Author Archives: Brian D. Butler

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Have you ever wondered how those ubiquitous little black Moleskine notebooks got to be so popular ? Are you one of the many millions of devotees who carry one in your pocket or backpack at all times ? Well click … Continue reading

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No fierljeppen for me

I was lucky enough to spent quite a bit of time in the Netherlands and I constantly marveled at how they managed to engineer a nation with so much of the country below sea level. Many of their farmers needed a … Continue reading

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Leave the gun, take the cannoli

The historic southern Sicilian city of Agrigento is preparing to be Italy’s 2025 Capital of Culture and has taken a controversial stance against its infamous Mafia past. In a bid to reclaim its cultural identity, the city has banned the … Continue reading

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une vie dans le fromage

The first Cheese Museum in France opened its doors in June in the 4th arrondissement of Paris. Located in the heart of the capital on Île Saint-Louis, the new museum was designed by the company Paroles de Fromagers to celebrate … Continue reading

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Bookstore Tourism : Kyiv

Launched this winter, “Sense Bookstore on Khreshchatyk is special since it is located in the very heart of the capital and combines books, coffee, and a permanent event space for creating new senses. Unlike our first Sense Bookstore on Arsenalna … Continue reading

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Poems on Various Subjects

On September 1, 1773, Phillis Wheatley’s Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral was published in London, England. Wheatley’s collection was the first volume of poetry by an African-American poet to be published. Regarded as a prodigy by her contemporaries, Wheatley was approximately … Continue reading

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Who doesn’t love a good Dorling Cartogram

World Population Flags is a Dorling cartogram in which country flags are sized by population. The cartogram is used to visualize where people live around the world and the relative size of each country’s population. Take for a spin. A … Continue reading

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Managing Your Book Addiction

 

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A short description of European people

The chart below was created in Germany in the 18th century to describe the character traits of the various European peoples. Hardly insulting at all.

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Even a bad day of hiking is a day you’ll remember

Exactly forty years ago on this day I was tent camping in the Swiss alps. It’s one of those indelible travel memories that tends to stick out among all of the many trips. Filmmaker Reinis Kaspars spent two weeks hiking alone … Continue reading

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