Eric Back on May 10th, 2008

Click on this text for a link to a question and answer article interviewing Canadian guitarist Randy Bachman about his experiences with late guitar legend, Jeff Healey.

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Eric Back on May 3rd, 2008

One of Canada’s best kept secrets is a folk singer/country singer named Stompin’ Tom Connors.  Fiercely Canadian, he returned a number of Juno awards one year in protest of those artists who had shifted their emphasis to the ”south of the border market.”  Stompin’ Tom earned his name for the way that he kept his [...]

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Eric Back on March 30th, 2008

I came across this interesting French web resource for English language learners that offers a journal, a forum, self-testing, and other resources.  It operates on a subscription basis but might be worth checking out if you are a French speaker who is actively studying English.
Go to MyCow.Eu

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Eric Back on March 30th, 2008

Finland’s citizenship legislation changed in 2003 to allow multiple citizenship.  Prior to this, Finnish citizens who became naturalized in other countries lost their Finnish citizenship.  The 5 year span from May 31st 2003 through May 31st 2008 was established to permit those who had previously lost their citizenship to regain it.  The cost of filing [...]

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Eric Back on December 1st, 2007

I’ve always liked Van Morrison.  In the 70’s I caught him in concert in Vancouver as a warm up act; tonight I saw him on PBS. Since the 70’s I’ve always enjoyed his music for it’s honest feel. It fills in when the metal becomes tiring and the pop seems insipid. I’m fond of gospel but [...]

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Eric Back on November 7th, 2007

Check out the site of freehugsfinland, a group in Helsinki with a mission to spread the spontaneous expression of human affection through appropriate forms of personal touch.  In a nation of people who are reputed to be almost monolthically, ”melancholic,” and ”shy,” the free-hugs folks create some surprising moments of joy.
Check out the video!

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Eric Back on October 20th, 2007

Heart’s Ann and Nancy Wilson will release both cd and dvd versions of ”Dreamboat Annie Live,” on October 23rd.  The show was recorded in April of this year during the ”Love Rules,” tour.  Also of note, Ann Wilson released her first solo album on September 11th this year.  Check out the news at heart-music.com

A new [...]

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Eric Back on August 30th, 2007

In searching for a definition of ”särskrivning,” I came upon this anonymous post below which gave form to my observations that the Swedish language uses compound words quite freely and creatively.
”The concept of what in Swedish is called ”särskrivning” is becoming a very large problem in Sweden. Combined words are in general not written as [...]

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Eric Back on August 18th, 2007

This poem, bogland, has been published elsewhere on the internet.  Seamus Heaney, the author, is another great Irish writer in a long tradition of Irish writers.  He received the Nobel Prize for literature in 1995.  Here’s a link to his biography at the Nobel site. Enjoy!

Bogland

Â

for T. P. Flanagan

We have no prairies
To slice a big [...]

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Eric Back on June 13th, 2007

Pepsi, with only 15% of the Japanese cola market, has released ”Pepsi Ice Cucumber,” a product that sells the image of the favored, summer, salad gourd though containing no actual cucumber essence.  It is artificially flavored to simulate ”the refreshing taste of a fresh cucumber,” according to Aya Takemoto, spokeswoman of Japan’s Pepsi distributor, Suntory Ltd. [...]

Continue reading about Pepsi Gains on Coke with Cucumber Soda!