HANK WILLIAMS -- SON OF A GUN

Many songwriters write but only a handful embody the music, the life, the legend. Happy 100th, Hank!

FOLKIESThe AtticSeptember 14, 2023Hank WIlliams, Country music, Grand ol' Opry, Your Cheatin' Heart, Jambalaya Comment

With pride, paint, and persistence, Low Riders are “one of the greatest things that ever happened to Mexican-Americans.”

REBELS, ART-ISHBruce WatsonSeptember 8, 2023Low Riders, Gypsy Rose automobile, Jesse Valadez, East Los Angeles, Cholo, Car clubs Comments

CHUGGING THROUGH THE PAST

The Attic rides Colorado’s narrow gauge RR through mountains and magic.

American Places, WONDERSThe AtticSeptember 2, 2023Narrow gauge railroad, Denver and Rio Grande, Durango, Colorado, Silverton Colorado, Railroad history, Historic railroads Comment

STEINBECK AND "THE HARVEST GYPSIES"

When Dust Bowl refugees came to California, a newspaper sent a novelist to tell the story.

REBELS, BOOK-ISHThe AtticAugust 17, 2023John Steinbeck, Grapes of Wrath, The 1930s, The Depression, Migrant labor, The Dust Bowl, The Harvest Gypsies, Dorothea Lange Comment

DOWN THE OFF-BEATEN PATH

Tired of traditional travel? Wander the world’s weirdness with Atlas Obscura.

American PlacesBruce WatsonAugust 10, 2023Atlas Obscura, Travel, Vagabonds, Gastro Obscura, Joshua Foer, travel websites, travellogues, travel blogs Comment

AMERICA'S FIRST PLAYGROUND

Before Disney, before Six Flags, the capital of fun was Coney Island.

American PlacesThe AtticAugust 2, 2023Coney Island, George Tilyou, Luna Park, Steeplechase Park, Brooklyn, Amusement parksComment

KEEPING A WATCH ON BIRDS

Using apps and online maps, Cornell’s “Lab of O” lets YOU keep an eye on birds.

TEACHERS, TEACHERS & HEALERS, teachersThe AtticJuly 20, 2023Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Birds, bird watching, Audubon society, citizen science Comments

TAKE THE WORLD OUT TO THE RODEO

This was, in fact, their first rodeo. And when 20 teachers from 20 countries cheered cowboys and cowgirls, new trails were blazed.

American PlacesThe AtticJuly 13, 2023rodeo, Cross-cultural, Western history, American West, Oakley Rodeo Comments

TAKE THE WORLD OUT TO THE BALLGAME

When 20 teachers from 20 countries went to a baseball game, the rules didn’t matter. Play ball!

American PlacesThe AtticJuly 5, 2023baseball, Americana, International, Cross-cultural Comments

FREDERICK DOUGLASS' FOURTH

Once Frederick Douglass rose to speak, Independence Day no longer seemed so free.

History, HEROESThe AtticJune 29, 2023Frederick Douglass, What to the slave is the fourth of july, Fourth of July, Abolition, Slavery Comment

THE CYCLISTS WHO MAPPED AMERICA

Four cyclists, one dream, 4,000 riders coast-to-coast. The Bikecentennial opened America to two-wheeled adventure.

DREAMERSThe AtticJune 23, 2023Bikecentennial, Adventure Cycling, Biking, Cycling, Cross-country cycling, Greg Siple, Missoula Montana Comments

THAT ADORABLE GENIUS

More than “Henry’s brother,” William James opened his mind to spirits, drugs, life. . .

TEACHERS, teachers, TEACHERS & HEALERSBruce WatsonJune 14, 2023William James, Henry James, The James Family, Pragmatism, The Varieties of Religious Experience Comments

SECRETARIAT IS ALL ALONE!

Fifty years ago, when America needed a lift, an astonishing horse answered the question.

WONDERS, WondersThe AtticJune 9, 2023Secretariat, Triple Crown, Belmont Stakes, 1973 Comments

THE KINDLY CAREER OF WAVY GRAVY

From Woodstock to world humanitarianism, the former Hugh Romney has spread joy and healing.

WITSBruce WatsonJune 7, 2023Wavy Gravy, Woodstock Festival, 1960s, Sixties Counter-culture, Humanitarianism, Seka Foundation Comments

AMERICA THE PHILOSOPHICAL

Out of the academy and into the agora, Americans are thinking and questioning in ways that would make Socrates smile.

TEACHERS, teachers, BOOK-ISHBruce WatsonMay 25, 2023philosophy, American philosophy, Michael Sandel, justice, education Comments

ART BY POPULAR DEMAND

Modern art was elitist, so Komar and Melamid asked people what they wanted. Then they painted it — by the numbers.

WITS, ART-ISHThe AtticMay 19, 2023Komar and Melamid, Vitaly Komar, Alexander Melamid, Pop Art, Soviet art, America's Most Wanted paintingComment

KINDER, COOLER, SMARTER

NOW IN OUR TENTH YEAR!

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