Author Archives: Brian D. Butler

Fables for the Frivolous

Posted on December 7, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

One of the earliest works by the American parodist Guy Wetmore Carryl, this collection of fables are adapted from Jean de La Fontaine’s Aesop-style originals from more than 200 years earlier. Carryl’s light-hearted re-tellings are rendered in verse, each ending … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

It Goes On

Posted on December 6, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

by Lyn Lifshin  

Posted in USA, Writing | Tagged | Leave a comment

Either you get the bear, or the bear gets you

Posted on December 5, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

In a surprise move, the U.S. State Department has issued a safety warning for parts of Japan, a country that has long been considered one of the safest in the world to visit, because of an increase in bear attacks in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Asia, Travel Writing | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Monks Month Madness

Posted on December 4, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

Like many countries, Japan uses a 12-month calendar. The names are very simple. January is literally “Month one” 一月, February is “Month two” 二月, etc. However, before the Meiji Restoration (mid-1800s) it was common to use an older 12-month system. … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | 1 Comment

Every Metro Needs This

Posted on December 4, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

Metroteka is a concept that is both simple and exciting for readers and book lovers. Warsaw Poland’s Metro now houses more than 16,000 books in an accessible free lending library exclusively for transit passengers. Separated into reading zones for adults … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Autumn in Japan

Posted on December 3, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

へたっぴ写真家                    

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a comment

Ashmolean Advent

Posted on December 2, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

The Ashmolean Museum’s online Advent calendar 2025 is now live with a sampling from the Oxford museum’s treasures. First up is : View of snow on Benten Hill at Kinryūzan Temple in Asakusa by Utagawa Kuniyoshi Kuniyoshi was one of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Too Many Rivers To Cross

Posted on December 1, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

Possibly inspired by All Streets, Ben Fry’s map of all the streets in the US, Nelson Minar built a US map out of all the rivers in the country.  

Posted in Cartography, Maps, USA | Tagged , | Leave a comment

The Universal Force

Posted on November 30, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

A letter from Albert Einstein to his daughter: on The Universal Force of Love In the late 1980s, Lieserl, the daughter of the famous genius, donated 1,400 letters, written by Einstein, to the Hebrew University, with orders not to publish … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a comment

See it before it burns

Posted on November 29, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

The annual giant Swedish holiday goat [live YouTube, Bluesky] is built and (currently) standing. Now well-guarded and protected, the goat has not been destroyed or burnt down since 2021 (although damaged in 2023 by jackdaws). This contrasts with 1969 to 1980 where the annual roll-call … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | Leave a comment