95 years ago, today, October 6, a quirky little guy said, “”Wait a minute, wait a minute, you ain’t heard nothing yet.” And the crowd went wild. You probably already know I’m talking about Al Jolson. And you probably already know he was the guy who made movie history when “The Jazz Singer” premiered as the first “talkie.” Yeah, after all those silent movies, … The rest of the story…
Category Archives: current events
I’m happy to celebrate when a church moves in the direction of rightly dividing the word of truth. But you almost never see that anymore. In fact, most establishments calling themselves churches move in the opposite direction. Sometimes the move is speedy. And often it’s slow enough to be almost unnoticeable. Like when a report says a church moves by the hand of God. … The rest of the story…
Music is an aural expression of life. From babies in the womb to the silver-haired citizens, music is an amazingly comforting language. I’ve shared a lot of information about the health benefits of music and sound. But it doesn’t benefit only the listener. And I know this from a lifetime of aural expression. Whatever musical gifts and talents I have are gifts from God. … The rest of the story…
I am NOT a liberal. Although I AM liberal. And that might seem confusing at first glance. But it makes total sense AND it’s the sensible way to be. But only when you understand the difference between the word, liberal, and what passes for liberal ideology. And, in that case, Inigo Montoya said it best, “You keep using that word, I do not think … The rest of the story…
On one of the social media channels I follow someone posted one of those positive memes about Donald Trump. Here’s the text from the picture… “Two days after the 9/11 attack real DonaldTrump was at Ground Zero with hundreds of workers that he paid out of his own pocket to help find and identify victims. This was long before he was even thinking of running for POTUS.” And … The rest of the story…
You’ll no doubt see a lot of September 11 news today. For one thing, it’s September 11 (as I write this), so it’s only natural. But also, it’s an historic day for America. And I’m sure I don’t have to tell you why. But you probably won’t see this September 11 news anywhere else. Because it’s not political. And it’s not provocative or tantalizing. … The rest of the story…
Depending on where you are, it could be the start of another day. Or the finish. But I wonder if you’ll take the time (or if you took the time) to look out your window and remember to be grateful for your life. Will you (or did you) share your love, today? Because, no matter what time it is, if you’re reading this, you … The rest of the story…
I love life filled with optimism. In fact, I find it difficult to write songs or rhymes without optimism. And in this day and age that’s almost weird. Right? But I believe I’ve got a lot of things to be optimistic about. Yeah. Check out this list… wars thieves politicians (oops, that’s redundant) liars (oops, I did it again, Britney) ne’er-do-wells of all makes and … The rest of the story…
Here it is Labor Day 2022. And you’d probably rather go get another beer and brât than hear me ramble on about a holiday or labor or whatever. So, I’ll just share something another famous singer songwriter said about musicians and wages. This is an article I posted about eight years ago. But before I do… Happy Labor Day 2022 OK, here’s the article. … The rest of the story…
I’ve shared stories with friends (and strangers), about my Dad, and some of those people thought they were shocking. Because I talked about how much I loved him. And how many cool things he did with my brother and me that other fathers didn’t do with their kids. Yeah, people who didn’t have that kind of relationship with their fathers tend to be shocked … The rest of the story…
I scheduled myself to share this with you yesterday. Because the so-called “holiday” is supposed to be September 1. And obviously today is September 2. Well, it’s obvious to me. You might be reading this on another day. Anyway, I got sidetracked and forgot. The name of this holiday is based on an idiom that’s been around since the mid-15th century. “No rhyme nor … The rest of the story…
Here in America, and maybe in other parts of the world (I don’t know) it’s National “Just Because” Day. August 27. And I know you’re pumped up to go out and celebrate. But wait just a couple of minutes. Let me share a list of amazing historic events on National Just Because Day. 10: The Visigoths conquered Rome 1172: King Henry II of England … The rest of the story…
Researchers and scientists are discovering more and more ways music therapy benefits your health. In fact, I’ve read several articles on the subject lately. And I notice how they say that doctors and caregivers integrate music into patient care a lot more these days. Hmm…music therapy benefits sick people. What a concept. And now, it seems, there’s an effort to get music to do … The rest of the story…
I hope you and I never get a brain injury. And no snippy remarks from the peanut gallery. You know who you are. But seriously, there are so many layers of problems when it comes to an injury of your mind’s muscle. And I found some info about how music can help someone with a brain injury. Yeah, this is part of my series … The rest of the story…
Negative and positive attitudes can both be caused by something. And you can look around and see plenty of places to put (or lay) the blame. Tyrants in control of many (or most) of the nations. Self-serving, thieving politicians. Ubiquitous drugs, legal and illegal. And the list goes on. But I believe negative and positive attitudes are actually your fault. Because, ultimately, YOU decide … The rest of the story…
Imagine directing a film version of The Ten Commandments. And including a scene, from the Bible, where God parted the Red Sea. OK. Now imagine directing that movie in 1923. When there was no such thing as a green screen, motion capture suits, or digital editing. What an incredible undertaking that would be. And it seems like a director might look for easier projects … The rest of the story…
When you get right down to it, it’s pretty easy to brew up a good batch of anger issues. Right? Yeah, pretty much anyone can do it. With one arm tied behind ’em. And since that’s true, think about honeybees. “Huh? Honeybees and anger issues?” Honeybees build waxy honeycombs. And that’s where they store their larvae and the nectar they gather from flowers. Honeycomb cells are … The rest of the story…
Have you noticed how most politicians, billionaires, and millionaires love clout? Yeah, they love to wield influence and power even when they don’t have the wisdom to do so. But time is running out for anyone who expects influence and power to last forever. Here’s a list of those people I shared eight years ago. And this is eight years truer now. Time is … The rest of the story…
Do a search, for “retire,” on just about any search engine with the suggestions function. And you’ll probably see something like “retire ready” or “retire age” or, the best one, “retire early.” Yeah, if you’re gonna do it, retire early. I mean, why work any longer than you have to, right? Work is just for those knuckleheads who don’t have a clue about how … The rest of the story…
Ten years ago, right here on TonyFunderburk.com, I share some of my thoughts about social media. And I talked about how people get socially bold when they can hide behind a fake handle. So, I mentioned how social media is, in almost all cases, not conversation. Well, instead of me telling you I said such and such, here’s what I said…way back then. Why … The rest of the story…