Monthly Archives: August 2025

Come and say G’day

Posted on August 11, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

Australia was actually on my top five travel destination list for the coming year before I saw the new Tourism Australia ad campaign. Tourism Australia has brought back its big-budget “Come and Say G’day” campaign, and this time it’s doubling … Continue reading →

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Perfect Job

Posted on August 10, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

 

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Warsaw Old and New

Posted on August 9, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

It is often said that the best way to get a sense of a city is by walking the streets. The second best route is probably by bike. YouTube creator MrTiuro got on his bike and really got to see … Continue reading →

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We see that there really is nothing left to write about.

Posted on August 8, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

LATE ECHO John Ashbery Alone with our madness and favorite flower We see that there really is nothing left to write about. Or rather, it is necessary to write about the same old things In the same way, repeating the … Continue reading →

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Where in the world is the Republiko of Zendia

Posted on August 7, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

How do you find a republic that never existed ? During the 1950s Cold War, U.S Army cryptologist Lambros D. Callimahos created the mythical  “Republiko of Zendia” to use in wargaming for U.S. military intelligence codebreakers simulating the invasion of … Continue reading →

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How 19th century literature can help survive autocracy

Posted on August 6, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

I must admit that I was never a big reader of 19th century French literature, other than Jules Verne. And, I somehow didn’t read Stendahl’s The Charterhouse of Parma. However, I was intrigued by a New York Times article that suggested … Continue reading →

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Summer (is fleeting)

Posted on August 5, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

Originally composed as the main theme for Takeshi Kitano’s 1999 film Kikujiro, Joe Hisaishi’s beautiful piece “Summer” has long been cherished in Japan as the soundtrack of nostalgic summer memories. Now, this beloved masterpiece is reimagined as a short film. … Continue reading →

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Oh Summer’s Day

Posted on August 4, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

Emily Dickinson, “The Bee is not afraid of me”  

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The end of writing and reading will be the end of freedom

Posted on August 3, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

I recently read the impassioned defense of literature and reading (below) which was excerpted in the Washington Post from a commencement address by the American author Nicole Krauss. The end of writing and reading will be the end of freedom … Continue reading →

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Judging Books By

Posted on August 2, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

I recently stumbled on Matt Dorfman’s annual Ten Best list in the New York Times Book Review and was impressed by the terrific book covers. Here’s how Dorfman introduced the article: If most book cover designs are conceived as quick-to-metabolize … Continue reading →

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