Author Archives: Brian D. Butler

Ukraine and Banksy share a message

Posted on March 2, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

I’m a big fan of the elusive British street artist known as Banksy. His ability to provide artistic social commentary with humor and incisiveness is unrivaled. Now the Ukrainian postal service has released a stamp featuring artwork by Banksy to mark … Continue reading →

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A screaming comes across the sky

Posted on March 1, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

A screaming comes across the sky. It has happened before, but there is nothing to compare it to now. It is too late. The Evacuation still proceeds, but it’s all theatre. There are no lights inside the cars. No light … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, USA, Writing | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Almost as good as being there

Posted on February 28, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

The modern poster dates back to the late 19th century when the printing industry perfected color lithography. This advance in printing allowed the whole new art form of color posters to flourish. Advertising agencies were quick to exploit the new … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Europe, Public Transport, Tourism, Travel Writing | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Miscellany Monday

Posted on February 27, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

I usually lament the loss of dozens of New York City bookstores of my youth, but there some great shops still standing and, in recent years, a renaissance in bookselling has resulted in an optomistic turn for bibliophiles. Check out … Continue reading →

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Stoicism is all the rage

Posted on February 26, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

Permanent Link to this Comic: https://existentialcomics.com/comic/484 Support the comic on Patreon!    

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everything at heaven’s gate is broken up into its component parts

Posted on February 25, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

“A Society of Scoundrels” by Franz Kafka Translated by Michael Hofmann There was once a society of scoundrels, or rather not scoundrels per se, just ordinary, average people. They always stuck together. When one of them had perpetrated some rascally … Continue reading →

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The Poetry of Coffee

Posted on February 24, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

As an amateur coffee roaster, I have been accused of being mildly obsessed with the magical elixir. So my antenna is always up for books about coffee. But I was not prepared to stumble upon a one-of-a-kind, single copy poetry … Continue reading →

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Der Kluge Reist Im Zuge (The wise travel in the train)

Posted on February 23, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

If you’ve been here before, you probably know by now that I am a sucker for a classic travel poster. I recently spotted the poster above titled Der Kluge Reist Im Zuge (The wise travel in the train) which was created … Continue reading →

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Commodified fantasy takes no risks

Posted on February 22, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

  “All times are changing times, but ours is one of massive, rapid moral and mental transformation. Archetypes turn into millstones, large simplicities get complicated, chaos becomes elegant, and what everybody knows is true turns out to be what some … Continue reading →

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How to act around books (according to the NYPL)

Posted on February 21, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

How to act around books.  

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