cincinnati Reds game….This story covers Robinson’s breaking the color barrier in major league baseball, the sculpture’s genesis, Brooklyn Dodger history, and more […]

[…] In 1968, a hard rock band named Iron Butterfly came out with a 17-minute song that became something of a psychedelic anthem in the Summer of 1968… ”In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida.” went on to sell tens of millions of albums worldwide and was also used by Fidelity Investments to pitch Baby Boomers in a 2005 TV ad…Iron Butterfly was an early influence on the heavy metal rock sound that emerged in the late 1960s and early 1970s[…]

[…] In 2010, luxury bag maker Louis Vuitton had photographer Annie Leibovitz do a photo shoot for advertising featuring three of the world’s most famous soccer stars – Brazil’s Pelé, Argentina’s Diego Maradona, and France’s Zinedine Zidane. A Vuitton magazine ad appeared in June 2010 amid World Cup fever and used the three soccer celebs to help give Vuitton products an “everyman” appeal and also to help spread the Vuitton style globally […]

[…] In 2010, a hit song that was written more than 50 years ago by a rock-n roll legend and convicted murderer Phil Spector, and became a 1958 hit with The Teddy Bears, was used in a sweetly-portrayed TV ad by Humana Health Care…The ad depicts a series of loving scenes between grandchildren and their grandparents… Story covers song, Teddy Bears & Phil Spector history […]

[…] In the mid-1960s, a young actress named Mia Farrow was the TV celebrity de jour starring in a new kind of prime-time soap opera called “Peyton Place”…It now seems light years away from that earlier time, and Ms. Farrow, with an impressive film career behind her, has lived a life full of twists & turns, interesting people, and now international activism… Some of her story is offered here […]

[…] Videos of two 30-second TV ads are shown that film star Dennis Hopper made in 2006- 2008 for the Ameriprise Financial Corp., in which he pitches financial planning to Baby Boomers. Both of these ads use the hard-driving rock `n roll tune, “Gimme Some Lovin” from the 1960s’ Spencer Davis Group, as background music […]

[…] In 1976-1977, Rupert Murdoch, then a little-known Australian newspaper mogul, made a “big news” New York media grab, acquiring two premier New York media companies: the New York Post newspaper and New York Magazine Co., which then held three publications — New York magazine, The Village Voice, and New West… Story, deal history & personalities involved are covered, as well as hints of what followed with the Murdoch global media empire […]

[…] In the 1981 stage production, Cats, there is the very poignant song, “Memory,” performed by the aging female feline, Grizabella, who has seen better days. Cats – the famous Andrew Lloyd Webber musical that was originally produced in London – became one of the all-time theater box office successes, with “Memory” as one of its most beloved and signature tunes […]

[…] In the early- and mid-1960s, the Beach Boys became one of America’s hottest and most successful groups, credited with inventing “California rock” and “sunshine pop.” Along with the Beatles, they also pushed out the boundaries of contemporary music on a new and imaginative front of songwriting and pop composition. Their music was happy, fun-loving and filled with beautiful harmonies – and it appealed to millions, then and 50 years later […]

[…] Video clip of a General Electric Co. television ad touting “clean coal” from 2005, one of a series of ads used in the company’s “Ecomagination” corporate campaign. This video links to related short stories about the making the ad – “G.E.’s Hot Coal Ad” – and the history of the music used in the ad – “Sixteen Tons.”[…]

[…] Warren Buffett, the businessman-investor from Omaha, Nebraska, known for his stock picks and investment strategies, is one of the wealthiest persons on the planet. Although famous for years in the investment community, Buffett became more of a mainstream celebrity as his wealth grew and also as stories became known about the millions he made for folks of modest means. …Buffett’s story also shows that once he arrived in the media glare, he moved to use his fame, the media machine, and his philanthropy in ways to benefit society […]

[…] Hollywood imagery sometimes survives long after its initial introduction, moving its characters and message into mainstream culture… Hollywood’s big time deal-maker, Gordon Gekko, played to a tee by Michael Douglas in the 1987 film “Wall Street,” made “greed is good” the catch phrase of the go-go 1980s… Gekko is a character who has stayed with the culture for some years now, and is periodically mentioned whenever Wall Street excesses flow… This piece looks at the film’s history, the Gekko character, & their effect today as a 2010 sequel arrives […]