Author Archives: Brian D. Butler

A Weighty Issue For Flyers

Air travelers have become accustomed to a variety of intrusive scans and searches, but one airline has added a whole new level of screening for international passengers. Air New Zealand has begun “surveying” their international flyers by having them step … Continue reading →

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Wet

“Wet” by Joy Williams from 99 Stories of God The Lord was drinking some water out of a glass. There was nothing wrong with the glass, but the water tasted terrible. This was in a white building on a vast wasteland. … Continue reading →

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Whole lotta shaking going on

I don’t have a lot of personal experience with earthquakes. My area of North America is in a low to moderate risk zone. Although we did have a 2.30 quake in my town about 14 years ago. At the time, … Continue reading →

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Around Sounds

If you stop by TBTP regularly, you are likely aware that I am a sucker for clever interactive map projects. Musical Explorers Around the World Map from Carnegie Hall lets you discover and listen to folk music from around the globe. … Continue reading →

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Adaptation

 

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“What is the purpose of all this?”

In the beginning, God created the earth, and he looked upon it in His cosmic loneliness. And God said, “Let Us make living creatures out of mud, so the mud can see what We have done.” And God created every … Continue reading →

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Dead Stars

DEAD STARS by Ada Limón Out here, there’s a bowing even the trees are doing. Winter’s icy hand at the back of all of us. Black bark, slick yellow leaves, a kind of stillness that feels so mute it’s almost … Continue reading →

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Pocket Money

Even with the widespread acceptance of the Euro, these days there are still about thirty currencies in use among the fifty countries of Europe. In the 17th century, things were much more complicated for travelers. This Dutch book offered a … Continue reading →

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Browse, Borrow, Board

The U.S. city of Boston is making borrowing reading material on-the-go more accessible through a pilot program that will offer public transit users access digital content from books and periodicals to audiobooks and newspapers at 20 bus stops across the … Continue reading →

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Don’t Panic It’s Towel Day

There isn’t a better time to release a collectible edition of Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy than on Towel Day May 25th. The Folio Society is releasing a special edition of Adams’ trilogy in five parts, featuring “70 illustrations by Jonathan … Continue reading →

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